Chapter Two
The train slowed to a stop and Harry, Ron, and I stood up to stretch. We started to make our way off the crowded train, though having an owl a rat and a very loud bat with us seemed to clear a path. When we finally made it off the train and found our luggage we heard someone calling for the first-year students. My dumb luggage burst open though so I had to fix it. And when I turned around they were gone! That's when things got interesting.
"Hey!" came a voice from where the boats had been tied together. Is he talking to me? "You, over there, with the bat!" I guess so. I ran over. Relief tumbled through my body when I saw the last boat bobbing up and down in the water. I looked up at the boy who'd just saved my day.
"Thanks so much for holding it; I thought I'd be stuck here all night!"
"No problem, now get on before it moves without us!"
I jumped on and almost did a face plant on the boat when I felt a strong hand hold on to my arm. "Careful!" He said, "It's a bit slippery."
When I was finally seated with snowflake near my side he got on and the boat started moving. I squinted through the darkness trying to see the boy's face, then he lit the lantern and I saw him clearly. He had a pale complexion and bright platinum blond hair with silvery eyes and narrowed features. He, too, looked at me and I, always being the klutzy nerd, blushed slightly and dropped the lantern crushing my foot in the process. I sucked in my breath and let out a small groan. "Ouch!" I howled. I moved the lantern off my foot and started gently massaging it.
"It's amazing how many times you've injured yourself in the last five minutes!" the boy laughed.
I grimaced, "It takes a certain type of skill, I guess." I replied sarcastically. He laughed again. "Anyway…, my name is Erin Morndel, what's yours?"
"Draco Malfoy."
"Nice to meet you, Draco."
After about five minutes we finally arrived Hogwarts he stepped out first and then helped me out, but when I put pressure on my smashed foot I toppled over in pain. "OUCH!"
"What would you do without me?" He teased.
"Right now, I'm not so sure." I laughed. He put my arm around his neck; poor snow flake had her cage jostled around in my other hand. We hobbled up into the castle and up a stair case to a landing where we found the others standing around, including a somewhat worried looking Harry and Ron.
"Where have you been?" Ron asked.
"Having tea with the Queen, what do you think?"
"My goodness, what happened?" an older looking woman asked.
"I had a slight accident with the lamp on the boat." I told her "My foot got crushed."
"Madame Pomfrey!" another woman came bustling over. "Madame Pomfrey, could you please, quickly take Miss Morndel to the Hospital Wing?"
"Yes, of course." Madame Pomfrey said. "Come with me, dear."
Harry and Ron stepped up. "She's our friend, can we come, too."
The woman looked flustered. "No, she will be back soon no reason for you two to tag along."
I gave them an 'I'll be fine, don't worry' smile and limped off with Madame Pomfrey. A few minutes later I was walking back good as new, but something was different. Ron and Harry were glaring at Draco and Draco was glaring right back. "Um… hi guys," they all looked up and smiled, well, Draco just looked up. "Uh, Harry, Ron this is Draco he helped me to the castle after I crushed my foot, Draco, this is Harry and this is Ron."
Three very unenthusiastic 'hi's came from each of the boys. I looked at each of them. Ron was looking at me, Harry was glaring at Draco's feet, and Draco was just staring at the wall. Just then the older woman, who Harry told me was Professor McGonagall, came in and told us to line up.
We all walked into an enormous cathedral-like room that had a starry sky in place of a ceiling. I heard Hermione tell the girl next to her that it was bewitched to do that. Apparently, first-year students get sorted into houses. Unfortunately, we didn't get to pick where we wanted to go, somebody else did.
All of the first-years gathered around a stool with a grubby looking hat on it. I looked at Harry, slightly confused. He looked back at me with equal confusion. "When I call your names each of you will come up here and put the hat on and you will be sorted into your houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Gryffindor." Professor McGonagall told us. "Susan Bones."
The red haired girl Hermione had been talking to, timidly walked up to the stool and sat down. Professor McGonagall lowered the wrinkled hat onto her head. I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard the hat call out "Hufflepuff!" I was so surprised I reached out gripped Harry's arm. He looked at me and I took it back a little embarrassed at being so jumpy. He grabbed my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"Ronald Weasley." I looked to my left and saw Ron frozen in place with a terrified look on his face.
