Chapter One:
The Sorting
As my family and I made our way through Kings Cross station I couldn't keep the smile off my face. I had heard about Hogwarts for years; first from my mom and for the past two years from my brother. Finally being able to go there myself was like a dream come true. I had been too excited to sleep but I wasn't tired in the least.
"You're going to love the Ravenclaw common room; there's paintings all around and a bunch of bookshelves that never empty of books no matter how many of them people take out. The guys already love you so you'll already have friends and some people looking out for you too." My brother, Jason, said happily.
My brother was in Ravenclaw and he wanted and expected me to be in Ravenclaw too since we're so similar. My mom had been in Gryffindor when she went to Hogwarts though and it was no secret that she wanted one of us to be a Lion like her. Truth be told I really hoped to be a Hufflepuff; Hard-working, loyal, and kind are the most honorable traits I could think of. Being in Ravenclaw with a group of friends I already knew would be nice though and so would making my mom proud by being a Gryffindor.
"She won't be in Ravenclaw; she's not nearly smart enough for that. She'll be in Slytherin." Margarite, my sister, said pouting.
She had to wait another three years before she could join us at Hogwarts and she was pretty bitter about it.
"Hmm…cunning and ambitious? Doesn't sound too bad to me, though it also doesn't sound much like me at all." I said my face scrunching up with thought. "Uncle Raymond was in Slytherin and he's really successful now, if I was in Slytherin I would think that was a pretty awesome preview of what my life would turn into. Though the dorms being in some dark damp dungeons doesn't sound very pleasant." I said frowning.
"Whatever house you're in will be lucky to have you." My mom said patting my head. "I do wish one of you would be in my house though."
Once on the platform all the commotion of students loading onto the train and saying good-bye to their parents and hello to their friends just made me even more excited for the year ahead of me.
"Make sure to write me all the time." Margarite said looking as if she were about to cry.
Looking at her sad expression I realized this was going to be the longest we would be apart. We had always had each other while Jason was at school, she was probably going to be so lonely without me. I know I would've been lonely without her. I enveloped her in a hug holding back tears of my own now.
"I'll write you so much you'll get annoyed by me. When I get back I'll tell you all about the teachers and which boys to stay away from." I joked trying to lighten the mood.
I let her go and before I could even register what was happening I got pulled into a warm hug from my mom.
"I hope you get into whatever house you want my little badger." She whispered into my hair.
I smiled returning the hug and cuddling against her soaking up this last moment with her. Her hugs always made me feel safe and warm inside.
"C'mon, we need to get on the train!" Jason said tugging my shoulder.
"Jason, you watch after your sister." My mom said giving him a quick hug.
"I can take care of myself." I said defiantly, putting my hands on my hips.
"There's hope for you to be in Gryffindor yet." My mom said smirking. "I love you both".
"I love you mom, Margarite." I called before stepping onto the train.
It didn't take long for us to run into a few of Jason's Ravenclaw buddies. I recognized a couple who had visited over summer but there were a few unfamiliar faces too.
"Yo, Jason! Oh, hey Rowan." Mark said, giving us a warm smile, his green eyes sparkling.
Mark was the friend I recognized the most. He had only made a visit a couple times over the summer but he kept in constant contact. He was a Gryffindor boy; a very nice, helpful, and understanding kid. He was definitely my favorite of my brothers' friends.
"Hey Mark, Thomas." I said tucking some of my long hair behind my ear.
Thomas had only come to the house once but he was a gaming friend of my brothers so I didn't know just how much they had talked over the summer. The blonde haired Ravenclaw boy gave me a small smile and a nod.
"Rowan, this is William and Dean." Jason said introducing me to the other two boys.
"Hi." I said waving sheepishly.
They returned my greeting somewhat awkwardly.
"So, this is awkward but we've secured two compartments but that only holds eight people and you and Rowan makes nine. What do you wanna do Jason?" Thomas asked.
"Dude, it's his sisters first time on the train." Mark said giving Thomas a pointed look.
"I should really stick with Rowan." Jason agreed.
"No, you should go sit with your friends." I protested quickly.
"Rowan, it's your first time on the train are you really sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Jason asked worriedly.
"We would have to part ways once we got to Hogwarts anyway. Besides you guys met on the train so maybe I'll meet some lifelong friends too. You had to fend for yourself first time on the train, it'll be good for me to do the same." I said cheerfully.
"If our positions were reversed you wouldn't make me fend for myself though." Jason pointed out.
"You aren't making me though. I want to do this. I promise, I want to try and do this myself." I insisted.
"Are you really sure you'll be fine on your own?" He asked uneasily.
"I'm already on the train, what's the worst that can happen at this point?" I asked smirking.
Jason realized my mind was made up and through the glances he and his friends exchanged they seemed to have a whole conversation.
"If you need us we're in compartment numbers 136 and 137. Don't hesitate to come to us for help with anything. If you can't find a place to sit or anyone gives you any problems we'll help you without a second thought." Mark said.
"Thanks." I said smiling.
I felt a warmth spread through me. I was so grateful that Jason had made such a nice group of friends. He used to get picked on a lot back home so to see him accepted made the protective sister in me so relieved and so happy for him.
Jason walked away with his friends. One of them made a comment about me being 'cute' to which Mark responded 'you have no chance' and Jason said 'you better not even try' followed by a good natured laugh from the group. All I could think of was how used to being referred to as 'adorable' I was at this point. Someone once referred to me as 'a cute lost puppy'.
