Chapter Five
I watch them through the window for a while. Most arrive side-along their parents, one group I think arrives by portkey and two are brought by Godric. I am called down by Helga (via Rinka) though and so I make my way down to the entrance hall.
“Honoria.” Helga calls me to her. “Meet Cepheus and Eridanus Black.” She points to the two boys standing to her left. They are clearly related, both have black hair, grey eyes and similar facial structures.
“Can you take them to the nearest bath room? The elves are busy with the luggage.”
I nod. It seems as if the younger of the two had gotten sick after side-along apparating here. I smile at them.
“Good day. I am Honoria. Will you follow me?”
The older one looks me over. “Greetings. I am Cepheus Black and this is my cousin Eridanus.”
“It is nice to meet you.”
The younger one smiles at me shyly before returning his gaze to the ground and the older one just snorts. “That remains to be seen.” Nice fellow.
I lead them to one of the bathing rooms and wait outside for them. I can hear them talking – arguing – but they are not loud enough for me to make out the words.
Once they resurface I lead them back. Cepheus asks after my surname and when I don't answer after my family. I tell him they are dead. It shuts him up for now but it makes me think. I know that muggles of this time had no real surnames. But wizards apparently do... Will that pose a problem?
Back in the hall, Cepheus drags his cousin away to greet another boy his age. I take a look around the hall. So far, I can see ten girls and eight boys plus their respective parents.
A small boy wanders the hall and ends up standing next to me.
“This is awesome. A real castle.”
I chuckle. “A magical castle no less.”
“Right, right!” He grins at me.
“I wonder what the lessons will be li---- AAAAH.” The boy is constantly bouncing on his feet and tips over. I barely manage to grab him before he falls on his face.
“Thanks. This happens to me all the time. Grandfather has almost given up on me.” He smiles self-depreciatingly.
“Because you're a bit clumsy?”
“Well... yes.”
“Then he is being an idiot.”
He smiles at me adoringly. Creepy. He just reminded me a bit of Neville.
“Thank you.” For what I wonder but he just grins and bounces away again.
I kneel down to pet Morgana and wait.
At one point Godric sends me to get him a new ink pot from the Great Hall. To my surprise there is now a third, smaller, table in the hall – presumably for the adults so that they can keep an eye on the students.
When I come back Godric is alone.
“Professor?”
“Hm. Oh, you've returned. Thank you Honoria.”
“What are you writing?”
“Oh? A list of all the students, name and age.”
“I see.” I hesitate.
“What is it?”
“I... I was wondering...”
“Yes? Speak up, child.”
Let's pretend I'm stupid for a bit. I'm not sure if this is necessary but I guess it can't hurt. “What is a surname?”
“Oh. A surname is a family name.”
“A family name...”
“Yes. Like my name is Godric and my family's name is Gryffindor. My parents were called Gryffindor as well. Any children I might have, would also be called that.”
“I see.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I don't.... but the others all seem to have one. Well, at least the two Blacks and Miss Ollivander.”
“I see.”
“Do I need one? Because the Blacks were greeted as such.”
“No, you do not need one. But if you can choose one if you want.”
“Like what?”
“Hmm... Let's see. McDougall – That clan is so big no one would notice an addition. White... no. Hm. Lunden – after all we met in Lundenburh. Lupus – you own a wolf. There are some well known wizarding families but we find quite a few we didn't know about when we went looking for potential students so you don't necessarily need an established name.”
“I... see.” I contemplate the names he proposed. I don't think joining a known established clan is such a good idea. White... too similar to Black. Lupus... reminds me of Lupin.
“Think about it and tell me later.”
He goes to greet the newest arrivals.
I disappear for a while to get some quiet to be able to think. It's useful to have prior knowledge of the castle. I curl up in an empty room on the second floor.
I like the idea of using a name with an association to wolves. I like wolves. Lupus? Lupa? I don't want to use Lupin. Wolf? Or something with wolf in it... like Ravenclaw? Wolfborn? No, I am neither Romulus nor Remus, nor am I in Skyrim... Wolf... Wolfpaw. Okay, no. Something with Fangs? Or... just a variation of wolf... Wulf? Wulfe?
