Chapter 2

Hogwarts

Sam awoke with a jolt as the sunlight streamed in through the window onto her bed. Her father was knocking on her door loudly. "Ready to go Sam? We're late!" Sam hopped out of bed and quickly grabbed the clothes she had laid out the night before. She slipped into her well worn blue jeans and pink hoodie and was about to slide her large feet into her moccasins when her father came bounding into her room. "Time to go!" He practically bellowed at her as he jauntily picked up her trunk and her owl. Salem, not too happy at being woken up, squawked loudly and began to flap his wings in annoyance. Sam grabbed her old leather back pack off of the floor and followed her dad out of the room, Unna at her heels. "How exactly are we supposed to get to Hogwarts?" Sam asked warily, half expecting to have to travel by broom.

"Oh, you go by train. We've got a car to take us to King's Cross Station and you'll go from there." Sam was utterly relieved that her travel to Hogwarts would not involve her feet leaving the ground. Once her and her father stepped outside of the Leaky Cauldron, Sam's mother was waiting by a large car with a dog crate.

"It's the only way they'll let Unna on the train," she explained as Sam fixed her with a disgusted look.

"But Unna hates crates," Sam responded, protectively holding her dog's collar.

"It's either this or she doesn't go with you," her mother said firmly, taking the dog by her collar and coaxing her into the crate. Unna whined in protest, looking up at Sam with doleful eyes. Sam looked at her pet apologetically and helped her mother load her into the back seat of the car. Sam settled in next to the crate with her mother opposite while her father took the front seat and talked boisterously with the driver who seemed intent upon getting the odd family out of his car. As Sam watched muggle London whiz past her car window, she began to feel increasingly nervous about her upcoming year at Hogwarts. What if she didn't make any friends? Sam wasn't exactly the most outgoing girl, and she was lucky enough to have Adri as a friend to bridge the awkward introduction gap when they met new people. Sam had plenty of friends at Salem because of Adri, but what would she do now that she was on her own? As her anxiety increased and the distance to the train station decreased, Sam was wishing more and more that she was back home. As Sam's dread reached it's boiling point, the car pulled up in front of King's Cross. Her stomach in knots, Sam got out of the car and began piling her belongings onto a large cart. Her father tipped the driver and asked him to wait until they returned. Sam's father pushed the trolley through the crowded train station and found his way between platforms nine and ten. "Your ticket says 9 ¾," he said curiously. "I wonder how we get to the platform."

"Samantha, right?" a deep voice queried from behind the Nimbuses. Sam turned to see Sebastian Rone standing behind them, his parents somewhat distanced from him. Sam nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would be sick with anxiety. "You're new," he stated, as if Sam wasn't painfully aware of this fact. Without waiting for a response, he added, "Just follow me." Sam pushed her cart after him, watching him walk straight through the wall dividing platforms nine and ten. Sam followed cautiously, her parents in tow, and emerged in front of the deep red Hogwarts Express. "Thanks," she muttered.

"No problem. Once you get on board, you should come sit with my friends and I. I'm sure they'd love a more formal introduction than the one they received yesterday." He smiled at her smoothly, fixing her with his penetrating stare.

"Uh, sure . . ." Sam replied weakly. She turned away from the boy quickly and rejoined her parents who were making sure all of her belongings made it onto the train. As the last of Sam's baggage had been thrown onto the train, Sam's father and mother began their goodbyes.

"Be safe," her mother said, tears forming in her large blue eyes, "and write us all the time."

Her dad grabbed her in a tight bear hug. "We love you kiddo. If you need anything, just let us know."

"Have fun," her mother added, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "And make lots of new friends." Sam, who wasn't exactly the best at goodbyes, felt a lump forming in her throat. She hugged her parents wordlessly and boarded the train. Sam found an empty compartment and settled in, wiping a few tears away from her eyes. She peaked out of the window just in time to see her parents apparate from the platform. She sighed as she sat back against her seat and closed her eyes. Just as soon as she began to nod off, the door of the compartment slid open noisily and three girls bounded in. "Oh," one of them exclaimed upon noticing Sam, "we didn't know anybody else was sitting here. Mind if we join?"

"Go ahead," Sam said with a small smile, "I'm Samantha Nimbus."

"I'm Angelina Johnson," the girl replied, "and this is Katie and Alicia. Did you say your last name was Nimbus?" she asked in awe.

"Yep," Sam replied as the three girls plopped down onto the seats.

