"Hurry up, Daphne! You're so slow!"

Avalon and Daphne dragged their trunks and owl cages through King's Cross Station, rolling their way to Platform 9 ¾. Because Daphne's only sibling was her younger sister Astoria, Daphne had never been to King's Cross before, while Avalon had been there many times during Lucy's school years. It took twice as long to reach the platform because Daphne was so busy taking in the curious muggles bustling about in their strange outfits, and all the other sights the station had to offer.

Daphne rolled her eyes at Avalon. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

Lucy was already on the train when the two first years reached the scarlet Hogwarts Express. She had told their parents that morning that she was simply going to apparate and make sure she arrived early so that she would be ready to talk to the prefects about their duties during the year, one of the things she had to do as Head Girl.

"Make sure you write," Mrs. Steele said. She hugged and kissed her daughter and did the same to Daphne. "That means you too. I want a letter at least every week. At least."

"I promise, Mom." They hugged again.

Mr. Steele, on the other hand was much less affectionate than his wife. He put a firm hand on Avalon's shoulder and looked down at her with a steely expression. They stayed like that for a few moments until he nodded at her. She nodded back and he removed his hand, taking a small step back. "Have a good term."

"I will, Father," Avalon said.

As the girls went to board the train, Mrs. Steele pulled her daughter back for another moment. "Don't mind your father, dear. He's going to miss you. His baby is finally going to Hogwarts. He just has trouble… expressing himself from time to time. He loves you and your sister both," she said. Then she released Avalon to climb aboard the Hogwarts express with Daphne.

"Let's find a compartment," said Daphne.

"Theo and Blaise might already be here. We could find them," Avalon added. And so, they began looking for either their friends or an empty compartment where they could wait for their friends.

They were so engrossed in what they were doing, that Avalon bumped into a small freckled boy with bright red hair. Her grin instantly turned to a scowl. "Weasley."

"Steele." His response was equally venomous.

"Are you saying Avalon's name, or are you telling us what your father has to do to provide for your impoverished blood traitor family?" Daphne asked. She crossed her arms and stared down her nose at Ron Weasley, whom she was about a head taller than.

"Just because my brother is dating your sister doesn't mean I'm going to be civil to you," Weasley said.

Avalon gave a cold laugh. "Good. Because the fact that my sister is dating your brother—for some reason I haven't been able to grasp yet—doesn't mean I'm going to be civil to you. As long as we're on the same page, we're done here. Come on Daph, there's too much filth in this part of the train."

Weasley turned in the other direction to find some compartment mates and Daphne and Avalon were gone before he had even taken a step.

The two girls began to giggle as they walked away, high fiving and talking about the way they had treated the boy. "Your steal/Steele joke was so great," Avalon said. "I would never have come up with that."

"Thanks. I know, you'd be lost without me."

They laughed again as they rounded the corner. In the next compartment, they found Theo and Blaise Zabini, a tall, dark-skinned boy who was the final member in their group of friends. The girls joined the pair, collapsing onto the compartment seats.

"All right there, Daphne? Avalon?"

"All right," they answered in unison.

Before the entry of their friends, Blaise and Theo had been involved in a high-stakes game of Exploding Snap. Avalon plucked their cards from their hands and placed them back in the deck, shuffling before either boy could register what was going on. "Deal us in. Loser buys from the snack trolley?"

Although Theo was upset that their game had been interrupted, he was rather happy to get free treats and agreed. Blaise enjoyed beating people at things and agreed as well. So, a new game started as the four friends discussed their summers.

"You know," started Blaise, placing a card down in front of Theo, "I heard a rumor that the famous 'boy-who-lived' is attending Hogwarts now. He's in our year."

"Harry Potter?" Avalon asked.

Blaise gave her a pointed look. "No, the other famous kid who defeated Voldemort at age one. Definitely not Harry Potter."

Avalon felt a sharp kick in her shin, and sucked in a breath of air. She looked across the table at Theo, whose eyes had widened and he was conveying a message with them. Somehow, Avalon knew exactly what he was trying to say. We'll talk later, she mouthed, putting down a card in front of Blaise as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"I heard he's been living with muggles all these years," Daphne was saying. The four purebloods shuddered at the thought.