I doubt Stray would be a suitable option. Wolfsheart? Wolfstooth? They all sound stupid.
Hmm... Randwulf? A term I came across looking for a name for Morgana but I am unsure how exactly that translates so,... no. Another idea would be Childe since they're calling me a child anyway. But since I don't actually know how long I'll be here and I'd rather not be called 'child' as an adult... It's bad enough now where I actually have the body of a child.
Back to the wolf-names... One that comes to mind is Wulfric, but that's a first name, not a last name.
Before I can come to a decision, Godric calls us all to the great hall. Whatever variation of a Sonorous that was, my ears are ringing. I make my way down again. They tell us to sit down somewhere. I end up next to a small girl and Eridanus Black.
“Welcome to Hogwarts.” Godric bows with a flourish. “Welcome to a school of learning. I hope you enjoy your time here and acquire knowledge. Let me introduce my fellows here at the head table. Lady Rowena Ravenclaw who will teach Astronomy and Potions.” She bows. “Lady Helga Hufflepuff who will teach Charms and Etiquette.” She bows as well. “Lord Salazar Slytherin who will teach you Latin – after he taught you how to read and write – and Rune magic.” Salazar can't be bothered to do more than raise his goblet. I always thought he was the same age as the other founders but his hair and beard are grey. I kind of expected them to be black. I’m too far away from the head table to see his face close up – maybe his hair’s just naturally grey. It is hard to say how big he is when he is sitting down but from what I can see he is relatively thin. And he looks perfectly annoyed.
“I, Godric Gryffindor, will teach you Transfiguration and Duelling. Apart from us teachers, we have Æthelred the Ferocious, our Head Cook; Gabriel Brooke, our Healer and Agamemnon Dale, our grounds keeper.” The cook merely glares, Gabriel waves happily and Dale bows.
“Now, as you may note, there are two dorms. One for the girls and one for the boys. In each dorm there are rooms of five – you can choose your rooms and roommates yourself. Since your ages range from nine to fourteen mostly, you may want to assign rooms after this. Nonetheless, I ask the older students to keep an eye on the younger ones.
“Lessons will be divided not by gender or age but by knowledge and ability. We we'll start with dividing you roughly by age. There will be four levels. Your level may change. We expect that quite a few of you will move to a higher or lower level. That is not because you are more intelligent or more stupid than others, this is merely the first year we will teach and we do not know how much fore-knowledge you have and in which subjects.
“If you have been taught potions for example, you may excel there while lagging behind in Charms because others may have been taught that and in turn, they will lag behind in potions. Some of you were taught at home, others were still too young for any kind of formal schooling. We ask that you help each other. Balance out in which subjects you are bad and others are better, which subjects you are good at and others are worse.
“Furthermore, you will be sorted into houses. Those are permanent. The four houses will be Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor as the four of us will be your head of houses. While you are of course welcome to ask any of us any questions, and we ask you help all of your class mates, these houses will be like your family. If you are sorted into Ravenclaw, go to Rowena first, if it is not a problem that pertains a specific lesson by another teacher. If you're in Gryffindor come to me for advice.
“In between lessons, your housework and your chores you will be free to explore. But note, that there will be a curfew in place and both the forest and the lake are off limits. They are forbidden. Do not enter there.”
He sits down and Helga stands up in his stead.
“Now, you will be sorted after dinner as I am sure you are hungry. Tomorrow we will ascertain your temporary level.”
She claps into her hands and food appears on the tables. Most of the students seem bored as if they're used to it, but there are a few awed faces.
The food is... a feast. There are mountains of food... if not mountains then hills at the very least.
There's fruit, vegetables, meat, broth, bread buns, pies, something that reminds me a bit of pizza, grilled pigeons... I could go on. The tables are laden in food.
