Chapter 3:
Rivalry, Chivalry, and the Sorting Hat
A/N: I just got back from Galveston, and I am finishing this chapter today in honor of the real Matt's 16th birthday. Thank you, Lord, for Matt.
Matt and Charity stepped cautiously off of the train, both self-conscious as they made their way through the throng of students. Charity had a terrified look on her face with her eyes wide, her skin pale, and her mouth pressed into a tight line. Matt tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he feared it looked like a grimace.
"Firs' years, over here! That's right, c'mon over here!" Hagrid's familiar voice made Matt's ears perk up.
"Come on, Charity. This way." Charity looked at him warily and allowed him to pull her away with him. They wound through the crowd until they stood on the edge of Hagrid's lantern light. Hagrid, his hair turning gray with age, looked about the platform with his wrinkled face, until he saw Matt.
"Why, Matthew Potter! Nice ter see ya here, finally at Hogwarts! Who's that ya got with yer?"
"Hello, Hagrid. This is Charity Sullivan."
"Ah," Hagrid smiled slyly, rotating his neck up and then down again. "I hope ter be seein' the both of ya down at me hut soon." he checked the crowd again and clapped his huge hands together, making Charity jump. "Ah-right, firs' years, follow me. We're taking a boat ride to the castle. Three ter a boat, an' no more! I don' wanna have ter fish ya out of the lake!"
Charity paled even more. Matt patted her softly on the shoulder and led her to an empty boat that was right on the shore.
"You know that guy?"
"He's really good friends with my parents. He comes by to see us about once or twice a year." Noting the uneasy look on Charity's face, he added, "Don't worry, he's a big teddy bear. You'll love him soon enough."
Charity nodded, not sure if she believed him. "Another question?"
"Fire away."
"Do you go by Matthew? If that's what you go by, I'll call you that."
"I prefer Matt, but old habits die hard, I suppose."
Their boat jostled and another passenger got in. He was a muscular boy with strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The boy extended his hand to Matt.
"Hello, mate. I'm Dwight Bell."
"Matt Potter. Nice to meet you."
Dwight averted his attention to Charity. "Hello, miss."
"Hello, Dwight. I'm Charity Sullivan." Matt couldn't help but notice that Charity's face colored when she saw Dwight. A fierce feeling of dislike for the other boy welled up in his throat. Not wanting to be a jerk, he gave a little sigh and sat down on the back seat of the boat. Dwight sat beside him, and they were off across the lake.
Charity chattered freely during their journey. Matt tried frequently to say something intelligent, but every time that he tried, Dwight would start to talk. By the time they reached Hogwarts, Matt was determined that he would dislike Dwight until the day he died.
"Both of my parents are muggles, but my oldest brother was a wizard. I always wanted to be like Tanner… looks like now I'll be able to." Dwight flashed a dazzling white smile to Charity, making Matt run his tongue over his teeth, wishing he had a toothbrush with him. Charity didn't notice Matt's frantic tongue motion, his face cast in shadow. She began an animated story about her family, much the same as she had told him earlier. Matt watched her as she spoke, noticing how the little dot-birthmark on the edge of her dimple made her face somehow look brighter, how her eyes shone softly in the lantern glow, and how her whole body glowed with excitement when she spoke with her soft and powerful voice. As he watched her, he realized that he was staring, but she simply amazed him.
"Something wrong, Matt?" Dwight was staring at him, and Matt realized his mouth was open.
"Nooo, nothing at all is wrong. Really."
"That's good, because it would be bad if you felt bad right before we get sorted. I sure hope I get into Gryffindor. Hey, maybe we'll be roommates!"
"I'll probably be sorted into Slytherin of Hufflepuff or something."
"No, you'll be a Gryffindor. I assume you are Harry and Hermione's son?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to get any special privileges…"
Charity gave a huge gasp, and the boys stopped their debating. "Hey, guys, we're coming to the castle." Their little boat came around the corner and all three were wowed into silence by the towering castle, all of the windows aglow from soft candlelight. Matt felt really happy to be there, really blessed to be who he was and be where he was in that moment. The trio sat silently in their little boats, only waking from their trances when the boat came to a stop at the foot of the rocky shore. Matt and Dwight offered Charity a hand to help her down, but she just smiled at them both and stepped out on her own, walking ahead to get in line.
