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.
Here's a vote for Sunset refusing to put the hat on her head before she cleans the thing.
You tried way too hard at making Draco the bad guy here. In the book, he came to the train compartment to extend his hand in friendship to Harry not to brag about how important he was. Harry disliked his attitude towards Ron so he denied Draco's friendship, even refusing to shake his hand, which is what leads to Draco hating Harry in the first place.
I wonder what Sunset will think of the Sorting Hat?
9616983
Sunset oposed him before that in a political game, and somewhat purposely made him her enemy - likely for recognizing his patronizing attitude like a standard better-than-you noble from her learning with Celestia.
That actually has interesting consequences. Harry has no reason to hate slitheryn, for all the conversation that influenced his young mind in the book had happened due to Draco's behavior towards the others due to considering them interiors. This time that didn't happen, so not only there's no rivalry between him and Draco, but he also has no greater reason to deny his entry in Slitheryn.
Not only that, but it also shows again how adept Sunset is at political games, making her entry in Slitheryn all but a given unless she for some reason chooses to follow Hermione - and that's unlikely, for with her teleportation and magical shenanigans said distance means nothing.
9617010
Doesn't that just make Sunset look like an idiot though? In a political game, you don't go out of your way to make enemies no matter who the other person is. If this was just her showcasing her political skill she should have been working to defuse the situation not make things worse by attacking him before he even had a chance to do anything.
9617010
Also, as I remember it, Hermione followed Harry to Gryffindor. I don't see that happening here. My prediction is Harry and Sunset to Slytherin, Hermione and Luna to Ravenclaw, Ron and Ginny to Gryffindor, and Neville to Hufflepuff. I think it would be more interesting to see the lot of them ignoring the house segregations and hanging out together.
9617047
She's 11, even if she acts in all ways older. This means she is still well within the age range where 'knowing better' is not nearly as satisfying or appealing as more rash actions. Plus, she clearly doesn't see him as a threat, and he has nothing she wants, nor does he have connections she wants. So, really, she doesn't have any immediate reason to let him walk all over them or to puff up like a peacock, but plenty of reasons to put him in his place.
9617072
Maybe but the story has shown Sunset to be smarter than to make enemies for no reason, even if she doesn't want anything from Draco or even to be his friend that's no reason to completely blow him off before he even has a chance to finish his introduction. She's going out of her way to make him her enemy when she has no reason to be doing so.
Yes, you can say it's because she's 11 and acted rashly but you can't just have her act like an 11-year-old only when it's convenient.
9617081
Well again, he has nothing to offer her, and he's already done quite a fine job of alienating himself. On their first meeting he (unknowingly) insulted Hermione, whom Sunset's basically adopted and he's been nothing but boorish, crude, and spoiled. Yeah, she could probably have defused it, but I'll counter with the question of why should she give a shit? She has a physical goddess for a mother-figure, as much money as she could want and more for the asking, there is literally nothing that is worth tolerating him except tolerance for its own sake and Sunset... doesn't seem the type.
oh you ever lovin troll, you just HAD to end the chapter before the sorting didnt you?
9617085
Yeah, Draco unknowingly put his foot in his mouth the first time they met but he did that in the book too. Harry still gave Draco a chance and his attitude towards Draco only soured after Draco intentionally insulted Ron.
Nothing in this story has shown Sunset to be the type of person who intentionally makes enemies out of people who have done nothing wrong towards her. Draco being a bit of snob isn't a good enough reason for Sunset to attack and antagonize him as she did here.
Ok, here is a real good chance for some conflict. Sunset is still very much a "true" Slytherin. While she has parts of the other houses as well, Celestia's influence is still rather large, and she would almost certainly have been Slytherin herself.
Sunset having to deal with her powerbase being in not other a different house, but one dynamically opposed to her own, while having to deal with Draco and his lackies on her own would be good for her.
Luna should be off to Ravenclaw anyway, so it's not like the group.is going to stay together completely. Let's see how Sunny deals with something not.going her way for once.
9617010
You are right. Harry doesn't have any need for his "not Slytherin" mantra. He and Sunset in Slytherin could make for a very interesting story. Seeing what happens as they try to keep their friends in Gryffindor.
