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chapter six | back to hogwarts!
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KAYA WAS WALKING to King's Cross with her parents, the hot sun gleaming down onto them. The brunette girl could sense the burn on the back of her neck as her hair was tied with a red scrunchie into a high ponytail. Her scrunchie matched her red tank top, underneath her blue denim overall shorts. It was a scorching day, and she was dreading having to wear the school uniform as it wasn't exactly the best sort of clothes to wear in the humid weather. But, she had to remind herself, once they'd reached Hogwarts it would most likely be murky and crisp, so it shouldn't be much of a problem to change into.
Her little brother was, as she'd call it, shitting himself. But he was also excited, no doubt. He'd always watched the train take off, desperately wanting to be on it - and now he would be. Still, he was joining a new school. It would be scary, and Kaya understood how he felt. Plus, her mum had reminded her at least twenty times that day to look out for him, to which she replied,
"Of course I will,"
Luckily for Alfie, he had Jeremy. Some first years were starting with no friends at all, and so Alfie and Jeremy could be doing a lot worse. Not to mention they both had four sixth years looking out for them.
The first one out of her friends that Kaya spotted was Milo, his blue polo shirt hung over baggy combat shorts. Kaya greeted him by sneaking up behind him and ruffling his hair. The blonde turned around with a confused expression, but his face lit up as soon as he realised it was his best friend.
"Hiya!" he said, giving her a hug. "How's you?"
"Knackered," she replied. "Had to actually get up early,"
"We've just had six weeks off, lazy sod,"
The two were soon interrupted by another boy - undoubtedly the loudest person they'd ever met.
"Oi! Oi! Alright you pair of pricks?" said Jaeden.
"Awe little Jae-bae!" Milo mocked, referring to a nickname Jaeden's mother had given him. Jaeden whacked him on the back of the head.
"Hiya, you seen Mais?" Kaya asked. "I need another girl. I haven't had female company from people my age in ages, I've just been surrounded by boys-"
"Thought you only went to Diagon Alley with Jaeden?" Milo frowned.
"Well, yeah, I did," Kaya said, before shooting a glare at Jaeden who smirked.
"Ooh, Milo, do I have something to tell you!"
"Huh?"
"It involves a specific ginger-"
"Jaeden, shut your trap you little sod,"
Milo looked as confused as ever.
"I'll tell you later," Jaeden mouthed to him.
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The group couldn't find Maisie, and so decided to board the train and grab themselves a compartment before they all got full. They said goodbye to their parents, and Kaya and Jaeden told their little brothers to find them if they needed anything, though they were confident the two boys would be fine.
Kaya wasn't surprised to see the train already bustling with excited students rushing around, enthusiastic to see either their friends or just to be back in general. Many first years were scampering around the train corridor, 'hyper as fuck' was how Jaeden described them, as they pushed their way through. Kaya was more embarrassed about the fact that one of them was nearly as tall as her.
Maisie turned out to be smarter than the rest of the group (although that wasn't too much of a surprise) and had managed to secure a compartment near the back of the train, just not too far - but enough that they'd be rid of all the first years (hopefully, anyway) and they still weren't too far from the front or middle so they could go and see others if they wanted to. Mainly, they didn't want to be waiting to long for the sweet lady to push her trolley all the way to the back.
"Maisie, my bitch!" Kaya greeted, giving the girl a hug.
"Well done Mais, this compartments banging," said Milo.
"Yeah, better than that shit-tip we had last year," Jaeden added. The group hadn't been so lucky last year and ended up with around ten first years back and forth, mainly just being excited and not really knowing what to do with themselves. There were also people walking by trying to find their friends, overall it had just been pretty hectic throughout the hole journey.
"I only saved it so you couldn't pick a shit one, Jae," Maisie said, before turning to Kaya and Milo. "I thought you two wouldn't be here yet?"
The two frowned.
"Huh?"
The red-head sighed, looking them up and down. "Do you not remember the fact that you were picked to be prefects last year?"
"Fuck!" Kaya said. "I actually completely forgot. Shit, we've got to go to one of the meetings in that carriage. Ugh, why couldn't Cedric have told me, I literally saw him as I walked through,"
"Bollocks, I forgot about the meetings," said Milo. "I thought we were just supposed to patrol the corridors,"
Kaya and Milo had somehow become prefects. Milo had always wanted to be Head Boy, so he thought prefect would be a good start. He liked having that sort of responsibility. Kaya adored having the prefect's bathroom.