Aaaaand the people are stuffing their faces. Ew. This is disgusting. I didn't expect much of table manners but this... Pieces of food are flying every were, many of the children stuff themselves with at least twice as much as their mouths can chew... The kid two places down on the other side of the table keeps letting half-chewed food fall from his mouth.
Sigh. I force myself to stare at my plate and only there. It works for a short bit that I can eat more or less in peace but then some food from another plate lands on mine. No. I push my plate away and grab my goblet – but even in there are berries I did not put in there myself. I don't know how much food their families can afford, but some of them eat like starved men. No, not even that. Starved people would savour the food...
I don't care all that much for table manners – I prefer drinking water from a bottle than out of a glass, most of the time I find it unnecessary to hold a knife I don't need in my right hand, and put the fork in my right hand (unless we're eating out); but this...
I shudder in disgust and resolve to try to get up early tomorrow so that I can get some food before they put me off it.
There's not even a conversation I can listen to or participate in. They are too busy with eating.
I take a look at the head table. Helga looks decidedly green and Rowena is talking to her. I hope she's telling her to include basic table manners in her etiquette lessons. Salazar is ignoring the whole thing and sips on his goblet. Godric is massaging his head. I'm guessing they didn't expect it to be that bad.
Screw table manners, at least teach them to chew with their mouths closed. I remove some berries from my hair and resume observing the head table.
The grounds keeper seems unbothered, as does the healer. The cook looks ready to murder someone. Slowly and painfully.
Finally, the massacre is over. Helga claps again and the food, all of it thankfully not just the things on the plates and dishes, disappears.
“Now, we will sort you in the order you've arrived.” Oh, crap. “Honoria? Would you please come up here?”
I groan. I make my way towards her – right now I want to be anywhere but here. Everyone is staring at me. I hate people staring at me.
She motions at me to sit on a stool Godric sets down in front of the head table.
I sit. What will happen now?
Oooooooooh. The sorting hat. At least I think that's what Rowena is handing Helga. I thought it would look new but it already looks crumbled, wrinkly.
She drops it on my head.
Well, hello there. My very first student to sort. Let's see.
Hello.
Hm. You are interesting, child. Are all young minds like you--- My word, what is this.
Err... what is what?
Those images in your head, child. They are impossible. What are you?
I don't know what you mean... I am human, am I not? And anyway what are you asking me this, you are a hat. Do you have a name?
So what if I am a hat. I am a magical artefact. What does my form matter?
Are you sentient? You call yourself I, but are you truly cognitive? I've always wondered.
What do you mean, sentient? I am. I am here to sort you.
How do you actually know who to sort where?
The founders gave me images of their minds so that I could recognize which founder you fit the most.
Hm. I see.
So, ---
You did not answer my other question? Do you have a name?
Why would I have a name?
I don't know. It's just weird to talk to, well, think to you and call you “hat”.
I am a magical artefact in the form of a hat.
It's still stupid. You seem at least semi-sentient. You should have a name. Ask the founders for one.
I will do no such thing. I---
Why not?
I need no name. Now, will---
That's ridiculous. Do you really want to be called 'hat' for centuries, if not millennia?
You confuse me with a human, child.
I do not. I am very aware that you are a magical artefact in the form of a hat, not a human. Still, do you call me human just because I am?
Do you wish for me to call you human?
Argh. No. That wasn't the point. How can I trust a nameless hat to sort me?
I am a magical artefact made by the founders of this school. You wish to learn here, you should trust them.
That does not mean... oh, this is stupid. I'll call you Maverick and be done with it.
I do not need a name.
Then do not see it as a name but as my nickname for you. Now, you wanted to sort me?
Yes. Your mind is strange.
Yeah, I guess you won't find another one like it here.
I certainly hope not.
You can hope?
It is a human expression to be used in such a situation, is it not? And no, I do not hope. I do not have human feelings after all.
Hmm. I see.
Now, will you finally let me sort you?
Sure, go ahead.
Let's see... Hufflepuff is not the one for you. Neither is Gryffindor. My what is this metal bird in your thoughts?
What metal bird?
