"Vaufre, Morgan," called the professor who stood by the sorting hat.
A small girl with dirt brown hair and a heavily freckled face walked nervously up to the stool where the sorting hat would be placed on her head. Her heart pounded in her chest and she clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. Morgan was just glad she didn't have to go directly after Harry Potter. She sat on the stool with perfect posture as she had been instructed how to sit throughout the years. The old talking hat was placed gingerly on her head by an older stately witch in emerald robes.
"Hmm," The sorting hat hummed in her head, "Vaufre, eh?"
She heard something that resembled a chuckle in her head. She gave a thin lipped smile as the sorting hat continued to hum.
"You've got many Slytherin traits did you know that? You'd be an exceptional Slytherin," The sorting hat remarked.
Morgan didn't say anything, but on the inside she deflated a little. She had no problem with being a Slytherin. If that was to be her house, then so be it. Though there was a part of her that wanted to be anything, but Slytherin for the pure reason that that was what people were expecting. Her whole life she had been told by her family that she would be a Slytherin.
"Though, I don't think you'd want to be there, do you?" The sorting hat asked curiously.
"I will except wherever you put me," Morgan whispered hastily, just wanting this to be over with. The seconds were starting to feel like hours and her skin itched with the hundreds of stares aimed at her.
"So, you do not care?"
"People are people, no matter where you put me I will be hard-working and loyal to that house as I can," The small girl whispered rapidly as she kept her eyes straight ahead and her back straight.
"Very well," The sorting hat said to her. It boomed to the entire hall, "Hufflepuff."
The girl faltered slightly, but recovered quickly as she made her way to the Hufflepuff table. The cheering had quieted down by the time she sat down. Morgan eyes scanned the Great Hall as she waited for the other first years to be sorted. Her eyes lingered on the Slytherin table. She had honestly thought that is where she was going to be sorted.
Her eyes fell on to four girls at the Slytherin table, who she recognized as first years as well. They all held themselves with a powerful air. Their backs were straight and their shoulders set. Their stares appearing only mildly interested with a calculating edge to them. One of them, a girl with golden hair met Morgan's eyes from across the tables. Neither girl looked away for the longest time like they were having some stubborn staring contest. It was the Slytherin blonde who looked away first when the girl next to her started talking.
Morgan thought the whole stare down thing was a tad strange. She brushed it off in favor of listening to the Headmaster. Dumbledore was truly a fascinating man in Morgan's eyes. He spoke of the restrictions about the Forbidden Forest among other things. Perhaps it was the fact that it was forbidden that intrigued Morgan so much. She couldn't help, but let her mind wander and wonder about what was in the Forbidden Forest.
That was how Morgan got her first detention. Two months into the school year and Morgan had settled into a comfortable pattern. Though the day before her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she broke her pattern in favor of sneaking into the Forbidden Forest.
She had been real cunning about it too. She had played sick to her roommates, and left during what would be the middle of her potions class. She had been careful to use corridors that she had noticed Filch seldom walk down. She had been light on her feet and quick and alert were her eyes.
She made it to the Forbidden Forest without incident. When she entered the forest, she let out a deep airy sigh. She wandered deeper into the forest, but not so far that she would get lost. She threw her head back and looked up at the sky through the trees. The sunlight made every leaf it's own beautiful shade or green.
Gold had always been her favourite color, but green was a close runner up. Especially when it looked like this. Every leaf slightly different like they all had their own personalities. Some dark, some bright, and a thousand different shades in between. Green was almost a constant, like an old friend who was always there.
She laid against a tree her hand up to shade her tired eyes from the sun. She had spent most of her nights sleeping restlessly, if that. Morgan didn't know why sleep tried so desperately to evade her grasp. She had always been that way. Trying and failing to sleep until finally succeeding at some late hour only to wake up at some ungodly time in the morning. Her eyelids started to flutter rapidly as she tried desperately to stay awake. She stood up in an attempt to stay awake. It worked for the most part.
She leaned against a tree with a soft smile on her face. Compared to the Hufflepuff common room this was incredibly peaceful. There was nothing wrong with Hufflepuff, it was just, everyone was social with their fellow Hufflepuffs, while Morgan not so much. As one of the girls Morgan shared a room with had so blatantly put it; she wasn't like most Hufflepuffs. Her little escape to the Forbidden Forest proved that. Not that all Hufflepuffs were rule abiding and top notch citizens. Some were a little rough around the edges, but in the end most Hufflepuffs valued equality, loyalty, and hard work over all. Morgan supposed she was just a little more rough around the edges than most.
