A/N: Okay, this is my first fic, so plz no flames! I don't own Harry Potter or anything. No spoilers in the reviews plz! R&R!
The Great Hall was lit by the soft glow of the many candles. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as the older students watched the sorting ceremony. Everyone was happy to have returned to Hogwarts for another exciting year. The students waited as the Sorting Hat placed the last of the first years ("Zachariah, Brinsley") into one of the four Hogwarts houses.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry Potter sat next to his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley. He had missed her over the long summer. He had only been able to see her once, and their communication had been strictly limited to letters by owl. Harry was enjoying the first night back in the only place he had ever called home.
"I hope they hurry up," said Harry's best friend, Ron Weasley, from across the table. "I'm starved." It was good to see Ron, too.
As though he had said the magic word, the hat yelled out its choice ("Ravenclaw!"). Once the last first year was seated, Dumbledore stood. Harry thought that the headmaster looked a bit paler the normal, but the thought was swept aside a Dumbledore spoke.
"Another blessed year at Hogwarts. I shalt say a few words: Nitwi-"
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light in the middle of the Great hall cut off Dumbledore's words. A large, glowing portal formed over the heads of the students. They let out a collective gasp that turned into screams of panic as an explosion flew out of the portal. Rubble that seemed to fall out of the sky crashed into the panicking students. Harry drew his wand out of his robes; Ron and Ginny followed suit.
A piece of debris slammed into Harry. Pain shot through his left arm and his knees buckled. Through the haze of pain he could see Ginny turn in shock and fear.
"Harry!" Ginny cried in alarm.
"'S alright. Only a broken arm," he mumbled through the pain.
The debris stopped falling and the light began to fade. Then, to everyone's astonishment, a dazzling figure appeared in the light, almost like an angel descending from the heavens. It was a girl, on the verge of womanhood. She looked liked no girl Harry had ever in his life set eyes upon. Her hair was long, starting out silver but fading to a deep violet near the tips. Harry wished to run his fingers those shining locks, cascading across her shoulders like a silver waterfall in the moonlight. Her skin was milky white, and created a tragically pale visage. She was small, almost like a child; and slim, almost what one would call anorexic in other girls, but still possessing the full curves of womanhood. She was the most beautiful thing Harry had seen. No! She was the most gorgeous thing he had witnessed. No! She was beyond gorgeous, beyond perfection. She was a goddess of beauty descending upon the unworthy mortals.
She was clad in a simple gown. The material was of a shimmering silk of the deepest cerulean. It seemed to bring the pallor of her skin to an almost blue tint. The light from the strange portal reflected off of the shimmering gauze of her sleeves. A silver belt encircled her tiny waist. A pendant of a dragon in mid-flight clutching a large moonstone dangled from her neck. Two exotic yet stylish shoes peeked daintily from the hem of her exquisitely embroidered gown.
The mystery girl descended slowly to the floor of the Great Hall. Even at a distance, Harry could tell that she was unconscious.
" Get the injured to the hospital wing," commanded Dumbledore. Then, he picked up the mysterious girl in his arms and carried her out of the hall.
"Come on Harry," said Ginny. "Help me Ron." Ron vaulted over the table and grabbed Harry's right arm.
"It's only my arm. Go help the others," Harry pleaded.
Ron and Ginny paused. Finally, they nodded and went to help Neville.
Harry made his way to the hospital wing. Almost all of the beds were filled with hurt students. Madame Pomfrey told him to sit down while she dealt with the more seriously wounded students. The chair he chose was next to the bed where the beautiful girl who had appeared in such an outlandish fashion lay.
Close up, she was even more stunning than Harry could have ever dreamed. Her features were soft, yet angular and her hair seemed to shimmer like the morning dew in the fading moonlight. Her ears were not rounded, but came to sharp, neat points. Her scent filled Harry's nostrils. She smelled hypnotic, like sun-kissed strawberries with a splash of champagne. On the back of her right hand was a tattoo of a golden phoenix that was aflame and seemed to move in the dim light of the infirmary. Harry leaned forward to examine it more closely.
The girl opened her eyes and Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. Her eyes were a deep purple, almost red, like a good vintage. Those eyes spoke volumes to Harry's soul. However, as he gazed into them, he realized that she was blind.
"Who's there?" she asked in a voice like a symphony of angels. Harry felt a squirm in his guts.
"I'm H-Harry," he stuttered. "H-Harry Potter."
"Where am I?"
"Hogwarts."
Before they could continue the conversation, Dumbledore appeared at Harry's shoulder.
"Ah, thou hast finally awoken from thy slumbereth," he said gently. "Methinks thou art of Quetsi'pye."
"Yes, I am. I--," tears choked her for a moment, but she carried on, "I can't remember how I came to this… 'Hogwarts'. All I remember is my—my Quetsi'pye being blown apart."
"Quetsi'pye hast been destroyed!" Dumbledore cried out in alarm. Harry recognized the name of the planet from astrology class. "How canst this be?"
"I…don't know. I—I can't remember."
"Hmm," said Dumbledore. "If what thou hast spoke of is sooth, I fear that there is no place for thou to call thine own." The girl gasped and brought a quivering, perfectly shaped hand up to her mouth. Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Thou art welcome to call these hallowed halls home."
"But I know nothing of Hogwarts."
"Well," began Harry, "it is a magic school. The students are split into four houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Gryffindor."
The girl suddenly gasped. "Your arm!" Before Harry could protest, the girl dragged her finger over his left arm. A strange tingling sensation spread over the injured area, and the pain quickly faded. Harry gasped as he realized that she had healed him.
The mysterious girl rose and began to walk among the hospital wing, healing the injured. She glided from bed to bed on soft, slippered feet. Draco Malfoy, Harry's rival, was near death's door. Even his grievously mortal injuries were healed by the girl's miraculous power.
"What's your name?" Harry asked.
"Destiny," she softly replied, "Destiny Amarissa Starlight Hunter Ravenheart Shadow Morganionanolia Bane."
Destiny— Harry felt a thrill when he thought the name—continued to heal the injured till all were healed. When she finished, Dumbledore approached her again.
"Mistress Bane, if thou art to stay at this house of learning, thou must be sorted into one of the four Houses. Under the traumatic circumstances, thou shall be given the choice of thine own."
Destiny thought for a moment. "Gryffindor," she finally declared. She looked at Harry. "I feel a tugging at my heart towards Gryffindor."