"I see she's very independent, that one. I like it." Dwight shook his head and smiled to Matt, who just watched him with an unknown dislike. "Well, I guess we have to go get in line to go inside! After you, mate." Matt stepped ahead of Dwight with a polite nod of the head. The group of first years followed Hagrid down a dark hallway, which ended by a large, well-lit stairway. Hagrid left the new students at the foot of the stairs with the command to stay put.
Before too long, a nervous buzz of excitement and chatter filled the air. Matt turned his head every which way, looking at all of the kids that would soon become his classmates and peers. He felt oddly out of place as he watched a group of girls talking, laughing, and reminiscing about primary school. He averted his attention from the girls and went to a group of boys standing in around the banister of the staircase. Two particular boys stood out to Matt. The first, a very short boy of Hispanic descent, stood in the center of the boys, talking very loudly in perfect English. His companion was tall and pale with spiky black hair and baggy, chained robes. He appeared gothic, but was smiling broadly at the rest of the group. As Matt walked up to them, the Hispanic boy smiled and waved his arm towards Matt.
"Hello! And who are you?"
"Matt Potter."
"Hello, Matt!" The gothic boy had now stepped forward beside his friend. "My name is Mark Sherman. And the Hispanic you've just met is Jorge Ibarra."
"It's nice to meet you both!"
Mark reached into his robes and pulled out a little hackey sack. He tossed it to Matt, who instantly started playing. The boys talked back and forth and before the ball was dropped for the first time, Matt found himself friends with both Jorge and Mark. During the course of their play, Jorge hit the sack beyond Matt. He gave a sheepish grin and chased after it. The sack rolled underneath a potted plant, and as he reached down to grab it, he heard a commotion occurring beneath the arbor of the wall.
"Why should a filthy little half-blood care so much about a piece of wizard's jewelry?" came a cruel, slimy voice from a horrible looking boy with pale brown hair, pale blue eyes, and pointed teeth.
"Please," whispered the small, pale blond girl he was torturing, tears oozing from behind her glasses. "Please give it back."
"You know, I don't think I will!" The boy tossed the little gold locket into the air, laughing mercilessly when the girl made a lunge for it. Matt began to walk towards the scene when he noticed Charity had come up beside the girl.
"Jacob McKing, stop it right now!" Charity's eyes blazed with fury.
"Who, pray tell, are you?" He spat the last word so that it sounded like poison.
"Ch-Charity Sullivan."
"You don't look like anything but a filthy mudblood."
Matt could stand it no longer. He jumped forward into the group and stood directly in front of the larger boy.
"That's enough. Apologize to Charity and give the girl the locket back."
Jacob smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I…" Matt faltered, not knowing what to say. Jacob reached inside his robe and pulled out his wand, flicking it towards Matt. Matt sprang into action by grabbing his wand too. He swished it around, causing a stream of sparks to fly from the tip, igniting Jacob's robe sleeve. Matt gasped in surprise while Charity screamed, looking about for water. The other girl pulled a bottle out of her robes and used it to douse the flames. Everybody in the hall was watching the scene; Matt felt his ears begin to turn red from humiliation. He would be kicked out of Hogwarts before he was even sorted!
"I'm watching you, Potter." Jacob threw the locket carelessly at the girl's feet and slunk away just as McGonagal entered the room. Having no knowledge of what had just occurred, she instructed the students to follow her into the Great Hall. Mark and Jorge went forward, looking at Matt with wide eyes behind them. Charity stood by Matt's side, waiting for him to go with her into the Great Hall. Matt knew he should follow, but he had to check on the girl first. She was kneeled down on the floor, softly picking up the locket.
"Are you okay?"
The girl nodded silently and gave a little smile. "Thank you. My name is Julie."
"I'm Matt."
