Hi guys, I know I haven't been on here in— oh who am I kidding, forever— a really, really long time, but I wanted to share this cute story with you. ENJOY my first HP fanfic! Love Julia
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Cordelia Callista Ravenclaw sat in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, watching the rain lash the windows. She was eleven years old, friendless, and very, very frightened. She pulled her threadbare jacket tighter around her thin frame. It did little to warm her up. Cordelia caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass, and quickly ran her fingers though her dark brown hair, flattening the flyaways.
She was the last living descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, and her parents' dying wish had been for Cordelia to attend the school of her ancestors: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and to be sorted into Ravenclaw. Her acceptance letter had come only a few weeks ago. Cordelia sighed, and leaned her head against the window. At least one part of her parents' wish would be fulfilled. A name is nothing but a word people call you, she reminded herself sternly.
Suddenly, she heard a trio of footsteps approaching; a drawling voice accompanied them. She sat bolt upright, iridescent-hazel eyes wide. They were nearing her compartment, whoever "they" were.
"-yeah, he was awfully rude, wasn't he? Harry Potter- blimey, if he's in Slytherin-"
A different voice, a deeper, slower one, interrupted. "Look at my finger, Drake, that rat nearly chewed it off."
"Greg, what did I tell you-" the door to Cordelia's compartment slid open. The blond boy who had just entered the door stood frozen as Cordelia's piercing gaze scanned his body in one fluid motion.
He looked momentarily caught off guard, before he straightened his posture and said, in the same drawling, cold voice, "Get out of this compartment, girl."
"Excuse me!?" Cordelia cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"
"My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, my father is Lucius Malfoy, I order you to leave this compartment!" His pale cheeks reddened ever so slightly. Cordelia noticed.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, MY name is Cordelia Ravenclaw and I am the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Rowena Ravenclaw and I am technically royalty. I know a whole lot of spells that your father probably doesn't even know, so your little Malfoy self had better scram before I hex you to hell and back!" She paused for breath and raised her chin an inch.
Draco's mouth was open slightly, and his head was cocked to the side. After a moment of staring unabashedly at Cordelia, he plopped down on the seat across from her, extended his hand, and said, "Friends?"
Cordelia hesitantly regarded his outstretched hand, before glancing at the two larger boys who waited outside the compartment. A rare smile appeared on her lips, and she shook his hand. "Friends. Draco, right?"
His gray eyes sparkled mischievously as she said his name. "Yeah. And you're... Cordelia." He looked down and bit his lip. Draco motioned to the boys outside the compartment. "This is Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. Vince and Greg to you."
"Do you have a nickname? I heard Vince and Greg use Drake," Cordelia muttered, mostly to herself.
"Nah, but you can call me whatever you want. What house are you going to be in?" Draco asked, before realizing his mistake. "Oh. Ravenclaw. Right."
"What house will you be in, if you got the choice?" Cordelia inquired, returning the question.
"Slytherin, like all the rest of my family." Draco closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the seat.
"You don't seem too happy about it," Cordelia observed as Vince and Greg sat down on either side of Draco. "In fact, you seem... upset."
"It's nothing," Greg assured her. "He just gets like this sometimes. It's the weather."
Cordelia glanced out the window again, willing the rain to disappear. Surprisingly, it did, revealing lush green countryside and tiny Muggle farms spaced miles apart.
Draco opened his eyes when a loud crack of thunder echoed across the valley. "What was that?" He turned towards the window and was rewarded with a blinding flash of light accompanied by a resounding boom. "Oh." He got up and sat right next to Cordelia, wedging himself in between her body and the window.
"Hey!" Cordelia protested, but Draco just sat there, looking very content with the warm space he had found. "Get off- oh!"
Draco had pointed out the window at some owls that were flying by. Cordelia stood to look at them.
Suddeny, the train began to break, and Cordelia found herself sitting in Draco's lap. She tried to stand up, but found the force of the train slowing down keeping her right where she was. The Hogwarts Express finally stopped at a tiny village train station, and the sound of steam hissed outside. Cordelia leapt lightly off of Draco's lap and began to collect her luggage, including a wicker basket and a battered suitcase with the initials C.C.R. on it.
"C.C..." read Draco thoughtfully. "I think I'll call you that. Cece. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Cordelia found herself smiling and started to think of a nickname for her new friend.
"What's in the basket, C?" Vince inquired, interrupting her thought process.
"Oh, it's my black kitten. Her name is Charlemagne," Cordelia replied as they strode out of the train into the freezing evening cold.
A few feet ahead of them was a boy with very unruly black hair. He was talking to another boy with bright red hair, who was laughing. She could not understand what they were saying, but it seemed to be funny. The crowd of first-years moved towards the lake.
"Dray," Cordelia thought out loud.
"'Dray?'" Vince repeated.
"Yeah, I think I'll call you that. Dray," she said as Draco blushed again.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" Called a loud, booming voice that belonged to none other than Rubeus Hagrid.
"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" And they did so, slipping and stumbling down a steep, narrow path. Draco fell only once and, as a result, held tightly onto Cordelia's hand for the rest of the journey.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud, collective "Ooooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called again, pointing to the little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Vince and Greg scrambled into one, accompanied by Cordelia and Draco, who found themselves sitting quite close together and didn't mind it at all.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"
And the little fleet of boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as Cordelia, Draco, Vince, and Greg neared the cliff. They bent their heads and the little boat Carrie them trough a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They reached an underground harbor, and clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Once everyone else had gotten out, they followed Hagrid through a winding dark passage.