Equality was one of the things believed in by almost all Hufflepuffs. Morgan valued it as well, but coming from an old pure blooded family it was one of the things she had not been taught to believe in. Morgan had only worked up the courage her parents about which house she had been sorted into a week ago. They had grudgingly accepted it, and told her she had better be 'a witch worthy of the Vaufre name, despite being a Hufflepuff'. Morgan was just happy they hadn't disowned her or treated her any differently.
Morgan spent the whole afternoon among the trees. She watched as fluffy clouds crossed the sky leisurely. She watched how the wind pushed and shook the leaves and branches on the trees. At some point the sun had become very close to completing it's journey across the sky. Dusk was quickly approaching, and Morgan swore softly under her breath. She hadn't meant to stay out this late. She ran towards the castle as quickly as her short legs could carry her.
She entered the castle quickly without much thought of stealth. She hadn't gotten two steps away from the door when Filch appeared seemingly out of no where. He smiled crookedly and his eyes had a malicious look about them. Morgan swallowed the lump in her throat and stood up straight. She refused to look scared or guilty in front of this horrid man. Morgan silently swore to herself she would be more cunning next time she was up to no good.
Soon Christmas break was upon them and Morgan went home for Christmas. She was welcomed with politeness from her parents and unbelievable happiness by her younger sister.
"Morgana," Her father greeted with a stiff nod. He then returned his attention to The Daily Prophet.
"Welcome home, darling," Her mother said with a large, cheery, fake smile. Her mother gave her a light, short hug in which they barely made any actual contact.
The sounds of footsteps could be heard as Morgan's sister, Anne, ran down the stairs. Morgan immediately dropped her bag to the ground with a warm smile on her face. Her sister appeared in a flurry of yellow fabric and strawberry blonde curls.
Anne ran at her sister whom kneeled down to scoop her up before she tackled Morgan to the ground. Anne's arms clung to Morgan's neck almost desperately. Morgan hugged her back with one arm, and supported her with the other. Anne's head was buried in Morgan's thick hair. When Anne finally pulled away a little Morgan shifted the six year old to her hip.
Her father grunted from his seat and pushed his glasses up. Morgan took that as her cue to leave the room. She carried her little sister up to Morgan's room. When they got there Morgan closed the door with her foot and tossed her sister onto her bed. Anne giggled adorably as she got comfortable in her sister's bed.
"How are you, Anne?" Morgan asked as she jumped onto the bed next to her.
"It's been quieter since you left," Anne admitted quietly as she subconsciously shifted closer to Morgan. Morgan threw her arm around the younger girl and looked at her for a long time. Her parents had never been the most attentive or affectionate, and they had an odd way of showing they cared. It terrified Morgan to leave Anne alone here with no one to talk to or play with. She subconsciously pulled her little sister closer to herself.
"Well, while it is only for a couple weeks, I'm back," Morgan said before leaning down and kissing the top of Anne's head.
Anne gripped Morgan's hand and looked up at her with big brown eyes. She asked curiously, "What is Hogwarts like?"
Morgan laughed softly at her sister's awe filled tone. She began, "It's a magnificent castle with towers that rise above the clouds, a forbidden forest with the greenest leaves, and a lake black as the night sky that plays house to a giant squid."
"Really?"
"Yes, it is the of the most beautiful places you will ever see, I promise."
First year came to an end quickly and uneventfully for Morgan. She spent the summer home either playing with her sister or taking part in some kind of lesson on etiquette. Soon second year had descended upon her like an angel sent to release her from boring lessons on how to properly greet someone. She returned to Hogwarts a little taller and a little more comfortable. She still seldom socialize with anyone unless it was necessary, but she no longer avoided conversation.
A month into school, her regularly scheduled routine was broken by an unsettling sight. She was running late to Muggle Studies- and she was so saddened by that- when she saw a girl cornered by a few other girls. She kept her steps light and her breathing steady as she listened in.
"Where's Potter and Weasley now, Granger?" One girl with jaw length black hair sneered. She was accompanied by three other girls. A stout girl with curly auburn hair stood by the black haired girl with her arms crossed across her chest. A slender dark skinned girl with wavy dark brown hair stood next to the stout girl. The only one whose face Morgan could see clearly was a rather pale blonde girl. She looked vaguely familiar. The blonde stood off to the side looking extremely bored as she examined her nails.
