"Mom! Dad!" The child's shrieks of joy disrupted the calm morning air. "Mom! Dad! I manifested!" Charlie was scrabbling up the stairs as fast as her legs would take her. Her previously long brown hair, now white, swung around her, getting in her face as she desperately searched for her parents. She found her parents in the kitchen, her mom making lunch and her dad reading the paper. She stood in the doorway, panting. Her mom looked up.
"Your hair darling!" Her mom exclaimed. The ten year old sighed. "Didn't you hear me? I manifested!" She said to her mom, exasperated. The dad finally looked up. He jumped up, scooped the girl up into his arms, and twirled her around. "The white hair? You must be a shader!" He exclaimed.
Draki were the descendants of dragons. They lived in groups, called prides, and tended to be rather territorial. Shader draki were one of the most important. They could create powerful mists, that put people to sleep, and could erase parts of their memory on top of other things. Charlie's father was a water draki. When they manifested and went underwater, they grew gills and could live down there forever if they wanted. Her mom was a verda draki. They knew all about herbs and medicines.
Charlie's mom was elated. "We haven't had a shader in the pride for years!" She said excitedly. "How about this Charlie, you go get cleaned up, and I'll bake you a cake. This is a cause for celebration." Her mom said. "Okay!" Charlie said, hugging her mom and running back down the stairs.
One year later and Charlie was walking through King's Cross with her mother and father. Her mother was also a witch, her father was just draki. Charlie's dad, who's first name was Mike. Her mother, Helen, was holding the eager girl's hand as they walked to the platform. They all strode confidently through the barrier and on to Platform 9 ¾. The girl was chatting animatedly to her parents, her father barely listening as he looked around in awe. Her parents helped her find an empty compartment, and put her trunk in the overhead net.
"So I suppose this is goodbye," her mother said, tearing up. Charlie was also tearing, her dad was slightly more stoic but still sad. They all hugged each other and gave their goodbyes, and her parents left. Charlie smoothed down her black dress, tucking it under her butt so as not to have any unfortunate occurrences, and sat down by the window. She watched people for a little while before the train started to move. She looked out the window for her parents but she couldn't find them. She sighed. Her owl, April, was sitting in the extra luggage compartment in the back of the train. For now, she was alone.
Well, alone until a boy with messy black hair and gray eyes to match Charlie's stuck his head through the doorway. "Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full or full of stuck up purebloods," He said. Charlie gestured to the seat across from her. "Go right ahead," She said. This happened a few times in fact, until there was a tired looking boy with brown hair next to her, another boy with messy black hair but green eyes, and a short fat kid who irritated her for no reason.
They began chatting for a while, mainly about Hogwarts, the houses, and Quidditch. "I want to be in Gryffindor," The boy whom she now knew as Sirius said. "My whole family was in Slytherin and I hate them."
"I want to be in Gryffindor too," James said, puffing out his chest. "I'm strong and brave," He bragged. Charlie rolled her eyes as Peter added, "I'm strong and brave too," He said in his squeaky little pre-pubescent voice. Remus said, "I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, although Gryffindor doesn't seem too bad."
Charlie sighed. "I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, or smart enough to be in Ravenclaw. Not very cunning either, so that leaves Hufflepuff. Doesn't seem too bad though," She said. James snorted, "If I was in Hufflepuff I'd ask the hat to switch me," He joked. Charlie glared. "Well it's a good thing I didn't ask for your opinion," She huffed. The boys looked around awkwardly.
"Look, the candy cart is coming," Said Remus, trying to distract everyone. Charlie took out her sack of money, and decided to get a pack of Drooble's gum, and a pumpkin pasty. She also got a carton of pumpkin juice. Everyone bought their treats, the earlier jab seemingly forgotten.
Most of the train ride passed without incident, only when Charlie got up to go to the bathroom and change into her robes did Peter say, "You could just stay here and take them off," with a wink that she assumed was supposed to be sexy. She just scoffed and said, "Maybe when you lose some of that cinnamon roll fluff we can talk," and promptly left, leaving the other three boys in a fit of laughter.
When she came back, the boys had calmed down. The sun had set, and the announcement that it would be five minutes until they arrived had just come. Charlie shoved her dress into her trunk and sat back down, already not liking the skirt and knee-high socks. They boys had changed as well, not caring about the nudity portion. Charlie wouldn't have cared as well, if it were girls in her compartment. Although sometimes they did act like it.
The train seemed to be slowing down, and a train station came into view. They had been told to leave their luggage on the train, and it would be delivered to their rooms after the dinner and sorting. Finally the train came to a stop. The anxious first years shared a look and filed into the hallway. They exited the train, and heard, "FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY," and so they figured it might be in their best interest to follow the sound. It led them to a large man with a large beard and a large stomach. Pleasantly large though, like Santa. He directed all of them into a boat, and once everyone had been herded in, he climbed into a bigger boat. Suddenly the boats gave a jerk and they started forward.
"Watch your heads!" The large man yelled. "You'll be gettin' your first glimpse of Hogwarts in a moment. Try not to fall off as we don't know what mood the Giant Squid is in." Some people laughed nervously. They all ducked as a large bridge with a wall of ivy passed over them. The boats turned a corner and there was a collective gasp from all of the students. A large castle was now in front of them, most of the windows lit. The boats pulled up and set themselves gently on the beach and the first years climbed off. They looked around amazed, even James and Sirius who had tried to play it cool.
"Follow me now," The man said as they began to walk up the hill towards the castle. Eventually they got there, slightly panting, and they were lead into a large empty room. A strict looking witch met them there.
"Thank you Hagrid," She said. "My name is Professor McGonagall. Please wait here, the orting will begin momentarily." She waited for a brief minute or two, then if almost on cue, led them into a larger, much less empty room.
It had four long tables going down from the front of the room to the back, and a large table set on a raised platform in front. All the other school-children looked up expectantly. "Welcome to Hogwarts," another man with a large beard greeted them from the podium in front. He addressed the people sitting at the tables. "Now I know you're all tired and hungry, but as usual, we must proceed with the sorting." He looked at Professor McGonagall, who addressed the first years. "Let the Sorting Ceremony begin."