"Au Revoir Mère!"
"Au Revoir petite sorcière! Je t'aime!"
"Je t'aime aussi!"
Finally free of her mother, a long, dark haired girl ran back towards her brothers as they boarded the train. For Bernard (the eldest) this was his last year, while it was her first. All of her brothers joked and teased her about being a first year.
They came from a large but wealthy family in France. They were purebloods both their parents coming from lines of purebloods. Her Mère, Madeleine Prideux née Bouvier and her Papa, Pierre Prideux. She had 7 other siblings, all-older and boys. Bernard was 17, Nicholas was 16, Henry was 15, Albert, Vincent, and Claude were 14, and Theodore was 12. Then there was she, Colette, just turned 11 on 28 August 1981.
She already knew she was going to be the youngest of her class. She had barely made the cutoff. By 3 days she had made it. Colette sat next to Henry. Bernard and Nicholas hung out with their friends since they were 6th and 7th years; being seen with their siblings was an embarrassment.
"Are you nervous Colette?" Henry asked noticing Colette's facial expression.
She nodded yes. She was in fact very nervous.
"Henry, I am the first girl! What if they do not think I am like you? What if I am not as smart as you? What if I am not sorted into Ravenclaw?" she cried.
She voiced every single one of my worries to her brother, a thick French accent becoming heavier as she named each worry.
Henry laughed.
"Colette you will be fine. I know you have more intelligence than I did when I was a first year. And so what if you're a girl? You're still my petite sorcière! You are an intelligent witch. Ravenclaw is our house, I'm confident that it will be your house too," he reassured her.
She gulped and tried to look confident. All her brothers insisted she was very pretty and it was Mère who gave her, her looks. Being 11 of course she didn't like herself. She hated her straight dark hair, and side bangs, which she had pinned aside for today. She also hated her green eyes. Green is the color of the swamp she thought bitterly. Not soon after the train stopped and everyone piled out. A large man was shouting for the first years and Henry gently pushed her towards the strange man.
"You're not coming?" she asked worried.
"No Colette, but we will see you at the sorting ceremony," he replied before grabbing Theodore and walking with the rest of the crowd.
She stood looking longingly at her brothers as they entered carriages and were whisked away. Turning her attention back at the big man she listened to what he had to say. He beckoned for the first years to follow as they walked along a shady path towards boats. She was hustled into one with some other children.
Everyone began introducing himself or herself and soon it was her turn.
"Colette Prideux," she said softly.
A blonde boy snickered at her.
"French are you?" he smirked.
She nodded meekly.
"And what are you? A mudblood?" he asked before laughing along with some of the others.
Anger surged through her. How dare he disrespect her status. Her usually pale face turned red.
"I am a pureblood! I come from a line of purebloods, have you not heard the Prideux name?" she asked, a surge of confidence coursing through her. The blonde huffed and turned away. She turned around as well enjoying the scenic ride. They stopped not long after though, and were led by a woman in front of all the other students already organized into their houses by table. All of the first years gathered at the front while the lady called off names and placed the sorting hat on their head.
A girl named Hannah Abbott was called first and placed in Hufflepuff. Bones, Susan also went to Hufflepuff before the first Ravenclaw (Boot, Terry) was called. More names were called and Lavender Brown became the first Gryffindor, while Millicent Bulstrode was named the first Slytherin. Soon Malfoy, Draco was called and she saw the blonde boy from earlier walk (or rather swagger) up. The hat had barely grazed the hair on his head before it announced Slytherin. Colette looked around and knew it would be her turn soon, only a handful of children were left. Six more were sorted before the teacher called a name.
"Potter, Harry!"
Whispers and gasps were heard all around the room. Surely this couldn't be the great Harry Potter? Colette watched as a boy with dark hair, green eyes, and glasses approached the stool. It took the Sorting Hat several moments before it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry Potter got the loudest applause yet.
"Colette Prideux," the lady called.
Colette slowly walked up and sat down. She felt the weight of the hat upon her head.
'Hmmmmm another Prideux' it grumbled, 'But this one's a girl,'
She had forgot it would probably know her brothers and felt like shrinking even lower in her seat. Her brothers could be real prats sometimes, especially the triplets they were such players. She was snapped out of her thoughts as the hat shouted "RAVENCLAW!"
She smiled happily before joining her brothers at the table. They all looked relieved she had been sorted into the house. Colette tapped Bernard on the shoulder.
"What is it petite sorcière?"
"What do you know about the Malfoy's?"
Bernard frowned.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because the one in my year was just sorted into Slytherin. Earlier he made fun of my accent and called our family," she whispered the last part, "mudbloods,"
Bernard's face contorted into rage.
"What did you do?"
"I told him we were purebloods and he must've heard of our name at some point,"
Bernard nodded in approval. Their family may have been purebloods but that didn't mean they hated muggles nor did they boast their status. They stayed away from muggles even though they were harmless. Their status didn't make them any better than the muggles their Papa told them; we're measured by our intelligence he told them. If they attain more knowledge, than they're better.
Bernard whispered what she had just told him to Nicholas who told the triplets. Pretty soon the whole Ravenclaw table heard her story and were glaring at the Slytherins. Insults began flying through the air at both houses before Claude got up followed by Albert and Vincent and went straight to the Slytherin table to get physical. Colette looked away before the first punch was thrown. She was so disappointed in her brothers. They started a fistfight right in the middle of the sorting ceremony and it was all because of stupid Draco Malfoy.
Mère: Mother
Au Revoir: Goodbye
Petit Sorcière: Little witch
Je t'aime: I love you
Aussi: Also/too