The three that had cornered this 'Granger' person fired hurtful insults. Morgan tried to keep walking as the blood boiled in her veins. Her heartbeat was thundering in her ears. She had seen the blonde's tie, she was a Slytherin, which meant the other girls were probably in Slytherin. If even one of them happened to be pure blooded she could get in serious trouble if she attacked them.
"-Mudblood," One of the girls sneered. Morgan had only caught that one word, but it was enough to send her over the edge. She put her hand on her wand in her back pocket, and marched up to the girls.
"Do we have a problem here?" She growled lowly. Three out of four girls jumped, the blonde just looked up with a mildly interested expression.
The girls whirled around and looked Morgan up and down. Calculating how much of a threat she was probably. The black haired girl tried to tower over Morgan despite them being about the same height. She hissed, "Stay out of this, Hufflepuff."
"How 'bout no," Morgan countered with a smirk.
"Run along," The blonde ordered coldly, "This isn't any of your business."
"Well, consider me invested now," Morgan sneered as she leveled a glare at the black haired girl. The blonde narrowed her eyes and quirked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
"A little brave for a useless Hufflepuff, aren't you?" The black haired girl snarled.
"A little foolish for a pretentious Slytherin, aren't you?" Morgan shot back with a mocking tone.
"It's four against one," The other girl stated, "How is that foolish?"
"If you want to fight, fine, I know I won't win," Morgan growled as she took a step closer, "You see I don't have to. I just have to go to class afterwards and cry about how I, a poor useless Hufflepuff, was attacked by four Slytherin girls and that's why I was late."
The two girls who hadn't said anything to Morgan shared a nervous glance. They looked at the black haired girl for guidance. While the blonde examined the two girls with interest.
"You wouldn't," The black haired girl challenged.
Morgan laughed darkly and took yet another step closer. She said, "Wouldn't I though?" Morgan fakes sniffled and forced tears to well up in her eyes. She said in a shaking slightly higher pitched voice, "Professor, they, they just st-started calling me names, and, and when I tr-tried to walk away, she, she, she hit me. I d-didn't know wh-what to do, so I hit b-back."
She let the forced tear to roll down her cheek as her lips curled up in a smug grin. The tear dripped on to the ground, and the sound was deafening in the silence between the two girls. Two different shades of green eyes clashed silently as the two girls glared at one another. The blonde stepped in between the two glaring girls.
"Pansy, let's go," The blonde said to the black haired girl, Pansy.
"Daphne, we can't just let her-" Pansy started in a hushed tone.
"Get away with it?" Daphne, the blonde, interrupted. Daphne turned around to Morgan with raised eyebrows and a predatory smile. "Stay out of our way, Puff, or you won't get away with it."
Morgan laughed, "Is that supposed to be a threat?" Morgan grudgingly looked up to meet the taller girl's cold gaze.
"A promise," She stated with a dismissive gesture of her hand. She turned her head to the three Slytherin girls. "Let's go the little badger isn't worth it."
They started to walk down the corridor. Pansy glared at her as she past Morgan. Morgan wouldn't let Daphne have the last word, so as they were about to round the corner she yelled, "Promises are meant to be broken."
Morgan swore she heard a laugh come from one of them, but she couldn't be sure. She brushed it off and turned to the girl the Slytherins had been bullying. She was a Gryffindor with big bushy brown hair. Morgan walked hastily over to her and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," The girl stuttered before regaining her composure and sticking out her hand, "I'm Hermione Granger."
Morgan shook Hermione's hand and introduced herself, "Morgan Vaufre, nice to meet 'cha, Hermione."
Morgan and Hermione became fast friends. They both shared a similar thirst for knowledge. They would meet in the library whenever possible and help one another study.
Morgan sat in the library working on an essay for potions. Hermione came in like a hurricane, her robes billowing slightly behind her as she walked quickly towards Morgan. A small bit of relief shot through Morgan. Morgan knew Hermione was muggleborn, and was growing worried with the girl's safety as more muggleborns were petrified.
"Can you help me find something?" She asked as she set her bad down in a chair.
"Yeah, sure," Morgan replied immediately as she finished up a sentence.
"I need to find a book that mentions a creature that terrifies spiders," She added briskly as she led Morgan over to some of the bookcases.
"Okay, you start on one side of the library and I on the other. We'll meet in the middle," Morgan said before walking to the far side of the library. She began to search through the books looking for any kind of creature that could scare spiders. She sat on the floor looking through an old leather bound book about magical creatures. She had yet to find anything related to what Hermione had told her to search for.
"Well, look who's here," A smooth voice drawled. Morgan looked up and nearly groaned. Daphne stood over her with her smug grin and arms crossed. "You don't look very happy to see me."