"Please don't be long," Maisie said. "Jaeden's gonna annoy the shit out of me,"
"What?!"
"As if I want to be there for long," Kaya said. "I'm only going for the password to that lush bathroom,"
"Tell me it when you get back!"
"Will do!"
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"As predicted, that was shit," said Kaya, as she and Milo walked back from the meeting. She'd openly admit she wasn't that interested in being a prefect. Like she said before, she was purely in it for the bathroom. Maybe she liked having a little bit of responsibility, but it wasn't really that important to her. At least she could take off house points and give detentions. That was a nice advantage.
"Honestly don't understand why we had to go," said Milo. "Same shit, different year."
"I just hope Maisie hasn't punched Jaeden, yet," Kaya said. "I know I would,"
Milo laughed. The two passed many compartments that had people crammed into, many turning to look and have a nosey at who was passing. Kaya couldn't be bothered to see whoever was looking. She was just hoping to get back before the sweet lady got to their door.
She did, however, see a glimpse of two red-headed twins walking into a separate compartment a few doors down from her own. One of them caught her eye and winked. She chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"What?" said Milo with a frown, looking around to see why the girl was laughing.
"Oh, nothing," said Kaya, ruffling his blonde hair before looking through the glass and seeing Jaeden and Maisie in what looked like an extremely deep conversation.
"Hola!" Kaya said, sliding the door open and collapsing next to Maisie.
"Speak of the devil," Jaeden muttered.
"How was it?" Maisie asked. "What's the password?"
"Pine fresh," Kaya said. She'd always given her best friend the password so she too could use the nicest bathroom in the school.
"Ooh, I cant wait to have a bath in there again," Maisie said with a smile, closing her eyes and huddling into her seat even more. She suddenly opened them again before sitting forward and turning her head at Kaya. "Anyway, what's all this with you and Fred Weasley that you haven't bothered telling me about?"
"What?" Kaya made a face, before catching a smirking Jaeden's eye. "Oh- you knob, we both know it was a joke."
"I don't know, Kaya. Was it?"
"Yes, it was."
"Hold on," said Milo, wearing a confused expression. "Back up, what's going on? What's happened?"
"Nothing!" said Kaya.
"Fred Weasley was flirting with Kaya the other day when we were at Diagon Alley," Jaeden said. Milo raised his eyebrows and turned to Kaya.
"Did he?"
"Yeah!" Jaeden said.
"No!" said Kaya. "Like... he wasn't being serious. Just pissing around, probably because I was the only girl."
"Nah, if he was joking, he wouldn't have called you fit at the World Cup, remember? And you weren't the only girl then." said Maisie. Kaya shook her head and scrunched her face up.
"No," Kaya. "No! He's just pissing around, all boys do it, don't they Milo? Just banter."
"If you say so," said Jaeden. "I don't think it was just banter though. Especially after me and George were looking at Cauldrons and you two snuck into one of the cupboards,"
Maisie's mouth dropped open.
"Really?!"
Kaya laughed. "Billy bullshitter!" she called Jaeden, giving him a kick in the leg. "We didn't even go shopping with them, they just chatted for a bit when we were at Florean Fortescue's."
"Alright, yeah, I'll admit that one was a lie."
"Literally obsessed with me," Kaya told him, pulling a face which he reflected back.
Thankfully, the conversation was interrupted by the trolley lady selling sweets. Kaya had never been so grateful to see an old lady pushing a trolley and jumped up to buy a chocolate frog, Milo getting him and Jaeden some Every Flavour Beans.
After the hassle of getting their snacks, the group began talking about something else, forgetting what the conversation had been about before. Kaya couldn't have been more glad.
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The Great Hall was filled with students, now dressed in their robes, a cacophonous rumble of voices echoing off the walls. A golden gleam from the many candles reflected off the tables, and everyone was waiting for the entrance of the new first years.
The group had split into their houses - Milo to Gryffindor, Jaeden to Slytherin and Maisie and Kaya both to Hufflepuff. Kaya had never been so excited to see a Sorting Ceremony, and she and Maisie were both eager to see which house Alfie and Jeremy would be sorted into. They both could see their best friends from the separate tables just as thrilled.
Finally, the group of small children walked through, lead by Professor McGonagall.
