A/N: Oh my goodness! It's been so long! All of you must've thought I died. But no, I did not. Here I am, with a new story written by my good friend, Beth Taylor. She doesn't have an account, and this is her first story. I am editing as I go, so Bethy, if you read this story, and you see something you didn't write, that's because I had to change it for spelling, grammar, and my sanity's sake. Beth will see this story as it is posted, so never fear; I am doing nothing (hopefully) that she wouldn't want me to do. We both hope you like it.
OC characters
Name: Megan Abbott
House: Gryffindor
Wand: 11 inches, maple, unicorn tail hair
Name: Annie Smith
House: Gryffindor
Wand: 8 ½ inches, cherry wood, griffin feather
Name: Annarose Malfoy
House: Slytherin
Wand: 10 ¼ inches, poplar, veela hair
Name: Becca McLaggen
House: Gryffindor
Wand: 8 ¼ inches, spruce, hippogriff feather
Name: Abigail Brown
House: Gryffindor
Wand: 8 inches, teak, salamander claw
"I wonder what house I'll be sorted into," Megan Abbott mused. "I hope it's either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Wouldn't you just hate to be in Slytherin?" This last was directed to her best friend, Annie Smith, who was sitting across from her.
"Yeah, I know," Annie answered. Just then, a pale blond boy walked in. Draco Malfoy. "Speaking of them." Annie had grown up with Draco, and she didn't like him one bit.
"Hello ladies," Draco said, obviously trying to sound smooth. Needless to say, he failed miserably. "Fancy a guest?"
"No, not really," answered Megan, who had heard of Draco from Annie, and had been taught that the best way to handle him was with sarcasm, yelling, or firmness. Malfoy gave a small laugh.
"That's too bad, all of the other compartments are full." Annie sighed.
"So we don't have a choice?" Malfoy smirked.
"Nope." The three of them sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Megan grew uncomfortable under Malfoy's stare.
"Do you have to stare at us like that?" she snapped. "It's incredibly annoying. I am so glad that you will most likely be in Slytherin." She stood up and gestured to Annie, saying, "Come on, Annie. Lets go find somewhere ferret free where we can change into our robes." Annie followed her down the corridor, where they found a completely empty compartment.
"That little sneak!" Annie hissed under her breath. Megan ignored it, pushing open the door and sliding inside. The two girls sat there for a while, talking about random things, before there was another interruption.
"Excuse me, but could we join you?" asked a polite voice from the doorway. Megan and Annie jumped, not having noticed anyone.
"Oh… um… yes, yes you may," Megan stuttered, glad that it wasn't Malfoy. Annie threw a grin over her way, and Megan stuck her tongue out in return.
"Thanks," the boy said, sliding in and sitting next to Megan. "By the way, I'm-"
"Harry Potter," chorused two voices from the doorway. Two other people entered the compartment. The boy was tall, with bright red hair and blue eyes. Megan knew immediately that this must be a Weasley. The only question was, which one was he? The girl was somewhat shorter than both boys, with long, curly brown hair, and brown eyes. Megan didn't recognize her.
"I'm Megan Abbott," she said, introducing herself.
"And I'm the best friend," Annie said, grinning. "Annie Smith, at your service." The Weasley boy held out his hand for both girls to shake.
"Ron Weasley," he said, smiling. "And she-"
"Can introduce herself, Ronald," the brown haired girl snapped. She turned to Megan and Annie with a smile. "I'm Hermione Granger." She turned to Ron, who had a somewhat dazed expression on his face. "Oh, honestly, what's the matter now?" Ron pointed at Annie.
"Do you have a brother?" he asked suspiciously. Annie nodded.
"Zacharias."
"I don't like him." Annie laughed.
"Who, Zach? No one ever does. Except for himself." This made everyone laugh, especially Megan, who had met Zach before and agreed with Ron wholeheartedly. The ride passed quickly, the five first years already good friends. When the train stopped, Harry and Ron, who had been testing out Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, looked up in surprise.
"Is it over already?" Ron asked in shock. Hermione laughed, nodding. All five of them left the compartment and climbed off of the train, where a teacher told them to get into the boats that were floating on the Black Lake. Once everyone was safely in their boats, they sped magically off toward the castle.
When everyone was safely in the Entrance Hall, Professor McGonagall (who was the teacher from the platform) spoke aloud.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." [1]
The Sorting was very long. Megan was glad that she and her sister Hannah were at the top of the list, but she felt sorry for her friends, who were farther down than she was.
"Abbott, Megan," Professor McGonagall called. Megan gulped. This grimy old hat would decide her future. She just hoped that it would be the right one.
