do what is right
Elizabeth Liones, as she'd introduced herself, was in fact one of the most interesting people Meliodas had ever met. She was a Muggle-born, but her two sisters both went to Hogwarts--one was a seventh-year and Ravenclaw's Head Girl, the other a fifth year who was also Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain. "An illustrious heritage," she had joked. "But I think I'm leaning more towards the Quidditch pitch than a prefect's badge."
She was also an avid collector of Chocolate Frog cards, her favorite being Ginny Weasley ("She was absolutely wild; I heard she could cast the world's best Bat-Bogey Hex!"), and the owner of a large pink cat named Hawk, who absolutely loathed Wandle on sight. His Barn Owl hated the cat right back, and the two were glaring at each other sulkily from their cages. Ban's fox, Bronwyn, had given both animals an arched look and burrowed back into the folds of her master's robes, at which Elizabeth had laughed good-naturedly and barreled right into a conversation about Transfiguration, of all things.
"--Margaret says it's easy, but you can't trust her because everything's easy for Margaret, even Arithmancy." The face she made told Meliodas exactly what she thought of Arithmancy, and he found himself wishing that he had older siblings who'd have their own experiences to dwell on. "But can you imagine Transfiguring living things? It must be horrible for the animals, imagine having your conscience trapped in a teapot or something."
"Sounds like a Horcrux," Ban remarked offhandedly.
"Yes, because we needed more of those after the Second War," he muttered, unable to stop himself. As soon as the words (too sarcastic, slightly bitter, as if he'd been through war before but he hadn't and they'd probably think it was pretentious and stupid and decide that maybe they didn't want to be friends with him) came out of his mouth, he winced, waiting for the inevitable backlash, the odd looks, the raised eyebrows. Adults used to be surprised that he knew bits of Dark Magic like that before he pointed out that Horcruxes and the Unforgivable Curses were now part of history, written in just about every textbook and novel so that people could learn their dangers, learn why they were so dangerous without going through whispers and avoiding it altogether. But even so, no one really liked to talk about it, as if they wanted to forget that there was a monster disguised as a man crazy enough to make seven.
But Elizabeth only let out a peal of laughter, flopping back against the cushioned seat and propping her feet on the bench across from her (Ban raised his eyebrows, but it seemed to be directed at her for putting her feet on his side of the compartment, and it looked mostly good-natured anyway). "Hey, I never thought of that! I heard that you can Transfigure people, too, like in duels or something. Gil--that's Margaret's boyfriend--" she rolled her eyes a bit-- "they're so stupid for each other, the two of them, but he's pretty nice. Better than a lot of the kids of Dad's work friends." The face she made then was even more disgusted than the Arithmancy face, which, Meliodas figured, meant they had to be pretty horrible. "Anyway, Gil's the head of the Dueling Club, and he said he saw someone do it while he was doing on-site training with the Auror Department--"
"The Auror Department?" Ban was the one who voiced the question, but Meliodas had felt the same words rise up in him, just as curious and just as eager. Though it was a dangerous job (the death rate was something Father had tried to hide from him and failed) and arguably one of the more unpopular because of the high number of casualties, something about fighting naturally appealed to him. There were times when he reached for his wand and was surprised that it was a wand and not something else, though he never knew what something else was, times when he itched to be on a battlefield, though he never pictured himself casting spells. Times when he couldn't imagine being anything but an Auror.
"Yeah, he's going to be an Auror. Margaret's training to be a magizoo-something-or-other." She furrowed her brow. "Magizoologistics? Magizooscienceperson? What do you call someone who researches magical creatures?"
"Magizoologist?" Meliodas suggested.
She snapped her fingers excitedly. "Yeah, that's it! Which is definitely a cool job; I mean, she's working with all these insane animals like--like dragons and things. And Crups!"
"Crups are more cute than dangerous, though," Ban pointed out, sounding amused. "My little brother, Therion, has one as a pet."
"So?" she retorted, but that mischievous little grin was still on her face, eyes glinting. "What about acromantula, then? That scary enough for you?"
"Giant spiders?" He shuddered, but his grin didn't falter in the slightest. Is he scared of those things or not? "Ugh. Reason number one why I'm not gonna follow your sister's footsteps." Yep, definitely scared of them...but then, who isn't? Giant poisonous spiders, ick.
