Cunning Magic

I dressed myself in the mandatory uniform before the train arrived, grey Skirt, white blouse, white stockings black shoes and a black robe, not yet owning a house colored one. My wand I placed in the pocket of my robe, and Midnight who looked angry I placed back in his cadge after letting him stretch his legs for a bit. He made quiet the fuss as I tried to put him back in the carrier and I heard Squinty laughing at me. I ignored him and gathered my things as the train stopped. It was already dark and I felt hungry despite the half sandwich and chocolate I had on the train.

When I opened the door I heard the rush and excitement of the student hurrying to get their things together and leave for the castle.

Robes streaked with colors of Red, Green, Yellow and blue where everywhere very different from how I had seen people arrive on the train and casting the levitation spell on my things I dragged my stuff behind me. From the distance the castle was amazing, I suppose I had imagined something simple like a play set with only four towers and square. But Hogwarts was insanely different from that, towers in all shapes and sizes all glittering with soft light. It was set on the highpoint of a mountain, clouds veiling the very top tower. The weather was grey and wet today which made it look almost haunting and hard to see from where I stood. Placed between us and the castle was a huge lake that looked extremely deep and kind of gave me the creeps. I noticed some boats and really hoped I wasn’t going to be expected to get one of them.

“We go that way love …” A boy with long wavy red hair to his shoulders and warm brown eyes pointed to a group of carriages.

“Oh thank you” I said puzzled by the ‘love’ bit.

“No problem I can tell your new here, you must be the already famed Sirina?” The boy asked as his eyebrow rose questioningly.

“How do you know…Why would I be famous?”

“There was an article in the daily profit about in naturally…It’s not every day you get a transfer student. Other schools do it but Hogwarts hasn’t been known to…Though why they would bother writing an article about it I really don’t know.“
“I was in the paper?!” I asked horrified.

“Relax it was a small article and most people read the quibbler these days anyway.” He waved his arm in a gesture of …well I’m not really sure what it a gesture was of.
“My names Fred by the way, I’m in Gryffindor, my father owns the joke shop in diagon ally.”

“I didn’t know there was one…”

“You’re kidding me…you missed a shop with the brightest colors and banners and weird noises? The one with the crazy redhead man who has a goatee, and screams ‘THE BOY WHO LIVED ‘every time my uncle visits? There’s a giant poster of a blond slytherin kid ramming his face into a stop sign over and over in one of the windows…”

“I didn’t really get to see it I was getting books… I’ll be sure not to miss it next time” I felt foolish.

“Well you better, I’d have to call the eye doctor! Here just follow me.”
♦♦♦
They where the largest doors I had ever seen, there was a crowed of students entering the hall and I tried to keep up with Fred while wildly looking at all the portraits and banners. A snake, lion, badger and crow or…wait Ravenclaw…ok a Raven all alighted on a coat of arms that stood high on the wall where below four hour glasses filled with tiny jewels stood. All the jewels where currently at the top. Just as I was about enter what must have been the great hall a man stepped in my way and I almost fell backwards. I looked up blinking and saw what must have been one of the professors. I watched as Fred not noticing my halt went ahead in the room with the other students and frowned a little.

“Your Sirina Cunning right? “ The man had a round face clean shaven, he looked about thirty and had light brown hair that had a slight wave to it wearing green robes with golden vine embroidery at the hems. Pretty fancy looking.

“Yea how do you know? “ I asked wondering If I had a huge ‘IM NEW’ Stamp on my head.

“You’re not wearing house robes and you look really confused…anyway, your to follow me to the headmistress office. When the sorting is done I’m to bring the hat to you and you’ll be sorted.

Then you can attend the feast, it last a long time so you’re only miss the first course. Leave your bags here they have your name on it so they’ll be sent to your common room when your sorted, you can let your cat out of its cadge now to if you want. “ I heard Midnight meow in eager anticipation and I let him out of the carrier , his fuzzy body squirming in my hands till I had to drop him . He shook his fur glared at me and ran three feet ahead of us turning around as if waiting expectantly.

The professor laughed.

“Well you have a very smart cat there; consider yourself lucky you went given a pet toad.” He said and sighed. I thought I heard the word “Trevor” but it could have been “whatever and I decided not to ask. I was amazed when the professor started walking again that midnight actually walked with us. I thought cats were supposed to be rebellious especially when they’ve been locked up in a cat carrier all day. Whatever the reason I had Midnights loyalty I was grateful for it.

The whole “Let’s go to the headmistresses room” Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? But that’s before I discovered it was on the 7th story. We made rights and lefts through the halls and made it to a room full of staircase’s that kept changing and as amazing and beautiful as it all was I wondered why there wasn’t a magical elevator instead. By the time we reached a large gargoyle statue felt even hungrier but tried to suck it in and focus on the surroundings instead. The professor said the name of some random drink and the gargoyle moved showing a staircase.

“I’ll be back shortly, don’t touch anything …” He took off on a quick walk. Midnight took off in front of me on the stairs and I followed soon discovering I didn’t even have to walk up them, magic did all the work for me.

The headmistress’s office was very round, full of books and unusual things. There was an entire wall of what must have been previous headmasters and headmistresses all looking at me warily. I looked around for a seat and found one watching as midnight jumped up on the desk and stared at the portraits. The wait then seemed like forever.
Just as I was about to fall asleep I heard the sound of the statue moving and the staircase began shifting again.

This time the professor was accompanied by what must have been the headmistress. She looked tired and old, had grey hair and glasses on her face, she had a funny green hat on her head and walked with an air to her.

“Place the stool over there Neville …” she waved her hand to her left and turned to face me.