What is this?
…
…
Maverick? Hat? You still there?
Be gone with your impossible mind.
What?
SLYTHERIN.
Yeah, I could've told you that.
Helga takes the hat off my head and looks at me in disbelief. Godric, behind her, shrugs and hands me a clothes pin. They send me back to my seat. I feel like I am on cloud nine. I was just sorted, not that the house was a surprise, I always get Slytherin. But I was the very fucking first student to be sorted. Poor Maverick. Can't be easy to have to start with a crazy time traveller or whatever the hell happened to get me here.
The sorting hat! Now that it's over and people are no longer staring at me, I relax. And oh my god. I just got sorted!! I'm officially a Hogwarts student now. How cool is that. And Slytherin, obviously. Awesome! Oh, Mimi would so kill to be here in my stead, especially now. And she'd probably be very creative in hiding my body, too. Not that I can really fault her for that. This is so cool! … And now I do sound like a thirteen year old. No matter. Nothing can ruin this for me today. I'm in Hogwarts, got sorted into Slytherin and---
Shit. I made the mistake of looking up and accidentally meeting Salazar's eyes. There is a second person who would kill me because of this then. And this time it's definitely not figuratively any more. I'm dead. I am so dead. He looks as if he wants to chop me into potion ingredients, transfigure me into something awful, kill me very, very painfully. Or maybe not kill me per se, but torture me.
In all my euphoria of being here and being sorted into the house I always get sorted in by those tests on the internet and that I would've chosen for myself even without that... I'd forgotten one thing. One crucial detail.
Slytherin left the school because he failed to convince the others to exclude muggle borns. Slytherin hates muggles born. And I am muggle-born. Darn. Fuck. Shit. I don't know enough curse words by far to adequately express how utterly fucked I am. Someone please kill me now?
“-LEPUFF!”
Oh, right. Sorting. People are still being sorted. Let's concentrate on that instead on my imminent death. I don't know how many sortings I missed but it can't have been too many as Helga is calling for “Cepheus Black!” right now. He is sorted into Ravenclaw in less than thirty seconds.
“Eridanus Black!” The small boy almost trips on his way to them. To my surprise he is sorted into Hufflepuff – not exactly what I expected from a Black. Then again, wasn't Tonks a 'Puff?
There are too many people for me to keep track of them. To make it worse, many of the names sound alien to me, familiar, but alien. Don't ask me how that works. Part of my brain is telling me that those are completely normal names, another part is sure that those names have long since died out. I tune it out mostly, I know myself well enough to know, that I won't remember even half of it anyway.
“Mildred Dumbledore.” Uh oh. Maybe she won't te--- “SLYTHERIN!” Okay, there goes my last chance of Salazar not realizing I'm muggle-born. Yep. To repeat my earlier thought, I. Am. Fucked.
There are a couple of names I forget as soon as I heard them but then,
“--- Peverell!” What? It's not one of the three... oh, no, it's just a girl with reddish pig-tails.
“HUFFLEPUFF!”
“Elric Peverell!” A second one? This one is younger than the girl. Just like her he lands in Hufflepuff.
“Leofric Peverell!” Another one? How many of them are there? But the carbon-copy of Elric lands in Slytherin and is the last of that name.
I wonder. Does the legend of the three brothers already exist in this time? Might be worth to check it out.
“--nd Weasley.” Ui, a Weasley. I knew they were technically pure blood but I didn't think they existed this early. The hat doesn't even really touch his head before it already cries out: “GRYFFINDOR!”
“Godiva Ollivander.”
“RAVENCLAW.” I wonder how she's related to Gaia. Maybe I'll ask her some day.
The last one to be sorted is “Belladonna Malfoy.” - “RAVENCLAW.”
After the sorting Helga tells us to go to our dormitories and choose our rooms. After that we will have an hour to start exploring the castle a bit – judging by how Rowena is seemingly talking to thin air, the house elves are set to high alert – before our curfew.
I trudge to the room I've chosen before and am soon joined by another girl around my age.
