𝕬 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝕭𝖔𝖗𝖓 | 𝑇𝑜𝑚 𝑅𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 |

Chapter 7- The Horror of Sorting

"First years over this way!" a rather large, burly man yelled, holding up his lantern as if they couldn't see him clear enough already. All the first years stopped their memorizing stare at the castle and began to crowd around him, most of them nervous now that they weren't being distracted. Frankie couldn't really make out any of their faces in the dark. She'd even lost Tom in the silent parade of thirty-nine faceless kids. The only person's face she saw was the man who was leading them. He had a rough, gristly appearance. Frankie, along with probably everyone else, was forced to assume he was a teacher, but he had not yet said anything or referred to himself as such. Following a stranger into the dark was not the most assuring way to start this magical journey to school, but they did it anyway.

After a bit of walking, they reached the edge of a pitch-black lake with fifteen tiny little wooden boats beached on the shore in front of them.

"Alright, file in everyone. About three or four to a boat and don't worry about driving. They'll leave on their own once their filled." the man shouted to the crowd. Everyone started shuffling to find people to group with, despite barely being able to see who they were finding. Unfortunately, Tom couldn't find Frankie in time. He had lost her in the darkness and got stuck with three other girls, who had literally grabbed him right as he managed to spot her. His boat was the second to last to magically push itself out into the dark. Frankie sat beside two boys as she quietly waited for his boat to get far enough from the shore. She waved goodbye as he drifted away, at least.

In the last boat, there sat Frankie with two other boys that needed a third. The lantern hanging off the boat had illuminated their appearances. The first was a gangly, tall blonde. He towered above her and returned her warm greeting with a simple silent nod. The other boy had the messiest, curly dark hair Frankie had ever seen in her life. It wasn't very long, yet still managed to flare in several unruly directions. If Mrs. Cole were there, she would sooner give him a buzz cut then let him walk around with his hair like that.

Although, Frankie was keen to be welcoming towards them and start making new friends immediately, they didn't seem like they wanted to talk to her beyond a quick hello. It was clear that the two had already been friends far longer than this boat ride. They were busy talking about things from the wizarding world and the people they knew that were already there or had been there already. They had roots in the ground before they had even been on shore within ten feet of the castle. It was stuff she would never be able to understand. Of course, she didn't care so much about being completely ignored, after they got a completely idiotic boy idea. Frankie soon became far more concerned for her own safety and the fact that they kept jerking the boat, trying to see if they could tip it over.

Meanwhile, over in Tom's boat, he would've rather had them give him the silent treatment, or have the boat suddenly flip over. The three girls in his boat just wouldn't stop trying to talk to him. It made Tom even go as far as threaten to knock one of them off the boat if they didn't shut up. In the orphanage that threat alone would make a girl either shut up or jump ship just to get as far away from him as possible. However, for some reason that merely made them come on to him even stronger. Once they got out of the hellish boat rides, Frankie and Tom stuck together like glue. He waited for her at the dock, helped her out of the boat and, the second her feet touched the wooden planks, she discreetly grabbed onto a bit of his sleeve, probably thinking he wouldn't have wanted to hold her hand any longer. They joined the others and, as soon as the man arrived at the dock as well, he led them inside of the castle. They stopped outside a set of grand doors, which Tom suspected to be the Great Hall, having previously studied out of Hogwarts, A History. The man mumbled farewell and told them to wait for a professor to come and talk to them before they entered.

"Are you nervous?" Frankie asked, looking around at all the other first years. They were spread about and anxious looking, most likely unsure if they wanted to make friends before they were sorted. She caught eyes with the curly haired boy and his friend across the mass. They'd added the boy from the train to their cluster of old pals. He waved, after he noticed her gaze, however, she quickly turned away out of bitterness and embarrassment.