Teal, Astrid, Jenson and Hermione stepped off of the Hogwarts Express, and for a moment they were almost lost in the crowd of students. Teal thought it looked bigger than last year, but there was no way to really be sure, he supposed. There was no way he could count all of the students. Not at the moment, anyways.
“Hagrid!” Teal yelled excitedly, waving as he saw the half-giant towering over all the students in their black robes. Hagrid lifted one massive hand and waved back. Teal had only gotten to spend a very small amount of time with him last semester, on the day that his godmother had come to visit for Christmas, but Teal had liked the large man a lot, as well as his dog.
Last year Hagrid had been the one to escort them to the school, across the lake, but as they were no longer first years, the three friends were to reach the school by means of a different route from this year on. They shuffled through the crowded station and finally out through a narrow doorway to the road just outside. Teal led the way, as he was the only one of the four who could actually see where they were going.
“Oh, cool,” Jenson said as they stepped out into the darkening night and laid eyes on the numerous coaches for the first time.
“What are those?!” Astrid half-screamed, looking slightly terrified.
“I think they’re called carriages,” Teal replied without certainty.
“What? No, not those! The things pulling them!” Astrid lifted her hand and pointed one tiny finger at the front of one of the coaches, but neither of the boys saw anything there.
“There isn’t anything pulling them...” Jenson said, slightly worried about Astrid’s state of mind. The other students continued to move past them, none of them seeming to see what Astrid was seeing either, and made their way into the coaches in small groups. Hermione, who had gotten held up for a moment in the sea of students, finally caught up with the three friends and decided to join the conversation.
“There’s nothing pulling the coaches, Astrid,” she said matter-of-factly, as she did most things. “They’re simply enchanted to move on their own. You might want to go have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Astrid replied sarcastically. “But, seriously. I’ve never seen one of those before.”
“I still haven’t,” Teal retorted, squinting his eyes to see if that would make a difference.
“Wha- are you guys serious right now? None of you can see them?!”
“There’s nothing there. You’re definitely losing your mind,” Hermione replied. Already tired of waiting, she left the three friends and hopped onto the closest coach with three other Ravenclaw girls.
“No, there’s definitely things pulling them!” Astrid yelled after her. She seemed to be getting frustrated now, not at Jenson and Teal, but at Hermione and the fact that the Ravenclaw girl may actually be right.
“What do they look like?” Jenson asked.
“Like... I don’t know. Some kind of zombie horse things.”
“What’s a zombie?” Teal asked, turning to look at her.
Astrid promptly closed her eyes and lifted her arms into the air, palms facing out like she was holding up a force field. “This is too much...”
As Jenson began to answer Teal’s question, the three of them moved to the closest coach as it pulled up and piled inside. They were joined by one Neville Longbottom, who seemed to have no one else he’d rather ride with. Astrid spent the whole trip to the castle staring at the empty space in front of the coach.
“Can that really happen?” Neville asked Jenson, having come into the explanation a little late.
“People coming back from the dead? I mean, zombies are just fictional, but... with magic, I don’t know. Astrid, is there a way to bring people back to life?”
“Uhuh,” Astrid replied, clearly not paying attention to the conversation in the slightest. She pulled a notebook out of what appeared to be thin air (Teal guessed it was in the pocket of her robes) and began to write rapidly. She was clearly determined to catalog and discover exactly what this invisible beast was.
Their coach finally pulled up to the stone steps which led to the giant oak doors they had entered through last year. This must have been faster than going by boat, Teal thought, as he remembered they had been the last ones to arrive last year. No sooner had they gotten out of the coach and inside of the school than a pie zoomed through the air and smacked Teal directly in the face. Astrid screamed as a glob of cream exploded into her hair, while Jenson barely managed to dodge a few bits on Teal’s other side. The pie slide off and onto the floor, leaving a thick layer of white cream on Teal’s face. A cackling laugh sounded as Peeves flew past them and through a wall, disappearing from sight.
“...lemon,” Teal remarked after his tongue had cleared the cream from around his mouth. Astrid and Jenson gave each other a pondering glance, then simultaneously lifted a finger, scooped some cream from Teal’s face and plopped it into their mouths. Neville didn’t say a word.
“That must be Mr. Andrews under that mask,” Professor McGonagall sighed as she hurried up to them, well prepared to clean up Peeve’s dirty work. “Scourgify,” she said, waving her wand, and the pie cream disappeared from both Teal’s face and Astrid’s hair. Teal shook his head reflexively, the spell having given him chills. “Now, you four hurry off. The sorting will be commencing soon.”
“Thanks,” Teal replied, still seeming a bit shell shocked, and as McGonagall left to see about other things, the three friends progressed towards the Great Hall with Neville on their heels. When they reached the dining area, they gave each other a small wave and split off to go sit at their designated tables. As he sat down, Teal found himself, once again, at a part that he hated, only this year it didn’t seem quite so bad.
