Chapter Thirty-Three
Arival
After Neville had introduced himself, the conversation turned to a break-in at Gringotts that had been made public a few days before while they had been in Equestria. As such, Neville mentioning it was the first they heard of it. The break-in had, apparently, been weeks ago, but the goblins were very secretive about such things, so the news had only broken quite some time later. Someone had broken into a high security vault, yet, strangely enough, nothing had been stolen.
When Ron was trying to catch his seven victories up to Sunset's eight, the first time all day that she had gone in the lead, the compartment door opened again. It was a boy their age whom Sunset, Harry and Hermione immediately recognized as Draco Malfoy. He was flanked by two large, muscled boys that didn't look particularly bright.
"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter is in this compartment." Everyone in the compartment turned to Harry, following their gaze, Malfoy nodded. "It's you, is it?"
"Yes." Harry admitted while he looked over the two boys flanking Malfoy like a pair of bodyguards. He wasn't the only one to look at them.
"Oh," Malfoy carelessly explained, "this is Crabbe and this is Goyle." He looked at the compartment in general. "And my name is-"
"Malfoy," Sunset cut him off. "Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa. Yes, we know who you are."
"And who are you?"
Getting up to face him properly, Sunset matched his aristocratic expression. "Sunset Shimmer. These are Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. You've already recognized Harry, it seems."
Malfoy seemed a little taken aback by Sunset's sudden shift in demeanor. She hadn't spoken unkindly. She hadn't raised her voice. Yet she clearly had presented herself as the speaker of the group. He was fairly certain that he was the only one beside her that really understood that. He knew that his two lackeys certainly didn't. Whoever this Sunset Shimmer was, she was trained in matters of politics. He had hoped to talk to Potter, but she would have to do.
"In any case, you – all of you – would do well to remember my station."
The edge of Sunset's mouth lifted ever so slightly in amusement. "Your station." When he nodded, she smirked. "And what, pray tell, is your station? Do tell us of your fantastic achievements."
When Malfoy's expression shifted to pride, Sunset concealed her satisfaction. He had taken the bait. "I am born-"
"Yes," Sunset interrupted, "born of House Malfoy, we gathered. But I did say achievements, did I not? Unless you can find me a human that hasn't, I'm afraid I'll have to disabuse you of the fallacious notion that being born is an accomplishment. As far as the family you're born into goes, that's not exactly an achievement either. It is, after all, entirely a matter of luck." She raised an eyebrow slightly. "So I ask again, what have you ever achieved?"
"I am an accomplished flier," Malfoy started, now slightly flustered, only to be interrupted again.
"Congratulations, so is half this compartment. Say, did you ever get that racing broom?" Malfoy's expression told her all she needed to know. "Ah well, you'll only have to wait a year. All in due time. Now unless there is anything else..." She trailed off, calmly indicating the corridor.
Malfoy was now getting angry, this girl clearly had no respect. The presence of the blood traitors only angered him further. Still, he masked his emotions and remained outwardly calm. "But we don't really feel like leaving, do we boys?" He didn't even look at his two companions. "We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
They did. Miraculously they actually did have some of their sweets left. Goyle began to move forward, making a dash towards the chocolate frogs on a floating tray next to the chess board. Before he could get anywhere near them, however, he collided into an invisible wall, a faint pale green shimmer indicating its location in the places he had hit.
Sunset had felt the magic both behind and in front of her. After living with her for nearly half a year she didn't need to see the color to recognize the magic as Hermione's. She knew that her sister had her back. She also realized that the barrier likely couldn't take another hit. A subtle motion of her hands was all that was needed and she felt the magic fade.
Sunset's calm expression was gone now. She was openly scowling at Goyle where he had staggered back after bouncing off the barrier. "You should rethink you approach. You have strength, but without any idea how to use it, you will inevitably fail."
Seeing that Goyle was still holding his nose from where it had collided with the barrier, Malfoy turned to Crabbe. Taking the hint, the boy rushed at Sunset, hoping to catch her off guard. To his misfortune, he was several minutes too late for that. She calmly sidestepped him, grabbed across his wide back and spun in place. She leaned back, barely managing to prevent his weight from throwing her off balance, and used his own momentum against him. Letting go, she sent him back right where he had come from.
Stepping aside, Malfoy returned into the corridor where Goyle already stood. Crabbe fell to the floor beside him, slightly dizzy and unable to keep his footing.
Sunset smirked. "As I said: power without skill is worthless. Think on that."
A teal aura formed around the compartment door and it closed in their faces. Sunset turned around, sat back down, and calmly moved her knight.
"You were having way too much fun with that," Hermione absently noted.
"And why shouldn't I? Thanks for having my back sis."
"Anytime."
Ron and Ginny looked entirely stunned for a moment before breaking into giggles. "That was priceless," Ron gasped between laughs.
"What did you do?" Neville asked, "What was that move?"
"Aikido." Hermione calmly explained. "A muggle martial art focused on self-defense. It's from Asia. Japan, I think." After a moment she continued. "Anyway, we should probably change into our school robes, I don't think It'll be much longer.
Sunset nodded, gently lifting everyone in the compartment until all the girls were on one side and all the boys were on the other, then she set up an opaque force wall between them. "There, now we can change."
