Hey guys! First of all, I would like to apologize for my last chapter, I was off on so many things, many details were completely wrong so I'm very sorry. Also, thanks to my friend, it was brought to my attention that my first chapter rushed way too much. Now that I re-read it, I noticed it did, a lot. I'm really sorry and I will try my very best to avoid this in future chapters. If I do rush, feel free to tell me. I want to try and write it as best as I possibly can, and as interesting as possible. I took some of the dialogue directly from the first book, but I did change some stuff so it's sort of in Tara's POV. And if you read my first chapter, I did change some of it. I made Tara in the first year like Harry, Ron, & Hermione, so it was a little easier to build around that. It's a minor change but I just wanted to point that out. So anyway, enjoy! (hopefully (:)
Tara was close to the last to step off the train, and she watched as it quickly shot off into the distance. She looked forward and saw everyone gathered around a rather.. large man. She slowly walked over behind everyone else that was crowded around him. After he talked about the school a little and explained about the boats being easily tipped and things like that, he pointed at Tara.
At first she looked behind her and next to her and then she seemed confused.
"..Me?" She said, pointing towards herself. He nodded and spoke up to her.
"Where are ye' robes?" He asked her. She stared for a second, then looked at everyone else. She realized they all had robes on and she hadn't even noticed before.
"I was never given any.. or told about them." For a second he seemed somewhat mad, or in Tara's eyes he did. Then his expression lightened and he laughed.
"Alrigh' It's fine. we'll get'cher some later. Incase ye' didn't hear, Me name's Hagrid. Now all of ye', four to a boat."
Tara watched as people got in boats, and she walked over to the edge of one with three girls talking amongst themselves, which sounded like gossip. She sighed and sat in the boat. She stared at her reflection in the water and blocked out what everyone was saying around her. Suddenly, the boats all started moving forward. Tara wasn't prepared for this so she got jerked forward and hit her head on the edge of the boat. She rubbed her head and sighed as the girls continued on gossiping about boys, never giving her one glance.
"How is gossip that interesting.." She thought to herself.
It wasn't more then a few minutes and the boats landed on the shore in front of Hogwarts. Tara glanced up slightly at the school, and then back down at the water until it hit her.
Her head jerked back up to look at the amazing building and her eyes quickly grew huge.
"Wow.." she whispered quietly. She then realized she was being left behind by everyone else because she wasn't paying attention. She jumped out of the boat and walked rather fast to catch up.
"Alrigh', when ye' all walk through these 'er doors, ye' gotta be at yer' best behavior, got it?" Most people said yes, some enthusiastically, some unenthusiastically. The huge doors opened and the huge room which appeared to be an entrance hall quickly filled the sights of everyone. Some gasped in awe, others just stared, and some had the expression of "Oh I've seen it all before."
Right inside the doors, a rather tall woman with emerald green robes stood in front of the crowd of new students.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."
"Thank you, I will take them from here."
Everyone followed behind the woman who was quite obviously addressed as "McGonagall" down the long, stone hall. It was cold, but oddly inviting and warm at the same time. Many pairs of eyes wandered around the room, admiring every inch of the wonderful castle. It was wonderfully enchanting with candles that floated above desks, thousands of them.
Tara quietly heard the voices of other people off in a room to the right, and she figured that must be the rest of the school. Eventually Professor McGonagall came to a stop and faced the first years. They all stood around her, some peering around the room nervously.
"First of all, I would like to welcome you all to Hogwarts. The beginning of the year banquet will begin soon, but before you may attend, you will be sorted into your houses. If you are not aware of what the significance of this is, please take out your book and read Chapter 4, The Different Houses. The sorting Ceremony will take place soon in front of the rest of the school. I personally suggest you make sure you are at your best when this takes place." Her eyes lingered over a few untidy students for a second before returning her gaze back over everyone. "I will return soon." Professor McGonagall disappeared off into the next room.
Tara looked into the crowd at people, making sure not to make eye contact with any. She hated crowds, it made her nervous and uneasy. Before long her eyes reverted up to the ceiling to avoid anyone speaking to her, if they were even willing. She admired the intricate dome-shaped skylight with stars that appeared to float freely around the inside of the window.
"How exactly do they sort us?" A voice spoke to the left of Tara. She listened intently without looking down.
"Some sort of test my brother told me." Another voice replied. Tara quickly wondered what that meant. She didn't know anything at all to begin with, she hardly even believed what was happening right now. Magic? Floating candles? This all seemed like a dream despite how many stories her mother told her. She felt a knot in her stomach, a horrible feeling. She didn't want to be here anymore. She thought of how she could embarrass herself in front of everyone and it reminded her so the so many days, weeks and years she did the very same thing in normal school. She didn't want to feel the same horrible feelings again.
Tara's eyes quickly scanned around for a possible way to escape so she wouldn't have to endure the painful feelings of everyone hating her and making fun of her again. What if she failed this test? Where would she be put, the clown house? To her disappointment, before she could find a way out, Professor McGonagall returned.