"I win!" Elizabeth crowed, bouncing in her seat (Bronwyn gave her an indignant look, the white fox awakened by the vibrations).
"'Wha--since when was this a competition?" he protested.
Ban barked a laugh. "Everything's gonna be a competition in this friendship, dumbass~"
"Friendship?" He felt his smile stretch wider and tried to unsuccessfully curb it, sure that he was beaming at them like a stupid kid. Stop it, stop it--
"What, did you think this was one of those 'talk-for-one-train-ride-and-never-see-each-other-again deals?" Elizabeth scoffed. "Sorry, but you're stuck with me now."
"Stuck with us," Ban corrected.
"Right, us." She rolled her eyes playfully, and the taller boy reached out and shoved her feet off of the bench where he sat. "Ow! Hawk, your honorable mistress has been impugned! Attack, attack!"
The pink cat only gave her a baleful look from within his carrier, and Meliodas burst out laughing.
After that, the journey to Hogwarts passed incredibly quickly. He had been cackling at some stupid joke that Ban had made, one that he couldn't quite remember now, when a prefect wearing Slytherin colors had knocked on their compartment door, saying that they were about ten minutes from the castle. Then had come a mad scramble to put on robes and cloaks (it was apparently quite cold outside), and to get their trunks sorted out as the Hogwarts Express slowed to a halt. Students, so many of them older than they were (and scarier, to be honest; they were so much taller and louder), crowded the aisle, and Meliodas edged into the fray, the others behind him. Wandle flapped his wings and shrieked at the older students as he rode on his shoulder, as if telling them to get out of the way; their owls only gave unamused glares and balanced on their masters. "Smug bastards," he muttered, deciding to commiserate with the Barn Owl.
"Don't be rude, they're our seniors," Elizabeth chastised next to him as they wove in and out of the crowd. One perk of being short meant that he could fit through spaces most couldn't, and Elizabeth was only a few inches taller than he was, meaning she could do it too. Ban, though, was forced to shove his way through the masses as they made their way over to the train's exit.
"Not them, their owls," he corrected, and Wandle made a sharp noise that sounded distinctly amused.
"Ah, yes, because owls are what need to be scolded in the Wizarding World--"
"You don't even have an owl, don't make fun of me--"
"Kids," Ban interrupted, suddenly reappearing next to them (he must've shoved his way through the others to get to them) with Bronwyn perched on his shoulder. "Maybe stop fighting and watch where you're going?"
"You're the same age as I am," Meliodas huffed, but he looked up anyway. Sure enough, there were only a few kids ahead of them now, the stone platform and the horseless carriages that took upperclassmen up to the castle (which they couldn't see yet) coming into view. He stumbled, a bit wobbly from sitting for so long, onto the platform, shivering a bit at the chill and standing on his toes to try and look over the crowd. That's a lot of people...where are we supposed to go? Father said there were boats.
"Yeah, but I'm not bickering like a five-year-old over owls, of all things." His friend winced as Elizabeth socked him in the shoulder, stepping down onto the platform after him. "Ow~"
"Ha! That's payback for pushing me off the seat!" She punched the air victoriously, before frowning. "Where do we go again?"
Someone spoke from behind them, sounding amused. "The Care of Magical Creatures Professor should be up ahead with the boats. We just have to keep moving forward." Meliodas turned, and recognized with a sudden start the black-haired girl with the matching cat, her golden eyes glittering with a frighteningly similar light to those of her pet. "I'm Merlin Aldan. You?"
"These two are Meliodas and Ban," Elizabeth chirped before he could speak. "And I'm Elizabeth. Nice to meet you!"
Merlin arched an eyebrow, a smirk (one that he figured was likely permanent) on her face. "Likewise...I think. See you lot in the castle," she added, before breezing past them and vanishing into the crowd.
