Francis is looking at the monk with clear curiosity but does not say anything.
At first.
Then he cannot hold back a question of his own.
"You are that old?
Ever saw a real dragon up close?
Father told me there were dragons all over the place in the middle-ages!"
"Maybe they are made on 'neutral ground' so to speak?
Guess the founders were not all that sure about the trustworthiness of the others in the end. With all that magic in here, it wouldn't surprise me if something bad would happen if you get into another dorm."
He actually snickers at that.
"Wonder if you get thrown out by the room itself. Or maybe one of those knight suits or something?"
Haha, actually, that was supposed to be an exclamation showing him to be surprised by the nitbit he just learned, not an accusation or anything.
Fits the clumsy character to get misunderstood of course^^
Francis looks surprised by the suddenly defensive girl.
Before he could understand why though, topics changed quickly.
"From the look of this," he waves around the great hall,
"I'd guess the rooms of each house will be awesome as well.
Where do you think will the be?
In one of the many towers maybe?
I bet the view would be awesome from up there, ain't it?"
"Whatdoyouknow! I always thought Merlin was older than Hogwarts!
I guess that is what history of magic classes are supposed to teach us, right?"
At the words of the others Hufflepuffs, Francis cringes inwardly.
He did not mean to spread rumours, possibly making matters worse for Anora.
"Uhm, I dunno. Probably got that one wrong.
Maybe she was raised like a muggle but one of her parents' a witch or a wizards after all."
At Serefina a says:
"Jup, they don't like it one bit. Dad has his way with those he tend to somehow.
I dunno actually.
My guess would be that they kinda get used to you if you treat them good and take care...
Its like that with many beasts actually.
Father always talks about 'building trust and friendship' with 'em."
Francis is clearly surprised by that fact, but has to swallow his potato'n'bacon first before he is able to reply.
"Ohhh, okay. I'd bet on Miss Ravenclaw ... or maybe even Merlin.
That piece about parts of each founder ... I hope not."
He actually shudders at that thought.
"But I bet each of them did add some spell.
I doubt Slytherin would've agreed to use an artifact crafted by his enemy to select his students, do you not?"
***
After the first roaring hunger was satisfied, he leans over the table to talk with Serefina.
"You think our parents will be glad to hear we were sorted into the same house as they did?"
* Later in that conversation *
"What do'you make of Anora though...
I thought Slytherin was against muggleborns and all that.
How did she end up over there?"
He throws a thumb over the shoulder to indicate the Slytherin table.
"I hope the other Slytherins don't make a fuss over her.
She seemed quite frightful.
Like a young unicorn sniffing a male human.
They don't like that and try to run away when they do..."
Standing up with relief clearly written over his face, Francis takes off the hat very careful and hands it back to the professor with the harsh expression.
Then he quickly hurries over to the table in yellow that was applauding loud.
What a nice and curious gesture at the same time.
It is not that I did anything impressive back there after all...
He quickly takes a seat opposite of Serefina.
He had to raise his voice over the still ringing applaud all along the table.
"That wasn't half as bad now, was it?
And he was quite nice that old hat too.
A hat with good manners and the ability to talk inside your head!
I wonder who made it..."
This seems not too bad.
No flashy magic.
No difficult magic.
But... How in the name of Merlin's beard did Anora end up in Slytherin?
Lost in thoughts, Francis did not react immediately as finally his turn came.
When he came round, Professor McGonagall was looking at him with a very thin lip.
Hastiliy, Francis steps forward, sits down and let the hat slide over his red head...
I am on holiday from 04-18.
I will (probably) have internet but I cannot make a guess about my posting rate during those two weeks.
Bot me where necessary please.
@GM: Shall every one of us simply make a post describing his/her hat-talk, or will you call us in order?
Francis looks thoughtfully at Anoras question.
"Mhhh, good question.
I know my dad was in Hufflepuff.
Said it was alright there.
And he once told me to take care and not upset people from Slytherin or Gryffindor.
Dunno why though."
He seems to try really hard to remembering anything else.
History of Magic:1d10 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 "And I think that I once read that the houses were created and named after some old wizards and witches.
Something to do with their preferences for traits and quirks in their students."
The red-haired, speckled boy you got to know as Francis ("or Frank if you want to") clearly falls under the still-amazed category of children. His eyes dart around the portraits, statues, walls, ceiling and the long flight of stair.