"As in, racing broom Nimbus?" Katie asked, even more impressed than Angelina.

"One in the same," Sam answered.

"Woah, that's incredible," Alicia piped up. "We're all Quidditch players. Play for the Gryffindor house team, but I bet your loads better than any of us." Sam went pink at the suggestion that she was any good at flying.

"Ohh, you'd lose that bet," she muttered under her breath.

"Are you new?" Angelina queried. "I haven't seen you around Hogwarts."

"Yeah, this is my first year. I went to Salem up until my parents decided to switch me."

"So what year are you?" Katie asked.

"Sixth."

"And do you know what house you're going to be in?"

"Not a clue," Sam replied, somewhat nervously. She hadn't considered too much which house she would be a part of, but now she was worried. Much to Sam's relief, however, the conversation continued easily for a few hours until the compartment door slid open yet again. Sam groaned audibly as Fred Weasley, and his twin, George, strolled into the compartment. "Hello Angelina," George said flirtatiously as he slid in next to her. Angelina rolled her eyes good-naturedly and batted George on the arm. Fred caught Sam's eye and sat down across from her.

"How's it going, Sammy?" he said mockingly.

"Fine," she replied shortly.

"You two know each other?" Katie asked interestedly.

"Oh, we've met once or twice," Fred said suggestively.

"We're acquaintances," Sam clarified quickly, not wanting the girls to infer anything from Fred's racy tone. Katie raised an eyebrow at the pair of them and turned to converse with Angelina, Alicia, and George.

"What's the matter Nimbus, don't you like me?" Fred asked, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"It's not that," Sam replied cooly, "I just get the impression that you're a bit of an asshole." Fred chuckled softly.

"You wouldn't exactly be wrong. I can be a bit of an asshole," he said, his dark brown eyes fixed on Sam's. He lowered his voice as he continued "Especially when I'm going after something I want. I tend to get a bit," he thought for a moment, picking his words carefully, "cocky? Possessive? Take your pick." Sam was taken aback at Fred's forward nature, and her shock must have showed on her face. "Calm down, Nimbus, I'm only joking." Angelina, having heard the last part of their exchange, reassured Sam.

"You can't take anything these two say seriously. The world is a joke to Fred and George," she said with a smile. Sam smiled weakly in return. Fred's comment had put her on edge, making her feel like her seat was electrified. For the rest of the time the two boys were in their compartment, Sam hardly spoke. She was relieved when Angelina told them to leave so the girls could change into their uniforms. "Isn't George great?" Angelina said with a sigh as soon as they were alone.

"Angelina fancies him," Alicia said with a giggle.

"Well you fancy Fred, so you're one to talk," Angelina shot back. Alicia blushed. "Do you have a boyfriend?" Angelina asked, turning the conversation back to Sam.

"Not currently. I guess I can be kind of picky. Plus it's hard when you go to an all-girl's boarding school."

"Oh, I couldn't imagine," said Katie dramatically. Sam smiled as she was reminded of her best friend back at home. As soon as the girls were changed into their Hogwarts uniforms, the train screeched to a halt. Sam followed Angelina, Katie, and Alicia out of the train and into a horseless carriage. The four continued to chat absentmindedly as the carriages were pulled towards Hogwarts castle. As Sam stepped out of the carriage and began to follow her new friends, she was stopped by a large man with a long, wild beard. "Hello, Hagrid," Katie said, greeting the man jovially.

"Hello," he replied with a smile, "Samantha Nimbus, right? We need to get you sorted before the new students arrive. Follow me." Sam followed the man into the enormous entrance hall of Hogwarts castle where she was met by a severe-looking woman. "Here's the new sixth year, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you Hagrid," the woman said, her tone as sharp as her appearance. Sam noticed she was carrying an old, tattered hat in one hand. "Well, let's get to it." Professor McGonagall plopped the hat onto Samantha's head, and before she even knew what was happening, the hat suddenly spoke out loud and shouted, "Gryffindor!"

