A/N: This is a fanfiction that I wrote a while ago. It's not that good, and I might update this every two weeks. Also, I am not J.K. Rowling and do not profit from this. If you are reading this, thanks.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The entire red and gold table stood up and cheered as Harry Potter walked toward them. I smiled widely when he looked my way. I knew that Harry would be happy in a House that was so accepting.

"Quinton, Laurel," called Professor McGonnagall. The smile slid from my face and I could feel myself paling. In short steps I made my way to the stool, hardly daring to breathe. I didn't know which house I wanted. Maybe Ravenclaw? Or Slytherin? What if the Sorting Hat put me in a house where I didn't belong? It was so much easier to watch the others get Sorted. I had sat with Harry on the train, having no clue who he was, and now I'd consider us friends. But what if the Sorting tore that apart?

There was no use to be second guessing now: I had finally made it to the stool. I sat down and carefully placed the Hat on my head. When I heard the tiny voice, I was so startled that I almost fell off of the stool.

SH: Ah, very difficult, very difficult. Incredibly intelligent, but very ambitious. Patient, hardworking...

L: Uh, can I speak to you?

SH: Of course, Laurel, what's on your mind?

L: Why am I difficult to Sort?

SH: You have different qualities... argumentative, perceptive, oh, extremely difficult.

(A long pause)

L: Mr. Sorting Hat?

SH: Yes?

L: Are you okay?

SH: Yes, of course. Oh, I can't believe I am about to say this, Dumbledore will tear me to shreds, but, SPARROWTWIG!

I stood up and took the hat off of my head. Nobody was clapping. I looked at Harry and he looked simply dumbfounded. Professor McGonnagall took the hat from me and gestured to a side table that I had never noticed. I went over and sat down. There were only eight seats at the table and I was the only one sitting there.

I watched as the other kids got Sorted. I was particularly happy when Blaise got Slytherin. He told me on the train that he wanted it. Dumbledore then stood up and said, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I only have one word for you all: Eat!" The golden plates suddenly filled with food. I was filling my plate with green beans and beef stew when a ghost came over and sat next to me. He looked to be only 17 years old.

"Hello Laurel," He said in an extremely high voice, "I'm Auran Eveas. Your house ghost. Hooray." Auran looked extremely downcast.

"What's wrong?" I asked, scooping the green beans into my mouth.

"I didn't want anybody in my house. They all die and make me depressed." I dropped my fork in surprise.

"What do you mean die?" I asked in shock.

"Forget I said that. There aren't any prefects, so I'll have to show you where the common room is and stuff." Auran said hastily.

"Okay," I responded, not feeling very excited about taking a tour with a depressed ghost. But it was suddenly time for Dumbledore's announcements. I turned towards the Headmaster's chair and zoned out until Dumbledore finished his speech.

"Follow me," Auran said, floating towards the doors of the great hall. I stood up hastily and followed him, trying to ignore the stares and whispers of the other students. Auran and I climbed stairs for what seemed like hours. Finally, when my legs felt like they were about to fall off, we traced a sign that said "Astronomy Tower: Do Not Enter Without a Professor."I noticed that Auran was scowling at it.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I fell off of that tower and died."

"Oh," I said in a very small voice.

"Well, go ahead," he said, "Go into the common room."

"Uh, how?" I asked, as I just saw a danger sign and two stone walls.

"Knock three times on the right wall and then kick it," Auran responded impatiently.

I did as he told me, and then he leaned into the wall and whispered something. A door materialized I opened it and went inside.

What was on the other side was the dustiest, dirtiest room I had ever seen. It had clearly been overlooked by whoever cleans. It was a large rectangular room with a statue of some medical woman in the middle. Behind her was a large emblem. It was cyan and grey and had a crane in the middle. Surrounding the statue were a bunch of those fold out tables that you see at picnics with pieces of paper and binders covering every surface.

"So apparently, I'm supposed to give a welcome speech," said Auran behind me.

"Er, fire away," I said.

Auran adopted a powerful stance and began:

"Welcome to Sparrowtwig, founded by a founder, our common room is here, all the other houses are jerks except for Slytherin and Ravenclaw, yeah, you'll say that Hufflepuff is kind, whatever, they are way too pitying and Gryffindors are show offs."

"That was the best run-on sentence I have ever heard." I said in amazement.

"Yeah, well I'm not done," Auran said dispiritedly, "Our House's colors are cyan and grey, our house animal is a crane, and we are argumentative, reasonable, perceptive, and rather disorganized." He gesture to the mess on the fold out tables.

He said nothing more, so I asked, "Where are the dormitories?"

"Down that hallway," Auran responded, pointing to a dark, dusty corridor with doors on either side, "I'm going to head to mine and think of everything that is wrong with my death." Auran floated away, and I followed him, picking up one of the dusty binders on the way.

Once I was in my dormitory, I sat down on the desk next to the bed I claimed. I opened the binder and a few dead moths fell out. Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I turned the page and was faced with detailed diagrams of the movement of stars. I turned another page and saw a drawing of an old guy in a wizard hat. Armando Dippet,probably, I thought. The next few pages were transfiguration homework. Then there was a letter. Intrigued, I began to read.

Dear Sandra,

I know that you are probably annoyed with me, but I must tell you what I have discovered. I have been speaking to my House Ghost, and he has been refusing to give any detail on the disappearance of my house's founder. I asked when it was, and he said about when he was a Hogwarts student. This has led me to developing a hypothesis that, instead of dying, Sparrowtwig left the school. This probably doesn't prove much, or stop you from hating me, but I had to tell somebody. I have found a family tree to research, and I think it will yield some results. Until later.

-E.

What did this mean? Was E. a Sparrowtwig, or was Sandra? Why were they fighting? Who were they? Why dif E. confide in Sandra? Was E. still alive? Could I meet them sometime?

I put down the paper. It was a letter. Why was I intrigued by this 100 year old piece of paper? Sick of myself, I shut the binder and flopped down onto my bed. I was asleep almost immediately.

Needless to say, my dreams were comprised of mysterious quills that night.