Once the tall professor leaves them alone again and the excited, slightly frightful whispering begins, he turns to the three pupils who shared a boat with him.
"I don't think we have to do any magic for the sorting.
My dad would have told me about it, I guess. Unless he forgot it...
Ohhh, maybe we do have to do magic after all.
My dad's not always the most present minded.
Uhmm, but I think a simple spell is more than enough.
They do take people from Muggle families after all, so they cannot require anything difficult, right?
I mean, muggle-borns really cannot be expected to have learned a spell before coming to school. Who should have taught them, right?"
As the small girl speaks about hovering cookies, he grins.
"Nah, that is fine, I'd think. Dad talked about duels being forbidden in the corridors...
So, unless you duel yourself with the cookie you should be fine - and why would you duel with a cookie anyway."
At that points, he starts to snicker, clearly enjoying a mental picture of Anora dueling with a cookie.
Makes for a equal double team of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins.
So I say, we can go for it!
***
Did we decide where exactly we start yet?
At the train station (to have the boat ride together) or right in front of the great hall?
Will we only skip the train ride or also the boat travel to the castle from the station in Hogsmead?
Wondering whether I will have Francis miss the train due to the birth of his nephew and join with the group at the station and link with them during the boat travel across the lake...
If we want variety, Francis could very well be a Ravenclaw as well.
Actually, he could be anything but Slytherin.
But Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are the obvious ones for him.
Back then, I decided for Hufflepuff based on the fact that Kenneth H.B. was kinda alone in Hufflepuff compared to the other houses.
So, no need for Serefina to change her charater for that - Francis could just switch house while staying the same.
Once upon a time (^^) I was in a game that used a 'Characters First Meeting Memory' for that kind of situation.
1) We would agree on the general situation of our first meeting (sharing a train compartment in this case)
2) Everyone would just write up a short version of the meeting from his characters point of view as if remembering it (at the very least, one short scene for each player character, marking his/her first impression of the other one)
3) Any difference of the situation are just written off as 'long term memory discrepancies'
That way we have a shared background (the train ride) and some fun pieces of memories (that may or may not actually have happened) without spending a lot of time on team building.
"Remember that time when we laughed so hard that Kenneth sprouted coke from his nose? Back at our first train ride?"
"... actually, no. I just remember that you tried a spell on my jeans and burned a hole in it rather than changing its colour to pitch-black like you said that it would!"
"Oh, yeah ... that. I think that was just before all the laughing in fact..."
;-)
Honestly, I think it would be a shame to have Anora switching away from Slytherin.
It offers just such a ludicrous amount of plot to have a muggleborn in slytherin :-)
But if you want to change colours, we could be "that Hufflepuff gang with the oddball-Slytherin girl" - which sounds like a fun thing to have.
It may be the smoothest option, but on the other hand, given pbp speed, we could be sitting in (for some) another train scene for quite some time.
I'd be happy to play my election out of course ;-)
After herbology, Francis follows the other Hufflepuffs back up to the castle and up several flight of stairs. He was glad that he was walking with the others and thus his abyssal sense of orientation had no chance to make him go lost in the huge magical castle. He takes a seat in the back. Not way back, simply not in the front.
He did not like to have lots of people staring at his back.
As their professor entered, a load of questions erupted in Francis' head.
Did he charmed himself small? Isn't that a transfiguration?
Maybe a potion? Or is he really that small?
Did he maybe have a kobold for a great-great-grandpa?
Charms:1d10 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 = 11
Smiling, Francis nods at Serefina and H.B's answers adding something of a summary.
"Pretty much any spell that isn't a transfiguration, curse, counter-curse or jinx is called a charm, isn't it?
So charms are as varied as magic comes, yes?"
Francis positively jumps as Serefina drops the pot.
A small smile appears on the young boys face as he points his wand and mutters 'Reparo'.
Learned Spell:1d10 + 3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 + 1 = 11 Actually, is there such a thing as auto-succeed?
Reparo has a difficulty of 7 and if I calculated the stuff right (Int+Pow+Skill) I get a net +6 and a d10, so even if I roll a 1, I will get the 7 of the spell...?
The broken pot restores itself within a second and he lifts it back on their working bench.
"Here you go.
I ... I know how it feels to be a bit careless with ... stuff.
Mum taught me the charm to repair things after I broke them two years ago...
