Chapter 1: The Sorting Ceremony

The Sorting Ceremony  

             Fia scooted backwards, bending over dragging her cherry wood trunk. When she had at last yanked it into the train compartment, Fia smoothed her skirt and plopped down on the seat with a heavy exhale. From force of habit she tucked her shoulder length golden hair behind her ear. Only then did she notice the girl across from her. Fia untucked her hair self-consciously. She sat gaping at the girl. "I used to be so outgoing," she thought, What happened? Her answer to that lay between Netflix and her increased nerdiness, a part of her which she cherished and devoted lots of time (mostly on the internet) to. The girl across from her smiled genuinely, “I’m Neve. What’s your name?” The girl was about Fia’s height, which was saying something, because at fourteen, Fia was five foot, two inches and done growing. Neve’s hair was between brown and blond, and fell about half a foot below her shoulders. Neve had warm, chocolate brown eyes that radiated friendliness. Fia thought of her own blue eyes which showed her every emotion in them. Surprisingly, people rarely noticed. “I’m Fia, but you can call me Fi (fee).” Neve’s smile widened, “At last, someone who has a name as unique as mine. Does your name have a meaning behind it? Mine is Latin for snow.” Neve looked out the window for a moment, as if wishing for little flurries to start falling. “My name means ‘Little Flame.’ I like that name, Neve, was there any reason your parents gave it to you?” Neve turned back to Fi and responded, “I was born in the worst snowstorm my parents had ever seen. Mum had to birth me at home, cause the snow kept them from driving to the hospital.” At last Fi grinned, actually enjoying Neve’s company. Neve returned the question and Fia responded, “Well, I don’t know how my parents knew it would be, but I’ve got an affinity for fire magic.” She looked around to see if anyone was watching, then flicked her hand and conjured a large, controlled flame. Neve’s face conveyed her surprise, “And you don’t even need a wand! I’ve never heard of another witch who could do elemental magic without her wand.” Fi realized that Neve had said “another witch.” “Neve, what do you mean ‘another witch’? Can you do it too?” Neve clasped her hand over her mouth. “My parents told me I shouldn’t tell anyone. It’s not normal, they said.” When Neve removed her hand from her mouth she begrudgingly waved it a bit, and soon snow flurries were showering both girls. Fi giggled, enjoying the free flowing magic, but Neve seemed worried. Fi looked at her, “Neve, it’s fine. Beautiful, actually.” Her English accent was thick on the “actually.” Neve’s eyebrows furrowed, “Fi, what part of England are you from? I’ve never heard an accent quite like yours.” Fi’s face fell. “That’s because I’m not British at all.” She said, in a faultless American accent. Neve drew back in surprise. “Why the accent then? There are plenty of American witches and wizards in Hogwarts.” At this, Fia laughed. “I know, the accent’s just for fun. It lets me, be someone else, you know?” Neve thought it very strange, but nodded nonetheless.

A few minutes later, a ruckus sounded in the hall outside their train compartment. Neve jumped up and flung the door open. She and Fi stepped into the hallway. A few feet down, two boys were trying to catch a loose toad that was hopping down the hallway. It landed right at Fi’s feet. She bent and scooped it up. Fi looked towards the boys. “This yours?” she asked sarcastically, her British accent returned as usual. One boy laughed and took it from her. “Yep!” He said cheerfully, “Ol’ Otto escaped again.” He handed the toad to the other boy. “Sorry.” The owner of the toad said, “We didn’t mean to disturb anyone, he just got away from me and-“ The boy noticed Neve standing next to Fi, arms crossed. Neve looked at the boy, shaking her head and concealing a grin. “Dimitri, you lost him again?” Fi looked confusedly at Neve, and then at the other boy. The other boy spoke up then, “Hi Neve.” Neve glanced at him, “Hi Kael.” Fi uttered an, “Uh…” “Oh!” Neve exclaimed, “Sorry, Fi. This is my brother, Dimitri.” She gestured towards the polite boy holding the toad. “And this is our friend, Kael.” Neve gestured towards the first boy. We’re all first years, like you. Neve motioned for Dimitri and Kael to follow them back to their train compartment.

The ride to Hogwarts High was great fun. Fia, Neve, Dimitri, and Kael all got along great. As it happens, they were all video game nerds, literary buffs, and lovers of muggle technology. The group was an odd one, being as they were all so different. As they all laughed, talked about different fan bases (like Star Wars), or teased each other, Fi felt like she finally found somewhere she fit in.

