Chapter 5
When we got on the train, fortunately we didn't have to look for too long for Harry's occupied compartment, after all we arrived at the station a whole hour before departure, but what surprised us was that the boy was not alone, opposite him sat a girl with thick brown hair, already dressed in a school uniform.
- Oh, you came. - Harry was glad to see us, he seemed to have already managed to appreciate all the delights of meeting a person who knows about you from books.
- Yes, we've finished our business, and you? - we looked questioningly at the girl.
- I'm Hermione Granger , Harry helped me with my things and since you still had free seats in the compartment, I decided to go with you. - the girl confidently introduced herself.
- I'm Vega Regulus Black, you can call me Regulus .
- Vega Andromeda Black.
We introduced ourselves in turn, sitting on the same side as Harry. Still, even if it seemed like a small thing, we would have preferred to sit on the same side, staying as close to each other as possible.
- Are you a hereditary wizard? I read that one of the directors of Hogwarts was also a Black in the past. - Hermione asked.
- Yes, - we nodded. And then Andromeda added.
- However, although we have been familiar with magic since we were 6 years old, we grew up in a Muggle orphanage.
- In the orphanage? What about… I'm sorry. - Hermione, although she seemed about to ask a question that was not particularly ethical in relation to the orphans, stopped herself rather quickly.
- No, even though we grew up in an orphanage, it was a very good orphanage. So we studied in a private school and at the same time received fencing lessons from a real world champion. You could say that we were really very lucky in this life, especially compared to many other orphans.
"I see," Hermione replied, and the conversation somehow died down on its own due to the awkwardness that had arisen.
- By the way, we promised to show you a couple of spells, - we said, after which Hermione's eyes literally lit up with interest.
- Have you tried spells at home too? While I was waiting for school to start, I managed to learn all the books by heart. - the girl said enthusiastically. - I think that will be enough to study better than everyone else.
- So we will be your rivals, because we have studied all the textbooks from 1st to 7th grade.
- Huh? But how did you manage to do it? - Hermione's doubts were understandable.
- As we already said, although we are orphans, we learned about magic from the age of six. We inherited a house elf from our family and he brought us books to the orphanage.
- I would also like to learn magic from the age of six, - the girl sighed. - So what spells have you learned already?
- We'll show you now, - we grinned.
- Aguamenti . - Regulus waved his wand , trying to control the spell so that a small ball of water floated in the air.
- Glacius . - A gust of frosty air rushed from Andromeda's wand into the ball of water, instantly turning the water into ice, after which the ice ball fell to the floor.
"It wasn't very impressive," Harry opined.
"So we won't be able to show anything spectacular in such a narrow space," Regulus replied , shrugging his shoulders.
"What year are these spells from? I didn't see them in the first year textbooks." Hermione asked curiously.
" Aguamenti , a sixth-year charm spell," Regulus said .
- And Glacius is a third-year spell, - Andromeda added.
Magic turned out to be the very topic that was able to captivate us all so much that we almost didn't notice the moment when the train started moving. Periodically, the door to our compartment was opened by schoolchildren looking for a place, but they quickly moved on.
And as sad as it was, we could see very well that although Harry liked talking about magic, he eventually began to get tired of feeling like an ignoramus, especially compared to Hermione, who, although she grew up in a Muggle family, already knew a lot. So it was decided to change the topic to something more mundane. Until at half past twelve the door of our compartment opened again.
"Want something to eat, guys?" asked a smiling middle-aged woman pushing a cart filled with various magical sweets.
Hearing this proposal, Harry immediately jumped up and went out into the corridor to buy some magical sweets. We didn't need it. After all, nothing can replace the meat Kreacher cooked for us . And to be honest, the way he cooks is probably one of the few reasons he's still alive.
We took out our lunch from the extended-space purse, which consisted of sandwiches with cheese, sauce, greens and ham, with the cheese and ham homemade, as well as a bottle of apple juice. Meanwhile, Hermione also decided to have lunch and reached for her things.
