Slytherin Tales: The Divine Seven

Chapter 3: The Sorting

Word Count: 2,548

Chapter 3

My group went with Leon and I as we followed the old man's directions, gathering in the crowd of other first years that surrounded him. The light from his lamp reflected in his pale blue eyes and I could tell he had some eye bags. He motioned for the group closer as he began to speak.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, newcomers! My name is Modestus Unkle and I'm the Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, but most everyone around here knows me as 'Unkle'. I'm here to ensure safe passage for you all to the castle. Now, if you'll follow me to the Black Lake, we'll board the boats and travel across the lake." He beckoned us onward down a beaten path towards a dock at the edge of the Black Lake. The boats were wooden and old looking, but were surprisingly sturdy. The lights from the castle visible in the distance glistened softly in the reflection against the dark depth of the water. Amongst the nervous prattle of the first years, he helped each of us board our boats. Leon sat next to me and Sable sat behind me, the faint glow of lamps illuminated our way to the castle. I reached out my hand and gently touched the surface of the water. The icy abyss greeted my fingertips, creating little ripples and waves as the boat moved along. I was quiet the whole boat ride, full of admiration and excitement. I was filled with awe by the magnificence of the castle, and fascinated by the hidden mysteries in the surrounding wilderness.

Before I knew it, we had made it to the opposing dock. Unkle assisted us once more, helping us get out of our boats before beginning the journey up the staircases to the inside of the castle. The darkness of the lake and the forest surrounding the castle should feel ominous, but rather than fear or nervousness of our night travels, I felt nothing but elation as I climbed the steps up the hill. Finally, we made it to the top and Unkle led us into the castle. The castle was even bigger on the inside, many halls and corridors lining it. We passed through the courtyard and a couple of these corridors before we were stopped. We were standing just outside the grand doors of the Great Hall, where the other students and teachers awaited our arrival.

"This is where I leave you for now, Professor Chrysalis will be out here soon to give you instructions on what to do next. Good luck to all of you, and have a great first year at Hogwarts!" And with those words, he departed, slipping through the doors into the hall. I looked around at the other students, examining each of them. Most of them were standing about, gossiping, some were running and messing about. Suddenly, I felt someone shove into me. I picked myself up, dusting off my robes before turning to see who had run into me. I looked at my feet and saw a boy with messy black hair and hazel green eyes.

"You okay?" I asked, extending my hand to help him up.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, taking my hand as I helped him up. "Seems some of the first years are a little restless and decided now was a good time to play tag," he scoffed at the group that had bumped into us, Leon and Nathaniel among them. I giggled a bit.

"They're just excited, is all. My name's Sachie, Sachie Sinclair. What's yours?"

"Elliot Jinks. Pleasure to meet you." He began fidgeting with his fingers.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

He stopped fidgeting and replied, "A little, I'm the oldest of my siblings so I'm the first to go to Hogwarts. Guess I'm not sure what to expect."

"That's fair, I have an older brother who's explained a lot of it already to me, plus my twin brother Leon to experience it with," I gestured to my idiot brother who was still messing about. "Maybe it would help if you had a friend to go through everything with you?" I smiled and extended my hand once more. He smiled back and shook it.