With a last few triumphant coughs of steam, the great monster that was the Salem Express came to a calming stop. Students could be heard throughout the corridor of the train leaving their cabins, heading toward the exits as adults on the platform began directing students.
"Let's get going," Kelsey suggested.
The two girls filtered into the busy hallway and made their way off of the train. The platform was bustling with students heading in all direction. Sadie only saw a brief glimpse of Tristan amongst the mass of strangers before he disappeared with his friends.
"Alright now, all y'all first years! C'mon over here," said a very tall man dressed in torn and dirty robes, along with a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. He was shaven, but had small nicks and cuts across his face, as if he had shaved in a hurry.
As the first years began to gather around the tall man, he spoke to them with a very heavy Texan accent. "That's right, y'all, get on over here. Now, can all y'all hear me? My name is Austin Miller, but y'all can call me Austin. I'm the gatekeeper for this here school," he said, motioning to something obviously unseen in the distance.
"But, tonight, I get the sweet treat of showing y'all around our neighbouring town before leadin' y'all up to Salem. If y'all just follow me right quick; that's right, this way."
While the older students filed away to a dirt road leading away from the small train station, toward a nearby forest, the first years made their way after the tall Texan wizard. He led them for a short walk down a paved road, which eventually led to a very small town. The village itself looked as if it had remained unchanged since the 1800s, with small, modest houses neatly arranged on a cobblestone road. The lights of each small building and house gleamed through their windows. Sadie couldn't shake the feeling that this town was somewhat eerie in the dark.
"Alright, so this is Gallows Hill, kids. It's the only all-wizardin' town still around in the New England area." At this point, Austin seemed to be struggling to remember facts about the town.
"Um, well, yeah - right! So this town has no contact with any Muggles at all, so you ain't going to have to worry 'bout hidin' when you're here. And you'll no doubt find yourself here later in the year..."
A hand raised above the crowd. Everyone focused their gaze on the face of Max, who looked very pale in the light from the street lanterns. He suddenly became very embarrassed, his face turning bright red, even in the dim light. Austin seemed confused as to why anyone would raise their hand. "Yeah? What's that?"
"I read in The Splendid History of Salem Institute that around 150 years ago, Salem established the tradition of letting their students come to Gallows Hill for Halloween and again after Thanksgiving. Is this what you mean when you say we'll find ourselves here?"
Austin didn't seem to have expected any of the students to know this, nor comment on it, but seemed to relish the chance to not have to explain information he didn't know. "That's right, son. But for the record, to the rest of you, those are the only two occasions y'all will be let down here. First years gotta stay on the grounds..."
"- while students who have reached their third year may enter town on appropriated days, with permission," Max interjected, finishing the gatekeeper's sentence.
"Well, aren't you a bright one?" Austin said, making Max smile widely while several other kids shook their heads with impatience. "That's right, kids. So no comin' down here for a few more years. At least not without your professors."
The group was lead to the centre of town, which had a town hall standing before a large circular area, with a large fountain directly in the middle. There were many small shops around the circle. Austin continued to show the students the different buildings that were prominent in Gallows Hill, letting Max explain them in more detail to anyone who cared to listen.
"And that's the town centre," Max commented as the group clopped down the cobblestone street. "It was burned down in 1763 in the Goblin Rebellion of Gorblinton when Avek the Atrocious attacked the Gallows Hill wizards in riot instigated by to slavery restrictions put on goblins." Sadie simply took to looking around the dark town, imagining what it would be like to live in an all wizarding town.
Eventually, the group made their way from the town centre toward the outskirts of the small town. A dirt road led away from the town in the direction of the forest. But once the group had reached the road, some couldn't help but gasp in horror.
"C'mon now, don't be so startled. They're just ghosts," Austin said as several carriages drove up to the students, each pulled by a pair of translucent horses. They billowed a ghostly sort of cloud around their bodies, and made very little noise as they moved, except for the occasional ghostly neigh.
"Hop on in now. This is how y'all'll be gettin' to the school. Get on, get on."
The kids slowly, somewhat warily, boarded the carriages. Sadie and Kelsey boarded one with a girl and boy who were talking vigorously about ghosts. "Yeah, my sister told me all about them. Each of the children of the founders of Salem died, and came back to haunt the school," the girl commented.
"I knew that," replied the boy, "My dad told me about it. But I didn't think they would have ghost horses. That's just creepy."
Once the students finished boarding the carriages, the tall Texan guide hopped into the leading carriage, and the class of first years was off. The air behind the ghost horses felt bitterly cold, and their neighs into the night seemed to echo as if they were in a long, lonely tunnel. The ghost-drawn carriages pulled them down a long lane that led slowly uphill through the dark forest. The only light came from magical lanterns that floated along with the carriages, as well as a few streams of moonlight desperately making its way through the thick canopy of trees.