-=+=-

It wasn’t until the train screeched to a stop that Fi felt her stomach lurch. “Guys,” she said quietly to her new friends around her, “We’ll all soon be sorted. What if we’re in different houses?” Dimitri spoke up, easing her discomfort. “No matter! It’s not the same as Hogwarts used to be. At meals, houses don’t have to sit together. There’s a ‘Great Common Room’ were students from all the different houses mingle. We can all meet in the library or go in to town on weekends together." Fi felt the worms in her stomach lessen.

The boat ride to the castle was a joy, what with Kael rocking back and forth to shake it. Fi really didn’t mind though, she actually found it an adventure. A great beast of a man named Hagrid led the first year’s boats. He took them into the great hall of Hogwarts, where a woman named Minnie Mcgonagall, daughter of the famed Minerva Mcgonagall, told them to follow her into the dining hall where they would all be sorted into their houses. Because the line was alphabetical, Dimitri would be sorted first, then Fi, then Kael, then Neve.

Entering the dining hall was astonishing. Candles floated in the air, illuminating the room. The ceiling was bewitched to look like the night sky, and the stars winked at Fia as she walked under them. At last all the first years had been lined up in front of a wooden stool shaped like a barrel. Fi watched as each one of the first years sat on it, had a floppy hat that looked as if it was in shambles placed on his head, and waited until it called out his house name. Instead of watching the other first years get placed, Fi observed the returning students. They all seemed happy, unlike the teens she’d seen from the muggle high-schools. Those teens had always seemed malcontent and moody. Fi’s attention was drawn from the other students when she heard Mcgonagall’s coarse voice yell, “Wittle, Dimitri” Fia’s head snapped to the stool. She watched as Dimitri alighted on the edge of it. Mcgonagall dropped the hat onto his head. Fi watched with bated breath, waiting for the hat to speak. Without warning, it wailed, “RAVENCLAW!” All the Ravenclaws clapped as Dimitri clambered down and rushed to their table. Fi’s mind raced, wondering if all her friends would be placed in Ravenclaw and she wouldn’t and- “Serephine, Fia.” Fi walked on unsteady legs to the stool. She smoothed her short, gray wool skirt and plopped onto the stool. Fi focused on her knee-high socks while the hat was placed on her head. Not wanting to seem cowardly, she lifted her chin and looked across the dining hall. Fi glimpsed Dimitri giving her a thumbs up from his table and she smiled. It seemed hours until the hat burst, “GRYFFINDOR!” Fi practically lept from the stool, glad to be out of the spotlight, and rushed towards the Gryffindor table. All the Gryffindors cheered. Fi was at once elated and depressed. Gryffindor was the perfect house for her, but she still worried about where her friends would be placed.

Now that she wasn’t standing in line, it seemed mere seconds before Minnie’s authoritative voice said, “Griffin, Kael.” Fi hoped that with a name like that, Kael would be placed in Gryffindor. Yet, after a few tense moments, the hat screamed, “HUFFLEPUFF!” Fi sighed, Please Neve be in Gryffindor, she wished. Fi watched each and every first year be placed, waiting for Neve to be called. At last, “Wittle, Neve” rung out across the tables. Neve sat on the stool seeming perfectly calm with a smile on her face. The hat didn’t even hesitate before proclaiming, “HUFFLEPUFF!” Fi sighed, happy for her friends, but disappointed she was alone. Only then did she remember that Dimitri was also alone. Fi felt terrible for feeling sorry for herself, realizing that brother and sister had been separated. After a few words from each other teachers, the headmaster, Fredrick Weasley, a man with hair as red as the fire Fia was named for, stood and spoke. “Welcome to our new first years as well as our returning students! For tonight’s dinner, the houses must sit together. However, tables will be open for intermingling starting tomorrow. I would now like to present all the first years with their Hogwarts High welcome gift.” He flicked a torn-up looking wand and suddenly a jar appeared before each first year. Screams rung out as first years saw the tarantulas crawling in the jars before them. Fi picked hers up, amused, and tapped on the glass a little. “Just kidding!” Headmaster Weasley yelled. All the jars disappeared. He waved his wand again and the jars reappeared. This time, each one of them had a small orb of light within them. “Your very own star. Raise it well, and on your graduation, you’ll get to put it up there.” He pointed to the ceiling. “Well, not the ceiling, the actual night sky. It will contribute to your house’s constellation. That is all students. Eat up, and have a good night.”

Fi dug into the baked potato (her favorite food) before her. The sadness about being in a different house from her best friends washed away as she realized they would not be pulled apart by it, but only drawn closer. She excitedly conversed with the other Gryffindors, comparing class schedules. Fi was most excited about potions class, defense against the dark arts, and magical creatures. Whatever was to come, she knew Hogwarts High would be a fantastic adventure and it was one she couldn’t wait to begin.