Even though I had insisted Jason leave me by myself I felt a little unsure once I was alone. Knowing I had two compartments I could run to if need be helped keep my anxiety in check though. I just had to push through this. I was never good at meeting people or talking to new people or being in new situations but I was going to have to do that at this school so I might as well get some practice now.
After walking around for a little while and building up some courage I decided to try just knocking on random compartment doors. After a few 'we're full' responses finally someone actually opened their door.
A boy with short blonde hair and brown eyes opened the door, blocking the view into the compartment.
"Hi, my names Rowan, would you mind if I sat with you for the ride?" I asked awkwardly.
"Sure thing." He said with a confident smile.
He moved aside to let me in revealing one other person in the compartment; a lanky girl with mousy brown hair and dull blue eyes.
They introduced themselves as Trent and Brittany, both first years like me. Through the small talk I found out Brittany was a half-blood but was raised by her single Muggle father while Trent was raised by his wizard parents. I explained that I didn't know if my father was a wizard or not since he died when I was too young to know him and my mom refused to talk about him.
"So, what House do you guys hope to be in?" Trent asked after a short silence.
"Well, I just recently found out about the Houses but from the sound of it I think I'll be fine as long as I'm not in Slytherin, though Hufflepuff sounds like the leftover House." Brittany said.
"I'm hoping for Gryffindor; brave adventurers, rule breakers, and reckless thrill seekers." Trent said excitedly.
"That doesn't exactly sound like good things." Brittany said uncertainly.
"It sounds awesome to me." Trent said happily.
"I don't really know which House I want to be in. My mom was a Gryffindor and my brother is a Ravenclaw, but Slytherins are ambitious and tend to be really successful in whatever they do. I've always felt pulled toward Hufflepuff though because they're loyal and kind. All the Houses have their good points." I said looking down at my hands.
"Aren't Slytherins, like, bad though?" Brittany asked.
"Not all of them." I said jumping to defend them. "It's not like if you aren't in Slytherin you automatically aren't going to be a bad person. Plenty of non-Slytherins have done terrible things and plenty of Slytherins have done good things."
Conversation was scattered and short after that, mostly revolving around what classes we were excited for and what we thought the school would be like. Though we didn't really feel comfortable with each other yet we stuck together all the way to the sorting ceremony since being with someone you knew a little was better than being with someone you didn't know at all.
"I'm so nervous." Brittany said as we followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall.
I was too nervous to respond, I felt like everyone's eyes were on me, judging me already. It took all the bravery inside me to just keep walking.
There was a bit of ceremony that took place before we could actually start being sorted and while I wanted to take it all in I was having a hard time concentrating. I looked around for my brother, wanting a familiar and supporting face but I couldn't find him through the crowd which just made my heart beat faster. Finally names were being called.
"Brittany Alborne."
Brittany gave us a nervous smile before heading up to the stool. She looked terrified as the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.
"Hufflepuff!" the hat yelled after a short moment.
Cheers erupted and Brittany seemed content and relieved as she rushed off the stool and to the Hufflepuff table where people welcomed her.
"Frank Albright."
"Slytherin"
"Courtney Alburez"
"Ravenclaw"
"Jennifer Alcox"
"Ravenclaw"
"Nicholas Babinsky"
"Gryffindor"
Name after name, House after House, my anxiety just got worse and worse.
"Trent Kelbury"
Trent squeezed my shoulder before heading up with a confident smirk.
"Gryffindor!" the hat yelled after barely touching his head.
He stood up, winked at me, and walked to his table where he was warmly greeted.
More names were called and all the while my anxiety was building up. I just wanted this to be done and over with. I wanted to be sitting at a table, knowing I'm where I belong and not having to worry about it. There were so few of us standing there when my name finally got called.
"Rowan Vuturo"
I walked up to the stool in a daze. I felt all the eyes on me and I didn't know how to handle it. My heart skipped a beat as I felt the hat rest on my head.
"Hmm. Where to put you child?" the hat asked.
I jumped at the sudden question and my mind started racing. Not only with questions but with thoughts about what House I belonged in. I still had conflicting feelings on the subject.
"Definitely not a Slytherin, a lack of cunning and ambition. You have bravery, a lot of it and your intelligence and creativity make you a perfect fit for Ravenclaw. But that loyalty to your family, that kindness. Hmm…those traits are very important to you yes… Hufflepuff!" He yelled.
I felt shaky as I made my way to the Hufflepuff table. Brittany got up so she could sit next to me and luckily the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were right next to each other so I saw Jason waving to me from nearby. He didn't look too happy but his disappointment was probably just in the fact we wouldn't see each other nearly as much as we hoped we would.
Finally, there were only two people left, clearly twins.
"Fred Weasley"
The hat was taking a long time to decide. From the murmurs I gathered the Weasley family was a large one and every member had been a Gryffindor so far.
"Maybe they're the black sheeps of the family." Brittany murmured.
"Gryffindor!"
"Huh. Guess not." She said seeming to lose interest immediately.
I on the other hand still felt completely interested in the whole exchange between the hat and the twins. I wish I could hear the conversation the hat was having with them.
"George Weasley"
I stared as the second twin got the same reaction. I couldn't help but wonder why they were so hard to place. I found myself unable to look away the whole time the twin sat there.
"Gryffindor!"
I watched him make his way to the table, both twins had this air about them. They were confident and their smiles made them look cheerful but not like they would be the obnoxiously optimistic type. I shook my head and I looked away, realizing how odd I must look watching him like that. With the last student placed the school year could truly begin.