"Ah, this is difficult," the Sorting Hat said as it was placed on her head. "Plenty of courage, and a wonderful brain. You would do well in Ravenclaw, my dear, no doubt about that. But you have a wonderful sense of loyalty, that would do you well in Gryffindor, or perhaps Hufflepuff." Megan squeezed her eyes shut tight, praying for Gryffindor. It seemed that the hat could sense her thoughts, because it spoke accordingly. "Gryffindor!" Megan's face spilt in a beaming smile, and she went to sit next to a pair of redheaded twins, who clapped her on the back. Brown, Abigail and Brown, Lavender soon joined them. Another pair of twins, it seemed. Hogwarts sure had a lot of twins this year. Sandy haired Seamus Finnigan joined them next, and soon after it was Hermione's turn. Megan crossed her fingers tight, but she needn't have worried. Hermione quickly joined her at the Gryffindor table. There were a few more people sorted, and then Megan snapped her head up, not quite trusting her ears.
"Malfoy, Annarose!" A blond girl walked up to the stool and sat on it. The hat was placed on her head. She sat there for a long time, seeming to be having an argument. As Megan watched, her shoulders slumped, as if admitting defeat.
"Slytherin!" the hat called triumphantly. The Malfoy girl got off the stool and headed over to the Slytherin table, her back ramrod straight and her head high. Megan could've sworn she saw the girl's chin tremble. Not long after, the girl's twin joined her. Megan zoned out again, until it was Harry's turn. He was sorted into Gryffindor too, and he flopped on the bench beside her, letting out a relieved sigh. Soon after that was Annie's turn. Megan crossed her fingers, holding her breath, but again, she needn't have worried. Annie joined her at the Gryffindor table, unlike her brother, who joined Megan's sister at the Hufflepuff table. They sat there whispering until Ron's turn. Ron had somehow turned a delicate shade of green. When he was sorted into Gryffindor, his brothers banged their heads on the table, groaning.
Finally, after everyone was sorted, the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave a small speech. At the end, he said
"Now, let us feast," and food magically appeared.
At the end of the feast, a prefect named Percy (who happened to be Ron's brother) led them up to Gryffindor Tower.
"Password?" a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress asked.
"Godrick," Percy responded, and the portrait swung open to reveal a hole. Everyone climbed through into the common room. "Girl's dormitories are on the right, boys are on the left. Boys are not allowed to enter the boy's dorm. I need a volunteer." Seamus Finnigan volunteered right away. As the crowd watched with bated breath, he climbed 3 stairs. Then, the stairs turned into a slide, and he slid all the way down. He landed right in front of Megan. Grinning up at her, he said in an Irish accent
"That, my friend was I falling." Megan laughed, but quickly broke it off when he added "for you." She was shocked but still managed to respond.
"Lets make sure it doesn't happen again." Then Megan, Annie, and Hermione bade Ron and Harry goodnight. They climbed up the staircase. There, on the first door they came to, was a sign saying "Year One." Annie pushed open the door and they all stepped inside.
The dormitory was big and circular. It had seven four-poster beds, two of which were already occupied by two girls.
"I hope that you don't mind that we took these beds," said the first girl. She was still wearing her robes, her hair was long and brown, and it had a pink streak and a blue streak running through it. "My name's Becca, by the way. Becca McLaggen. I have a brother in second year, but don't mind him. He's a git to the highest degree." Megan giggled.
"My name's Abigail," the second girl said quietly. She was also wearing her robes still, and her brown hair was pulled back into pigtails.
"That's fine," Megan said to Becca. "By the way, I'm Megan Abbott, and this is Annie Smith and Hermione Granger." Becca and Abigail nodded hello, and Megan, Annie, and Hermione looked for their beds. They found their stuff, already placed by a bed. All three changed into their pajamas and fell asleep.
Megan woke up early the next morning. She showered, pulled on fresh, clean, Gryffindor robes, and curled her hair. Annie did the same when she woke up, but braided her hair instead of curling it. When they went downstairs to the common room, Hermione was curled up in an armchair, reading Hogwarts, a History. Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's chess. Actually, Ron was playing Wizard's Chess. Harry was trying, but his pieces kept trying to advise him, and they were confusing him. Megan and Annie sat in silence until Harry managed to lose spectacularly to Ron.
"Want to go get some breakfast?" asked Hermione, looking up from her book.
"Sure," Annie answered. The five made their way down to the Great Hall and over to the Gryffindor table. Plates, silverware, and food were already on the tables when they sat down. There weren't many people in the Great Hall yet. Just a handful of Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Slytherins were awake, staring blearily down at their food. After five minutes, a pair of redheaded boys came over. Megan recognized them as the twins from last night. They sat down, one on each side of her.