It wasn’t very much longer before all four tables were relatively full and McGonagall came waltzing in, holding the Sorting Hat atop a stool and leading a line of frightened looking first years between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. Teal remembered that day very well. He had never been so nervous in his life. He was very glad to be on the other side now, already sorted and feeling somewhat at home in his house, even if Jenson and Astrid weren’t with him.
As the first years lined up in front of the staff table, McGonagall placed the stool down in the middle and took a step back as the Sorting Hat opened its ‘mouth’ and began to sing. Teal was very surprised to find that the song was not the same as last year’s.
The song finished and McGonagall began to call out the students' names, but Teal was too busy thinking about the Sorting Hat to pay much attention to them. I suppose it makes sense, he thought, that the Hat would have a new song this year. After all, what does he have to do for the entire year except to sit and think? He remembered the Hat saying last year that the four founders had enchanted him... her? It, to sort the students. He hadn’t realized before this year, though, that one of the four founders had left the school. Teal suddenly found himself feeling like Helga Hufflepuff, sad at the thought of he and his friends one day parting. Maybe things would work out better for them, though. Maybe that day would never come.
“Luna Lovegood,” McGonagall called. Teal looked up to see a small girl with hair so blond it was almost white walking over to the stool. She took a seat and McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on top of her head. “RAVENCLAW!” it shouted almost immediately, and the young girl hopped off of the stool and ambled over to Jenson’s table with a smile on her face.
Teal looked over from the young girl to where Jenson was sitting. He appeared to have his full attention on the sorting of the first years. Teal supposed it was a good thing to pay attention to. He would be spending the next six years with the students who got sorted into his house today, after all.
Teal looked from Jenson to Astrid then, who, like himself, was not paying attention to the ceremony at the moment, but instead giving a nasty look to someone across the room. Teal followed her glance to a mop of dark hair belonging to a boy with glasses. The same boy who had bothered her on the train. Harry something. Teal remembered him from Herbology last year as well. At any rate, he was staring back at Astrid happily, as if dreaming about her. It wasn’t until the Hat shouted the word “GRYFFINDOR!” that the boy turned his attention back to the front of the room. Teal did the same, looking in time to see a redheaded girl scurrying towards the Gryffindor table while her house cheered for her. Harry turned and punched the shoulder of a boy next to him with the same shade of bright red hair.
Once the sorting ceremony had finished, before the food appeared for their beginning-of-the-year feast, Dumbledore stood from his seat at the staff table to make a small speech.
“To those students joining us tonight for the first time, welcome. And to those returning to us, welcome back. First on tonight’s short list of announcements, first years should be aware, and everyone else reminded, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits, hence its name.
“For the second bit of business, as some of you may have noticed, Professor Quirrell is not with us tonight. There is no need to panic, as he is perfectly fine, but he is taking some time off this year to do a bit of world traveling and exploration. In his absence, we have somewhat of a celebrity who has agreed to take over Defense Against the Dark Arts for the time being. Gilderoy?”
As Dumbledore turned his attention to Professor Quirrell’s usual seat, (Teal had not noticed until now that he was missing) a man with a perfectly groomed head of shiny, blond hair arose and flashed an award-winning smile.
Gilderoy? Gilderoy Lockhart? The wizard that Astrid and her fathers had talked about? The wizard who wrote almost all of the books on their supply list this year? Well, this explains that, Teal thought.
“Thank you, Dumbledore. I would just like to say, children, that I am so glad you get the honor of having me as your teacher this year. I just know it’s going to do great things for you all. Not to mention, anyone in need of a signed photograph of me will be able to-”
“Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore interrupted. Lockhart took his seat slowly, attempting to hide the sour look on his face with another smile. “And lastly, tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will be taking place next week. Any students interested should report to the team captain of their House for further details. Now, as I am quite aware that you’ve all traveled a long distance today and some of you may be quite famished, I will not keep you waiting any longer. Enjoy!”
And with his final words, the empty dishes on all four tables were suddenly filled with food. A cheer arose amongst the students, a welcome surprise for all of the first years and equally welcome tradition for all the rest. Teal found himself much happier, indeed, than he had been on this day last year. He looked up at the enchanted ceiling, which now reminded him of the night before they’d gone to Diagon Alley. It was nice to think that, even divided by their houses, they were still sitting under the same sky.
When the feast was over the students made their way up to their respective common rooms, the first years led by the House prefects. Teal waited outside the Great Hall before going off to the Hufflepuff common room. He wanted to make sure he got to tell his two best friends goodnight.
When he finally did arrive at the common room it was filled with Hufflepuff students celebrating the start of the new year and embracing their old friends. As Teal did not have too many friends in his own House, however, he headed straight towards the boys’ dormitories instead. He wasn’t so tired that he needed to go to sleep yet, but he needed to check over all of his summer assignments before tomorrow, so this would give him ample time.
