The look on his face was not dissimilar to the looks she'd received from her sisters, and even her mother from time to time. "What?" she exclaimed, in a It's not my fault! sort of way.

Then the hilarity of it all hit her and she collapsed in giggles alongside him. "It does follow a bit of a pattern, you know." she said before starting to giggle again. "Oh! Sorry." she said, scrambling off after his coaxing her off clued her in.

She sat in the boat next to him, taking a deep breath. The dampness of her clothes made her realize she'd probably be in this state for quite a while. Plus, there were a few more strands of seaweed upon her person. She smiled at him, "Sunday!" she responded. "And what about yours?"

  

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magnificence by mj <3

This was probably the most ridiculous thing to happen to him, maybe ever, which said a lot considering he'd bore witness to a number of strange and unusual events.

"Well I think we've both proved our points," he said as they gathered themselves off the boat floor and into a seat. "The boats aren't completely safe," he said, his grin unwavering, "but you can hear the splashes if someone's thrashing about."

He helped tug the tangles of seaweed out of her hair, his spirits dampened (pun intended) by the realization that she'd have to face everyone not only with soaked robes, but unruly ringlets of hair. He undid his own cloak—he'd been prepared for the lake breeze!—and handed it over to her, his smile momentarily dipping into an apologetic frown.

"It's good to meet you, Sunday," he said. "My name's Archie."

---

  

The boy had a point. Boats were quite unstable, however Sunday did feel a moticome of triumph that someone would hear if one fell into the water. Unfortunate, really that the test subject had to be her. It wasn't as if she was a stranger to water, though it was quite cold...

"That is fair," she conceded, casting him an appreciative glance as she pulled another strand of seaweed out of her hair. A few of them were a little too tangled in the knot of hair that was the bun her sisters had helped her fashion earlier that morning. Her face fell slightly when she realized they'd have to see her like this.

She smiled gratefully at the proffered cloak and accepted it. "Pleasure to meet you Archie," she replied, draping the cloak around herself. It helped the wind, however, she couldn't resist putting it slightly over her head, seeing as most of her shivering started at the top. "So, she said her voice slightly muffled as she buried her face into the fresh cloak. "What house are you hoping to get sorted into, Archie?"

  

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magnificence by mj <3

Things settled down for the minute. The water was quiet, apart from the soft noise that came from the boats drifting through it, and it seemed that even the air had calmed to give them a moment to rest. He still felt horrible that she was cold, but knew he'd done all he could for now. Hopefully the warmth of a fire or the spell of a professor might warm her up once they arrived.

"I don't have a preference," he said. He took to throwing the strands of seaweed back into the lake to pass the time, hoping it would keep his focus off his own shivers. "I never really thought about it growing up. I didn't even know my own parents' houses until my sister went off to Hogwarts," he explained.

"I figure I'll be placed where I belong, right? Maybe I'll learn something about myself." He knew a little about each of the houses. Gryffindor valued bravery and chivalry, just like Hufflepuff did kindness and hardwork, Slytherin did cunning and determination, and Ravenclaw inquisitiveness and originality. He thought he had a few traits from every house, so he couldn't be sure which was the best fit.

"Do you have a preference?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.

---

  

Hogwarts would never reject someone, it would be unheard of! Sunday shook her head, forgetting that it was wet as it sprayed droplets everywhere. "I should think so," Sunday responded decidedly. When it was her turn to answer the question, she fell silent. She never really thought about which house she would be in. "All my relatives have been in different houses," she responded, thinking about how Irene, Paxton and Holliday were all in different houses currently. "Plus, I don't think I've ever really thought about Hogwarts until I got my letter...I've always just thought about being down by the sea where I live, and playing there." To the little witch, that world would have lasted forever had she let it.


After a pensive silence, she gave a decisive sigh before speaking again, "I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone being turned away at the Sorting Ceremony, and besides." she continued, her voice growing more confident with every word. "You can't be that bad, Archie, you didn't leave me to my own devices, did you?" She gave him a slightly crooked grin and nudged him encouragingly.

  

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magnificence by mj <3

No, he'd never heard of any witch or wizard being rejected from Hogwarts. If there was a case of a student not fitting in any particular house, surely they'd find a way to sort them; everyone had something about them.

"I know how you feel." He remembered his lessons with crystal clarity. They never felt very serious, but he'd been fortunate enough to have a tutor who wasn't too strict with his charges. Everything always felt like an adventure too; his specific interests were always expanded upon, and he doubted Hogwarts would be the same. The thought of being away from home, in an organized environment with strict rules, was a little overwhelming. He hoped he'd find a way to ease the transition.

"No, I didn't," he answered with a sheepish smile. He might have, if she hadn't been a good enough swimmer. Archie still couldn't imagine a scenario where he'd jumped in after her. "Maybe we'll be sorted together," he said, trying not to sound too hopeful. It would be nice to have a friendly face around the common room, but he imagined they'd be seeing plenty of each other even they ended up in separate houses. "I don't know any of the other first years, but I know you now, I think. Good enough, at least."

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Upon further thought, Sunday realized she'd always known where her parents had been sorted. It had always been part of her childhood because her parents had met in their house. Before she knew what she was doing she was patting him on the hand in attempt to comfort him. Why, was beyond the 11 year old, but she did it anyways before returning her own hand to her lap. "Perhaps!" she chirped, finding that she also had that hope; as much as it was commonplace for her to feel comfortable amongst a group of strangers, she always had preferred to be on her own. She had never really felt that she wanted to keep someone around in hopes of chatting idlely with them.

She grinned. "I certainly hope we will be in the same house, it'd be nice to see a friendly face." and she meant that which was also new to her. "However we'll always have classes, you know. Mummy and my whole family have told me they had classes with other houses of the same year." She gazed up at the approaching castle. "At the very least we will have that, Archie."

  

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magnificence by mj <3

It would be nice, he thought, to have his own friends and his own support system rather than relying on Gertrude and later Bertie. He'd never imagined finding a friend so soon, and though the cynic in him was whispering that their friendship would probably wither when school actually began, he hoped that wouldn't be the case. She was definitely the friendly sort, and evidenced by the cheek-reddening hand pat and her kind words, he doubted he'd never not enjoy her company, even if it turned out to be as distant acquaintances rather than close friends.

"Yes, at least we will have that." he said, taking a deep, albeit shaky breath as the castle grew larger and larger as they approached. He wondered what the year would have in store for him, and what friends, and how many, he would make along the way. He cast a sideways glance at Sunday, a smile on his face, and hoped for the best.

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