Theo shrugged. "Maybe we'll be in the same house, and then we can properly introduce him to the wizarding world. It'd be pretty cool to rub elbows with Harry Potter," he said. He played his own card and cringed when it exploded.

"Settle down, man-crush," said Blaise.

They laughed and Theo reached out and swatted the back of Blaise's head playfully.

It was hard to believe that the four friends were finally off to Hogwarts. They had grown up together, their parents wanted their children to have proper pureblood friends and setting up playdates. There were other pureblood witches and wizards that they had played with when they were younger, but Avalon, Daphne, Theo, and Blaise had taken to each other more than they had the other kids. They were hoping to be in the same house, although they were all certain that they would get Slytherin.

By the time the food trolley rolled to their cabin, it was clear that Theo was the loser of the Exploding Snap game even though it wasn't over yet.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"Yes please," said Blaise eagerly. "You see, my friend Theo, here, is paying. So I will have… three Cauldron Cakes, some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and a bottle of pumpkin juice. What do you guys want?"

Avalon joined him at the door. "I'd like pumpkin juice as well, and two Chocolate Frogs."

"Umm… a Pumpkin Pasty, a Chocolate Frog, and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Oh, and pumpkin juice for me too, please," said Daphne.

Theo complained about them taking advantage of the opportunity, but ordered licorice wands, and pumpkin juice for himself. Then he pulled out money to pay for the lot, grumbling under his breath as he placed the galleons onto the cart. The lady thanked them for their business and handed the snacks to Theo. He carried them back to the table and distributed them to his friends.

"Thank you for your kindness," Blaise said, his mouth full of Cauldron Cake.

A few hours later, Daphne was sleeping soundly on Avalon's shoulder, Blaise was reading a book, and Theo and Avalon attempted to put together a wizarding puzzle. The problem was, the picture they were constructing was constantly moving, which made it difficult to tell which piece went where.

"Hey, I think we should get changed," said Blaise without looking up from his book.

"Great," answered Avalon, trying to squish two pieces together that blatantly didn't fit each other. "If you boys would be so kind as to leave so that Daphne and I can put on our robes, it would be appreciated."

"Blaise and I were here first," said Theo.

Daphne responded, but didn't open her eyes. "Avalon and I are girls, and you two have to be gentlemen. So leave."

They complied finally.

Once the boys were gone, the two girls began to change into their Hogwarts school uniforms. Daphne was so groggy that Avalon had to retie her tie for her, but otherwise they had no trouble getting dressed. Shortly after they finished, the Hogwarts Express groaned to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, and students began to get off the train.

"Let's go," said Daphne, stretching the sleep away.

As they got off the train, they barely had a moment to take in the breathtaking sights of Hogwarts castle and instead searched for a sign for where they should go. The sign came in the form of an extremely tall man shouting above the din of students—"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

They followed the trail of eleven-year-olds towards the man, who had to be at least eleven feet tall and as wide as three regular men.

"Hullo, my name is Rubeus Hagrid," said the tall man. "I'm the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you'd all come this way, four to a boat please."

The crowd surged forward.

"Come on Daph, let's—"

"Oh look!" Daphne cried. "I found Theo!" And just like that, she was gone, becoming the fourth person in a boat with Blaise, Theo, and fellow pureblood Draco Malfoy. Avalon, left alone, rolled her eyes at her so-called best friend and searched for new first years to ride with to the Castle.

She found a boat of three and stepped into it. There was a pudgy boy with sandy hair sitting in it, along with a bushy-haired witch and a slightly taller boy with shaggy brown hair. "Mind if I join you guys?"

"Sure," said the other girl before any of the passengers could respond. "I'm Hermione Granger. What's your name? Also, have you seen a toad? Neville's lost one." She gestured to the sandy-haired boy, who reddened sheepishly.

Who brought a toad to Hogwarts?

But all Avalon said was, "I'm Avalon Steele. And no, I have seen your toad, Neville. Sorry."

"I'm Terry. Terry Boot," said the other boy in the boat.

And, with introductions given out, the boat gave a lurch and set out across the Black Lake in the direction of the Castle.