Sadly I doubt it's going that way.
9617056
Harry followed Hermione. Remember, the sorting goes alphabetically by last name.
9617103
As far as I'm aware, this story hasn't actually had any form of antagonist against Sunset specifically yet, so you can't really make that observation. She's hot-headed and has a temper. That's the whole reason she left in the first place, and had constant fights with aforementioned physical god. I'd say it's well within the believable scope of her shown character.
9617163
I mean that's what we've been told but Sunset has never shown any sign of a temper or being hot headed once in the entire story. So far she's always remained calm and acted rationally. I know that's how she is in canon but this Sunset has almost nothing in common with canon Sunset.
9617170
Well yeah. Most of the story she's been in her element, has had no significant antagonists. When would she have had the opportunity to display such before now? People from the ministry and Minerva weren't offensive, just bureaucratic at worst. Their classmates warranted one, maybe two sentences before becoming irrelevant. There hasn't been a chance before now, with the way the story was written, to display this. Beyond that, she's just had the foalnapping business and 'on screen' it wasn't even directed at her.
9617177
True but in that case Draco should be given a chance to actually be antagonistic towards them. In this chapter Sunset is just a jerk to him for no real reason.
9617054
I do feel the need to remind both of you that the hat isn't actually particularly dirty, just torn open and stiched back together a thousand times (literally). I can only assume that Reparo doesn't work on sentient magical artifacts.
Seeing how no one else has said anything, I feel I may be missing a reference. But just in case I'm not...
Isn't arrival spelled with two r's?
9617100
Yes, yes I did.
9617103
Did she though? Sure, he isn't likely to be to pleased about it, but she neither insulted, nor antagonized him. She pointed out where he was wrong and what Crabbe and Goyle could do better. If they think about what she said and take here advice to heart (which, admittedly, is unlikely) they only stand to profit from it. Why would you try to improve if you already think you're superior? And wif they don't ... Well, that's hardly her problem, is it?
9617113
I would agree that she has several qualities of a Slytherin. There is, however, something about her (which I have yet to reveal) that makes her essentially incompatible with the house.
9617121
He doesn't? He spent about a month with the Weasleys. How did you come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be biased against Slytherin after that? (the same goes for Sunset, by the way)
9617187
And here we come full circle. Personally I consider him being a little spoiled shit to be plenty of justification. Particularly since she seemed to have done some research, knowing both of his parents and all, and might have a good idea of what kind of family he has. She was also perfectly polite, if formal, until Malfoy made the first move, indicating his 'station', with a rather hamfisted "I'm more important than you" attitude indicated by doing so. After that she was just giving him rope to hang himself with.
Plus, if she's done her research, that means she's aware of the antipathy between the Malfoys and the Weaseleys, and that means by opposing Malfoy, she is supporting her chosen allies, and friends.
Watsonian reasoning aside, a more doylist is "Malfoy is a little shit, is always a shit, and is at no point in actual canon not a shit, and most people that actually pay attention to his character as presented hate him. I am perfectly happy seeing Sunset kick his little ferret ass out of there after completely humiliating all three."
9617149
Makes me glad I prefaced it with "As I remember it".
9617212
She's rude from the very first moment, not even allowing him to introduce himself. Then proceeds to insult him by informing him that his family name doesn't mean anything and that he has nothing to be proud of. You then proceed to have Draco act like a jerk for no real reason despite the fact that the whole reason he came in the first place was to befriend Harry Potter. You tried to portray Malfoy as a jerk but he only acts like a jerk after Sunset is intentionally rude towards him without any provocation from Malfoy. If you want Malfoy to be a generic bully at least let him instigate things as he did in the books.
9617215
I disagree, part of Draco's character is that he's the type of person who always makes bad choices. If Harry had accepted his hand in friendship on that train his relationship with Draco could have been drastically different and Draco could have been a different person with Harry's friendship. The best stories are the ones to actually treat Draco as a real character rather than just some generic bully to be used as a punching bag.
"Arrival" two "r"s.
9617292
No. One r. I spelled it exactly as I intended.
9617293
Oh? Well ok then... I don't see why, but you're the boss!
9617297
You could add another r between the A and the r. Consider what happens when you add a space instead.
