Chapter Text
The days have moved, indeed, rather swiftly. Elaine had closed her eyes that evening, but woke up on the last day of August. All right, maybe her and Linda’s birthday was the only other memorable event. She especially loved the presents she had gotten - a new jigsaw puzzle along with a book from her best friend, some trinkets and a new dress from her family
She had a bowl of tomato soup for lunch, brushed her hair, grabbed her ticket, packed all the required stuff in her suitcase, as well as some more personal belongings. Her luggage turned out to quite heavy, so Gray helped her put in the car’s boot. This time her mum decided she will be the one driving Elaine. Her siblings also wanted to go: they always looked forward to a trip to London, especially when they would go to a hidden train station, but their parents decided – mind you, sensibly – that they couldn’t miss the first day of school. Mrs Morrison said, she will take her sick leave – she rarely fell ill during the colder months, so she could afford to take a day off.
The car ride lasted around 7 hours. Upon arrival at their family’s street, it had already gone dark, which was also the reason, Elaine had to leave the potential conversations for tomorrow, her mum however, wasn’t spared. Falling asleep she thought about how much information will her mother disclose to their hosts. She found out the answer soon enough
'So...' Mr Burrel, her mother's brother, looked at Elaine correcting his glasses, 'are you excited to start secondary school?'
'Yes. I think it was the first time I couldn’t wait for the beginning of the new school year' she chuckled lightly
'Well, I can imagine' he winked at her, 'I would also be excited at the thought of studying in Ireland!'
Elaine almost spat her tea. She glanced at her mum, then back at the interlocutor. The moment of uncertainty turned into a poised act
'Aye, I wonder if I’ll meet many students, who speak irish'
'I’ve heard it is a nice language'
'I’ll let you know, if I find someone' she took a sip of her tea, finishing the beverage. She wasn’t the only one who had already emptied their plate
'God' exclaimed Mrs Morrison 'it is already 10 o’clock! Elaine we have to hurry up! Thank you for your warm reception, Terry.' She quickly added 'of course, you too Margaret'
'Oh, you know you’re always welcome here'
'Yeah, though it would have been better, if you had given us a heads-up next time' Mrs Morrison's sister-in-law retorted
'I’ll try my best' she responed with a hint of embarassement. 'I know it wasn’t the most fortunate moment, especially since you had to send Michael and Andrew off to school. I really hoped we weren’t that much trouble'
'No, it was...'
'I’m readyyy!' Elaine skipped to the dining room fully prepared to go outside
***
The KingCross station wasn’t a completely unfamiliar place to Elaine, as she had gone through it a few times when visiting the Burrel’s, and once for a school trip to London. That’s why she was surprised, when Mrs McGonagall had told her all the things, that should have been explained in the letter she hadn’t gotten. Nine and Three-Quarters platform? She had never seen it before, although she believed the witch’s instructions
The wall between the platforms was built from nice red bricks. Their colour had faded over the years, yet they remained their sturdy structures. She knew she had to run into them, but one problem arose – in which place? In the middle? Closer to the 10th platform? Or maybe the 9th one?
While she was inspecting the wall, a family walked towards it. The two teenagers traipsed, slowly pushing their trolleys, while their parents advised them to hurry up. Elaine and her mum stood in the distance, watching how a girl, who was around 15-year-old, had run into the wall. Her slightly younger brother followed her, then their parents. Elaine mentally marked the point and marched in its direction. She took a few steps back from the spot, which was directly in front of her. She tightened her grip on the trolley’s handle, glanced and her hands, and took a deep breath. With her eyes closed, she hied into the wall, somewhat expecting to be welcomed with brick’s imprints on her face. Instead, she smoothly went through them, and was surrounded by commotion on the other side
The number of wizards there was incredible – she wasn’t used to seeing that many people in such proximity to each other. She supposed the enormous crowd made sense; after all, if all magical children in the UK went to the same school, many accompanied to the station by their relatives, it was a miracle that they were even able to fit on one platform!
