A Life in Darkness: A Fanfiction
Chapter One
The platform, the steam, the engine sounds, the whistles, the smell – everything was a dream. After visiting Platform 9 ¾ for the past four years, I was finally able to board the Hogwarts Express and hurtle off toward the huge castle in one of the compartments. My father looked at me proudly, and my mother smiled in a sort of bittersweet way. I was the youngest in my family, and my parents would truly be free from kids once I stepped onto the train.
"Come on, Molly!" my sister exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me so that I could see the front of the train clearly. "Aren't you excited?"
My eyes quickly glanced at the words 'Hogwarts Express' before turning back to Alice, whose auburn hair swished as she turned her head. "Of course I am!" I said indignantly. "I've been waiting to board this train since Fabian and Gideon first came here."
"That was four years ago, wasn't it?" Alice asked, pausing for a moment and looking awestruck. "Fourth years, that's what they are! Our brothers are teenagers!" She giggled and grinned, looking at me gleefully.
"They were teenagers last year, too," I added, beginning to laugh. Her laughter was so contagious, but no one else seemed to feel the spell; in fact, other third and fourth years gave us strange looks and walked away. I didn't care.
"I'm a second year!" Alice announced, posing. "That makes me closer to being a Prefect than you." She poked my shoulder playfully.
"That's only if you get to be a Prefect," I pointed out. "I'm sure there are more responsible Gryffindors at Hogwarts."
"Are you saying I'm not responsible?" Alice asked irritably, then suddenly let out a laugh and added, "I suppose I'm not, but that's not your business to say so." Losing interest in the conversation, Alice skipped away to where Fabian was chatting with a very pretty girl.
"Go away, Ali," I heard him say as I ran over, not wanting to be left out. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"So what if you're busy?" Alice said obnoxiously. "I'm going to tell Mum that you're not being nice." As though she would carry out this threat, Alice turned her head and flounced over to where our parents stood.
Fabian rolled his eyes, ignoring Ali's threat, and said to me, "Go ahead and explore, Molly. The train doesn't leave for another ten minutes." He turned to the girl, saying, "They're my sisters… Molly's just starting this year."
Taking Fabian's cue, I ran over to my parents. "This is it, Mum!" I burst out, unable to hold it in. "I'm going to Hogwarts! Did you ever go to Hogwarts? Oh, of course you did. I can't wait, Mum! Will I have to pass a test to get Sorted? What happens if I'm not in Gryffindor like Fabian or Gideon or Alice? You'll write, won't you? And I'll come home for Christmas, of course. Oh, and Easter, I'll come home for that too. Are there any more holidays?"
My mother laughed, her eyes full of happy tears. "Molly," she said softly, putting her hand on my shoulder, "your father and I both went to Hogwarts – that's how we met! You don't have to pass a test to get Sorted, all you have to do is try on a hat. And honestly, I don't care which House you're in, just do well in whatever House you get. Of course we'll write! I'm not sure Hogwarts allows any more holidays. How many times do you want us to write?"
Mum had managed to answer every single one of my questions. I beamed and replied, "You can write as often as you want to! And I'll respond, I promise!"
"Don't put it before your schoolwork," Dad warned. "Doing your homework is what will get you through unscathed."
"Your father was a Ravenclaw," Mum explained, "and he's still got that spirit in him. I agree with him, though, so do your best in school, because that's what you're there for."
I grinned. "I will, Mum and Dad," I said seriously. "I promise that, too."
The whistle blew. Alice, Fabian, and Gideon all came running over to give our parents their good-byes. "Hurry!" Dad exclaimed, giving me a hug. "You don't want to be left here again."
"We love you!" Mum said as she also gave me a hug.
"Love you!" I called, dashing off to the train and climbing aboard.
Looking around, I didn't spot any of my siblings. I had hoped I might share a compartment with Alice, but it looked like I was on my own. After all, I told myself sternly, they already have friends here. Now it's your turn.
Taking a deep breath, I walked calmly to the first compartment I saw. Opening the door, I saw a bunch of Slytherins, the oldest of which was very good-looking. One (a shockingly blonde boy) looked at me, curled his lip, and then kept on talking to his friends. I quickly shut the door and kept on walking.