“Hello. I'm Wilburh Abbot and this” she holds out her hand with something fluffy on it “is Fluffy my puffskein. Do you mind if we join you?”
I have to stop myself from laughing at the thought of the last pet called Fluffy. I grin at her. “Go ahead. I'm Honoria by the way and this is Morgana.”
Morgana playfully snaps at me when I point at her. I am glad, two days ago she'd have bitten me instead.
She claims the bed opposite mine.
“So this is where our age group will be. Hmpf. Well, it'll have to, it's not as if the other rooms are better. I'm Aldreda Willard by the way and you two are?” Wow. This is starting out great. This bitch is looking at Wilburh and me as if we were the dirt beneath her nails. Yay. I don't need this.
“I'm Wilburh Abbot and this is---”
“Who cares about your stupid puffskein.” Ah, so that's what it is. “And who're you?”
I raise my eye brow. “I am Honoria.”
“Pfft. Ashamed of your family, are you? Ha. You probably should be, I've never heard of you. What's your families name?”
This is getting better and better... not. What the hell those she think who she is?
“Too ashamed to speak up, huh. Pathetic.”
Well, I'm not making friends there, that's for sure.
“I'm Honoria Wulfric, if you must know.” I try to put as much disdain as possible in my voice. I think I failed. And crap. I planned on calling myself Wulfe but no. I mix shit up and accidentally claim a first name as a last name. This is going great.
Willard is muttering something about how useless my family is as she's never heard of them when another girls joins us. Those two I recognize from the sorting. Godiva Ollivander and something something Peverell. Ah. She introduces herself and her owl as “Aldith Peverell and this is Julius Caesar. I didn't name him, my idiot of a cousin did.”
Is that a--- Oh, this can only go downhill. Godiva's pet is a Cornish Pixie. Oh my. I hope that single won't be as much trouble as the lot of them in the Lockhart disaster. The pixie is introduced as Talon. I want to know the story behind that.
Willard claims the bed opposite the door, leaving the bed next to the door and the bed between hers and Wilburh's to Aldith and Godiva. Godiva drops her things on the one next to mine.
She turns to me and demands to know if I'm the Honoria that bought a wand at her great-aunt Gaia's store a couple of days ago.
I nod and she looks at me curiously.
“You impressed Auntie Gaia.” How? How in the world did I impress a wand maker?
I open my mouth to ask, but she grabs my arm and drags me out. Morgana's not even growling, the traitor. She just trots beside us.
“So... oy, Talon stop it.” Talon is messing up her hair but apart from that short verbal reprimand she does not bother with it. “So, how is Madam Ravenclaw as a person? You've been here first, have you talked to her?”
I shrug. “A little bit. She's very, very protective of her scrolls and books.”
“Of course she is, she is---” Godiva is interrupted by someone clearing their throat. We both look up and I pale.
Salazar Slytherin still looks far from happy at seeing me. Godiva quickly excuses herself and abandons me to his clutches. Oh well, it was only a matter of time. Good bye, sweet world.
“So.” He stares at me.
“Y-yes?” Right now, he scares me. But I resolve to weather the coming storm no matter what. I am a Slytherin and no one will tell me otherwise not even Slytherin himself! On a side note, his face does not look wrinkled. Apparently he’s just naturally grey. Even his eyes are, not that it lessens his glare.
“Your name is Honoria, right?”
I nod uneasily. “Honoria Wulfric.”
“Do not lie to me. Claim to be what you want, on the list of names Godric gave us you have no family name.” he accuses me. I am unsure what to answer. What he says is true after all. I am known only as Honoria. Me now choosing Wulfric as a second name does not change the fact of who I am. I can pretend all I want around the students – honestly I don't get why blood matters that much to them. Yes, I know the whole shebang about purity, traditions, heritage and so on. The whole 'we come from magic and you don't'. I'm probably more knowledgeable than some of them, not that I can use a spell that was invented in the seventeen hundreds or something the like.
Fact is, I'm not stupid enough to try to lie to Salazar about this.