He trails off with a nervous look and red cheeks.
Which way to is up on this thing?:1d10 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
To his own astonishment, Francis find that gardening magical plants really is not that different to looking after the (more calm) creatures of his father.
Maybe it is even easier, since the plants do not move (as much) in comparison.
He is so eager to write down and scribble scratches of the plants they work at, that he accidentally spills water from an watering can over his notes and has to start over.
He is still faster than most.
"You are probably right. But I guess it is not as simple as it might appear.
Father used to warn me from entering his greenhouse quite thoroughly.
Said that I ought be the one eating vegetables and not the other way round.
I thought he was joking back then, but I am not that sure nowadays..."
Francis nods at Serefinas question and faces Professor Sprout with interest.
Pragmatic thing to ask.
Does he recall?:1d10 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 Just going to assume that is enough...?
Otherwise ignore the following wolf's bane ...
A yeah, right it is ...
Francis lifts his hand a few seconds after Prof. Sprout asked the question.
"It can be used for poisons and potions that make you fall into a death-like sleep.
Graphorn's love to eat them.
They are mostly resistant to its effects."
"Oh plants it is, yes?
Really looking forward. I read quite a bit and my father has loads of funny things growing in our basement - but he uses it mostly to feed some or another of his pets or treat some of their illnesses.
Mother 's into potions. Says it is important to know ones ingredients well."
Wish everyone a good new year. I should be able to post more regularly from now on, now that things are getting back to business-as-normal.
Just as a side-note ...
If you belong to the faction that thinks that JKR had a lot of great ideas but her execution could have been better and is flawed by a lot of logical errors (world building and character consistency) than you might be interested to read into this fanfic which is basically a complete rewrite of the HP story under the pseudonym of LessWrong and is named "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality".
I will leave a warning that it IS a COMPLETE overhaul, while sticking to the major idea of story and setting, there is a lot of smacking of the more ridiculous parts of the original series.
All in all I currently greatly enjoy reading it and had had a LOT of laughs out of it.
Also, it is defiantly not as easy to read as the original and has a LOT more plotting and what-if-he-knows-that-I-know-that-he-knows in it.
So ... I can just recommend to give it a try and see if it fits your taste (I'd recommend to read until chapter 10 at least - the monologue with the sorting hat is just gold).
"Ugh, right, we maybe should start searching the classroom soon.
My father warned me that finding a specific room in Hogwarts isn't particularly easy...."
"Mhhh, I don't know much about making wands.
And about riding snakes ...
Well there are bigger snakes.
One could probably ride a basilisk.
That is if you can convince it to not eat you or even look at you."
"Well yeah, but my mum would be upset if I am not returning with good grades in Defense against the Dark Arts too.
Anyone knows who's our teacher for that?
Dad told me that they are rotating every year somehow.
Ups... Ah no!"
He finally noticed the mess he had made with the beans.
"Don't count on me for quidditch though.
I am ... kinda cack-handed.
Mum even taught me the Reparo spell because I break things so often..."
"Your dad knows mine? How cool!
The Short-Snout ... mhhh ... I think he released the two of them somewhere in the mountainside between Spain and France as they started breeding.
He told me that the female would be going nuts once the eggs are laid..."
Turning to the handsome boy beside him, he answers, now somewhat sheepishly.
"Well, ehm, dad wrote a book about magical creatures a while back.
Still working on the second.
It ... kinda was a success.
I think ... it is one of our schoolbooks ...."
At Williams words Francis practically starts to glow with enthusiasm.
"Really, you too?!
Oh wow... You know what... We should start a club or something.
It's such a shame that they don't start with lessons for two more years!"
As Anora chimes in, he gets going for real.
"Ohhh, they are mighty magical animals, looking like a cross between a horse and a bird.
They have feathery wings, a sharp beak and four hooves. Oh and not one of them look alike - everyone's different!
One must be careful because they have a very strong will of their own and if handled wrongly or bad-mouthing them, they will poke you with their beaks and claws.
But they are immensely loyal if you treat them with respect.
My father has the theory that their feathers would make powerful wand ingredients but Olivander is too much of an traditionalist to try out something new."
"Not fair!
My father wanted to fly me here with a Hippogryph too!
Mum was against it. Said it was too dangerous!
She apparated me here this morning.
My sister had her first baby yesterday and my family dragged me over to be with her..."
