THE FOOL. βhow soon is now?β
september 1, 1992. 7:30 am.
the embrace of new beginnings.
when my alarm went off, i couldnβt tell what i was feeling. nervousness? excitement? i came to the conclusion it was both. although this was not my first year of wizarding education, it would be my first at hogwarts. but after spending the summer in england, and hearing endless talk from seraphina about her first year, iβd like to think i had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
after getting out of bed to stop myself from spiraling, i finished packing. my uncle gave me my wand back. pine wood, 10 3/4β, dragon heartstring. after being βgroundedβ from magic all summer, it felt like i grew back a limb.
we got on the train at 11:00. seraphina left me immediately for her friends. i canβt say that any part of me was surprised, but it left me in the very uncomfortable position of opening rooms and hoping for an open seat. after several uneasy hellos, asking crying first-years if i could sit, and walking in on a few reunited couples doing more than anyone ever should in public, i finally found a seat near the end of the train.
the two boys in this one seemed a little more put together than some of the others i had stumbled into. i assumed they were going into at least their second-year like me, which was correct.
they introduced themselves to me. oliver white and theo raeken. oliver was interesting, a bit quiet but not closed off. he was funny, and maybe a little strange. told me he was in ravenclaw. theo on the other hand, he was much more talkative. charming, i suppose. he seemed like someone i could be friends with. he had an american accent, which i never thought i would say was comforting after being the only one for quite a while. he was in slytherin. we talked the whole train ride, exchanged childhood stories and gossip. they gave me the real information: where all the best spots in the castle were, which professors to get on the good side of, etc.
arriving at the castle, i stood in line for the sorting ceremony. when the hat was placed on my head, it hesitated.
βoh,β it said, in that strange, slow voice that felt like it echoed directly inside my skull. βwell, this is interesting. a mind like yours doesnβt come around too often.β
i didnβt say anything. i didnβt know if i was supposed to.
βthereβs ambition, resourcefulness. you are calculating, but far from cold. very loyal, yes, but only on your terms.. you let your actions speak where your words would only give you away.β
βmany traits of slytherin, but i believe youβd do well in gryffindor,β it said. βthat boldness to act, the kind that got you out of your last schoolβthere, it could burn bright.β
i felt my stomach twist. i knew the hat was right. gryffindors did have that bravery i was always trying to embody but never could. maybe there, i could make the name for myself i had always wanted to. but something wasnβt right about it. not to mention, i had already caused enough drama in my familyβthe last thing they needed was a son in the house they were less than fond of.
βhm,β the hat said, quieter now. βbut thereβs something else here, isnβt there? a path you already feel tugging at you.β
i blinked out toward the great hall, still waiting for an answer. however, not that i could see anything. why was this thing so big anyway.
then, with a tone that seemed both amused and certain, it shouted, βvery well β slytherin!β
the hat was pulled from my head, and i exhaled a breath i felt iβd been holding in since stepping off the train.
i slid into a seat between theo and a few of his friends. his hand accidentally brushed mine under the table. i pretended i didnβt notice it maybe more than i should have. i recognized almost all of the people sitting with us from whatever pureblood events my parents used to drag me to. seeing them here feltβ¦ weird. like my past and present were being crammed into one table. their names were barty, evan, and dorcas, all in my year. later, one first-year also joined us named regulus.
after eating way too much food, i made my way to the dormitories. my uncle bruce had told me plenty about his old dorm. i knew slytherin resided below hogwarts, under the black lake. he had described it as dark and cold, but still beautiful. he was right. the windows looked straight into the water, casting a greenish glow over everything. the stone walls were rough and a little damp, but the place felt solid.
i was the first to make it into my dorm, so i got first choice of the beds. i was surprised to see there was only three in this room, but happy to have a little more space than most. i chose the bed in the furthest corner, in front of a window. my roommates arrived shortly after i began unpacking. everett vance and wyatt yaxley. they were polar opposites, but from the look they exchanged when they walked in, i could already tell theyβd been friends for a while.
it was funny, how quickly it all began to feel like something real. for now, i think i am ready for the next six years.