But, knowing what I know, I refuse to be intimidated by a pure-blood supremacist. Oh, who am I kidding. I am intimidated. But I won't go down without a fight.
“I did not lie. Professor Gryffindor said that I could choose a last name as I am the only student in the school without one.” Way to rub it in, that you're muggle born, Idiot. I inwardly sigh at my own stupidity. Sometime I should really think before I talk.
He glares at me. “What of your family?”
“They are dead as far as I know.”
“I see.” His voice is so pointed I wouldn't be surprised could it be used for needle work. “Were they magical?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Not to your knowledge.” Slytherin is not impressed.
“Professor Gryff---”
“Don't mention that buffoon. He's the reason I got landed with you.”
With all due respect, sir, you do not know me. But apparently it is too much to ask that you would give me a chance.
“I don't know what that imbecilic piece of rotten textile was thinking, putting you in my house. It must be a prank of Godric's. It almost reeks of him.”
Whoa. Salazar looks pissed. And not just a little.
“A prank.”
“He must have had the hat sent me the student that least fits my house.”
Okay, now I'm offended. I get the whole mudblood thing – I don't agree with it, far from it – but I get the dislike of muggles. Witch hunts can't be fun.
But judging my character on nothing but thin air...
“What is your house then?”
“Ha. No manners and you don't even know what my house stands for.”
Okay, first, why would I? I mean, yeah I do, but that's future? Fandom? Knowledge. They did not introduce the houses further than stating who headed them. Second, do you know what your house stands for? Because if it – against what I know of the history here – only stands for pure-blood children... This will be a sad house.
“An affinity to snakes given your emblem?”
He really does not like my answer. He looks at me as if he is plotting my death.
“Such cheek will not be tolerated, you hear me?!”
I am very tempted to answer likewise. I refrain and only roll my eyes.
He narrows his eyes at me.
“Got something to say?”
“With all due respect, Professor, you do not know me.”
“And I don't wish to. Godric should not have brought you here. You have no place here.”
It's a bit too late for that.
I hold his gaze. “Professor Gryffindor did bring me here. And that hat sorted me into your house.”
“That infernal hat was Godric's idea, I told them it was a stupid endeavour. No matter. It cannot be changed now. But beware, child. If you shame the Slytherin name, the consequences will not be pleasant.” He abruptly turns around and marches away.
Oh, I'm allowed to live then? Good. I don't plan on shaming anyone. Oh, well. All in all, I'd say this went pretty well. There was even some very reluctant respect in his eyes when I stood my ground. I still think he hates me, or rather, what I represent and me because of it, not because of myself... I am unsure if that thought made sense even in my own head.
I try to find Godric to tell him of my new last name. When I finally find him, he laughs when I ramble about it being a first name and tells me not to worry. It wouldn't be the first name that can be used as both according to him. Then he points out that the curfew is only five minutes away and sends me back.
Helga and Rowena are checking the return of each student. Rowena checks the boys, Helga the girls.
“Good choice for a name.” Helga tells me as she wishes me a good night.
Back in my room I am glad to notice that I – and the other three as well – am back before Willard. Godiva and Wilburh are playing some sort of game with a few stones and Aldith is curled up in a ball and cuddling her puffskein.
After the ritual of daily hygiene (well at least using the toilet and washing my hands) I make my way to my bed and drop down. Sleep will be much appreciated now, as I can't imagine that tomorrow will be an easy day.
I am quite drowsy and half asleep when the door bangs open and Willard enters the room ranting about the 'stupid-ass curfew' and how she does not need such a thing as a curfew and therefore does not need to heed it.
Now I don't know how your parents raised you but this is not how the world works.
During her rant she reveals that she has gotten a detention to my inner glee. While I would much rather sleep, it is quite amusing to hear her rant about she hadn't done anything and that the founders prejudiced and what not. I find it amusing until I realize that I am sharing a room with her for an indefinite time. With that in mind it is just depressing to watch her rant.
I grab my pillow and put it over my head so that I can sleep.
