The train slowed to a stop.
The whistle blew.
Outside the windows, the sky was completely dark.
Edward stood up.
He left his trunk on the shelf.
A voice on a speaker told them to leave their luggage on the train.
He walked out of the compartment with Harry and Ron.
They joined the crowd of students pushing their way down the narrow aisle.
The night air felt cold.
Edward looked down at his new black school robes.
He kicked the heavy fabric away from his shoes.
“These things are terrible,” Edward said to Harry and Ron.
“It is difficult to walk around in these.
If we ever needed to run, we would certainly slip and fall.” Harry smiled a little.
Ron just shivered in the cold.
The platform was small and dark.
“First years!
First years over here!” a loud voice called out.
A giant man stood at the end of the platform.
He held a large lantern over his head.
The light showed a face covered in a thick, tangled beard.
He wore a heavy coat made of animal skins.
Harry smiled and pushed through the crowd toward him.
“Hello, Hagrid,” Harry said.
“Hello, Harry,” Hagrid beamed.
He looked down at the boys standing next to him.
“Who do we have here?” “This is Ron Weasley,” Harry said, pointing to Ron.
“And this is Edward Brooks.
They rode in my compartment.” “Nice to meet you both,” Hagrid said.
He waved a giant hand.
“Right then.
Follow me.
Mind your step.” They followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path.
The trees grew thick on both sides.
Nobody talked much.
They just tried not to slip on the wet mud.
Neville, the boy who lost his toad, sniffled a few times in the dark.
The path opened up suddenly.
They stood on the edge of a great black lake.
On the other side of the water, sitting on top of a high mountain, was a massive castle.
It had towers and turrets.
Windows glowed with warm yellow light against the dark sky.
“No more than four to a boat!” Hagrid called out.
He pointed to a fleet of small wooden boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Edward climbed into a boat.
Harry and Ron followed him.
A second later, Hermione Granger stepped in and sat down at the front.
“Everyone in?” Hagrid shouted.
He had a whole boat to himself.
“Right.
Forward!” The boats moved on their own.
They glided across the smooth glass of the lake.
Everyone sat in silence.
They just stared up at the castle.
It loomed larger and larger.
They went into a dark tunnel hidden by ivy and arrived at an underground harbor.
They climbed out of the boats onto the rocks.
Hagrid led them up a set of stone steps.
They gathered in front of a giant oak door.
Hagrid raised his fist and knocked three times.
The door swung open at once.
A tall witch stood there.
She wore emerald green robes and a pointed hat.
She had a very strict face.
Edward recognized her immediately from his memories.
Professor McGonagall.
“The first years, Professor,” Hagrid said.
“Thank you, Hagrid.
I will take them from here,” McGonagall said.
She pulled the door wide.
The entrance hall was massive.
Stone walls rose high into the air.
Flaming torches lit the space.
A grand marble staircase led up to the next floor.
They followed McGonagall across the flagged stone floor.
They heard the sound of hundreds of voices coming from a doorway to the right.
The rest of the school was already there.
But McGonagall did not take them into the main room.
She led them into a small, empty chamber off the hall.
The first years crowded in.
They stood close together, looking around nervously.
McGonagall stood at the front.
She looked over the crowd of eleven-year-olds.
Her eyes swept past Ron, past Hermione, and past Harry.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school,” McGonagall said.
Her voice echoed in the small room.
“I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you wait.” Her eyes lingered on Ron’s dirt-smudged nose and Harry’s messy hair.
Then, she turned and left the chamber.
As soon as the door closed, people started whispering.
“How exactly do they sort us?” Harry asked Ron.
“Some sort of test, I think,” Ron said.
He looked pale.
“My brothers said it hurts, but I think they were joking.” Before Edward could say anything, a voice cut through the whispers.
“So it is true, then.” Edward turned his head.
A boy pushed his way to the front of the crowd.
He had a pale, pointed face and slick white-blonde hair.
Two larger, thick-set boys stood right behind him like bodyguards.
The blonde boy looked right at Harry.
“What they were saying on the train.
Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts.” The other students murmured.
They looked at Harry.
“This is Crabbe, and this is Goyle,” the pale boy said, pointing to the two large boys.
“And my name is Malfoy.
Draco Malfoy.” Ron let out a slight cough.
It sounded exactly like a laugh.
Draco turned on him.
He looked Ron up and down.
He looked at Ron’s faded robes and freckles.
He sneered.
He made a mean comment about Ron’s red hair and his family having too many children and no money.
Ron turned completely red.
He clenched his fists.
Draco turned back to Harry.
He offered his hand.
He told Harry that some wizarding families were better than others.
He offered to help Harry make the right friends.
Harry looked at Draco’s hand.
He did not take it.
