get out [h. granger]

eight

The train's wheels finally ground to a stop and Shyla could barely contain the excitement that seemed to buzz throughout her body like a drug. She was the first one in the compartment to stand and she rocked back and forth on her feet until it was her turn to politely leave the compartment.

"You coming, Draco?" Shyla asked.

Draco shook his head, his eyes darting to the luggage rack. "I have something I want to do first."

"Suit yourself," Shyla said with a shrug. "'Suppose I've got to go and get sorted anyway."

A hint of a smile tugged at Draco's lips. "Good luck," he said as Shyla was already halfway out of the compartment.

Shyla stepped out into the chaos of the platform with energy quivering in her bones. She found a rather tall man (she assumed this was the Hagrid that she had heard Draco complain about) and pushed her way towards him.

"'Ello," he said. "Are yeh the new student, then?"

Shyla nodded, supposing that he probably knew almost everyone at the relatively small school and she looked much too old to be a first year. "I am," Shyla confirmed.

"Yer teh come with me in the boats," Hagrid explained. "An' Professor McGonagall will sort yeh in private 'fore the first years."

The journey across the lake went smooth enough. The lake itself was as still as glass, and Shyla swore she could see what looked like a giant squid waving up at them as they passed over. All the first years in the boat were terrified—of her or of the newness of it all, Shyla wasn't sure.

They reached the banks of the lake at the foot of the castle and followed a small footpath up to a set of doors. A woman was waiting there, her silver streaked hair pulled back tightly into a knot and her emerald green robes going up to cover her throat. She surveyed the group before leading them inside. When they paused on a landing, Shyla could hear the chatter of the rest of the school, she assumed just beyond the doors behind the woman.

"I am Professor McGonagall. In just a few short moments, you will be lead through these doors and sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin," Professor McGonagall explained. "While at Hogwarts, your house will be like your family. Good deeds will earn you points, and misbehavior will cost you. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup, so I urge you all the be on your best behavior. We will sort you in a few moments' time. If you would all wait here."

McGonagall paused and leaned in towards Shyla. "You are Ms. Fawley, I presume?" she asked. Shyla nodded silently. "We are going to sort you in a side room where you can then join your classmates the watch the rest of the sorting. Follow me."

McGonagall paused as she saw two figures outside in the hall. One of them Shyla recognized as Harry Potter—though, unlike the last time she had met him, he was covered in blood and glaring stonily into a wall. The other was Severus Snape, a man she had seen briefly at Draco's house a few times.

McGonagall let out a long sigh at the sight before turning into an unused classroom. "Here you are, Miss Fawley. If you would have a seat on this stool."

Shyla obliged, jumping slightly when her vision was slightly covered by a hat. She wondered briefly how on earth the hat was supposed to fit eleven-year-olds when it didn't even fit her.

"Hmm, yes, you do know what you want and how to get it, don't you?"

Shyla jumped again. Was the hat... talking to her?

"Of course I am. Now, where to put you... Better be... SLYTHERIN!"

The hat must have called out the last word out loud, as McGonagall pulled the hat off Shyla's head. With a tap of the Professor's wand, Shyla's robes spotted emerald and silver accents, her tie changing from plain black to the same colors as her robes. "Congratulations, Miss Fawley," McGonagall said, although the pursing of her lips made it seem as though she didn't feel particularly congratulatory. "If you'll go through those doors and find a seat at the table all the way to the left."