Hogwarts was magical. Not just in the sense of using magic, but that it was truly astonishing.
After departing the train, a fairly large man was calling out for first-years to follow him. Trailing behind Harry and Ron, Violet had to tip her head back just to look at the man. His hair and beard were so long they practically covered the man's entire head and face. He had to be well over eight and a half metres, but as he and Harry chatted for a moment, he seemed kind enough.
Hagrid, as Violet learned, led all the first-years down to a boat dock, loading four to five kids in each boat. As Hagrid settled into a boat with Harry, Ron, and Violet, all of the boats started to move slowly across the lake.
'Of course magic controls the boats', Violet laughed in awe. She continued to be surprised as she stared out of the lake and up at Hogwarts. There, on a large island, sat a massive castle. An honest to goodness castle, lit by, what she could only assume, were candles and torches.
As they approached the boat dock on the island, Violet looked over at her new friends. Harry stared in would could only be described as reluctant awe, as if he weren't convinced it was all real. While Ron was openly in awe, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Violet felt better about her own awestruck expression as she saw that most of the kids wore similar ones.
Once inside the castle, all of the first-years were led to a back staircase, wide enough to fit five to six kids side by side. They walked up several flights before reaching the landing, an older woman standing on the top step. She wore long, dark green robes, a black pointed hat, and a stern expression. Violet realised this must be the professor who had sent her acceptance letter, McGonagall.
The trio stopped at the top of the stairs, Hermione pushing through a few others to join them at the front.
"Welcome to Hogwarts! Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors, and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
Harry and Violet shared a look of confusion before looking at Ron, who looked concerned.
"While you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup."
"Trevor!" Violet jumped as a boy shoved past her, leaning down to scoop up a toad from the top step. He froze for a moment as he stared up at the professor, then rushed back into the crowd. Neville, Violet surmised.
"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She turned and walked off, closing the big twin doors behind her.
"It's true then!" Violet and her friends turned around, staring at the boy with white-blonde hair and a snarky expression, "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."
At this, the entire group of kids broke out in gasps and whispers. Violet looked at Harry, wondering what made him so special to elicit such a response. It's the second time someone's made a fuss when speaking his name, but he had yet to explain why.
"This is Crabbe, and Goyle." The blonde tilted his head towards the two boys beside him, both of whom looked intimidating. Bullies, if Violet had to hazard a guess. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
Draco moved to stand on the top step, looming over everyone else. He head whipped towards Ron, who was snickering, "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley."
Ron looked down shamefully, and Violet had the sudden urge to smack Draco. Something, she would find in coming years, to be a frequent feeling.
Draco turned back to Harry, "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
Draco stuck out his hand, staring at Harry expectantly. For a moment, Violet was worried that Harry would shake his hand, but her worries quickly vanished. Harry looked down at Draco's hand, then his face as he said, "I think I can tell the wrong sort myself, thanks."
Draco didn't get the chance to respond before the professor from earlier came back, sending Draco back to his friends.
"We're ready for you now. Follow me."
They followed her down a short hallway and through another set of double doors that, of course, opened themselves. Inside was the Great Hall. Four long tables stretched the length of the room, where hundreds of students sat. The walls were lined with sconces of fire, and taper candles were floating in the air. And the ceiling! It was like a window, showing off the night sky just as it was outside. Violet couldn't take in everything fast enough as she walked down the centre aisle.
"It's not real, you see." Hermione explained, as if reading Violet's mind, "It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History."
Violet was both impressed and peeved that the other girl had already been reading their assigned books. While not opposed to reading, she just couldn't believe someone would have already started school readings.
The first-year students spread out along the front stage, where a long table sat with, presumably, professors. There was also a stool, with a very old, very dirty and rugged hat sat upon it.
As Violet listened to Professor Dumbledore's speech, then Professor McGonagall's, she looked around at her fellow classmates. Some looked nauseous, while others looked excited. She decided she was somewhere in the middle; excited to be there, but nervous at what was to come.
Hermione was called up first. She looked to be talking to herself as she stepped up and sat on the stool.
"Mental, that one. I'm tellin' you." Ron muttered.
"Be nice, Ron! She's probably nervous." Violet muttered back.
Then the oddest thing happened-- the hat talked. Violet was getting used to the strangeness of magic, but a talking hat? Not something she was expecting. It shouted out "Gryffindor!" and the students at the one table all started clapping and shouting. Hermione rushed over, sitting on the empty bench.
One by one the students were sorted. Draco to Slytherin, Susan Bones to Hufflepuff, Ron to Gryffindor, Harry to Gryffindor, Padma Patil to Ravenclaw, and so on. When it was finally Violet's turn, she trudged over to the stool.
'Gryffindor,' She thought, over and over as she sat down, 'I want to be with my friends.'
"Ah!" The hat shouted, "Yes, yes, I see..." It muttered, "You've got Gryffindor in you, mighty Gryffindor blood, yes, yes... You've got potential there... Better be... HUFFLEPUFF!"
It took all of her energy to fight the burst of sadness that threatened to take over. She wanted so badly to be with her new friends, all three of which were sitting at the table watching her in worry. She braved the crowd and plastered on a smile, walking over to the Hufflepuff table. A few of the first-years introduced themselves to her, including Susan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Hannah Abbott.
