At least the rest of the traveling went on smoothly, and none of us brought anything up that would upset the other. Our travel remained uninterrupted, although I expected soone to co and try to stir up trouble that he couldn't finish before... but that did not co to pass. When we were getting close, putting on our robes was an event in itself. It was a bit different from my usual ones, a bit more rougher, simpler, and less elegant. More... uniform. Which I kinda liked. It was an exciting change, although it did not have a correct slot to hide my wand in my sleeve. But I could work with that and modify it later on. For now, the inner pocket would suffice. Checking myself out in my faint reflection in the window, I was satisfied with what I saw.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Quincy asked, and it took a second to realize what she ant. For a mont, I felt my face turn way brighter than I would like to admit.
"It is," I answered, scratching my throat, changing my focus from my reflection onto the huge castle on the horizon, standing contrasted to the silvery moon and the star-filled night sky, painting a truly otherworldly picture.
The best school to learn magic in Brittain. No. In the world. Although I never visited any of the schools worthy of being ntioned alongside Hogwarts, I am pretty sure that most, if not all, modeled their structure after Hogwarts.
"Better to get ready." I looked away, glancing at Quincy's face. "We are going to be sorted in an hour or so... Good luck." I smiled at her, but I could see her anxiety co back with force.
I could have said many things to her, but I think it would have been useless. All would be seen as nothing fake encouragent as I was not in the sa shoes as her... which was true. I couldn't place myself in her place and accurately imagine what it was like to be looked down at constantly. Well, what I know about was what it feels like to be looked at provocatively.
As soon as my feet landed on the platform, lit by orange gas lamps, I felt Draco's gaze land on . Of course, I wasn't about to answer it in any way, shape, or form. Let him feel superior and let focus on my own thing. That would be the best.
"Do you have sothing going on with the Malfoy's kid?" Quincy asked, stepping down from the train behind . "He has been looking at you from the start. Is it because of ?"
"Nope." I answered, "To both of your questions. It's just that our families are kind of rivals. His father's tongue is browner than an Arican toad's back. My father at least has the decency to work for his achievents."
"Heh..." She chuckled softly, which also made smile. "I bet you wouldn't say that to his face."
"Nope." I repeated myself, looking at her with one eye, "I'm not stupid. Plus, causing trouble for my Father is the last thing I would want to do. In front of the kid, I'll be courteous."
"You also ARE a kid. So am I." She said in a rather sharp voice, making look at her, and I could not help but twitch my mouth... She wasn't wrong... and why did her voice then remind of my mother? Ugh... please, no. "Hmph..." She walked past , probably because of the grimace I let slip onto my face. Ah... whatever!
After huddling around like little ducklings, we were herded by a female teacher who we later learned was nad Grubbly-Plank. What a weird na... Well, I'm not one to speak anyway. The ride over the lake quickly made forget about it anyway, and even Quincy, who shared the boat with , managed to gaze in awe at the huge castle getting closer and closer and stopped ignoring . What I could do without was the hundreds of stairs we had to ascend from the docks to the castle itself.
"Are we being tested for our physical state or what?" I moaned under my breath, but Quincy was not about to answer as I saw her gasp for air, holding her side, looking like she was in great pain. Not an athletic type... I could tell that imdiately. I could sympathize with that as if I hated sothing more than stairs; it was running.
Luckily there were not too many stairs left after coming into the school's main building and made to wait before the great hall. I was watching the tapestries, the different, moving paintings and suits of armor, everything, just to not let my eyes et with Draco's. Or anyone else's, in fact. I wasn't in the mood for any of it, especially before we were properly sorted. It could... backfire.
"I see everyone is here?" A voice echoed beside our ears, and the woman nad Grubbly-Plank answered shortly while a fat, short, balding, honestly speaking, rat-like figure appeared before us. For a mont, I thought I heard Squeaky... then I saw her, only bloated out of proportions. It was Quincy's elbow that lodged itself into my side, wiping off the clear disgust from my face, replacing it with wincing.
"If you look at him like that, you will be in trouble..." She whispered, "He is the head of House Gryffindor, Professor Wormtail."
"Professor? Him?" I asked back, even more surprised. Plus... head of a House? rlin's beard... is the school okay to employ soone like that?
"Your face... stop it. It's twitching...." She warned again while the squeaking blob of a guy was telling us sothing, but I could only hear rat-like noises and not any comprehensive words coming out of his mouth. Now I was sure I did not want to beco part of Gryffindor. No way. Put into Hufflepuff instead.
"Disgusting." Soone else whispered, and I knew that voice. It was Draco's. Well... sotis even we can agree on sothing as I glanced at him, only nodding, making him flustered that we had the sa opinion.
Finally, when the rat-man finished, we were led into the vast dining room. It was pretty uncomfortable to be watched by so many older students sitting at their respective tables, sizing us up. In front of us, at the professor's table, I could glance at the teachers who we would study under starting tomorrow. There was that Grub-grub, whatever, woman, and next to her was the empty space where our Rat-boy should be sitting at. There were many faces I did not recognize or know about. But there were so I knew. Besides the Headmaster, Snape, I recognized another figure. Horace Slughorn. I knew about him because my father told about how he and HIM sowhat connected. He was found by HIM personally and then invited to join the school as a teacher after Dumbledore was chased out. Supposedly he is close to HIM.