Teal pushed open the door to his room, noting that the three other names from last year were still present along with his own on the wall outside. Unsurprisingly, the room was empty of any of these three boys as he entered it. Teal plopped down onto his bed and then promptly retrieved Edgar from the inside pocket of his robe, where he had stayed for the last part of the train ride and all through dinner. Teal had learned last year that people weren’t very fond of Edgar being present during their meals.
The large tree frog hopped onto the bed and began to flop around, enjoying his freedom after the hour or two spent in such a small space. Teal crawled forward to the foot of his bed, where his trunk and other belongings had been placed, and opened it to retrieve his school work. He had only been reading over one of his essays for a few minutes when footsteps sounded outside and someone entered the room.
“Hey, Teal,” said Justin Finch-Fletchly as he made his way towards his own bed.
“Hi, Justin,” Teal smiled back. He didn’t really know the other Hufflepuff boy all that well, but he had always been nice to him, and that was more than Teal could say for some of the other students in their House.
“Justin, why’d you leave the party so early, mate?” Teal looked up to see the exact person who had just come to mind sticking his head into their room. Zacharias Smith. Teal immediately looked back down at his essay, not wanting to attract the blond’s attention, but it was already too late. “Oh, hey, homo!”
“My name is Teal,” Teal responded, not knowing who this ‘Homo’ person was that Zacharias had mistaken him for.
“Leave him alone, Zacharias,” Justin replied in an exhausted tone.
“Aw, is he your boyfriend? Is that why you left, so you could come spend some quality time together?”
“Don’t be such an ass,” Justin said, digging through his trunk.
“Whatever, you guys are no fun anyways.” And with that, the menace returned to his destination of choice.
“He’s really not that bad, ya know?” Justin said as he pulled out his pajamas and began to change.
Teal didn’t reply.
****************
The next morning at breakfast the owls delivered the morning mail as usual. Today, this consisted mostly of letters from parents telling their children about things they had left at home, or in the cases of smaller items, delivering them. Teal looked down the table as Professor Sprout made her way from one student to the next, handing out the schedules for the year.
“Hey, what classes do you have today?” Astrid asked excitedly, suddenly sitting beside him. Teal turned to look at her, surprised, and then it registered what she had just asked.
“I don’t have- wait... how did you get your schedule already?” he asked, seeing that Professor Snape was only halfway down the Slytherin table now.
“Oh, I asked Snape for my schedule last night,” she replied non-nonchalantly, looking over said paper.
“And he gave it to you?” Teal hadn’t taken Professor Snape for the kind of person who would do that. Then again, Snape didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would do anything in a fashion other than he wished to.
“Yeah. He just dug through some papers on his desk and said something about ‘if you would stop babbling’, and then gave it to me.”
“Wow...” Teal replied simply. A few seconds later Professor Sprout had reached him and she handed him his schedule with a bright smile. Teal smiled back in thanks, then laid his schedule out on the table in front of him. Astrid instantly began comparing their schedules.
“Ooh, we have Charms together at nine-fifteen!”
“Yeah,” Teal replied, his excitement nothing compared to Astrid’s. “I think that’s the only one we have together today, though.”
“It is...” Astrid confirmed glumly. “I’m gonna go see what Jenson has!” And she bounded off to find the Ravenclaw boy. Teal turned back to look at his schedule and smiled. His first class of the day didn’t start for over an hour. This would give him more than enough time to go down to the lake. Teal finished eating his breakfast rather hurriedly and then made his way out of the Great Hall and onto the Hogwarts grounds.
Taking off his robes, Teal hurried down to the edge of the lake. He removed Edgar and placed him atop his head as to keep from squashing or losing him. The sun was shining bright and it was still warm outside after the long summer. Teal folded his robes up in his arms and began to walk across the shoreline, keeping an eye out for the groove which he had almost forgotten the look of over the last few months. When he finally found it, he placed his robe down a few feet from the water, where the grass was less wet, and began to quickly remove his shoes. Then, looking around to make sure that no one was watching (everyone was probably still at breakfast or getting ready to head to class), he rolled up his pants legs and waded out into the water.
Careful to keep his clothes as dry as possible, Teal leaned over and lowered one hand gently into the water. His fingers explored the darkness below, barely visible even at this shallow a depth. After a few seconds, one of his fingers finally brushed something worm-like and slimy. He followed it down to the round body of the object and then smiled. His hand continued to feel around and as it did his smile grew even larger. Where there had been only one plant a few months ago, there were now four. The three newer ones were still growing, but that was the point. They were growing! Teal couldn’t have been happier in that moment... nor more distracted.
“Hey, Teal!” Teal whipped around to see who was calling his name, and though he had not wanted anyone to see him, he was slightly relieved to discover it to be Jenson. Teal stood up immediately and began heading back towards the grass.
“Um, hey, Jenson,” he replied, slightly nervous.
“What were you doing out there?” Jenson questioned.
