Chapter 5
“Two hat stalls in one year? That’s unheard of.” Alyssa glanced up as Percy headed up to them. “And both in Gryffindor.”
“So stalling is rare, I figured.” Alyssa nodded, taking a bite of their pasta. “Why aren’t you sitting with your friends?”
Percy faltered slightly, arching an eyebrow at him. “I thought I would introduce myself to the two of you properly.”
“You wanted to introduce yourself to Harry Potter.”
“Alyssa.” Harry scolded, smacking his friend’s head. “Be nice.”
“You are going to be trouble.” Percy groaned.
"Of course. I've been told that I have some troubles with authority. Especially in this place." Alyssa gave a nod. "But I don't like the sorting game. The game of who's a good kid and who is a bad kid. The entire Ravenclaw situation, how few kids they got compaired to any of the others."
“So?”
“Ravenclaw is the smart house. Stereotypicaly the smartest of the smart, that’s a high pressure, and the low entry point indicates they are the closest thing to intellectual tracking. They are stereotyped into a corner instead of just being who they are meant to be.” Alyssa ate a bit of chicken. “Slytherin is basically the dumping ground for those who could be ‘bad’ and as such have a lower turnover due to the recent war. There aren’t as many people as possible to dump, diluting the fact that ambition is not an innately bad thing. I get houses for the point system and housing, but the way things are encouraged and handled. It just feels wrong to me.”
“I… Can see why you stalled.”
“No, you don’t. I stalled because I refused to go down easy and because the Hat decided to play with me. It could have just put me in Ravenclaw.But I didn't want to feed that steryotype. That situation. To be clear, I could kick your ass seven ways to next Tuesday.” They shook their head, eating a bit before continuing. “It was down to this and Slytherin because Hufflepuff would be over stimulation.”
“Slytherin?!”
“Don’t start on me Ron. It’s a toxic stereotype. I literally just went over that.” He shook their head. “Don’t make me regret choosing this path.”
“Chose?”
"Were going in circles." They shook his head, glancing up as several ghosts appeared. Four heading to the houses.
Slytherin’s ghost was wrapped in chains, bald with blood on his robes. Ravenclaw’s was a tall woman, with long hair in a flowing dress. Hufflepuff’s was a fat man with the top on his head shaven, and Gryffindor’s had a doily around his neck.
“That dose look quite delectable.” He said glancing down at the food Harry had piled on his plate.
“Can’t you-“
“I haven’t eaten in nearly five hundred years. Of course, I don’t need to but one dose miss it.” He nodded. “I don’t think I’ve actually introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsey-Porpinton at your service, resident ghost of the Gryffindor tower.
“I know who you are.” Ron said, partly through a mouthful of chicken. Percy swatted him and he swallowed before continuing. “Your nearly headless Nick.”
“Nearly?” Hermione tilted her head.
Smirking slightly Nick reached up, taking his own hair before pulling his head to the side. It wasn’t long before it disconnected, holding on at the side.
“Oh.”
“Fucking wicked!” Alyssa beamed. “Sorry they fucked up, but that’s super cool! Were both in the boat of experiencing wild things!”
Nick chuckled, snapping his head back in place.
“So new Gryffindor’s, are you going to help us win the House Championship this year. Gryffindor hasn’t gone so many years without winning. Slytherin has won six years in a row and the Bloody Barron is becoming nearly unbearable. He’s the Slytherin ghost.”
“How did he get covered in Blood?” Harry asked.
“I’ve never asked.” Nick said carefully and Alyssa nodded.
“He’s shrouded in guilt. I think it’s best to not pester him about it.” He added.
Once everyone had eaten the food faded. The tables were sparkling clean before the desert appeared and Alyssa scanned the table as if he was looking for something in particular. Quickly their eyes landed on the table across from him, scanning their own once more before standing and heading over to them.
“What are you doing here?” The Ravenclaw Head Boy- tall, dark skinned with tightly curled black hair and black eyes- asked arching an eyebrow as she headed up to him.
“We… Didn’t get peach Cobbler… I’ve kind of trained some of my magic to be able to tell by a glance. I was hoping you would be willing to part with a bit.” He said with a small smile. “I… Really like peaches.”
The Head boy was silent, scanning the Gryffindor table before nodding. “Would you like a bit of ice cream?”
“Y-yes please.”
“Oh, don’t act surprised, with pie the ice cream goes on top, with cobbler it’s the other way around.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” They nodded as he scooped a bit of vanilla into a bowl. “Alyssa Wayne.”
“Desmond McMiller. I overheard your conversation, would have loved you in my house to properly discuss things.” He nodded, adding a bit of the cobbler before handing it over. “I’ll have a word with the house elves about getting you the right desert, but you don’t strike me as the type to stay with your house past the formalities, start and end of the year.”
