Hello, Miss Simmons, a voice whispered in her ear. Thia shivered, feeling unnerved by the sound. Slowly, she became aware of the whispers of older students.
Hello.
You've had a rough go at life, haven't you? So much pain in so little time. You've been incredibly brave, Miss Simmons, the voice hummed, You're smart, resourceful, and creative.
You have to be when you're stuck in bed for a year, she told the voice, aware that it was the Sorting Hat.
I'm sure you do. You value kindness and compassion, but you also hold a deep respect for the honest and playful. You've learned to be self-reliant and tend to separate yourself from others. You get scared to get close to anyone, for fear that they will hurt you.
Mister Sorting Hat, I asked for a Sorting, not an analysis of myself and my life, the girl thought, feeling very uncomfortable with how close his depiction of her was.
The Hat chuckled, of course, child. Do you have a preference?
No. I think you know better than me who I am.
If you say so. Best be...
"Gryffindor!" A roar escaped from the table to her left. She slipped from the stool, letting Professor McGonagall take the hat from her head. Halfway down the table, Remus sat with the rest of the Marauders, and he patted the seat beside him.
Thia settled beside him, receiving a hug from the werewolf and high fives from the rest. Then she turned to watch the Sorting just as Callum was called to the stool. She leaned against Remus, who just smiled down at her.
"Oi, Moony, how come she gets to use you as a pillow?" Sirius whispered, a mockingly annoyed look on his face.
"Because you aren't as light as she is," Remus muttered. Sirius made offended noises as the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"
Callum hurried away from the stool as soon as Professor McGonagall took the hat from his head. He joined Thia beside the Marauders, sending a questioning glance toward Remus. Thia just shrugged.
Soon enough, they were at the end of the sorting, with the last student becoming a Slytherin. Professor Dumbledore stood, and a wave of quiet fell upon the students.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" He boomed, "I know you're all very hungry, so I have just a few words for you: persimmon, aardvark, pipit!" Clapping erupted from the audience. While Thia was used to the strangeness of the headmaster, Callum was not.
"Is Dumbledore mad?" He whispered to Thia as food appeared in front of them. She hummed, adding a scoop of mashed potatoes to her plate.
"Yes, he's absolutely bonkers," she told him, "But mad is the best thing to be."
"So, Thia, how was the train ride? Lily told me you chose to sit by yourself," Remus said. She nodded, swallowing her food.
"It was fine, Rem. Callum, this is Remus Lupin. Rem, this is Callum Tayte. I met him on the train." Remus smiled at the younger boy.
"Any attacks?" Remus dropped his voice so that only she could hear it. She hesitated before nodding.
"A small one. Lily helped, and Callum taught me a grounding method." Thia told him, going on to explain the 5-4-3-2-1 method.
"Well, good. He sounds like a good friend." Remus got distracted by Peter, and Thia turned back to Callum.
"What's your favourite colour?" The brown-haired boy asked, reaching for a slice of treacle tart.
"White," he gave her a strange look, "To me, white is the colour of new beginnings, of healing. It makes me feel calm."
"Oh, alright."
"What's your favourite colour?" She turned her head to the side, looking like a little sparrow.
"Orange. I don't know why, I just like it," Callum admitted. Thia nodded, moving to take a slice of cake, "When's your birthday, Thia?"
Thia was unaware that the Marauders had started listening as she said indifferently, "Today."
James and Sirius gasped loudly, and she turned to look at them. They were glaring at Remus, who looked sheepish.
"Moony, are you telling me you forgot her birthday?" James exclaimed, wagging a finger at the taller boy, "For shame!"
"OI! EVERYONE!" Sirius, standing on the bench, called to the rest of the Gryffindor table, "WE'VE GOT A BIRTHDAY!" The rest of the table exploded into cheers and yells.
Thia glanced around, her breath beginning to come quicker. Attention was not something she was used to, especially since this was so loud. Thia hated loud noises. They always seemed to press closer, closer, closer until they were all that she could focus on.
Her hand reached out and tugged at Remus's sleeve. He turned back to her from telling Sirius to sit down. She had her hands over her ears, and her eyes were squeezed tight. Callum was whispering quietly to her.
Remus leaned down, "Thia, name five things you can see." She shook her head, turning so she could lean into Remus. He wrapped his arms around her, covering one of her ears with his hand as she hugged him back. Remus made a point to breathe deeply, trying to get her to breathe with him.
Slowly, her breathing came under control as the Gryffindor table settled down. Remus looked at Sirius and shook his head.
No more loud noises, he mouthed to his friend, looking down at Thia for emphasis. Sirius looked like a scolded puppy, but he nodded.
"Thia, five things you can see," Callum prompted the girl when she let go of Remus, who kept an arm around her.
"Chocolate cake. Gryffindor crest. Fork. Plate. Pumpkin juice." Callum nodded.
"Alright, four things you can hear."
"A fork hitting a plate. People talking. Clothes rustling," Thia trailed off, trying to hear something else, "Someone's crying." She glanced around, trying to see who was crying. It was a girl behind her at the Ravenclaw table.
"Three things you can feel," Callum said, redirecting Thia's focus. She pulled off the glove on her right hand.
"Wood, my glove, my skirt."
"Two things you can smell."
"Cherry pie and deodorant."
"One thing you can taste."
"Cake."
"Did it help?" Callum asked. Thia nodded.
"Thanks, Callum."
"Eh, what are friends for?"
YOU ARE READING
Sunflowers
Fanfiction"Be grateful you could say goodbye." IN which a young witch goes through an event that leaves her parentless, one-armed, and one-legged.