But as the lane rose further up the long incline, the woods began to thin out until the carriages came into a huge clearing where the hill flattened out. Ahead of them, was a large brick wall, with an impressively large gateway which seemed at their distance to be made of wrought iron. The wall was easily 20 feet tall, and as Sadie's carriage neared the gate, she saw that the entryway was made of a strange metal that gleamed green-ish in the moonlight. On either side of the gate, at the top of the wall, were two statues of witches, both on brooms, pointed upwards toward the sky.
The gates opened on their own, and every student peered out of their carriages to see the school. The vast building stretched across a huge expanse that was the campus grounds. There were two small buildings on the right and left, both about five stories tall, connected to a tremendous eight story building that stood at the end of a long grass lawn. The building itself was made of red-brick with a nearly black roof. Sadie could hardly take her eyes off it, struck with awe.
To the left, the land began to slope slowly down toward a lake and what looked like a small stadium. Beyond this, all one could see was the forest which surrounded the entire clearing of the campus.
The small road stretched to the far side of the lawn, where a sidewalk that stretched the length of the long lawn resided. "Alright, everybody out," Austin commanded.
After all the students had exited their carriages, and the ghostly beings that hauled the ghost-horses walked on, driving their carriages away. The students were led down the long pathway, which ran down the middle of the great grass lawn. This pathway connected with another in the middle, where a small sitting area situated around a fountain stood. The fountain showed a witch waving her wand artistically, with water shooting out of the tip. They continued until they finally came to the main structure's tremendously large front doors made of dark wood.
A golden plaque next to the door read:
The Salem Institute of Magical Learning
Circa 1641
Austin pushed the mammoth doors open, the interior of the entrance hall stood gloriously before the students. The floors were also made of dark wood, and were very pristine. An amazingly beautiful chandelier with many candles hung from the ceiling, glimmering gold. Ahead, two large staircases lead upward to the left and right into hallways. Directly ahead were two equally large, particularly ornate wooden doors. Behind these doors, Sadie could hear the voices of what sounded like well over two hundred people talking. Standing in front of these doors was a witch, awaiting the new students with her hands folded. Sadie recognized her as Professor Ellicott.
"Thank you, Austin. I'll see you after the sorting."
"M'pleasure, ma'am," Austin replied, tipping his cowboy hat. He made his way down a nearby hallway to the right of the large doors as Professor Ellicott greeted the students.
"Now, it is good to meet you all, and to welcome you to The Salem Institute of Magical Learning. My name is Professor Ellicott, and I am the assistant dean of The Salem Institute. We are about to have our annual Commencement Feast here in the Central Hall. But first, you will need to be sorted into your houses.
"Your houses are imperative to your stay here at Salem," confided Professor Ellicott, attempting to look at as many students as she could. "Your house will be your home away from home for the remainder of your school career at Salem. You will sleep in your house's dormitory and take classes with your housemates. You will also be competing against your rivaling houses for school points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will receive the Salem House Cup, and the school will celebrate in your honour. Good deeds earn you points, while poor decisions will negate your house points," she warned sternly.
"Now, each house is named after the founders of The Salem Institute. They are: Horribilis, Lupa, Noctowl, and Steda," Professor Ellicott listed proudly. "Each house is very much renowned for producing some of the finest wizards and witches this country has ever seen, and you should feel proud to be a part of your house. The dean still needs to give a few announcements, so I will return for you when it is time to proceed." Professor Ellicott took her leave through the same hallway as Austin.
A quiet lingered over the crowd of soon-to-be sorted students before they burst into discussion.
"How are we sorted into our houses?" Sadie asked Kelsey.
"I'm not sure - nobody has ever told me. Maybe they ask us questions or something."
"There was this book I read, over the summer," said the boy who had been listning facts all night, Max. "It was called Hogwarts, A History, and it said that the school had a talking hat which sorted the students."
A boy spoke up from the back of the congregation, "Well, my cousin who lives in France told me about their school. They sort using a crystal ball that turns different colours!"
"That's stupid," said a different boy. "Maybe we have to duel for it!"
"You don't know how to duel," retorted the familiar voice of Andres Quint. "Don't even pretend to boast."
A boy with very light blonde hair stepped to the front of the group and said loudly, "Alright, I want to know who is going to be in Lupa with me. Let's see who the real wizards are." The boy looked slightly older than Sadie, and had piercing blue eyes, along with a cocky smile.
