Chapter 2:
"Clara! Come down for breakfast, you're going to be late!"
"I'm coming!" she called down the stairs. Clara checked her reflection once more. Satisfied with what she saw, she seized the handle of her trunk, picked up Liam, her kitten, and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.
Helen watched her daughter pick at her scrambled eggs. "Clara, is everything alright?" she asked. Clara nodded vaguely. "You'll be fine, you've never had trouble making friends. Cheer up, darling, your father and I went to Hogwarts, and I promise you'll love it!" She patted her daughter's hand reassuringly and smiled. Clara managed a weak smile, too.
An hour later, the Edwards's were sharing a teary good-bye as Clara pulled her trunk onto the scarlet Hogwarts Express. All too soon the whistle blew and the train began to move. Clara settled herself in an empty compartment and pulled out a book. She could hear other students moving around the aisles, saying hello to one another, looking for places to sit, wondering aloud what the year would bring. She considered this, absent-mindedly stroking Liam's soft grey fur. What would this year bring?
Suddenly, Clara heard a commotion out in the hallway. "Really, Harry, just ignore Malfoy. You know he's just trying to get a rise out of you," said a girl who sounded slightly frustrated. "I know that, Hermione, but that doesn't make him any less annoying," replied a boy, who Clara deduced must be Harry. "Malfoy's a right git," said a third voice, another boy, who continued, "-oy, this compartment looks empty." Clara jumped as her own compartment door slid open, revealing three Hogwarts students, who looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.
The girl, who had rather bushy hair, exchanged a glance with the dark-haired boy next to her. Clara looked next to the tall red-haired boy who, she was shocked to see, was staring at her. She blushed and looked down at her hands. It was the girl, named Hermione, who spoke first. "Hi...um...sorry...do you mind? Everywhere else is full." She smiled nervously at Clara, who smiled nervously back and shook her head. Hermione sat down across from Clara, next to the dark-haired boy. The tall, red-haired boy sat down next to Clara.
The four looked around at each other. "My name is Hermione Granger," said the girl, holding out her hand. "Clara Edwards," Clara replied, shaking it. The dark-haired boy spoke next, and it finally occurred to Clara who he was. "I'm -" "Harry Potter!" she finished for him, then looked embarrassed at her outburst. He smiled kindly and nodded. Hermione and Harry looked pointedly at the red-haired boy. He turned and held out his hand to Clara "I'm Ron Weasley." She shook his hand, noticing butterflies in her stomach. He considered her carefully for a moment, then spoke. "Your accent's a bit funny - are you American?" Clara couldn't help but grin. "That easy to spot, huh?" They all laughed, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.
Over the next few hours, Clara explained to them her situation. She told them about growing up in America, attending Eaglethorne, and how she was finishing her schooling at Hogwarts. Here, Hermione interrupted her. "So you don't know which house you'll be in?" This had never occurred to Clara, who promptly began to worry. "Oh," said Hermione, "I'm sorry, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. They'll probably sort you the way they sort the first years." Clara looked at her blankly. "They use a raggedy old hat," explained Ron, opening a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, "It tells you where you should be." "I'll have to find out in front of everyone?" she asked. "Well," Hermione said thoughtfully, "given that you're a seventh-year, technically, they might make an exception. It's really nothing to worry about, everyone's gone through it."
As night fell over the countryside, they changed into their robes. The train pulled into the Hogsmeade station, which was crowded with students making their way toward seemingly horseless carriages. "Come with us," Ron said to Clara, helping her heave her trunk toward the waiting line of students. She smiled to herself as she climbed into a carriage with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a round-faced boy she did not know.