As if his luck couldn't get any worse, he was stuck with this girl all the way to the Great Hall. They were put in the same boat to cross the lake, right next to each other. (He couldn't help but roll his eyes then – the way she peered into the lake and shuddered. She was so ignorant.) They were shooed in together and sat right next to each other in front of the Sorting Hat.

He ignored her, although he knew that she would be staring at the Hat eagerly. He tried to find Caelum and Felix – and hopefully the girls they sat with – but they were quieted before he could search too thoroughly.

He didn't pay too much attention until Lauren was called up. He was the only one who heard the nervous squeak that escaped her lips as McGonagall said her name – but she stood, her face burning, and made her way to the stool. He couldn't help but imagining her tripping.

Lauren shut her eyes tight as the Headmistress placed the beat-up old hat on her head. There was a silence and Lauren's eyes opened, fearful and wide. Finally, after the silence grew longer, the Hat's "mouth" opened – "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Of course. Evander thought, watching Lauren's face split into a grin as she dashed to the cheering Hufflepuff table.

The next familiar name to pop up was Felix's. He was a Slytherin (to no one's surprise). He flashed Evander a thumb's up before joining the Slytherin table.

Several names that Evander didn't care about passed before the next familiar name came – his own.

"Evander Redford?" McGonagall called, one thin eyebrow rising. Evander sighed – school hadn't even started yet and he was already on the Headmistress's bad side.

A surprising and unexpected worry welled in his stomach. What if he wasn't in Slytherin? What would his family do? What would his friends do? What if his Sorting was terrible – what if he ended up in Hufflepuff?

But the Hat didn't even touch his dark hair before it yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!" And he felt stupid for worrying.

He took his spot next to Felix, who clapped him on the back. The next person they knew was Caelum and they were looking forward to him joining their table.

But as names he didn't care about passed, he found his eyes locked on Lauren Dalton at the Hufflepuff table. She was watching other people get Sorted, almost disinterestedly. What had she meant, anyway, about him being one of "those people?" And she hadn't even explained it. The very thought sent him fuming all over again.

No sooner had Caelum joined them did Evander catch Lauren looking back at him. What look was she giving him? It was hard to tell from across the room – but he was sure it was something like a sad smile.

His blood boiled. As if he cared that a stupid Hufflepuff didn't like him. As if he cared that a Mudblood's Muggle parents cared about her.

He looked away pointedly– and made eye contact with one of the pretty girls from the train.

He was immediately entranced. She had long, dark, wavy hair and long eyelashes. She blinked slowly, smiling at him from where she sat, still Unsorted.

"Carmen Vallista?"

The girl's head turned and she stood, gracefully taking her seat at the stool.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Evander watched, well aware that every other Slytherin boy – heck, every other boy in the room – was watching this beauty take her seat at the end of the table, looking pleased. There were a few W names after her, but nobody paid any attention. They were all itching to eat.

And Evander, after craning his neck and still failing to get another glimpse at Carmen, found himself staring in defeat across the room at Lauren again. She was laughing. At him? No…It was something the redheaded boy next to her was saying. Evander knew him – Michael Ellis. He was a year older than Evander, a Pureblood, but he was also a Blood Traitor. Mudblood-lovers, his father had once called their family.

The feast began shortly afterwards and Evander felt a strange sensation in his stomach as Felix and Caelum began their Quidditch debate again, bringing a few other boys into the conversation. Evander just felt detached. Exhausted. Miserable.

Homesick.

/

After the feast was over, Evander, Caelum and Felix were guided to their dorms by a prefect named Paul. As the three boys settled into the dorm for first years, along with two other boys, Evander tried to get all the information he could out of his two friends that had spent an entire two and a half hours with Carmen Vallista.

"The girls were all good-looking," Caelum said as he unpacked his Chocolate Frog cards. "I think they were cousins. But Carmen was easily the best-looking."

"No competition." Felix agreed. "She won by a landslide."

"So we got to talking and we find out they're all Purebloods – "

"And now the best one's in the Slytherin," Felix grinned.

"What about the other ones?"

"Weren't you paying any attention during the Sorting?" Caelum said. "The one who was kind of cute – her name was Nola – she's a Ravenclaw. The other two middle ones are twin sisters, they're a year older than us – "

"Rachel and Leah," Felix spoke up.

"Yeah, them. Leah's in Slytherin and Rachel's a Ravenclaw."

Evander nodded and Felix gave him an odd look. "You did seem kind of distracted during the Sorting – what did you keep looking at?"

"Oh – it was that girl," Caelum laughed before Evander could say anything. "That blonde chick he was glued to."

Evander sighed. "It wasn't my fault! McGonagall put me in a train compartment with her and then she followed me around the whole time."

"What House - ?"

"Hufflepuff." Evander said before Felix could finish the question. Then, snickering, he added, "She told me she thought it sounded like the best House."

"Really?" Caelum and Felix doubled over.

"Well," Evander spoke with a grin, "She is a Mudblood."

As he and his friends poked fun at Hufflepuffs for the rest of the evening, Evander felt relieved. His friends really knew how to take his mind off of things.