"There's another person who has been boasting about that house - Lupa," Sadie whispered to Kelsey as the boy gave a brief rant. "What's the big deal about that house?"
"Tristan told me about that group. He said that only those who are pureblood ever seem to get into Lupa, though there have been a few exceptions apparently."
"But the people there seem really bossy..." Suddenly, Sadie gasped with a horrible realization. "What if you get sorted into Lupa?! And what if I get sorted into a different house?"
"I don't think I will. My whole family has been sorted into Steda. Families have a tendency to go to the same houses." Kelsey paused for a moment, looking at the group they were standing with somewhere around forty students, all around the same age. "At least I hope that's true."
"That's right, you Quints will get in, easy," the nasty sounding boy continued from the front of the students. "Slick! I thought you came here last year! You better come up here with me and my new friends," he said, motioning to the Quints, a couple girls, and another boy that joined him.
"What would your father say if he heard you got into Horribilis or something?" the boy taunted.
"Don't insult me. I'd rather leave the school if I wasn't sorted into Lupa," Grace said proudly, stepping in front of the other students to the front.
"Exactly! That's the spirit," the boy said with a mean smile. "Oh, look who it is! Yates. Definitely not Lupa material." Kelsey scowled at the boy as he continued, "And Ring! Whatever house would accept trash like you?" Another girl with dark red hair looked particular hurt by the insult.
"That's rude! Shut up!" piped a boy behind Sadie. He seemed familiar to Sadie somehow, though she didn't know how. She then realized it was the same boy who had been in the wand shop on Orthogon Avenue when she bought her own wand.
"I don't recognize you," the mean boy quipped, walking straight to the boy from the wand shop, approaching so close that he was only a few inches from his face. "You don't look nervous like some of these other fools, though. Obviously you're not a Muggle. Must be a half-blood. Filth."
"I said shut up!" The boy from the wand shop gave the mean boy a push to the chest.
"What is this?! Do you even know who I am?"
"Haven't got a clue! Who do you think you are, brat?"
"I'll have you know I am Tyler DeJarlais!"
There was a murmur of shock and awe through the students as Tyler basked in the glory of his family's reputation. But moments later, he continued, "And how dare a mere half-blood insult me. Pathetic. I would curse you without blinking an eye."
"I'd like to see you try!" Both boys pulled back the sleeves of their robes. Sadie saw them both reaching toward their pockets, where she knew they must be keeping their wands. But in that instant, a swift hand caught Tyler by the ear, and began pulling him away, inciting several laughs from the students. Professor Ellicott had returned.
"Mr. DeJarlais, I have enough problems to deal with having your brother for advanced charms, I don't need you causing trouble before you've even been sorted. Form a line everyone. We'll be proceeding in."
The kids filed into a line. Sadie was right behind a girl with very long brown hair, and Kelsey was right behind her. The line slowly entered the Central Hall. It was a glorious site to see. Thousands of candles floated back and forth across the hall, bouncing off of each other like bumper cars. Above the candles was the moon and star filled night sky, though, Sadie didn't see this through windows. It looked as if the night sky was indoors, right where the high ceiling was.
Students sat congregated at four long tables placed throughout the room, and the first year students walked directly through the middle of the four, up toward another table perpendicular to the students' tables. Several adults sat smiling at the table, a particularly plump man with a mustache sitting in the middle. Sadie took this to be the dean.
The line stopped just in front of the raised section that the teacher's table was set on. In front of them was a small stool with two boxes stacked on it. To the stool's right, Professor Ellicott stood, and to its left, a strange, stubby man with rough, pale skin and thick, dark brown hair. The short man wore what looked like a formal robe, though it was spotted and frayed, and looked as if some moths had found there way to it. He had a large nose and very thick boots, and appeared very out of place amongst the other wizards. He stood looking at his shoes, but seemed to be calm.
"Welcome, students. The sorting ceremony will now begin. I would like to introduce Salem's guest who conducts our sorting ceremony, Sir Isaak Klein, direct decedent of Sir Kuno Klein, whose family has dedicated themselves to the Salem Institute since its inception. Sir Klein, if you would please."
Everyone silently looked toward the front of the room, patiently waiting for something to happen. Sadie had no idea what was to follow next, but was almost certain it involved this small man in the old robe giving a speech. But Sir Klein did nothing except stand in place, inspecting his feet. Professor Ellicott began to fidget impatiently, whispering something inaudible. As Sadie looked more closely, she saw the man was sleeping where he stood, his eyes completely closed.
Professor Ellicott politely coughed, "Sir Klein, if you would please..." She then rapped the heel of her shoe on the wood. The man stirred quickly, and realized where he was, coughing out of embarrassment and scratching the back of his head as several students throughout the hall laughed.
