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A FEW TIMES while talking to Ron, Harry caught his gaze lingering on the quiet girl sitting across them.
He didn't understand what her problem was, she was rude, and on top of that, she was unfriendly and cold. He just truly wanted to be friends with her as it was the first time someone didn't approach him just because he was famous or rather he approached her first.
In the middle of talking to Harry, Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff -- I mean, I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears went pink. "He's pathetic, right?"
"Just a little bit," Harry said awkwardly.
It took every ounce of her energy for Crystal to keep herself calm after seeing a rat that big. She clenched her hands in a fist to contain herself. One thing that no one knew about Crystal was that she was not good with animals and was even afraid of some of them.
Harry just caught this change in her demeanour, a ghost smile appeared on his lips at her desperate try to keep a straight face. She was looking at the rat from the corner of her eyes.
Just then there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry stood up and snapped his fingers in front of Crystal's face taking her by surprise again. Crystal took out the tissue from both her ears.
"Yes?"
"Aren't you hungry?" said Harry, pointing at the trolley.
"Oh, um -- But I don't know what I should get... " said Crystal.
"I can recommend you something, come," said Harry motioning her to follow and went out into the corridor.
Crystal took out her money bag and followed him.
Harry was explaining to Crystal which ones were good.
"This one is made of chocolate, I like it and this is Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands and this is Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans --- I don't recommend this one though --- "
Crystal was curious to check everything as it was the first time she was seeing all this fascinating packaging.
"I don't have the whole day, dears," said the trolley lady.
"Hey, did you decide yet?" said Harry, paying for his snacks.
"Hmm... I'm thinking... "
"What's there to think? Honestly, girls make everything so complicated --- Just buy some chocolate frogs it's good --- " said Harry, pointing at the nicely wrapped packets.
"I'll take a few of everything on the trolley. How much would be that?" Crystal simply stated.
"Hey... That's a lot of money..." Harry whispered. "Do you even have that much on you?"
"Thanks for all your help," said Crystal, with a sweet smile.
She took out a few gold galleons and handed them to the lady. Harry stood there red in the face after the cold blow from Crystal.
"Please keep the change," she said to the trolley lady. She knew the price was just about right, a few knuts give and take. Harry was taken aback and was embarrassed to judge her. Who the hell is she? He thought.
"Woah! Hungry, are you?" Ron was in awe as he looked at Crystal.
"Have some if you want. I don't like snacks for lunch," said Crystal.
"Then, why did you buy it?" asked Harry.
"I can have some later when I'm really hungry," Crystal stated obviously.
"Can I really have some? But I already have the sandwiches," Ron said conflicted.
"Your sandwiches are not poisoned, right?"
Dumbledore had told her to be cautious of what she eats outside the Hogwarts.
"What're you talking about? My mum made it for me! She won't put poison in it!" Ron said confused.
"Oh, then it's good, Sorry for asking that. We can swap our food. Have as much as you want and give me your sandwich."
"Really? Thanks -- what's your name?"
"Cr -- Calliope -- you can call me Calliope," Crystal stopped herself from blurting out her real name. She had just read that name in the book and it first came to her mind. "I'll try them later, go ahead and have some yourself too, Potter,"
She grabbed the sandwich Ron was offering her. Harry didn't understand one second she was rude, the other she was offering her treats. What's with the mood swings?
"No, thanks... " He muttered.
"Suit yourself," she said. Just as she was going out of the compartment to get away from the rat and look around a bit and walk while munching on the sandwich, Harry interrupted.
"Where are you going?" said Harry, narrowing his eyes.
"To the hell," Crystal stated and closed the door behind her. She didn't like people especially strangers to poke in her life and Harry Potter was exactly the kind of person she wanted to avoid. Crystal liked to be alone and in peace.
"Oh well, she's not that bad. She spoke very nicely with my mum and isn't she pretty? Why were you glaring at her all the time?" said Ron taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.
"I was glaring at her?" Harry said baffled, "When did that happen? I never glared -- wait, being pretty isn't just everything. She is so fake. You were right, she doesn't show what she is. She talked nicely with the trolley lady too but with us --- "
"Not me. She swapped her food with me. You were the one glaring at her every few minutes. I know she might have been rude to you but I feel she is not bad at heart as she portrays herself to be,"
Harry didn't say anything and just turned his head to look outside the window contemplating Ron's words. Was he wrong? No, because he thought he could genuinely be friends with her as she didn't treat him as a celebrity like people treated him. But she completely disregarded his gesture of friendship which he was upset about.
And at that moment Harry decided to never cross paths with her again but how could he avoid her, they're going in the same year, and probably have classes together. He sighed slumping back in his seat.
