"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters: Hogwarts Express"
Turning up to the sign over the platform I let out a sigh. Guess I'm here. Everyone seemed excited, pushing each other playfully and laughing loudly. I stood with my luggage, watching as all the young witches and wizards started boarding the trains. Most had come with their parents, making faces as they received different forms of affection that seemed to embarrass them. Ignoring all of the cooing, I turned towards the train and boarded myself.
After passing a few compartments full of students, I finally found an empty one to make myself at home in. I let out a breath and rested back against the seat. I could have easily shared a room but I didn't much feel like talking today. Honestly, my parents could have at least dropped me off. But there was no point in dwelling on that. Trying not to focus on that, I slipped down on the seat for a better rest.
After a few minutes passed, and a lot of noise from other students, the train blew its whistle and started to move. Slowly but surely the Hogwarts Express began picking up speed. I closed my eyes, trying not to think of all the things this school year would bring.
"Nice going, now we don't have a place to sit!" a voice interrupted my rest from the corridor.
"Don't even! You wanted to see that tarantula as much as I did!" another called, this time louder than the last. They were getting closer. Not a second later a pair of footsteps sounded just outside the compartment door. "Look, here's one!"
I opened my eyes to two identical boys walking into the compartment. Both with bright orange hair and freckle covered faces. Not sure how they missed me, they had immediately turned to set down their bags on the seat in front of me. Shoving their things around the seat they finally faced in my direction. Finally seeing me there, they gave a little jump.
"Hi?" I somewhat greeted after what felt like a good minute of them staring at me.
"Oh, hello there. We didn't know anyone was here" one stated hesitantly.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm Fred by the way, Fred Weasley. This is my brother George. Is it alright if we stay here?" Fred asked with an unnecessary gesture around the tiny compartment.
I answered them with a shrug and closed my eyes again. That was probably a rude gesture, but I felt too tired to try. But that didn't seem to deter them in the least. Most of the talk was about the tarantula they had spoken of before, brought by some kid name Lee. The two chatted on from one topic to another until I once again heard footsteps from the corridor. I opened my eyes as the compartment door opened again. Turning my head over I looked up at a girl with big hair, standing next to a boy with a very round face.
"Have any of you seen a toad?" the girl asked in a harsh sounding tone. She sounded a bit pushy, considering she was looking for a toad. "Neville here's lost one."
"We've seen a tarantula, does that help?" either Fred or George spoke up, not sure which one it was. Round-faced Boy's eyes got a lot bigger at the suggestion. The girl next to him didn't seem as amused.
"No it doesn't" she frowned slightly. The two redheads gave her a shrug. The girl looked disappointed at the two before shifting her look at me. Realizing she was waiting for me to say something too, I sat up.
"I haven't seen any toads. I'll be sure to let you know if one hops by" I mentioned with a small smile.
Knowing she wasn't getting anywhere, the girl sighed and walked off to the next compartment. Round-face walked closely behind her, following her lead. I stretched a bit, not really sure how long I had been laying there. I was making due with what I had, but these weren't exactly the most comfortable seats I had ever been on. Turning slightly I noticed the two looking at me. Waiting another moment, one of them raised his voice.
"She speaks!" one of the twins called, making the other chuckle. The looked so similar that I didn't know who was which. Even if they had initially introduced themselves, I had been too tired to pay attention, and they looked remarkably alike. I nodded my head at him and he took that as encouragement to keep going. "So, mystery girl, you got a name?"
"Katerina. It's nice to meet you" I raised a hand to shake each of theirs politely as they gave me their greetings back.
"You got plain robes on; you a first year?" one of them asked. I looked down, having forgotten I was wearing, before nodding up to them.
"Yes, I am. I'm assuming you two are not" I noticed. Although they weren't wearing their robes either, and they weren't exactly the most mature looking, but the two didn't strike me as first years.
"Nope. George here and I are third years" Fred, I assumed, mentioned.
"We're in Gryffindor—"
"Which I would highly recommend" Fred interrupted to suggest. George nodded back proudly.
"Is there a house you're looking to get into?" he asked curiously.
"I don't really have a preference" I answered honestly, though they made a dubious face. "They all seem fine to me."
It sounded false, but I meant what I said. Most students of Hogwarts seemed to disagree with that notion. There was some unknown pride that filled this place, separating everyone into their individual houses. I suppose I didn't fall into the same belief, as my parents had attended Durmstrang, not Hogwarts, in their youth. That, and my overall apathy this morning, made me lose more interest than I already had. But given their favored house, and if I recall correctly their last name, I could guess which house they disliked.