"It had been such a good day too," Morgan muttered under her breath. It had been awhile since Morgan had met Daphne, Pansy, and the other Slytherin girls. Morgan started a rivalry between herself and the four girls without realizing it. "What do you want, Daphne?"
"Well, I came here for a book. This is the library after all," Daphne said with a smirk as she looked around at the bookshelves.
"Well, I thought perhaps you were lost. I wouldn't have pegged you as one to know where the library is," Morgan replied as she continued to flip through the book on magical creatures.
Daphne's nostrils flared slightly in annoyance. She brushed off the mindless jab at her intelligence and singsonged, "Knowledge is power. You should know that."
"I know that philosophy, I just assumed you'd get people to get said knowledge for you," Morgan mocked finally looking back up at the Slytherin.
"You don't act like a Hufflepuff," Daphne commented as she ran her fingers across the spine of a book.
"No, I don't act like a Hufflepuff stereotype," Morgan replied in a matter of fact tone. She returned her attention to the book in her lap. The book while interesting didn't seem to have what she was looking for. She heaved a sigh as she turned a page. She had almost forgotten that Daphne was there as she skimmed the page.
Daphne looked at the Hufflepuff girl with increased interest. She stood there for a moment observing the girl. She looked at the way her light brown hair that hung just past her shoulder was pulled up in a sloppy ponytail. The girl's robes were disheveled and messy as if she dressed in the dark. Her tie hung untied around her neck, and her white button up was smudged with... dirt? Daphne had heard that Morgan had joined the Hufflepuff quidditch team as Chaser.
"What are you looking for?" Daphne asked genuinely curious. Morgan looked up at the girl who had her head tilted to the side slightly.
"I'm trying to find some kind of creature that can terrify spiders," Morgan said slowly. Daphne's brow furrowed and she bit her lip absentmindedly in thought. Daphne's eyes drifted to the bookshelves. After a moment, she reached her hand out carefully and pulled out a book. Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them was the title, Daphne tossed it gently into Morgan's lap.
"That may help," She said before turning on her heel and leaving the aisle Morgan was sitting in. Morgan looked at the book quizzically, she had half a mind to ask the librarian to check it for a curse. She slowly opened the book and began to scan the pages. Daphne was right, this book had a lot of information on magical creatures. Still Morgan found nothing on a creature that could scare spiders.
Morgan heaved a sigh, and stood up with a slight groan. Her back ached from bending over books and her leg was starting to fall asleep. She went to look for Hermione. Maybe she would have found something. Morgan walked through the library looking in the aisles for Hermione. She found Hermione on the other side of the library.
She lay on the ground, petrified, with her hand clenched and a mirror on the ground next to her. Morgan felt fear shoot through her like a bullet. She was at Hermione's side in half a second. She kneeled next to the girl's head.
"Hey," Morgan yelled to the librarian who sat behind her desk reading a book.
"Shhhh," The librarian hissed without looking up.
Fear was temporarily replaced by fury. Shouldn't this lady at least look up with all the attacks lately. Without thinking Morgan yelled, "I will not shh, someone else has been petrified, so get off your worthless arse and help me get her to the hospital wing or at least get Madam Pompfrey!" The librarian looked at her in shock. Her eyes were wide and she seemed frozen in fear. "Now!"
That sent her into motion, she hurried out from her desk and began to run. She ran out of the library to get Madam Pompfrey presumably. Morgan looked down at Hermione's petrified face. Her stomach twisted painfully, if only she hadn't had them split up. How had she been so stupid? She was supposed to be better, smarter, than this. She shouldn't have let Hermione out of her sight. This was her fault.
A few minutes later, Madam Pompfrey came running into the library. Morgan waved at her frantically to signal that Hermione was over there. Madam Pompfrey came over took one look at Hermione, and conjured a magical stretcher. Hermione was brought to the infirmary with a stubborn Morgan 'No, I will not go back to my common room' Vaufre in tow.
When Hermione was finally settled into one if the beds in the Hospital wing. Morgan sat at her side, her eyes never left Hermione's face. She twiddled her thumbs as she waited for anything. She knew that Hermione wouldn't just wake up, but part of her kept hoping that she would. The other part of her kept telling her the same thing over and over again; this was Morgan's fault.
How do you like it? Thought I'd mention this is more of a prologue than anything else, so it's a little shorter than what I want the chapters to be. Throughout this there was a lot of time skips, it won't be this way next chapter. Next chapter, Morgan is going to be introduced to the canon plot line.