"Ah. We're here."
An auburn-haired woman climbed carefully out of the Ministry car. Two boys with the same colorhair emerged from the back. The first was 15 and rather big, with a toad on his shoulder. Thesecond, 10, was thin and rather tall, and wore oval spectacles. The three of them went to the back of the car, and opened the trunk. Two wooden chests sat there, one with a cage holding an owl ontop.
"Help your brother with his chest, Aberforth," said the woman to the older boy, who obediently helped the younger boy with the chest with the owl on top. The three of them then placed the chests on carts and pushed them into the train station.
They weren't far into the station when a voice sounded. "Mrs. Dumbledore?", and a woman with sandy-brown hair walked up. Though the two women were roughly the same age, the second woman looked much older then the first.
Mrs. Dumbledore gave her a friendly smile. "Ah, Mrs. Moody. Long time no see. I don't think you've even met my younger son, Albus. Albus, this is Mrs. Moody. Her husband's an Auror." Albus knew this already, and nodded politely.
"I don't believe you've met my son either," said Mrs. Moody. "Any of you. This is Alastor."
"Ah. He's starting at Hogwarts, this year isn't he?" Mrs. Moody nodded. "Wonderful!" said Mrs. Dumbledore. "So is Albus!"
Albus found it difficult to believe that Alastor Moody was his age. Like his mother, he looked a lot older. He smiled, and Alastor merely nodded.
Aberforth noticed. "Could be a bit more friendly," he said crossly, as he headed for the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. He passed through and dissapeared.
"You two next," said Mrs. Moody quite firmly. Without arguing Mrs. Dumbledore took Albus's trunk in one hand and his hand in the other, and started to move towards the barrier. Albus felt a rush of excitement; he had only been through this barrier once before, that had been Aberforth's first year, and the whole family had come to see him off. Pulling him to her, his mother leant casually on the barrier, and a second later they slid through and were next to Aberforth on the crowded platform. The train wasn't there yet.
"And this is where I leave," said Mrs. Dumbledore. "Look after your brother, Aberforth, and do try to get some O.W.L.s, will you?"
"I'll try," promised Aberforth. He was sincere, Albus knew, but he had the feeling Aberforth would run into trouble before long. His brother, simply put, wasn't that intelligent.
Next thing he knew, his mother was hugging him very tightly. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll be back," he managed, but he knew well he would miss her too. She let go, and kissed him on the forehead. "Have a wonderful first term." A small pop, and she was gone.
Alastor, already wearing his robes, joined them as his mother likewise Dissapparated. Pushing their chests ahead of them, they moved into the crowd, Aberforth hovering over Albus like a body guard. His fear was setting in, Albus inched closer to his brother.
They were several feet into the crowd when a cold drawling voice addressed them. "Oh, look! Big Dumb's got his little brother!"
All three of them turned to see four older boys laughing at them. Two of them were tall and fairly thin, or at least they looked thin next to the other two. "So," said the one who had spoken, one of the thinner boys with silvery-blond hair. "Going to introduce them, Dumbledore?" he asked Aberforth.
"I'll introduce myself, thanks," said Alastor. "Name's Moody-Alastor Moody."
The older boy's eyebrows wrinkled. "You're an impudent little boy, you are. You ought to show more respect to your betters."
"Betters?" Alastor sniffed. "Older you may be. But betters..." His eyes were also wrinkled. Albus suspected he already knew who the older boy was, and whoever it was, Alastor obviously did not believe him to be his "better".
"You definitly need to learn a lesson or two," said the older boy, his voice now soft and menacing.
"Malfoy!" a sharp voice interrupted him. An older girl with flame-red hair and freckles had made her way over. She struck Albus as being very imposing. There was a flame-haired boy next to her, and two more behind her. "You aren't threatening first-years, are you?"
"Well, if it isn't the Weasels," replied Malfoy. "Weasels don't frighten me."
"Well this should then." said the girl, tapping her badge, which read Head Girl. "You don't want points taken from Slytherin before you even board the train, do you Malfoy? If you do, continue with what you're doing."
Malfoy gave her a sour look, then turned and walked away. The other three followed.
The boy in front snickered, and the girl shook her head. "Malfoy, McGonagall, and thier two servants. Even thier fellow Slytherins can't stand them. You guys allright?"
Aberforth nodded, and Albus started, "Thank you, Miss-"
"Weasley. Bea Weasley. These are my brothers, Gerald, Lawerence, and Igor. And don't bother thanking me. Someone has to stop that slime from thinking they own the school." They heard a whistle. "Ah, here comes the train!"
In the train came, and everyone started crowding thier way towards the edge of the platform. Bea, Gerald(who was clearly oldest of the three boys), and Aberforth waved thier arms and pushed through the crowd until they arrived in front of an empty comparment.
"Listen, I have to go." said Bea Weasley. "See you when we get there." She hurried off.
Gerald hmphed. "Couldn't even stay to help us load our trunks, could she?"
A few minutes later, the trunks were loaded, the six of them were seated comfortably in the compartment, and introductions had gone all around.