On the other hand, if they were all able to fit on one platform and go to one school, that must have meant, there weren’t that many wizards. Or maybe the school would be the biggest one in the world? How did they get the money to build it though? And how many teachers would they need? Is it subsidised by the government? Elaine kept coming with questions, theories to them, which somehow led to even more questions, so much so, she stopped the rumination, only after feeling someone else’s touch on her shoulder
'I’ve called you three times Elaine'
'I’m sorry I haven’t heard it'
'Yeah, I also wish it hadn’t been so noisy in here' Mrs Morrison’s lips parted, as she approached her daughter with open arms 'I'll miss you honey!'
'I know mum, I'll miss you too, but I’ll send you letters. Dad, Gray and Linda too, of course!' She knew electronic devices didn’t work at Hogwarts, and Mrs McGonagall had mentioned students could use the school’s owls
'I expect nothing less from you' her mum’s laughter had nice ring to it, which was interrupted by the sudden whistle’s sound piercing her ears
'The train leaves in 5 minutes' yelled one of the station’s workers
'I hope you’ll make some friends and study well' her mum let her out of the hug
'Stands to reason' she chuckled
'What are you waiting for? Go' the soft encouragement reddened Elaine’s cheeks. She took a few steps forward... and ran back to her mum
'It’s just... I love you!' Mrs Morrison got moved by the sudden gesture
'I love you too!' The tears in the woman’s eyes began flowing down her face 'Never forget that sweetheart... but now you need to go now. Unless you want the train to depart without you!'
The girl trotted to the vehicle, ignoring the weight of her luggage. She walked up the short stairs, managed to pull her suitcase with her, found a compartment with just one other person, so she took the opportunity and went for the seat near the window. She looked at the crowd and was able to spot her mum fairly easily. She waved at her as to say goodbye, but she didn’t notice that Mrs Morrison, as dozens of other parents, was grieving the loss of her beloved child
The boy sitting in front of Elaine was soon accompanied by his friends, all of them at least 5 years older than her and men. She knew she won’t be able to pass the time by socialising, so she started reading “In Dessert and Wilderness”, the book her friend Helena gave her as a birthday present
***
They arrived at Hogsmeade Station in the evening. A big lake was located nearby. Its surface, constantly tickled by the wind, shimmered in the delicate moonlight. It was as beautiful as it could get, thought Elaine
She saw many students leaving in carriages, while the shortest and tallest pupils stayed by the lake, and got into small boats. In each one, were at most 4 wizards. She got into one, with 3 other people, two girls and one guy
'It is so good we’re finally here' the boy with mousy locks announced, with enthusiasm and a hint of impatience in his voice
'Yes, I’ve only been waiting my whole life for this moment' yawned the girl with short black hair on his right, earning a burst of laughter
'Well, I only had to wait a month' replied Elaine joining the conversation
'Lucky you! Though I wouldn’t like to wait 11 years to learn how to fly' added the boy
'Nor would I' the other girl, with blond hair, chimed in
'I imagine it must be awesome to look at everything from above' Elaine continued
'What’s even better, is the feeling of the wind in your hair'
'I’d say it’s more like fighting for your life' the girl with short hair retorted. 'I'm Esther by the way'
'Nice to meet you, I’m Elaine'
'I’m Elbert'
'And I’m Linnea' added the blonde one
***
The boats sailed to the shore and any remains of fatigue were replaced by uncertainty. Now the group of students had climb a few steps, and there it was – Hogwarts. Mrs McGonagall had told Elaine about the school, however the sight of the actual castle was nowhere near to what she thought it would be. It was much bigger than she anticipated. The wide windows allowed the light from its spacious inside to pour out into the night’s sky. The four towers were the cherry on the cake. They grew in height till Elaine couldn’t differentiate between where their roofs ended and the sky’s coat started. From the illuminated parts near the windows, she guessed that if the whole school was decorated that way, she was certain it could be considered the most beautiful building in the world
After entering a large hall – its name she had forgotten at this point - all the second year and older students sat at their house’s table. She remembered there were 4 different ones, now she could see the two banners hanging on the parallel walls of the room, each representing a house. She remembered McGonagall mention something about getting assigned to one and wanted to ask the kids from the boat, when she heard someone try to get the students attention
'Good evening children. It is another year, in which our school has the pleasure to welcome the newest students.' The old man, with long silver hair and beard, spoke in an authoritative, but warm way. 'I know you’re probably buzzing with excitement right now. Let’s not extend our speech unnecessarily, and begin the Sorting Ceremony'
The children started clapping, their cheers intensified when the Sorting Hat was brought out. To Elaine's surprise it began to sing!
