Chapter 1 – Not possible

"I'm going to the best school ever!"

"Cool! Where is it?"

"Scotland."

"But that's so far! We won't be able to see each other anymore!"

"Hey, don't cry. I'll always be your best friend, I promise."

I sighed as I looked out the window. I began to wonder if Lily's school was the one I was going to. I was in the car right now, going to King's Cross Station. I was going to a bizarre platform to board a bizarre train full of bizarre people with bizarre luggage headed towards the most bizarre place I'd ever heard of!

School for magic? Sure. Sarcasm, in case your dense enough to miss it. I'm sorry. I'm not usually rude, or forward in any shape or form. I'm the shy girl, the one who sits in the corner with her nose in a book and hopes no one will notice, hopes she could become invisible.

Earlier in the year, right when the summer holidays had started, I received a letter telling me I was a witch and I was enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the next seven years. My parents were thrilled at the prospect of not having to pay school tuition but I was not so thrilled about going.

That's why I'm so moody so you'll have to forgive me.

"Adara. Adara, dear. We're here."

I turned my head towards my mother. She had long, brown, curly hair and pale blue eyes. This was the last time I'd see them until Christmas. My dad was driving, looking for a parking spot. His black hair was dotted with a few grey streaks and his green eyes we trained on the pavement ahead. Ugh, trains.

"I can see that, thanks," I replied, a scowl gracing my features.

"Adie, we know you don't want this but think of the opportunities it will open for you," the frown that my mother flashed at me made me choke on my guilt.

"Sorry, Mom."

"That's my girl. Now hurry, you don't want to miss your train," She turned around in her seat as Dad pulled up at the loading bay. She kissed my cheek and pulled me into a tight hug. "We'll see you at Christmas."

I nodded and hugged my dad before picking up my cat's cage and my trunk. The trolleys were right beside the car and I waved until the car was out of sight before grabbing one.

I walked into the crowded train station. For some reason, I was imagining someone calling me. Maybe it was the thought of being alone in this mass of bodies.

"Adara!"

I definitely didn't imagine that. I spun around to find a young girl with ginger hair and blue eyes running up to me. The biggest smile on her face.

"Adie! What are you doing here?" She panted, leaning her hands against her knees. "You sure walk fast."

"I'm a shit-fast-walker." I managed to say before we both broke down in giggles. I saw Lily's family coming towards us. She has two older brothers. James is the oldest and then there's Albus. Her mom and dad were there too. Harry and Ginny Potter were two of the kindest people I'd ever met and Lily's aunts and uncles were just as nice. She sure is lucky.

"Hi everyone," I smiled. "By the way Lily, I'm getting a train to my boarding school "

"And they let you bring cats?" She pointed at the fat, ginger lump I had, somehow, sqwashed into his cage. I'm exaggerating, it's not fat. It's fluff.

"Yes. Actually, it was on the booklist."

Lily's eyes widdened and she leant in to whisper in my ear.

"You aren't, by any chance, going to Hogwarts. Are you?" She took my shocked expression as a yes and practically danced with joy. "I hope you're in Gryffindor. I'm going to be in Gryffindor. Just like Mommy and Daddy." She smiled proadly and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not so sure. I think Slytherin would suit you better," James teased. He's the spitting image of his father. Except his eyes. He has his mother's eyes.

For some reason I just got a very serious feeling of Déjà Vú.

"What are Slytherin and Gryffindor?" I asked, honestly confused.

"Aha ha. I forgot you're muggle born. Ahem, allow me to explain.
Gryffindor for the brave of heart.
Hufflepuff for the loyal.
Ravenclaw for the clever hearts.
Slytherin for the royal," Lily recited, awfully proud of herself.

Royal? Muggle born? What is she on about?

"Adara, Lily. It's almost eleven. You're going to miss your train," Ginny smiled gently at us and I nodded. I still had no idea how to get onto platform nine and three quarters. In my opinion, I thought this was some prank and I would find myself on Nickelodeon's You Gotta See This.

I found myself being pulled towards a solid ticket barrier but, before I had enough time to shout or yell, we ran straight through! I looked behind me and found an archway where the other side of the ticket barrier should be. The sign above us said 'Platform 9 ¾ : Hogwarts Express'

It was real, magic was real. This wasn't a prank, all those weird things that had happened to me before. That was all magic?

"Here we are!" Ginny shouted, a smile gracing her features. She was waving at someone I couldn't see through all the smoke.

"Ginny! Harry! I thought we'd missed you," Lily's curly haired aunt stepped out of the gloom, her husband was beside her and their youngest child was running to catch up.

"Mama, I want to go too," He whined. "Even Lily is going this year!"

"Shush, Hugo. You only have one more year to wait," she replied firmly, yet kindly.

"Is that Adara?" Ron, Ginny's elder brother, asked.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. I'm attending Hogwarts this year as well," I replied.

"Geez, Adie. No need to be so formal. Just call me Ron."

I smiled at the ginger haired man before I heard the conductor blow the whistle to signal the last boarding.

"Bye, everyone!" Lily and I shouted as we ran to find a compartment on the train. We lugged our luggage down the corridor and into an empty compartment.

Once we had settled down again, I asked Lily to explain more about those 'things' she had spoken of earlier.

"Well, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin are the four houses at Hogwarts. Each one is named after one of the four founders. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin. With me so far?"

I nodded in reply.

"Gryffindor wished to accept only the brave. Ravenclaw wanted the smart. Hufflepuff wanted those loyal to their friends, basically, the pure of heart. But, Slytherin only wanted pure bloods. The wizards who had wizard parents. Half bloods only have one wizard parent and Muggle Borns have Muggles, or non-magic folk, as parents. I'm afraid, that's all I can tell you," The ginger looked out the window, a dreamy smile on her face.

