Chapter - 8.3

'What is this shit?' Alex hurriedly tried to cover Nicole's ears to not let her hear this ear-bleeding song, but Nicole was quick to dodge. And when Alex saw that, he covered his ears instead.

 

Alex then looked around to find the source of the voice only to see an old, pointy hat resting on the stool on the platform in front of them. Alex covered his ears as hard as he could, but he could still hear the song, and he knew that the bloody hat was behind it.

 

The song continued for a while before the hat finally shut up. And as soon as it finished the song, the whole hall burst into applause, and Nicole was on the forefront, clapping as hard as she could.

 

"Ahemm..." The hat spoke, "It has been so many years, yet the same response, hehehe... I can't help but feel shy," The hat in its deep, cracking voice laughed.

 

"... I am going to dwell deep into your minds. Uncovering all your secrets," the hat continued, "So whoever covered their ears during my song, better be prepared. I am going to drive you nuts." The hat said.

 

'Oh, boy,' Nicole thought and looked at her brother.

 

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred. He was going on about wrestling a troll."

 

"How dumb can he be to actually believe that? Don't you think," Nicole commented and nudged Hermione, asking for her opinion, but the latter just smiled, saying nothing. After the scolding she got from Alex, Hermione has been awfully quiet.

 

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall announced. And without further ado, the sorting began.

 

Soon, one after the other, students were being called out and sorted into different houses. There was no definite order Alex could think of in which the names were being called.

 

"Granger, Hermione" Finally, it was someone whom he knew.

 

Hermione walked towards the stool and was soon sorted into Gryffindor. After that, Ron was sorted in Gryffindor as well, like the other Weasleys he mentioned during the journey.

 

"Ashbridge, Nicole" listening to her name Nicole almost ran to the hat. Even Alex had his fingers crossed. He did not admit it, but even he wanted to be with his sister in the same House.

 

"Hello, Professor, we meet again," Nicole greeted Professor McGonagall.

 

"it hasn't been more than thirty minutes, Miss Ashbridge" It was hard for Professor McGonagall to deal with Nicole. She wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

 

"You are no fun," Nicole made faces toward her. But instead of reacting to her, Professor put the hat over her head.

 

Nicole closed her eyes as soon as the hat was put over her head. She was nervous and did not want to think about anything else. The hat went silent. It took a moment before a loud voice rang in the hall.

 

"Gryffindor"

 

Ecstatic, Nicole jumped up from the stool. At least two of the people she knew were in Gryffindor, and Nicole had a feeling Hermione was going to be her good friend.

 

But, on the other hand, the scroll-like thing with the names of students in Professor McGonagall's hand slipped out of her hand. As soon as the hat called out Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall went into a daze. It wouldn't be farfetched to suggest that she might be praying against Nicole being sorted to Gryffindor.

 

"Thank you, Professor," It was Nicole who brought the Professor out of her daze. Nicole picked up the scroll and gave it to Professor McGonagall before she ran towards the Gryffindor table and sat beside Hermione.

 

Maybe it was because of all the years of working as a teacher, but it did not take long for Professor McGonagall to compose herself.

 

"Potter, Harry!" The Professor called out.

 

It was finally the turn of the star to take the stage. As Potter stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

 

"Potter, did she say?"

 

"The Harry Potter?"

 

One could feel the doubt among the students.

 

"Hmm," the hat began to say as it pondered, "Difficult. Very difficult."

 

One could see Harry gripping the edges of the stool and mumbling something. And Alex could feel that a conversation was going on between Potter and the hat.

 

"Well, if you're sure... better be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat finally called out loud.

The Gryffindor table erupted with joy. Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Both of them were always so jolly. Bringing up the mood of everyone with them.

 

After this little episode, the sorting continued, and the last one to be called was Alex.

 

Alex walked up to the stool and nodded towards Professor McGonagall, to which the latter nodded back with a smile. Albus Dumbledore, who saw this little exchange raised his eyebrows and looked a bit amused by the unusual behaviour of his deputy.

 

Following the usual procedure, Professor McGonagall placed the hat on Alex's head and took a few steps back.

 

"Oh, another interesting one!" the hat said. As soon as Alex heard the hat, he looked around to see if anyone else could hear it. But judging from Professor McGonagall's reaction, who was the closest to them and smiling, it stamped his hypothesis.

