Chapter dedicated to    

Chapter 8

(Maddie's POV)

I heard the train slow down, and zoomed back in on reality, out from my thoughts, just to notice that I was in Angelica's lap, with her petting me, gross half-blood, I want to say, but to keep up my appearance as a cat I just yawned and snuggled into her hand, trying to control the urge to bite her.

I looked up, and watched everyone in the room, and what I'd have to do if I wanted to leave it. Seeing the compartment full, all five people squeezed into the benches, seriously, couldn't the old rag even afford to get compartments where you don't have to breath the souls of mudbloods.

They finally left! It was getting too noisy, especially with my more sensitive cat-ears.

With a paw I opened the cage Angelica had put me in, and transformed back to human when I hit the floor. I took out my wand and created an illusion of a cat, sleeping soundly on the floor of the cage (where else, the roof of it?), so that it wouldn't be suspicious with an empty cage.

I slammed open the compartment door, though the charms I put up to not be detected quieted it down to nothing more than a wand hitting the floor. Unimpressive.

Getting out of the train I put silencing and concealment charms on myself, so I could watch the sorting in live.

I walked up to the castle, more and more appreciating the gripping charm that was set on my boots, as I would've slipped and fallen several times by now if I hadn't had those.

I slipped in through the barely open doors as a cat, because that was the only way I would fit. I almost felt like somebody had left them open for someone to be able to get in without getting noticed.

After changing back to human I (still under my charms, of course) I creep into the great hall, thanking all irrational forces for the open doors, as I couldn't have watched the sorting otherwise.

When I get up on one of the roof-balks thanks to a helpful gripping charm I sat down there, softening the top layer of the wood so I wouldn't get hurt by sitting there for too long.

From up there I watched the the first years walk in, they looked around, and one even looked directly through me, her pink hair flowing back, a strand slinging around her pale neck.

With another look I realized that she looked like me, irises as blue as the sky on a sunny day, though I could see that they were far too soft and welcoming to even be considered close to mine.

I watched the sorting, student after student coming forward, some more nervous than others. Judging each and every one, I guessed their house when they came forward, and became quite sad of seeing so few fitting into the Slytherin mold.

(LIzzie's POV)

As we got up on the platform on top of the stone staircase we were all dirty, obviously, as it had been really muddy from the rain, especially close to the lake, the lake that some idiot thought that every first year should boat across, it was cold even in this weather, but think if it had rained!

Stupid decisions aside, the castle was a beautiful medieval building, built in a material I only could describe by schist.

What? Did you expect me to describe it by some fantasy, magical rock? Nope!

Hagrid led us in through the doors, an to a decent sized entrance hall, upp the staircase at front al lady stood.

I looked back from the walls of the castle to the lady in front of the doorway, she looked like she had dealt with noisy midgets for far too long, looking out over us as if to see who could potentially cause trouble.

She gave a short speech about the houses and whatnot, before leaving to go inside the port, leaving forty frightened, clueless eleven year-olds to themself, on the note to smarten themselves up.

"So, what do you think of this supposed school so far?" I heard Sasha speak up, being quickly followed by an exited Amy:
"It seems so cool, and how did they build this gigantic structure in the tenth century!" Yup, we had told her a lot about the history of the wizarding world, Sasha had even lent her her copy of Hogwarts: a history, with added notes that describes things in depth and clarified the nonsense the authors sometimes threw onto the page.

I smiled mysteriously and whispered "Magic.", she thought for a moment before shrugging a makes-sense-I-believe-you-shrug.

After a bit of talking we heard a series of screams, turning around I saw a ghost. No, not one of those plastic non-realistic halloween mass-produce stuff, no, it was a live, moving, hologram-without-projector-looking ghost. Then it came more out from the stone wall, ghost after ghost, arguing about some other-, presumably ghost.

Well, my descriptions can only tell so much, y'all deserve to hear the right wording.

"My dear Friar, 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?" The ghost with ruff said, looking startled as he saw us.

I think everybody else were too startled to answer, or even nod, so I stayed quiet too, looking around at who were there, it was a ghost with a tenth-century styled dress, a ghost with clothes that resembled mummy-linds more than anything, that judging by the conversation was called Friar, one with lots of silvery stuff all over himself, making me think of blood, then, at last, the one who had spoken up just a minute earlier, wearing baggy knee-length pants, with leggings underneath, like all the rest also had, ghost fashion is weird and old style.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

I nodded, encouraging others to follow with their own movement of the neck.

The ghost in mummy-clothing exclaimed "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" happily, then continued with, "My old house, you know.". So he is the Hufflepuff ghost? Makes sense, in some way.

Nobody else got to say anything, as the lady who'd introduced herself at McGonagall came back (ruining our conversation) and with a determined voice said "Move along. The ceremony is about to start." before she turned around to walk into the hall with glass-roof.

No, it wasn't glass-roofed, the mermaid-y finish gave it away, making me think of pastel umbrellas on a cold beach at night.

I heard a voice confirming my suspicions with a "It's not glass, it's just charmed to look like the night sky, I read it in 'Hogwarts, a history'." in an annoyingly high-pitched voice, turning towards it, I saw it belonged to the girl with the bushy hair, that was still walking beside Harry.

