#sharpuary 2024

“I told you, I’m not going to play a matchmaker for you and Ashley,” his voice was annoyed, and he cringed internally when it cracked upon saying his best friend’s name. Bloody puberty, he couldn’t wait for it to be over. Well, it could be worse, he supposed - unlike many of his classmates, he did not suffer from nasty acne breakouts; there was a pimple or two every now and then, but that was as bad as it got. “Why are you even asking this of me?” he questioned, suddenly stopping and making the shorter boy nearly collide with his back.

Once Bramblethorn caught his breath, he craned his head to look at the Slytherin: “Well, because you’re her best friend, aren’t you? Who better to ask her than you? Mind, she is kind of friendly with my sister, but once I asked Marianne to introduce me, or at least tell me some things Ash likes, she told me to mind my own business and quit pestering her.” Aesop huffed: “And so will I; Bramblethorn, mind your business and quit pestering me.” The tall boy turned to leave, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He shook it off, but turned back towards his classmate nevertheless.

“Please! If you do this for me, I’ll make sure you don’t regret it! You know Miss Scribner, right?” The black haired lad inquired, prompting Aesop to huff again: “How in Merlin’s name would I not know the junior librarian at Hogwarts? Bloody everyone goes to the Library! Well, perhaps save a few Gryffindors…”

“She’s my aunt!” replied Bramblethorn, not taking the Slytherin’s snarky bait. Aesop made a move with his hand that clearly said ‘So?’. “And you want to become an Auror, right? If you help me, I might be able to get Aunt Agnes to let you into the Restricted section, where you can learn about and study potions and spells that they don’t teach until later or even not at all. You’d have an advantage over everyone else!” 

Sharp actually considered the offer. Of course, it would not be his first time going to the Restricted section. He and Ashley managed to access the alluringly forbidden part of the Library on several occasions with the use of the Disillusionment charm, but having to evade the librarian and his apprentice, as well as the various ghost and the menace that was Peeves the poltergeist, there was never quite enough time to properly peruse the collection of various tomes deemed too dangerous in inexperienced wizard’s or witch's hands.

Having an actual permission to access this knowledge at his own leisure sounded like a very appealing idea. He sighed: “Look. I can’t promise you anything. I can tell her that you’d like to get to know her better, maybe invite her out on a Hogsmeade weekend, but that’s about as much as I can do. Can’t exactly force her to actually go out with you.” Bramblethorn gave him a wide grin: That is all that I ask for, really! Just please talk to her, and I promise I’ll get my aunt to see that you’re truly a future Auror wanting to study in advance, and that you won't use any of the books to become a dark wizard, or something. So - deal?”

They shook hands, and then Aesop was on his way to the Library again, the Gryffindor having left him alone finally. While at the library, the Fifth-year picked up one of the Potion books, casting a curious eye at the junior librarian. Now that he thought about it, there perhaps was a little bit of familial resemblance, but he had to squint his eyes quite a bit. Finally, he just shrugged his shoulders and headed up the spiral staircase to go to his favourite spot to study. It was at the far front, nicely hidden away and private, so he could calmly delve into his books in peace.

However, as he rounded the tall bookcase sheltering his little place from view, he suddenly froze on the spot. Not only was his spot already occupied, but he knew both people occupying it, one more than the other. Well, said persons were currently engaged in a very passionate snogging session, and the lad felt himself go red. “W-what the hell?!” he finally said, his voice once more cracking. He did not care that it did right now, definitely not when, with two loud squeaks, he was suddenly looking at the faces of no other than Ashley Montgomery and Marianne Bramblethorn. 

The girls soon turned as red as he was, and scrambled to get away from each other. All parties were quiet for several seconds, but then Marianne began quickly gathering her things. “A-alright, thank you for the-… the tutoring, Ash, I really feel like I’m beginning to get a grasp on the vanishing spell,” Bramblethorn stuttered, “I, um, I’ll see you around!” And with that, she was gone, running away from the two friends as fast as her feet could take her.

“Uh… so um…” Ashley said eloquently. “What the bloody hell was that about?” Aesop questioned, still looking after the black-haired girl. “Uh, well, you know…” the Hufflepuff started explaining, “she’s… nice. And pretty. And she smells good. And she’s a good kisser… Why, do you have a problem with it?” she sounded defensive all of a sudden. “Of course I bloody don’t,” Aesop replied immediately, finally looking at his oldest friend, “I just… I didn’t know, alright? It’s a bit of a shock to me, that’s all… Although, it does explain a few things.”