“Thank you.” He smiled heading back to their place across from Harry. “He’s nice.”
“What was that?”
“I wanted Peach Cobbler; he scanned too, we didn’t get any.” They shook his head, turning his attention to the dessert. “I like peaches.”
“Out of everything. There is so much here.”
“Don’t judge them.” Harry glared. “He wanted a specific dessert that is a comfort to them. You have no right to judge.”
“Thank you, Harry.”
“Are you two together?”
“Push of Percy you’re bothering them.” Fred said, taking a seat on Alyssa’s left.
“They wanted some desert they got it.” George added sitting on their right.
“Aww you two are too sweet.”
Alyssa quickly zoned out, not paying much mind to the chatter. He didn’t care too much about formalities, and they knew he was likely more on the introverted side for the house, but at the same time it felt right.
After a bit he glanced up at the Professors, taking them all in. His eyes quickly landed on Quirrell, a timid man, with pale peach skin, in a purple turban and purple robes, his eyes a deep blue. He was talking with the man next to him.
He was tall, very pale with a slightly hooked nose. He had black hair that reached his shoulders, sleeked down a bit to be neat. He was in black robes; his eyes were very dark brown. There was a sternness to him, but there was something else that Alyssa could sense.
“He should avoid America.”
“He’s being called?” Harry asked.
“The other world wants to call him to it. He’s been through a lot, and there are a lot of things that I can sense that need to be worked through.” They gave a nod.
“Severus Snape, right?”
“Yup.”
“Wonder how he would react to learning Lily Evans had an affair. I heard he was a bit clingy even after Lily stopped being his friend.”
“Oh, interesting.”
“Yeah, Sirius and Remus told me. He wasn’t a great person when they were in school together. Of course, he could have grown from then.”
“He’s a stern teacher, a bit harsh.” Percy gave a nod. “Favors his own house.”
“That’s partly expected. He’s Slytherin, the bias and expectation on them is complicated as it is. Don’t blame having a bit of bias towards them.” They shrugged. “But it’s good to know.”
“He’s after Quirrell’s job, knows a lot about the dark arts Snape dose.”
“What does he currently teach?”
“Potions, though he is known as quite the master.”
“Fascinating. I’ll have to talk to him about reverse engineering Ampuls.” He nodded, taking a few more cookies. As the food faded, they held onto them, taking a small baggie from the nothing, putting in the collected cookies before pocketing them, the hall falling silent as Dumbledore took his place at the Podium.
“Ahem-Just a few words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-the-term notices to give you. First years should know the forest in the grounds are forbidden to all pupils, and a few of our older students would do good to remember that as well.” His eyes twinkled as he glanced towards Alyssa and the twins. As much as they knew he was talking about the duo with him, he knew they would be just as bad. “I have also been asked my Mr. Filch to remind students that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes.”
Alyssa crossed his arms, a sparkle entering their own eye. Percy quickly shot him a knowing glance, but he paid him no mind.
“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in trying out should talk to Madam Hooch.” This caught Harry’s attention and Alyssa knew that he would probably be one of them. His work with Oliver had given him amazing eyes. Both of them could spot a needle from several miles away. Sirius had said that Harry would make a good Seeker for his house, had taught him when he could.
“And finally, I must tell you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds for anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.
“Bet!”
Alyssa hadn’t meant to say it out loud; let alone shout it, their face burning as everyone’s eyes landed on him. Taking a deep breath, they opted to go on.
“I’ve got a buster sword, and near immortality levels of durability. I’ve fought insane cancers and acid spitting strait jackets. I’m going to investigate, try and stop me.”
“Oh my god Alyssa.” Harry huffed, yanking him back to the seat. “You’re going to get yourself expelled already.”
“Were gonna lose again.” Percy groaned, placing his face in his hands.
“I appreciate your curiosity Mx. Wayne, but you should not put yourself in danger when it’s not needed.”
“Vague warnings about a deadly floor, one of us fools are gonna do it! I hate stereotypes but knowing that this is the ‘brave’ house, one of us idiots is going to do it.” They called back, tilting their head as Albus chuckled. “Probably best that it’s the one who can take hits from tanks.”
“Then I wish you the best of luck, and great protection in your quest. But I urge you not to encourage others to go with. Do not drag your pears into pearl, this is not a game.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them sir.” Harry sighed, shaking his head. “Make sure he doesn’t do something they regret.”
“Very good Mr… Queen.” It was clear he wanted to say Potter, but for the time being chose against it. “And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song.” Dumbledore called, several of the Professors smiles taking on a fixed look. Quickly he flicked his wand, a golden string appearing and twisting itself into snake-like letters. “Everyone picks their favorite tune, and off we go.”