He told Draco that he could figure out the wrong sort for himself.
Draco’s face turned pink.
His eyes narrowed.
He looked like he wanted to yell.
Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward, cracking their knuckles.
Edward decided this was the perfect time to intervene.
He stepped out from behind Harry and Ron.
He walked right up to Draco.
“Good evening to you,” Edward said.
He used his very best, perfectly polite British accent.
He bowed his head just a little bit.
“Edward Brooks is the name.
It is a proper honor to meet a person of your standing.” Draco stopped glaring at Harry.
He looked at Edward.
He seemed surprised by the polite greeting.
“You have the look of a proper gentleman, you do,” Edward continued smoothly.
“Sharp robes.
Hair slicked back nice and neat.
You are a real credit to your family name, Mr.
Malfoy.” Draco’s chest puffed out.
He lifted his chin.
He preened like a peacock.
He enjoyed the flattery.
Harry and Ron exchanged a very confused look.
They stared at Edward.
They did not understand what he was doing.
“I suppose some people do know how to show proper respect,” Draco said, looking at Edward with a smug smile.
“Are you from a pureblood family, Brooks?” Edward smiled back.
He opened his mouth.
When he spoke, his British accent vanished completely.
He replaced it with the thickest, fastest, muddiest Irish traveler accent he could manage.
He slurred his words together.
He dropped letters.
He spoke at lightning speed.
“Well-now-dat’s-a-fair-question-innit,” Edward said rapidly.
“Me-mam-always-said-blood-is-thicker-than-water-but-water-is-better-fer-boilin’-spuds.
But-tell-me-dis, d’ya-like-dis-place-or-what?
Proper-drafty-in-here-innit?
Stone-smells-like-damp-and-rat-shite.” Draco’s smug smile froze.
His pale eyes went wide.
He stared at Edward’s mouth.
“Pardon?” Draco asked.
Edward did not slow down.
He took a step closer, waving his hands around as he spoke gibberish.
“Yer-man-wit-da-big-beard,” Edward said, pointing a thumb back toward the lake.
“Right-size-of-a-lad-he-is.
But-d’ya-reckon-he-knows-his-way-round-a-proper-fire?
Catch-our-death-in-dem-boats-we-will, sure-as-eggs-is-eggs.
D’ya-like-toads?” Draco blinked.
He looked completely lost.
“Do I like…
what?” “Toads,” Edward repeated, nodding his head.
“Da-bushy-haired-girl-was-lookin’-fer-one.
Proper-slippery-little-tings.
Me-mam-used-to-say-if-ya-kiss-a-toad-ya-get-warts, but-if-ya-eat-a-toad-ya-get-a-full-belly.
Whaddya-reckon?” Draco opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He looked at Crabbe.
He looked at Goyle.
“Did you understand a word he just said?” Draco hissed at his bodyguards.
Crabbe and Goyle just stared blankly.
They both shook their heads.
Edward leaned in closer.
He patted Draco on the shoulder like they were old friends.
“Now-what-about-da-sortin’?” Edward rambled on, speaking even faster.
“Da-red-hair-lad-says-it-hurts.
D’ya-reckon-dey-stick-a-hot-iron-on-us, or-is-it-just-a-quick-jab-wit-a-sharp-stick?
Cause-I-ain’t-partial-to-bleedin’-on-me-first-day.
Messes-up-da-new-clothes, it-does.” Draco looked panicked.
He did not want to look stupid in front of the crowd.
He did not want to admit he could not understand a single word Edward was saying.
He decided to fake it.
Draco puffed his chest out again.
He nodded slowly.
“Ah.
Yes,” Draco said.
“Quite.
The bleeding is…
minimal.” Harry covered his mouth with his hand.
His shoulders shook.
He was trying very hard not to laugh.
Ron stared at Draco with his jaw hanging open.
Edward grinned brightly.
“Right-you-are!
A-lad-who-knows-his-mind.
Aye, well, dat’s-a-relief-den.
I-was-tinkin’-maybe-dey-toss-us-in-da-lake-and-see-who-floats.
Da-floaters-go-to-one-house, da-sinkers-go-to-da-other.
Proper-efficient, dat.” “Indeed,” Draco agreed stiffly, looking around the room to see if anyone else was laughing at him.
“Very efficient.” Before Edward could talk about selling him a caravan with no wheels, the chamber door opened again.
Professor McGonagall stepped back inside.
The room fell silent instantly.
“Move along now,” McGonagall ordered.
“The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin.
Form a line.
Follow me.” The students quickly formed a single file line.
Edward stood behind Harry.
Ron stood behind Edward.
Draco hurried away to the front of the line, looking very relieved to get away from the strange boy.
Harry turned his head and whispered over his shoulder.
“What language was that?” “Just a little something I picked up in London,” Edward whispered back with a wink.