Harry, having money with him, got to the sweets, so he returned to the compartment with his hands full, barely holding everything he had bought, and after looking around the carriage he realized that the only free seats where it all could be dumped were next to Hermione.
"Do you mind if I put all this here?" he asked her.
- I don't mind, - the surprised girl shook her head. - But won't you get sick from such a quantity?
"Well, I guess not?" Harry answered her hesitantly, before dumping everything on the seat next to her and sitting down on the same side, near the door. And we had the whole side to ourselves, which immediately made us move towards the window, already having plans for how we would spend the second half of the journey to Hogwarts.
"Are you that hungry?" Hermione asked, amazed, as she watched the boy literally tear the packaging off the pumpkin cookies and eat half of them in one bite.
- I'm starving, I haven't eaten since last night. - Harry answered, quickly finishing his chewing. - Join us.
- Magic sweets, huh? Well, it would be interesting to try. - We admitted and each handed over a sandwich. - Let's exchange, so it's fair.
"Of course," the boy beamed, accepting the sandwiches.
Before we had even had time to take a single bite of our sandwich, the door to our compartment opened again and in front of us stood a slightly plump, round-faced boy who, by the looks of it, was close to crying.
- Excuse me, have you seen a toad here?
"No," everyone answered in unison.
- I lost her again! She always runs away from me.
- So, did I understand correctly that she always comes back herself? - asked Regulus .
"Yeah, I think so," the boy nodded uncertainly.
- Then there is no need to worry, just have a quiet lunch and wait for her in your compartment, - Andromeda said.
- Yes, you are probably right, - the boy agreed with us before leaving.
And when we were about to start eating again, we were interrupted again.
- Oh my God, is our compartment a walk-through yard or something?! - we were indignant, looking aggressively at Malfoy who appeared in the passage and his mini-retinue of two strong boys our age.
"I'm not here for you Black, you've already missed your chance to be part of our family." With disdain in his voice before turning his full attention to Harry.
- Who would want to become part of a family of murderers obsessed with blood purity? - Andromeda said dismissively. Turning the pure-blooded offspring's attention to herself.
- Oh, so you decided to go against your own family's traditions? Have you forgotten the Black motto yet ?
- This is the motto of fools who, in two generations, brought one of the most numerous pure-blood families to the brink of destruction.
- Blood traitors, - the boy almost spat.
- Be careful with your words, Malfoy. - We said threateningly, taking our wands in our hands.
- Hm. You. - Malfoy chuckled and pointed at Harry. - Are you really Harry Potter?
"That's right," Harry nodded, although he had a pretty bad opinion of him ever since that meeting in Diagon Alley.
"This is Crabbe , and this is Goyle ," Malfoy introduced the boys standing on either side of him. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
- And you? - he looked at Hermione, waiting for an introduction.
- Hermione Granger .
- I don't remember such a surname among pure-blood families.
"My parents are Muggles ," Hermione replied, after which Malfoy grimaced as if he saw something disgusting.
- You'll soon find out, Potter, that there are several families of wizards in our world that are much cooler than all the others. You don't need to be friends with those who don't deserve it. I'll help you figure it all out.
He extended his hand to shake, but Harry pretended not to notice.
" Thank you, but I think I can figure out for myself who deserves what," he remarked coldly.
Draco Malfoy didn't blush, but pink spots appeared on his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "If you're not polite, you'll end up like your parents. They didn't know what was right or wrong for them, just like you. If you hang around with scum like blood traitors and mudbloods , you'll end up badly."
With these words he successfully provoked us all, but we were the first to act.
- You asked for it yourself, Malfoy. - We said calmly and, waving our wands, used non-verbal leviosa , literally throwing Malfoy and Goyle out of the compartment , painfully hitting them against the wall opposite.
- Do you need help getting out too? - we looked at Crab .
The frightened boy immediately shook his head and ran out of the compartment.