"Greetings, first years!" the short man said in a gruff but proud voice. "Welcome, to The Salem Institute of Magical Learning. As Professor Ellicott said, I am Sir Isaak Armin Petrus Wolfgang Volker Klein. And it is a pleasure to welcome you all to this fine school."
Sadie noticed, just for a second, that Sir Klein glanced down at his hand. "Salem is well known throughout the land - as well as the world - to be a school traditions. Traditions of... of excellence! Traditions of expression and ingenuity - of progression, and..." he glanced at his hand again, "And pride! Yes, pride!"
Sir Klein glanced at his hand quickly again before continuing, "But this prestigious school has one proud tradition. The tradition of inviting wonderful new faces to this bastion of education. But Salem does not condone solidarity. Salem is a beacon of community, where we can come together in love and friendship.
"In the beginning, the founders created the four houses of Salem, each unique - each which took students under their wing. These houses only made the bonds of friendship between students stronger, but certainly spurred some healthy competition." A quiet smatter of applause and whistles came from a few students who still sat at their tables.
"It was Harvey Horribilis, who created the House Horribilis: a house for the noble and brave. Horribilis students are known for their loyalty to their neighbours, as well as the great amount of respect they wish to earn. Noel Noctowl founded House Noctowl. Noel Noctowl valued intelligence and creativity, and invited only those with the smartest of minds, and most creative at heart.
"It was Licia Lupa, who said only proper wizards could should learn the fine arts of magics. She formed the House of Lupa accepted only the most prestigious individuals, as well as those who were most eager to succeed in everything they did. Finally, Sigmond Steda formed the House of Steda, where all were accepted to learn. Steda believed in pride, courage, and equality, and the diverse students whom he took under his wing expressed these qualities admirably.
And here we are, over four hundred years later, recruiting another batch of students under the same four houses..." Another quick glance at the hand, "Traditions! Traditions, my new friends, are what this school is all about. And I hope you will be proud and honour the house you are sorted into."
After a brief pause, the whole hall applauded Sir Klein for his speech. He bowed happily, wiping sweat off his forehead and sighing with relief. Professor Ellicott stepped up to the stool and took both, whispering just loud enough for Sadie to hear, "I quite liked this year's speech." Sir Klein gave another polite bow as Professor Ellicott took out her wand, and waved it at the boxes on the stool. The wooden boxes began floating beside her as she removed and unfolded a piece of parchment she had in her pocket. She turned to speak to the room.
"You will now be presented with your class rings and sorted into your houses. Your class rings represent the house you are sorted into, and you should wear them with pride. Now, as I call your name, please step forward to the stool. Acworth, Thomas."
A grumpy looking boy strutted up to the stool and sat down. Sir Klein quickly dug in his robe pocket, brandishing a large contraption. They resembled binoculars, but looked as if they were made of two small telescopes connected together. Sir Klein strapped the invention on his head like goggles, and began to inspect Thomas Acworth, who looked very worried. But after a short moment, Sir Klein inched the contraption off his eyes, turned to the crowd, and chirped "LUPA!"
The table farthest to the right rose in celebration, whistling and cheering loudly. Professor Ellicott took Thomas' left hand, and slid the ring carefully onto his ring finger. In an instant, the ring shifted its shape to fit Thomas' finger exactly, and turned from a solid gold into the colours of black and red. Professor Ellicott motioned for him to continue onto the his new table, and the boy strutted proudly to the Lupa table as the cheering died down.
"Ali, Amna."
A young Arabic girl with dark hair, who was wearing a short headscarf under her wizard hat, worriedly approached the front of room and sat down,. Once again, Sir Klein dawned his contraption and began looking the student over. This time though, he spoke aloud in deliberation rather than confirmation.
"I see, I see. Good heart, but also very, very smart. Good qualities, and very open minded. But also very honest... Interesting... I say... STEDA!"
The farthest left table opened up in applause, and after she was given her ring, Amna hastily joined them, much to her relief.
"Brooks, Maximilian."
Sadie had been interested in Max, since she had seen him on the train as well as in town. Max hadn't been concentrating properly, and somewhat yelped when his name was called. He awkwardly bumbled to the front, almost tripping over his robes, causing several students to laugh. Once he sat down, Sir Klein began to inspect him with the strange goggles, while Max attempted to inspect the goggles every bit as avidly.
"Oh my, my," said Sir Klein. "Very smart, very liberal, very independent. You are a free thinker, my lad. But I see a strong heart and a strong sense of courage. A very difficult decision... You are very much like water - always flowing - always ready to change."