They walked out of the chamber.
They crossed the hall and walked through a set of double doors.
They entered the Great Hall.
Edward looked around.
The room was huge.
Four long wooden tables stretched across the floor.
Thousands of older students sat at the tables.
They wore black robes.
Golden plates and goblets sat on the wood.
Floating candles lit the room.
Thousands of them hung in mid-air over the tables.
Edward looked up.
The ceiling did not look like a ceiling.
It looked exactly like the night sky outside.
He saw stars shining against black velvet.
McGonagall led the first years to the front of the hall.
They stopped in a line facing the older students.
The teachers sat at a long table behind them.
McGonagall walked forward.
She placed a simple four-legged wooden stool on the floor.
Then, she placed a pointed wizard’s hat on top of the stool.
The hat looked very old.
It was patched, frayed, and extremely dirty.
The whole hall stared at the hat.
The hall was completely silent.
Then, a tear near the brim of the hat opened wide like a mouth.
The hat began to sing.
It sang a long song about the four founders of the school.
It sang about Gryffindor liking brave people, Hufflepuff liking hard workers, Ravenclaw liking smart people, and Slytherin liking people who did whatever it took to win.
When the song ended, the whole hall clapped loudly.
McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment paper.
“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” McGonagall said.
She started reading names.
“Abbott, Hannah!” A girl with blonde pigtails walked out of the line.
She sat on the stool.
She put the hat on her head.
It fell down over her eyes.
A moment later, the hat shouted, “HUFFLEPUFF!” The table on the right cheered and clapped.
Hannah went to sit with them.
“Bones, Susan!” “HUFFLEPUFF!” “Boot, Terry!” “RAVENCLAW!” Edward watched the process.
He crossed his arms.
He felt calm.
He knew he possessed a high-level skill in mental defense.
He practiced his Occlumency every night at the orphanage.
He built a solid wall in his mind.
He hid all his memories of his past life.
He hid all his knowledge of the system.
If the hat tried to dig deep, it would only find a normal ten-year-old orphan who liked reading and exercise.
“Granger, Hermione!” Hermione almost ran to the stool.
She jammed the hat onto her head.
“GRYFFINDOR!” the hat shouted.
Ron groaned quietly behind Edward.
“Malfoy, Draco!” Draco walked up with a confident swagger.
The hat barely touched his head before it screamed, “SLYTHERIN!” Draco looked very pleased.
He went to join his friends at the far table.
More names were called.
The line got shorter.
Neville Longbottom fell over on his way to the stool.
He was sorted into Gryffindor.
“Potter, Harry!” The hall suddenly got very quiet.
Whispers broke out across the room like little hissing fires.
People leaned forward to get a look at him.
Harry walked up to the stool.
He looked nervous.
He sat down and put the hat on.
It took a long time.
Harry sat there with the hat covering his eyes.
His lips moved slightly.
After a full minute, the hat finally shouted.
“GRYFFINDOR!” The table on the far left erupted.
People cheered the loudest they had all night.
Two red-haired twins stood up and yelled, “We got Potter!
We got Potter!” Harry took off the hat.
He walked over to the Gryffindor table.
He looked incredibly happy.
He sat down next to Hermione.
“Weasley, Ronald!” Ron looked green.
He walked up slowly.
He sat down.
The hat dropped over his eyes.
A second later, it shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!” Ron let out a huge breath.
He took off the hat and ran to join Harry at the table.
There were only a few people left in line.
McGonagall looked at her parchment.
“Brooks, Edward!” Edward took a breath.
He walked forward casually.
He felt the eyes of the students on him, but he ignored them.
He kept his face relaxed.
He walked up the steps.
He turned around and sat on the wooden stool.
McGonagall picked up the hat.
She dropped it onto Edward’s head.
The brim slid down, blocking the light from the candles.
He sat in total darkness.
Ah, a small, dry voice echoed right inside his ear.
What do we have here?
A very organized mind.
Very neat.
You have built some very impressive walls in here, Mr.
Brooks.
Very impressive indeed.
Edward did not speak out loud.
He just thought his reply.
Thank you, Edward thought calmly.
I like my privacy.
Privacy is well and good, the hat chuckled softly.
But I see the shape of the thoughts you leave out in the open.
I see a sharp mind.
I see someone who calculates his steps carefully.
But I also see a quiet sort of courage.
You do not boast, but you do not back down either.
I try my best, Edward thought.
Indeed you do, the hat whispered.
You have a lot of potential.
You could go anywhere.
You possess the ambition to change things.
You possess the nerve to see it through.
Where should I put you?
Edward waited in the dark.
He honestly did not care which table he sat at.
He just wanted to eat.
Very well, the hat said.
If you are sure, then it better be…