Thick tendrils of dark silky smoke skirted in front of the carriage windows, blurring the faces of the people below on the platform.
"Bye Rose!" My mothers soft voice sounded from below. I raised my hand, only to remember that she couldn't see me. "Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" I yelled.
The floor shook, announcing the start of the engine. Students ran down the corridors of the train, searching for empty compartments. "Let's go Rose." Albus said, tugging on my arm. We wandered around the train, peeking into each compartment, searching for an empty one.
I yanked open the rusted door to the last compartment, a small first year sitting alone on the plush couches. She had sandy blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in small waves, warm hazel eyes, speckled with green, and tanned skin that blistered in certain spots due to too much exposure to the sun.
The girl stared blankly out the window, watching the charming England countryside fly by. Albus slid down the seat opposite her, with myself following.
"Hello." I said politely, my mothers lessons on manners finally coming into use. The girl turned her head, a nervous smile on her face. "Hi, I'm Diana Finnigan. First year."
"I'm Rose Weasley, and this is my cousin Albus Potter. We're both first years too." I say smiling. Diana nods, twisting her facial expression into a puzzled look. "Potter." She questions, " as in Harry Potter?" I glance at Albus, who shrugs absentmindedly. " That's my dad." He tells Diana.
Diana giggled excitedly, pulling a thick leather book out of her bag. The gold leafed title flashed in the sunlight, reading: Harry Potter and the Dark War.
"What your dad did was so amazing." She babbles, " I can't believe that the golden trio took out Voldemort."
Diana opened the book, the pages full of moving pictures of bloody battles, dark objects and stock full of pictures of my parents and uncle. The most noticeable, a picture of a basic triangle, inside a straight vertical line and a circle.
My father had always boasted about his fame, but we had never believed it to be true. What if it was?
"Voldemort?" Albus asked, his face blank. "And the golden trio?" I chime in, my curiosity peaked.
Diana gasped, dropping her book in the process, planting it in my open hands." You've never heard of Voldemort, you parents never told you... " she mumbles. Suddenly I feel sick. Mum and Dad always told me everything. Hermione taught Hugo and I that telling the truth was crucial in any situation.
So what made her keep this from us? The clinking and clattering of the food trolley broke our silence. "Anything from the trolley dears?" The plump witch asked, pointing at the glorious display of wizarding treats. The plain wooden shelves filled with dark purple packages of chocolate frogs, the pale grey of sugar quills, and the red brown mix of cockroach clusters, among other candies.
I fish some of the large golden wizarding coins out of my robe pocket, passing them to the kind witch. "Three chocolate frogs, one sugar quill, and two packages of Bertie Botts every flavour beans please." I request. She stuffs the candy in my hands and continues down the corridor. I shut the door behind me, sitting back down beside Albus. "Tell us about the Dark War Diana." Albus says, plucking a chocolate frog from my hand. I pass one to Diana and rip open the violet paper. A milk chocolate frog jumps out, my hand grabbing it quickly. I bite down on the legs, the beautiful taste of chocolate spreading through my mouth, thick and creamy.
"A long time ago a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort surfaced. He tried to kill your dad Albus, but got destroyed in the process. Then throughout your parents schooling, he tried to destroy Harry. It all ended nineteen years ago, in a full-fledged war." Diana explained.
Albus's mouth hung open, his eyes locked on the shiny purple chocolate frog card. "You mean like this?" He asked, holding up the card. On it, a moving picture of Harry Potter waved at us, his messy black hair and emerald green eyes mirroring Albus's perfectly. Below, I caught the words Voldemort ,Ron and Hermione included in a paragraph of bolded words below. Diana nodded.
"You should really read that book Rose." Diana offered "it explains loads more." I smiled and accepted graciously. If there was anything I loved, it was reading.
A familiar knock pounded on the door, the compartment door sliding open. James stood in the corridor, wearing his new robes, his white shirt already untucked. "Hey Rosie, Al." He said, waving. "We're almost at the school. Time to change into your robes." James yelled,walking back towards his second year friends.
I ran my hands over the sleek black fabric of my dress robes, my stomach fluttering with nerves. No books could prepare me for what I was about to experience. I was almost home.
****
The Hogwarts Express came to a smooth stop, Albus, Diana, and I jumping out, our robes billowing in the strong breeze. "See ya later!" James called, walking away with the other students in his year. "See Hagrid?" I asked Albus, who raised his hand pointing to the big, tall man shouting in the distance. "Firs' years!" Hagrid yelled. "Firs' years over here!"
Diana, Albus and I joined the kids that crowded Hagrid, all wearing the same nervous expression that I was sure I had. "Oy there Rose, Albus." Hagrid yelled, smiling. "everything all right?"
I nodded and followed the flow of first years as we climbed into the long wooden boats that would take us to Hogwarts. I climbed into the first boat, sliding into the front bench with Diana and Albus beside me. "One more for this boat!" Hagrid called pointing at us.
A small boy with bleach white hair and pale skin darted out from behind Hagrid, stepping into the back end of our boat. Scorpius Malfoy. The boy my dad had talked about at the train station. He lowered his head, moving his feet around constantly. He seemed majorly shy, a trait missing in my family.
The boats drifted foreword, gliding thorough the water more smoothly than possible. Diana gasped, staring out into the distance. The castle sat on an outcropping of rock, long black towers twisting up into the sky, with tall glass windows which emitted warm golden light, welcoming us.