"I am quite thirsty," Max said, causing an uproar of laughter. Professor Ellicott signaled for silence.
"I was right," Sir Klein continued. "Very liberal. Far too liberal to be a steed. I say... NOCTOWL!"
The table immediately right of Sadie shouted in congratulation as Max bounced merrily to his new house, though he forgot to receive his ring, forcing him to run back for it, only inciting more laughter.
Back in the crowd, Sadie was tense; the suspense was horrible. Why did she have to have a last name starting with M? In the middle, as always. But then she thought of Kelsey, who would probably be last. "Bogue, Jennifer," went to Steda, "Chan, Tiffany" to Noctowl, and as predicted, "DeJarlais, Tyler," went to Lupa to a larger applause than any other student.
"Denson, Andrew," was the first to join Horribilis, at the table to Sadie's immediate left. But she was fretting. To be judged like that in front of everyone. It seemed so embarrassing. And what if Sir Klein was indecisive on where to put her, as he was for so many others? What if she just sat up there all night? What if he simply said, 'I can't decide! This girl, she is no witch. Get her out of my sight...'
"Murray, Sadie."
Sadie jerked back to reality and was instantly terrified. With a comforting nudge on the back from Kelsey, Sadie walked up to the stool and sat down. Professor Ellicott gave her a smile and a nod before Sir Klein stepped before her and began fiddling with his telescope-like goggles.
"I see... Interesting, very interesting. Very fair, very just. Very open and welcoming. Very respectful. You are a good friend to have, Ms. Murray. But where to put you? Where?"
Her worst fears were coming true! Sir Klein was murmuring on. She could hear people whispering somewhere in the crowd. Nobody had taken this long. "You have a lot of courage, but will you use your bravery to get ahead? Will you be cunning? Would you do anything for success, Sadie Murray? Maybe Lupa would be good..."
"Not Lupa!" Sadie whispered. She thought about the mean kids who wanted to be in Lupa; Tyler, Andres, and Alexandre. And Grace, even though she seemed nice at first; something seemed mean about her - pretentious even. Sadie couldn't imagine being in their house.
"Not Lupa?" Sir Klein said loudly. "You would prefer pride to success? You would sacrifice reward for punishment? Only one place for you... STEDA!"
Overwhelming relief flooded through Sadie. Sir Klein removed his goggles to gave Sadie a broad smile as Professor Ellicott took her left hand and slipped the class ring on her finger. The ring was cold to the touch. But no sooner had it slid down her finger, the ring shrunk instantly around Sadie's finger until it fit perfectly. It then changed into a bright silver white was nearly white and a shade of blue, and showed a beautiful horse engraved into the ring.
Professor Ellicott nodded, and Sadie quickly ran to the Steda table, which cheered loudly and jubilantly for her. Nobody had cheered for her before, and she enjoyed it. Tristan motioned to her and made space on the bench for her to sit.
"What do you know! We meet again. You're an honourary steed now!"
"Steed?" Sadie asked, quickly forced to clap as "Pantaleo, Joey" joined Steda as well.
"Yeah, each house is represented by colors and an animal. It's symbolic to the house." More clapping as "Parikh, Nakin," a skinny Indian boy with glasses, joined Steda. Tristan continued, "Steda's symbol is a horse, and our house colours are blue and white. Horribilis is a bear, and their colours are purple and silver."
On cue, "Pharis, Mary-Kate" joined Horribilis. "Noctowl is an owl, and their colours are green and gold. And... oh, great. The Quints."
Sadie turned to the front. Alexandre Quint had just sat on the stool. Sir Klein hardly glanced at Alexandre before he cried, "LUPA!" Alexandre rushed to the Lupa table after receiving his ring, straight to where Tyler DeJarlais sat.
Andres Quint was next, but Sir Klein hardly lowered his goggles when he said, "Another Quint. Too easy. LUPA!"
"And Lupa," Tristan continued, this time more derisively. "They're a wolf; red and black. Evil, they are. There are a lot of nasty wizards who have been made in Lupa." ("Ring, Mallory.") "They say that Lupa wizards have strong values and are very smart," ("NOCTOWL!") "But I think they get sorted by being rotten cheaters too."
"Doesn't sound like a good group," Sadie admitted, clapping as the red haired girl who she saw in the hallway made her way to the Noctowl table.
"Shaw, Timothy."
The boy from the wand shop stepped forward, and sat down on the stool. He was whispering just loud enough to hear, "Mighty, fearless, daring..."
"Well, let's just see..." Sir Klein dawned his goggles and laughed laughed, "Daring, maybe, but hardly mighty or fearless. You have potential, but I know what to do with you. You're STEDA!"