"Malfoys," growled Alastor promptly. "Think they're better then me just because mum and dad are Muggle-born. Father's mentioned them plently of times. They're no good, they are."
"You don't need to tell us that," said Gerald dryly. "Ricimer Malfoy's in my year, as well as his shadow Anthemius McGonagall, and his servants Majorian Crabbe and Olybrius Goyle. They're rich, they're arrogant, they're Slytherins, as your father can probably testify, Alastor, they'reway too involved in the Dark Arts, they're cowardly, and they're Malfoys. I'm starting my fifth year, by the way. Lawerence is starting third, and Igor here's starting period."
"You'll have to worry about teasing, Albus," Lawerence warned. "Because your brother, he, well, to be honest-"
"I know," sighed Albus and Aberforth as one.
"Though I s'spose you could be sorted into Ravenclaw," said Gerald thoughtfully. "Don't know how they'd take to that. Aberforth Dumbledore's brother in Ravenclaw!"
"Are you in Ravenclaw?" asked Albus, who did want the conversation to be about his brother.
"No, we're all in Gryffindor," replied Gerald. "Bea, Lawerence, and I. Anne was before she graduated, and Igor's going to be in Gryffindor too, we're all quite sure of it."
Albus's attention was directed to the youngest boy. He was not paying attention to theconversation, but was staring out the window at the crowd. He did not seem to be looking at anyone in particular. "Aren't you, Igor?" asked Gerald, tapping Igor on the shoulder and making the boy jump. "Oh, yes. Yes, of course." Then he went back to gazing out the window.
Igor did not speak again while they were in the station. Lawerence, who was the only one amoung them with a watch, was just announcing the train left in five minutes when a boy with messy light-brown hair entered.
"Hi." he said nervously. "Can I sit here?"
"Come right in," said Gerald. "I'm Gerald Weasley, these are Lawerence and Igor my brothers,these are brothers Aberforth and Albus Dumbledore, and this is Alastor Moody. Now who mightyou be?"
"Edward Potter."
The whistle sounded, and the train started to move, and Igor spoke on his own accord for the firsttime. "We're going." Albus had never heard anyone sound more excited. Everyone looked at him,and Igor hastily went back to looking out the window.
Albus turned and stared out his window too. They were pulling out of the station. London was flashing by. For awhile he just stared out the window, as the conversation continued between the others.
It was a little before noon that Albus was finally distracted from the window by the sound of giggling just outside the compartment. He looked up just as the source of the giggling entered:two very pretty girls, both wearing thier robes, the first definitly older then the second. But it was the second who caught Albus's eye. She had thick blond hair that fell past her shoulders onto her robes. Her mouth was small, her eyebrows high and thick, her eyes a deep sea green.
The older girl, however, also had her admirerers. She had burnette hair and rosy cheeks, and Gerald's face looked just as rosy. "Divia!" He said in delight. Everyone else grinned, and Lawerence and Aberforth both snickered. Gerald did look amusing. "Divia Diggory." whispered Aberforth to Albus, Alastor, and Edward. "His girlfriend."
The second girl, meanwhile, sat down next to Albus. "Hello." His heart jumped, blood rushed to his cheeks.
"Oh, yes, Divia," said Gerald. "Who's your little friend?" He nodded towards the other girl.
"Well your friend seems to like her," commented Divia, causing Albus' blush to deepen. "Your brother Albus, I assume, Aberforth?"
"Yes, that's Albus."
"Well, your brother's new girlfriend-" Albus disproved his previous belief that he couldn't get any redder-
"Don't!" said the girl angrily. She turned and walked out.
"Emily, don't go leaving!" Divia got up and followed her out.
"Divia, don't go so soon!" Gerald followed them both.
As soon as he was gone, everyone laughed, even Albus, and the conversation resumed.
Albus returned his attention to the window, but he wasn't really paying attention to the landscapeoutside anymore. His thoughts dwelled on the blond girl called Emily for the rest of the journey. Not that he thought he wanted her to be his girlfriend, at least he didn't think so anyway, well...
A few hours later...
The train finally pulled into the small Hogsmeade station and the six of them, now in robes, got off. It was a clear night, though somewhat windy.
"All first years this way!" called an old man from one end. Albus, Igor, Edward, and Alastor made thier way through the crowd towards him. Albus's fear, which had been lost in thought of Emily, returned in full force, but now there was no older brother to inch closer to. On his left, Alastor looked tense, on his right, Edward looked merely nervous, and on Edward's right, Igor looked too excited for fear.
Along a narrow path they went to the edge of a large lake. On the other side stood Hogwarts, and for a second Albus was overwhelmed by its magnificence.
"Four people per boat!" commanded the old man. Albus, Alastor, Edward, and Igor all climbed intoa boat together. As they sailed across the lake and down a dark tunnel, Albus spotted Emily in another boat. She was looking straight ahead.
Into a harbor, up a flight of stairs, and finally to a pair of doors. The old man knocked, and the doors were opened by a woman. She was heavily pregnet.
"Ah, Professor Fawcett," said the old man. "I thought you were on maternity leave."
"Not for another month," she replied. "Of course I insisted on doing the honors this year."