If only he could find Crystal then right now he could have been having a blast talking to her. He was sure Crystal would be a nice, kind and very heartwarming girl like her mother and as his parents had told him rather than cold, unfriendly and rude Calliope but --
Maybe he should apologize for commenting on her as a girl. Harry thought.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. There was a knock on the door of their compartment.
Harry steeled his nerves to apologize to Calliope right away but a tearful round-faced boy came to search for his toad.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."
The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."
He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway."
He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.
"Er -- all right."
Ron cleared his throat. Crystal had been on her way back to her compartment. She noticed the door open so she stood in the doorway to see if something happened.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed grey and fast asleep.
Crystal looked at him in pity, of all the school books she had read about magic till now, she never came across a spell that long and was sure Ron had been pranked.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard -- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough -- I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you."
She said all this very fast that even Crystal had a hard time catching up with her words completely.
Harry looked at Ron and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," said Harry.
"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you -- and Crystal Calisto -- of course -- I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you and Crystal are both in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.
"Isn't printing names in a book a bit too much?" said Crystal, in a very calm business-like demeanour as she took her seat by the window. "After all, it was all coincidentally a miracle, a good one for a great purpose but still,"
Harry stared at her from across the other side. It was another minus point, now he won't be speaking to her.
"And who might you be?" Hermione demanded.
"Her name's Calliope. She's quite blunt but don't mind her," said Ron. Crystal looked at him weirdly when he introduced her with a strange name, then remembered she told them a fake name herself just a few minutes ago and forgot.
"Goodness, Calliope, you don't know, I had found out everything I could, you should also read more, anyways," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.
Harry was still glaring at the girl across her as she caught his eyes.
"What?" Crystal looked at him confused.
"Er -- I -- nothing."
"Fine," Crystal said leaning back in her seat and looking outside the window.
"Er -- okay," Harry said confused. He really couldn't understand this girl. He averted his eyes.
Ron looked back and forth between them. There was still tension in the silence hanging in the air.
"So, Calliope, you're also from a wizard family?" said Ron to dissolve the tension.
"Mhmm... They said so," said Crystal in a quiet voice. "a few days back,"
"Then, why were you living in a Muggle orphanage? -- Harry told me," he added quickly.
"Obviously because I don't have anyone in my family left," said Crystal lightheartedly.
"Oh, sorry to hear that,"
"It's okay, not like I've ever met them," Crystal said without looking at him as she continued to watch the scenery pass by them.
"Not even your mum and dad?"
"Nope, lost them both when I was one, dad a little earlier than mum -- " she looked at Harry briefly then down at the palm of her hand. Harry was just listening, looking out at the scenery.
There was silence for a moment before Ron spoke.
"But don't you have anyone here like godparents?"
"None,"
"Oh well -- let's talk about something else --" said Ron trying to change the subject, "Yeah! Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles -- someone tried to rob a high-security vault."
"I've heard..." Harry said a bit slowly.
"What happened?" asked Crystal, a hint of curiosity in her tone.
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get around Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
"So they do believe that Vo -- that evil wizard is not dead?" said Crystal.
"Yeah. Some do but some of them also believe that Vol -- er -- he died including Minister of Magic," said Harry joining in the talk he had more knowledge about.
"What is public opinion?" she asked.
"We can't say for sure who's majority but the Ministry does influence people,"
"And what about the employees in the Ministry?"
"It's a division of opinions, it's the same everywhere. Nothing is certain for some time,"
"Well, thanks for the information," Crystal said and turned her face towards the window again, deep in thought about something while the boys enthusiastically talked about Quidditch and their favourite teams.
There was a rattle of opening the door and three boys entered. Harry recognized the middle one at once and groaned.
Crystal could tell just by looking at their high and mighty face that they were not here for anything good.
"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes, you're saying like you've never seen me before," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.
"And the pretty girl I saw a few minutes ago!" said the boy beaming at the sight of Crystal ignoring Harry's remark. Crystal was sure she had never met him before.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Malfoy smiled at Crystal but she just looked back at him with a blank expression.
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
"And may I know your name?" Malfoy said to Crystal gently.
"You may not."
Harry almost let out a snort.
"You know who I'm?" said Malfoy looking up and down her clothes, "You don't look like you're from a well-to-do family so if you're to be friends with me, then you'll have everything and anything you want. So what do you say, friends?"
Harry clenched his hand in a fist on his lap wondering if she'd be friends with him. By the look on her innocently blank face, he understood that she didn't even know that the boy was hitting on her. But all his misunderstanding of her being innocent cleared when he saw a small smile tug the corner of her lips. Harry looked away thinking that she had made up her mind to be Malfoy's friend but what she said left him surprised.
