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┄┄ .•* 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝟑 *•. ┄┄

𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

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The little boats were gently rocking on the water, being moved by the soft waves from the lake. And whilst one would find the sight pleasing and even relaxing, Annora felt her insides clench. She felt the color drain from her face, nausea forming even before she got on the boat.

"No more'n four to a boat!" called Hagrid, ushering the children to the little boats.

"Can't we go by foot? Or those carriages the others took?" Annora muttered to Regulus, even though she was mostly talking to herself. The boy in return sent her an amused smile.

"Are you afraid of the water?"

"No." she shook her head. "But I don't like boats."

"Oh," he said and nodded in understanding, not teasing her anymore. "Is it really bad or can you just get to the castle?"

Annora swallowed hard as she looked at the boats and nodded, "It's fine."

"Alright then, I'll help you," Regulus said and indeed, helped Annora climb onto a boat.

She sat down next to Evan, who was already inside, and watched as Regulus and another boy joined them. The latter was a brunette and short boy, though he was just about her height. And his eyes twinkled with mischief and joy as he climbed on the boat, making it rock in the water and causing Annora to grip Evan's forearm.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then—FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.

"I'm Barty, by the way, " the boy introduced himself, "Barty Crouch Jr."

"Evan Rosier, " Evan said, and then pointed to Regulus and Annora respectively—the latter who was taking deep breaths and trying not to move much, her gaze set on the bottom of the wooden boat—, "Regulus Black and Annora Hale."

"Look!"

Regulus was pointing at the sight of the great castle ahead. Everyone in the boats quoted down and were silent as they stared at it—even Annora, for a splitting moment forgot about her nausea and gaped at the magnificent castle. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.

They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Annora sighed as her feet stepped on the ground—looking as if she could kiss it— and throwing a look of disdain at the boats and making the three boys laugh.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face, one that demanded respect and somewhat reminded Annora of the face Mrs. Granger gave her and Lily when they were found sleeping on the roof of the Granger's house—it was roughly midwinter and they had stubbornly gone to the roof to see the stars; that led to them getting stuck there and eventually falling asleep not wanting to call for help (they had a cold that lasted for a week after that, along with being grounded; both literally and not). Yet Annora was pretty sure that the face of the woman in front of her was more permanent than that of Rose Granger.

She decided to blindly respect the woman before her.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit Olivia's and Annora's entire flat there. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones Annora saw in the movies, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor.

From a doorway to the right, Annora was sure she could hear the drone of hundreds of voices, making her gulp slightly. She wasn't scared, just deeply nervous. She didn't know what it was going to be like. It was different from everything she ever knew. Annora went to school, yes, but it was a muggle school. And she would go home to her mother every day, apart from the days she stayed at the Evans' of course. But Hogwarts was different, and Annora was nervous about just that.

Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "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 your 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 rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. 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 as much as you can while you are waiting."

"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall.

"Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber.

Annora looked at the door she had left through and clicked her tongue. Turning to the three boys beside her she asked, "Any idea how we're getting sorted?"

"My brother told me we would have to fight a troll," Regulus answered, looking rather pale as he too, stared at the door. "He told me it's how you face it that shows where you belong."

"Let me guess," Evan started snarkily, "being a Gryffindor means going straight into the action and dying?"

"Seeing as his brother survived," said Barty frowning, "I dunno if that's how."

"Sirius told me he hexed it," said Regulus with a shrug.

"That's impossible," Evan said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Barty nodded, agreeing with the blond. "Besides you'd have to be pretty daft to hex it. Just throw a table at it."

"Or let a chandelier fall on its head," Annora added, she and Barty sharing grinning looks before bursting out laughing.

"It's not a troll, you idiots," a girl beside them said annoyed. Her hair flipped as she turned to look at them, her dark-skinned nose scrunching up in annoyance. "It's a hat you put on."

"How do you know?" Regulus asked, his face pulling into a frown.

"My sister told me," said the girl promptly. "I bet your brother was playing a stupid prank on you."

"Well, guess he wasn't Sirius, then," Regulus muttered and Annora couldn't keep from giggling.

"At least it's not a troll," said Barty with a shrug and they all nodded in agreement.

"How does a hat sort you, though?" another girl, with ebony hair full of rainbow streaks—Annora assumed she either did something awesome with her hair or she was a metamorphomagus (which was even better)—, asked.

"My brother told me it talks o you," a boy answered joining in the conversation, his brown eyes shining in excitement and a strong Scottish accent in his voice.

"How does a hat talk?" Annora asked frowning and everyone turned to look at her. "Right. Magic."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

With a deep breath, Annora got behind the line, trying her best not to show any nervousness she was feeling to the others.

Regulus and Evan were behind her and a pretty-looking dark-skinned boy was in front of her—he looked rather reserved in her opinion, but she could see the ghost of an excited grin on his face. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

Annora had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place—her mother was a witch, of course, but she wasn't used to being in the wizarding world all that much, or at all. They usually stuck to their little muggle town. The only times Annora remembered the Wizarding World was when they would visit Diagon Alley, nothing more she reckoned.

The Great Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.

Annora's gaze wandered through the hall, seeing the expressions on the students' faces—snorting when she saw some of them looking grumpy and starved—until she caught Lily's eyes. The red-haired grinned at her and pointed up.

Annora looked where she was pointing and her mouth fell slightly agape by the velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. Her eyes immediately fell on the brightest star in the sky...