"Very well, proceed." The old man turned and left.
"This way." She led the first-years across the Entrance Hall into a small chamber. It obviously had not been built to accomodate nearly thirty children and a pregent woman, and Albus was squashed between Alastor and Edward.
"So you're here." said Professor Fawcett. "In a few minutes you will be led into the Great Hall and Sorted into your Houses. There are four Houses:Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. You will basically live with the other members of your House, and your actions will gain or lose your House points." She proceeded to arrange them into a line, no easy feat in the tiny room. Once they were all lined up, she took the lead, and they followed her out into the Great Hall.
Once again the magnificence overwhelmed Albus, but as Professor Fawcett led the line in front ofthe long table where the teachers were seated, his amazement quickly dissolved back into fear,which was now swiftly becoming terror.
They came to a halt facing four tables. The Weasleys watched from one table, Aberforth smiled from another, Divia sat at a third, and Malfoy and his cronies stared from a fourth.
Now Professor Fawcett came with a four-legged stool and a patched, frayed, ragged old hat. Dimly Albus remembered his parents mentioned something about a Sorting Hat at the beginning of his brother's first year-
Then the hat burst into song:
You think I'm a hat
I'm much more then that!
As you will no doubt see
You need to be ordered
You need to be Sorted
And you can be Sorted by me!
I look in your mind
And in it I find
Where in the Houses you should be!
In Gryffindor you are
If you're braver by far
Then the ordinary wizard
In Ravenclaw I find
You've a wonderful mind
In which one can get cleverness
In Hufflepuff you go
If your mind really shows
That you are the type who works hard
To Slytherin I send
The ones in the end
Who strive themselves for greatestness
So now come, put me on!
I will never be wrong
I say you have no reason to fear
By the end of tonight
You will be where is right
I have made myself perfectly clear!
The Hall burst into applause as the Hat finished. Albus's fears were assuaged a little. Only a little.
"When I call you name," said Professor Fawcett, "you will go to the stool, put the hat on, and sit down. Once you have been Sorted, you will join your Housemates at thier table."
"Ackeltone, Emily!"
The beautiful blond girl stepped forwards. Albus's fears were momentarily diluted further by the distraction. She reached the stool, and the hat fell over her green eyes. She sat down. A pause-
"RAVENCLAW!" yelled the hat. Divia's table burst into applause. Emily pulled the hat off and ranto sit besides Divia.
"Bones, Rudolph!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Albus already knew this was his brother's house. Indeed, the table his brotherwas sitting at burst into applause, and Rudolph Bones hurried to sit there.
"Brank, Lenford!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Cemout, Darien!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Cenjorn, Melantho!"
"SLYTHERIN!" This time it was Malfoy's table that burst into applause. Albus remembered the way Bea had said "even their fellow Slytherins", suggesting the group as a whole was trouble. He supposed though it probably wouldn't be the end the of the world if he was put into Slytherin, it would probably be his last choice.
"Culan, Mimi!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Dumbledore, Albus!"
Albus would never be sure how he got to the stool. He only seemed to take a single step forward and he was sitting on the stool with the hat over his eyes.
"Oh my," said the Hat. "You have got potential! A lot of intelligence, lots of courage, lots of determination-I'm afraid you won't be joining your brother anytime soon. A bit reluctent to join Slytherin? I suppose we can eliminate that too, there isn't that much here for it anyway. Now...I do think, yes, I do believe you go in GRYFFINDOR!"
Albus got to his feet, pulled the hat off, and headed towards the Gryffindor table, sitting down beside the applauding Weasleys. Seconds later, "Figg, Arabella" sat down at the Gryffindor table. Albus saw her greeted by a ghost of what looked like some sort of knight.
Name after name after name. Past the Gs, the Hs, a J and K, Ls.
"Madison, Florence!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Matthews, Archibald!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
And then, "Moody, Alastor!"
Alastor was now showing nerves. There was a definite stumble as he walked to the stool, and he looked slightly pale.
"GRYFFINDOR!" screamed the hat about two second after Alastor had sat down. Looking very pleased, he walked over and plopped down besides Albus.
"Nelling, Will!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Patil, Sita!" This girl was obviously from India, born probably of aristocratic Muggles who wanted thier daughter, witch or no, educated in England.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Pertek, Amanda!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Potter, Edward!"
"GRYFFINDOR!" Edward hurried over to sit with Albus and Alastor.
There were now only a few people left. One by one they joined the various tables, until finally Igor was standing alone, looking more excited then ever.
"Weasley, Igor!" Igor was the fastest to the hat. He sat on the stool for nearly half a minute beforethe Hat finally hollered, "GRYFFINDOR!" He ran all the way to the table and Professor Fawcett took the Sorting Hat away.
The Headmaster, Professor Dippet, stood up. "On behalf of everyone, I would like to welcome you all to another year at Hogwarts. Before we eat, I have a few things to tell you."
"First of all, the Forest on the grounds is off-limits for all students. Also, magic is not supposed tobe used in the corridors outside class."
"That is all." He clapped, and the tables filled with food.
The fear was gone now, leaving him very hungry. Albus dug in.