Ashley lifted her eyebrows at him curiously, and motioned for him to go on. “Well, firstly why your dad doesn’t have a problem with me staying over at yours during the summer. He knows it, I take it?” Aesop sat down into a chair opposite of the blonde girl. “Yeah,” she confirmed, “we talked about it when he explained, you know, sex and stuff to me. It was very awkward. I told him I thought I actually liked girls, and he said that he kind of knew I would. Dunno how, but I trust him.”

The two friends sat in silence for several minutes, Aesop toying with the book in his hands. Finally, he started chuckling quietly. “Shall you share with the class what’s so funny, Mr Sharp?” Ashley teased in an overly posh voice, imitating their DADA teacher. “Oh, nothing just… Matthew Bramblethorn is going to be completely gobsmacked. You see, he asked me to introduce him to you. And here you are, snogging his sister senseless in the Library. I don’t think he’ll get me the Restricted section pass now…”

Ashley made a mock-offended face: “Aesop Theodore Sharp, how could you! You would sell me for a Restricted section pass?!” Aesop rolled his eyes: “Of course I bloody wouldn’t. I just promised him to talk to you about him, nothing more, nothing less.” “To be honest, I would’ve agreed to that deal too, if it was me,” Ash shrugged her shoulders with a mischievous grin, “but for what it’s worth, you can tell him you did talk to me about it, and I, most gracefully and kindly, declined, as I wish to focus mainly on my studies while I’m staying within these ancient walls.”

“With your tongue down his sister’s throat,” Aesop finished flatly. Ashley closed her eyes and nodded: “With my tongue down his sister's throat.”

They laughed together shortly. “Still, maybe he’ll be grateful enough to get you that pass.. Or we could just sneak in on our own again. We’ll make a plan, ensure Peeves is off terrorising someone else, then maybe pinch a few books to be able to study them in our free time, and then return them back,” Ashley offered then, her eyes mischievous and filled with challenge. Aesop couldn’t help but reply in kind: “That sounds way more fun, to be honest.”

Thank you for reading! ❤ Smutty one tomorrow 😈

However, he had to admit that he wasn’t exactly opposed to his mother treating him to an ice cream and hot chocolate in this neat little sweets shop before he was to depart, and once he actually did step on the train, he knew what his mother meant by saying that ‘he should experience the first train ride’. His stomach was all jittery, and pure excitement pumped through his veins as he slowly walked through the train and looked into the many compartments in search of a very special person - his best friend Ashley. He didn’t see her on the platform or boarding the train, which brought him a bit of panic, but his mother calmed him down by saying that seeing as there were hundreds of students boarding, each one having at least one parent around, finding one person among the moving crowd was next to impossible.

So, his trunk loaded, he wandered the corridor on his own until he finally spotted the very familiar shock of long blonde hair. Only, she wasn’t alone. He shyly opened the compartment door and peeked inside. His friend immediately noticed him and stood up to envelop him in a big hug, making the already blushing Aesop’s cheeks redden further. The other occupant of the compartment gave a chuckle. “See, I was right in keeping you here, he said in a jovial voice, “there’d be no point in both of you roaming the train and constantly missing each other, when your friend here proved that he would indeed actively seek you out.”

Aesop fidgeted with his hands, as was his habit when he was feeling bashful when Ash finally let him go. “Aesop, this is Abraham Ronen,” she said happily, “I wanted to go find you, but he told me it’s smarter for me to stay in case you walked by. And he was right!” Abraham extended his considerably larger hand towards the 11 year old boy, who first looked at it with mild apprehension, but then did reach out his own to shake. 

“Now,” Abraham said after the two younger students sat down, “you two needn't worry, I shan’t bore you the entire way to Hogwarts - I’ll have to meet with the prefects in a while, and will most likely only join you again shortly before we arrive at Hogsmeade station.” Ashley’s eyes lit up with curiosity: “Ooh, you’re a prefect?” Abraham’s face once more stretched in a large smile. Aesop didn’t know why, but the older boy’s presence was strangely calming, friendly and warm. Despite his initial shyness, he had to admit he already felt safe with him.

“That I am! Or, that is, I was,” the older boy said and fished in his pocket for something. He pulled out a small green pin badge upon which stood out in silver letters ‘HEAD BOY’. The two young students marvelled at the badge. 

“As you can see, I am a Head Boy now, so I can make sure you two and your classmates receive the proper care from your prefects, regardless of the house you’ll end up in. Given that I still have a few minutes to spare, why don’t you humour me and  tell me a bit about yourself? Which house do you think you will be in, which house you’d like to be in, maybe something about your family while you’re at it?”

