𝐶 𝐻 𝐴 𝑃 𝑇 𝐸 𝑅
𝑇 𝑊 𝑂
"𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑡"
╚═══*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═══╝
𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐒, Esme Croft and her brother quickly made their way back to the compartment that Florence Kinley currently resided in.
"I don't know how you guys stand these things." Axel said, tugging on the collar of his grey sweater. "They're absolutely itchy!"
"Oh quit being a baby, Axel. They aren't that bad." Esme scolded her brother as she shut the compartment door.
"They are too! The fabric doesn't even go with my complexion!"
Esme stops her motions of flattening her robes. "Please tell me you did not just say that." She stares at her brother, eyes wide.
"Hmph." Is all the response the Croft girl receives.
Sitting down across from the Kinley girl, that had been watching amusingly at the two's banter, Esme gives her a small smile. "I'm sorry my brother is such a drama queen, and that you had to hear that, but could you tell us about Hogwarts? We don't know much, other then they have four houses, like Ilvermorny."
Florence smiles at the younger girl. "Hogwarts does have four houses. Gryffindor, the brave, Slytherin, the sly— which most people tend to stay away from. Hufflepuff, the loyal. Then there's my house, Ravenclaw, the intelligent. Which is the best house." She finishes with a small shrug.
"Isn't that a tad bit biased?" Axel says, after loosening his tie.
The Kinley girl gives another shrug.
"Only if you think of it that way, Drama Queen." And with that, the two older students elapsed into an argument that Esme could care less about.
The youngest Croft stays silent throughout the remaining duration of the trip. With the upcoming pressure of being placed into yet, another house the girl had many things on her mind. Like why had Florence say that Slytherin was not a house to be put in? What if no one liked her? Or which house would she be put in?
In her time at Ilvermorny, Esme had spent her time as a proud Wampus. Being the house of warriors, Esme was definitely one to not be taken lightly. The Croft girls' personality was one that was simply put as hard headed. She was a driven, confident girl no doubt. Thus, making it a bit hard for the girl to make friends.
People were often intimidated by her confidence, giving the Croft girl a slight arrogant reputation. Which was quite funny, since the the young girl was far from arrogant, she was simply just comfortable in her own skin.
Sighing, the Croft girl closed her eyes, leaning her head against the window falling into a much needed, blissful sleep.
☆
Waking up to her brothers, giant man hands shaking her, was not pleasant. Especially after taking a long nap.
"Esme, we're here."
Propping one eye open and looking out the window, Esme realized that students were starting to unload from the train, also noticing that the Kinley girl no longer inhabited the compartment. Grabbing her luggage, the Croft girl groaned as she stood up. "How long was I out for?"
"A little over an hour." Axel responded. "You snored like a bear in hibernation."
"Love that." She murmured to herself, so that Axel couldn't hear.
Stepping off the train, Esme saw a giant man with long dark hair, that had a matching beard, yelling for all the first years to come to him.
"Do we go over there? Or do we follow them?" Esme nodded her head to all the older kids, who were loading into carriages.
"Not sure. Might as well ask that big fella over there." Axel pointed to the large, bearded man.
Making their way over, Esme regarded the big, hairy man with hesitation. While he looked harmless, Esme was still new to the school and hadn't the slightest clue of what he was like.
"Excuse me sir" Axel started. "My sister and I are transfers here. Do you know if we're supposed to go with you or with the other older students?"
"Ah. Yer' the transfer' from America. Names Rubeus Hagrid. This way please." The big man, Hagrid, started walking towards a line of boats on the shoreline.
"Are we supposed to ride over to the school?" Esme asked her brother, fearfully.
"I think so." He gave his sister a comforting smile.
To say that Esme had a slight fear of water was an understatement. The girl could barely get knee deep without freaking out before she ran back to the shore, and the Croft girl was not scared of many things.
Even if she knew how to swim, she still doubted herself. Never allowing herself to go above the waist whenever she forced herself to get in or if she did get in for that matter.
So, when the girl hoped inside the old, wooden boat, she felt herself almost hyperventilate from the rocking of the thing. Putting both her arms on each side of the boat, Esme took deep breaths to steady her heart rate.
"You know even if the boat flipped, you know how to swim." Her brother commented on the distressed girl.
"Still doesn't help the fact that I'm still scared does it?" She snarked back as the boat started its journey across the lake.
"I'm just saying, you'll be fine. An if it did— which I'm saying it probably won't— I'd be right here to catch you."
"Thanks, Bubba." Esme said, using the old nickname she gave him as a child.
"No problem, Esie."
