The students had gotten off the boats and walked on a path leading to the castle. For the most part, the crowd of first years kept the noise to a minimum as they spoke among themselves. Hagrid stopped in front of a huge wooden door and knocked three times.

The door swung open to reveal a tall witch with a stern look. She wore a pointy hat and a pair of glasses, and her hair was held up in a neat, tight bun. Gaia racked her brain for the stories her father used to tell her about his time at Hogwarts, hoping to figure out which of his teachers she was.

"First years, professor," Hagrid said.

"Yes, thank you Hagrid." She turned around and started walking further into the castle, motioning for the first years to follow her. Gaia could hear chatter from behind another set of large doors just a few ways away from the entrance. She gaped at the seemingly never-ending staircases located somewhat in front of them that moved every now and then. The professor stopped in front of the second large doors and turned to face the students.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she started, "I am Professor McGonagall, one of your teachers. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly. Once you enter, you will not immediately take your seats but rather you shall be sorted first. The Sorting Ceremony is very important as it will determine your house and, consequently, your family for the rest of your years here at Hogwarts. You will have classes with them, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your respective common rooms. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here at Hogwarts, any triumphs will earn your house points, and any rule-breaking will lose points. At the end of each year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup" Professor McGonagall explained.

"Bet you Gryffindor will win the cup this year," Fred whispered to Gaia who only smirked in response.

"I'll get back to you with my own bet once we get sorted, yeah?"

"Now, the sorting ceremony will begin in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. Make yourselves presentable while you wait here" Professor McGonagall said before entering the room behind the big doors.

Almost immediately, the students broke into murmurs, both excited and anxious.

"How d'you think we'll be sorted?" Lee asked.

"Maybe we'll have to fight a troll or something," George suggested.

"Yeah," Gaia snorted, "it'll determine whether you're idiotically brave or not."

Fred gasped as if he were offended.

"I don't suppose you were pertaining to the great house of Godric Gryffindor just now, were you?" he said as he narrowed his eyes at the girl playfully.

"I said nothing of the sort." Gaia smiled teasingly. Mentally, she found herself hoping to be put in Gryffindor just so she'd be able to be with the twins more.

A few moments later, Professor McGonagall appeared once again.

"We're ready for you now." The noise of the students immediately quieted into nothing, "If you will, form a line and follow me inside." The students followed without complaint as the witch fully opened the doors.

Gaia swore her breath left her when she finally saw what was behind the doors. As she followed Professor McGonagall with the rest of the crowd, her eyes wandered around the big room. There were four long tables inside the hall, each table filled with a sea of students clad in the different colors of their respective houses. The ceiling looked as if it were the clear night sky, and candles floated above their heads. When she saw the ghosts floating around the room, a loud gasp left her, just as she bumped into a student in front of her. They had stopped walking.

"Sorry," Gaia muttered, looking forward to see that Fred was the one she had bumped into. The boy only laughed at her, waving it off.

Professor McGonagall stepped to the front, holding a scroll of parchment in one hand and an old, pointy hat in the other. Slightly to her side, there was a single wooden stool.

"When I call your name, you will step up here and be sorted," Professor McGonagall explained, "Abbott, Mary."

A larger girl with wavy hair stepped forward and sat on the stool. The older witch placed the hat on her head, which suddenly burst to life. Gaia gasped in wonder as the hat started talking.

"Hmmmmm... First student to sort this year, eh?" the hat said.

Gaia's attention turned to her right as she heard Fred groan. She looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Oh, Merlin." Fred shook his head in disdain.

"It's gonna take forever. There's got to be near a hundred first years here," George explained. Gaia groaned at the realization, making the twins laugh.

"You're one to laugh. I'll be sitting down soon while you two are probably going to be the last ones sorted," Gaia quipped, effectively shutting up the laughing boys.

✧✧✧

"It feels like we've been here for hours," Fred complained. Gaia rolled her eyes at his exaggeration.

"It' only been less than 20 minutes, Fred," Gaia said.

"But that's 30 minutes too long," George whined. Gaia shook her head in exasperation and wondered to herself how she'd ben putting up with them for the past few hours.

"Ernois, Jewel!" A girl with blond hair stepped up to the stool.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Eruditus, Galadria." Beside Gaia, the twins snorted, which made her look at them questioningly.

"Galadria? Really?" Fred snickered. Gaia rolled her eyes and hit him on the arm before stepping up to the stool. She felt her heart beating wildly as she sat down on the stool, letting Professor McGonagall place the hat on her head and willing her hair to stay its natural color.