“Um...” For a moment, Teal contemplated making something up, but he didn’t want to lie. Especially not to Jenson. Teal looked around again, as he had before stepping into the water, and then back to Jenson. “I... if I tell you... do you promise not to tell anyone?”
Jenson stared at him for a second, seeming to think that something might be wrong, and then finally nodded. “Of course.”
Teal’s chest began to feel a little lighter, as if it was easier to breath, and he waved Jenson over. The Ravenclaw boy moved somewhat cautiously towards Teal and came to a stop once he was less than a foot away. Teal took a deep breath and then began to whisper.
“Um... Well, for Christmas last year my godmother got me something I had really wanted. It’s a plant I read about in Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean in the library. Before Astrid got it for me. Anyways, it’s a plant called gillyweed, and the book says that if a person consumes it, it will allow them to breathe underwater for a short time. Apparently it’s kind of difficult to acquire, and I wanted to be able to use it more than once, so I... I started growing some in the lake.”
“Teal, that’s... kinda awesome,” Jenson replied without delay, the hint of a laugh in his voice as he spoke the last word. Teal was worried, though. He had kept it a secret and now that he was telling Jenson he felt bad for keeping it from him. This became quickly evident as he continued to speak.
“I wanted to tell you about it, and Astrid, but I don’t think it’s really allowed, and I thought that if I didn’t tell you about it, then at least if someone found out, you couldn’t get in trouble because you didn’t know, and I didn’t want either of you to get in trouble for me, because-”
“Teal. Teal!” Jenson stopped him, attempting to calm the Hufflepuff boy down. “It’s fine. I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me about it. It’s really okay. And besides, if anyone were to ask me if I knew about it, I could just lie and tell them I didn’t.”
“But what if they made you tell the truth?!” Teal started again in a panic. “My godmother always said not to lie, because it’s bad, and it makes people not trust you, and even if that weren’t the case, there are ways to make people tell the truth whether they want to or not!”
“Teal,” Jenson replied softly, reaching forward and resting both hands on the taller boy’s shoulders. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise. I don’t know if what your godmother said is true or not, but if it makes you feel better then I won’t lie about it, okay? If someone finds out about it, if they do, and you get in trouble, then I’ll just tell them that you didn’t realize there was anything wrong with what you did, and I’m sure they’ll let off the hook.”
Teal’s eyebrows rose in shock. “They’re gonna put me on a hook?!”
“No, it’s a-” Jenson hung his head for a moment, then looked back up. “It’s a figure of speech. It just means that they wont punish you.”
“Oh... are you sure?”
“That they won’t put you on a hook or that they won’t punish you?”
“Both.”
“Yes to the first one, and mostly yes to the second.”
After Jenson had finally managed to calm him down, Teal went on to tell the dark-haired boy more about gillyweed while putting his shoes and robes back on. Once he had done this, the two boys pulled out their new schedules and began to compare them. Edgar left the boring conversation to go for a short swim in the lake.
“Wow, you don’t have any classes until twelve-forty-five today? That’s my last one,” Teal noted.
“You’re lucky,” Jenson replied. “History of Magic is so boring. I’m gonna have to fight just to stay awake, which means I’m just going to want to go to sleep afterward, but I have Herbology. At least you’ll actually be able to.”
“I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll come with you to Herbology and help you stay awake.”
“That’s okay, Teal,” Jenson said with a smile. “Besides, I don’t think they’d let you. But thanks for the offer.”
“You’re welcome,” Teal smiled back.
It wasn’t much longer before it was time for Teal to head to Charms, where he and Astrid would hopefully have no problem staying awake. Their second year at Hogwarts had officially begun, and Teal had a feeling that, even though things had already gone differently than he expected, it was going to be a good year.
“Hagrid!” Teal yelled excitedly, waving as he saw the half-giant towering over all the students in their black robes. Hagrid lifted one massive hand and waved back. Teal had only gotten to spend a very small amount of time with him last semester, on the day that his godmother had come to visit for Christmas, but Teal had liked the large man a lot, as well as his dog.
Last year Hagrid had been the one to escort them to the school, across the lake, but as they were no longer first years, the three friends were to reach the school by means of a different route from this year on. They shuffled through the crowded station and finally out through a narrow doorway to the road just outside. Teal led the way, as he was the only one of the four who could actually see where they were going.
“Oh, cool,” Jenson said as they stepped out into the darkening night and laid eyes on the numerous coaches for the first time.
“What are those?!” Astrid half-screamed, looking slightly terrified.
“I think they’re called carriages,” Teal replied without certainty.
“What? No, not those! The things pulling them!” Astrid lifted her hand and pointed one tiny finger at the front of one of the coaches, but neither of the boys saw anything there.
“There isn’t anything pulling them...” Jenson said, slightly worried about Astrid’s state of mind. The other students continued to move past them, none of them seeming to see what Astrid was seeing either, and made their way into the coaches in small groups. Hermione, who had gotten held up for a moment in the sea of students, finally caught up with the three friends and decided to join the conversation.