"Next time Malfoy we'll lock you in a block of ice so you better not mess with us," we said to Draco, who was getting up from the floor, before closing the door.
- You'll regret this! - Malfoy's indignant cry reached us from the corridor.
"That was awesome," Harry said immediately, admiringly.
"And it's also incredibly reckless, what if you get punished for fighting now? Or worse, expelled?" Hermione said worriedly.
- Don't worry, clashes between students at Hogwarts are common. Especially between the Gryffindor students and the blood-purity-obsessed Slytherin students .
- What kind of spell did you use? You didn't say anything out loud, did you? - Having accepted our arguments, she switched to satisfying her curiosity.
- Levitating charms. Although they only work on inanimate objects, no one is stopping you from using them on clothes. And as for pronunciation, if you master the spell well, you can use it without gestures and words, and if you try even harder, you can even do it without a wand.
- Oh, I remember that spell, it's one of the spells we'll be learning in Charms this year. Wingardium Leviosa , right?
- Yes, - we nodded.
"I have one question," Harry began hesitantly. "I know that was an insult, but who are mudbloods and blood traitors anyway?"
- These are insults invented by purebloods for those who were born Muggles , supposedly they have dirty blood and those purebloods who, despite being included in the sacred twenty-eight pureblood families, go against the doctrine of pure blood, thereby betraying the purity of magical blood.
- What nonsense! - Hermione was indignant.
Thus, while no one else was disturbing us, we had a quiet lunch, talking about various topics along the way, and only closer to three o'clock, while Harry and Hermione were reading books, we fell asleep hugging each other to the rhythmic clatter of the train wheels, knowing full well that before returning home, we would not be able to sleep together for a long time.
- Vega, Regulus . Wake up. We're almost there. - Hermione woke us up.
- Waah . - We yawned in unison, opening our eyes. It was already dark outside, and the compartment was lit by a lamp on the ceiling.
- Thank you for waking us up, - we thanked before taking our school robes out of our wallets and putting them on. Fortunately, there are no special requirements for clothing under the robes, since they won't be visible anyway, but we still hope that the rumors about some people wearing robes on their naked bodies will remain nothing more than rumors. Otherwise, it is possible that when meeting such a person, he will suffer the fate of an icicle.
"We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes," the driver's loud voice rang out through the carriages. "Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to the school separately."
After this announcement, the hubbub of schoolchildren could immediately be heard from the corridor, who were impatiently awaiting the moment of arrival, which quickly created a terrible crush, which Harry was about to join, but we grabbed him by the shoulders and stopped him from such a rash step.
- What's wrong? We're almost there, let's go. - The boy, who was clearly worried, looked at us with bewilderment.
- Let some people come out first and then we'll go, so that we can leave calmly, without getting suffocated in this crowd.
- I agree, - Hermione supported us. - This would be the most rational solution.
"Okay," Harry nodded. Meanwhile, the train slowed down more and more until it finally stopped.
Honestly, just watching the crowd of schoolchildren trying to get out in the narrow space of the corridor made me feel a little sick. It's really extremely unpleasant when you're being pressed from all sides.
Luckily, we didn't have to wait long and literally a couple of minutes later we found ourselves on an unlit small platform, blown by a frosty wind, which you don't expect at all on the first day of September.
However, although the platform was not illuminated, there was still a little light and it came from an old lantern that swung above our heads in the hands of a familiar giant.
- First years! First years, everyone here! Hey, Harry, are you okay? - He immediately found the chosen one among the crowd and, seeing how he responded with a friendly wave, returned to his duties.
- So, is everyone here? Then follow me! And watch your step! Freshmen, follow me!
Following Hagrid we were surrounded by such darkness that in the end we were forced to use Lumos , just to avoid stumbling every couple of steps and, to be honest, it was a little surprising that among the first years, besides us and Hermione, there were two more girls who knew how to do magic and judging by the fact that they were twins, we assumed that they were the Patil twins .