 

As soon as the hat was put on his head, a link formed between the two of them, and the two of them could hold a conversation without anyone else eavesdropping on them.

 

"Oh, what is this feeling? A contract? So you have a master. Are you loyal to him?" the hat asked, but Alex could feel the mockery.

 

"Can you get to the point?" Alex thought in his head.

 

"Oh, getting impatient, are you? Want to sleep?" The hat laughed, "Intelligent, cunning and resourceful such great qualities, but don't want to lead the pack. Why? It's too..."

 

"Bothersome," Alex thought.

 

"Bothersome," the hat said.

 

While the hat mused over Alex, Nicole sat on the Gryffindor table with her fingers crossed, praying to every god out there, hoping that her brother won't go anywhere but Gryffindor. At least he shouldn't go to...

 

"Slytherin. Hahahaha..." the hat announced, and Nicole banged her head right into the table, "You should go to Slytherin. Hahaha... Hahaha..."

 

Hearing the hat, only a few students on the Slytherin table applauded.

 

Even Professor McGonagall was left disheartened, 'Such a good boy,' she thought.

 

Climbing down the stairs, Alex looked at Nicole, who lay with her head on the table, and went towards the Slytherin table. He went straight to the very last spot available and sat there.

 

"Now, Prof Dumbledore will say a few words," After everything was done, Prof McGonagall's voice announced. But her voice did not have the usual solidity.

 

"Welcome!" It was the first time someone from the group of teachers who sat behind the large table on the platform spoke. And it was the old man in the middle with a long white beard and one foot in the grave. Not many in the first year would be able to recognise him, especially the muggle-borns. But Alex knew practically everyone behind the table.

 

 

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are, 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!' Thank you."

 

'What the actual fuck,' was the only thing the students could think of, but before they could run their brains, several dishes appeared on the table, out of nowhere. And the students threw everything else out of their heads and attacked the food.

 

Alex was also a bit hungry. But before he could do so, he had something else to do. Alex got up from his seat and went towards the Gryffindor table. Without paying attention to anyone, he went straight toward Hermione. Nicole was also sitting beside her.

 

Hermione thought he was there for his sister, but in a very soft tone, Alex almost whispered, "Sorry."

 

This came as a surprise to Hermione, who was left speechless and Nicole burst into laughter. Her mood instantly lightened up. And before Hermione could understand anything, Alex was back on the Slytherin table.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

At last, the desserts, too, disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

 

"Ahem, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

 

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

 

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

 

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone. Everyone who does not wish to die... die a very... painful... death," Dumbledore said, and his tone was not playful anymore.

 

"Off to beds now."

 

Alex gave one final look to his sister, who, after waving goodbye to him, followed behind the Gryffindors along with Hermione. With his sister gone, Alex also followed the Slytherins led by the Slytherin prefect, Gemma Farley.

 

Soon, they stood outside a stone wall. If the tunnels they passed through to arrive at the school were creepy, the path leading to the Slytherin common room was spooky and ominous. Alex could not imagine what she would have gone through if Nicole was here.

 

While Alex was already thinking about his beloved sister, Gemma, the Slytherin prefect, spoke.

 

"To enter the dormitory, you will always need a password. The password changes every fortnight and is posted on the noticeboard. You are warned not to bring anyone from a different House into the common room or reveal the password to anyone," Gemma spoke, "You should remember the password at all times. Otherwise, you will be spending the night here..." Gemma shrugged. No one would want to spend the night in this cold, spooky hallway.

 

 

Then she turned towards the wall and said, "Pure-Blood."

 

The bricks shifted much like what happened in Diagon Alley, and the common room appeared in front of them.

 

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs.

 

Under the direction of the prefect, Alex and the others went to the rooms assigned to them. Alex was the only one in the room, and his belongings, along with new robes with the house emblem, were already in the room.

 

'Then why did they make us buy new robes?' Alex thought, but he was too tired to dwell on it.

 

The first thing Alex did after entering his room was that he went to the cage in which his pet was kept. Without taking him out, he dropped the food he got from the shop inside the cage. And when he was done, Alex crashed on his bed and slept.

 

Finally, the long, tiring day had come to an end.

 

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