Chapter 1
The train station was especially crowded today as we headed towards the station, nine-and-three-quarters. I looked at my mother with her raven black hair and hazel eyes as she smiled in my brother's direction as he passed through the wall that separated the Muggle world from the Wizards.
My brother had equally dark hair. Mine was opposite, like my fathers, with ordinary blond hair with blue eyes. I glanced at my little sister, who was ten, beside me. She had dark hair like my mother's but blue eyes like my father's. I looked at her in uncertainty.
My sister, Alison, was the only one I wanted to know my hesitation to pass through the brick wall. She's the reason I would never join another house at Hogwarts. If I got in to another house I would be disowned and I couldn't leave her alone with the rest of my family because they would force what the Dark Lord believed on to her. My mother caught my hesitating look.
"True Slytherins don't worry about what house they will get in, because there's only one answer. Right Sylvia?" She raised her eyebrows.
I knew I shouldn't have let the uncertainty show. Time to start acting again… I gave a sneer, ignoring the clutch in my gut as I did so, "Mother, does it look like I am nervous about what house I'll get in to? I am only nervous if the other children will be as true to Slytherin as I am. It would be unfortunate if there isn't anyone I can be friends with." She nodded in approval.
"Don't worry about that. Ariel goes to Hogwarts and is in your year, though it was unfortunate that her parents were caught after the Dark Lord fell." My gut clenched again. "Maxwell will be there also or you can just go find your brother. He is head of the Quiditch team you know."
"I know, mother. "
"He is also a Prefect."
"Yeah." She gripped my arm and turned me to look at her. She searched my eyes, nodded and closed her eyes only to reopen them seconds later.
"If the Dark Lord hadn't fallen, you would have served him well. Your father would have been proud. Make sure to live for our families values when you are away." I gave a curt nod. She just told me the thing I least wanted to hear and said it with the warmest expression she'd ever given me. Our family was the safest when the Ministry of Magic started to round up the Death Eaters. Our family was called the Shadow of the Dark Lord. Our family has always been his most valuable spies. We were closer to him than any other of his servants. We were also a well-kept secret. To everybody else we didn't have anything to do with him. The person who went undercover changed their appearance to match someone else and they would be given another name. It was risky.
My Father changed our last name and moved us before he was killed. He had died because of our families values. He was killed because he had been under cover and his cover was blown. The Dark Lord killed him before he was captured by the Order of Phoenix. Our last name was changed form Lykalan to Parfell. I believe my Father was trying to get us out from the Dark Lord, but my mother believes the Dark Lord had said for us to remain hidden and had cared for us. I don't believe her. I've always tried to believe my father had tried to keep the Dark Lords's influence from reaching our family for as long as possible.
My eldest sister was actively following him before he died, despite my Father's attempts. Now she's in Azkaban. So pardon me if I didn't agree with my mother, about the Dark Lord caring for us.
My brother, Alan, is fifteen, my sister, Alison, is ten, I am now thirteen, and my eldest sister just had her nineteenth birthday in Azkaban. The Dark Lord had died when I was eight, and my dad had died one year earlier.
Right now my brother's a fifth year. This will be my first at Hogwarts because for the past two years I've gone to another school so I will still technically be a third year. My brother has gone every year so far. The past several years I've talked my way out of it.
I kept my face stony as I pushed my cart through the wall, the Muggles ignorant of the wizarding world just a breath away.
The other side was as just as crowded. I kept getting quick bursts of color, all of the house colors. My owl gave a surprised screech. She had silver looking markings on all of her feathers. The owl was stubborn, as if already disagreeing with everything I did. I shook my head at it and looked at the train.
I brought my baggage over to someone who was storing it. I twisted my wand, nervously, in my hand. Olivander, the wand maker, had his third year back. It made Alan furious he wasn't able to get a wand from him his first year. He hated it when people got things he couldn't. My brother took after my mother and was cruel. Sometimes I wondered if he envied my father for getting to work for the Dark Lord even though he took his life.
What to do next… I could start a better life, hopefully. Maybe not be a bully like being in Slytherin implies. That's the best I can do. I would be disowned if I changed houses and I can't leave Alison. The train whistled for all the stragglers to get on the train. I climbed the steps on to the train and quickly searched for a compartment to sit in. The train was filled to the brim. All of a sudden I saw Maxwell and Ariel board the train. They are bad news. They are almost as bad as my brother, and they consider my fake personality I put on as their leader. Their parents are friends with my mother. Both of them are thugs and I don't want to be a part of it. I quickly turned around towards the back of the train. All of the Slytherin sat at the front and here I was making my way towards the back… Ah, I just hadn't wanted to be near them. My ponytail swayed behind me as I hurried away from them.