A few minutes later, Sunset removed the wall and everyone sat back down, now in their robes. Not long after, a voice echoed through the train, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school separately."
Ron quickly packed up his chess pieces and Sunset dismissed hers and the board once he was done. After a moment's deliberation, Sunset, Hermione and Harry unshrunk their luggage and placed it next to the rest. Then they left the compartment to join the crowd already in the corridor. The train came to a stop soon after and they disembarked into the cold air of a late evening in the Scottish Highlands.
Soon, a familiar voice rang across the tiny, dark platform, accompanied by the bobbing light of a lantern. "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid happily beamed across the crowd of students on the platform and the small flock of first years forming up in front of him. "C'mon, follow me – anymore firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! All firs'-years follow me!"
The entire group of first years was stumbling in the darkness, with the exception of those near Sunset, Hermione, or one of the Weasleys, all four had a small bead of light at the tip of a finger. Luna, of course, wasn't slipping either, effortlessly seeing through the gloom. The path was flanked by trees on either side.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over a shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
Sunset and Hermione smirked at the 'Ooohhs' of those around them. They had, of course, seen the giant castle before, but it was still an impressive sight. The castle was perched high above them, atop a mountain, they were stood on the other side of the lake at its base.
"No more'n four in a boat." Hagrid pointed to a fleet of small boats sitting in the calm water by the shore. The new first-years spread out across the boats. Harry, Ron and Neville shared a boat and Ginny, Luna, Hermione and Sunset shared another. Soon everyone had found a boat. "Everyone in? Right then – FORWARD!"
The boats began moving across the smooth surface of the lake. The students looked up at the castle high above them until Hagrid called a warning and the boats breached a curtain of ivy into a cave at the foot of the mountain. They floated through the cave for a few more minutes until several more lanterns came into view before them. They belonged, as it turned out, to an underground harbor. In quick succession the boats docked and the students disembarked, once more forming up behind Hagrid.
They followed him up a pathway hewn into the rock of the mountain until they exited another cave and stepped onto the smooth, damp lawn at the foot of the castle. Hagrid led them to the huge, oaken front doors, checked once more that everyone was still there and knocked three times.
The door opened at once, revealing a familiar witch. Hagrid nodded respectfully. "The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall.
"Thank you, Hagrid, I'll take them from here." Pulling the doors open fully, McGonagall waved them in. The entrance hall was massive. The Grangers' entire house could have fit into it. Multiple times. The walls were lit by torches and the ceiling was so high up that they couldn't see it in the gloom of the evening. A magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floors.
The mumbling of hundreds of voices could be heard through a door to the right, but McGonagall led them across the flagstone floor to a smaller door to the left, leading them into an empty chamber off the hall, barely large enough to fit them all. Once they had all crowded into the chamber, McGonagall spoke up. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you are waiting." After looking at a few students critically, she finished, "I shall return once we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," and left the chamber.
Harry turned to Sunset and Hermione, "So how does this sorting work exactly?"
Seeing how Hermione was mumbling to herself, it fell to Sunset to answer. "I don't know. Hogwarts – A History was rather vague on that. Deliberately if I had to take a guess. Wizarding schools like to keep their secrets. I guess this is one of them. From what I can tell, we'll be sorted into houses by specific qualities of character each house favors. That implies that some kind of neutral judge does the sorting. I have no idea who though."
Suddenly, about twenty ghosts, pearly white and transparent, floated through the back wall, talking to each other, barely taking notice of the first years. They seemed to be arguing. One that looked like a fat, little monk was in the middle of speaking. "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"
"My dear Friar," another Ghost interrupted, "haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?" He had suddenly noticed the first-years.
Nobody answered. Most students were looking at the ghosts with something along the lines of shock, fear or horror, but Sunset seemed to be intrigued more than anything.
"New students!" the Fat Friar exclaimed, smiling around. "About to be sorted, I suppose?" When he received several nods, he smiled again. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."
"Move along now," A sharp voice interrupted, heralding McGonagall's return. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." When the ghosts began departing through another wall, she turned back to the first-years. "Now, form a line and follow me."
They all lined up, Sunset following a girl with long, pale blonde hair while, in turn, being followed, by Ginny, then Luna, Harry, Hermione, Ron and, finally, Neville. McGonagall opened the door and led them back through the hall and through the large set of double doors on the opposite wall into the Great Hall.
The Hall was magnificent. Hundreds of candles floated in the air over four long tables, two to their right and two to their left, where the rest of the students were sitting. They were differentiated only by the trims on their school robes. Where the first-years had gray trims, the table to the far right had red, the table to the far left had green, the table directly left of the middle corridor McGonagall was leading them down had blue trims and the table directly to the right of them had yellow trims.
On a raised podium at the far end of the hall was another long table behind which the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led them there and told them to line up in front of the teachers' table, facing the students with the teachers behind them.
The ceiling above them was, as they had learned, enchanted to mimic the sky outside, a deep blue and dotted with stars, that alone made it hard to tell just how high the ceiling was.
Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool before them at the edge of the podium and put a pointed wizard's hat atop it. It was a shabby looking thing, frayed, patched in many places and incredibly dirty. All eyes focused on the hat and, for a moment, there was silence.
Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide, like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.