"Now everyone, form a line. and follow me." One by one, students formed a long line behind McGonagall. Tara took a spot in between two girls of whom never even as much as acknowledged her existence. Everyone followed the Professor back down the stone hall up to a huge double door leading to the Great Hall, which opened upon approach.
The eyes of most everyone scanned the room. There were four long, wooden tables that were beautifully decorated for such occasion as this. Lined up perfectly down these tables were golden dishes and cups with utensils to match. At the very end of these tables were six or so steps up to yet another table, with people who appeared to be more professors and teachers sitting.
Professor McGonagall stopped at the end of the student tables, and all the first years were lined up down the hall. Students from every table stared at the first years, almost examining them. McGonagall walked up the steps and pulled out a rickety wooden stool and placed it in front of the line of students. The professor then took what seemed to be a very old, dirty and worn out witches hat and placed it atop the stool.
Everyone in the line looked curiously at it. Suddenly, the hat began talking and singing.
"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!" The hat sang. Tara looked at it in confusement, and wondered how it's even possible for a hat to talk. Her head felt light upon her shoulders and she took a deep breath to stay steady. She closed her eyes and thought of everything to try and wake herself up. She just couldn't believe any of this. She opened up her eyes again when she heard names of what she figured were the "houses" being sung.
"You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart," The hat sang with pride. Tara thought about that for a minute before the next verse.
"You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal, those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil." Again Tara thought about this, she was almost weighing her odds in her mind according to what the song said to take a guess on where she would be placed.
"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind," Tara almost laughed, but she fought to stay silent. She knew for a fact that Ravenclaw was ruled out as an option. She didn't have much wits and she wasn't sure about learning here either.
"Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends, those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends." Tara scanned her mind, she heard that name somewhere. It didn't take long before it came to her. Her mother told stories about people in Slytherin, she said most weren't very nice and would do anything to get their way, even if it meant hurting another. Tara knew for a fact she didn't want to be placed with people like them. In-fact, she'd rather not be placed at all and just leave here right now.
"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 hat eventually quit singing, and everyone applauded. Before long, names were called out and the hat was put on them. The hat would think, and say aloud what the goods and bad the person had, before saying a house name. Tara blocked out most of it except for some. She started to pay attention to the people in front of her getting sorted when it was nearing her turn.
"Granger, Hermione!" A girl the medium-length, light brown hair eagerly ran up the steps and practically slammed the hat onto her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled. The girl, obviously named Hermione, calmly walked over to the Gryffindor table.
"Weasly, Ron." A boy with red hair slowly made his way up the steps and sat down and the hat was placed on his head. The hat thought for a moment.
"GRYFFINDOR!" He smiled and walked over to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to the girl named Hermione.
"Potter, Harry!" A boy with black hair and green eyes shakily approached the stool before sitting down. Tara heard quiet whispers erupt throughout the hall. Why did they suddenly start whispering after his named was called she thought to herself. Was this someone everyone knew? It seemed forever that the hat rambled on, much more then others. It pondered and it seemed the boy was silently whispering to it.
"Not Slytherin, hmm? Are you sure? You could achieve great things!" The hat boomed, the boy nodded no and the hat fell silent for a second.
"Well, then I guess it must be.. GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table erupted with claps and whistles. Tara hoped they'd be paying so much attention to him that no-one would even notice her being sorted. The boy named Harry stepped down the steps and walked over to the table being greeted by everyone warmly. Sadly, before they called Tara's name, they waited for the room to hush again.
"Damn.." She thought to herself.
"Mystique, Tara!" She slowly and somewhat nervously walked up to the chair, and plopped down. The hat was placed on her head. It was so big that it slid over her eyes, causing her to have to hold it up so she could see.
"Very interesting robes." The hat said. Quite a few people laughed. Tara forgot that she was one of the only people without the proper attire on, she didn't get robes so she pretty much stuck out like a sore thumb. Tara quickly blocked out the laughs and tried to put herself in a place other then here.
"Hmm, let's see. Insecure, but brave.. Shy but willing to stand up for herself.. Courageous.. but no.. definitely not Ravenclaw.." Tara already ruled that out, so she figured this already.
"Very unusual.. I don't feel an interest in learning,, but a possibility to achieve great things with hard work.. Hufflepuff may not suit you well." Tara had thought that Hufflepuff was a possibility, but that was ruled out. It was either Slytherin or Gryffindor. She sighed heavily but quietly. The stories her mother told her made her badly want to avoid Slytherin.
"You also aren't pure-blood.. so I will have to say.." Tara held her breath, praying she wouldn't be stuck with them.
"GRYFFINDOR!" Everyone applauded, as they did with everyone else. Tara smiled ever so slightly, glad she didn't get the other possible choice. She slowly glided towards the table.
"I hope I can make at least one friend here.." Tara thought to herself as she looked down the table, trying to spot an empty seat.