Jasper, and Harry both got off the train, and went onto the dock. They were in a crowd of only first years, and a big man who was the gamekeeper named Hagrid called them all over. "Fir' years over here!"
Harry, and Jasper both went in a boat together with a girl with dark brown curly hair. "This is so cool." Jasper whispered to Harry.
Harry nodded excitedly. "I can't believe it, Hogwarts. We're so close."
The boats started to move toward the castle, and the girl in the boat smiled with wonder in her eyes. "Stop whispering to each other, and look!" She pointed to the castle.
It was amazing.
Hogwarts was huge. It was a stone castle, with many turrets peeking up, and thousands of lights that when they got closer realized were windows. "This is just like in the movies." Said Jasper.
The girl looked at them both. "I'm Marlene McKinnon." She stuck out her hand. Jasper, and Harry both shook it. She looked at them both, and her eyes focused on Harry. "Oh wait." She started. "Aren't you-"
"Just ignore them Sev, they're a bunch of bullying prats!" The three of them looked over to the redhead girl who was scolding Sirius Black, and two of his friends.
Marlene shook her head. "It is not even the end of the first day, and people are already fighting." She looked at them both again, changing the subject to Hogwarts again. "Do you think it's true there are moving staircases?" Jasper did a double take at this information. "Because I read in Hogwarts: A History there is, and I am fascinated to see how they work!"
Harry nodded. "I am too!" He looked at Jasper. "I forgot to mention the moving staircases."
Jasper nodded. "I am excited to see them." He looked at the castle that was growing ever larger. The closer they got, the more excitement, and nervousness they could feel radiating in the boat.
Marlene, Harry, and Jasper got off the boat along with all the other first years who were whispering to each other. Hagrid turned to them all. "A'right then," Hagrid said addressing them. "Yer ready fer the sortin you lot? Mus be excited. I remember me own sotin...seems like ages ago..." He went to a door leading them down a long corridor, and up a long staircase.
Jasper looked around, mesmerized. "This is amazing."
Hagird led them to a little room, and turned to face them. "Now yer ta'wait here. Professor McGonagall will be comin' fer yer in a mo'. Nice lady she is. She'll bring yeh ter the Great Hall to be sorted." He smiled, and walked away.
All the first years gave each other nervous looks. Jasper turned to Harry who had a nervous look in his eye. "I know McGonagall, she is the one who told me about Hogwarts."
"Oh, I always wondered how muggleborns got their letter." Harry said. He looked at Jasper. "Are you as nervous as I am, or...?"
Jasper was very nervous, I mean this was all so new to him, and he was unfamiliar with the place, and terminology used in the Wizarding World, but now that he was here he would be able to learn it all, that was exciting. "Very nervous, but also excited."
The door opened, and McGonagall came out. She was once again wearing emerald green robes, and a witches hat. She smiled at them. "My name is Minerva McGonagall." She announced. "And I'm here to bring you all to the sorting ceremony. You will follow me out this doorway to the Great Hall, where the other year students have had a seat at their house tables, and one by one you will be sorted. Once you have been sorted, you will go, and sit at your respective house table, and you will meet the rest of your house members and we will enjoy the start of term feast." She explained to them. "I have heard," She added "That the house elves of Hogwarts have quite outdone themselves with the meal this year, so please give us no troubles, so that we may all sit down and eat as quickly as possible."
"Okay, now I am scared." Jasper said to Harry as the first years walked into the Great Hall, he was so nervous that he didn't notice anything in the room that all the other first years were marvelling at. "What if - what if I don't get sorted, what if they say I don't belong here, or-"
Harry stopped him before he went on. "Don't worry Jasper, you do belong here, every person who received their Hogwarts letter does."
Jasper started, "But-"
Suddenly there was singing.
Jasper turned to see a hat singing.
"What the bloody hell?" Jasper said.
"That is how you'll get sorted." Whispered Harry.
"A hat?"
"Shhhh.' Harry said. "Listen." He signalled to the hat.
You'll meet more magic folk your age, and make lots of friends
Everyone here is here because they've earned their spot-
"See." Harry nudged Jasper.
Within the walls of Hogwarts blood status prejudice ends-
"Well that is good news." Jasper whispered to Harry remembering the discussion they had on the train.
Harry nodded, but he looked over at the Slytherin table who were all sneering. He doubted it did.
For here you are all welcome but the old debate is not
The debate has already torn Hogwarts school asunder
Which is why I must split you up - Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin -
So let's find out so that you must no longer wonder
Which house of the four will be the one you will belong in
Will it be Gryffindor where dwell the mighty brave?
