Hat and Houses

All always remember the first step I made into Hogwarts.

Everything hit me in an overwhelming wave. Every sound, every feeling, every little detail of every little stone I unintentionally attempted to absorb all at once. Like I said, it was overwhelming. I probably wouldn't have taken my second steps for a good hundred years unless Cassie hadn't pulled me along like she did. Lucifer was busy trying to out-talk the loud-mouthed Scottish boy who he had learned was name Xavier. But even those two fell silent to marvel at the sight of Hogwarts.

We kept walking, towards the dining hall if my memory of Snape's lecture was correct. That was where we would be sorted by some grumpy old moldy hat. I scowled at the thought. I didn't want some decrepit piece of apparel deciding my future, but apparently I had no choice.
"Hey April! Guess what! We're totally getting sorted now!" remarked Cassie excitedly.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh really?" I remarked snarkily.
She didn't catch my sarcasim. "Yeah! Isn't that great?"
I sighed. We entered the dining hall.

There was a lot of talking. A whole bunch of "Welcome to Hogwarts!" said in several different ways. I was quite bored of it all. I stifled a yawn. I caught Snape giving me a censuring glare from his seat among the teachers and kept my attention rapt. The stupid old sorting hat was on Luncifer's head now.
"Interesting..." it said. "Very interesting. You're quite energetic, not at all observational... but there's another side to you. One even you have not yet discovered. Slytherin!!"
Lucifer bound over to the Slytherin table. He was greeted heartily.
Next, Cassie was called up.
"Not bad, not bad..." said the hat. "A good student. Enthusiastic. Hard working. But you have potential. Lots of potential. Gryffindor!!!"
Cassie gave me a smile before heading over to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering and hooting rowdily. I rolled my eyes. It was my turn. I went up and put the stupid old hat on my head.
There was a long pause filled only with the hat's incoherent mumbling before it finally said. "Slytherin. Definitely Slytherin."
I was unsurprised, unimpressed. Snape was Slytherin's headmaster. It only made sense I was in his house.
When I got to the table, I was met with many hushed questions.
"I didn't hear. What did that hat say?"
"I've never seen him that quiet! What's that all about?"
"What did it say? Did anyone hear what the hat said?"
I ignored the questions. Just as I ignored Lucifer's eager chattering. I tuned everything out. The only voice I heard was the soothing, foreign voice in the back of my head.
The attention on me died down as the rest of the children were placed. I watched, but payed no attention. It was over for me. Therefore, in my mind, it was completely over, through and through.

Much Ado About Houses

It wasn't even the first day at Hogwarts and Cassie was already stepping a toe out of line. She had punched a boy in her first compartment, hexed a girl in her second and then she got herself sorted with what her mother would call "unsavoury characters". She had pretty much done half of the things on her mother's list of Things Not to Do at When You're at Hogwarts. But since when has Cassandra Grayson ever done what her mother has ever asked of her?

April and Lucifer were talking- or rather, Lucifer was talking and April was staring at him in that impassive and blank way of hers- about Houses while pulling on their black outer robes over their clothes. Lucifer was rambling on about how his parents didn't care what House he was in, and he had previously managed to coax out of April that she had hoped to be in Slytherin. As he fastened his robes more securely, Lucifer stopped his chattering about the pros and cons of Hufflepuff (he seemed to be favoring the cons over the pros), and turned to Cassie in an abrupt movement and fixed her with a stare.

"What about you, Miss Cassandra? Which House would you like to be in?" Cassie hadn't put much thought into it. Her father had been in Gryffindor, her mother in Ravenclaw. They never really had any expectations for her as far as Houses were concerned. She gave a non-commital shrug and said, "Never really thought 'bout it 'til now."

Lucifer had a look on his face that showed that he somewhat agreed with her, before turning back to April and picking up where he left off. "So, anyways, about them Hufflepuffs-" Cassie shot April a look mixed between pity and amusement and April gave her a small smile in return. Picking up her cat carrier with a sleeping Nigel inside, she followed Lucifer out the compartment door with April following after her.

It was a warm night and all the first years followed this man who some older children called 'Hagrid'. They all clambered into boats, four to each one. Cassie, April and Lucifer were accompanied by a loud-mouthed Scottish boy. She was on the verge of shoving the boy out of the boat when they caught sight of Hogwarts. It was amazing and easily the most enchanting thing Cassie had ever seen. This would be her home.

The Train to Hogwarts.

It had been a long day, to sum it up.

First Snape's nearly night-long lecture of what was and wasn't allowed at Hogwarts. I remembered every last detail.... until I woke the next morning. Oh well, I thought; I'll remember in time.

 I waited at the train station for nearly six hours. Snape was gone by the time I woke up in the morning, and I had nothing to do but take my luggage and wait for the train.

Six hours went by very slowly.

The train rolled in. By then, the platform 9 and Three Quarters was crowded with young wizards and wizarding parents alike. There was an overwhelming amount of emotion that cramped the air and tasted sickly in my mouth. I tasted nervousness, excitement, anxiety, worry, pride.... I wished to spit it out. I already missed the emotionless, dreary atmosphere of Snape and mine's home.
I climbed onto the train, suitcase in one hand, owl cage in the other. My owl, my little screech owl Banshee, perched on my shoulder, looking around the crowded train impassively. I found myself an empty compartment and slid in, placing my luggage above my head and scratching Banshee beneath his chin with a finger. I took a deep breath of the drab atmosphere. Excitement still seeped in from the rest of the train, but it was better than how the platform had been. At least here I felt able to breath,

But we were not alone for long. Soon, another girl, tall, and therefore much taller than me, came in. Her name was Cassandra, or Cassie. She wasn't half bad. Soon after another joined us. Lucifer, a boy with changing hair and the most vulgar array of chipper emotions and a mouth that could talk forever, sat down in our compartment without so much as asking. But after a few hours, I became tolerable to his personality and running mouth. I grew rather fond of the two. These two were what Snape called "friends" of me. My very first, aside from Banshee. It was pretty nice to have them.

The train rolled to a stop. It was beginning to get dark. We filled out of our compartments with our luggage and  pets. Banshee flew off once I was out of the train. I didn't pay much attention. He'd be back once he'd gone hunting. But for me, I still had a lot ahead of me.