The whole table cheered as Timothy sat somewhat reluctantly at the table. "This sucks... I don't belong here," Timothy said, looking at the Horribilis table longingly.
Tristan spoke to him, "Don't worry, kid. Those Horribilis are just a bunch of cocky show-offs. You'll like Steda! We know how to party!"
"But my dad was in Horribilis..." he mumbled quietly, shaking his head with disappointment, and looking back to the stool.
"Slick, Grace," Professor Ellicott announced.
Grace proudly went to the stool. But as Sir Klein began to look Grace over, he only thought silently.
Murmurs began growing again through the hall as Grace, who had expected a quick induction into Lupa, was now doing everything in her power to prevent from scowling the man behind the goggles. "What's this about? Hurry up!" Grace hissed. "This should be obvious! What's wrong?"
"Your future is cloudy," Sir Klein mused slowly. "Very brave, and a lot of courage. A lot of pride as well... Seems almost like a Steda."
"What a joke! My whole family has been in Lupa. I'm destined!"
"Hmm... Time shall tell where loyalties lie. But I suppose I say... LUPA!"
Grace shoved her finger through her class ring quickly, and once it was secure, hastily walked to the Lupa table. Sadie saw Grace glare directly at her, as if Sadie had betrayed Grace's trust by sharing their cabin room on the train earlier. She only leered until Tyler approached her, patting her on the back.
Keith Troitter joined Steda, Adrian Wright to Horribilis, but it wasn't until Kelsey, the very last student, stepped up. Sadie crossed her fingers, begging that Kelsey would get Steda.
"Another child in the Yates family! Strong family, strong heart, of course... STEDA!"
The entire table cheered as Kelsey took her seat next to Sadie, giving her a big hug. "Were you crossing your fingers?" she asked.
"Only as tight as I could!" Sadie exclaimed. Sadie was around magic everywhere, she was Sorted into a great house, along with her best friend. How could things possibly get better?
As the cheering and talking subsided, the room's attention turned to the man in the centre of the faculty table, the dean, who stood up. "Usually, I say a few words after the Sorting. But I'm quite famished. Shall we?"
Instantly, all four tables filled with huge plates full of all sorts of food. Ham, turkey, salads, sheep, duck, rice; any sort of meal that one could imagine for dinner appeared before the students. Everyone reached for food to shove on their plate. Every time they took a serving, new serving appeared in the empty space. For an hour and a half, everyone ate delicious meals to their heart's content, and talked merrily with their housemates.
When everyone began to eat their fill, the plump man with the mustache stood once again, coming around the table to pace in front of the students as he spoke. "Well, I hope you all are having a merry good evening. For those of you who are new, I am the dean of The Salem Institute, Pravus Bojovnic. I have a few start-of-term announcements for you all," he said with a broad smile as he placed his hands on his round belly.
"Firstly, as I am forced to remind you every year, entry into The Dark Woods, behind the lake, is forbidden. Bear to mind you should not risk expulsion for entering there, because it is high chance you won't leave the forest without losing a limb." There is a few worried mumbles as Dean Bojovnic continued.
"Secondly, again, as always, there is to be no magic in-between classes. We have a no tolerance policy for it, and though our local disciplinary, Mr. Oak is not here at the moment, I assure you that any sneaky spell-casting will not go unpunished.
"Third: Quodpot and Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. And I'm excited to announce this year, we have finally gained permission from the Administration to allow first year students to try out for both sports!" There was a murmur of excitement that spread throughout the entire hall. "The only condition is that the prospective first year must have passed his or her flying test before applying for a position on a team. I realize first years are not allowed to bring their own brooms, but Salem fortunately has a large stock of spare brooms for anyone wanting to try.
"And finally..." Dean Bojovnic said in what almost seemed to be an unhappy tone. "As you may realize, classes are scheduled to begin on September second. But seeing as tomorrow is a Sunday, there will be no classes until this coming Monday, September third." The hall burst out in a cheer for their extra day of summer.
"Now, if you please," Dean Bojovnic told the students, "meet your prefects, first years. They will escort you, along with everyone else, to their house dormitories for a well deserved good night's sleep."
With a great chattering, the students left their tables and began to make their way out of the Central Hall. The prefects for Steda were a black boy with wild hair and a broad smile, named Marcus, and a short, strict girl with light red hair and freckles named Stacy.
"Alright, Steda, follow us! We're heading to the dormitory right now. Let's go."