Once the sorting ceremony was finished, food appeared on the tables. Massive serving dishes full of lamb chops, fresh fruits, whole roast chickens, varying vegetables, rolls, and so much more.
After dinner, the houses left the hall one at a time. When it was Hufflepuff's turn, all the older students left, with only one remaining.
"Congratulations! I'm Prefect Gabriel Truman, and I'm delighted to welcome you to Hufflepuff House!" He lead the small group of first-years through the hallway and down a flight of stairs as he made his speech, "Our emblem is the badger, an animal that is often underestimated, because it lives quietly until attacked, but which, when provoked, can fight off animals much larger than itself, including wolves. Our house colours are yellow and black, and our common room lies one floor below the ground, on the same corridor as the kitchens..."
He continued on for some time, listing out names and credentials for famous Hufflepuff wizards and witches. He seemed to talk with his hands a lot, and frequently stopped walking as he told his story.
They came to a stop a little ways down the basement hallway. The hallway was brightly lit, despite the stone lining the walls, floor, and ceiling, and decorated with food-theme paintings.
"This here is the kitchen." Truman explained, "Students aren't allowed in. It can upset the house-elves. Another cool fact, Helga Hufflepuff, our house founder, brought in the house-elves to run the kitchen so they could escape their abusive living situations!"
They continued down the hallway for a moment, before reaching the end, "What else do you need to know? Oh yes, the entrance to the common room is concealed in a stack of large barrels in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor," He pointed to the barrels, "Tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and the lid will swing open. We are the only house at Hogwarts that also has a repelling device for would-be intruders. If the wrong lid is tapped, or if the rhythm of the tapping is wrong, the illegal entrant is doused in vinegar."
Once he finished speaking, he tapped the barrels as he'd explained, and a round door appeared in the wall. He eased the door open, stepping through before the rest of the students entered the passageway, a short, earthy tunnel that ended in the Hufflepuff common room.
This room, Violet decided, was her favourite so far. It was a spacious, rounded room, with wood floors, walls, and furnishings. Small, round windows sat midway up, the moon shining through the frosted glass. There were curved shelves along the walls, with varying plants and books, and other plants were hanging from the ceiling.
In the centre of the far wall sat a collection of couches and seats, positioned around a lit fireplace. Upon closer inspection, Violet realised the wooden fireplace had Badgers carved throughout it. The mantelpiece above the fireplace was also covered in small plants and books. And above there hung a portrait of a woman. She was pretty, Violet decided. Only her upper half was painted, but she had pale skin, brown hair in twin braids, a round face, and warm eyes. She was dressed modestly, in a yellow front-laced dress and a black shawl over one shoulder. In her hands was a small, two-handled cup, and she held it in such a way that it appeared she was toasting the students.
"Helga Hufflepuff, our house founder." Someone said from beside Violet. She turned to see Hannah Abbott, who was admiring the portrait.
"Ah! Admiring our founder?" Truman came up behind the two girls, looking at the portrait with admiration. The girls nodded, "The others have already gone to their dorms. The girls' dormitory is up those stairs to the left, boys are up the other set, but you two stay out of there." He waved his hand to each stairway, laughing warmly when warning the girls away from the boys dorms.
"Your belongings have already been delivered to your rooms. In the morning, at breakfast, you'll receive your timetables for the year. I know it will be daunting, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask your fellow Hufflepuffs. And don't be afraid to get lost, we've all been there!" He laughs again, but Violet and Hannah shared a wide-eyed look, "Alright, off to bed with you. I'll see you at breakfast!"
Violet and Hannah took off up the stairs in silence, trailing down the hall until they found the only dorm with empty beds. The rooms were similar to the common room, in that they were round, but the walls were stone rather than wood, though there were floor to ceiling wood beams between each of the beds. The four-poster beds were made of wood, with yellow curtains and patchwork quilts. In the centre of the floor lay a yellow and black rug, with the house crest. There was a trunk at the end of each bed, two of which already had items sitting atop them.
Violet made her way to her own trunk, pulling out a few items before moving to sit on her bed. It was smaller than her bed at home, but it was quite comfortable. She set out her few items on the table beside the bed- a picture frame with a photo of her and her parents, a stuffed bear no bigger than her hand that her mother had gifted her as a child, and a journal her father had gifted her for her birthday back in April.
Then she shook out the blanket she had brought with her, another gift from her mother. It was a simple violet purple quilt that her grandmother had made. She never knew her grandmother, as she had passed when Violet was only a baby, but the blanket brought her comfort anyway.
Her parents often told her stories of their families. Her mother was an only child and both of her parents had passed, but her father had two brothers and two sisters, who had moved away and lived in other parts of the world with their own families, but his parents lived nearby. They often visited, bringing sweets to spoil Violet with.
Once she was content with her little set up, she pulled out some pyjamas and headed towards what she assumed was the bathroom. There were only two doors in the dorm, one of which she knew would take her back out to the hall. The other door led to the small bathroom. It was made up entirely of smooth stone and hardly bigger than a closet. It contained a shower stall, toilet, and sink, which she supposed was all they needed anyway. She didn't imagine it would be fun sharing with three other girls, though.
When she was finished, she returned to her bed, murmuring a simple 'goodnight' to Hannah, who was sitting in her bed reading. The other two girls must've already been asleep, as their lamps were off and curtains closed.
Violet expected sleep to evade her, as that was usual when she had an exciting day, but she fell asleep the moment she was under the covers.