AURA

I stood awkwardly with my trunk and small owl. I tried to look inconspicuous holding a cage in my hands, but I still looked out of place. I wandered about looking for platform 9 3/4. There was no such thing! Just then someone ran into the wall nearest me. Then they were gone. Another person followed them. I stood there astonished with wide eyes. No one else seemed to notice. I got curious and touched the wall. My hand slipped through it. I gasped. I looked around, before stepping through the wall. The world behind the bricks was bustling with people and parents. I was alone. My parents never wanted me to come to Hogwarts. They're both Muggles, and don't like the idea of magic. But I convinced them to let me go this year, after recieving countless letters. I feel quite out of place walking around the platform. I was one of the older kids, yet I had no idea what I was doing. I got my belongings collected onto the train, and entered through the doors. I was walking down the train looking for an empty cabin. A group of boys my age were sitting farther down the train. One had strikingly blonde hair, and he was laughing, along with the others. He stopped laughing when he saw me staring at him. He looked into my eyes, blushed, but then quickly sneered at me. I ducked into a cabin with a free seat, however, there were already 3 kids my age in there. Two boys and one girl. They stared at me when I opened the door. "Uhm...may I?" I asked timidly, motioning to the empty seat. The boys sat up straighter.

"Sure." the one with red hair said. I closed the door behind me, and sat down next to the brown haired boy. "Whats your name?" the red haired one asked.

"Auralee. But I hate that name, so I go by Aura." I said, playing with my hair.

"Aura..." he said slowly, "Well I'm Ron, and that's Hermione, and, well, you know Harry. Or at least know of him." I looked over at the boy, Harry, next to me.

I shook my head.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" Ron asked again.

I shook my head again. "Bloody hell. You're deprived." he said, leaning back into the seat.

"Well, my parents are Muggles. They were hesitant in letting me come to Hogwarts. But after all the letters, I finally convinced them to let me come this year. They look down on magic, so, I don't know anything. I've come to learn." I said.

Hermione's face lit up while I talked. "My parents are Muggles too! Everyone always picked on me for it, so I can help you, if it happens to you too."

"Somehow I don't think that's going to be the thing that the boys will talk about her for." Ron said under his breath.

Hermione and Harry slapped him. I have to admit, people always did tell me I am beautiful, but I never really saw it.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, leaning foward. The others leaned in with me. "Who's that boy out there?" I said, leaning over, trying to see past the door.

"Could you be more specific?" Harry asked, leaning to try and see who I was looking for.

"Well," I gulped, "he has blonde hair-"

"Malfoy." they all said together.

I smiled at his name, and blushed. "He's kind of cute..." I said, looking at Hermione for agreement.

All of their faces looked as if they were trying to stuff a cantelope in there. "Don't tell me you like Malfoy." Ron said, looking at me. "Please tell me she doesn't like Malfoy." he said, turning to the others.

"Well...I don't know him yet. So I don't know. But I would certainly like to get to know him." I said, smiling and nodding.

"No you wouldn't." Harry said, shifting in his seat.

"Why not?" I asked, with a touch of sadness in my voice.

"He's in Slytherin. Most people who are in Slytherin are...not...good people." Harry said, looking at Ron and Hermione for affermation.

"What makes you say that HE's bad though?" I asked, trying to understand.

"His father's a Death Eater." Harry said.

"A what?" I asked, becoming frightened.

"A Death Eater. Someone who works for Voldemort." he said, very seriously.

"Oh. Voldemort. He's one thing I DO know about." I said shakily, "But I think, maybe, if you get to know him-"

"Aura, we've spent almost half our lives with this guy, we've had plenty of chances to 'get to know him'." Ron said.

I frowned and sighed, looking out the door. I know what they say may be true, but I'm going to give Malfoy a chance.

When we arrived at Hogwarts, everyone filed out of the train. When we were leaving the cabin, I grabbed Hermione's wrist, and asked, "What is Malfoy's first name...?" I asked, trying not to blush.

"Draco." she said.

"Draco Malfoy..." I said slowly. "Thank you." Once I got to the doors, a man, Dumbledore, the headmaster, led me to a room. I looked at my friends (that feels good to say) and they smiled at me, then turned to go to the Great Hall. I followed Dumbledore to a room, and he motioned to a bench. I sat down on the bench, and looked around at the professors around me. There were only a few there, for most of them were in the Great Hall, organizing the other children. Dumbledore told me that when you are a new student, you have to be sorted into your house, but since I am not technically a first year student, they would do me seperately. While another professor, she said her name was McGonagall, got the sorting hat, I thought about the houses. I know Harry said that people in Slytherin were bad people, but...then Draco came into my mind. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on my head, and she and the rest of the professors stood back. Once again, the image of Draco Malfoy, blushing at me, came into my head.

The hat whispered to me so no one else could hear, "Draco Malfoy, eh? Well, if you say so, I guess it has to be..." then it said out loud, "Slytherin!"

I smiled wildly at first, but then, I remembered that Slytherin was 'home to the bad people'. Well, I could always be the one Slytherin that was kind-hearted. I half-skipped to the Great Hall, and smiled when I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But then, I changed my expression, cause I had to pretend to be worried about my house selection. I slowly walked towards the Slytherin table, and sat down at the very end, closest to the Gryffindors. Ron, Hermione, and Harry's jaws dropped, and they scootched to the end of their table so they could talk to me.

"What happened?" Hermione whispered.

I shrugged.

"Yeah, you're like, not evil at all. I mean, you're...quite nice." Harry said.

I smiled slightly.

"That hat has gone simply BATTY." Ron scoffed.

Hermione looked at me quizzically. I turned around in my seat and smiled to myself. Maybe Hermione knew the REAL reason I was in Slytherin. I needed to get closer to Draco.