The prefects led the new students of Steda led out of the Central Hall and up the staircase to the right, followed by Horribilis. The following room, after a short hallway was a large chamber to house an extensive staircase. The grand stairway wound its way the entire way up the chamber. All sorts of pictures were hung on every space of the wall, some of people, some of animals, but all moving. Some paintings even walked into other paintings to talk merrily with their neighbours. Many of the pictures near the stairs waved and introduced themselves to the first years.
The Horribilis students found the floor they were searching for on the fifth, while the group of Stedas climbed higher until they came to the seventh floor. "Alright, keep up. Follow us," Stacy kept insisting while Marcus struck up a conversation with Tristan about Quodpot statistics.
Once on the seventh floor, they entered a long corridor, leaving the stair chamber. The hallway was lined with navy blue wallpaper, with a long velvety red rug covering the dark wood floor. The hallways came to a corner, which rounded into a dead end down another short hall which met three seemingly unused classrooms. But Stacy had stopped at a small, plain door situated very near to the corner of the hallway.
"This is the door to the Steda common room. You must pass two tests to enter, the first being most important so please pay attention, first years," Stacy explained sternly. "This door is not a normal door. This is a Mexican Puerta Gota, otherwise known as a Man-Eating Door."
"That's stupid," Timothy proclaimed, "I've never heard of that."
"Well, hearing that a first year hasn't heard of a Mexican Puerta Gota isn't very surprising," Stacy hissed. "Now pay attention. Marcus, please."
Marcus stepped forward and took the door by the handle, trying to open it. It didn't appear that the knob had moved at all. But a second later, somehow, the door wiggled with its frame. The frame and door silently separated from the wall. Marcus jumped quickly out of the way as the door slammed to the ground with a tremendous bang. The first years gasped in terror, while the older Stedas laughed. The door slowly rose back to its original place on the wall.
Stacy continued with her explanation, "There are a herd of Puerta Gota in the school that roam around freely. So be sure you know what door you're trying to open..."
"They roam?!" Timothy shouted, still in shock. But Stacy ignored him and continued.
"This particular Puerta Gota leads to the Steda common room, and it will not move. If you tell it the password, it will let you pass through. Just keep in mind that the Puerta Gota is a living creature, and if you give it a reason to attack you, it will."
Marcus now spoke, "The password for now is sunlight. You must speak it clearly to the door. And if it doesn't open, just knock first. It was probably sleeping."
Marcus stepped back in front of the door, and spoke to it. "Sunlight," he said staring straight at the door. Everyone heard the door unlock, and Marcus opened the door like normal.
The room through the Puerta Gota was more or less an empty broom closet with a large painting of grassy cliff side with a lone tree barely clinging to the remaining cliff. "Come on now," Stacy said, leading the way. "Marcus, please close the Puerta Gota when everyone's through."
As if it were entirely commonplace, Stacy climbed into the frame of the picture, actually becoming part of the painting itself. She walked to the side of the cliff and said, "Well, don't just stand there. Let's go!"
The older Stedas ushered the bewildered first years into the painting. Once within the painting, they were standing on the cliff, which looked over a very choppy ocean with jagged rocks at the bottom.
"The second test is making it to the actual door of the common room. It's right over there. See it?"
The sky in the painting was that of a storm cloud, and it looked like it would be raining soon. But vaguely in the distance, Sadie could make out a cloud-coloured shape that appeared to be a door, hanging in mid air, as part of the cloud itself. Stacy explained, "The cliff is fake, and you can't fall. You just have to brave and cross it. Follow me, everyone."
Stacy walked straight toward the edge of the cliff. Sadie was sure she would fall right off, and that would be the end of Stacy. But shockingly, Stacy walked along smoothly in mid-air, right off the cliff. She proceeded to the cloud-coloured door, which she opened, revealing a room now hanging in the cloudy sky. Nobody wanted to cross the threshold of the cliff, assuming that it was some sort of trick.
But Timothy, who seemed to have grown impatient, made a dash toward the cliff. He closed his eyes as he charged to the edge. As he came to the edge however, he opened his eyes, and in a panic, slipped and fell. Some people screamed, but miraculously, he landed in mid-air with a heavy thud on a hard floor. He felt it for a few seconds before saying, "Oh... it's not real."
After Timothy tested the cliff side and proved it was a fake, all the Stedas moved into the Steda common room. The walls were a brilliant blue with a mural of horses stretching over two walls. There was a large contraption that looked like a mix between phonograph and a jukebox in the corner of the room near some bookcases, vinyl records strewn on the floor and in stacks near it. Large, fluffy sofas and chairs, which were dazzlingly white to contrast the blue carpet and walls, were placed throughout the room. A large fireplace stood against one wall, with the portrait of a proud looking man hanging above.