"Thanks but keep your offers to yourself. I'm not here to make friends with anyone but study," said Crystal in a business-like manner. "Also, you should learn how to talk first. I'm not an object you can buy with anything."
And Harry was right she didn't completely understand the meaning behind his words as she made it sound all business like. A smile almost crept his lips but he held it back.
"Really? We'll see then." Malfoy hissed, embarrassed at the same time.
He turned back to Harry.
"You, Potter. You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He quickly glanced at Ron, "I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.
A pink tinge appeared on Draco Malfoy's pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as Aviana Calisto and didn't your parents almost had it that night? They didn't know what was good for them, either and they still don't know. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Both Harry and Ron stood up.
"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.
Crystal shook her head at the trouble to come. Do all that the boys know is to fight? She thought.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron -- Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touch Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling. Scabbers finally flew off towards Crystal.
Crystal panicked for a moment but her reflex came to action as she hit the rat back with her book like a baseball bat. Scabbers flew back in the air smashing back into Goyle's head and he lost his balance and fell on top of Malfoy and Crabbe.
She took out her wand swiftly from her bag pack and muttered a spell on the pile of groaning boys on the floor lifting them in the air and throwing them out into the corridor with much more force than needed before closing the door snap shut behind them.
Harry and Ron just stood there as spectators with their mouths open. All the things that happened just now were so smooth for the girl in front of them as she cleaned them out in a second.
"Bloody hell! That was awesome!" said Ron finally.
Crystal noticed the rat on his shoulder, she reached out for the handle behind her and pointed her wand at it, muttered a spell and chucked Scabbers out of the compartment before closing the door and dusting her hands.
"What the --- " Ron stood dumbfounded, "Hey!! That's Scabbers!"
"That should take care of it," said Crystal calmly before sitting back in her seat. "Completely clean,"
"You're crazy! Why did you throw Scabbers out too?" Ron yelled.
"She's good at heart, huh," Harry muttered.
"Because it's dangerous. Didn't you see? It bit that Crabbe boy. God knows what disease he will suffer from." said Crystal.
"Goyle," Harry muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Goyle was bitten not Crabbe," Harry repeated.
"Yeah, whatever." Crystal shrugged.
Ron didn't say anything after that but ran out of the compartment and found his rat immediately.
"How can you throw someone's pet?" Ron shouted.
"With this," said Crystal and swirled the wand between her fingers as she crossed her legs. "Didn't you see? I believe your eyes are functioning properly.
"Oh, wait, sometimes you know, when there's a rush, the lens of the eyes have a hard time focussing and adjusting well, so the image formed on the retina becomes distorted and those signals through optic nerves reach back to your brain. The brain being itself hard coded with logic, would not be able to comprehend what the image is after reverting it. But don't worry, it has a simple cure, just keep washing your eyes frequently with cold water and you'll start seeing everything very clearly."
Ron was left so speechless that he dropped Scabbers. He didn't know what to say to that anymore. This was the longest she talked and that too completely bounced off his head.
Harry snorted but as Ron sharply looked at him, he turned his face towards the window, shoulders still shaking slightly as he silently chuckled suppressing his laugh.
He didn't know why but he found all that very funny and although he didn't understand any of it too but Calliope's (Crystal) answer was priceless. It was the longest she talked to them too.
A silence after, they heard footsteps, a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.
"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry who was still trying to control his smile. Ron looked closer at Scabbers. "No -- I don't believe it -- he's gone back to sleep --"
And so he had.
"You've met Malfoy before?"
Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley and that he had many encounters with his family in one of those Ministry parties where they never talked.
"My parents and me. We don't believe that they weren't on Vol -- You-Know-Who's side." Harry completed the whole explanation.
"Same, I've heard this about his family too," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad also doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers and Calliope have been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"
Crystal rolled her eyes as if they don't know who started the fight but she was not in the mood to talk anymore. She stuffed her book and the last of the sweets left inside the bag pack and threw it over a shoulder as she walked out of the compartment.
"Granger, Could you show me where to get changed?" said Crystal.
"Of course! Come with me!" Hermione said beaming and then turned to the boys.
"All right -- I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"
Ron glared at her and Crystal as they left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky.
The train did seem to be slowing down.
A few minutes later, a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
𖤍𖤓⌁☍❾¾➵♆△⍎⚔︎
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform.
Crystal shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and she heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Hey, Harry! Oh, All right there, Crystal?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Those who heard him turned their heads in sync to see who Crystal is, so Crystal also turned her head back and pretended to look around. Harry also tried to find Crystal but it was too crowded to search for anyone.
"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me! Harry, come!"