'Two months have passed
The time has come
You are finally at school
Miles away from home'
'There are lots of possibilities
No need to return
And if I am correct
You are surely eager to learn'
'In order to do so
I must put you in class
In your proper house
You’ll certainly pass'
'We’ve got the Gryffindors
Their bravery’s a gift
And when you’re feeling down
They’ll give you a lift'
'Then the Ravenclaws
Minds sharp as knives
Their imagination
always suffices'
'Now to the sliest of all
Where ambition roams freely
They will stand their ground
Even if they may seem chilly'
'Last but not least
If you’re meant for the badger to find
I can assure
You’re more than just kind'
Now, that was the worst song Elaine had ever heard, however she began to wonder, to which house she will belong? All options seemed appealing in one way or another, though she had to admit, blue was her favourite colour...
'Tracey Allen!' the headmaster called the first student. A blond girl sat on the chair, visible to all the students. She seemed excited, but jittered slightly, when the teacher put the Hat on her head
'Hufflepuff!' the magical item announced after a few seconds, which filled the Hufflepuff’s table with cheers
'Elbert Atkinson!' was next on the list. Elaine recognised him as the boy she has met on the boat
This time, the Sorting Hat took slightly more time
And this time the Ravenclaws began to clap
“Sirius Black!”
***
A few students later, the name 'Elaine Morrison' had been shouted
Elaine walked to the magical item which was carefully put on her head. The way too big Sorting Hat covered her eyes
'I have never seen anything like that...' whispered the Hat, Elaine almost jumped, not realising it would speak with her while making the choice
'What do you mean?' She said confused
'I can either... you know what? I’ll spare you' continued the magical item
'Slytherin!' it announced amused
Elaine quickly sat on one of the free seats at her house’s table and was greeted by some of her housemates. What had just happened!? Why did he said that, if he was not going to explain anything to her? And more importantly, what was so unique about her, that the Hat had to point it out? And what...
'It’ll be nice to be in the same house, don’t you think?' she got greeted by familiar emerald eyes
'Yes, yes certainly' Elaine tried to switch her focus from her thoughts to Linnea
'You probably haven’t heard about it, but apparently the Slytherin’s dormitories are in the basement. Ugh, I would have preferred to live in a tower' her mate complained
'So would I. I hope it won’t be dank...'
***
'And with that, we have assigned all the new students. To our experienced ones, I hope this year will be as rewarding as the last one.' As the headmaster was finishing his speech, a bunch of different dishes appeared on all tables. Dozens of roast turkeys accompanied by potatoes prepared in three separate ways and rich, sweet, cranberry sauce were just a part of various dishes served that evening
Elaine ate till she was full, which furthermore tired her. She wasn’t the only one who was done eating, as everyone had already cleared their plates. The dishes disappeared, so the members of all houses gathered and left the hall
'First year Slytherins! Come here!' shouted a girl with wavy, dark brown on the left side door, to which Elaine had quickly ran
'Hello my fellow Slytherins! My name is Ramona Thornton, I’m a seventh-year and a prefect responsible for showing you your way at Hogwarts. This way please' she turned away from the first-years and began marching down the corridor
The girl led the way through the weird moving stairs, to the dungeons. Elaine’s eyes were closing automatically, and she just wanted to go to sleep. She forced herself to stay awake though, when Ramona told them the password - “Littanium”
Elaine walked into the common room. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she expected it to be. It was relatively large, even with all her class and some other students the amount of space was unbelievable. There wasn’t any natural light, since the sun had gone down, but there were some windows near the ceiling on two walls. In spite of them being made from stone, the walls along with dark wooden furniture, candles emitting soft, golden light, and paintings portraying various landscapes, it seemed quite cozy
She walked into her dormitory, changed into her nightgown, brushed her teeth and tried talking to Linnea and her other classmates, but they all fell asleep after the day full of excitement, fueled by the vision of their first proper day of school