Through the gates of the Hogwarts Express, Aine and her friends were led to carriages like aways. However, the sight of the thick black-rimmed metals and the tiny lit headlamps attached at the front of the vehicles along with rather strange looking creatures— Each carriage was lined with one of those mysterious creatures. She halted so suddenly that Ginny and the Weasley twins looked at her, "What?" Fred asks and Aine gulped, still looking at the familiar creatures. It had a sleek black coat of hair, with a skeletal framed body, and two pairs of large wings emerged from it, their eyes glossed with a shade of pure white, similar to her— She gasps softly— There was no mistake. It looked identical to her Patronus.
"Aine?" Ginny calls, popping her head in front of Aine, blocking the girl's view on those Horse-bat-like creatures. The raven-haired female blinked out of her intense staring and glanced at her friend, "What's wrong?" she asks her.
"Nothing. Just..." Aine mumbles, eyes trailing to the strange creatures again. All three of her friends whipped their heads to the direction Aine was staring at earlier and raised a confused brow. Fred and George simply shrugged while Ginny cocks her head, "What— What are we supposed to look at?"
"Don't you see them?" Aine asks, and George questions, "See what?"
Strange. Weird, and very confusing. Aine furrows, Don't they see them? Why can't they see them? Are they unable to see them? Why was she the only one that was able to see them?
Shaking her head, she plastered a quick smile, "Never mind. I thought I saw... It's fine." She brushes them away, making their way to the carriage in which Aine spotted a navy coloured hair who looks up to them as they crawled into the coach. "Hello, Azuli." Aine politely greeted her schoolmate who was sharing their coach. He simply cast a forced smile, nodding his head in return, "Hello," he said in a soft voice.
"Seems like we're always sharing a carriage when we head back to Hogwarts, huh?" She chuckles and he looks to her, before his eyes shifting to the Weasleys, "Yeah... Hm, what a coincidence." he says stiffly, looking away almost instantly, and Aine stares at the boy, who was cursing mentally about how uncomfortable it was for him here. As much as it was for him, Aine was equally awkward about it since none of her friends seemed to know him, well, all except Ginny that is. But even she was not close with the boy.
Cyrus Azuli was in the same year as Ginny and Aine, alongside Luna too, of course. She didn't know much about this boy in front of her other than he was in Slytherin, and friends with Draco and his little circle of friends. However, she did notice Cyrus was rather close with another Slytherin boy, Blaise Zalbini. Besides all this information, she knew nothing more about him because the blue-headed boy was very secretive and extremely quiet as if he was forcing himself to stay silent.
The carriage finally began moving, Aine looks at the weird horses once more, the voices of her friends slowly faded out as she recalls the first time she conjured a Patronus that looked exactly like the horses in front of her, right now. Their skeletal legs clip-clopped on the wet pavement as they pulled the carriage filled with students. "They're called Thestrals," she heard someone say and looks to the owner of the voice. Cyrus was facing them too, and his eyes softened as he mumbles, "They're very gentle, despite their appearance..."
"Wait— You can see them too?" She whispers back, not knowing why she was whispering in the first place.
Cyrus nodded again as Aine studies the Thestrals figure and wings. "Why can't the rest see it?"
"They can only be seen by people who have seen Death."
Aine's eyes widened, her mouth gaped as if wanting to say something, but all that came out was the word, Death. But Aine hasn't seen anything like that in her whole life, sure she has imaginations of what Death looked like, but to actually see it was a whole new level. She merely smiles, if this was about having witnessed Death, did the sight of watching Buckbeak getting killed before count? She remembered seeing the Hippogriff, surrounded by massive pumpkins, Hagrid and the other ministry officials, and an axe swinging down— Her breath hitched at the gruesome memory. She recalled the last moments of Buckbeak, circled with the breeze and trees and his home, and the last deep chirp he had before he was executed.
That was how easily a life was taken, how easy it was to have murdered someone, with a weapon or something else. It was that easy to have a life slipped away through the hands like it was sand. Like it was nothing.
"We're here!" Ginny chirps, and the girl snaps back to her senses once more. She exchanged glances with Cyrus before he went down the carriage, wandering off to gather with his friends and Aine the last, taking George's hand as he helps her down.
"What are you thinking, Ai?" She hears George asking her, peering over her frame. She looks down onto her feet, polished leather shoes walking against the ground as they made their way into the castle, "Just something," she tells him.
"Something?"
"Mmhm, about an old memory."
"Need a hearing ear to rant about it?" He suggests, and Aine grins, patting on his arm, "I'm fine, Georgie, thank you." She was grateful that he was always there for her, asking her from time to time if she needed a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen to her worries. She too had checked on him over the weeks they had come back from the Quidditch World Cup— Reminding him in the letters he had written to her, that she was fine, and had fully recovered and also not to feel guilty about what had happened to her.