"Well, that was simple enough," Professor McGonagall said. "Now you can join the rest of the Gryffindors for the start of term feast and you won't have to worry about being sorted in front of the other students." Professor McGonagall lead Sam into the Great Hall where the older students were already seated at their house tables. Sam found a seat between Angelina and Katie who were ecstatic to have her as a Gryffindor, and Alicia assured Sam that it was indeed the best house at Hogwarts. Sam felt overwhelmingly happy and relieved to have made new friends, and enjoyed the start of term feast with the other Gryffindors. Every so often, she would catch Fred staring at her and, much to her surprise, he didn't act like that's what he hadn't been doing. This unsettled Sam, but she chose to ignore him as she shoveled food into her mouth and gabbed happily with the other Gryffindors. Near the end of the feast, the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, made an announcement about the Triwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts. The Great Hall buzzed excitedly, but Samantha, being an American witch, had never heard of the tournament. She asked Katie about it as they walked to their dormitory. As Katie was explaining the dangerous nature of the challenges, Fred Weasley popped up behind the girls. "So Nimbus, what d'you think? Do you want to compete?"

"You have to be 17," she replied simply, staring at Fred as if this were the stupidest question ever asked. He shrugged casually.

"Age restrictions haven't really ever stopped me from doing anything before, so I figure I've got a pretty good shot." He winked cheekily at her. Sam sighed and quickened her pace to catch up to Angelina and Alicia.

"I don't understand his appeal," she said as the girls entered the dormitory. Alicia went quiet as soon as Sam brought up Fred. "I mean, he's arrogant. And not the attractive kind of arrogant either." Sam continued to complain as they climbed the stairs to the girls' rooms. As soon as Angelina opened the door, Unna came bounding up to Sam, jumping at her and licking her face.

"Ohhh, is this your dog?" Alicia cooed, stroking Unna's white fur.

"Yep, this is Unna," Sam replied as she pushed the dog off of her. Sam pointed Unna to the bed and the dog curled up happily at the foot, waiting for her. Sam flopped down on her bed and yawned deeply. "I'm so not ready for tomorrow," she said to Angelina, who was laying in the bed next to Sam's.

"You will be, don't worry. Katie and Alicia and I will watch out for you. Just get some sleep. The first day is always crazy." Sam smiled at Angelina and felt her eyelids grow heavy. She fell asleep quickly, and found herself thrust into a strange dream. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room in the middle of the night, but what she was doing there she couldn't figure. Suddenly, a tall figure emerged at the top of the stairs to the boy's dormitory and began moving towards her. She looked up as he drew closer and was looking into the deep brown eyes of Fred Weasley. "I've been waiting for you, Samantha." His deep voice echoed in the world of her dream, sounding enticing, appealing. He made a sudden move toward her, and Sam sat bolt upright in bed. The early morning sunlight was just beginning to stream in through the dormitory windows. She shook her head, feeling groggy, and pulled herself out of bed. Sam walked down to the common room and settled herself in one of the squashy arm chairs in front of the fire, waiting for her day to begin.

After what felt like hours, Alicia, Katie, and Angelina emerged at the top of the stairs to the girl's dormitory. "Wow, you must've been up early," Angelina observed with a yawn.

"Yeah I got woken up by a weird dream . . . a nightmare really," Sam replied. She glanced over towards the boys dormitory where the sixth years were emerging, preparing to head to breakfast and their first class, potions with the Slytherins. Fred and George Weasley walked out together with their friend Lee Jordan at their side, all looking rather tired. Fred caught Sam's eye and smiled at her. Sam scoffed and turned to Angelina. "Isn't it time for breakfast?" Angelina raised an eyebrow at the hint of annoyance in Sam's voice.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Let's go." Angelina lead the way out of the Gryffindor common room. "So Fred really gets under your skin, does he?" Sam blushed indignantly.

"No . . . I mean, yes. It's just . . ."

"You really need to let it go or people are going to think you're a snob," Katie said with a smile.

"Ugh, I'm not a snob," Sam replied defensively. "He just makes me feel . . . weird when he looks at me." Alicia let out a small cough, and Katie obviously took this as a hint to change the conversation.

"So, Sam, are you going to try out for the house Quidditch team?"

"Oh . . . no, I don't think -"

"Oh, you'd be brilliant!" Alicia exclaimed, her enthusiasm returning as soon as Quidditch was mentioned. Sam smiled awkwardly at the suggestion and let Alicia continue. "Katie, Angelina, and I are all chasers, and Angelina is the captain. I bet if you tried out you'd fit in phenomenally." Sam was beginning to feel more and more uneasy as the conversation dissolved into a full-on discussion about Quidditch. She understood the fundamentals well enough, even if she wasn't able to apply them herself, but even the mention of flying made Sam uneasy. The group finally reached the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table just as the owls were bringing in the morning mail. Sam was pleasantly surprised to see Adri's jet black owl, Obsidian, flying amongst the myriad of owls in the hall next to Sam's barred owl, Salem. Spotting Sam, Obsidian landed gracefully in front of her goblet of pumpkin juice, and Salem, who didn't have anything to deliver, settled on Sam's shoulder. Sam gave Obsidian a friendly scratch and untied the letter from his leg. "You should go get some rest in the owlery," Sam said to the owl. Obsidian hooted softly in response and took off back through the window. Sam unfolded the letter and smiled at Adri's messy scrawl. Even in writing, it was obvious that she talked at a mile a minute.