Moving my eyes away from him, there was another man who I was very familiar with. Especially because I saw him in my mother's bed. Gilderoy Lockhart. I just can't understand why Father never taught him and Mother a lesson when I told him about it. He even laughed... then I found him reading one of that blonde playboy's books, having a jolly good ti with it! Haahh... I did not know I would find him here once again. Not that he knows about at all. Or I knew what he did with my mother. Watching that smile on his face was making my skin crawl... but then I saw another smile that made my stomach turn. It was plastered on a toad-like woman's face, wearing all-pink. I don't know who she is, but... I already know who I won't like at all simply by their first impressions.
Before I could look around more, I heard my na being called out, and there was a stool placed in front of everyone with an old, dingy-looking hat placed on it. I didn't know how it got there, I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts, but I realized what was happening. The sorting started, and I was going to be sorted first. I can only hope that my face remained calm throughout while I walked out from the crowd to sit on that stool. As the hat was lowered on my head, strangely, the outside world completely disappeared. I could not hear or see anything.
"Mhm..." An ancient, tired voice echoed in my ear. It felt like coming from far afar, and it sounded so tired; I felt like listening to soone on death's bed. It was very... very uncomfortable. "Another year has passed..."
"..."
"No matter..." The voice sighed, and I could feel deep lethargy oozing out of it. "You have a good brain; you could easily fit into Ravenclaw."
"Oh boy... here we go." I thought, but it seed the hat, which the voice belonged to, I assu, chuckled.
"You also value familial ties and friendship. Hufflepuff would be a good ho for you...."
"..." I think, if the hat wasn't covering half of my head, I should look totally white now to the other students.
"But not in our ti... but in the past." He added, sounding even more tired... and old. "Gryffindor... no. You would not have fit in there."
"In the past... or right now?" I asked, sounding curious and also a bit annoyed at the sa ti. Which was a surprise for even .
"Both." It answered and then spoke only one more word, which it did loudly, and I could feel it being lifted off of my head. "Slytherin."
Standing up, I was a bit dazed, looking around, hearing the claps coming from the table under the green and silver banners where I soon found my place, sitting down amongst older students, nodding at them. Looking at their features, I could notice many of them held characteristics of different, pure-blood families. Turning back towards the stool, I was watching the others be sorted. So take more ti than others, and so only put the hat on when it speaks out. One such girl was Quincy. When the Sorting Hat landed on her head, it cried Slytherin before it could cover her face. Surprisingly, few were clapping, amongst them.
"Well..." I looked around, catching so weird gazes... "If you start sothing, you make sure to finish it, Son." Echoed my Father's words in my mind, so I just shrugged, continuing to clap while Quincy sat down next to .
"Thanks..." She whispered, barely audible.
"You're welco," I answered calmly, lowering my hand and looking at her face that was finally regaining so color, but she did not look at the others at all, focusing on the empty, golden table before her.
When it was Draco's ti to sit, he was sorted into Slytherin too. No surprises there. Well... this ti, I only clapped for a brief mont, watching him co and sit with us.
"I see-" He leaned closer to say sothing to Quincy or to , I was not really sure, but I simply ignored him and nodded, humd, and answered with a dull, "Sure."
"Conrad..." Quincy whispered while the sorting was going on, and her voice was masked by clapping as another girl was sorted into Ravenclaw.
"Hm?"
"Did you even notice that you said yes to Draco about acknowledging his role as the leader of the 1st year students?"
"I did?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Draco, who was already talking with two buffoon-looking guys. "Oh well. No matter. He would want to be in the lilight anyway."
"Are you sure?" She asked incredulously. "Are you really belong to Slytherin?"
"Who cares about a naless position?" I smiled at her, and I wasn't really lying. "Let Draco be in the lilight. I can do my own thing more easily that way."
"Which... is?" She asked, lowering her voice even more, leaning closer.
"Study."
"Huh?" She flinched, and I was sure she did not expect sothing so simple.
"Duh. We are at the best school! I don't care about pretending to be the leader of the kid army of Slytherin...."
"There you go again..." She rolled her eyes, getting annoyed at it, which, I won't lie, was amusing to see.
"Anyway, I want to learn all that there is in here and obtain true power. To raise above even my Father so he will be proud of , and I could support him with all I have got!"
"Your Father..." She murmured, and I knew instantly she was thinking about hers, who I assu she had never t nor knew much about. If I do not count what was being said about him back ho... I could guess, though.
"Chin up!" I poked her sides, nodding towards the table before us, filled with hundreds of mouth-watering dishes. While we were whispering, the Headmaster finished his brief speech that I completely missed... not that I minded it. "Let's eat instead!" I smiled, and seeing she agreed with , I had the pleasure of having one of the best feasts I have ever had until that day.
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