“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
teach us something please,
whether we be old and bald
or young with scabby knees,
our heads could do with filling,
with some interesting stuff,
for now they are bare and full of air,
dead flies and bits of fluff,
so teach us things worth knowing,
bring back what we’ve forgot,
just do your best, and we’ll do the rest,
and learn until our brains rot.”
Everyone had finished at different times, Alyssa joining the twins in their slow funeral march. When they finished, Albus was among the ones clapping the loudest, and Alyssa smiled, though a thought entered his head.
Wouldn’t Gryffindor be just as overstimulating as Hufflepuff?
Sure it was their own bias, but those were the two ‘extroverted’ houses from what he could tell. Chaos of Gryffindor, and the over-bearing familiarity of Hufflepuff.
And the wording. It wasn’t just an energy thing. Not entirely. It was just a way for the hat to brush aside Hufflepuff while giving him a bit of an explanation for the choice. Taking away the option, knowing that Alyssa would never even consider trying to fit into them. That even they didn’t feel the need to fight what Hufflepuff was, the most open and accepting.
No. Alyssa wasn’t a four-way hat stall and would hardly be considered a three way. He was smart, but he knew the hat knew better than to place them where they really couldn’t fully fit. That Ravenclaw was the introverted house, meant for not only the most intelligent, but the creative and thinkers. They weren’t they type to intentionally endanger themselves.
The only real question was how much they were really meant to be in Slytherin as well.
Shaking their head, Alyssa joined pushed the thought to the side, following Percy out of the great hall.
The school was definitely whimsical. The moving paintings were interesting, and the hidden passages were expected. He was just glad that they came from a very exercise heavy walk of life for the amount they were going.
As the group suddenly stopped, he smiled at the floating walking sticks that blocked their path, launching themselves at Percy as he stepped forward.
“Peeves,” He whispered to the first years, “A poltergeist."
“Show yourself Pee-“he fell silent as one of the sticks boomeranged back, conking him in the back of the head. There was a spark in his eyes as he turned; like he knew Alyssa had been the one who had got him, but he didn’t mention it as he shook his head.
“Peeves. Show yourself.”
A rude sound: like air being let out of a balloon, was his only response and Alyssa chuckled.
“Do you want me to get the Bloody Barron?”
A pop sounded and a man appeared. He was small, impish, not too unlike Mixy. He had dark eyes and a wicked wide grin. He was in a colorful jester costume as well and Alyssa smiled brightly.
“Oooh!” He said, with a semi evil cackle. “Ickle firsties! What fun!”
He swooped and everyone around Alyssa ducked, but she stood tall, Harry shooting them a look as they smiled at the trickster spirit.
“Go away Peeves, or the Bloody Barron’ll be hearing about this. I mean it!” Percy shouted. Peeves stuck out his tongue before vanishing, dropping the walking sticks on Nevil’s head. As he whizzed off.
“You’ll want to look out for Peeves.” Percy said, as the group headed on once again. “The Bloody Barron’s the only one who can control him, he doesn’t even listen to us prefects.”
“Hm... I wonder if in his own way he sees the Barron like a father.” Alyssa mused as they headed on.
It wasn’t long before they reached a painting of a very fat woman in a flowy pink dress.
“Password?”
“Caput Draconus.” Percy responded, the portrait swinging forward to let the group in. The common room was large, and round, full of squishy armchairs and couches. “Girls, to the left boys are with me.”
Shrugging, Alyssa headed with Hermione up into the dormitory they had been pointed to. There were six four-post beds that were decorated with ruby red velvet curtains.
Stretching Quickly, Alyssa changed quickly into silvery silk pajamas, sitting on his bed before pulling a large twig. They had been whittling away at it mindlessly for a bit, causing a bit of a handle to form. It was rather beautiful, but looking at it she realized there wasn’t much else that I could personally do with it.
“What is that?” Lavender asked, heading up to me as they searched for a box that could fit it.
“Silver Lime, I think, it’s magic wood. I’m going to have it sent to Olivander to see if it can be made into a wand for Ron.”
“A crush already?” She beamed.
“No. He has a hand me down wand, he deserves to have his own.” Alyssa shook their head. “I’ve never had a crush.”
“Oh, come on, everyone’s had crushes.”
“Well, I haven’t.” He shook their head, placing the stick into the box, penning a quick letter for the wand maker before wrapping it up.
“I’ll see if Percy will help me send this tomorrow.” They noted, placing it on their bedside table. “But for now, we should get some sleep. Classes start early, and none of us know our ways around the halls. Not really.”
Slipping into bed, Alyssa allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
It was not long before they found himself in a large, dark room. As he headed forward, their eyes landed on a shadowy figure as he appeared in front of a golden framed mirror.
“What is this place?” Alyssa whispered, stepping forward. A hissing reaching his ears. Something caught his ankle and the fell backward, as his head hit the stone everything went dark.