~Ah! I remember your father, William. Poor lad was so convinced he'd be in Hufflepuff. Anyway, I can see your more like your mother than your father. Gryffindor wouldn't really suit you. Not one for adventure, are you?~

The sorting hat spoke in her head, making her jump in her seat slightly. The hall broke out into whispers as they observed the light violet creeping into her hair from her roots, a blush on her face out of embarrassment. At the Hufflepuff house, she spotted a girl jumping up and down with a large smile on her face, her hair rapidly changing color.

~A metamorphmagus as well! Extraordinary. I know just the house for you.~

"RAVENCLAW!" the sorting hat announced. The blue house erupted in cheers just as yellow started replacing the violet in Gaia's hair. She stood up from the stool and made her way happily to her new house. Older students greeted her as she sat down beside the student sorted before her.

"Hi! I'm Gaia," Gaia greeted with a bright smile.

"Jewel," the girl answered softly, accompanied by her own smile as her eyes took an a slightly clouded look.

"Fletcher, Damon." – "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Foster, James." – "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Frias, Malia." Gaia's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as she recognized the girl stepping towards the stool. Jewel looked at her curiously as black seeped into her hair.

"What's the matter?" Jewel asked. Gaia shook her head in annoyance and turned her back towards the sorting.

"Nothing, just bumped into that girl on the train." Gaia grumbled to herself, "I'm going to scream if she gets into Ravenclaw."

"SLYTHERIN!"

Gaia let out a breath of relief as claps rung through the air. She turned around to see Frias making her way to the green table.

"So, do both of your parents have magic?" Jewel asked, to which Gaia was thankful for the distraction.

"Yeah, they do. They're both half-bloods. Mum's part veela, actually – a quarter, I think," Gaia smiled.

"Woah, really? No wonder I was a bit dazed talking to you at first," Jewel said.

"Yeah, but it's not as strong with me so it rarely affects anyone. I think my sister's got more charm in her blood. But mum said it'd get stronger as we grow." Gaia recalled her mother telling them when they were younger that they would have to be wary of people around them because of their veela blood. She'd mentioned that the genes were definitely more present with Lele, judging by the younger girl's blond hair and her lighter skin.

"Still got an effect, though."

"Are your parents both magical?" Gaia asked.

"Dad's a muggle, so he doesn't really understand the whole magic thing fully. Mum's muggle-born," Jewel answered.

The rest of the sorting became blurry to Gaia as she was too busy talking to Jewel. At one point, a boy (soon sorted into Gryffindor) had walked up to the stool too nervously (or was it excitedly?) that he accidentally knocked it over.

Soon, there were three boys left standing – two of which were the Weasley twins.

"Weasley, Fred." Gaia smiled brightly as she looked at Fred, the boy giving her a wink when they made eye contact.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Weasley, George" George, for some reason, looked nervous despite having a huge grin. Gaia sent him a reassuring smile, making him less tense.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"White, Gabriel" – "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Finally, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll of parchment, and put away the hat and the stool. An old wizard with a silver hat and half-moon spectacles stood from his seat at the middle.

"Welcome, to a new year at Hogwarts!"

✧✧✧

The feast that followed after the headmaster's rather unique words was nothing short of spectacular.

The long tables of each house were filled with a variety of food, some of which Gaia had never even heard of in her life. While eating, she'd gotten acquainted with her other housemates and learned more about how Jewel's family integrated more muggle ways in their life than magical ones.

Nearing the end of the feast, the Hufflepuff girl with rapidly changing hair from earlier approached Gaia, with Charlie Weasley following her close behind.

"Hey Gaia-"

"Hiya! Name's Nymphadora Tonks, but don't call me anything else other than Tonks." The energetic Hufflepuff grinned widely at Gaia as Charlie rolled his eyes jokingly beside her, "I'm a metamorphmagus too! Was a tad bit too excited to see your hair change color back there!"

"You are?" Gaia's eyes looked at Tonks in wonder as she watched the older girl change her nose into a duck bill, "That's amazing!"

"Reckon you'll be able to do it too in a while," Tonks said with a grin when she'd changed her nose back.

A scream from behind her and a set of hands slapping onto her shoulders made Gaia's next words die in her throat as she let out her own scream and jumped up from her seat, nearly hitting Tonks' chin with the top of her head, her hair flashing a light gray color. She turned around at the sound of familiar laughter and glared at the twins as other people at the Ravenclaw table turned to look towards the commotion. Violet seeped into her hair as she sneered at the twins playfully.