“There’s nothing pulling the coaches, Astrid,” she said matter-of-factly, as she did most things. “They’re simply enchanted to move on their own. You might want to go have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” Astrid replied sarcastically. “But, seriously. I’ve never seen one of those before.”
“I still haven’t,” Teal retorted, squinting his eyes to see if that would make a difference.
“Wha- are you guys serious right now? None of you can see them?!”
“There’s nothing there. You’re definitely losing your mind,” Hermione replied. Already tired of waiting, she left the three friends and hopped onto the closest coach with three other Ravenclaw girls.
“No, there’s definitely things pulling them!” Astrid yelled after her. She seemed to be getting frustrated now, not at Jenson and Teal, but at Hermione and the fact that the Ravenclaw girl may actually be right.
“What do they look like?” Jenson asked.
“Like... I don’t know. Some kind of zombie horse things.”
“What’s a zombie?” Teal asked, turning to look at her.
Astrid promptly closed her eyes and lifted her arms into the air, palms facing out like she was holding up a force field. “This is too much...”
As Jenson began to answer Teal’s question, the three of them moved to the closest coach as it pulled up and piled inside. They were joined by one Neville Longbottom, who seemed to have no one else he’d rather ride with. Astrid spent the whole trip to the castle staring at the empty space in front of the coach.
“Can that really happen?” Neville asked Jenson, having come into the explanation a little late.
“People coming back from the dead? I mean, zombies are just fictional, but... with magic, I don’t know. Astrid, is there a way to bring people back to life?”
“Uhuh,” Astrid replied, clearly not paying attention to the conversation in the slightest. She pulled a notebook out of what appeared to be thin air (Teal guessed it was in the pocket of her robes) and began to write rapidly. She was clearly determined to catalog and discover exactly what this invisible beast was.
Their coach finally pulled up to the stone steps which led to the giant oak doors they had entered through last year. This must have been faster than going by boat, Teal thought, as he remembered they had been the last ones to arrive last year. No sooner had they gotten out of the coach and inside of the school than a pie zoomed through the air and smacked Teal directly in the face. Astrid screamed as a glob of cream exploded into her hair, while Jenson barely managed to dodge a few bits on Teal’s other side. The pie slide off and onto the floor, leaving a thick layer of white cream on Teal’s face. A cackling laugh sounded as Peeves flew past them and through a wall, disappearing from sight.
“...lemon,” Teal remarked after his tongue had cleared the cream from around his mouth. Astrid and Jenson gave each other a pondering glance, then simultaneously lifted a finger, scooped some cream from Teal’s face and plopped it into their mouths. Neville didn’t say a word.
“That must be Mr. Andrews under that mask,” Professor McGonagall sighed as she hurried up to them, well prepared to clean up Peeve’s dirty work. “Scourgify,” she said, waving her wand, and the pie cream disappeared from both Teal’s face and Astrid’s hair. Teal shook his head reflexively, the spell having given him chills. “Now, you four hurry off. The sorting will be commencing soon.”
“Thanks,” Teal replied, still seeming a bit shell shocked, and as McGonagall left to see about other things, the three friends progressed towards the Great Hall with Neville on their heels. When they reached the dining area, they gave each other a small wave and split off to go sit at their designated tables. As he sat down, Teal found himself, once again, at a part that he hated, only this year it didn’t seem quite so bad.
It wasn’t very much longer before all four tables were relatively full and McGonagall came waltzing in, holding the Sorting Hat atop a stool and leading a line of frightened looking first years between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. Teal remembered that day very well. He had never been so nervous in his life. He was very glad to be on the other side now, already sorted and feeling somewhat at home in his house, even if Jenson and Astrid weren’t with him.
As the first years lined up in front of the staff table, McGonagall placed the stool down in the middle and took a step back as the Sorting Hat opened its ‘mouth’ and began to sing. Teal was very surprised to find that the song was not the same as last year’s.
Welcome ‘round, young students new,
I’m glad to see you’ve come,
For I’ve a tale to fill your ears,
Of beginnings great, yet glum.
Twas many hundred years ago,
When four great magics bound.
Two witches and two wizards strong,
A school agreed to found.
And so this place of learning formed,
And in it they did teach,
Of magics dark and magics light,
And magics tough to reach.
Though soon their friendship faltered,
Their thinking no longer one,
And so the creation of the houses,
And sorting was begun.
“Only those of purest blood,
Make wizards strong and great,”
Said Slytherin to the other three.
“It’s they whom I will take.”
“But those who are just and unafraid,
Deserve to learn as well.
You’ll see,” retorted Gryffindor,
“My students will prevail.”
“You both are wrong, I’m sad to say,”
Said Ravenclaw in turn.
“The magic greatest in this world,
Comes from those who long to learn.”
“I’m hurt to see this day has come,
That we can not agree.
