Note: All characters are owned by JK Rowling.
Chapter One: Ramona Rivers
I sat in the back of the Chevy truck my brothers had, "borrowed" from our Muggle neighbors (Although I knew they had really confunded them. I had watched out my bedroom window.) and was overcome with worry about what would happen to me at Hogwarts. I wouldn't be as good as my brothers; Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, and earner of 10 O.W.L.S., but maybe I could find my own little place in the Rivers Legacy somehow. Or even better, maybe no one would remember my brothers, since they were all at least twenty years older than me.
As this seed of hope entered my brain, it grew into a beautiful flower. Of course no one would remember them! Not only were we far apart in age, but we couldn't look any more different. They were all stocky with frizzy black hair, whereas I was tall and thin with fine white hair, which fell to my waist. Despite my mother's many attempts at cutting it short, like the boys'.
That's when another great thought entered my mind. I might excel in all my classes, snagging more O.W.L.S. than even Emerson! After all, I had already shown magic at the young age of three. That's the reason my mother was never able to cut my hair. The Banshee.
Even with my magic showing so early on, and earlier than any of the boys, Mum still called me, "The Mistake," when she thought I was out of earshot. Which, I guess, I was. My mother had an affair with a muggle fireman, whom I've never met. Her husband left her when he found out. So, she was left to raise me herself (with help from the boys, of course) This explains my great difference from my mother and brothers in both appearance and ideals. They are all about Wizards before Muggles. This, apparently, doesn't extend to screwing around. Hence, me, Ramona Rivers.
Among their other horrid ideas is how Pure-Bloods are the only ones fit to learn magic. (Again, my mother obviously didn't think of that before the whole Fireman Business) I don't point out how Pure-Bloods are dying out. Coincidentally, they have all been in Slytherin.
Slytherin.
That brought me back down to earth quite fast. I don't think I could stand being in Slytherin. I kept trying to convince myself that I would be in Gryffindor since my father must have been very noble as a fireman. Then the voice in the back of my head would snigger and remind me that him being a muggle didn't stop me from being so magical. Just as I was trying to argue away that horrible, yet truthful, voice, Kenny pulled to a screeching halt outside King's Cross, nearly flattening a small blue Ford Anglia.
"C'mon, sis. We're already running late," As I started loading all my brand new school things onto a trolley, he glanced over at the station and said with purest loathing, "Eugh! Full of muggles, as usual! The filth."
"I know, right? Disgusting!" I replied with equal hatred. I was forced to do this because although I might rebel on the inside, or by keeping my hair long, I didn't dare speak out against my family about how disgusting muggles and Mudbloods are. I have to agree. I learned from an early age that doing otherwise earned you a nice little Cruciatus Curse from Mum.
I had finished packing my trolley, and was about to set off for the barrier which I knew concealed Platform 9 3/4, when Kenny grabbed my shoulder.
"I'm not letting you go by yourself," he said, almost sounding fatherly. Then he ruined it by saying, "To protect you from all those violent muggles, y'know?"
I gave a harsh laugh and headed for the barrier at a run. Any loving feelings toward Kenny I had felt when he had first told me that he wanted me to be safe were ripped up by the roots, and replaced with the usual hatred when I realized it was a joke. Just before I reached the barrier I heard Kenny yell something about my better being in Slytherin or else...
The threat was lost behind me as I entered Platform 9 3/4. All my senses began working furiously. My nose brought me the smell of smoke mixed with sweets. I could almost taste these smells, they were so strong. Through my eyes I saw the great, scarlet steam engine that I knew would take me to Hogwarts; along with more people than I had ever seen before. Young, old, even crying babies! My ears heard a gentle buzzing. Which, if I concentrated, could be discerned as; chatting friends' mewling cats, cooing owls, and, unless I was mistaken, the croak of a lonely bullfrog. Finally, my hands, face, stomach, and knees felt concrete scraping them up because I had stood still too long and gotten knocked over by someone else coming onto the platform.
"Oh, my! I'm so sorry," squealed another girl, first year by the looks of her, as she ran forward and offered me her hand, "I was running because this is my first year. I was looking behind me because I was talking to my mom. Oh, I'm Sally-Anne Perks by the way." she smiled with dazzling white teeth. Her teeth were the most beautiful thing about her. Her face was splattered with ugly freckles and her dirty blonde hair was hastily pulled into a pony tail.