Francis looks up as he is addressed and notices: there are baked beans after all! Hurray!
He is halfway through adding beans to his breakfast as he remembers being addressed.
"Oh, hi Sefi... yeah, I think so - as long as you're a Hufflepuff I think.
I ... am Francis Scamander."
In a foolish attempt to do both: continuing adding beans to his plate and answering the girl opposite of him, he manages to load several spoons of beans onto the table rather than his plate...
Halfway through the breakfast, Prof. MacGonnagal comes into the Great Hall through a sideway with a red-headed boy in your age following her half a step behind. She point at the Hufflepuff table and then heads to the other teachers herself.
The boy hurries over and finds a seat beside H.B. - but leaves a half-seat distance between.
He grabs at bacon, potatoes and grilled tomatoes.
No one of you can recall to have seen him yesterday - whether in the train, nor in the selection and neither in the common room.
Crunch is already there, but here's some background for Francis.
I chose that he would have an older sister instead of a brother and that she gave birth to Rolf Scamander the day the Hoghwarts train ran.
Story Time!:
Francis is the first son of Newton and Porpentina Scamander, born to the quite known couple at noon 1971-03-01.
To the surprise of both parents, the boy turned out to be born with dark red hair and brown-golden eyes.
His dad picked the name in honour and remembrance of Frank the Thunderbird he once saved and later released in New York and he usually calls him 'Franky' or even 'Frank Junior'.
Growing up as Newt Scamanders son was both difficult and amazing. From young age, he was included in his father's day-to-day caring of his latest magical beasts, which is hard and sometimes even dangerous work (if you are tired and/or absentmindedly) - but an immensely rewarding and fascinating one at the same time.
Having been born with a talent for mishaps, his mother made sure to teach him the Reparo spell before he was even 10. A very clever decision as it severely reduced the number of lasting accidents Franky produced. Francis didn't relented his pleadings until Newt taught him the light spell. Now he could read at night all by himself! Better yet: he could sneak into the habitats of his favourite beasts at night to watch watch their night time behaviour. Sometimes, he would hide from some house chores by vanishing into the wide-ranging habitats, hiding himself behind the eruptodons large frames whenever one of his parents were looking for him.
Finally, this year, the long awaited Hogwarts letter arrived. With the war over and Albums Dumbledore as head Master, Tina did agree to sent Francis to Hogwarts instead of her old school: Ilvermorny.
Of course, everything came other than expected. Francis' ten years older sister (Irene) was expecting her first child... and of course it decided to arrive late, or more exactly: just late enough so that his birthday would be on the very day Francis ought to be riding the Hogwarts Express. So instead of getting to know his future class mates, eating sweets and changing into his Hogwarts uniform, he was nervously waiting with his parents, listening to the occasional pained scream of his sister. Finally, after a waaaaay to long time, they heard the screaming of a child and soon, Garrick (the husband of his sister) would come out of the room with his nephew on the arm! How small the boy was! Francis was sure that he was never that small! Newt was practically glowing with pride, nearly as much as Garrick. Tina asked what the boy's name was and - through the open door - Irene yelled: "He's called Rolf. And if you don't bring him here in the next few seconds, I am going to hex everyone of you!"
In the end, Francis and his parents spent another couple of hours with the new family before heading home.
"Dad, how do I get to Hogwarts now? I missed the train and it is dark already!" Francis was nervous. Would he miss his chance to go to Hogwarts this year just because little Rolf came late?!
"Oh..."
Could you believe him?!!
Before either of the two could say anything, Tina, rolling her eyes, chimed in.
"I will bring you there tomorrow. We can apparate and ..."
"... You can't apparate in or around Hogwarts." Newt interrupted. "I'll write Dumbledore. What do you say, Francis, do you want to fly Silverwing with me?" Silverwing was one of Newts Hippogryphs.
"Yes!" shouted Francis.
"No!" shouted his mum. "You will be seen! What if he falls off?!"
Newt looking sad.
"Dumbledore is a great wizard. He will have a less obvious solution, right?" Tina added.
And he did.
He lifted the blocking magic for a short time, letting Newt side-by-side apparate with Francis early the next morning near the great gate. They were already awaited by Professor McGonagall and after saying goodbye to his father, the stern professor left him up into the office of the head master.
There he finally would take on the speaking hat.