It is quite natural that in the end the rest of the first-year students began to crowd around those who were able to summon the light, which made it not much easier to move than before.
- Hmm, Hogwarts is expecting a truly talented addition this year. - Hagrid chuckled at our actions. - Watch carefully, in a couple of seconds the view of the castle will open up.
And, as it was said, literally after a few steps, delighted exclamations began to be heard. We found ourselves on the shore of a large black lake. And on its other side, on the top of a high cliff, stood a gigantic castle with turrets and loopholes, and its huge windows reflected the light of the stars strewn across the sky.
"Four men to a boat, no more," Hagrid commanded, pointing to a whole flotilla of small boats bobbing near the shore.
We boarded the boat with Harry and Hermione and, like everyone else, enjoyed how magical it felt to arrive at the castle on boats under the stars. With every second we got closer, the castle towered over us, causing a sense of awe before something so monumental.
- Get down! - Hagrid shouted loudly when we reached the cliff and on our way there were thickets of ivy, having passed which we saw a cave that led to an underground pier. On which we eventually landed.
- Trevor ! - the round-faced boy who had come to us on the train suddenly cried out joyfully. As it turned out, his toad was already on the pier. It was quite possible that it really was magical.
"You were right, she came back on her own," he said excitedly, looking at us.
"We're glad you were able to find your pet," Andromeda replied, trying to be as friendly as possible.
"Everyone there?" Hagrid's deep voice echoed around the area, interrupting the noise that had begun to flare up from the first-years' conversations. "Follow me."
He led us up the stone steps until we found ourselves in front of the huge gates leading into the castle, which he knocked on three times with his huge fist. After which it immediately opened and Professor McGonagall, already familiar from our trip to Diagon Alley, appeared before us.
"Professor McGonagall, here are the first years," Hagrid informed her.
"Thank you, Hagrid," the sorceress nodded to him. "I'll take them."
Although she obviously recognized all those whom she personally introduced into the magical world, there was no hint on her face that she thought biasedly of any of the first-years and quickly counted everyone present with her eyes and ordered them to follow her.
We walked along a cobblestone corridor until we passed through another gate and found ourselves in a hall so small that the crowd of first-years barely fit in. At the same time, behind the door in front of which the professor stopped, the noise of hundreds of voices could be heard, which, apparently, belonged to the rest of the students.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall finally greeted them. "The start-of-the-year banquet will begin soon, but before you sit down at the tables, you will be sorted into houses. The selection is a very serious procedure, because from now until the end of school, your house will become a second family to you. You will study together, sleep in the same dormitory, and spend your free time in a room specially designated for your house.
- There are four houses at the school - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each of them has its own ancient history, and each of them has produced outstanding wizards and witches. While you study at Hogwarts, your successes will bring your house bonus points, and for each violation of the rules, points will be deducted. At the end of the year, the house that has scored more points wins the competition between houses - this is a great honor. I hope that each of you will be a worthy member of your family.
The selection ceremony will begin in a few minutes in the presence of the entire school. In the meantime, I advise you to collect your thoughts.
Her eyes swept over the particularly prominent children who really should have at least adjusted their robes.
"I'll be back here when everyone is ready to see you," Professor McGonagall said and walked towards the door. Before she left, she turned around. "Please be quiet."
As soon as she came out, the hall was immediately filled with the whispers of nervous schoolchildren. Excited about how the selection would be held. There were even such suggestions as a fight with a troll, which even made Harry and Hermione, who were standing next to us, nervous, and the girl began to talk non-stop about all the spells that she remembered from books and which of them could help.
- Calm down, we're with you, - Regulus began, putting his arm around Harry's neck in a friendly manner .
- And if the Troll appears , we will turn him into an ice cube, - Andromeda confidently added, hugging Hermione.
- In general, - we began quietly, pulling them closer. - In fact, there will be no test, they will simply put a hat on our heads, which will determine our faculty.