☆
The venture across the lake, turned out to be okay. The boat didn't tip, no creatures tried to drown her, and Axel didn't make jokes at her.
So, win win right? Wrong.
As soon as Axel and her got off the boats and followed the rest of the first years, a scary, old lady wearing deep green robes and a pointed hat came into view, starting down at them, with a piece of parchment in her hands.
"Croft, Axel and Esme. Follow me." The lady turned on her heal.
Looking at each other, the two followed the scary lady down the vast hallway quickly.
"You'll be getting placed separate from the other first years. Professor Dumbledore thought it would be better for you, since you both are quite a bit older then the others." The lady said as the two caught up.
"Okay, but what do you mean by placing us?" Esme asked.
"In your houses, of course." She replied vaguely.
"Oh." Was all that was said between the three of them for the rest of the way.
Until, the lady stopped at a golden statue of a griffin. Wondering why they were simply standing there, Esme was about to ask why until the, professor— she thinks— spoke.
"Lemon drops" Was all the professor said. Until a few moments after the statue began to twist out of the way, making an entrance to a staircase.
"Whoah." Axel said, looking out of the corner of his eye to his sister. " I want one of those."
The professor ignored the both of them as she began to make her way up the winding staircase. And after a few short minutes of climbing, the three reached a heavy, wooden door.
Opening the door, the professor escorted the two Croft's into a large, round room covered with many old books, live portraits of headmasters past, and a heavy dark wood desk.
And seated behind the large desk, was the one and only, Albus Dumbledore.
"Thank you Professor McGonagall, that will be all for now." Dumbledore said, rising up from behind his desk.
Esme could not believe her eyes. The man in front of her was said to be one of the greatest wizards of all time, even in America he was profoundly known, an and ordinary girl like her was standing in front of him. It couldn't be true.
Dumbledore wore robes the color of ivory, with a pointed hat to match, his half moon glasses on the edge of his nose, slightly hiding his twinkling blue eyes.
"Welcome Mr. and Miss Croft, I'm sure Professor McGonagall told you why I have requested for you two to come here." The Professor said, moving from behind the desk to stand a few feet in front of them.
We both nod our heads.
Chuckling, Dumbledore made his way to a cabinet, pulling out a old, withered, brown hat. Before setting it on a stool. "Now, I know this may be different from your old school—Ilvermorny correct?" He looked at us with twinkling blue eyes. " But at Hogwarts we place our students by using a sorting hat." Dumbledore motioned for us to come closer.
"This hat here, will place you into one of our four houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each houses has it's own special gifts, and I don't doubt that you'll be placed into the one for you." Dumbledore picked up the hat. "Axel, would you like to go first?"
Nodding his head, Axel made his way over to the stool. Sitting on the edge of it, while Dumbledore placed the hat on his head.
"What was it supposed to do? Speak?" She thought to herself.
Not even thirty seconds after the hat was placed on his head, the hat yelled "HUFFLEPUFF!" Loudly.
Startling Esme to her bones, she was quick to think that her thoughts had been correct. The had did speak.
Stepping down from the stool, Axel looked over to the Headmaster. "A fine fit, Mr. Croft." Dumbledore said. "If you'd like, you may wait for your sister to be placed, or head down to the feast with the rest of your house."
Looking over to his sister, Axel said "I'll wait, Professor."
"Very well, Miss Croft" The Professor motioned for her to sit on the stool.
Walking over, Esme sat on the very edge of the wooden stool, slightly scared to hear what the talking hat had to say. Placing the hat on her head, Dumbledore took a step back.
"Hmm...yes, so much potential I see.
Jumping from the unknown voice in her head, Esme asked. "What?"
Chuckling— Esme thought she heard the hat chuckle?— the hat said "Child, you have such potential. I see much ambition in you, along with loyalty and intelligence, but much more bravery. You are quite the tough one, I see."
"Hmm...where to put you, where to put you."
"Just not Slytherin, please." Esme pleaded to the hat. Remembering what Flo had said back on the train.
"Not Slytherin? Why not? You'd do just fine there. Your ambitions would be quite welcomed. or maybe Ravenclaw, you have the wit and intelligence." The hat chuckled again.
"Please, Just not Slytherin." She pleaded again.
"Very well then, where else to put you. Hmm.... Ah, I know." The had paused for a few more seconds.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
𝐴 𝑈 𝑇 𝐻 𝑂 𝑅 𝑆 𝑁 𝑂 𝑇 𝐸
━━━━*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*━━━━
Phew. That was a long one. Hope you liked that, I'll probably go start on chapter three right now, but what did you think? Does Esme have good enough traits to be in Gryffindor?