Author's Note: This fanfiction moves just a little fast. Sorry if you don't like that. This is the first fanfiction I've actually finished. :) I usually never get past chapter 2. Hope you like it!
Title inspired by the song Burn Out Bright - Switchfoot
If you like, please rate and/or review. If you don't like, review and tell me why(: Greatly appreciated!
- Living4Fantasy
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not, the talented, J.K. Rowling.
Our story begins with Hayley Anderson, a blond, Hufflepuff, sixth year, struggled to lift her trunk up onto a luggage rack of the Hogwarts Express. It was September 1st, therefor, school was starting today at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had just accomplished the difficult task, her trunk now safely on the rack, when she heard a voice behind her say, "A nice effort but you won't be staying."
Hayley turned around to see six Slytherins, all of them, she recognized, as seventh years, with sneers on their faces and wands out. All of them but one, a sixth year that Hayley shared a couple of classes with, who seemed to be distracting himself with the upper left corner of the compartment. Only a nudge from the guy next to him brought the sixth year back to reality where, he too, formed a sneer on his face.
"Excuse me? I don't see how you're going to make me move," was her reply. At the next moment she was staring at the tips of six wands.
"There are plenty of other compartments, why not go sit in one of them?" She asked, crossly.
"Because we chose this one," the sixth year spoke up, sounding much less menacing than he could have.
"Well," she glanced out the window and then at their wands, "we're not at Hogwarts yet which means, no magic."
The tallest of the group, a Prefect no less, Simon Jacobs, stepped forward. "Not if your of age," he said with a smile, his wand leveled with Hayley's face and then it fell down to her neck. Most of them, being seventeen, were of age so they were aloud to do magic outside of school. Fuming, Hayley whirled around, grabbed the handle of her trunk, pulled it down with a loud thump and she stormed out, dragging her it behind her. As she exited she heard one of the seventh years mutter, "Merlin's beard, what is she wearing?" Followed by many snickers, she wandered off to find a new compartment. She was wearing jeans, Black Chuck Taylor's, and a teeshirt for the band Thousand Foot Krutch. Muggle clothes. Hayley, being a Hufflepuff and a muggleborn, was subject to a lot of torture from Slytherin house. She found the last empty compartment, at the end of the train, her trunk laying on the seat beside her.
•••••••• •••••••••••••••• ••••••••
"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce," said the current Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. "The first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the 3rd floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Dumbledore sat down and the Sorting Hat began it's song.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can top them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor..."
Hayley was distracted by a sharp tap on the shoulder. She look over to see her best friends Kiara Spencer, a Ravenclaw, and Cassie Guster, a Slytherin, crouching behind the backs of her fellow Hufflepuffs, waving for her to follow them. The only reason Hayley could tolerate a Slytherin, Cassie, is because she wasn't like the rest. She was best friends with a muggleborn and didn't discriminate against those who were in other houses or didn't have two wizards for parents.
Because of her beliefs Cassie was exiled. Slytherin House had something that was unknown to the Hogwarts staff, even their head of house didn't know about it. That thing was exile. You get exiled from Slytherin if both Prefects find you "unworthy" of being in their house. Once you were exiled you couldn't participate in any Slytherin activities such as Quidditch, Cassie having been a Beater previously was disappointed to lose that position, or house parties. An exile was not allowed to eat at the Slytherin table during meals, was not allowed in the Slytherin Common Room, and was only permitted to be in Slytherin tower to sleep in their dorm or shower. Even in their classes, no one would sit with an exile. The secret symbol of an outcast was the fact that they had no patch on their robes. One's patch is ripped from their robes and burned when they are banished. Cassie was exiled because she was friends with, not just a Hufflepuff, but a muggleborn, but never cared. She just said it was worth it.
The three snuck out the Great Hall and as soon as the door shut they embraced.
"I missed you guys," Hayley squealed.
Having both been busy, Kiara and Cassie had to arrive to school late, by broom, as appose to taking the train. "How were your trips?"
"Great," Cassie replied.
"Just fine," Kiara said.
"And yours?" They both asked her.
"Good except for a couple of dumb Slytherins got to me a bit but it's fine." Hayley still sounded a quite bit upset about but they all let it go. "So," she continued eager to change the conversation. "How were your summers?"
"Boring," was Kiara's reply. Most of the time their summers weren't that great especially since they couldn't do magic outside of school.
"I know," Cassie sighed running her fingers through her black hair. "My aunt's wedding was so boring and I was stuck babysitting my prat cousins for like three weeks!"
"Well Miss Guster, I'm sure we'd all like to hear about your thrilling summer but I suggest you three return to the Great Hall. The Sorting is about to begin."
They looked up to see Professor Minerva McGonagall.
"Yes, Professor." Kiara spoke for them. Although everyone knew, since she wasn't a huge fan of authority, Kiara was probably a little more sarcastic in her head than she was out loud.
McGonagall escorted the three sixth years back to the Great Hall just in time for the Sorting Hat's song to conclude.
"You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!" it finished.
McGonagall who, once again, stood with the first years, unrolled a scroll and spoke. "When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger."
A small girl, with very frizzy hair, walked up to the stool and sat. After the it was placed on her head only a few short moments passed before the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"
The Great Hall erupted into cheers and Hayley absentmindedly clapped. She was still a bit angry about the thick Slytherins from the train. She sighed. 'You are a Hufflepuff. Have patience,' she told herself. 'Let it go.'
She took a deep breathe and let it out. After all Slytherins will be Slytherins. But her mind wandered to the sixth year Slytherin. He really didn't seem to be into whole "muggleborn discrimination" thing. No, he was probably just too distracted. A lot on his mind, yeah that's it.
She came back to in time to see Susan Bones sorted into Hufflepuff and she greeted the young girl as she sat a few seats to Hayley's left.
Next was, Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor, and then Harry Potter. Hayley's head snapped up as soon as she heard the name. It wasn't THE Harry Potter, was it? Everyone went silent. Harry Potter walked up and sat down on the stool. No body moved. In fact, it sounded as though no one was breathing. The Hat was placed on his head and Harry muttered something to it that no one could hear. After what seemed like an eternity, the Sorting Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The entire Gryffindor table began cheering, louder than the rest of the Hall, and kept saying things like, "We got Potter," and "Harry Potter's in Gryffindor!"
Once the Great Hall quieted down, Dumbledore rose and said, "Let the feast begin!"
•••••••• •••••••••••••••• ••••••••
The rest of the night went by in a blur and before she knew it Hayley was standing next to the kitchen by the pile of barrels that led to the Hufflepuff Common Room. One of the Prefects, Gabriel Truman, demonstrating for the first years, she slowly tapped the tune to "Helga Hufflepuff" on the second row of barrels, which then slid out of the way to revel a staircase that descended down into the Common Room. Everyone filed down the stairs and gathered around Gabriel and the other Prefect, James Sundren, as they gave the "welcome speech." Hayley, having heard this speech before, crept up the stairs, flopped on her bed, and fell right asleep.