Crystal walked in the back, at the last, with a battery torch to avoid running into anyone. Her walk was smooth while others slipped and stumbled, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Crystal reached the last boat which had three sitting on it. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. She knew that the boys didn't want to sit with her as Ron was already glaring from afar as held a deep grudge for throwing his rat out.
It was not Crystal's problem and she didn't care. She boarded the last boat and sat beside Hermione.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.
Crystal had a hand inside the water, just grazing the surface as the water tickled her fingers. She stared at the grand Castle overhead. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Calliope, don't put your hand in the water," said Harry, warning her out of humanity, "I heard many creatures live -- "
Crystal immediately took her hand back just hearing the word 'creatures'. Harry hid a smile as he thought she was just like a cat but also started to guess looking back at her strange behaviour around animals or name mentioned.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Crystal's first thought was that this was not someone to cross. Harry, however, looked at her, beaming and waved to which he only got a stern face but Crystal was sure she saw her lips slightly upturn.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Hudsons' house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They crowded into a small, empty chamber off the hall, everyone standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.
Crystal stood alone at the back with her arms crossed in front of her chest as she checked out her surroundings with a poker face. It was a real castle, she couldn't believe it.
"Do you know how they sort us into houses?" Ron said. "There is some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."
"Of course, he was... Don't listen to him," said Harry.
He looked around, no one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her.
Then, he saw Calliope standing alone, casually looking up at the ceiling as if analyzing its height. Her eyes looked in his direction but Harry realized she was not looking at him but something else that made her eyes saucer wide.
Harry looked behind him in the direction she was looking at the same time several people behind him screamed which made him jump about a foot in the air.
He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.
Harry had also never seen an actual ghost before but of course, knew that beforehand as he had heard the stories from his parents of their school year.
Harry walked towards Crystal. After their last conversation, he thought she was rather entertaining in a unique way.
"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly, standing beside her.
"Is holographic display technology already developed in your world?" said Crystal in awe.
"What's a holo -- technology?"
"Those floating people, they're virtual images of the real ones, aren't they?"
"Er -- they're ghosts,"
Crystal looked at Harry and he nodded.
"You're joking."
"Not at all. Can't you see? You know, the lens of your eyes have a hard time focussing and adjusting well --- "
Harry snorted looking at Crystal's expression as if her whole life was a lie. Crystal looked at him with a frown face which made it hard to control his laugh.
"Shut up, you copy-paste," said Crystal. Harry laughed out loud.
Crystal shifted away from him, no one noticed them while they were talking in whisper hush at the back but he had to go and attract all attention.
Harry shifted towards her still chuckling a little.
"Well, Welcome to the Magic World," said Harry with a smile, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses.
"Well, I think, Potter, we should stay away from each other."
"Oh, you're finally showing your true colours. I know that already after the treatment I got the whole day,"
"Well, yes. I'll not deny it as it was indeed intentional."
"Any reason you're so displeased with me?"
"Oh, I'm not displeased or anything, I just don't want unnecessary attention and you're just that."
Before Harry could reply a sharp voice interrupted cut in.
"Move along now. The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."
Crystal got into line behind the twin girls with long black hair. Harry stood way behind her and behind him was Ron. They walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Crystal had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.
Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.
Crystal saw Dumbledore sitting in the middle, on a chair bigger than the others.
The hundreds of faces stared at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver.
Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.
He heard Hermione whisper from somewhere, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Crystal had a hard time believing there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open onto the heavens. Anything was possible if magic was possible, she thought. She had read the books but still seeing it in real was a different experience.
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
Everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth -- and the hat began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.
"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered to Harry. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."
"Told you not to listen to him," Harry whispered back.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause --
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Crystal and Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron's twin brothers catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Harry had a displeased face at the name of Slytherin.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, Crystal noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but for others, it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," a sandy-haired boy, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned.
When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter.
Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then,
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. He was used to it by now.
"Potter, did she say?"
The Harry Potter?"
The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. The next second, he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, my goodness, yes -- and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that -- no? Well, if you're sure-- better be GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat relieved and walked toward the Gryffindor table. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
And now there were only four people left to be sorted. "Thomas, Dean," a Black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table and then it was Ron's turn and a second later the hat had shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley Pompously across Harry as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin.
Harry looked disappointed that Crystal couldn't make it to school, maybe her Uncle and Aunt wanted her to study in the Muggle school with them. He drank some water from the goblet feeling parched. As he took a sip, he spits it out as soon as he heard the last name called --
"Calisto, Crystal!"
Harry stood up in his seat without bothering to wipe his mouth and looked at the front but there was only one girl, Calliope -- No -- she was Crystal because she sat on the stool when the name was called.
-: ✧ :-
⫷ Author's note: ⫸
Helloooo!
What will happen in the next chapter?
Any guess?
♞ Bye ~
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