Opening the door to what I hoped was a much friendlier compartment, I peeked in and saw two boys: a redhead, like me, and a brown-haired geeky-looking boy. They both looked my age.
"Is it all right if I sit here?" I asked tentatively, looking between them.
"Sure!" the brown-haired boy piped up. "I'm Benjy – Benjy Fenwick. What's your name?"
"I'm Molly Prewett," I said, smiling and shaking his outstretched hand. "And who are you?" I asked, directing my question toward the redhead.
"Arthur Weasley," the boy said cheerfully. "I'm awfully excited to be at Hogwarts, aren't you?"
I nodded vigorously. "It's going to be so fun!" I exclaimed. "I can't wait!" Realizing that I was still standing, I took a seat next to Benjy.
"Which Houses are you guys hoping to be Sorted into?" Benjy asked, looking at Arthur and me.
"Well, I'm hoping Gryffindor, just because all my siblings have been Sorted there already," I replied. "It's not a good reason, I s'pose, but I don't really think I'd fit in any other House."
"I'm hoping for Gryffindor too!" Arthur exclaimed, looking delighted. "We might be in the same House! What about you, Benjy?"
"I always thought Hufflepuff was the best fit for me," Benjy sighed, looking down at his feet. "I've heard that a lot of people make fun of them, though."
"Hufflepuffs are cool!" I said immediately, because Benjy looked awfully sad. "I mean, I obviously prefer Gryffindor, but I think all the Houses are awesome, except Slytherin, because they're rather weird. And I've heard that they do dark magic. I'm not sure what exactly is involved in dark magic, but Mum says it's something I shouldn't ever know. But Hufflepuffs are cool! Did I say that already?"
Benjy laughed and looked a little bit happier. "You said it twice," he responded, "but I like it that way." He smiled and cocked his head, somewhat amused at my chatter.
"Well, Fabian says that I should stay away from boys, at least for my first few years," I laughed, continuing to talk, "but I've already made my first friends in boys!"
"There's nothing wrong with us," Benjy said, grinning. "Isn't Fabian a boy?"
"Yeah, he is, and he's got a twin brother, Gideon," I informed Benjy and Arthur. "I've also got a sister here, Alice, and she's a year older than me. Gideon and Fabian are fourth years."
"I've got a couple siblings here as well," Arthur said, "but we sometimes don't get along very well." He smiled wryly, adding, "At least, we get along on some days, but we don't get along on other days, like today."
This made both Benjy and me laugh. The train rattled along, taking us to the place of our dreams: Hogwarts. Thoughts crowded my brain, and I made them known to Arthur and Benjy; our happy conversation was only interrupted by the trolley lady, who offered us candy. Naturally, we accepted, and a few minutes later, we were happily eating Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You know," Arthur commented, "I've never really liked Every Flavor Beans." He wrinkled his nose when Benjy, a grin on his face, offered a sickly-looking green bean. "You eat it, then!" Arthur exclaimed, pushing the bean back toward Benjy. Delighted, Benjy popped the entire bean in his mouth, only to spit it out in disgust.
"Vomit!" he choked, grabbing a napkin and coughing like mad.
"And that," Arthur said calmly, a little twinkle in his eye, "is why I don't like Every Flavor Beans."
"Shut up," Benjy coughed.
I grinned. "I think I'll just take a Cauldron Cake instead…"
We finished eating soon after, changed into our robes, and then chatted about Hogwarts. It seemed like a dream as we all walked off the train and onto the platform. The cool night air nipped at my nose as I stood with Benjy and Arthur, my heart hammering in excitement.
"First years, this way, follow me!" I heard a man say. Looking around, I saw a rather large man, a little bit rotund, with extremely long hair. It almost looked as long as Professor Dumbledore's fabled hair. This man's name, I later found out, was Ogg. It was just plain Ogg. He didn't go by anything else, apparently, and didn't want anyone to call him anything other than Ogg.
Gathering around Ogg in a small pack, he smiled when he seemed to notice that he had all the first years and said, "We'll be heading to Hogwarts on the boats. There'll be five to a boat, but we won't get separated. So follow me!"
He took us to a dock, where we all clambered into the boats. Sharing a boat with Arthur, Benjy and me were two other girls, whose names I found out were Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon.
