Chapter 1 - Ally

"Bye, girls! Have a good time!"

"We'll miss you! Don't forget to write to us!"

"Study hard!"

"Abby, don't go off pulling pranks and breaking rules every chance you get!"

"And remember to have fun!"

"Ally, you have a few stray hairs coming out of your ponytail," said Mrs. Black, waving her wand to fix her daughter's hair.

Ally rolled her eyes. Sometimes her parents got a little, well, worked up when their four daughters were going somewhere for more than a few days. Ally found the whole process rather annoying and repetitive, since her parents often said the same thing over and over.

"Bye Mum! Bye, Dad!" Ally's sister, Annie, hugged both parents in turn, giving them each a kiss before pulling away.

Alison Black had three sisters, Abigail, Amelia, and Annabel (a.k.a. Abby, Amy, and Annie). They were quadruplets, so Ally had been forced to put up with her three sisters since birth. Sure, Ally loved her sisters deep down, but she wished that they would just give her some space sometimes. None of them ever got along. Ever. Abby was especially infuriating, pulling practical jokes on Ally every chance she got. Which got old after a while.

Even though they were quadruplets, it's not like the Black sisters were impossible to tell apart; they all had curly blonde hair and greenish-blue eyes, but they each had an identifying feature. Abby's hair was more of a strawberry-blonde instead of golden, and Annie had perfectly straight hair instead of ringlets. Also, Amy wore glasses, and Ally's eyes were bright green.

The Black family was indeed a strange one. They were not in any way related to Sirius Black or Bellatrix Lestrange, but people often mistook them to be. No, they certainly had nothing to do with any of those people. Ally was happy about this. She had absolutely no desire to have any relation to Death Eaters. Those nasty servants of You-Know-Who had been extremely powerful about a decade ago, but they were still evil and Ally didn't want anyone to think that her family would ever actually support the Dark Lord.

Ally started toward the Hogwarts Express, but her mother put a hand on her shoulder. Ally turned toward her, eager to get away so she could find her friends. Mrs. Black pulled her into a warm hug.

"I love you, dear."

"I love you too, Mum," Ally replied, feeling slightly exasperated. Her mother had already given her at least three good-bye hugs.

"I'll miss you," said the blonde woman, kissing her daughter's cheek. She finally released her grip on Ally. "Go find your friends," she said, patting Ally's shoulder.

Ally didn't waste a second. She grabbed her trunk and hurried to the scarlet train that would take her to her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was so excited, she could hardly breathe. She stood for a moment, looking up at the steaming engine that would bring her to a whole new world. A wonderful world of learning, friends, and fun.

"Ally!"

The young blonde witch turned, and her heart leapt when she saw her best friend, Vivia Gryvhinger, leaning out the window of the train.

"Vivia!"

"What are you waiting for, get in here!" Vivia called.

Vivia was a lively young witch with long, straight black hair, and violet eyes which were always glittering merrily.

Ally groaned as she picked up her heavy trunk once more and carried it onto the train. She quickly found the compartment that her BFF was sitting in and stepped inside, heaving the trunk into the overhead storage compartment.

"I'll be lucky if my back doesn't break from carrying that blasted thing around all morning!" Ally exclaimed as she stretched her back.

"Well, you don't have to carry it any more, so stop complaining and sit down!" Vivia replied. An excited grin spread across her face. "I can't believe we're finally going!"

"I know, right?! I hear Hogwarts is incredible! Moving staircases and ghosts . . ."

"Magically appearing food . . . And my brother told me that the ceiling in the Great Hall looks like the actual sky outside!"

"No way! Really?"

"Yeah, really! Hey, what house do you think you'll be in?"

"I dunno. I haven't thought about it, really. My dad is Ravenclaw and my mum is Hufflepuff. Grandad Black is Gryfindor and Grandma Black is Ravenclaw. And my mum's parents are Slytherin and Hufflepuff. So there's really no way of guessing because it's all mixed. I don't really mind whichever house I'm put in. As long as I know someone there."

"I'll probably be in Slytherin." A proud grin spread across Vivia's face. "Everyone in my family was in that house. Did you know that Merlin was in Slytherin?"

Ally's jaw dropped.

"Cool!"

Suddenly they heard the whistle blow and the train started to move. Ally and Vivia leaned out the window, waving to their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Black looked like they were trying to call out a few more reminders to their children, but their voices were drowned out by the sound of the train chugging faster and faster. As the Hogwarts Express disappeared around a bend, Ally glimpsed her mother blow one last kiss, then disappear from view.

She sat down in her seat and faced Vivia.

"We're off!"

Hey people! This is my first fanfic that I've ever posted online, sooo yeah. I don't own Harry Potter (though I wish I did), and I have no idea how often I'll be able to post new chapters, but I'll try to as often as I can. So, enjoy!

By the way, this WILL contain spoilers, just FYI.