There were times he told her about his worries, about how Molly, had been distraught after learning about the Deatheaters invading the tournament, and at times, he ranted to her about how he always had a dream to start a business with his twin, Fred, to sell jokes and pranks to spread the joy and bring a smile to people's faces and yet, it was often brushed away by his parents who seemed to not take them seriously and had disliked the idea.
Like George, Aine appreciated him, he was like an older brother she never knew she had. At times, she too, comforted George as he did to her, and that made him happy. Yet, it felt as if there was a stopper on his throat, not allowing him to tell her how he felt. How he was interested in her— How he had a crush on her— How he wanted her. But now is not the time...
The students finally entered the Great Hall, taking their seats as they waited for the first-years to arrive. Aine sat next to Hermione and Harry, Ron and Ginny opposite them and the twins beside their little sister. All of them chatting as they waited, it seems that there was one interesting topic that all of them couldn't help but talk about, and that was none other than the competition among the Wizarding schools in the world.
Just as they were about the continue, Professor McGonagall taps on her goblet with a spoon, the melodious sound erupting into the hall. "May I have your attention, please?"
All eyes turned to her and she smiles, pleased. "Let's welcome the first-year students!" The massive doors flung open, and Hagrid was leading them in, Aine rests her chin on the back of her hands as she looks to the new juniors. Their eyes were gleaming every single inch of the hall, marvelling at it with opened mouths as they nervously entered, watching the seniors' eyes on them.
"Was that how we look like when we came?" Ginny asks, and Hermione chuckles, "Yep!" Ron chimed in as well, "You lot look like scared little lambs!"
"Thanks, Ron." Aine says in return, "Why don't you grab a lamb chop later during the feasts?" she added.
"I'll like that very much!" He smirks, mentally drooling at the thought of the delicious meat. His stomach gave a soft grumble, but loud enough for the people around him to look at him, words of teasing threatening to spill, but they simply swallowed it back.
The first-year students lined up in the front, anxiously watching the Sorting Hat that was on the stool in front of them. Everyone was watching silently before a long tear near the edge of the hat opened like a zipper, into a large grin. Soon enough, the freshmen were surprised when it spoke— No— When it started singing.
~
A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names are still well known: Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers.
Thus, Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house,
For each!
Did value different virtues.
In the ones, they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin!
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favourites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head!
The founders put some brains in me (A/N: Okay, why did I imagine them literally stuffing the hat with that?)
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!
~
When the song ended, most of the students erupted with cheers and applause, the twins especially, were whistling and blowing kisses to the hat. While the new students stepped up and climbed onto the chair to get sorted, "That wasn't the song it sang when we first came to Hogwarts, did it?" Harry questions and Hermione ponders, "It sings a new song every year! It's going to be a pretty boring life, hasn't it, being a hat? I supposed it spends all year trying to come up with the next one."
"How did it even get created in the first place?" Harry went on and asked, "Well, it was mentioned earlier during the song, He whipped me off his head, The founders put some brains in me." Hermione sang, mimicking the sorting hat. "Putting brains into the hat?!" Ron exclaimed, Harry and Aine immediately frown in disgust at the thought of it.
"Nasty," added Ginny, literally stealing the words of her three friends.
Aine continued, "I never really thought about this, but having to be a Sorting Hat is so cool. You get to listen to their internal secrets and judge them."
"Now, you tell me." Harry laughs, nodding in agreement and they all began chatting their way until the sorting ceremony was finally finished. At last, Ron's favourite time had come, the welcome feasts started, and the students and staff happily chomp down the first meal they had upon their arrival back to school.
~
The rain was showering down onto Hogwarts harshly, droplets landing with a thud on the stained windows of the great hall. Thunders and flashes of lightning struck occasionally, scaring the students as they eat. After today will be a fresh new page of the stories that are to come. More fears, more stress, more obstacles, more homework. But for now, Aine, along with the Hogwarts students decided to fill themselves with scrumptious food before worrying about all that.
─── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☀⋅⋆ ───
A really short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is going to be really exciting! I honestly say that all the time, but believe me! It will be! Do you know why? Well, that's going to be answered in the next chapter so be sure to check it out when it gets uploaded!
At last, Aine has finally known about her Patronus that she was able to cast in the last book! Did you guys manage to guess her Patronus right? Leave a comment on what your Patronus is! Mine's a rattlesnake! Hiss hiss~
Christmas is soon arriving and I'm ever so busy these days too! It's such a magical time of the year and you know what that means! Yearly Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts binge watching! Spider-man NWH is also out in my country here, and it pains me that I am only able to watch it next week ;-; Though the spoilers are just infuriating me so much and I've been spoiled by some of my friends... I shall keep an open mind and enjoy it! Have you guys watched it? Let me know what you think!
- Zeneria