For a while, the charmed paddles gently pushed the water about as we sailed silently toward our destination. My heart was now beating excitedly in my chest. The moment I had waited for eleven long years had finally arrived, and as I looked up, Hogwarts appeared before me. I gasped audibly at the beautiful castle with its warmly-lit windows.
"Look, I can see the Great Hall!" Dorcas exclaimed, her blonde hair flying everywhere as she bounced in the boat and it shook precariously.
"I can too!" Benjy exclaimed, grabbing Dorcas's arms and trying to keep her from turning the boat over. Marlene grinned and, like Arthur and me, looked up at the castle in wonder. A thousand thoughts ran through my mind as we got off the boats and began to walk toward the castle, following Ogg through the celebrated doors.
No longer my usual self, I couldn't even begin to take everything in; the walls of stone, the moving paintings that welcomed us and the group of ghosts that waved cheerily at us and introduced themselves. The only word my new friends heard me say for those first few minutes inside the castle was "AGH!" as Peeves, whom my sister had warned me about, began throwing water by the bucket loads and managed to drench me to the skin.
"Goodness," a man with a long, auburn beard who had suddenly appeared, "Peeves, must you really welcome our first years with this ruckus?" He peered through his half-moon glasses at the colorful poltergeist with an amused glance.
Peeves chose not to respond. "Ickle firsties," he cackled instead, "what fun, what fun!" He swooped at us one more time before zipping away.
"We really must learn to control him," the man sighed, and as he turned toward our little group, I noticed that his nose was broken and wondered why he didn't fix it. Perhaps, I thought, he was a Squib, but at least he could have gotten someone else to fix it for him. Shrugging to myself, I barely caught his next sentence: "Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts! My name is Professor Dumbledore, and I'll be your Transfiguration teacher here. In a moment, I'll escort you into the Great Hall, where you will await your Sorting."
"What's that?" Benjy asked worriedly.
Professor Dumbledore laughed good-naturedly. "There are four Houses here at Hogwarts," he explained. "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Whilst here at Hogwarts, these Houses will be like your family: any rule-breaking, you will lose your House points, and any good behavior will be rewarded with House points. At the end of the year, the House points are tallied up and the House with the most points wins the House cup. Sorting simply involves putting on the Sorting Hat so it may decide which House will most suit your personality traits."
"It can see inside our minds?" Marlene asked in wonder.
"In a way," Professor Dumbledore said hesitantly. "I'm sure you'll hear the full story some other time; but now," he added, looking at Ogg, who nodded, "it is time to enter the Great Hall!"
Our group shuffled into the Hall, some of us completely drenched from Peeves's bucket-dumping escapade, and some of us completely dry. It must have been an odd sight to behold, but as we walked down one of the long tables, I heard a boy whisper to a girl, "They must have met Peeves." Perhaps this was his welcoming ceremony for all first-year students.
My next few minutes were my greatest dream. As the Sorting Hat finished its song, I turned around to see if I could spot Alice, Fabian, or Gideon at the Gryffindor table. Alice waved at me, and I grinned, my nervousness slightly subsiding.
Friends were Sorted; Benjy went to Hufflepuff, Marlene went to Gryffindor, and so did Dorcas. After a few moments, I heard Dumbledore call "Prewett, Molly!" from, it seemed, a mile away. I stumbled up to the stool and sat on it as Professor Dumbledore put the Sorting Hat on my head.
"Ah," it said, "a Prewett… I know exactly where to put you. GRYFFINDOR!"
Cheers erupted all around me, and I happily skipped away to join Alice.
"Molly, the Sorting Hat…" she began, but I quickly realized that I'd forgotten to take off the Sorting Hat, so I ran back to Professor Dumbledore and handed him the hat amidst gales of laughter. Slightly red in the face, I skulked back to Ali.
A few minutes later, Arthur was the last to be Sorted into Gryffindor; a lazy grin spread across his face, and he ran to join me – after taking off the hat.
The next hours were a blur. Headmaster Dippet spoke a few words; our Prefects lead us to the common room; I was in bed, talking to Marlene and Dorcas.
As I fell asleep that night, my head was spinning, but only one legible thought could come to mind: I was at Hogwarts, the place of my dreams. Right then, laying in my dorm, was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.
