"Oi! Have you seen her yet?" Ron Weasley called out to his best friend, Harry Potter, from across their dorm room at Hogwarts.
"Seen who yet? Don't tell me you're still hung up about how Hermione told you she couldn't wait to see you." Harry responded as the redhead blushed in a decidedly not-masculine fashion.
"No, not Hermione. The new girl!" Seamus Finnegan burst out as he entered the room with his trunk, followed by Dean Thomas.
"There's a new girl? I thought you could only enter Hogwarts if you were a first-year…" Harry mused.
"Well ol' Dumbledore seems to be making an exception for her. Anyone would if you ask me." Seamus replied, Dean nodding his head in agreement.
"Why's that?" Harry said as Neville Longbottom entered the dorm. His trunks were already unpacked and the rest of the boys suspected he'd been saying hello to Professor Sprout, whom he was somewhat-friends with.
"She's quite fit." Seamus said. "SO fit." Ron agreed. "S-She's very pretty." Neville blushed, as well.
"Is she in our year?" Harry asked. "Yeah, mate. I reckon we'll see her in the Great Hall tonight. She's got to be Sorted." Seamus said.
"I wonder what House she'll be Sorted into. Have any of you talked to her?" Neville wondered. All the boys shook their heads.
"I hope she's Gryffindor."
Emma Kingston was a nervous wreck.
It was her first day at Hogwarts and already she felt lost and uneasy. Her mother had been witch and from what she had told her, students attending Hogwarts entered the school system as first-years. Not any later. Also, entering the building and walking around, people stared at her. She felt exceedingly uncomfortable. Emma hated being stared at or talked about.
She tucked a loose piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and continued to read Hogwarts: A History. She was up in the library because due to not being Sorted yet, she had no common room to go to. The Headmaster, Dumbledore, had assured her she'd be Sorted tonight at the feast in the Great Hall.
"Hello?" Emma heard a voice call out, and then a girl emerged from the shadows.
"Hello. I'm Emma Kingston." She introduced herself.
"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think we've met. Are you a Ravenclaw?"
"Well… I don't really know yet."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Are you the new girl?" Emma cringed.
"I hate when people talk about me and I'm guessing they have."
Hermione smiled kindly. "Don't worry. It was only the guys. They've been enraptured by this 'new girl' persona of yours." Emma blushed fiercely, due to her pale skin.
"Well, I've to be going. I promised two of my friends, Ron and Harry, you'll meet them, that I'd go to see them soon. But I'll see you around, Emma."
"Nice to meet you Hermione!" Emma called out to her new (hopefully) friend.
All of the Hogwarts students were filing into the Great Hall to watch the Sorting and then to feast. After all of the first-years were sorted, many of the students believed the annual ceremony was over. However, many of the boys knew it was far from it.
"Attention, everyone. We have a new student this year, Emma Kingston. She will be entering into her fifth year, and she is going to be Sorted tonight." Dumbledore announced. In the corner of the room, a girl blushed fiercely. Harry noticed her and guessed that she was Emma Kingston.
He understood why his friends and roommates were so excited about her presence. She was tall, with long legs, and very slim. Her skin was milky white and smooth, her hair long and blonde falling in soft silky-looking loose curls. Her face was heart-shaped, her lips berry red and full, and her eyes stunning. They were large, framed with ten million dark, long lashes, and the best part: they were a murky blue with gray mixed it. She was completely gorgeous, all in all. He gulped.
Emma walked over to the seat in the front of the Great Hall and Dumbledore placed the Sorting Hat on her head. The Hat gasped and began to debate with itself.
"My, my. A very tough decision this will be. A beautiful soul for a very beautiful girl. A girl so very kind, so very intelligent, so very brave. And apparently very modest as well! So will she be a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor? She is loyal and forgiving, pure and true. She would make a wonderful Hufflepuff. She is also a brilliant mind, very clever and intelligent. An exemplary Ravenclaw. However, she is also strong-willed, brave, and daring. A real Gryffindor. So, which House shall I sort this wonderful soul into? What qualities are the strongest? Let's see…"
Harry felt himself hold his breath involuntarily. He looked to Ron, Seamus, and Neville. They were all staring. The Great Hall was completely silent. No one had ever heard the Sorting Hat, normally slightly insulting, say such wonderful things, all about one person. He saw Hermione giving Emma a reassuring smile. He also saw Draco Malfoy scowling but in an admiring way. Little did Harry know that his sworn enemy was cursing the Sorting Hat for not putting the beautiful newcomer in his house.
"This girl is a… GRYFFINDOR!" The Sorting Hat announced, and there was a roar of applause from the Gryffindor table, Harry participating as well.
Emma was freaked out and embarrassed. Why had the Hat said such things about her? She shook herself. Snap out of this, Emma, she thought. Live your life! Be yourself! Everyone's going to get to know you eventually, so be yourself sooner than later. She walked over to the Gryffindor table towards Hermione, the friendly girl from earlier, and sat down in the empty place next to her.
Neville Longbottom's eyes widened. The incredibly beautiful girl, named Emma Kingston, had sat down across from Harry. Who he was sitting next to. He was in much, much too close proximity. He felt himself getting dizzy and grabbed the table for support. He had never done well around pretty girls. Well, around any girls. Girls never liked me, he though sadly, I'm too awkward and shy.
Hermione was proud. Her new friend, Emma Kingston, had been sorted into Gryffindor. This meant that she was going to be able to spend lots of time with her, in classes and otherwise. Also, the Sorting Hat had said she was brilliant and intelligent, so Hermione would finally have someone to study with other than Harry and Ron, who really weren't keen on it. She was also quite pretty and seemed incredibly sweet.
Ron Weasley's pale skin burned red. Sitting next to Hermione, who was right across him, was Emma Kingston, the new girl and definitely one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen in his entire life, hands down. He scolded himself internally, for he had loved Hermione for quite a while, but then reminded himself that she didn't feel the same way and he was welcome to like other girls.
"Hello. I'm Emma Kingston." Emma introduced herself.
"Oh, Emma, I'm so happy that you were Sorted into Gryffindor!" Hermione gave Emma a small hug, which she reciprocated happily. "This is Harry, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean."
"It's really nice to meet you all!" Emma smiled, and the boys melted. Hermione sighed.
None of them could respond. They stared, transfixed. Emma frowned slightly.
"Are they okay?"
"They'll be fine."