They stood on a grassy lawn. The castle loomed before them. The first years walked up the stone steps, and waited in front of the huge oak doors. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once to reveal a tall, black haired witch with glittering square spectacles. Her face was very stern and Cordelia thought at once that this was not someone to upset.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid, moving aside so they could enter the castle.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She lead them into a room that was quite small, and so Cordelia and Draco were once again forced to be physically closer to each other than they would have liked.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses." Professor McGonagall paused, and Cordelia noticed the expression on Draco's face. It was the same, slightly pained look he had worn on the train when she had mentioned Houses.
"The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room." Professor McGonagall looked over the crowd of frightened first years, and her eyes landed on Cordelia, who grinned. She smiled briefly in reply, then cleared her throat and went on.
"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes drifted again over the crowd, pausing on a rotund boy whose cloak was fastened on his left shoulder and the redhead from earlier.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
A few murmurs wound their way through the crowd, mostly variations of "What do we have to do?"
Cordelia found herself wondering the same thing, and turned to Draco. "What exactly is the Sorting, Dray?"
"Just try on the hat," Draco muttered in her ear, and refused point-blank to tell her anything else.
Her nerves had considerably lessened since Draco told her all she had to do was try on a hat, but that relaxed feeling was instantly gone when twenty-odd ghosts streamed through the back wall, ignoring the first years entirely and leaving through the door.
"The Sorting's about to start," Professor McGonagall announced, opening the door. "Form a line, please."
Cordelia got in line right behind Draco, and Vince and Greg behind her. In front of them were the redheaded boy and the black haired boy with glasses, who were muttering something about lots of pain and the Sorting.
They filed out of the tiny room and into what must have been the Great Hall. Cordelia had read about it in Hogwarts: A History— the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky outside, and the candles were also levitated by magic. The four House tables were lined with golden goblets and plates, not to mention students by the dozen.
Cordelia noticed Professor McGonagall place a stool at the front of the Hall, and on this stool was a very tattered hat. That's the hat we have to try on, Cordelia thought with relief, and gave Draco an appreciative glance.
The hat suddenly began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuff are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The entire Hall burst into applause and the hat bowed to each of the four tables, then grew quite still again.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a very long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." The first years shifted nervously.
"Abbott, Hannah!" She called, and a very small blond pigtailed girl stumbled out of line and, with shaking hands, put on the hat. It dropped all the way down to her chin and covered her face entirely. The hat shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" to the hall and the table on the left roared its approval.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Susan ran off to sit next to Hannah, very white-faced.
"Boot, Terry" was a thin, sandy blond haired boy who looked as though he was going to pass out.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted again to the hall. Cordelia clapped along with the table decked in blue and bronze.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy" was also a Ravenclaw, and "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, blushing furiously.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" became a Slytherin, and Draco clapped politely. Cordelia couldn't blame him— even from a distance, Millicent looked like an ugly piece of work.
"Crabbe, Vincent!"
"Good luck, Vince!" Draco, Cordelia, and Greg screamed.
"SLYTHERIN!" Draco and Greg crowed along with the hat.
"Finch-Fletchly, Justin" was made a Hufflepuff, followed by "Finnigan, Seamus" who was a Gryffindor.
"Goyle, Gregory!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Granger, Hermione!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The redhead in front of Draco moaned loudly, and buried his face in his hands.
"Longbottom, Neville" was a Gryffindor, he ran off wearing the hat and had to come back to "MacDougal, Morag."
"Malfoy, Draco!"
Draco squeezed Cordelia's hand and swaggered confidently up to the stool. He sat down and McGonagall placed the hat on his head— Cordelia crossed her fingers and closed her eyes— "SLYTHERIN!"
Cordelia's eyes snapped open. Draco met her shocked gaze with a sort of sad little smile and moved off to join his new table.
"Moon"... "Nott"... "Parkinson, Pansy" joined the Slytherins, "Patil" and "Patil," one of which was sorted into Ravenclaw... "Perks, Sally-Anne"...
"Potter, Harry!"
The black haired boy who had been standing in front of the redhead nervously stepped forward.
The girls behind Cordelia began whispering. "Potter? Did she say Harry Potter?"
The hat dropped over his eyes. The Great Hall held its breath for around 90 seconds before the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"
The entire hall burst into massive applause, and it was a very long time until they calmed down. Silence reigned once again.
"Ravenclaw, Cordelia!"
Mutters exploded around the room. "Ravenclaw?"
The redhead in front of her said, none too quietly, "Well, we all know which house she's going to be in."
Cordelia strode calmly and slowly up to the front of the hall, ignoring the murmurs and the lingering eyes. She knew what she was doing. She turned regally and sat down on the stool. Professor McGonagall dropped the hat over her eyes.
"Hmm..." said a small voice in her ear. "Everyone's expecting me to put you in Ravenclaw, no? Well, well, well, you're certainly bright enough. Rowena herself would have been proud, that's for sure. But you would also do well in Gryffindor..."
Cordelia sat there, listening to the hat. "I think I would like-," she thought, but the hat interrupted her.
"Of course, of course. Now I know where to put you, little thinker."
"RAVENCLAW!"
Cordelia's eyes adjusted to the brightness of the hall, and took in the cheers as she strode happily to her new House table.
Across the hall, Draco Malfoy caught her gaze and quickly looked away.
(R&R~ love ya, suggestions are accepted)