By the time the train finally pulled into the station, night had already swallowed the sky.
For some reason Esther suddenly felt a wave of nervousness. She lifted a hand to neaten her new school uniform, then followed the flow of students as they stepped down from the train.
Hagrid, the Keeper of the Grounds at Hogwarts, stood waiting for the first-years with a lantern in hand. He gathered all of them together and led the group down to the boats. These small wooden boats would ferry the new students across the vast, ink-black lake toward Hogwarts Castle.
All upper-year students travelled by carriage instead, which meant Esther had to part ways with Ernie.
Before leaving, Ernie gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"I'll be waiting for you in Hufflepuff!"
He sounded absolutely certain she would end up in Hufflepuff.
Esther waved back at him, took a slow, steady breath, and climbed onto one of the boats.
Sharing her boat were two girls.
One had a head of pale blond hair, wide bright eyes, and dimples as sweet as sugar when she smiled.
The other had red hair, a dusting of freckles across her cheeks, and soft, quiet features that made her look a little shy.
Esther found herself glancing at the red-haired girl a few more times. She was Ginny Weasley...the youngest and only daughter of the Weasley family, and the future wife of the Chosen One, Harry Potter.
She wanted very much to talk to her, but since Ginny seemed shy and not quite eager to speak with the people around her, Esther held back and kept her thoughts to herself.
She lowered her head and looked toward the surface of the Black Lake. Rumor said there were merpeople and giant squids living in its depths. She wondered if it was possible to see any of them from up here.
"What are you looking at?"
The blond girl leaned forward curiously when she saw Esther staring so intently at the water.
Ginny didn't speak, but she, too, turned her head with faint curiosity.
Esther explained, "My dad told me there are merpeople and a giant squid in the Black Lake, so I was checking to see if I could spot anything."
Once she said that, the other two girls also leaned forward to peer into the water.
But the sky was too dark, and the lake was far darker still. They could not see a thing.
"My sister told me that the Slytherin dormitory has windows that look right into the Black Lake," the blond girl said. "She said she once saw the giant squid drifting past her window."
The moment Slytherin was mentioned, Ginny wrinkled her nose on instinct. Clearly she did not like that house.
Esther understood why. Gryffindor and Slytherin had clashed for generations. Ginny's entire family belonged to Gryffindor, not to mention the unpleasant little conflict she'd had before school even began—with the two very representative Slytherins, Lucius and Draco Malfoy. If Esther were in Ginny's position, she wouldn't like Slytherin either.
Esther didn't comment on the dislike. Instead she turned to the blond girl, who looked as though she had stepped straight out of a storybook like a real-life doll.
"The Slytherin dormitories are in the dungeons, so they really do have a view of the lake. But honestly, I think that sounds a bit scary."
And probably damp enough to cause rheumatism.
Maybe.
After all, living under a lake must come with a lot of moisture.
Esther pondered this with a small frown.
The blond girl shrugged. "My sister says it's fine. Not dangerous at all. It's just that sometimes the giant squid slaps the window at night, which can make it hard to sleep."
Esther asked, "Your sister is in Slytherin?"
The girl nodded. "Yes, she's one year above me, and she's in Slytherin."
Blond hair. One year younger than Draco Malfoy. An older sister in the same year as Draco.
Esther studied her more carefully, and the answer rose clearly in her mind.
"My name is Esther Mayne," she said warmly. "What's your name?"
The blond girl answered, "I'm Astoria Greengrass."
As expected: Astoria.
Draco Malfoy's future wife, a character who appeared only briefly in the original story.
Having introduced herself to one, it wouldn't do to ignore the other.
So Esther turned toward Ginny.
"And you? What's your name?"
Perhaps because both girls had behaved kindly and openly, Ginny no longer seemed wary. She replied, "I'm Ginny. Ginny Weasley."
A faint look of surprise flickered in Astoria's eyes. Ginny noticed it immediately and met her gaze head-on, unafraid.
Fortunately, although Astoria was surprised, she said nothing unpleasant or rude.
Astoria was also from one of the twenty-eight pureblood families, and although she had grown up hearing the usual pureblood superiority rhetoric, she was gentler and kinder than many other pureblood children.
This had also been evident in the books. According to the official lore at the end of the series, she inherited a blood curse and passed away in her early thirties after giving birth to Scorpius Malfoy. Astoria refused to raise her son with the ideology that Muggles were filth, and because of this Lucius and Narcissa disapproved of her deeply. Every family gathering had been described as painfully tense.
Such a good girl, kind and lovely, gone so young... it hadn't felt entirely real when Esther had only read it as fiction. But seeing her in person now made Esther feel unexpectedly sorry.
She had no other reason—just that kind, beautiful Slytherins were truly rare.
After exchanging names, the three of them fell silent again. They crossed the dark lake without further conversation.
Next would be the most important event of all: the Sorting Ceremony.
Esther drew in a deep breath and told herself to relax.
Professor McGonagall, dressed in her emerald-green cloak, held a long list of first-year names on a piece of parchment. She called each student forward in turn to place the Sorting Hat upon their head.
The ceremony proceeded smoothly. Ginny and Astoria were sorted exactly as in the original story—into Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively.
Both houses erupted in cheers and applause.
Soon it was Esther's turn.
She inhaled one last steadying breath and walked forward, placing the Sorting Hat onto her head.
"Oh, let me see," the Hat murmured. "You're very clever, and also very brave—"
"Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff!"
Before the Sorting Hat could finish its thoughts, Esther filled her mind with one loud, frantic chant: she wanted to go to Hufflepuff.
She knew the Sorting Hat placed students based on their traits—but if a student insisted strongly enough, the Hat would honor their wish.
"Are you certain?" the Hat asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "You're the first student in many years to request Hufflepuff. To be honest, I think Ravenclaw suits you better."
What a joke. She had no desire whatsoever to spend seven years battling the most academically intense students alive.
The Hat's words startled her so much that she chanted even harder in her head:
"Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff just Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff Hufflepuff!!!"
"All right, all right—stop shouting. I'll put you in Hufflepuff!"
Unable to endure her mental barrage, the Sorting Hat raised its voice and declared loudly, "Hufflepuff!"
The Hufflepuff table burst into applause.
And Ernie—more excited than anyone—looked as though he might climb onto the dining table and cheer for her at full volume.
With everything settled, Esther let out a long, relieved breath and happily ran over to join him.
***
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