"Hello, Professor wanted us to distribute the schedules," said the first in an exaggerated tone of self-importance. "The name's Fred Weasley. I see you've met Ickle Ronniekins." Megan reached out and took the schedule.
"Thank you Fred and…" Megan broke off, blushing furiously.
"George, twin of Fred," he answered promptly. "I still can't understand why Minnie allowed us to distribute the schedules. Must've been confounded or something."
"We better head to class," interrupted Annie, raising her eyebrows at Megan. Megan blushed even harder. They got up and waved at the twins before heading off to Potions.
Potions Class was held in the deepest, grimiest part of the dungeons. While Megan was in line with the rest of the Gryffindors, trying hard not to touch the slimy walls, Malfoy sauntered over to her like he owned the school. Or at least the dungeons. Which he probably did, slimy little git.
"It's just too bad that you're in Gryffindor," Malfoy drawled loudly. "You could've been great, had better friends."
"I can make friends for myself, thanks," Megan retorted. "Looks like you've made great friends."
"You shut your filthy mouth about my friends."
"Make me." Just then, Professor Snape conveniently chose this moment to open the door to the classroom.
"Abbott, that will be five points from Gryffindor," Snape said coolly, a smirk playing about his greasy features. "Class, enter." Everyone quietly walked in and took their seats.
"He had no right to take points from you," hissed Ron indignantly. "You didn't do anything." Megan smiled in response.
"Today, class," Snape barked. "We will be creating a potion. The instructions are on the board. You may begin."
Halfway through class, Snape began prowling through the class, making snide comments to all but the Slytherins. He stopped at Harry's cauldron and asked
"Tell me, Potter, can you read?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Then why is your potion bright blue?"
"I don't know sir."
"Are you able to follow directions?" Snape snapped.
"I did everything on the board," murmured Harry.
"Did you add only one drop of bile?" Snape demanded. Harry didn't answer. "If you add more than one drop, your potion turns bright blue, as yours so obviously is. This means that this mess is worthless. Evanesco," and with a wave of his wand, the potion disappeared. At the end of class, Snape barked
"Fill one vial with your potion, and mark it with your name. Then place it on my desk for grading, except you Mr. Potter, for you have earned a zero for the day." Megan did as she was told, then followed Harry out into the hallway. Once outside the classroom, she said
"Come on, we have to hurry to History of Magic. I don't want to run into Malfoy." All five of them hurried off. Class started two minutes after the found the classroom and took their seats. The teacher, Professor Binns, was a ghost, which would've been interesting, except for he droned on and on about the history of Hogwarts and its four founders. His voice began to put people to sleep. Only three students were furiously writing down notes. Someone was snoring halfway through class. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, class ended.
"I thought class would never end!" complained Ron dramatically. "I thought that I might just fall asleep. Binns sounds like one of those really boring articles in the Daily Prophet."
"Did you and Harry take any notes?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, for the first five minutes," mumbled Ron.
"We should head to Transfiguration," interrupted Annie. "I've heard that it's one of the hardest classes.
In Transfiguration, no one hesitated to take notes. Quills were constantly being dipped in ink and scribbling on parchment. This went on for most of the class.
"Today, we will be turning matches into needles," instructed Professor McGonagall. By the end of class, only Hermione had turned her match into a needle. Megan's had a slight point and was looking somewhat silver. The class left for lunch simply loaded down with homework. Later, over shepherd's pie, Annie asked
"So, what's your favorite class so far?"
"Transfiguration," Hermione answered promptly.
"That's because you were able to turn your match into a needle," remarked Ron. "George, pass the pumpkin juice."
"I am Fred today," answered George.
"I thought we agreed on you being Fred on Tuesdays and Thursdays," argued Fred. "Today's Monday."
"No, we said Monday and Wednesday."
"That's rubbish," Fred replied angrily.
"You two can talk later," Megan hissed, "People are starting to stare." George tried to act cool.
"Not in that way," Megan added quickly. "We have fifteen minutes before our next class, and I will be doing my homework. See you later."
On Saturday morning, Megan was walking to the library.
"Abbott, detention," snapped Professor Snape.
"What for?" asked Megan.
"Being in my way, and then acting all innocent about it. My office, just after lunch."
"Yes, sir," replied Megan, trying to conceal how angry she really was. After Snape was out of sight, Megan hurried off to the library and finished her homework. As she went off to lunch, she tried not to dwell too much on her detention, but she just couldn't help it. Her parents were going to kill her!