And so Aesop and Ashley talked, sharing their views on the houses as well as their backgrounds. Abraham smiled sadly when they revealed they both came from families with a missing parent. Then however came the time for Abraham to depart for his meeting and he prepared to leave the compartment: “When I come back, we could perhaps play a little game, what do you two say? Probably best not to chance playing Gobstones here but I’m certain we’ll figure something out. Just know that you’re never truly alone in Hogwarts - while the prefects can be something of a bore oftentimes, and the professors can be quite annoying with their insistence upon favouring studies over fun, I promise each and every one of us is looking out for you, and we want you to be happy and thriving at the castle.”

And with that and a little wink, he was gone.

So the two friends, now on their own, swiftly changed into their uniforms and chatted quietly among themselves, looking out of the window at the landscape changing before their eyes. They were only interrupted once, by a sweet looking middle aged woman pushing a tray of frankly mouth-watering sweets before her. Neither of them being able to resist, they put the pocket money from their parents together, and got a nice little mix of the offered confections. With each minute, their anticipation was rising, and so did their nervousness, and by the time the sun dipped below the horizon and it started getting dark, both were positively buzzing where they sat. Abraham came back, and indeed played a little game of exploding snap with them, this time speaking about himself, his father, and his belief that fun and studies go hand in hand.

And then, when he bid them goodbye and good luck as they boarded off the train, they gave each other one more look and gulped. They were to follow a man with a large lantern, who Abraham told them was the gatekeeper, while their older classmates walked off into another direction entirely, led by the prefects. The Head Boy was unwilling to reveal to them how they’d be getting to the castle, as did their parents and all other wizards and witches they knew, so Aesop and Ashley were very much in the dark.

However, as they emerged from the path along some thick trees and onto a large bank, Aesop instantly knew why everyone was being so secretive.

He originally thought that he’d be feeling absolutely normal when he finally saw more of Hogwarts than the upper towers, but the opposite was actually true. When he finally saw the huge castle in all of its grandeur, his heart first skipped a beat and then began beating hard and fast. A chill ran through him that had nothing to do with the cool evening air, and he felt a smile spreading on his awestruck face.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. The castle wasn’t even huge, it was completely humongous! Gargantuan! It stood strong above the dark murky waters upon a hill, proud and majestic, the upper towers he remembered seeing so many times in his life looked as if they were actively attempting to touch the stars up above. “Do you too have gooseflesh? Because I absolutely have gooseflesh,” Ashley whispered into his ear, and Aesop wasn’t even able to reply verbally, merely slowly nodding his head, still mesmerised by the sight.

As per the gatekeeper's instructions, they boarded the small boats that were waiting for them at a little pier in groups of four, and the boats set sail as soon as the last student from each group settled upon it. Aesop was once more mesmerised by the lights from the castle reflecting on the dark water. But then -

A shriek cut through the cool air.

“Hush now, lass!” the gatekeeper called over his shoulder at the source of the scream. It was a slight ginger girl, who was shaking and pointing somewhere on Aesop’s left. The lad turned his head, and only just managed to catch a glimpse of it with his own eyes: a dark tentacle disappearing beneath the water’s surface. “That is the Giant squid,” the gatekeeper called, his voice completely calm as if there wasn’t a monster of leviathan proportions swimming below them. “There is no need to fear it - it has lived here for hundreds of years, and will hopefully keep living here for hundreds more, as not only does it not harm students, it’s been known to actually engage in play with them. So please, no screaming and shrieking.”

Aesop’s heart still missed a beat when another tentacle shot through the water. One more thing he’ll need to get used to.

While he kept his eyes trained on the squid, he didn’t immediately notice the wall covered by ivy before them, and when he finally did, he was certain they were going to crash into it. Except they didn’t, as there was no wall. Instead, the boats effortlessly glided into what appeared a sort of underground harbour, where they all climbed out of the dinghies. They followed the gatekeeper once more, up the stairs and into some sort of courtyard. He instructed them to form a line, and enter the castle through huge double doors. He too bidded them all good luck, and departed shortly.

Their queue most likely wasn’t as organised as the gatekeeper would’ve liked, but still they did make their way inside. Another man already waited for them there, looking down at them from the top of more stairs. He appeared old, but by no means frail, and he was dressed in very fine dark purple garments.

“Welcome, first years,” he spoke, voice both authoritative and soft, “I see all of you survived your journey here in one piece. Today, you’ll be joining your classmates in their studies here at Hogwarts, and you’ll be doing so sorted into four houses. Gryffindor values those of a brave, adventurous and chivalrous heart. Hufflepuff will be most appealing to those who work hard and are able to execute patience, as well as loyalty to their friends. Those with a sharp mind, creative soul, and those seeking knowledge will find their place in Ravenclaw. And finally, wizards and witches able to survive all kinds of situations using their resourcefulness, cunningness, and ambition shall be right at home in Slytherin. 