That was...confusing. Helpful, but also confusing. "Um," he said, because he wasn't sure if there was anything else he could say after such a bizarre encounter. "Shall we..."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea~" Ban hummed. Meliodas yelped as a heavy arm was draped across his shoulders, twisting to glare up at his friend, who only grinned. Elizabeth was tucked under his other arm, rolling her eyes, and a miffed glance was sent his way. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"
"Let me up, you great oaf," she protested. He burst out laughing at the affronted look Ban gave her, ears barely registering the shout of "First years! Midgets, this way!" that came from a tall woman with wild red hair as they made their way down the platform and past her. The little fleet of silver boats (which looked far too delicate to actually carry them, but at this point he was so excited that he'd swim across the lake and brave that giant squid everyone said was in there to get to Hogwarts Castle) waited patiently on the gleaming black water, the other first-years clustered around them. He caught sight of the floating boy again (and the small blonde who looked like sort of like him) talking to an angular-faced boy with green hair and a mischievous grin, and the mysterious Merlin chatting easily with a brunette with her hair tied in pigtails. However, before he could decided whether to introduce himself to them (they looked like interesting people, after all, and he was very fond of interesting people), the red-haired woman strode past and whipped around to face them, cloak fanning out as thought it had a mind of its own.
"Sonorus," he heard her murmur, her wand pointed at her throat, before clapping her hands. The sound rang out over the crowd of eleven-year-olds, and he heard Elizabeth and Ban stop bickering behind him as they turned to listen as well. The witch lifted her chin and grinned down at them, golden eyes dancing. "Alright, first years, how're you doing? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. I'm Professor Lupin, and I'll have you in third year if you decide to take Care of Magical Creatures. Incidentally, I'm also taking you up to the castle." She tapped one of the boats with her wand. "No more than four to a boat; otherwise you'll sink and I really don't want to have to deal with an overexcited giant squid trying to 'rescue' new students."
Professor Lupin. "Think she's related to Remus Lupin?" he muttered to Ban, who shrugged. It was Elizabeth who answered his question, slipping into a boat with a surefootedness that surprised him.
"Probably. Teddy Lupin married Victoire Weasley, didn't he? And they had--I can't remember whether it was two kids or three. Maybe one of them became a professor here." She glanced over at him as he settled onto the bench next to her. "Still, can you believe it? We're here! At Hogwarts!" She waved her arms enthusiastically, almost hitting the poor guy who sat behind them (next to Ban, who'd had the sense to duck when the excitement crossed her face). "And we're going to learn magic and live in a castle--"
"And have loads of homework," Ban muttered, and she whacked him indignantly in the shoulder, resulting in a bark of laughter coming from the taller boy, followed by a shout of surprise as the fleet of boats suddenly sped off across the glistening lake. Meliodas found himself rolling his eyes, but a grin was stretching across his face, and he was already craning his neck to catch his first glimpse of--
"There!" In a fit of excitement not unlike what happened when he saw a particularly cute dog, he grabbed Elizabeth's shoulder (Wandle let out a hissing noise as he flapped off his shoulder and into the night, hopefully going to the castle), shaking her slightly as his gaze drifted to the stone castle. Her annoyed yelp (which he felt a momentary pang of guilt for) was quickly stifled by a gasp of awe.
Hogwarts rose above them, silvery-gray stone blotting out the night sky as the boats drew closer and closer. Light gleamed in the many, many windows, the stars paling in comparison to the magnificent sight. Home, some small part of him whispered, and he shivered with delight as the little fleet carrying dozens of awed eleven-year-olds passed into a passage beneath the castle that would house them all, one that had survived wars and seen Fate play its hand within its walls.
Home.
By the time they all tramped into the Great Hall and lined up (alphabetical order, with Elizabeth just a few people behind him), Meliodas was absolutely starving. He gazed at the golden plates and cups wistfully; Father had told him that they magically filled with food when the Headmaster or Headmistress willed it, which was always after the Sorting. Of course, his appetite started to dwindle immediately as soon as the Deputy Headmaster (Hendricksen, he thought his name was) stood and called out the first name: "Abraham, Gloria!"
A small girl with reddish-brown hair tied up in a ponytail ran up and sat on the stool. The Sorting Hat (which looked fairly old, but nowhere near over a thousand) was placed on her head, dropping over her eyes, and it--after a moment's deliberation--roared out: "HUFFLEPUFF!"
And the line moved up, up, up--up, as "Adharc, Gowther" became a Ravenclaw, up as the mysterious "Aldan, Merlin" became a Slytherin, up as they moved through to names beginning with B, and then onwards.