"Just make sure you're not placed in Slytherin" Fred said sounding disgusted at the mere idea.
"And I'm sure you're giving me a completely unbiased opinion" I answered with a smile.
"As unbiased as any could be" George grinned back. I gave him a slightly bigger smile back before resting back against my seat again.
Although I still preferred not to communicate, it wasn't so bad talking to them. Still, turning away from them, I stared out of the train into the landscape. The two leaned into each other and started whispering. Part of me was curious about what, while the other was used to it. I was always surrounded by idle chatter and gossip, whether about me or not, so I learned to ignore it. My parents always insisted that I be less overt, and while I agreed they had a point, it was a lot of bother to keep my personality hidden. But eventually, we were interrupted yet again by a knock on the compartment door.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" a woman standing outside our compartment asked.
"None for us—"
"We're good."
The two both rejected her offer. From the look of it, they didn't sound too thrilled about it. Looking a little more closely I could tell why. I remembered their last name, Weasley, from my father's work. Their father, Arthur Weasley, worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. And though they were pure-bloods, from what I remember meeting him, their family was very different from ours.
"I'll have some chocolate frogs and licorice wands, please. And whatever they want; I'm buying" I added, pulling a pouch of galleon from my bag.
The looked surprised by the latter of the statements. They paused, knowing whether or not to accept. After some time, they still didn't answer, so I just ordered something for them. Paying the woman and thanking her, I took the miscellaneous sweets from her and handed them their share.
"We can't accept this" George argued, although I could tell he wanted them.
"Well it's too late for that now, isn't it" I called and watch them both look up in surprise. I paused for a second, recognizing my tone. And that's what my parents meant by being too overt. Taking a small breath, I gave them a smile. "I already paid for these sweets, and I certainly can't eat them all myself. So I would appreciate it if you two did me the favor and took your share."
After a little while, the boys looked at each other and shrugged. They thanked me a moment before digging into their sweets. I didn't mind, I had enough galleon to spare. But I was glad they didn't argue much with me. I never understood why people put so much importance on money. Then again, with who my family was, I didn't have a voice to complain.
Using those sweets as an opening, I spent the rest of the train ride having a conversation with Fred and George. I may have studied up on the school but, having no first hand experience to draw from, I wanted their opinion. Asking the students definitely gave a different perspective than a textbook had. On the plus side, after having an actual conversation with them, they seemed like funny and nice enough guys. Learning about the teachers, places to sit on the grounds, and all the little insider knowledge would come in handy.
Once we reached our stop, we headed out of the compartment doors. The two mentioned they would save me a spot at their table, not that it was up to them. Still, I appreciated the thought. I thanked both of them, giving the two my goodbyes and leaving them to go with the rest of their year. First years always rode to the castle on boats, as part of a long standing tradition. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fred and George boarding a horse drawn carriage as I make my way towards the others of my year.
It took a moment for all of us to gather from the train, some looking unsure as to what they were supposed to do. Eventually, we were all gathered, boarded, and taken to a small chamber for us to rest in, waiting until the other students were rounded and the Sorting Ceremony began. I stood near the back of the group through the interaction. Talking to the two in the compartment had helped a bit but I still wasn't fully feeling up to meeting new people. Or meeting old ones, for that fact.
Near the front of the group I saw a few students I recognized. The pushy, big-haired girl from earlier was there, and so was Round-face boy, as I had expected. It looked like he had found his toad somewhere along the train ride. The other involved someone who had been rumored to be coming; Harry Potter, the boy who lived. And berating him about one thing or another, with that overly combed hairstyle I recognized, was Malfoy.
My father had told me, among other things, I should be nice and greet him warmly. But considering the argument we'd had, I wasn't sure if I should be happy to see him or not. We would be going to the same school for a good few years, so I suppose I could try. Still, Draco always had trouble with the way he held himself, always a little too… pompous. He sure had a lot to be proud of, but he seemed to change when he was around other people. But before we waited too long the professor came back. Shushing and ushering all first years through the corridors, we arrived into the Great Hall.
It looked nice enough, four long tables given to each of the houses, decorated with their respective colors, and a large staff table at the front of the room. Professor McGonagall stood us in front of everyone for a while. I caught sight of the twins chatting with some people on the table at the far left, probably at the Gryffindor table. Catching my glance, they both smiled and made an exaggerated gesture that I translated to mean they hoped I would be placed in Gryffindor. Not sure how they expected to control that, I simply gave them a small smile back.
I turned back to an old looking hat sat on a wooden stool, as it began to talk. Well, sing. The ragged hat sang to all four houses, in what seemed to be part of this yearly tradition. A few of the other first years, I noticed, made faces as certain house names were called. But once the song ended, the sorting began, which would determine what house we would be placed for the rest of our time in Hogwarts.