“So your Sirina , I’m sure you already know these are strange circumstances , but what you don’t know is the circumstances aren’t as weird and unusual as your being lead to believe by the student body , Hogwarts once had a very active exchange student program unfortunately student from Durmstrang that messed things up for everyone. Many of the students might tend to forget themselves and accuse you of thinking your special, or may accuse you of cheating or some nonsense. This is not true, even if your father does believe its only because of your connections you got into this school. “ I bit my lip and stopped myself from defending him . It was true he probably did actually think that he was so proud of joining that team.

“Now go over there and sit on the stool, the hat Professor Longbottom is holding will look into your mind and tell you what house you’re going to be in.”

“Usually It would recite a poem I worked on all year you know, but I’m afraid you would miss dinner.” Professor Longbottom said.

“It would well be worth it though!” The hat yelled making me jump. I hadn’t noticed till then it had a face.

I walked cautiously over to the stool and professer Longbottom (such a funny name) placed the freaky talking hat on my head and backed away.

“Freaky talking hat? Well I’ll have you know I’m the sorting hat , famed throughout wizarding history .I’m not just some talking hat…” I Said this in a way only I could hear it inside my mind. It was a bit unnerving.

“Ah so let’s see, some self respect and confidence problems, you have a bit of an impatient streak in you, and despite your name sake you’re not all that cunning…”I gasped in horror at what the hat said.

“How dare you who died and made you lord and master of whos smart and whos not?!” I hissed at it before I realized I was getting angry at a hat. I was tempted to through it off my head and into the roaring fire.

“ Well that’s easy the four founders silly girl . I didnt say you where stupid , your rather inteligent just not in a cunning way .Despite your anger problems anyhow you have a fierce loyalty to family and just the sort of stubborn mindset that gives people like you courage …to bad you didn’t get to hear my poem…”

The hat was silent a moment while I tried to sink that in

“Gryffindor!” It yelled and I saw both Professor Longbottom and the headmistress smile.
“Well looks like you’re in my old house; I think you’ll rather like it. Professor Longbottom here is also from Gryffindor as well as the house teacher for Gryffindor so if you have any problems you go to him.

“Yes mam’ I said nervously. Being in Gryffindor meant I was doing just as that sour Candy didn’t want, but at the same time wasn’t Shadow in Slytherin? I pushed that aside, Gryffindor or not I was still in the same school and at least I knew someone in Gryffindor, Fred seemed pretty nice If not a little half mad.

The headmistress opened a drawer out of what had looked like a empty wall a moment ago and pulled out a red and yellow scarf out of what seemed loads of house garments.
“Here have this so people don’t keep asking you what house your in , this should do to the rest of your uniform is given to you .”

“You keep uniforms in your office?” I asked puzzled.

“This is a drawer that opens to any other drawer in the castle…I use it when suspicious cabinets and dressers are locked with magic and need quick inspection…or in this case when I need quick access to the lost in found…anything that’s not been lost to the room of requirements …” She looked lost in thought and looked back at the drawer as if she finally realized she would be able to find a missing pair of gloves to match her hat.

“Well let’s get you down to the feast then! “ I followed Professer Longbottom back down to the first floor to the feast daydreaming of tomato soup with basil and a frothy butter beer.


♥♥♥
“Over here!” I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Fred jumping up and waving, and I wasn’t but a lot of the people right next to him where. I also saw a surprised and annoyed face on Henrys face right across from Fred. I walked over as Fred eagerly made room for me.

“I knew you would be in Gryffindor…” he said acting cool and drinking out of his goblet as if he had just said the most simple thing in the world.

“Oh really and what on earth made you think that…”

“Because ….er…”

“Ignore him he’s making it up, he’s a bloody liar and tries to make himself look good all the time to impress the girls…” A boy on Fred’s right said this laughing to himself. He had Dark jet black messy hair and similar brown eyes that seemed to sparkle with mischief.” As I took a seat I noticed Fred almost choke on his pumpkin Juice while a girl who looked about two years younger than me laughed at him. She too had red hair.

“Please Ignore them Sirina, there just jealous, these are my cousins James Potter and Rose Weasley , James here has an inferiority complex that makes him pretend he’s the big bad wolf in front of others , but I assure you he curls up in a ball and cries himself to sleep every night , were in the same common room I would know… And this pink faced girl over here is the brainiest girl herself Miss. Rose, don’t ask her a question in between classes if you don’t want a two hour wand point presentation.” She rolled her eyes and continued eating.

I myself didn’t hesitate to make myself a plate of mashed potatoes and a generous serving of roast beef. When was the last time I had eaten something that good? It was all so vague and delicious...

“I do not cry …”

Oh yes you do , you remember that time you lost at that little one on one Quidditch match in the back yard…”

“Its called Swivenhodge….”

“Yeah well you lost the game and cried like a baby ….”

“I fell twenty feet from the SKY!”

They continued arguing while I ate and looked around the great hall. There were 4 giant tables all for the different houses no doubt.

“Hey I saw some hourglasses out in the hall what are those there for?” I asked Rose who like me seemed to be ignoring Fred and James.

“There for the Gryffindor point system. The house with the most points by the end of the year win and the great hall celebrates their victory at the end of the year. Ravenclaws been in the lead for the last two years and Slytherin the year before that…” She said no more and I could see a sting of pride in that voice.

After a heavenly dinner and delicious desert I felt sick and promised myself I would never eat so much again. I then followed the other Gryffindor to the common room not knowing at all how to get there myself. Midnight was admired by several girls on the way and his tail shot up and curled as if he was completely aware of it.

The rest was a blur, midnight took off somewhere in the main common room while I was too tired to comprehend the greetings and welcomes of the other Gryffindor members. I followed some girl to the girl’s dorms, found a four poster bed with my trunk in front of it, and fell asleep without changing. The sound of giggling excitement, the aftermath of the feast being droned by the deep dark of the dream world.