Seymour

I levitated my trunk and owl into the Hogwarts Express, shouting my goodbyes to my family. My dark brown pigtails swayed in motion as I walked to my usual compartment, my belongings following in suit close behind. I arrived to find one of my best friends, Marcy Blake, a fellow Hufflepuff housemate of mine. Marcy and I have been best friends since we were basically fetuses getting sorted and attending our first year of Hogwarts.

Hah. I remember that day. That day we got sorted. That day was the one day were it all started. It was a day where it wasn't cloudy, but the air tasted acidic, as though there was going to be a storm later when we'd be on our train ride. I found an empty compartment, thankful that we arrived early so I wouldn't have to awkwardly ask anyone to sit with them. My hair was in a ponytail, one that I used to wear everyday when I was younger. When I was oblivious. I got a book out of my satchel, To Kill A Mockingbird, and started to read. Only, 10 minutes later, did someone open the compartment door. It was little 11 year old Marcy, looking almost completely different than how she looked now in our fifth year.

She swore glasses, which she'd later traded in for contacts. She had a couple of pimples here and there, while now we had clear skin thanks to a serum we "convinced" a couple of Ravenclaw guys to make for us in our fourth year. She was slightly chubby, but over the years of being our House Quidditch Beater, she developed a lean body with curves in the right places. Her sunny blonde hair was all frizzy, while now, her hair was always in a messy bun that seemed to have loose hair in all the right places, almost as if in a calculated fashion.

"Hi," she squeaked out in a tense stance. I could automatically tell she was shy. I smiled at her and waved. She softened a bit. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everyone else already seems to have their friends and I wouldn't want to bother them... But I understand if you don't want me to sit with you I totally understand." She said everything quickly. My smile grew even bigger.

"I, Seymour Mount, do not mind at all." I said cheekily. I motioned for her to sit in the seat across from me. She gratefully sat down. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Marcy, Marcy Blake. Oh, wow! You're reading To Kill A Mockingbird? My older sister has a copy but won't let me read it. I'd get my own, but my parents won't let me. They say I have enough books to fill the Hogwarts Library." She laughed. I laughed too. We chatted for a while and the train took off, the rain and wind howling against the windows proving my previous hypothesis correct. But 30 minutes into the train ride, two girls who were obviously older by a couple of years opened our compartment door.

"See? I told you I saw some new first years with potential!" The one with hair so black and shiny it seemed almost inky beamed. She was a bit curvy, but it emphasised her beauty. The girl next to her, a tall, thin and pretty brunette nodded as she smiled. "They do. Work your magic and recruit em' Shay." The black-haired one, Shay, smiled and entered our compartment. Me and Marcy just sat there, bewildered.

"Hi there!" She started, sounding perky and upbeat. "I'm Shay Joplin. My friend over there is Miranda Mace." Miranda took this as an opportunity to wave. "We just wanted to ask you guys a question." She said. Me and Marcy looked at each other. After a pause, I spoke. "Go on..."

She smiled at me. "What house are you guys hoping to get into?" Me and Marcy looked at each other and I started to consider how to answer the question.

"Well... I think Slytherin might be cool. Or maybe Ravenclaw." I heard Marcy speak. The girls looked a bit deflated at her answer, so I tried to answer a different one.

"I think...that... Hufflepuff, could be ok." The girls started to beam.

"Awesome." Miranda exclaimed. "That's the house we're in, and just saying, it's a pretty rad house." Shay nodded in agreement. "It is. But we have another question." She suddenly looked serious. Me and Marcy straightened up and sat in a more proper seating position. We had no idea who those girls were, but we wanted to make a good impression.

"What if I told you guys... Hufflepuff isn't all it seems." She spoke in a small voice, Miranda's face becoming solemn. What the heck were they talking about? ARE THEY TRYING TO RECRUIT US IN A CULT OR SOMETHING? I kept quiet, so did Marcy. We were scared shitless.

That is, until, the girls explained it all. The parties Hufflepuff would throw every weekend, why Herbology was our #1 subject, why Peeves was occasionally kind to our House. They're basically the reason why we asked the Sorting Hat to get into Hufflepuff.

Thank you guys for reading this crappy chapter, I really appreciate it. I promise I'll try to make the chapters longer. HINT: REVIEWING HELPS

Until next chapter,

-Andy