So, I’ll take the rest,” said Hufflepuff,
“And teach them how to see.”
And so for years they all did teach,
Till one day proved too much,
And Slytherin left the great quartet,
His name his only lasting touch.
So now the houses four are set,
And in them you’ll reside,
To make new friends and rivals yet,
But beware ignorance and pride.
I’m glad to see you’ve come,
For I’ve a tale to fill your ears,
Of beginnings great, yet glum.
Twas many hundred years ago,
When four great magics bound.
Two witches and two wizards strong,
A school agreed to found.
And so this place of learning formed,
And in it they did teach,
Of magics dark and magics light,
And magics tough to reach.
Though soon their friendship faltered,
Their thinking no longer one,
And so the creation of the houses,
And sorting was begun.
“Only those of purest blood,
Make wizards strong and great,”
Said Slytherin to the other three.
“It’s they whom I will take.”
“But those who are just and unafraid,
Deserve to learn as well.
You’ll see,” retorted Gryffindor,
“My students will prevail.”
“You both are wrong, I’m sad to say,”
Said Ravenclaw in turn.
“The magic greatest in this world,
Comes from those who long to learn.”
“I’m hurt to see this day has come,
That we can not agree.
So, I’ll take the rest,” said Hufflepuff,
“And teach them how to see.”
And so for years they all did teach,
Till one day proved too much,
And Slytherin left the great quartet,
His name his only lasting touch.
So now the houses four are set,
And in them you’ll reside,
To make new friends and rivals yet,
But beware ignorance and pride.
The song finished and McGonagall began to call out the students' names, but Teal was too busy thinking about the Sorting Hat to pay much attention to them. I suppose it makes sense, he thought, that the Hat would have a new song this year. After all, what does he have to do for the entire year except to sit and think? He remembered the Hat saying last year that the four founders had enchanted him... her? It, to sort the students. He hadn’t realized before this year, though, that one of the four founders had left the school. Teal suddenly found himself feeling like Helga Hufflepuff, sad at the thought of he and his friends one day parting. Maybe things would work out better for them, though. Maybe that day would never come.
“Luna Lovegood,” McGonagall called. Teal looked up to see a small girl with hair so blond it was almost white walking over to the stool. She took a seat and McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on top of her head. “RAVENCLAW!” it shouted almost immediately, and the young girl hopped off of the stool and ambled over to Jenson’s table with a smile on her face.
Teal looked over from the young girl to where Jenson was sitting. He appeared to have his full attention on the sorting of the first years. Teal supposed it was a good thing to pay attention to. He would be spending the next six years with the students who got sorted into his house today, after all.
Teal looked from Jenson to Astrid then, who, like himself, was not paying attention to the ceremony at the moment, but instead giving a nasty look to someone across the room. Teal followed her glance to a mop of dark hair belonging to a boy with glasses. The same boy who had bothered her on the train. Harry something. Teal remembered him from Herbology last year as well. At any rate, he was staring back at Astrid happily, as if dreaming about her. It wasn’t until the Hat shouted the word “GRYFFINDOR!” that the boy turned his attention back to the front of the room. Teal did the same, looking in time to see a redheaded girl scurrying towards the Gryffindor table while her house cheered for her. Harry turned and punched the shoulder of a boy next to him with the same shade of bright red hair.
Once the sorting ceremony had finished, before the food appeared for their beginning-of-the-year feast, Dumbledore stood from his seat at the staff table to make a small speech.
“To those students joining us tonight for the first time, welcome. And to those returning to us, welcome back. First on tonight’s short list of announcements, first years should be aware, and everyone else reminded, that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits, hence its name.
“For the second bit of business, as some of you may have noticed, Professor Quirrell is not with us tonight. There is no need to panic, as he is perfectly fine, but he is taking some time off this year to do a bit of world traveling and exploration. In his absence, we have somewhat of a celebrity who has agreed to take over Defense Against the Dark Arts for the time being. Gilderoy?”
As Dumbledore turned his attention to Professor Quirrell’s usual seat, (Teal had not noticed until now that he was missing) a man with a perfectly groomed head of shiny, blond hair arose and flashed an award-winning smile.
Gilderoy? Gilderoy Lockhart? The wizard that Astrid and her fathers had talked about? The wizard who wrote almost all of the books on their supply list this year? Well, this explains that, Teal thought.
“Thank you, Dumbledore. I would just like to say, children, that I am so glad you get the honor of having me as your teacher this year. I just know it’s going to do great things for you all. Not to mention, anyone in need of a signed photograph of me will be able to-”
“Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore interrupted. Lockhart took his seat slowly, attempting to hide the sour look on his face with another smile. “And lastly, tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will be taking place next week. Any students interested should report to the team captain of their House for further details. Now, as I am quite aware that you’ve all traveled a long distance today and some of you may be quite famished, I will not keep you waiting any longer. Enjoy!”