"Duck!" Hagrid shouted as the boats shifted course, heading straight through a curtain of ivy, near the bottom of the cliff. I leaned forward, the wet ivy tangling itself in my hair. The boats come to a quick stop, in front of a small sandstone edge, a heavy oak door pulled open to reveal a tall woman, her raven black hair held up in a tight bun, joined by a midnight blue witches hat and fancy dress robes. Wrinkles stretched up and down her skin, making her look weathered and old. "Good evening students. I am deputy headmistress professor Lycretta. Charms teacher and head of Ravenclaw house." She introduced. "In a few minuets each of you will step into the great hall, and begin your journey at Hogwarts. You will be sorted into one of the four house we have. While your here your house is like your family, and any misbehaving will reflect poorly on them, therefore losing points. But good behaviour is awarded as well, gaining points. Let's begin. " Professor Lycretta said, giving us a happy smile.
She ushered us inside, adjusting our robes and straightening our hats. We stood huddled on a long elegant staircase, awaiting our sorting. I picked nervously at the greenery in my hair, my palms sweaty. "You look like Christmas threw up on your head." A new voice remarked, snickering. I turned around to see another first year, taller than the others, smiling rudely at me. "Nothing to say ginger?" He teased. Diana stuck out her tongue, flipping her head dramatically. "You're one to talk." She said,"your robes are on inside out genius." Diana laughed.
The boy lowered his head, studying his robes, which indeed were on inside out. He blushed a deep crimson and rushed off towards the professor. Albus snickered, "Nice Diana." He exclaimed, giving her a high five.
"Now, settle down children." The professors sharp voice rang out. She climbed up the staircase, moving gracefully for an elderly woman. Clasped in her hand was long blank piece of parchment, rolled up. "The sorting commences immediately." Lycretta said.
We moved into a straight line, following the professor into the great hall. Long tables filled the floor, students of every age talking rapidly to their fellow peers as we passed. "They get smaller every year." One remarked. Four banners hung on the walls, representing the four houses of Hogwarts. The first, the canary yellow badger of Hufflepuff, the intelligent eagle of Ravenclaw, the brave lion of Gryffindon, and the poisonous green snake of Slytherin.
I felt Albus squeeze my hand as we passed the Gryffindor table, James and Molly waving at us with huge grins on their faces. "See you soon!" Molly yelled over the roar of the crowd. It felt like someone had sucker punched me in the gut, I was so nervous.
We approached the front of the hall, an old wooden bench set down in the centre. Professer Lycretta set down the sorting hat, the old hat that would tell us our Hogwarts house. "Let the sorting begin!" she yelled, unrolling the parchment. The paper filled with ink written names, the order we would be sorted.
"Athwart, Jane!"
The little black haired girl wandered up, climbing onto the stool. Professor Lycretta placed the hat on top of her head, a distinct whispering sound coming from it.
"Hufflepuff!" The ancient hat yelled. Jane jumped off of the stool, and ran shyly over to the applauding table of Hufflepuffs.
We repeated this pattern for what seemed like ages until I reconized the shy blonde haired boy climb uneasily onto the stool. Lycretta dropped the hat on his head, the hat muttering. Malfoy sat there for ages until the hat shouted, a bit uncertainly, "Gryffindor!"
He bolted, sitting down at the Gryffindor table covering his head in his hands. "Potter!" Lycretta announced. Albus waddled up to the front, the great hall blanketed in silence. "Gryffindor!" The hat screamed instantly.
Al smiled, relived. He slid down the bench next to James, giving me a thumbs up.
"Dansforth Travis." The professor called. Travis shoved me on his way up to the front, I reconized him as the boy who had teased me earlier. He had shaggy brown hair, freckles and dusty green eyes. He carried himself with an air of importance and confidence, practically prancing up to the stool. "Slyth..." The hat started, but was cut off by Travis's outburst. "No! Not Slytherin!" He yelled. The hat chuckled, and opened its mouth once again, "Better be Gryffindor!" It shouted. Diana groaned beside me, our eyes following him as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.
About half and hour later Diana and I had joined Albus at the Gryffindor table, digging into the deliciously roasted chicken and steaming hot bangers and mash. "I've spent all my life on a broom." Travis bragged from my left hand side. "Flying lessons should be a breeze."
I had to roll my eyes at that, some people were just so full of themselves. "What's your qudditch team then?" Albus asked, his mouth full of mashed potatoes. "My mom was the captain for the holy head harpies." He adds.
Travis's jaw drops, and he turns back to his plate, the chicken replaced with pies and scones. I barely bite into my own desert when the headmaster walks to his podium, holding up his hand. "Attention students. For those who are unaware I am Professor Locke. I welcome you to your first year of Hogwarts. The announcements are as usual, going into the forbidden Forrest is banned, just as products from Weasley's wizard wheezes. Now off to bed with you all!" He says.
We all rise, following the prefects up to our common room. "Barnicle Trout." The fourth year said, staring straight ahead. The long painting of a big woman, dressed in a flowing pink dress, holding an empty wine glass in her right hand smiled, the portrait swinging forward to reveal the Gryffindor common room. Students lingered around the blazing fireplace, enjoying the only homework free night of term, laughing and chatting.
"Girls dormitory up the staircase and two my right, boys the same on my left." The prefect announced. And with that he retreated to the couches where the other fourth years sat.
"G'night Rose." Albus said, yawning. "See you in the morning." He ran up the left staircase, the occasional yawn slowing him down.
My feet felt weak, my body overwhelmed by the excitement of the day. But none the less, I grabbed an abandoned quill and parchment and sat down on one of the comfy plaid red chairs.
Dear Mum and Dad, I wrote, Al and I were both sorted into Gryffindor,
But before i could finish my letter Diana shook my shoulder, rubbing her eyes. "We should head off to bed Rose, we have a long day of lessons set for tomorrow." she said smiling. Lessons. The word made the butterflies in my belly flutter. I could hardly wait.