Harry noticed a boy with black messy hair, and glasses hopped up at this.
Gryffindor is coragueus yes, but hardly ever behave
Maybe you'll be in Slytherin who seek power, and fame
For beware they do not care who they hurt in the game...
Or perhaps the Ravenclaw house will help you to learn
In them is a mighty thirst for knowledge that will forever burn
That could be me. Jasper thought. He did want to learn everything about the Wizarding World.
Then there's Hufflepuff the kindest hardest working of the lot-
They'll take you in no matter what, accept you even if the other houses do not
Jasper had hope at this, if he didn't fit into any of the other houses, then at least he knew he had a place somewhere in the school. The Hufflepuff house sounded really nice.
-to get back to my year-long nap!
Everyone in the Great Hall started to clap, the sounds echoing off the walls of the room. Jasper clapped excitedly, jumping up, and down, a talking hat! That was so cool!
And then Professor McGonagall opened a scroll, and started to read off names, and one by one students started to get sorted.
"Black, Sirius!" She called.
He went up to the stool, and the hat seemed to think for a while.
I mean it was obvious what house he was going to end up in, all the Blacks went to Slytherin house. Harry thought. The rest of the hall was thinking that as well.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Yelled the hat.
Everyone in the hall seemed stunned. Harry was pretty shocked, a Black is Gryffindor? It was unheard of. Harry looked over at the Slytherins who seemed stunned except for one, the head girl Andromeda was smiling. The Gryffindor house was screaming.
"Wow." Harry turned to Jasper. "That is quite a shock."
"Maybe he isn't so bad after all." Jasper said.
The sorting continued, and more, and more students got sorted. Cambridge, Stacy was sorted into Ravenclaw. The one with the red hair, Evans, Lily was sorted into Gryffindor. The more students that got sorted, the more nervous Jasper got. McKinnon, Marlene was sorted into Ravenclaw, along with Nakamura, Quinn, and Nott, Eleanor was sorted into Slytherin, and then...
"Odair, Jasper!" McGonagall called.
Jasper looked at Harry and panicked. "I can't do this."
"Yes, you can!" Harry said. "I believe in you." He gave Jasper a little push toward the stool.
Jasper felt like all the eyes in the hall were on him (probably because they were), and he approached the stool. He looked at McGonagall who signalled for him to sit down, and once he did she put the Sorting Hat on his head.
"Well, well who do we have here?" Said a voice.
Jasper jumped, not prepared to have a voice whispering in his ear. It reminded him of his father hissing threats in his ear.
"Don't worry Mr. Odair, no one can hurt you here."
Jasper was surprised the hat could hear his thoughts. "How?" He started. "I - I mean, how does no one hear us?"
"We are under a special charm." The hat said. "Hmmmm, you are very protective, very brave."
Jasper shrugged, "Not really."
The hat chuckled. "Gryffindor would be a good fit, but, no, not quite. You're kind, you have a lot of potential, you're curious, and extremely loyal. You would do anything for your family, and friends."
"Of course I would." Jasper said. "If someone needed help, I would help them."
The hat mused. "Hmmm, yes, you would...too far for most people. I think I know where to put you..."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Great Hall applauded as McGonagall took off the hat, and directed Jasper where to go, the table with the yellow, and black house colors. He was ecstatic, he got sorted, he was officially a student.
He looked over, and saw Harry waving to him from where he was in the line. Jasper waved back. One of the older girls, the prefect named Cara Finnigan, shook his hand. "Welcome to Huffepuff house!" She said brightly. "You'll love it here! A few kids have already been sorted." She signalled to the two first year boys, and three girls at the table, one of which was Maryrose. She was waving to her sister who was at the Ravenclaw table.
I swear her hair was pink before. Jasper thought. Now it was teal. Maybe he needed to get his eyes checked.
"Warbeck, Harry!"
This got most of the hall's attention. Jasper heard whispers break out, and Cara whispered to one of her friends "Her son goes to school this year?" Her friend nodded.
Was Jasper missing something?
He watched as Harry approached the stool, and sat down.
"Warbeck, Harry!"
Whispers immediately started.
Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes, and approached the hat.
"Well, hello."
Harry was surprised. Even though he read about the Sorting Hat it was so different hearing him whisper, and go through your thoughts.
"Let's see...you have a lot of expectations to live up to." Harry sighed. He knew he did, why was the hat pointing it out? "Or think you need to live up to..." The hat finished. "You are very intelligent, opened minded, isecure-"
"Thanks." Harry said,
The hat chuckled. "A bit of sass as well. You care about your friends, and hmmmm, it better be..."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The hat got lifted off his head. He sat there a moment, shocked. He expected himself to go to Gryffindor because his mum was, and by the looks on some peoples faces, they expected him to be too. He hopped off the stool, and ran over to sit beside Jasper trying to get away from all the attention he was getting.