Only minutes later, the first years were waiting in a large room to go into the beginning of the year feast and be sorted. Avalon couldn't find her friends yet (or Draco Malfoy, whom she would consider more of an acquaintance than a friend), so she stayed with Hermione and Neville. Terry had spotted some mates and went to join them in line instead.

Hermione was fascinated by the idea of sorting. "I read all of my school books before term started. I wanted to make sure I wasn't behind the other kids. Did you know, there are four houses? Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I read all about them in Hogwarts: A History."

And I thought Daphne was a know-it-all, Avalon thought.

"Yeah, I know. My sister told me about them. She's a seventh year, and Head Girl," she responded out loud.

"Your sister's Head Girl? That's so cool! I'm the first in my family to go to Hogwarts. My parents were so shocked to find out that I was a witch. They thought McGonagall was playing some sort of nasty trick on them," Hermione gushed.

One thing stuck out in Avalon's mind.

Oh. She's a muggleborn. That's too bad, she seemed really nice.

Before Avalon had the opportunity to say something awful to the girl, the heavy doors opened. Professor Minerva McGonagall stood before them, telling the first years to ready themselves to be sorted. She led them into the Great Hall in what could only be called a hybrid between a line and a large clump.

"Form a line," McGonagall corrected. "And follow me."

Avalon was awestruck by the sights that awaited the first years in the Great Hall. There were four long tables, one for each of the houses. Thousands of floating candles and golden plates and goblets decorated the tables. McGonagall brought the line to a halt in front of a long teachers' table. They faced the other students.

Lucy caught her sister's eye and gave the girl a thumbs up. Embarrassed, Avalon waved back, but her attention was instantly drawn back to the old, frayed hat that McGonagall placed on a stool in front of the first years. The Sorting Hat.

It began to sing:

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see.
I'll eat myself if you can find
a smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,
your top hats sleek and tall,
for I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
and I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head
the Sorting Hat can't see.
So, put me on and I will tell you
where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor
where the brave at heart dwell.
Their daring nerve and chivalry
set Gryffindor apart.

You might belong in Hufflepuff
where they are just and loyal.
Those patient Hufflepuff are true
and unafraid of toil.

Or in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind.
Where those of wit and learning will
always find their kind.

Or perhaps in Slytherin
you'll make your real friends.
Those cunning folk use any means
to achieve their ends.

So, put me on, don't be afraid,
and don't get in a flap.
You're in safe hands, though I have none,
for I'm a thinking cap!

The Great Hall burst into rowdy applause, no one clapping louder than Hermione Granger, who had an expression of sheer glee on her face.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," said Professor McGonagall stepping forward with a long roll of parchment. The sorting began with a large call of, "Abbott, Hannah."

As the sorting continued, Avalon watched Terry become the first Ravenclaw, while Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones were the first Hufflepuffs.

"Bulstrode, Millicent," was a Slytherin.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione gave Avalon's arm a pat before running eagerly to the stool and slamming the hat onto her head. She squished her eyes closed and waited for the hat's verdict, which was eventually, "GRYFFINDOR!"

It was hard having a name so close to the end of the alphabet. Her heart pounding, Avalon watched as Daphne became a Slytherin, Neville got sorted into Gryffindor, and Draco and Theo joined Daphne at the Slytherin table.

A hush fell over the Great Hall as "Potter, Harry!" was called. The quiet was soon replaced by hushed whispers, as people tried to get a good look at the boy-who-lived. It seemed that everyone had heard the rumors that Harry Potter would be attending Hogwarts, but it was suddenly a reality. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Avalon rolled her eyes. Of course.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard, "Steele, Avalon!"

"Finally," Avalon said. She made her way to the front of the room and sat on the stool. She placed the Sorting Hat onto her head and waited. She could see the eyes of the Great Hall on her as the Hat began to talk.

"Hmm. I see you're extremely loyal," it began. "You would do anything to help your friends and family. Hufflepuff, perhaps?"

Anywhere but Gryffindor.

"That's funny. I had a boy earlier who said the same thing about Slytherin. Why don't you want Gryffindor?"