Marcus now spoke to the first years as everyone else poured into the room, some heading up a staircase centred at the far wall, while others found seats to talk.
"Alright, this is the common room. We all chill here, and we sleep upstairs, in the dorms. The first level up the stairs is for underclassmen, and the second for upper classmen. You kids get room number three. And all of your luggage has already been transported from the train to your bedrooms, so don't worry about it. So... I hope everyone gets settled alright. As for me, I'm off to a party. Have fun!"
"Marcus! It's only the first day!" Stacy said. "How have you even had time to organize a party?"
"We haven't organized it," Marcus replied, "But who needs to?" He whistled, and several older Stedas followed him back out of the door.
Tired but excited, both Sadie and Kelsey made their way with the other first years to the bedrooms. Boys went up the stairs to the right, and girls went to the left. Room three was was a large room that contained six large beds, each with an armoire and nightstand. They also had one of the strange music contraptions under the large window that looked out upon an amazing view of the lake.
Sadie and Kelsey were sharing the room with the other four girls that had been sorted with them: Amna Ali, an Arabic half-blood girl from the South Ridge, like Kelsey, though they hadn't met until now; Amanda Murphy, a full-blooded witch who had blonde hair and was from the all-wizard town, Tarrant, Texas; a Muggleborn named Melissa Whittaker, from Colorado; and another Muggleborn named Jennifer Bogue, from Pennsylvania.
The girls got to know each other for several hours, while many more Steda played music loudly from downstairs. Sadie was happy to learn that both Melissa and Jennifer were Muggle too, and she didn't feel as out of touch with the Muggle world as she thought she would. On the other hand, Kelsey quickly made friends with Amanda and Amna. Kelsey was shocked when she and Amanda realized that Amanda's father worked in the same department as Kelsey's father.
"Have you felt these beds?!" Melissa exclaimed eventually. "They heat and cool themselves until they feel just right!"
"Who's that?" Sadie asked Amanda, who had put a large poster of a very handsome man with very styled hair and a lavender robe. He kept kept spinning to face the girls, pointing his finger, smiling very widely, and winking.
"Only the most handsome man around!" Amanda gushed, blushing at her poster. "Hollywood Sandoval. He hosts this really funny talk show on the Wizarding Wireless. He's also wrote a lot of fiction books about a wizard forced to live with Muggles, called The Chronicles of Bart. I have the whole series."
"Does he always twist around like that? It looks like he'll hurt his back," Melissa mentioned jokingly.
"His hair has always scared me," Amna said, "I always felt like it would walk off his head and attack someone if they got too close.
"Same here," Kelsey agreed. "It's like it's too perfect."
"Whatever. You know he's gorgeous! What is that Jennifer?"
Jennifer was putting pictures of her family on her nightstand, "Just some photos from my parent's anniversary."
"But they're not moving! Was the camera broken or something?"
"Muggle photos don't move, Jen," Sadie told her with a giggle.
"Weird! Don't they get bored?"
Amna eventually put on her favourite album by a band called The Nifflers. The girls dawned their pajamas and continued to discuss every number of topics, from what spells they already learned, to what their families were like, and everything in between. A heated debate was started when Melissa and Jennifer tried to convince Kelsey and Amanda that Muggle candy was better than wizard candy. Amna acted as a translator for both sides, explaining whatever one party may not have known, while Sadie laughed at their confusion while playing with Kelsey's cat, Gatsby.
But eventually, the girls' lack of energy took hold of them. They slipped beneath their blankets and turned out the lights. The moonlight entering the blue Steda dorm made everything glow, and to Sadie, she felt as if even the air she was breathing now was magical. She knew this day was the best of her life, and she could only imagine how the first week at Salem would be.
Sadie was at a desk, and she was writing fitfully. Her heart was racing as she scribbled the letters down sloppily on the piece of parchment. The letter read, "He lost it... All went wrong... Will fix it... Be there soon..." Sadie spilled her ink on her signature, and the puddle made it illegible. She knew it wouldn't matter. He would understand. Just as Sadie was going to address the envelope and give it to the owl at her window...
Gatsby meowed loudly for attention and woke her from her dream. How strange, she thought to herself, and simply passed on back to sleep.
Sadie Murray and the Enigma Scroll by star_sailor
Chapter Notes: Crowds begin to leave the Salem Express and crowd the platform. A dark forest lies just beyond the outskirts of the train station in Gallows Hill. A small dirt road leads off into the darkness, and somewhere in the distance, the student's future awaits them...
Chapter Endnotes: Through thorough prodding, I was convinced from my beta, Molly [OliveOil_Med], conjure up the little sorting session, which is now much more original than it was. For that, she deserves much thanks.