Lining up in a single-person queue we waited for anyone to say something. Finally, after about five minutes of boring waiting the hat ripped a seam, and burst into song:

"Oh,you may not think I'm pretty

But don't judge at what you see

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me

You can keep your bowlers back

Your top hats sleek and tall

For I'm the Hogwarts sorting hat

And I can cap them all

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be-"

That's creepy, have nobody here heard of privacy? And I guess there isn't any professional secrecy, though I wish there was.

"You might belong in

Where dwell the brave at heart

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart

You might belong in

Where they are just and loyal

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil

Or yet in wise old

if you've a ready mind

Where those of wit and learning

Will always find their kind

Or perhaps in

You'll make your real friends

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends-"

Okay, that's just saying that Slytherins are bad, remind me again who was allowed to write that part? Because I don't want anything to do with them.

"So put me on! Don't be afraid!"

Totally, you're just gonna read my thoughts, and probably send them out so others get to hear them too, great! I totally look forward to that!

"And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Everyone cheered, so I did so too, not wanting to stand out too much, my hair was doing enough for my standing out-ness.

Sasha leaned towards us and whispered "Aren't they putting Slytherin in too much of a bad light, don't you think?"

I nodded while Amy whispered a "Yeah." back. "Why are they introducing us to this school by saying that some parts are better than others, that isn't fair at all." she continued, whispering all the way through.

"No matter how they try to separate us, we'll remain together, right?" I asked, even while knowing the answer I would get.

Amy exclaimed "Of course!" in a whisper-ish way, while Sasha gave a steady nod.

We turned our attention toward the middle of the room where the green-clothed lady, McGonagall had put the chair, which she now was standing behind, with a roll of parchment in hand.

She called out names, beginning with "Abbott, Hannah." As the pink-faced girl almost ran towards the chair, sat down and had the hat placed on her head, before it shouted out "Hufflepuff!" so loud I almost flinched, many did.

The sorting continued like that, until "Faye, Amy." was called out. Sasha and I gave her a hug and smile each before she went up and sat on the three-legged pall. She sat there for a bit before it exclaimed "Gryffindor!" I was quite happy for her, though that means that we probably wouldn't all be in the same house, as Sasha isn't Gryffindor at all.

In the middle of it all, the name "Lie, Ella." was called out, and the girl we had sat in the boat with went forward, almost immediately she got into Slytherin.

After a few more names, and painfully loud exclamations we heard "Murphy, Sasha." get ejaculated. (Yes, I had to, totally)

I hugged her and said "If else, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you." I got back with a smile.

She went forward and sat on the stool, sitting there for a while before the had positively shouted "Slytherin!" in a slightly disgusted voice, as if it was trying to make people resent slytherin.

But prejudices aside, we won't all be in the same house, though I knew it before, the reality of not being able to have friday nights in the dorm just us three crashed onto me, as I stood there with five other people, waiting to get sorted.

Finally, two people later I heard Mcgonagall say "Potter, Elizabeth." my cue to walk forward.

I sat down on the stool and the hat was placed on my head, me pushing it up so I still could see out under the brim.

"So who do we have here? Smart, brave, sneaky, definitely not Hufflepuff."
"Gee, thanks, am I really so rude?"

I heard the hats displeasure as it muttered "Sarcasm." into my head.

"Why thank you, I take great measures to make sure everyone is aware of my brilliant sense of humor."

I could feel it look into my mind, at all those all-nighters I've taken, trying to study, but just ending up recording a video.

"Not Ravenclaw then, too little care for school."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, offended "Are you gonna look into my head just to insult me? Rude."

"Not afraid to speak your mind, interesting." it muttered the last part as to itself.

"What? Are you gonna choose, or what?"

I could feel the hesitation in the air. "Maybe, maybe not." it said, not seeming able to give a straight answer. By this time I could see students looking around for why it would take so long.

"So, if you can't choose, let me do it." I said, maybe a bit too rudely, in my head.

"Hmm... Perhaps..." a pause, more staring, "Okay, choose you."

I was so shocked by the hat agreeing that my eyes widened a bit before I got my emotions under control and fell back to thoughts.

If I chose Gryffindor, I would have Amy, the likings of the majority of the school, and probably Harry, as I couldn't see him going anywhere else, though I wouldn't be with Sasha.

But if I chose Slytherin, I would have Sasha, but I wouldn't get to see Amy or Harry often at all, also most of the school would hate me.

I decided I would choose Gryffindor, as Sasha's and my relationship could stand it, while I wasn't sure if Sasha and I would still be friends with Amy if I chose Slytherin, and as she had spent the whole ride here with us, she wouldn't have anyone to be with.

I went back to the hat's part of mind, saying "I choose Gryffindor."

"Brave of you to choose away your best friend in favor for others."

I smiled and with a "What are you waiting for? Shout it out." he shouted "Gryffindor!"

With the song 'Titanium' in my mind, I took off the hat and walked towards the cheering Gryffindor table.

(A/N So, that's done, sorry for not getting this out a week ago, but I was sick that weekend, and couldn't write, while that, I am still sitting up at 9:40 pm writing this, taking twenty five minutes to look through it)