"You two'll give me a heart attack before classes even start!" Gaia huffed, sitting back down. The twins recomposed themselves and gave her their usual grin. Tonks, on the other hand, was still busy laughing as she leaned on Charlie for support.

"We're sorry, Gaia," George said, though he was still slightly snickering. Gaia rolled her eyes and lifted her goblet to her mouth.

"No, you're not."

The twins burst out laughing once again, curling into themselves as they struggled to keep standing.

"You're right, we're not," Fred managed to force out.

"Charlie! Your brothers are great!" Tonks wheezed while Charlie only sighed.

"Best to get back to our own tables now, headmaster's about to say a few things," Charlie said.

The twins squeezed in another sort, this time more genuine, as Charlie dragged them back to the Gryffindor table, Tonks waving goodbye at Gaia as she went towards the Hufflepuff table.

"You seem close with them," Jewel commented as she took a bite out of a dessert Gaia couldn't recognize.

"Don't let it fool you, I only met them on the train," Gaia replied, scooping up some fudge into her mouth just as the remaining desserts on the table disappeared. Multiple students whined or grumbled in complaint as the headmaster stood up from his seat.

"Now that we've all been fed, I'd like to give just a few start-of-term reminders. First years should note that no student is allowed to enter the forest beyond the grounds. No magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term for second years and above. Those interested on trying out should contact Madam Hooch."

Gaia blocked out the rest of the speech in favor of making faces at the twins from across the hall and before she knew it, the students were already standing up from their seats. Gaia looked over to Jewel in question.

"We're going up to the dormitories," Jewel explained.

The Gryffindors were only a short distance behind them, she noted, as they clambered up the stairs with a Ravenclaw prefect leading the way. At some point, they took a turn that separated them from the Gryffindors that continued going upwards. Gaia observed the paintings that would wave at them and welcome them as their prefect lead them out of the castle to a bridge pathway leading to another tower. Gaia groaned internally when she saw the spiraling staircase that would lead up to their common room.

"I don't think I like where our common room's at," Jewel whispered to Gaia.

"I second that," Gaia said.

They stopped in front of what seemed like a giant wooden door with nothing but an eagle knocker on it. A short man waited there beside the door – the head of Ravenclaw house. The prefect turned towards the first years.

"Ravenclaw house, just like Rowena Ravenclaw herself, prides itself in treasuring wisdom beyond anything. To get into the common room, all you have to do is answer the eagle knocker's question" he explained before knocking on the door.

The eagle on the door came to life and opened its mouth to ask a riddle.

"You struggle to regain me. When I'm lost, you struggle to obtain me. I pass no matter your will, but I'm your slave to kill. What am I?"

The first years fell into whispers as the older students let them answer the riddle for themselves.

"Time." It was Jewel who had answered the question.

"Correct. Welcome to Ravenclaw." The door swung open to reveal a small staircase going upwards.

"Great job." The prefect smiled towards Jewel.

The students clambered up the small flight of stairs and broke out into chatter when they finally saw the common room itself. Gaia grinned widely as she looked around. The room itself was wide and circular with arched windows that presented a stunning view of the Hogwarts grounds and its surrounding mountains. It had a dome-ceiling which had stars like in the night sky painted on it and a midnight-blue carpet was on the ground. There were tables, chairs, and about 6 bookcases all around the room. In a space surrounded by books, parallel to the common room entrance, there was a statue of a witch.

"That's Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of our house. Now, the dormitories are through a door a bit behind the statue. You'll find that everything you brought with you already at your respective dorms," the prefect said before the students started making their way to their respective dorms.

Through the door behind the statue, there was a library with two spiral staircases winding against the wall of the tower. To the left was the staircase of the girls' dormitory, whilst the right was to the boys' dormitory.

"Lucky! We're in the same dorm!" Jewel said as she dragged Gaia into their dorm.

The dorms were just as stunning as the main common room. The room itself was in a semi-circle shape with four beds placed along the wall opposite of the entrance. Each bed had a royal blue bedspread and had blue curtains hanging from the top of the four poster bed. In between the beds, on the wall, were large windows that showed the same view from the common room: blue and bronze curtains hung at their sides.

Jewel immediately jumped on one of the beds as two other girls entered the dorm room. Gaia only smiled, sitting down on one of the beds closer to the door. She laid down on the bed with her arms spread out, one thought on her mind – home.

✧✧✧

Edited 09/06/2020