Jasper was clapping. "Yay!" He said. "I am so happy we are in the same house!"
Harry looked at him glad he was at least sorted with his friend. "Me too! See I told you there was nothing to worry about." He gave a small chuckle trying to stay upbeat, but secretly he was even more nervous then he had been. He was happy he was in Hufflepuff, it is just he felt like he let people down, that he let his mum down by being placed in a different house. He looked around at all the faces staring at him, and he tried to avoid their eyes by staring at a grain in the tabletop.
Jasper noticed this, and was about to ask when the Headmaster, Dumbledore at the head of the staff table, stood up, and walked to the podium. "Welcome to the start of term feast." He said warmly, smiling at all of them. "I'm sure that we are all very, very hungry, and so I will prattle on just yet, but let the house elves present us with what is rumored to be one of their best works of culinary masterpieces...kip. Kip!" He waved his hands, and all of sudden an assortment of food appeared.
Jasper forgot about what he was going to ask as he saw all the food that appeared on the table. He had never seen so much in his life. "Oh my god." He breathed.
Harry was getting a loaf of bread. "I know, it's amazing right?"
"It - it's all for us?"
Harry nodded.
Jasper piled a bunch of different foods on his plate. "Who made all this?" Jasper asked, looking at all the food.
"The house elves." Harry replied. Jasper gave him a confused look. "Right, you wouldn't know," Harry said. "Well - um they are part of Hogwarts staff. They cook, and clean."
"So I don't have to cook?" Jasper asked excitedly.
Harry looked at him confused. "No...why would you?"
Jasper stammered awkwardly. "Oh - um - well I like cooking at home, with my parents." Jasper said quickly. "Bonding time, you know?"
Harry nodded, accepting that as a normal answer. "What do you like to cook?"
"Probably bacon."
"Pardon?"
"Bacon." Jasper repeated.
Harry nodded. "Well, you will probably get a lot of that for breakfast tomorrow." Harry smiled, and put more food on his plate.
Jasper continued to eat, glad he didn't get any further questions on his family, he realized he needed to be more careful, to think before he said things out loud.
They all continued to eat, and talk about Hogwarts. Jasper noticed a few of the kids whispering again in the general direction of Harry, but Harry just kept eating his food. Soon the deserts appeared, which Jasper squealed at, making him get a few odd looks. Harry chuckled. "Just don't get in a sugar rush." Jasper laughed, and grabbed something called a treacle tart, and ate it.
After they were done with the desserts, and the food had disappeared, Dumbledore came up to the podium again, and explained all the rules, and forbidden objects the caretaker Mr. Filch was banned. He also warned the students to keep away from a tree called the Whomping Willow. Everything seemed pretty normal until...
"Last, but not least." Dumbledore said. "I do want to remind us all that we are one family of Hogwarts residents. These are questionable times politically. Not that I wish to trouble any of you with the world that brews around us when you are so blissfully young and unaware of the way such things work. It is important however, in such times, that the divisions between us be forgotten, and the things that unite us become more important than ever before. We are all magical beings, with a past, and future, and stories that weave throughout the very fabrics of time. Respect each other's stories."
Jasper was concerned. He liked how Dumledore said they were all the same, and that everyone should be respected, but what did he mean by "questionable times politically"? Was there something more going on? He looked at Harry, and Harry shared the same look of concern.
That was when he sent them all to bed. The prefect Cara led the Hufflepuff house all the way down the stairs, and the stairs did in fact move. She led them to the basement to a nook behind a stack of barrels. She knocked on the barrels to a rhythm, and led them in.
It was a low ceilinged room, with the recurring colors of yellow, and black. The tables were honey colored, and the couches were yellow. There were plants all around the common room. They even moved when you passed them. The boy prefect Allen Hall led the first year boys up to their dormitory. The door was the same color as the tables.
All the boys were too tired to notice what the dorm looked like, they just threw themselves onto a bed, and lay there.
Jasper lay there thinking about how amazing Hogwarts was so far, the people, the ghosts, the food, the everlasting magic that went around the castle. The staircase, and how huge the place was. It was everything. He couldn't wait for classes.
Jasper turned to Harry. "Harry." He whispered.
Harry turned his head over so he was facing him. "Yeah?" He yawned.
"You're the famous kid aren't you?"
Harry gave a small chuckle. "Well, I am not famous, my mum is..."
Jasper nodded, and without saying another word, went to sleep.