"I don't think it bites." I whispered to Ron. The corners of his mouth came up a little and the tips of his ears turned red. He took a few small steps to the stool and sat down. The professor gently placed the hat on his head.
"Another Weasley, hmmm? Well I know just what to do with you! Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed. Ron slumped in relief and a cheer erupted from the far left table. Ron jumped off the stool and joined his three older brothers.
"Draco Malfoy." Draco walked up calm as ever. I gave him a small smile as the professor started to lower the hat before it had even touched his head the hat's voice rang out "Slytherin!" I was a bit disappointed, but Draco seemed ecstatic so I kept the smile on my face.
"Hermione Granger." Hermione took a deep breath and made her way up to the stool and hat after it was on her head it didn't take long for the hat's decision "Gryffindor!" Hermione ran over to join Ron, who looked a bit annoyed.
"Harry Potter." A rush of whispers surged through the crowd.
"Your turn." I whispered. He smiled at me then stepped up and the room went dead silent. He sat down and the hat came down on his head. I tried to hear what the hat was saying but two boys in front of me decided to have a conversation so I could only catch the last little bit.
"-well if you're sure, better be… Gryffindor!" A deafening roar came up from the Gryffindor table and Harry went to join them.
The rest of the first-years went and then, when I was the only one left, it was my turn. "Erin Morndel."
I walked up to the stool thinking hard, this hat is going to decide where I am for all my years at Hogwarts? That seems a little unfair; it's my life, not his! Shouldn't I decide where I want to go?
"You're very right, Erin, you should decide where you want to go, so where do you want to go?"
I thought about it for a second, I'm not sure. I thought up to it. I have one friend in Slytherin but I have two friends in Gryffindor.
"You're basing your decision off of where you're friends are? What about you? Each house stands for something, you know, Slytherin stands for the most cunning, Ravenclaw stands for the smartest, Hufflepuff is for the jolliest, and Gryffindor is for bravest. So which one do you belong in?
I don't know. Now I know why you make the decisions. You can see into my mind where do I belong?
"Oh Erin, with a heart of innocence and a need for understanding the world, you are one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in over 300 years! Your brain belongs in Ravenclaw, but your smile belongs in Hufflepuff, your thoughts belong in Slytherin, but your heart belongs in Gryffindor. But since you can only belong to one I think you belong the most in…" My heart was pounding. "Gryffindor!" The cheering from the Gryffindor table was loud, but I could hear Ron and Harry above them all.
Why? I asked the hat.
"You will have to find out for yourself." It replied.
I hurried over to the Gryffindor table to find everyone in the room still looking at me. I blushed a little and faced the front where a man with a long white beard was walking up to the podium. I could tell he was the headmaster Dumbledore I had received my letter from. The way he cleared his throat, making everyone immediately face him, was a giant clue. He said a few words of welcome and told us about some school rules, but I couldn't really listen because the blood was still thrumming in my ears. When he was done talking he snapped his fingers and suddenly there was a feast in front us. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I were all startled for a second, but were so hungry it didn't even matter how the food got there. During the dinner I was asked a million questions like, 'What were you telling the hat?' and 'Did you actually choose a house but the hat said 'no'?' Sometime during the dinner I caught Draco's eye but he always had the same expression: somewhere between hurt and disappointment. Finally, it was time for bed, and Ron's brother Percy (a prefect) led all the first-years up to the Gryffindor common room. It was a very cozy room furnished with gold and scarlet pillows, rugs, tables and comfortable looking chairs with a cheery fire crackling in the fireplace. "The girls' dormitories are on the right staircase, the boys' on the left." He told us. Me and Hermione were tired so we said goodnight to the boys and went up to our new room. We found all of our belongings near our beds including Snowflake. I went over and gave her some fruit I had brought from dinner. She let out a small squeak that she often did when she was happy.
"So you're the one who had the bat." Hermione said. That's really very cool I wanted one but I wasn't sure if I could handle a pet this year."
"So she doesn't bother you?" I asked.
"As long as she doesn't make so much noise at night or when I'm studying she should be fine."
"She's actually very quiet as long as nothing spooks her or she hears me upset."
"Good. Well goodnight." She said as she pulled the curtains around her bed closed.
"Goodnight." I replied. I laid down to rest thinking of today's events and what tomorrow would be like. And then fell asleep.