It was the day. Zachary was finally leaving this house to go to Hogwarts. This last few months had been unbearable, since the family had moved to New Zealand. While the young boy had always been more mischievous than his twin, he had gotten to be quite the handful recently. He knew his parents would miss him, and he suppose he would miss them eventually, but this was also the best thing for everyone.
Of course, having his twin sister along for the ride helped him greatly. Zachary knew that there would always be someone to turn to in the worst of times, something that the other first years may fear.
The morning started out like any other day in the Heaton household. Zachary was the last one up; he heard his mother quickly making breakfast, his father pacing (which meant that his father was nervous about something. Most likely having his little girl leave home), and the shouts of his younger siblings who were being fueled by the chaos. Breakfast was quick, and afterward there was last minute packing as the twins and their mother remember a few must haves.
Then, the train. The Platform itself was a mess with all the older students and the tiny first years pushing their way through. Zachary wasn't all that big yet, average for his age, and being surrounded by the older students made him feel intimidated. He didn't dare look at his mother, for fear of her deciding the twins were too young to leave home. Instead, he glanced at his father, who in turn placed his hand on his eldest son's shoulder. He stole a look at Jadyn, who was busy convincing Yvette, the youngest of his siblings, not to touch an owl. Then at little Bryan, who all of a sudden seemed not so little now that he was eight, clutching tightly to his mother's hand with his eyes wide at the sight of the train. This was it. Zachary barely remembered hugging his family goodbye, for the next thing he knew he was on the train. He couldn't tell if Jadyn looked back, but he knew he didn't.
He realized, upon stepping on the train, that he was clutching Jadyn's arm. Quickly he dropped it, not wanting to seem childish. "Come on then," he said simply, never one to talk much. The two found a compartment, and just as quickly as the two had settled Jadyn was out the door saying she had to meet with someone. It was just as well; as much as the two loved each other, fighting would have certainly taken place if they had been alone for the length of the ride.
Zachary pulled one of his school books out of his page, and flipped through it for something to do. The words meant nothing to him right now, his thoughts racing. Growing up in a wizarding family who had all attended Hogwarts Scotland, he already knew about the four house (though, his parents refused to tell him how sorting worked). He knew that if he got into Ravenclaw, his father would be proud. The question that weighed heavily on his mind was whether he and his twin sister would be sorted into the same house. Their personalities were vastly different, and Zachary couldn't imagine them being in the same house. Yet, he also couldn't imagine life without his twin sister nearby all the time. Sure, they would pass each other in the halls and possibly have a class together, but it wouldn't be the same as when they were living at home.
The mind game quickly came to an end as a another person burst into the compartment, a big grin on his face. Zach jumped back in surprise, not use to so much happiness. The person, who introduced himself as Ian, started talking a mile a minute about something Zachary wasn't quite so about. This was going to be a long ride. Zachary did his best to act like he was paying attention, nodding at the exact right places, and managed to hid his annoyance. How dare this boy interrupt him when he was clearly busy. As the boy talked, Zachary mused about ways to get rid of him.
Daylight faded into nightfall, and soon Zachary found himself and the other first years being lead to what he had been waiting for; Hogwarts. He wondered if this was the same view his parents had when they started, and- with a pang- if this was what his friends were seeing miles away in Scotland.
Somehow, like always, the twins managed to find themselves back together in the Great Hall. At a glance, it would be hard to tell they were indeed related; Jadyn with her brown hair and blue eyes, Zach the exact opposite with blonde hair and brown eyes. Jadyn was also a bit taller then Zach, which made the young boy feel embarrassed at times, but he knew he'd hit a growth spurt one of these days. Looking around the Great Hall, he could see the four separate tables, each of the houses represented. Their parents had refused to give out details about what to expect once they reached the Great Hall, so Zachary was just as amazed as all the other students.
Being towards the middle of the crowd, Zachary had to stand slightly on his toes to see over the heads of some of the other first years as the Headmaster talked. The Great Hall began losing its appeal as the boy became focused on another sight; a hat. He returned to being flat on his feet. A hat was determining his fate in life. Well, that was fairly anticlimactic. He had envisioned something much more exciting; fighting some sort of troll, anything really, that would show off his strengths.
As he waited for his name to be called, Zachary examined everyone around him. He noted the people that seemed extremely nervous, their various body parts quivering with fear; those that seemed excited, huge smiles on their face; and those that seemed sure of themselves, smirking slightly. He didn't feel like he belonged in any of those classifications. He was by no means nervous, nor excited, nor was he overly certain of where he would end up. Part of him hoped for Ravenclaw, maybe to win over some of his father's affection, but he could also see himself elsewhere. Well, it was a good thing that the hat was determining his fate and not him.
The names were being read in alphabetical order, which Zachary would have predicted beforehand. Heaton was a good last name; near the beginning of the alphabet, but not close enough that the twins were one of the first ones to go. Which was a good thing, because if Zachary had been the first one sorted he probably would have jumped in front of everyone when the hat called out the house name.
With little to think about besides his upcoming fate determining experience, the boy began to figure out the hat. Sometimes it called out the name as soon as it touched the person's head, other times it waited a few minutes as though it were thinking. Was it possible the hat was having conversations with the people someone? Mind reading perhaps? Bother; he wished he would have taken the time to research this.
Time pasted quickly as the names of his fellow students were called. Zachary remained calm as he waited, content to observe his surroundings and think about the hat. And then: "Heaton," Zachary focused on the hat, "Jadyn."
Of course, Jadyn would be sorted before him. Zachary knew that logically it made since, J being before Z, but he couldn't help to feel slightly bitter. Jadyn, the first born by two minutes, father's favorite, the responsible one, got to find out her house before him. As usual, Zachary, the troublesome one, the one always getting yelled at, would have to wait for Jadyn first. It was his sulky that caused him to miss the house his twin was sorted into.
"Heaton, Zachary."
The moment of truth. Would he be sorted into the same house as his twin, which would allow the two to remain close, but also mean perhaps always being compared to one another; or would he be sorted into a different house, one that would allow him to achieve his goals. Only the hat would tell.
On the outside, Zachary remained as calm as ever. The boy walked securely up to the stool, not allowing himself to tremble, his face emotionless. He turned to face the Great Hall and the hat slipped over his head. Inside, though, the questions continually turned around about where exactly he belonged in this world. Well, I guess its up to you, he thought to the hat, not expecting it to answer him.
"No guessing involved, boy, it is up to me. Now, you'd do well in Gryffindor, like your sister - but also Ravenclaw, because of your intellect... No, it'll have to be Slytherin - because of your habit of looking out for yourself first. Yes, that's it. SLYTHERIN!"