9617303
OOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I geddit.
9617297
It neatly merges "a rival" (Malfoy) with "arrival" (as in coming to Hogwarts).
Really interested to see how you handle the Sorting (which I think is kind of a bad idea for schools, but that's a whole other discussion). I imagine Sunset will insist on going with her friends.
It always annoys me when fanfic authors like to mention house trims, when it's explicitly stated in the books that the uniform is the same for everyone.
Harry and Ron even mistake a Ravenclaw for a Slytherin because of this.
It's spelled with two R's.After reading the comments (search function didn't find it, oops) I understand that's intended.She?
9617047
It likely depends on the goal. If it was meant to leave an impression and or impart some aort of pseudo lesson, this might have done the trick more.
9617056
Without a doubt, and it would likely lead to so much confusion among the older years.
9617163
While in general agreement, this is more a tell than a show here. Sunset has had character development that seems to contradict the idea of having a temper and acting as you suggested.
Now, getting the vibe say thay Malfoy is a bully might have helped more because, well, he is.
9617187
This is a good point- aside from the one moment, Draco hasn't really come off as antagonistic towards anyone, until she started goading him.
Which, admittedly, Malfoy should have recognized.
9617212
Because you havent shown any major mentions of them describing the different houses to the kids?
I do feel that either Gryfindor or Slytherin is her best fit, despite thw clue here that shes unlikely to go to that house.
At the least, I hope she extends a hand out to others in the other houses even if she remains on bad terms with Draco. It'd be nice to see more inter house interactions that arent necessarily negative.
9617238
This I am in full agreement on for future interactions. Perhaps have an attempt at apologizing be shot down by Draco?
9617261
This is a valid point, but it must be remembered just how baked in many peoples opinion of Draco is.
9617443
Blame the movies for that.
nice work.
"I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Okay!
I Sleep All Night and I Work All Day!"
9604467
So a justified Flat Earther?
(post above compiled into this one to avoid double posting)
9617212
I guess as the story hasn't fallowed Harry much, I'm unsure if he as told "never been a dark wizard that didn't come from Slytherin house" lie or not yet.
Without that one line he wouldn't have been so dead set on any house BUT that one. Harry is just as much a snake as he is a lion, and without his pleading, the hat would have, seemingly, put him in Slytherin. Although that could just be the hat being a troll.
9617212
She is allergic, hates, scared, etc of snakes? Maybe more in common with Twilight is this regard? That's my guess anyway.
9618047
Personally I'm going with the hat being a troll in this case. I suspect that it takes the Students' opininons of the houses (and the houses' opinions of them, where applicable, like in Harry's case) into account.
9618185
No, she is neither allergic to nor affraid of snakes. It has nothing to do with snakes at all. But consider that the houses Slytherin isn't the same house that Salazar founded anymore. A thousand years of history have passes since then ...
9618315
What are you basing this idea off of? Because Salazar Slytherin was all about blood purity and hated Muggle-borns. Voldemort and others like him were very much his ideal Slytherin.
9618442
To be perfectly honest, I don't think he hated muggleborns, but with muggle witch hunts on he considered them to be a security risk. (as did the other founders, or they wouldn't have made their school a castle, he was just more extreme about it) But these days, think what house Slytherin is known for? What kind of students are most prominently known from there?
9618449
If you're talking about Dark Wizards that's mostly an exaggeration caused by the recent war. After all not all of Voldemort's followers were Slytherin but the most prominent ones were.
Also he absolutely did hate muggle borns and believed they should only teach whom he believed to be purest. The whole reason he built the chamber of secrets was to purge the school of muggle borns.
only just got around to reading it, not seen anything but the chapter title, and you have spelt it wrong... pretty sure arrival (you spelt it ‘arival’ has the 2 ‘r’s
unless it is supposed to be a play on words for ‘a rival’ (gotten to Malfoy entering the cart) spoilers don’t seem to work with coloured text very much.
9618003
Can you imagine if it broke out into "I'm sexy and I know it!"?
9619108
https://m.Replace cat with hat
You spelled the title wrong it’s actually spelled arrival
Sunset fixed Aikido! I can't believe it! Sorry, martial arts community joke. Aikido is the butt monkey of eastern martial arts...