𝒱𝒾𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉 - Declan Hayes (a Harry Potter Story)

vi.

The carriage ride wasn't very long, but it felt long to Declan. Sitting next to a girl he'd never spoken to was the main cause to this.

Declan was used to Lori and Allison. He'd spoken to them everyday for the past three years, so he was used to them and how they acted. Declan hadn't ever spoken to Amanda, so he felt slightly nervous.

Something about Declan Hayes that his friends knew was that he wasn't a very extroverted person. He didn't go seeking conversation, but he could talk to people. His friends knew this and didn't normally try to pry information out of him, though Declan didn't normally keep information from his friends.

Amanda wasn't trying to talk to Declan, so he assumed she'd taken the opportunity to just spend time close to him. Declan had to admit, however, that she was rather fanciable.

Because she sat beside him, Declan got close ups of her features. Her eyes were teal and her long blonde hair went down her back. She smelled like flowers, and-

"Declan!" exclaimed Lori.

Declan was snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Lori. Amanda was gone and Thomas and Allison were both standing up.

"Y-yeah?" he responded. His hair turned slightly pink out of nervousness.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked.

"Nothing," Declan responded far too quickly, standing up and walking beside Thomas.

The two boys made their way towards the castle and stepped into the Entrance Hall. Declan smiled, looking around.

Lori walked up from behind him and knocked him on the shoulder. Declan rubbed where she hit, looking at her incredulously.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Lying," Lori responded simply.

The four Hufflepuffs all walked into the Great Hall and made their way towards the Hufflepuff table. They took a seat towards the center of it so they could get a good view of the Sorting when it occured. There was a stool in front of the Professors table but no Sorting Hat was on top of it.

The Great Hall sat in silence, as it always did. The students didn't start speaking until the Sorting was over. It had been that way for as long as Hogwarts was around.

After a few minutes, Hagrid stepped into the hall. He called for Professor McGonagall, who stood up and walked down the hall and out into the Entrance Hall. She stood out there for a few minutes before coming back in. She walked behind the Professors table and picked up the Sorting Hat, placing it on the stool. She then walked back out again and came back, only this time, the first year students were all following her.

When the students had first entered the hall, the first one to enter was a ginger boy who looked like he could be related to Bill and Charlie. Declan assumed this was their younger brother, Percy.

Toby walked past the Hufflepuff table and waved at Lori. He didn't look nervous. He actually seemed to be rather calm, something that surprised the four. Beside him was another boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He was taller than most of the students and, despite being eleven, looked well built.

The hall waited in silence. The first years looked like they were all growing more and more nervous, but the older students all had smiles on their faces. They knew what was coming.

The Sorting Hat erupted into song on the stool. It's ballad went on for a couple minutes and told the first years about the four Hogwarts houses.

After it was done singing, the Great Hall applauded loudly. A few students stood up, including two Hufflepuff boys down the table. Declan recognized them as Hufflepuff's two remaining Chasers, Chris Tozer and Jeffrey Booth. They both glared at each other and began trying to cheer louder than the other. They definitely were competetive, even with their own teammates, Declan thought.