“As a way to motivate you to reach your greatest potential, as well as uphold the high standard of Hogwarts students, you will be rewarded points for your successes. However, should you misbehave, or fail to attend to your duties as students, points will be taken from you, and therefore your whole house. In just a few short moments, we shall enter the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your respective houses. Let us make this queue a bit neater then, shall we?”

Some shuffling and moving later, the bunch of eleven year olds stood ready in rows of four, and the door in front of them opened, revealing another already opening door. They walked slowly, led by the wizard in purple robes. Aesop sensed Ashley trembling slightly next to him, so he did the only thing he thought of - he took a hold of her hand. It was warm and clammy, but Aesop didn’t mind, as his presence and touch seemed to help put the girl more at ease. This innocent childish action of comfort was well hidden by the students both in front of and behind them.

His mouth went dry, and his heart started beating wildly again when they walked through the last door, and found themselves standing in a giant room, which seemingly had no ceiling. Aesop stared above himself with a slightly opened mouth, the night sky above them littered with a million stars. Below the sky, thousands of levitating candles burned bright, just like the stars did. They were walking between four gigantic tables, all of them hosting dozens upon dozens upon dozens of students, and Aesop felt uncomfortably exposed despite being nestled safely in the middle rows of the group with Ashley. In front of them another large table stood, this one nearly horizontal to the student tables, and many adult wizards and witches sat there. His professors for the following seven years, Aesop realised.

In the centre stood a lectern in the shape of a majestic golden owl, and finally, in front of it, a simple wooden stool with a shabby, old looking hat sitting atop it. There were several moments of silence, but then Aesop’s eyes opened wide as the hat began moving. A hole opened at one side of it, and… was it singing? Indeed it was! The hat started singing, the hole in it appearing to move like a mouth would. It sang of the four houses and then of Hogwarts as a whole. It was rather strange, Aesop thought.

“I shall now call out your names alphabetically. The one I call shall come up here and take a seat on the stool, after which I’ll put the Sorting hat upon your head,” the purple clad wizard said once the hat finished its song. Aesop squeezed Ashley’s hand.

One by one, their group was becoming smaller and smaller, and Aesop had to let go of Ashley once her name was called. She walked towards the stool tensely, and gave a little jerk a second or two after the hat was placed upon her golden head. It took about fifteen seconds, but finally the hat cried loudly: “Hufflepuff!”

The Hufflepuff table broke into applause, and Ashley jumped from the stool as if a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. She gave Aesop a brilliant grin before literally skipping towards her house table. It was then Aesop remembered her mother had been a Hufflepuff as well. Aesop swallowed. 

His father didn’t attend Hogwarts, he was a muggle. And though Aesop was very young when Theodore Sharp died, Aesop was certain his father would’ve been a Hufflepuff too - hard working, patient and loyal. Or would he have been a Gryffindor? Brave and chivalrous? His mother was a Slytherin, but only just so - she told him she was almost a Ravenclaw. Back then, she didn’t tell Aesop how the sorting worked. Which was perhaps for the best; he wasn’t sure if he’d believe her had she told him the sorting was done by a shabby old hat.

Aesop considered which house he’d like to be in. And he still hasn’t decided when his name was called. His hands were now clammy too as he made his way towards the stool and sat down on it.

He soon understood why Ashley jumped upon having the Hat sat on her head.

“Let’s see what we’ve got here, hm…” came a voice from somewhere, and Aesop soon realised that somewhere was his own head. “You’re brave enough, that’s for certain, and you are thirsty for knowledge as well… Above all else, however, I can sense that you want to prove yourself. You want to prove that Aesop Sharp won’t ever back down from a challenge, and I can sense you’ve enough resourcefulness to ensure you shall succeed. I could see you performing brilliantly in whichever house I could sort you into, but I can only see you thriving in one - “

Suddenly, the voice left his head and started coming from atop it: “Better be - Slytherin!”

The Hat was lifted and he stood up again. The students sitting at the right side of the room were clapping and beckoning him closer. He gazed to the left, immediately catching Ashley’s eyes. She was still smiling, and clapping as well. He returned her smile, and began making his way to his new housemates.

A pair of sparkling eyes captured his own next. Abraham was smiling brightly, patting the spot next to him. “I knew it since I first saw you - you’re one of our own, young Aesop.” 

The eleven year old grinned at the older boy - better be Slytherin indeed.

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a/n while adult sharp is completely irresistable to women with his handsome face and roguish personality, little sharp is completely irresistable mainly to older witches who want to pich those adorable rosy cheeks 🤭

Thank you for reading! ❤