Jo brushed the hair out of her eyes, trying to convey her deep dislike of what was to come. Aoife gave her a sympathetic look, patting her head. Jo scowled up at her, then there was an awkward silence, neither female good at speaking. Finally, Aoife sighed, rubbing her neck "Take care of yourself, Jo. I don't want you getting expelled in your first year. If you get in a fight you better win. I'll be traveling till you get back, but be sure to message me occasionally." Jo nodded amicably, and the train whistle blew, making Hedwig hoot from her cage.
"Better board now." she warned, giving Jo an awkward hug. Jo coughed, returning the hug before boarding. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably from compartment to compartment as she tried to find an empty one. She finally found one, and slid inside, hiding her luggage away. Not long after, a redhead came in "D'you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." he asked, and put his luggage away when she nodded. He sat down across from her "I am Ron Weasley." he introduced himself, shaking her hand. Jo cleared her throat, before replying "I am Josephine Delany. But I go by Jo." her voice was soft and slightly rough, as if unused.
They spoke of normal things- quidditch, brooms and various other things. When the trolley came along, and Ron mentioned his sandwich was wrong, she ended up buying the entire thing. They sat down to eat the sweets. Jo slowly dismembered and ate a chocolate frog, making a face at the Dumbledore card before dropping it into her bag. "I always get him. Always." she grumbled, watching his rat eat some of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She wrinkled her nose "Never was a fan of rats." Ron shrugged "Didn't have much of a choice. He was my brother's. Oh! My brothers, the twins taught me a spell! Want to see?" Jo nodded, wondering what his brothers could have taught him.
"Excuse me, have you seen- oh are you going to do magic?" A bushy haired brunette opened the compartment door, and noticed Ron drawing his wand. When he nodded, she came inside "well, let's see it then." she spoke, being faintly snobbish. Ron cleared his throat, tips of his ears pinking. Jo watched, unamused as he waved his wand in a pointless manner and recited a little ditty. The box was blown off the rat with a bang and a squeal.
Jo curled her lips at the result "I think I know what spell you tried. Let me try now. Color Mutationem!" she said, moving her wand like painting a fence. Scabbers turned bright yellow for a second before slowly fading through golden to his normal color. "I'm Hermione Granger. What spell was that? It wasn't any spell I recognized." she introduced herself, shaking Jo's hand "It's one Aoife taught me. I don't know where she got it." Hermione nodded "Anyway, I'm helping Neville look for his toad. Let me know if you find it!" she stepped back into the aisle way and shut the door behind her.
There was awkward silence, before they started talking again, this time about the impending sorting "I want to be in Gryffindor. That's where all the famous wizards come from, y'know. Dumbledore came from Gryffindor." Jo bit her lip and shrugged "I don't much matter. It only affects who you share rooms with anyway." Ron gave her an incredulous look, shaking his head "No no no. It's deeper than that. You see, The Slytherins are evil, the Ravenclaws are smart, the Gryffindors are brave. The Hufflepuffs are whatever's left over." Jo snorted at the oversimplified explanation; obviously, he hasn't noticed things stopped being black and white.
"Aren't the Slytherins cunning and Hufflepuffs loyal? I'd rather have a Hufflepuff by my side then a Gryffindor. Loyalty trumps bravery. Grindelwald was brave, but that doesn't mean he was good." Jo argued, but stopped when she noticed Ron's face turn an unhealthy red color. Obviously, he didn't want to change the same thinking he had used since toddler years. She groped for a topic "Um... Ever heard of Quodpot?" He blinked, redness retreating "Quod-what?" Jo smiled- mission accomplished "There are flying and ground versions. You have 11 players per side, and an exploding ball..." she launched into a description, and it took up the entire time until they had to change. Ron stepped outside while Jo changed, then Jo stepped outside for Ron to change. When they stepped off the train, Hagrid was bellowing "Firs' years this way!" until he noticed Jo. Then he smiled "It's been awhile Jo!" Jo nodded, grinning "That it has. I look forward to seeing you more this year!" she continued walking so she didn't distract him overmuch. She climbed into a boat, with Ron following. A second later, Hermione and Neville climbed in. "I assume you're Neville? Did you ever find your toad?" she asked curiously, and he nodded, flushing slightly. Jo gave an uncertain smile "That's good. Those things can be slippery- I once had to hunt down a dozen dart frogs- the size of my pinky nail. Took forever." Then they were silent as the boats cast off, too awed to speak.
Jo had seen many castles before, but none the size of Hogwarts. The presentation of it was very dramatic, adding to it's effect. She did her very best to memorize how it looked, with the full moon's light reflecting off the lake. She dipped her hand in the water, and was delighted at how it felt. Not frigid, not warm. Just hovering in that lukewarm area that made it perfect for training. When the boats grounded and Hagrid handed them off to , Jo pulled on her robes, straightening them and ran a hand through her untamed bangs. The rest of her hair was held back in a tight braid, and she carefully checked for flyaways. "Put your best foot forward. This is your one and only first impression to all the teachers and all your students." she murmured to herself.
Ron shifted nervously "My brothers said we had to wrestle a troll." his voice was a little high pitched, and Jo took pity on him "No. We put a hat on, and our minds get dug through, going through our most intimate moments to decide where we go." was what she wanted to say, but only "No." came out. Hermione looked flustered, but didn't say anything.
But then reappeared, and ushered them into the hall. Jo kept her head held high, bight green eyes fastened straight ahead. She didn't turn and gawk like Ron did; she used her peripherals to take in the Great Hall. Observing was secondary; the moment of her sorting was near. They went through A's, B's, and C's. She jiggled her leg as they went through the D's. Ron looked inquisitively at her, knowing that 'Delany' didn't come after 'Finch-Fletchly'.
Jo's eyes narrowed, and she stood stock still as everyone up to 'Patil, Parvati' was sorted. And then The name. "Potter, Harry." And immediately whispering broke out. Jo resigned herself to her fate, and snappily walked to the stool "I do not go by that name anymore. I go by Josephine Delany. Or Delany-Evans." she informed him, glare cutting right past McGonagall to Dumbledore- the true offender. McGonagall wrote down the change though, and she sat on the stool. Jo sat with that hat on her head for almost a full five minutes before it declared "Gryffindor!" There was much clapping and cheering as she sat at the table, next to Ron. "So why didn't you tell me you were The Harry Potter? Can I see-Can I see your scar?" he asked, stuttering from excitement. Jo huffed in aggravation "I am Josephine Lily Delany. I am not Harry. I didn't tell you because I am not him, and I enjoy having competent conversation, not mindless adoration for a fluke I don't remember." she snapped quietly, waiting for the feast to appear. When it did, she piled her plate high with meat and mashed potatoes, the only things she trusted the Brits couldn't mess up.
After eating, they climbed the stairs to the dormitory. Jo was still irritated about the name 'mix up', and went straight upstairs to message Aoife about it. She contemplated going back down, but a yawn forced it's way up, and she changed into pajamas, curling up in her bed.