- So we'll meet in Gryffindor, - we said with a smile, letting them go.
- But there was nothing about this in the Hogwarts history, - the girl did not believe us at first.
- Don't worry, you'll see everything for yourself soon. - Regulus grinned .
- AAAAAAAAA. - Suddenly the hall was filled with screams full of horror, which made us jump up, grabbing our wands. However, looking in the direction of the noise, instead of danger, we saw only ghosts, which we, fortunately, knew about in advance, and these shameless dead people immediately began to use the opportunity to agitate first-year students for their faculties, knowing full well that the result will still depend on the thoughts of the children themselves and the current moment is the most critical to influence the result.
"Get out of here," a stern voice suddenly said. "The selection ceremony is about to begin."
It was Professor McGonagall who had returned. She looked sternly at the ghosts, and they quickly began to seep through the wall and disappear one by one.
"Line up," the professor commanded, "and follow me!"
After passing through the double gates we found ourselves in a huge hall that was lit by thousands of candles floating in the air above four long tables where the older students sat. The tables were filled with glittering gold plates and goblets. At the other end of the hall, the teachers sat at an equally long table. Professor McGonagall led us to this table and ordered us to turn our backs to the teachers and face the older students.
And what was perhaps most impressive in this hall was the ceiling, which completely copied the starry sky.
While all the first years were looking around the hall, the Professor placed a stool in front of the line, on which she placed a rather old and battered pointed wizard's hat, which was obviously too big for any of the first years. And suddenly, under everyone's gaze, the hat began to sing.
(Well, I won't add the song, there's simply no point anymore.)
The first years, who had realized from the song that they would only have to put on the hat, breathed a sigh of relief, and some even launched into a tirade about how they would get revenge on their brothers for telling them nonsense about the entrance exam. However, this small burst of disorder was quickly interrupted by McGonagall, who stood next to the stool and revealed a rather long list.
"When I call your name, you will put on the Hat and sit on the stool," she said. "Let's begin. Abbot , Hannah!"
- Hufflepuff! - the hat announced the verdict as soon as it was on the girl's head, and then the far left table on our side exploded with applause, under which the girl hurried to her house.
- Bones , Susan!
- Hufflepuff!
- Black, Vega, Andromeda. - It was our turn pretty quickly.
To be honest, even though we thought that the sorting was one of the easiest things that awaited us at Hogwarts, we still felt uneasy, because we could not under any circumstances be sorted into Slytherin. This house is akin to the mark of a dark wizard. And our anxiety increased even more when Andromeda's head was placed in a hat whose brim was completely lowered so low that it covered her eyes and an alien old voice penetrated our thoughts.
" Hmmm , it's been a long time since I've seen anything like this, one mind in two bodies. So what should I do with you? Send you to Slytherin like the hereditary Blacks ?"
As soon as she said this, we began to actively whisper through Andromeda like a mantra one single phrase, "Just not Slytherin", hoping that it would work. Because of this, even Professor McGonagall, who was standing next to her, looked at her strangely.
"Not Slytherin then. Oh, you'll be such a pain in the ass," the voice sighed before the verdict was announced to the entire hall.
- Gryffindor!
This cry, accompanied by applause from the Gryffindors , was like balm for our souls, and Andromeda hurried to the table under the scarlet and gold banner, where the red-haired prefect had already taken care to free up a place for her nearby.
- Welcome to Gryffindor, - Percy Weasley greeted us as the next name was announced in the background.
- Black, Vega, Regulus . - and our other half headed towards the stool.
- Thank you, - Andromeda thanked the teenager. - But can we prepare a place for three at once?
"Why?" Percy asked, slightly puzzled.
- Gryffindor! - the hall announced the hat's verdict again, only this time they didn't even have time to lower it onto Regulus's head .
- Because soon, more of our friends will join us, among whom will be Harry Potter. - Andromeda said with a sly smile, and these words were like an exploding bomb for the Gryffindors .