Sam,

I miss you immensely, obviously, but I hope you're having a fabulous time. I know you've only been gone a few days, but I need to hear all about what you've been up to! Tell me about everyone you've met. Met any cute guys yet? The new semester at Salem starts soon. It won't be the same without you! Write back soon.

Love,

Adri

"Wow, mail already? Someone must be missing you," Katie said, looking over Sam's shoulder at Adri's letter.

"Oh, it's just my best friend back home. Nothing too interesting," Sam replied as she dug in her bag for a piece of parchment and a quill and penned her reply.

Adri,

Everything is going well. Met some really cool new people. You would be disappointed with me as far as the guy situation goes. There do seem to be a couple who are interested, but I barely see one of them and the other one weirds me out, which, on top of his arrogance really kind of takes him out of the dating pool. Hope you have a good year. Write me as soon as you get this.

Love,

Sammy

Sam tied the letter to Salem's leg, offered him a piece of buttered toast, and told him to have a safe journey. The owl took off from Sam's shoulder and left through the window. "Oh no, we're going to be late for potions," Katie groaned. "We better get going. We need to walk all the way to the dungeons." Sam downed the rest of her pumpkin juice and followed the girls out of the Great Hall.

"What's potions like here? Back at Salem, it was one of my favorites. We were just learning how to brew the Draught of Living Death."

"Oh, trust me, potions won't be your favorite class her," Angelina said with a heavy voice. "The potion's master is just awful."

"It can't be that bad," Sam said hopefully. Alicia gave her a dark look that reassured her that, yes, it could be that bad. As Sam stepped into the dark potions' dungeon with her friends, she realized that Angelina and Alicia were right. The dark dungeon was nothing like the cheerful potions room at Salem. The four girls sat down together next to a group of Slytherin boys. As soon as they were seated, the potions' master, Severus Snape came swooping into the dungeon. He quickly assigned partners in his cold, methodical voice. The four girls were split to work with Slytherin partners, Sam being sent to work with someone she'd already met.

"Hello, Samantha," Sebastian greeted in his cool, calm voice.

"Hi Sebastian," Sam replied awkwardly.

"Excited to be working with me?" he asked, offering a lazy smile. Sam smiled in response and began gathering the ingredients for their potion. As the two of them worked together, Sam came to the conclusion that maybe Sebastian wasn't so bad. Sure, he made her feel uncomfortable, but that was just the way Sam was around guys in general. He was a good conversationalist and extremely polite. Plus, whenever Sam would chance a look at Fred, he seemed annoyed that Sam was working with Sebastian, which, in Sam's opinion, was just icing on the cake. Towards the end of the lesson, as Snape instructed everyone to clean up their workspace, Sebastian leaned in close to Sam. "I really enjoyed working with you, Samantha. Maybe I could see you sometime outside of class?" He smiled at her again, his dark eyes glimmering in the dark room.

"Um, sure," Sam replied, feeling her cheeks going pink.

"Great. Next week after potions." Sam felt herself nod, although she wasn't exactly sure what she was agreeing to. That had to be the most vague invitation she'd ever received. As she walked back to join Katie, Alicia, and Angelina, they were all staring at her, wide-eyed.

"What?" Sam queried indignantly.

"Did Sebastian Rone just ask you out?" Angelina asked, the disbelief still painted on her face.

"Yes. So?"

"Well . . . it's just . . . he's a Slytherin," Alicia said in hushed tones.

"So what?" Sam snapped back. "He seems like a decent guy, so I said yes. What's the big deal?"

"Oh . . . nothing," Angelina replied, trying to revert her attitude back to normal. "But," she said, leaning in close and whispering in Sam's ear, "I think someone isn't very happy with you." Sam turned to find who Angelina was talking about just in time to see Fred Weasley, a murderous expression clouding his face, slamming the door to the potions dungeon.