The path opens suddenly and we travel along the side of a great black lake.
Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, is a castle with many turrets and towers.
Hogwarts.
"How does it compare?" Peter asks.
"To Uagadou?" I can still picture the massive cliffs and the beauty- stop. You're here now. "Nothing could compare to Uagadou, but this, this could do." I wink, teasing them.
"Just wait until you get inside." Alice smiles.
The carriage trundles through a pair of large iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars. As the carriage picks up speed going down the long, sloping drive, I lean out to get a better view of the nearing turrets and towers.
"Ebony, you're gonna fall out!" Lily pulls me back.
"I was fine." I roll my eyes and grin.
"When we first came, we were taken on boats across the black lake. Sirius almost fell out." James grins.
"Yeah but that was because you pushed me." Sirius elbows James.
"Well then you shouldn't have said that about-"
"Ok we can stop there. None of the girls need to know about that."
"About what?" Marlene sits up.
"Nothing." Both James and Sirius say.
At last, the carriage sways to a halt and I step out after the boys, the girls right behind me. We join the crowd heading up towards the giant front doors into a large entrance hall, echoing and cavernous with ancient looking, carved, stone walls. It's lit by flaming torches and I see a magnificent staircase heading who knows where at the end of the hall.
I hear the chattering voices of excited students and the scrape of what I assume is seating through an ornate oak doorway.
"Miss Warren! Miss Warren!" I hear a vaguely familiar accent and I turn around to see that Professor McGonagall person on the stairs, wearing emerald green robes and an impressive dark hat.
"Minnie! So nice to see you!" Sirius laughs behind me.
I give him a look, "Minnie?"
"You have a lot to learn, Miss Warren." James winks, copying the woman's accent at the end.
Minnie sighs - I can tell this isn't an irregular occurrence - "Miss Warren, before you enter the great hall, I need to to come with me, quickly."
I look back at the girls, they nod for me to go with the professor. I follow her up the stairs and she leads me through a series of small corridors, from what I can tell, heading around the side of the hall where everyone else is.
"Good summer holidays?" She asks.
"Uh, yeah."
"I see you have made some friends?"
"Yes."
That seemed to be all the personal talk as then she opens a wooden door and leads me into a room, filled with weird and wonderful objects, and in the center, a roaring fire.
In front of the fire, stands an old man, wearing pale purple robes with a matching hat on top of his long silvery hair. He turns and looks at me with bright blue eyes. He looks old. Not as old as Rodiguez by any means, but certainly older than Minnie.
"Ah Miss Ebony Warren." He says, smiling slightly. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
"This is your headmaster, Professor Dumbledore." Minnie says.
"Pleasure to meet you." I felt like he was flipping x-raying me. Creep.
"I assume you are wondering why we haven't allowed straight into the great hall."
"Uh, yeah." I decide to agree.
"Well, I'm sure Professor McGonagall will have explained to you about the houses."
My nerves seem to be trying to escape my stomach through my throat. But I still manage to get out a "Yes."
"Well, then. To be sorted, students put on the Sorting Hat." he motions to a three legged stool I hadn't noticed before, with an tattered brown wizards hat sitting on the top, "We thought it best for your ceremony to happen a little more privately, particularly as it would normally happen in first year. It's nothing to be scared of just sit on the stool and put on the hat."
I step towards the stool, feeling the eyes of both teachers in me. I gently pick up the hat, sit down and put on the hat.
In a second the hat suddenly stirs, moving and... and singing.
"Once a time ag- oh wait. What is this..." it stops it's song. "Why am I sorting you, you're sixteen?"
So it automatically knows my age, that's not weird at all.
There is nothing in your head I can't see, Miss Warren. Or should I say Miss Black?
Miss Warren would be preferable, is that one thing you can't see?
Well you've got some attitude haven't you. Though, I haven't sung yet...
I know. I don't fancy being sorted in front of the school at 16 though, thanks.
Ah ok an extra one...
Well let's take a look. You're intelligent, and, oh some of those pranks were certainly creative...
I smile slightly, That's one way to describe them.
You're also extremely loyal and inside very kind and caring.
Does leaving behind everything count as loyal?
Well the decision you made was your own. And it would certainly take courage to choose what you did. But you have bravery too, not afraid to stand up against those you don't agree with.
"You have no right to talk about my Ma like-"
I force my mind away from the flashback.
However you would fit in Slytherin too... Cunning, ambitious...
"No offence Sorty, but my past experiences with many Slytherin types don't exactly sell the house."
Yes I can see that. You are very against many of the traditional Slytherin beliefs... And your late mother's status too... well then this is difficult. You seem to differ from the usual Blacks. Usually a Black would mean Slytherin...
The hat pauses.
But then again not all the Blacks are Slytherins...
Yes... I think that would be for the best...
It seems to take a breath and then-
YOU ARE READING
The Black Winged Marauder
Fanfiction"It isn't my choice though, it's yours." When he says it like that, it suddenly becomes very clear. "I'll miss you." "Just make sure you write, don't forget all about me." "I won't forget you, I promise. But I need to do this." *•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*...
