RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

LXX.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

*

CHAPTER LXX.

Ariel sat on the train in a compartment with her siblings. Caelum did most of the talking, keeping their twin brothers entertained and showing them all of the sweets that he had bought from the Trolley Lady.

Ariel mostly stared out of the window, occasionally turning to share a laugh or share her opinion.

She was only one year older than Atlas and Archie, but she felt like she'd been at Hogwarts for so long already.

She loved Gryffindor, it was her House.

She knew that.

She shouldn't doubt her place in her own House, she supposed.

***

"Hmm?" She responded, when her friend Dean shook her shoulder.

"Are you listening to me?" Dean exclaimed indignantly, frowning, but his expression quickly changed to concern, "Are you okay?"

After Ariel and Caelum had taken Archie and Atlas to the boats with the other First Years, they had gone to the carriages.

Now, she was sitting on one of the carriages pulled by...something invisible...and travelling to Hogwarts Castle.

Ariel really had no friends save for Dean and sometimes Seamus, who was nice, but was more of Dean's friend than Ariel's. But Dean was the best friend that she could ask for.

Earlier, Seamus had gotten lost in the crowd and was now on a different carriage. Dean and Ariel had tried searching for him, but they hadn't found him and then had decided to just get on a carriage and meet Seamus at the Feast.

She'd never really been one for the fame and popularity that Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley carried, particularly after the drama they had pulled last year, even though she was sure the three of them were perfectly nice people.

Ariel had met Dean before the Sorting Ceremony when she'd first come to Hogwarts, and they'd become friends over their First Year, mostly keeping away from the fame and drama surrounding Harry Potter.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry Dean," Ariel said with an apologetic smile. She offered no other explanation for her zoning out, but really she was worrying about how her little brothers were doing.

She was almost scared to find out which House they'd be sorted in. Would they be separated?

Not that she had anything against any of the Houses, but she still worried. She was nervous.

"I know your brothers are coming," Dean said, furrowing his brows, "Scared to know which House they're going to be in?"

Ariel wondered if she'd been that obvious with her emotions. "Yeah. I...I'm worried about if they're going to be separated."

"Well," Dean said with a smile, "At least now you know what your older brother felt like when you were being sorted."

"I s'pose," Ariel said with a chuckle, though internally she was definitely not laughing—but it wasn't Dean's fault, of course.

It was a result of her own worry.

Internally, her lips were pressed together in an anxious line.

***

"Lupin-Black, Arche," Professor McGonagall called out, her voice ringing out through the hall.

The name 'Lupin-Black' caught the attention of most of the hall and immediately everyone was absolutely silent.