It's my sister's house. She's brilliant, and she's Head Girl. If I were to go into the same house as her, I'd always be in her shadow. At least in another house, I'd be able to make a name for myself based on my own achievements.

"Well. Intelligent, but cunning at the same time. You'd do anything to prove yourself to your father yes? I suppose SLYTHERIN!"

This last bit was shouted for the rest of the Hall to hear, and the second table from the right burst into thunderous applause. She tried to ignore the disappointed look on Lucy's face. Relieved, Avalon jogged down to the Slytherin table and quickly located her friends. Theo scooted over to make room for her and she slid into a seat.

"Congratulations," said Daphne. "Welcome to the rest of our lives!" The other two catcalled. Then Daphne looked over to the Sorting Hat again. "Look, Avalon, Weasley's getting sorted. Wouldn't it be funny if the Hat sent him home?"

The Hat didn't waste time and quickly shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The only person left at this point was Blaise. As soon as he joined Avalon, Theo, and Daphne in Slytherin, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and whisked away the Sorting Hat.

Avalon's stomach grumbled, as Theo's train snacks were long gone by this point.

The Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, began to welcome the students to the New Year at Hogwarts. Before they could register why on earth Dumbledore was yelling, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" the crowd was clapping and cheering, the dishes were magically filling with food and Avalon was more confused than ever, although the hunger quickly took over.

They began to eat, her plate piled high with roast chicken, boiled potatoes, peas, and carrots.

It wasn't until after the feast that the tiredness started to creep in. Avalon could feel herself beginning to nod off during Dumbledore's speech: "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. Finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Her head snapped up.

"Did he say…?"

Daphne nodded slowly, as if taking in Dumbledore's words as well. "He did. I wonder what's up there. I don't wonder enough to check it out and die a painful death. It's just a mild curiosity," she said.

Blaise nudged her. "Curiosity killed the cat."

After a few more words and the singing of the school song, the students were dismissed for the evening. A Slytherin girl with choppy hair that grazed her shoulders led the first years in the e direction of the Common Room. "I'm glad you all were sorted into Slytherin. I hope you find a great sense of house unity in our dungeon walls."

"Dungeon?" Theo whispered.

"Yes, dungeon," said the girl, who had heard Theo's poor attempt at whispering. "The Slytherin dungeons are underwater. Don't worry, you won't drown, there are plenty of protective charms in place."

They had reached the common room entrance.

The girl's male companion added, "The password is 'belladonna.' Don't forget it, or share it with anyone outside of our house. Understood?"

"Understood," the first years responded dutifully.

"The girls' rooms are that way, boys' are that way. Don't get any sneaky ideas, there's a charm that won't let you into the other room," the prefect continued. "Now, everyone get off to bed. You have a long day ahead of you. Good night!"

There were choruses of "good night," but the children just scampered off to their rooms. Daphne and Avalon quickly got acquainted with their roommates, a quiet girl called Tracey Davis, a girl with a pug-like face named Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode, who was probably the tallest in their year, whom they faintly remembered from the Sorting Ceremony. The girls restated their names.

"I hope we'll all be friends," said Tracey shyly.

Pansy ignored her and quickly began to assign beds, which no one seemed to question at first. "Now, I recognize your surnames, so I know that you're all purebloods. Which is good. I wouldn't share a room with a filthy mudblood. Ever. Anyway, you're all going to do what I say, when I say it. All right?"

Avalon snorted and sat down on the bed that Pansy had given to Tracey. "You know, I like this bed."

"I agree, Avalon, this one really seems to be calling my name, and I'm just too tired right now to tell it no." Daphne followed suit and stretched out on the one meant for Millicent. She gave Pansy her most innocent smile and the girl snarled back in a very pug-like manner.

"I said, you're all going to do what I say. Are you deaf or just stupid?"

Avalon flipped her black hair over her shoulder. "I don't take orders from anyone, especially not some pompous eleven-year-old I just met. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's getting late. I'm going to go to bed. You're welcome to stay up and plot world domination with your cronies, but turn the light off when you're done, yeah?" And with that, she laid down and closed her eyes. Daphne did the same.

"Oh, you messed with the wrong girl," Pansy Parkinson glowered. No one stood up to her. Not without punishment. The day of reckoning would come.