Annora Hale had always loved the sun. The sun with its bright light, shone over the Earth, illuminating everything it could reach. Cheering up everything it could with its warmth. Lighting up the world. Besides, the sun was a star, and Annora fell in love with the stars, the moon, and the night sky a long time ago.

After all, she remembered snippets of her childhood with her father. He used to pick her up and take her to the roof of their apartment building, the night sky brimming with stars as most lights from their little town were off.

He would point out every single star he knew of, every constellation and planet insight. She never understood anything, which would be expected seeing as she was so little. And even now, at the young age of eleven, she still didn't; if someone asked her to point out a constellation or name a star, Annora wouldn't be able to tell them—save for her favorite star of course, the brightest on in the night sky, Sirius.

But she didn't care if she could not read the sky, because even if when she looked at the sky and she only saw the darkness filled with little diamonds that shone throughout the galaxy, she felt safe.

The night sky, the stars, the moon, and the sun were a memory of her father, that always greeted her like a warm blanket on a cold winter morning. It kept her dad by her side.

"It's supposed to resemble the sky outside, " the boy in front of her told Annora and she looked at him with a smile. "I'm Rabastan Lestrange, " he said extending his hand to her.

"Annora Hale," she replied as she shook his hand.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing. However, Annora didn't quite listen, more interested in watching the sky above her, smiling at the thought of her dad watching her get sorted into Hogwarts. She hoped he was proud of her.

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song, making Annora snap her attention back to the sorting. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

Annora looked excitingly as people started to get sorted, clapping when their house was called out and deeply dreading her turn.

"Black, Regulus!"

Annora saw as Regulus suddenly paled slightly, though he masked well his features displaying a blank look as he took a sit. The hat only took a few moments to decide—

"SLYTHERIN!"

A frown grew on her face as she watched Regulus simultaneously sign in relief and send a sad look to the Gryffindor table—where she was able to see his brother, Sirius, sporting the exact same blank expression. As he tore his gaze away from his brother and his eyes fell on her. Sirius smirked and Annora turned away. Annora didn't even notice Regulus had sat down until they called the next name.

"Crouch, Bartemius!"

Annora stifled a laugh at the boy,  he huffed and muttered something under his breath, not having liked that McGonagall outright outed his name to all. He sat on the stool with a scowl and not two seconds had passed and it was shouting "SLYTHERIN!"

He went to sit down with Regulus. And then, sooner rather than later she was called.

"Hale, Annora!"

She took a deep breath and made to sit on the stool. She was able to see Lily sending her a reassuring smile before the hat covered her eyes, making some of her blonde curls tickle her face.

"Hmm," said a small voice in her ear. "Difficult. But not impossible. There's talent. Oh, and courage, I see. As well as recklessness. Wit, I see, and not a bad mind either. . . . You're loyal, I see, but not very patient. . . . But I see resourcefulness too, yes, along with cunningness. . . . . Now that's interesting, you fit perfectly well in both Slytherin and Gryffindor. . . . As well as the other two. So where shall I put you?"

Annora shrugged. I suppose I could fit every house, though I really would rather stay out of the yellow one as it clashes with my hair and yellow does not look good on me. The blue ones seem like they either have sticks up their asses or are as high as a cloud which really doesn't bother me but I guess it would be between the red and the green.

Can I choose? Cause I could go to Gryffindor but I feel like they already have enough people don't you? I could properly clean you up if you put me in Slytherin with my friends you know. You'd look as good as new. I could even use a special leather polish, maybe get you a cute ribbon—

"Are you blackmailing a hat? With cleaning?"

Blackmail is such a strong word. I was just giving you an incentive to put me where I want to go. Green will go great with my eyes—

"SLYTHERIN!"

Annora smiled as she got off the stool, seeing as Lily was one of the only Gryffindors clapping for her (along with Alice, who smiled kindly at Annora). Her eyes locked with Regulus' brother. Confidently, her eyes still on his, Annora walked over to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Barty, opposite Regulus. Sirius looked away.

"Ithaca, Alicia" went to Gryffindor. "Knight, Rosalyn" went to Slytherin.

"Lestrange, Rabastan!"

She saw as the boy she had met right before the sorting walked up to the stool and like Regulus and Barty, after a few moments, it was shouting—

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Reagan, Danica" the metamorphomagus girl was called and the hat put her in Hufflepuff, making her grin and make her rainbow streaks into the Hufflepuff's yellow, contrasting with her ebony hair. Mostly everyone cheered.

"Rosier, Evan!"

Annora watched as Evan took a seat on the stool, and saw as he tapped his foot on the ground, but otherwise didn't show any apprehension. His sorting seemed to take a bit longer than the others, but after a couple of minutes, the hat had decided.

"SLYTHERIN!"

There were only a few students left to be sorted now and Annora missed a couple as she was greeting Evan.

"Santos, Maria" went to Hufflepuff; "Vanity, Cecilia", the girl who was annoyed at them, was sorted into Ravenclaw; "Warter, Reed" to Hufflepuff and the last student was "Wood, Simon" that was sorted into Gryffindor.

Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Annora looked down at her empty gold plate. She had only realized how hungry she was and the food didn't appear to be here yet. To be honest she only knew that it would come in some extraordinary way.

Like her mum, Olivia, liked to say, these Brits loved showing off, and Annora was sure that was what she would indeed say when she wrote her first letter home.

Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet, now. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Tuck in!"

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. And then, food appeared on the table, a large banquet that would be able to feed the whole school thrice.

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