Disclaimer: Harry Potter's world and the recognizable characters are the work of the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

Simply Saydie

"Hmm… cunning but not selfish. Witty and clever. Brave yet shy. Loyal and Caring…you my dear, you could blend in anywhere…Where do you want to spend the next seven years?"

"I don't know" Saydie thought to herself. She was never very good at making decisions.

Well then I guess it has to be… "RAVENCLAW!"

Saydie lifted the surprisingly heavy hat from her long dirty blonde hair and scuffled to the cheering Ravenclaw table.

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That was six years ago. But Asayda Elizabeth Jones knew that the sorting hat's words still held true. She "could blend in anywhere", she did whatever others wanted and expected of her all the time. She always fit in, she never stood out.

Saydie never knew why her parents named her Asayda; it was an unusual name even in the Wizarding world. She always suspected that it had something to do with the idea that a unique name would make her stand out and therefore "guide her to success". Yeah right. Somehow the opposite had occurred. Asayda did not stand out. She blended in with everyone else. She was simply Saydie.

Her parents are obsessed with success and money. Even before she was born they expected her to be successful. Saydie had come to be smart, do what her teachers asked, and act "appropriate" in most situations. Saydie was the top of her class, she was never in trouble, and had some good friends. Her parents were happy.

She was not.

She wasn't unhappy exactly, but she wasn't happy either. Saydie simply existed. Sure, she laughed with her friends and had fun. She enjoyed reading and learning. But she was always afraid. She was afraid of what was to come. She was afraid of upsetting her parents and her teachers. The one thing she was not afraid of was death. No, she was not suicidal. She did not want to die anytime soon. She just wasn't afraid of it. Instead, she feared disappointing others.

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It was now Saydie's first day of sixth year. Her younger twin siblings, Victoria and Brighton, were starting their first year at Hogwarts. Saydie is as different from her twin siblings as possible. She's quiet, smart and compassionate, while they are loud, outgoing and somewhat self-absorbed. Victoria's more daring than Brighton, but he's shrewder than she. Together, they are a deadly pair.

Saydie sat timidly at the end of the Ravenclaw table with her friends Mandy and Renee. She watched as Victoria and Brighton laughed with the other snobby eleven year olds. Victoria was the center of a mob of giggling girls and was showing off her new bracelet. Saydie could hear Brighton saying, "Well, my family is pure blood" to a group of boys, all of whom nod approvingly. They have so much confidence; Saydie was often jealous of them.

Brighton approached the stool first. He sauntered up with a determined look on his face. The entire hall was silent for the whole two seconds the hat was on his head. It soon screamed "SLYTHERIN" and Brighton hopped up and skipped to his new house-mates.

Saydie should have known he'd be a Slytherin. Her parents will be happy when they receive the snooty letter from their delightful son. As long as it isn't Hufflepuff, they were happy. Bravery, cunningness, and intelligence are admirable, successful qualities. Loyalty isn't.

Victoria walked up after her brother with greater confidence, if that was possible. She sat up there for maybe one second longer than Brighton until the sorting hat boomed, "GRYFFINDOR".

Saydie thought Gryffindor was better than Slytherin, and wondered if the feud between the two houses would divide her younger siblings. That might actually be good for society.

Delectable food soon appeared on the plates in front of the students and beautiful smells traveled through the air. Saydie desired only to eat the food as soon as possible, but of course she listened to Dumbledore's speech. That was what was expected of her. Soon she was able to dig into the food. Saydie, Mandy and Renee talked about the recent appointment of new ministry officials and their various summer vacations. Saydie and her friends didn't really gossip that much; they more often discussed and debated different opinions and events. Of course, they did share juicy stories now and then about cute guys and recent hook-ups.

At the end of the feast, Saydie was quite tired and simply wanted to curl-up in her cozy bed and sleep as long as possible. But, being the wonderful, successful prefect that she was, she had to help guide the younger children up to the Ravenclaw tower. Wonderful. She gathered them all up (they are actually quite small) and started guiding the way. Some of them whined about the many steps, but most were just amazed at the castle. She would be too if she didn't know about the enormous work load awaiting her this year.

After getting all of the little kids safely into the common room (because obviously they are old enough to live away from their parents, but not old enough to find where it is they will be living), she went up to her bedroom. Mandy, Renee, Blair, and Susannah were already there. They were trying to change the color of the wallpaper, but it seemed the school put a permanent color charm on it. Oh well…Saydie thinks they'll just HAVE to go to bed, what a shame. She put on her warm flannel pajamas and snuggled into bed. She had no parents yelling at me. She had no homework to worry about. She had no problems to solve. She was safe and comfortable. For now.