And with his final words, the empty dishes on all four tables were suddenly filled with food. A cheer arose amongst the students, a welcome surprise for all of the first years and equally welcome tradition for all the rest. Teal found himself much happier, indeed, than he had been on this day last year. He looked up at the enchanted ceiling, which now reminded him of the night before they’d gone to Diagon Alley. It was nice to think that, even divided by their houses, they were still sitting under the same sky.
When the feast was over the students made their way up to their respective common rooms, the first years led by the House prefects. Teal waited outside the Great Hall before going off to the Hufflepuff common room. He wanted to make sure he got to tell his two best friends goodnight.
When he finally did arrive at the common room it was filled with Hufflepuff students celebrating the start of the new year and embracing their old friends. As Teal did not have too many friends in his own House, however, he headed straight towards the boys’ dormitories instead. He wasn’t so tired that he needed to go to sleep yet, but he needed to check over all of his summer assignments before tomorrow, so this would give him ample time.
Teal pushed open the door to his room, noting that the three other names from last year were still present along with his own on the wall outside. Unsurprisingly, the room was empty of any of these three boys as he entered it. Teal plopped down onto his bed and then promptly retrieved Edgar from the inside pocket of his robe, where he had stayed for the last part of the train ride and all through dinner. Teal had learned last year that people weren’t very fond of Edgar being present during their meals.
The large tree frog hopped onto the bed and began to flop around, enjoying his freedom after the hour or two spent in such a small space. Teal crawled forward to the foot of his bed, where his trunk and other belongings had been placed, and opened it to retrieve his school work. He had only been reading over one of his essays for a few minutes when footsteps sounded outside and someone entered the room.
“Hey, Teal,” said Justin Finch-Fletchly as he made his way towards his own bed.
“Hi, Justin,” Teal smiled back. He didn’t really know the other Hufflepuff boy all that well, but he had always been nice to him, and that was more than Teal could say for some of the other students in their House.
“Justin, why’d you leave the party so early, mate?” Teal looked up to see the exact person who had just come to mind sticking his head into their room. Zacharias Smith. Teal immediately looked back down at his essay, not wanting to attract the blond’s attention, but it was already too late. “Oh, hey, homo!”
“My name is Teal,” Teal responded, not knowing who this ‘Homo’ person was that Zacharias had mistaken him for.
“Leave him alone, Zacharias,” Justin replied in an exhausted tone.
“Aw, is he your boyfriend? Is that why you left, so you could come spend some quality time together?”
“Don’t be such an ass,” Justin said, digging through his trunk.
“Whatever, you guys are no fun anyways.” And with that, the menace returned to his destination of choice.
“He’s really not that bad, ya know?” Justin said as he pulled out his pajamas and began to change.
Teal didn’t reply.
****************
The next morning at breakfast the owls delivered the morning mail as usual. Today, this consisted mostly of letters from parents telling their children about things they had left at home, or in the cases of smaller items, delivering them. Teal looked down the table as Professor Sprout made her way from one student to the next, handing out the schedules for the year.
“Hey, what classes do you have today?” Astrid asked excitedly, suddenly sitting beside him. Teal turned to look at her, surprised, and then it registered what she had just asked.
“I don’t have- wait... how did you get your schedule already?” he asked, seeing that Professor Snape was only halfway down the Slytherin table now.
“Oh, I asked Snape for my schedule last night,” she replied non-nonchalantly, looking over said paper.
“And he gave it to you?” Teal hadn’t taken Professor Snape for the kind of person who would do that. Then again, Snape didn’t seem to be the kind of person who would do anything in a fashion other than he wished to.
“Yeah. He just dug through some papers on his desk and said something about ‘if you would stop babbling’, and then gave it to me.”
“Wow...” Teal replied simply. A few seconds later Professor Sprout had reached him and she handed him his schedule with a bright smile. Teal smiled back in thanks, then laid his schedule out on the table in front of him. Astrid instantly began comparing their schedules.
“Ooh, we have Charms together at nine-fifteen!”
“Yeah,” Teal replied, his excitement nothing compared to Astrid’s. “I think that’s the only one we have together today, though.”
“It is...” Astrid confirmed glumly. “I’m gonna go see what Jenson has!” And she bounded off to find the Ravenclaw boy. Teal turned back to look at his schedule and smiled. His first class of the day didn’t start for over an hour. This would give him more than enough time to go down to the lake. Teal finished eating his breakfast rather hurriedly and then made his way out of the Great Hall and onto the Hogwarts grounds.
Taking off his robes, Teal hurried down to the edge of the lake. He removed Edgar and placed him atop his head as to keep from squashing or losing him. The sun was shining bright and it was still warm outside after the long summer. Teal folded his robes up in his arms and began to walk across the shoreline, keeping an eye out for the groove which he had almost forgotten the look of over the last few months. When he finally found it, he placed his robe down a few feet from the water, where the grass was less wet, and began to quickly remove his shoes. Then, looking around to make sure that no one was watching (everyone was probably still at breakfast or getting ready to head to class), he rolled up his pants legs and waded out into the water.