"Excuse me, is there anyone sitting there?" A girl asked. Lily and I turned towards the voice. It was…

"Ellie! Is that you?"

"Adara!" She screeched and ran over to me. "You should have told me you were a witch. Oh, this year will be so much fun!"

"I haven't seen you in ages!" I hugged her back, knocking her petite glasses off in the process. We laughed until we heard a muffled cough.

"Oh, sorry. This is Lily Potter. Lily, this is Ellie Piper. My cousin," Ellie's crystal blue eyes widened, as did Lily's.

"Potter as in Harry Potter?" The brunette asked. Lily nodded in response.

"He's my dad. You're quite acquainted with the wizard world. Half Blood?" She asked. Ellie grinned.

"On my dad's side," she laughed. "He didn't tell my mom until after they were married."

The train ride was pretty uneventful, the three of us just chatted. That was, until I saw the trolley lady.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked.

"Do you have any Fizzing Whizzbees?" Lily asked.

"Sorry, fresh out."

"I'll have a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and, Ellie?"

"Chocolate Frog, please."

The two girls looked at me, but I was bewildered.

"She'll have Taffy Toffee," they announced in unison. I guess they both know me well, it was absolutely was delicious.

"Mm, this is amazing" I shouted.

"You won't know any of the sweets in the wizarding world, poor you," Lily sympatised.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Oh, there won't be any Mars bars or Skittles at Hogwarts. It'll be all wizarding sweets. Like Pumpkin wands and Puking Pastilles," My cousin replied.

"I don't want to try those!" I exclaimed, my mouth stuck together by the toffee sweets so it sounded more like "Idunwannatwydose." We laughed until we heard a small squeak-like sound.

"Lily, did you just squeak?" I gasped sarcastically. Lily laughed and shook her head.

"Nope, that was my Puffskein, Amaya. It means 'night rain'." She pulled the tiny, purple fur-ball out of a pocket in her jacket. "She likes sleeping in there, for some reason."

I looked out the window.

"It's getting dark out, we should change into our robes," Ellie stated. We each pulled our trunks down from the overhead racks and changed, after all, we are all girls.

The train grinded to a halt and then everyone filed out of the train. I was trying to pull my trunk down when a boy popped his head around the compartment door.

"You know, you leave your baggage on the train. They bring it up later."

He had light brown hair and crisp green eyes his complexion was slightly pale and his face was covered in freckles. "I'm Jack, by the way. Jack Matthews."

"Adara Picket," I replied. "My cousin and friend should be around here somewhere…" Jack smiled at me and pulled me right to them.

"Adara! There you are. We've been looking all over!" Lily shouted. "And who's this?"

"Jack Matthews, this is Lily Potter and my cousin, Ellie Piper," I said, is it just me or am I doing all the introducing people to other people today?

"Hi, 'P's. I'm 'M'."

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" A giant of a man with a graying beard loomed over the crowd with a lantern in his hands.

"Hello, Hagrid!"

"Ah, Lily! Nice ta see ya agin. Firs' years, follow me." The large man that Lily called 'Hagrid' led the crowd of first years over to little wooden boats that sat on the edge of a midnight black lake. Over the lake there stood a huge castle with turrets that reached into the clouds.

"That's Hogwarts. Isn't it amazing?" Lily said, her eyes were practically sparkling as she gazed at it.

"Cor, I've never seen anything like it," Jack mumbled.

"Take the pictures while you can, mudbloods, you won't see much more."

"Back off, Ophiucus," Lily growled.

"If it isn't the Weasley-Potter hybrid. Found yourself some playmates who'd stoop to your level have you, blood traitor?" The albino blonde boy retorted.

"Now listen here, you little rat. Muggle Born or not, everyone deserves a chance!" Ellie shouted. I was quite surprised. Actually, no I not. She can be quite aggresive sometimes.

"And did you ever notice how Aunt Hermione always beat your dad at school? She's a Muggle Born," Lily stated smugly.

"Let's not bring the older generation into this. We'll see whose better in class," He smirked and climbed into a boat, three croonies following and snickering at out little group.

"It's right about now that I wish I knew how to cast a full body bind," Ellie sneered, Lily was restraining Jack from socking the boy in the face.

"Jack, he's not worth it," I smiled gently and rested a hand on his arm.

The brunette took a deep breath and Lily released him.

"You're right. I may not be a wizard's son, but I know enough to know that I do not want to be called a mudblood," he growled. "I just want to know who the other Muggle Born is?"

I raised my hand slightly and grinned sheepishly.

"That would be me."

Jack smiled and the four of us climbed into a boat before we sailed asked the lake.

The water was as black as midnight and a full moon was reflected on the surface.

We sailed into a little cove lit by latterns and were greated by a young woman dressed in violet robes and an indigo flower graced her blonde hair.

"Thank you, Hagrid. We'll see you at the feast," she said before leading is up stairways and down corridors.

Eventually, we found ourselves in a hall the had moonlight flooding in.

"Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts. I am Professor Chloe Dopsen. I teach Potions. In a few moments, you will walk through these doors and be greeted by the rest of the student body," Chloe smiled at us encouragingly. "You will be sorted into the house Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin," she glared at Ophiucus on that last part befor continuing with her speech. "At Hogwarts, your house will be your family. Good behaviour will earn you points, any rule braking will lose them. The house with the most points at the end of the year will win the house cup," the blonde smiled again and tilted her head the left slightly. "When I open these doors, you will walk up to the teachers table at the other end of the hall and line up. When I call your name, you will come forward and I will place the sorting hat on your head to sort you into your houses. Now, if you'll follow me please."

Dopson opened the double doors in front of us and the sight that greeted us was one I would remember for the rest of my life.