"Abbott, Hannah" the professor called. I sighed, not realizing they were calling out full names. It made sense, but I had hoped to let my arrival slide under the radar.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat screamed as it made its decision. The table on the right welcomed her with roudy cheers, as she sat down as the next name was called.
"Bones, Susan" the professor went on, as the next girl took her place under the hat.
This went on for a while, as one by one each of the first years were placed into their new houses. I remained in the back of the group; since they were going alphabetically, I wouldn't be going for a while. A few students I recognized were sorted into Slytherin, a few others went to Gryffindor, including Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, who had been that loud spoken girl from before. Until, finally, it was my turn.
"Volkov, Katerina" the professor called and, with another small sigh, I made my way towards the hat.
After the announcement, I heard a handful of whispers. Apparently I had recognized some students, and now some of them recognized me. My family wasn't exactly ordinary, and my family name carried some weight, from my father in particular. It wasn't my fault that I was in this family, and it was a pain when that was all people saw. Grumbling to myself, I waited until the hat was placed on my head.
"SLYTHERIN!" at the announcement, I hopped off the stool and headed toward the table I had seen Draco walk off to.
The Slytherin house looked pretty happy to have me there. That might just be a superficial sort of liking, but I hadn't been expecting much. I moved to sit next to Draco, giving him a smile as I always did. If we were going to spend the next several years in the same school, the same house, the least I could do is be civil, even if he was an idiot. He turned away from me but said hello in a curt tone. I saw him blushing slightly; hardly visible, but it was there. From what I had heard him saying to the other students, my guess was he wanted to maintain his image. And, regardless of whether we were still fighting or not, having me tease him or call him pet names probably wouldn't help the tough act he's trying so hard to put on.
I simply turned back to the sorting, over to Ron Weasley, who had just been accepted into the same house as his brothers. He went over to sit at the table, Next to Potter and his brothers, who, in the process of turning to him, saw me. On impulse, I held my breath. There was a reason I hadn't mentioned my last name. My family wasn't very friendly to people they didn't deem worthy of their attention, which included people like their family. Still, they gave me a smile. A little shocked, I let out a giggle. They waved happily at me before turning to their brother to congratulate him, on his placement into Gryffindor I would assume.
"Why are you bothering with those… weasels?" Draco asked with annoyance.
I gave him a look but didn't give him a reply before the headmaster spoke. Dumbledore began to address everyone in the hall and, judging by the unconcerned attitude of the other students, what he was saying wasn't anything new. But after all the general greetings, and the bits of information any beginning of the year speech would include, he concluded his speech and the feast began.
On the table were many dishes and sides. Normally I wouldn't turn away food, but I wasn't particularly hungry at the moment. It probably had to do with all the sweets on the train with the twins. Looking at the table around me I noticed a lot of people I knew, or rather a lot of families I knew. Part of me wondered if that was why I had been placed here. I had researched enough about the Slytherin founder to realize pure-blood and high class were his type. I started nibbling on some chips that were near me, not wanting to focus too far on the thought.
"So this is the swill we're expected to eat now?" Draco sneered at the plate in front of him. I knew he liked to be treated a certain way, but this was school, not a resort.
"What, are you going to cook yourself? Just eat it" I quietly lectured, scooting the place of chicken a little closer to him.
Draco looked like he was about to argue with me, so I grabbed a piece of chicken and pushed it into his mouth before he could say anything. This surprised a couple of the first years, and even a couple of the older students. But this was how I always treated him, and he knew that. I simply smiled at him before turning back to my chips. Not wanting to draw this out more than it was, he took the chicken, giving me a glare, and started eating. He didn't look excited, but at least he was getting something.
Some time passed as everyone finished up their meals. Dumbledore made one last speech to the room, before dismissing the students. It was time for bed. We were made to wait for one of the Slytherin prefects, so they could take us to our dorms. Overall I felt tired, but nothing a good night's rest couldn't fix. We were led by our prefects downstairs, through many passages, until we finally arrived into a spacious common room.
It wasn't the most luxurious setup we could have been given, but it would do. The girls' and boys' dormitories were on different sides, and we were being escorted up. With a small goodnight to Draco, I followed the rest of my roommates up to our new room. I wasn't entirely pleased about having to share the space with three other girls, but Daphne, Pansy, and Millicent didn't seem so bad. They acted nice enough but, whether that was actually because of me or my family, I wasn't sure. Either way, I still wasn't feeling the whole talking thing, so I headed straight to bed.
I fell asleep rather quickly.