Charity eyed their interaction with an annoyed gaze and cleared her throat loudly. Matt gave a final smile to Julie and went to Charity's side in order to go into the Great Hall.
The splendor of the Great Hall was not particularly fascinating to Matt. He had been in the very room on several occasions with his parents. But watching Charity's reaction was priceless. Her whole face was alight with wonder as she turned her head about in an attempt to see everything there was to see. She caught Matt's eye and gave him an excited smile before hooking her arm in his.
As they reached the front of the room, McGonagal picked up a large scroll with the students names on it. Dwight was the very first to be called up to the front. Matt noticed the grim look on his face and couldn't help but fear he looked the same.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the sorting hat. Charity clapped for Dwight with extreme enthusiasm, while Matt inwardly groaned. Four girls were sent to Hufflepuff, eight boys to Ravenclaw…the ceremony dragged on and on. Jorge was immediately sorted into Gryffindor, much to Matt's excitement. He wasn't surprised in the least when Jacob McKing, scorched sleeve and scowl on his face, was sorted into Slytherin. Before too long, it was Matt's turn to go up to the front. When McGonagal read his name, several of his parents' supporters stood up and began applauding. Matt tried to ignore them, but he could feel his face turning bright red. He slipped the hat on over his head and waited for a moment until the hat talked to him.
"Ah, young Mr. Potter, it's nice to be able to sort you at last! I sorted both your parents and your grandparents, you know."
"Y-yes, I know."
"Hm. Ah, yes, that's good," the hat said as he examined Matt. I've heard tell that you are a very brave, miraculous young man. You have already battled unseen forces, and I fear you still have some evils yet to face, but you will get through them with the same strength you used to survive."
"So what are you saying?"
"You are different, Matthew Potter. Your heart and mind are different (purer, if you will) than most, and you are able to see and feel things that others cannot. There are very few who possess this wonderful gift. And seeing as how you are brave and possess these unique qualities, your only option is GRYFFINDOR!"
Matt took the hat off of his head and went to join the screaming Gryffindor table, puzzled over the hat's words.
Dwight pulled Matt out a seat beside him and in front of Jorge, a broad smile on his comical face. "I told you you would be a Gryffindor, mate!" Matt smiled sweetly and high-fived Jorge, wishing Dwight wasn't there. All three boys cheered heartily when Mark also was sorted into Gryffindor. And Matt clapped and cheered for the poor, shy Julie when she also was sorted into Gryffindor, although the choice surprised him. Julie was an odd, quiet type, yet she had been chosen for the bravest of all the houses.
Now Matt just had to wait for Charity to be sorted.
When Charity put the hat over her head, a horrible knot was formed in Matt's stomach. He had only known her for mere hours, but he felt as though he had always known her. He had some, unexplainable connection to her, and he couldn't bear the thought of her being sorted into another house. The minutes ticked by painfully, until, after a long interval, Charity, too, was named a Gryffindor. She smiled broadly, and ran to the Gryffindor table, hugging Matt tightly when she grabbed a seat beside him. The six kids waited patiently until the sorting was over, bored looks upon their faces as they quietly applauded each selection.
After the hat had been put away, the feast began. All six stuffed themselves with as much food as they possibly could, all the while talking animatedly. Matt couldn't help but be irritated by how much Dwight talked to Charity, but he tried to ignore it the best he could by talking to Mark and Jorge. Julie sat morosely beside Mark, too shy to engage in the conversations.
The food was cleared away, the opening announcements had all been given, and the time to go the dorms has come. They trudged slowly and wearily up the moving staircases, their little bodies exhausted from the days activities. The four Gryffindor first year boys went silently to their dorms. Jorge and Mark got the beds to the north and east; Matt and Dwight got the beds to the south and west. As Matt settled down to sleep, he realized how lucky he was to be there at Hogwarts, with two of his friends in his dorm and Charity right down the hall. Life was good; there was no other thing to think. He closed his eyes and went off to the land of his dreams, the sorting hat's words playing softly in the back of his mind.
A/N: Sorry, that whole experience from Charity's sorting to the end were a bit rushed…
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