I finally saw them go in to the compartment I'd planned to sit in. I swore under my breath, I was hoping I could just loop around after they had taken a seat. I chose the compartment off to my left. I opened the door and slid in and stared at the two boys in front of me. One was about my brother's age and had a prefect badge, but his uniform was Gryffindor. The other was about the same age as me. "Sorry. I hadn't realized this was a Gryffindor's compartment." I turned to leave but the prefect had spoken up.
"Wait, you can sit in hear. The train is already full. Besides it's not as if we own the compartment. You're a first year, right? So, you could get placed in Gryffindor."
I sat uncomfortably across from them, keeping my face blank.
"So…um… I am Daniel and this is my brother Fin. I am a fifth year and Fin is a third." Daniel had light brown hair with green eyes and was pretty tall. Fin on the other hand was a little bit taller than me. He had green eyes like his brothers but his hair was more of a sandy blond.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Sylvia. Oh and I am a third year, not a first. I'm coming to Hogwarts from another school."
They looked at me a little surprised. Fin turned and smirked at Daniel, "Well at least it's not as weird if one of us hits on her. Not saying we're going to hit on you," He said looking back at me, "but you don't exactly look like an eleven year old."
I should blush or something but all I did was glare at him. "You just made everything weird by saying that." I said bluntly.
Fin raised his eyebrows. "I said as weird. At least now we know you're not going to be in Ravenclaw."
"What school did you used to go to, Sylvia?" Daniel said before we could continue to argue anymore.
"I went to a smaller school called Ivy-Mount. It's a large school in America."
Daniel nodded. "I've heard of them before. It's one of the newer schools popping up, right?"
"Yeah."
The Train started moving, lurching us a little bit forward. An awkward silence followed. I brought out my bag I had brought on as a carry on. I opened it up and searched until I found my most recent fantasy book I'm reading.
"Why are you reading a fantasy book if you're a witch?" Fin asked looking at me weird.
"If Muggles think we don't exist, just imagine what could be out there that we don't know about."
For the rest of the ride I ignored anything that came out of Fin's mouth. I know I should've been mean to them, because Mother would never allow me to have a friend in Gryffindor. I should've just walk out of the compartment, but I just couldn't bring myself too. Daniel was at least nice and if I did find a compartment with Slytherins in it they would all start talking to me when all I really had wanted to do was get lost in my book.
So I ended up staying in that compartment the whole time.
I left all my stuff on the train like I was instructed to do. We were all getting off the train. I found a huge man with a thick beard shouting that the first years come with him. I went over to him and tugged on his sleeve of his bulky shirt. He towered four feet above me. "Excuse me, Sir. This is my first year here but I am a third year. Do I come with you and the first years?"
He looked down at me, "Oh you're Miss Syvia. I've been told about you."
"Sylvia." I corrected, but I couldn't help smiling.
"Awe, yes. Sorry about that." His voice was like an avalanche, it was so deep. "Well yee can hop in one of these boats here with the rest of the first years."
I piled in a boat with a couple other first years and as soon as we sat down it lurched forward.
We were in a huge hall with stair cases going up many stories above us and every couple minutes you would here the grumble of the stairs moving, but it wasn't the moving staircases that everyone was staring at. It was the great wooden doors that stood, separating us between the Sorting Hat. Finally the door opened and Mr. Piges came out and beckoned us in to the hall. Mr. Piges was the one who also had shown us in to the Hall.
The room we were let in to was huge with four really long tables. We all shuffled forward, my height compared to the first years causing me to stand out.
The headmistresses name was McGonogall. She gave a speech about looking forward to a New Year and such. She then removed a cloth that had been draped over a stool.
On top of it was an old, faded, hat covered in creases.
Mr. Piges came forward, coughing in to his arm while he held the hat in his other hand. Everyone in the hall watched in curiosity while all of us first years fidgeted in anticipation.
Mr. Piges scratchy voice rang out through the hall. "When I call your name please come forward …" He coughed in his arm. "Our first person is an incoming third year." If the room was silent before it was even quieter now. I remember Alan telling me I would be a freak when I came, and the silence confirmed it. "Sylvia Parfell."
I separated myself from the group of first years. I missed the comfort of the group instantly as I walked up and sat down on the stool with all eyes on me. Mr. Piges went behind me and placed the hat on top of my head. I felt a slight breath on my ear making me uncomfortable. A smooth voice whispered in to my ear. "You are interesting… very interesting. You have the means to be a very good candidate for another house, but yet you are desperate to go in to another house that is your opposite." I squirmed in the hat. "Okay, I've decided. You have courage; I will place you in Gryffindor."
"No! Please…" I was louder than I expected so that my voice rung out to the teachers table, but no farther. So, thankfully the tables of students look amongst themselves in confusion wondering what I had said.
"I see another reason why you should be in that house, since you put your sister before yourself. Fine, I will grant what you wish though you will wish someday wish I had put you in Gryffindor."
So the hat opened its mouth wide and shouted across the room, "Slytherin!"
