Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"
In the sea of un-sorted students, was Ghost Finley. She cast wide, crystalline eyes around the awaiting tables. Her snowy white skin that never tanned no matter what she did clashed against the black of her new robes, and made her stick out like a sore thumb against the other students. Her fingers reached up and nervously entwined into her silvery blonde hair, which nearly matched her skin. The wavy curls felt like silk.
Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking rather pleased with himself.
There weren't many people left now.
Ghost gave a wide eyed, crystal blue glance to the Slytherin table, and found two faces.
They both belonged to her older 'Brothers', Kade Hexa and Josh Linke. By brothers, they were really just the sons of the owner of an Orphanage she had been turned into as a baby. However, when Ghost had first met them she had no idea that the spiteful woman who worked the Orphanage was actually a witch, and they her adopted sons. Her 'brothers' where both older then her, and both Slytherins. Josh HATED her, and bullied her, and stole her things. Kade seemed like he bullied her, but he was really just over protective.
Ghost shuddered at the thought of the Orphanage; she needed to do well in school, so she could run away one day and become a real witch. At the thought, a small smile touched her pale pink lips.
"Finley, Alexandria!" Professor McGonagall called out in a voice filled with authority.
Ghost scurried upwards, and timidly sat in the sorting chair. The usually quiet girl fidgeted with the collar of her robe, and met eyes with her eldest 'brother', Kade.
He gave her a 'You'll do great.' Smile, black bangs swooping softly over his eyes. He brushed them aside so he could see through chocolate brown eyes.
She noticed Josh was busy talking to the first year named Malfoy, and not so much as looking in her direction. She sighed and sank back into the chair, relaxing slightly.
She felt the slight weight as the sorting hat met her hair, and this made her stomach erupt in butterflies.
The hat grunted slightly, "Hmm… How strange."
She cringed, eyes squeezing shut. 'I just want to be happy where I am… That's all…'
The hat must of heard her thoughts, because aloud it said, "Ah, you seek happiness, girl? Well, you are definatly brave as a Gryffindor, intelligent as a Ravenclaw… but there's something dark deep in there, I can feel it. Yes, very, very dark."
She blinked, taken back. "Dark? I-"
He cut her off. "But more light, more innocence."
There was an agonizing moment of silence.
"HUFFLEPUFF."
A big, infectious smile swept across her face, and she stood happily. A Hufflepuff; the loyal, the humble, the kind!
As she made her way over to the Hufflepuff table people clapped for her, and she gave them sweet smiles in return. Even Kade looked happy for her (He had told her he didn't much like being in the Slytherin house).
She strode past the Slytherin table, and what she heard made her fragile heart twist.
"What an utter disgrace." Josh snapped, giving her a mean sneer. Malfoy looked over and snickered at her.
Ghost gave him a steady gaze as she passed, and at first Josh returned it. However, even though she didn't show anything mean or nasty in her eyes he was forced to falter under their pools of ice blue.
As she reached the table, she sat and grinned at her new friends calmly. "Hello. My name is-" she stopped. "Well, most people just call me Ghost, because of my skin and hair…"
-/Break\\-
A pair of warm hands gripped Ghost's shoulders, and her eyes flew open wide.
"What-"the panting voice came from just above her, "-the SCOTT-"another pant. "-are you doing sleeping outside in the SNOW?"
Ghost's eyes focused some, revealing a familiar face with freckles dotting his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose, along with blonde hair and big green eyes. "Oh… G'morning, Finny." She muttered rather lethargically, shivering as she felt cold water from melted snow that must have seapt through her robes.
Finny looked at her with shocked eyes. "Aren't you even cold?"
"Should I be?"
"You're ASLEEP IN SNOW!"
"Oh, my…" She seemed to be waking up, and just realizing what was going on. "Oh!" Blinking harshly, she cleared her throat and reached up to scratch her now sopping wet hair. "I was watching the mermaids swim beneath the frozen lake, and…" She was outside of the school building, leaning against the chilly bark of a tree just in front of the lake. It was her fourth year at Hogwarts, many a days from that night she had been sorted into Hufflepuff.
Finny wasn't the bravest guy ever, and he was often bullied by the Slytherins for being rather girly and nerdy; However, he was a genius in Care of Magical Creatures, and got along with almost every living thing. He held out a hand to help her up, and she took it gently.
When she got on her feet she wondered how she could have possibly gone to sleep outside, let alone the freezing snow. Her robes must have been so warm and cozy that she simply… dosed off.
"I can't believe you fell asleep OUTSIDE, just a few hours away from the Yule Ball!"
Ghost nearly leapt out of her skin. "Oh, my. I almost forgot." A sweet smile touched her lips, and Finny was transfixed for a moment.
She was looking at her now tarnished appearance; "My pretty new blue dress… the house elves where going to mend it, but I never got the chance to take it…"
Finny patted her on the shoulder. "I-it's okay!" Even though Ghost was always so serene, he could tell that deep down she was worried. "We can check with your dorm mate. Doesn't she always have spare clothes?"
He could see her muscles relax, and he grinned, taking a deep breath before puffing out his chest and in a manly-man voice, saying "So, Ghost. You know how everyone has a date to the Yule ball, well-"
"Oh, yes. I was meaning to ask. Did you get a date yet?"
"Well, actually, that's what I'm talking-"
Ghost sighed, "Finny, I really must go." Finny followed her gaze and saw a tall sixth year standing and waiting for her angrily by the main doors. It was Kade, her older 'brother'. Finny didn't really like Kade, because of how he treated Ghost, but Ghost insisted that he loved her and was just overprotective.
When he looked back to her, his breath was taken away. There in front of him stood an angel, snow white skin and hair making Ghost look like a frozen angel. The grim look of determination on her face was almost hypnotizing as she began to walk to where Kade stood.
"Wait, Ghost, I need to ask-"
Ghost smiled and turned, her pale pink lips stretching into a big smile as she gave him a hug. "I'll talk to you later, Finny. Please, don't get into a tangle with any Slytherins… Okay?"
Finny tried to interrupt again, but she was already gone, almost sprinting to her brother who was seething in anger as to why she was outside ALONE with a boy, and why her clothes where covered in snow and water.
So, this is my first Harry Potter Fan-Fiction, and I always have my own OC's, because I LOVE 'EM! Poor wimpy Finny. Anyways, reviews are my FUEL! They keep me writing, for you!