The Start of the Beginning
Don't own anything, you can nick the characters if you like, I don't care, actually my characters aren't all that different, their just Scottish and that makes all the difference. Enjoy the story.
Rona sat on her bed cross legged sharpening and polishing the newly made sword. A katana that she made during her holiday in Japan. She was a girl of 13 but something wise lay hidden in her eyes, maturity perhaps or experience. Her hair was long brown and wavy, usually wild in the wind; she frequently forgot to comb her hair. She wasn't a pretty girl, not ugly, cute at best; if any beauty came, it came from within herself. She was short in stature, a mere 4ft 7 but she was quick as lightning and very flexible.
Her room was decorated with many hints of her holidays. Tibetan banners and prayer mats, Celtic banners depicting Epona the horse goddess, Norse books on mythology piled in heaps. Those were the muggle things she had, there were also spell books, a state of the art magic broom, sneakoscopes, dark detectors. Three birds perched on rods of wood. The first was an owl by the name of Asgard, the second was an Osprey for she lived near the water and had made fast friends with this chick that she had reared. The Osprey was named Kelpie and lastly was MacLeod the Phoenix. She climbed up to the highest point of a mountain using magic of course for a simple glimpse of the Phoenix. The phoenix had chosen to go home with her to live in the Scottish mountains where it was most at home, she was loyal to the bird and it to her.
A knock came.
- Yeah?
Her mothers voice came from behind the door, "Letter from Hogwarts, I'm going to go to Diagon Alley to get your stuff ok?"
- Aye. Fine.
Rona went back to sharpening her sword; she looked out of the window and wondered what Hogwarts would be like.
The steam billowed from the train into Rona's eyes; she searched for her two friends. She spotted them and ran over to them.
- Hey what's up, good to see you.
She hugged them both tightly. One was her cousin Eilidh (pronounced alay), a jovial red haired Irish girl and the other was a rather quiet but quite vicious fighter when wound up by the name of Kaji.
They all stepped onto the train, found an apartment and stuffed everything in then sat down.
"So what's been happening, what's the news" Rona asked, Kaji told her about her holiday in Tibet and about the sanitation problems, her mother fixed them with a vanishing charm.
"Apparently now every time they go to the toilet, the refuse vanishes. The locals don't know obviously, they'd persecute us or something although I'm sure that one of the Buddhist monks is a wizard but he might just be eccentric."
Eilidh amused them all with the amazing muggle card trick she learned when the compartment door slid open. And there was another red haired witch standing looking to be in a bit of a panic. She closed the door. "Help, please help, can I stay here for a bit? it's just that there's these boys and their trying to hex people."
The three of them nodded and told her to sit down near the window in case anyone tries to hex her. The red head introduced herself as Lily.
"What are your names?"
"This is Kaji, she's from China, this is Eilidh she's from Ireland and I'm Rona from Scotland. Pleased to meet you..."
Rona's head whipped round at the sound of laughter emanating from the corridor. The compartment door slid open, and there stood four boys looking triumphant. One was tall with glasses and messy hair which he flattened down repeatedly. One was leaning against the glass door with a look of languidness yet he was still fully alert. There was a smaller one whose eyes flitted to the boys all the time and another tall boy who had quietness about him; he looked like he'd rather be somewhere else.
The boy with the messy hair introduced himself as James and the others as Sirius (languid boy), Remus (quiet chap) and Peter (small...er..thing). He then grinned and walked forwards obviously aiming to converse with Lily but Rona blocked his way with her leg.
"Ah, I don't think she's feeling quite up to talking with you, leave her in peace or suffer the wrath of all three of us, four if she wants to join in."
Sirius spoke, " That's not very nice, what did we ever to do you."
Rona was curt, "Nothing you were last in God's great creations, unless there's an earwig you'd like to victimize."
Sirius tilted his head and smiled, "Come on old boy, let's leave the girls...in peace."
He bowed and pulled James out who was looking at Lily in a fairly strange way. Remus apologized profusely before he left. After that the train ride was uneventful.
Rona stopped before the stairs to the entrance of the school, she looked up in awe, and she turned and spotted Sirius looking at the school with a look of extreme happiness as if he was finally coming home. He caught her eye and smiled, she smiled back. She started up the stairs to where a woman was standing waiting.
"I am Professor McGonagall; you're too follow me into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin."
The stern women turned and beckoned the first year students to follow. Rona's mother had told her about the four houses and which ones were the best for certain types of people. Rona would be pleased with either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff since she had both bravery and loyalty and although she was intelligent she found it irksome to compete with people that may be in Ravenclaw. Besides there are different types of intelligence not just academic. Reading books were fine if she was interested in the subject she was reading about. What she was most interested about was challenging peoples attitudes especially teachers.
She waited in line for her name to be called, she watched as Lily became a Gryffindor, as Kaji became a Gryffindor and Eilidh become a Gryffindor, Sirius, James, Remus, Peter... and suddenly she became nervous. The hat obviously could talk so therefore there must be some way to reason with it. But some of the decisions it made were so quick.
"Rona MacPherson"
- Jings! that was her. She walked up to the stool and sat on it, the hat was placed on her head.
- Hi Mr. Hat.
- Hmmmm I know what house to put you in.
- No Wait! Before you do, my mother said that it's the choices that make who you are and I choose Gryffindor as my house.
- Hmmm but Ravenclaw would be good house for you, yeees you have a good brain.
- I'm not sitting with those fools, they wouldn't know intelligence if it danced naked upon a harpsichord singing I am intelligence. They only consider academic achievement as a sign of intelligence.
- Hmmm Hufflepuff?
- As much as I would feel comfortable with loyal people I need to challenge people attitudes and that requires people to listen to me, to be a Hufflepuff is to be ignored unfortunately.
- I see you have a brave heart; perhaps Gryffindor will be the best for you. Then...GRYFFINDOR!
- Phew.
I ran all the way to where my friends were sitting and after a few words from Dumbledore the feast started.