"Ramona Rivers. And its fine. No harm done. Just a few scrapes," I smiled back, "We better get on the train or we'll miss it!"
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go!" So, we loaded our things onto the train and found an almost empty compartment. There was another first year girl in there that had frizzy brown hair and overly large front teeth. Her name was Hermione Granger. At first we all just sat in silence, but then Sally-Anne brought up houses.
"I've asked around, and Gryffindor seems by far the best," said Hermione in that matter-of-fact voice of hers, "Although, Ravenclaw doesn't seem too bad."
"I hope I'm in Rav-" Sally-Anne began, but then Hermione cut across her.
"Yes. I might do well in Ravenclaw. I've already learned loads of spells, you see. But maybe they won't take me if I'm Muggle-Born?" She said this last part with something more like fear, which sounded weird coming from her.
"Of course it doesn't! My dad was a muggle and I started showing magic quite early. You'll be fine, Hermione!" I said, voicing my true opinions for the first time in my life.
"Ramona's right, Hermione," Sally-Anne said, "You'll be fine. Just don't be in Slytherin. They're all evil!"
We all laughed and continued our talk. Sally-Anne, it seemed, had come from a long line of Ravenclaws on her mother's side, and mixed on her dad's. I said that I would be in Gryffindor because f my dad, but didn't go much further than that. As it began to turn dark, we changed into our school robes. Then a round faced, dubious looking boy came into our compartment.
"Sorry!" he said, "But I've lost my toad, Trevor, and I really need him back. My Gran'll kill me. So, have you-er-seen one?"
None of us had, but Hermione jumped up right away to help the boy, who's name turned out to be Neville, find his toad. That left Sally-Anne and I left to discuss classes, and anything else we wanted to. Sally reckoned that Harry Potter would be at Hogwarts this year. Although most people would harp on about that for ages, I quickly changed the subject. Famous people never interested me. Nor did they interest Sally much.
Finally, we pulled into Hogsmead Station. Hermione still hadn't come back, so Sally-Anne and I left without her. We were heading to these strange carriages that pulled themselves; Sally-Anne said that there were actually reptile-looking horses pulling them. I told her to stop trying to creep me out. Just as we neared the carriages, we heard the call.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" The voice was owned by a man that must have been 10ft tall and 5ft wide. Sally-Anne and I got into a boat along with a stout boy named, Ernie Macmillian, and a Chinese girl named, Su Li.
No one talked much, probably because of the beauty of the scene. Either that, or their words froze like their breath in the air around them. Soon enough, we reached the beautiful castle; giant with towers, turrets, and windows.
We all filed into the entrance hall. It took up the entire front of the castle; which was pretty big, as I said before. A stern looking Professor came in by the name of McGonagall and explained about the Houses. She also suggested we smarten ourselves up because we would soon be getting sorted. All the feeling of bliss I had had when talking with Sally-Anne and Hermione was whisked away like water down a drain. Here was the moment of truth. Was I going to be in Slytherin? I felt as if I couldn't breathe. My heart was pumping somewhere near by brain.
Then the doors to the Great Hall opened and we all lined up at the front of the room, waiting to be sorted. McGonagall placed a hat on a stool and it began to sing. I was so nervous that I didn't hear the song at all. Even most of the sorting was lost to my ears. I only caught snippets.
"Abbot, Hannah" was sorted into Hufflepuff. "Boot, Terry" was in Ravencaw. So was, "Entwhistle, Kevin". Hermione got sorted into Gryffindor, and I crossed my fingers that I would join her. Sally-Anne got sorted with Hannah in Hufflepuff. Maybe I would join her. Next I head, "Potter, Harry" get sorted into Gryffindor. "Nott, Theodore" was in Slytherin.
Finally, the dreaded name was called, "Rivers, Ramona." I slowly walked toward the thing that could be my doom. As I sat down on the stool and dropped the Sorting Hat down over my eyes, time froze around me. I couldn't even think. Then I heard the hat yell out, "SLYTHERIN!"
I almost cried right there, but instead walked over to the Slytherin table, averting my eyes from Hufflepuff and Gryffinfdor. I sat down next to my fellow Slytherin, First Year, girls: Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, and Tracey Davis. I didn't hear any of their congratulations. All I could think was, "Can new friendships survive inter-house rivalry? Or the betrayal that Sally-Anne and Hermione surely felt?" The sniggering voice answered me as usual. Its answer was, "No."