"Awe," Maisie said. "They're so small, bless them,"
"Reckon they get smaller every year," A boy with brown hair sat next to Maisie joked.
"Shut up Cedric, just because you're, like, seven foot," Kaya made a face. The girls only really knew Cedric from the fact that he was in the same house as them. That and he and Kaya were both on the Quidditch team, so they were quite good friends.
Cedric laughed at Kaya's comment.
"There they are, K," Maisie said, nudging her friend after spotting the two boys they'd been looking for. "In the middle, behind the blonde girl with pigtails,"
Alfie caught Kaya's eye and gave her a smile. He was definitely more confident than she'd been. Fair play Alf, she thought. Jeremy was trying to understand something Jaeden was mouthing to him from across the room, but obviously couldn't understand. It was definitely most likely to be a really bad joke only people like Jaeden and Kaya would find funny, anyway.
The Sorting Hat began his annual sing, and many of the first years were suddenly taken aback. Alfie turned around and gave Kaya a look that said 'Why though?'. Kaya sniggered.
"When I call your name, you will come forth, sit on the stool, and place the Sorting Hat on your head," said McGonagall, clearly glad the song was over for another year. Many heads nodded in response. Maisie 'awed' again.
"When the hat announces your house, you will go and sit at the appropriate table. Ackerley, Stewart!"
Soon after many eleven year olds were assigned to their houses. Kaya was beginning to get bored of watching random strangers getting sorted. Of course, she'd clap enthusiastically for each lucky student sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Ezra, Jeremy!"
"Haha, go on Jer!" Kaya laughed, watching the boy who practically looked like a mini Jaeden stumble to go and sit on the chair. Jeremy kept his eyes on Alfie, because if he looked anywhere else, all he'd see is a bunch of older kids staring at him. Kaya remembered the sickening feeling.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Ooh," Kaya said, raising her eyebrows and looking to see Jaeden's reaction. The boy was probably the most enthusiastic Slytherin on his table, the others either doing nothing or giving small claps to be polite. He even whooped for his brother a few times. Milo whistled through his fingers and Jeremy grinned, before rushing off to the Gryffindor table.
"I called it," said Maisie. "I reckon Alfie'll either be Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, too."
"He's definitely a Gryffindor," said Kaya. "Without a doubt,"
"I'd laugh if he wasn't," said Maisie. "Given you've been saying this since first year,"
"Just you wait,"
Two more students were allocated to Hufflepuff, and the girls both gave very vigorous cheers for each.
"Bennett, Alfie!"
Alfie probably couldn't have rushed to the stool any quicker, almost snatching the hat and stuffing it on the top of his dark brown hair. Everyone had always said that Alfie's hair could be black in certain lighting.
"Gryffindor," Kaya muttered to Maisie and Cedric. The hat didn't hesitate, either.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Alfie grinned at his sister who stood up with Maisie and cheered.
"Go on Alf!" she shouted. A few people laughed at his over-enthusiastic sister. Kaya and Maisie were loving it. Milo was visibly over the moon that he'd got both of the little brothers in his house.
"And the best sister of the year award goes to..?" Kaya said, before pointing to herself.
"Good thing they weren't Ravenclaw, imagine that?" said Maisie. "The only house where they wouldn't have one of us to look after them."
"They're both too thick to be in Ravenclaw, let's be honest,"
"You're not wrong. I'm just glad they're together."
Finally, after every first year had been sorted, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, the vibration of chatter immediately dying down.
"I have only two words to say," he spoke. "T-"
"-Tuck in," Kaya, Maisie and Cedric all spoke in sync with him.
And suddenly, all kinds of food such ac bowls of chicken, carrots and roast potatoes were immediately being passed around, everyone gladly stuffing their faces with a perfect roast dinner.
"Imagine," said Maisie. "If one year we came here and like all this muggle food appeared. You know like takeaway food - pizza, burgers, the lot."
"Think the prejudice Slytherin's would have a fit," Kaya joked through a mouth full of carrots.
"Would that be too bad?" Cedric added. The three chuckled.
"Ced, can you pass me four Yorkshire puddings?" Kaya asked, pointing to the bowl just too far for her to reach.
"What four?" he frowned. Kaya shrugged.
"I could literally live on Yorkshire puddings," she said. Cedric grinned, shaking his head and laughing.
"Honestly, I just can't wait to go to bed, now," said Maisie.
But they had no idea of the announcement Dumbledore was yet to make.