Careful to keep his clothes as dry as possible, Teal leaned over and lowered one hand gently into the water. His fingers explored the darkness below, barely visible even at this shallow a depth. After a few seconds, one of his fingers finally brushed something worm-like and slimy. He followed it down to the round body of the object and then smiled. His hand continued to feel around and as it did his smile grew even larger. Where there had been only one plant a few months ago, there were now four. The three newer ones were still growing, but that was the point. They were growing! Teal couldn’t have been happier in that moment... nor more distracted.
“Hey, Teal!” Teal whipped around to see who was calling his name, and though he had not wanted anyone to see him, he was slightly relieved to discover it to be Jenson. Teal stood up immediately and began heading back towards the grass.
“Um, hey, Jenson,” he replied, slightly nervous.
“What were you doing out there?” Jenson questioned.
“Um...” For a moment, Teal contemplated making something up, but he didn’t want to lie. Especially not to Jenson. Teal looked around again, as he had before stepping into the water, and then back to Jenson. “I... if I tell you... do you promise not to tell anyone?”
Jenson stared at him for a second, seeming to think that something might be wrong, and then finally nodded. “Of course.”
Teal’s chest began to feel a little lighter, as if it was easier to breath, and he waved Jenson over. The Ravenclaw boy moved somewhat cautiously towards Teal and came to a stop once he was less than a foot away. Teal took a deep breath and then began to whisper.
“Um... Well, for Christmas last year my godmother got me something I had really wanted. It’s a plant I read about in Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean in the library. Before Astrid got it for me. Anyways, it’s a plant called gillyweed, and the book says that if a person consumes it, it will allow them to breathe underwater for a short time. Apparently it’s kind of difficult to acquire, and I wanted to be able to use it more than once, so I... I started growing some in the lake.”
“Teal, that’s... kinda awesome,” Jenson replied without delay, the hint of a laugh in his voice as he spoke the last word. Teal was worried, though. He had kept it a secret and now that he was telling Jenson he felt bad for keeping it from him. This became quickly evident as he continued to speak.
“I wanted to tell you about it, and Astrid, but I don’t think it’s really allowed, and I thought that if I didn’t tell you about it, then at least if someone found out, you couldn’t get in trouble because you didn’t know, and I didn’t want either of you to get in trouble for me, because-”
“Teal. Teal!” Jenson stopped him, attempting to calm the Hufflepuff boy down. “It’s fine. I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me about it. It’s really okay. And besides, if anyone were to ask me if I knew about it, I could just lie and tell them I didn’t.”
“But what if they made you tell the truth?!” Teal started again in a panic. “My godmother always said not to lie, because it’s bad, and it makes people not trust you, and even if that weren’t the case, there are ways to make people tell the truth whether they want to or not!”
“Teal,” Jenson replied softly, reaching forward and resting both hands on the taller boy’s shoulders. “It’s gonna be fine. I promise. I don’t know if what your godmother said is true or not, but if it makes you feel better then I won’t lie about it, okay? If someone finds out about it, if they do, and you get in trouble, then I’ll just tell them that you didn’t realize there was anything wrong with what you did, and I’m sure they’ll let off the hook.”
Teal’s eyebrows rose in shock. “They’re gonna put me on a hook?!”
“No, it’s a-” Jenson hung his head for a moment, then looked back up. “It’s a figure of speech. It just means that they wont punish you.”
“Oh... are you sure?”
“That they won’t put you on a hook or that they won’t punish you?”
“Both.”
“Yes to the first one, and mostly yes to the second.”
After Jenson had finally managed to calm him down, Teal went on to tell the dark-haired boy more about gillyweed while putting his shoes and robes back on. Once he had done this, the two boys pulled out their new schedules and began to compare them. Edgar left the boring conversation to go for a short swim in the lake.
“Wow, you don’t have any classes until twelve-forty-five today? That’s my last one,” Teal noted.
“You’re lucky,” Jenson replied. “History of Magic is so boring. I’m gonna have to fight just to stay awake, which means I’m just going to want to go to sleep afterward, but I have Herbology. At least you’ll actually be able to.”
“I’m sorry. If you want, I’ll come with you to Herbology and help you stay awake.”
“That’s okay, Teal,” Jenson said with a smile. “Besides, I don’t think they’d let you. But thanks for the offer.”
“You’re welcome,” Teal smiled back.
It wasn’t much longer before it was time for Teal to head to Charms, where he and Astrid would hopefully have no problem staying awake. Their second year at Hogwarts had officially begun, and Teal had a feeling that, even though things had already gone differently than he expected, it was going to be a good year.
Last edited by Tetheas on Sun May 06, 2018 11:47 am; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Make sure that the site doesn't explode/dissolve into nothingness)