Meliodas gulped as he drew nearer to the front of the line, nervousness starting to settle comfortably (or was it uncomfortably?) back in. He knotted his hands together in an attempt to keep from fidgeting, jumping a bit as the Hat bellowed out "RAVENCLAW" at the top of its lungs and watching the floating boy drift away towards the cheering Ravenclaw table. Will that be me? He glanced around at the other tables--green and silver, black and yellow, red and gold. Or will I be one of them?
Will Father really be okay with it if I am Sorted into any House other than Slytherin?
"Haearn, Diane" became a Hufflepuff, grinning as she hopped off the stool and ran to her new House's table. Shortly after her came the few with last names starting with "I" or "K" followed after, mostly Ravenclaws with a few Sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin among them. And then, of course (he'd never cursed alphabetical order so much in his life), it was his turn to get up--in front of the entire school--and be Sorted into a House that supposedly had his defining traits.
Whatever those were. He guessed that nervousness and the ability to be incredibly awkward didn't count.
"Leviathan, Meliodas!"
A shudder ran through his body, but he forced himself to step forward. Just before he could start up on the steps, something touched his shoulder and he glanced back. Elizabeth mouthed "good luck" at him, smiling brightly, and he felt a little bit braver.
It's just a hat. Right. You can handle wearing a hat. He tugged on a strand of his hair thoughtfully as he trotted up the steps, nearly tripping over the hem of his robes as he turned to sit on the stool. For a second, he caught sight of the school (the entire school, thousands of kids watching him like--like hungry animals, or something), and a bolt of anxiety struck him--and then the Sorting Hat was dropped over his eyes, and the world became a blur of black.
Interesting, a voice whispered, and he struggled not to jump in surprise, very interesting...
Panic spun within him. What--how--
What, you thought I could only yell and sing? I'm insulted. The Hat made a dry, rasping noise in his ear that he thought might be a chuckle. Just let me do my job, boy, and I'll be out of your hair.My, but there's a good deal of talent...and curiosity, oh yes, plenty of that. Hmm, but your loyalty certainly seems to outshine even that, and what a ferocious sort of loyalty it is. You'd kill to protect them, wouldn't you?
Them? he asked, biting his lip instinctively, deciding not to focus on the "killing" part. He didn't think he'd have the power to kill anyone, ever. Unless, maybe, they were threatening someone else.
Ah, so you don't know yet...don't worry, boy, with a mind like yours, you'll figure it out. Recklessness, though...good Merlin, there's a huge amount of that. I don't know whether to be concerned or impressed. And courage, oh my, you're a brave one. What do you choose?
Ch-choose? He wasn't sure how he'd managed to stutter while thinking, of all things, but of course he'd be the one to do so.
Clearly, boy, you could slot nicely into any House; I haven't had such a difficult Sortee since Neville Longbottom. You lack ambition, but you've got the qualities of a good leader and a kind of reckless courage only matched by your fierce loyalty. You love to fight, but hate to kill, you're intelligent and quick to grasp new concepts...so choose. What path will be yours?
Slytherin, he almost said, the word on the tip of his tongue. Slytherin should've been his first choice, his only choice, but it wasn't, somehow. Blue eyes flickered behind his closed eyelids, followed by red and then black, black, black--
I choose to shape my own path, a new voice whispered. It sounded sort of like his, but older, fiercer, battle-worn. I won't let anyone control me anymore. I will do what is right.
Do what is right.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Cheers erupted as the Hat was whisked off his head; he stood, ears ringing as dread pulsed within him. He stumbled over to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to someone who looked to be in their third year and staring blankly down at his golden plate. What will Father say? Will he hate me? Will he--
"GRYFFINDOR!" the Sorting Hat boomed, and he looked up as Elizabeth barreled over to the table with a whoop, hugging a short-haired girl who looked sort of like her (her older sister, maybe?) before dropping into the seat across from him, eyes gleaming.
And Meliodas found (cheering with her as Ban was Sorted into Gryffindor as well, though he thought Slytherin would've done just as well for him, laughing as Headmaster Zaratras gave a speech that made absolutely no sense, piling his plate with just about everything on the table, peppermint humbugs included and stealing potatoes off of Ban's plate) that--in that moment, at least--he didn't really care what his father thought.