The First Years
First Glimpses
"It looks great," Katrina murmured, staring intently at the scene.
"You're really good," Scorpius whispered, awestruck.
"Is that us," Albus asked, shocked.
"Not bad for my first attempt at humans, eh?"
"Not bad? It's amazing!" Scorpius exclaimed.
"You guys really think so?"
"Of course!" Katrina declared hotly. "You even have all the Bertie-Botts Every-Flavor Beans in the right places!"
"How would you know," Albus questioned her.
"Photographic memory," Katrina replied with a flip of her hand, dismissing the importance.
My ass, I thought, but decided not to say that particular comment aloud. Instead I looked out the window, only then noticing how dark it was outside. "We'll be arriving at Hogwarts soon. You three had better get your robes on," I remarked to the three still looking at my drawing.
"Right," Albus responded. "We'll step outside while Katrina changes, then."
"Gryffindor for sure," I heard Scorpius mutter under his breath as he followed Al out of the compartment.
Katrina and I looked at each other as the door slid shut, and we both let out a small chuckle. "Can't disagree with him there," I laughed as Katrina took down her trunk.
"So, did your parents go to Hogwarts," I asked Katrina nonchalantly.
"No," was the muffled reply as Katrina undressed. "Dad's as human as you can get, and mom had too much on her mind to even think of going to school, plus the spells are a bit complicated. But she wanted me to go." She was finally pulling her robes on one piece at a time, starting with the skirt.
"Spells?"
"Time travel and reverse aging spells. They're a lot harder than people make them sound," Katrina replied as she worked on the white button-down top. At my confused look she elaborated. "I'm from a small village. It's not like I can just go away for the school year, then go back to the day I left, because I've aged."
"Ah," I affirmed as I stood to help Katrina with the black tie.
Katrina smirked, as if she knew I didn't really understand, but was doing my best to hold my questions back. "Come on," Katrina said as she picked up the outer robes. "Let's not keep the boys waiting."
She pulled on her outer robe as she opened the door and, smiling, said, "Your turn boys."
"Reverse aging spells, eh," I asked as the compartment door slid shut.
"Well, not exactly reverse aging," Katrina explained as she leaned against the wall. "They don't make you any younger, they just make you look younger."
"Ah," I commented, finally understanding, and with that we both fell to silence as we waited for the boys to finish getting changed. Until, that is, I breathed deeply and smelled what I thought to be blood. "Do you smell something?"
Katrina took a deep breath. "No. Why, do you smell something?"
"I think someone's coming. They've got a cut." No sooner had I finished, than did Scorpius open the door.
"You ladies can come in now- if you like, that is," Scorpius smirked.
Katrina and I rolled our eyes at each other as we entered. I sat down, noting once again how dark it was outside. "The prefects will be coming soon," I commented to no one in particular.
"Why would the prefects be coming," Katrina puzzled aloud.
"Oh, right! I'd almost forgotten we have a firsty," I laughed.
"Firsty," Katrina questioned before I could continue.
"First generation Hogwarts student," Al supplied. "And you really can't speak, Rose."
"As I had been saying," I continued, ignoring Al's last comment. "The prefects come around to tell us the school rules. We shall be told them two more times today alone- once before the sorting, and once before the banquet."
"Yes, and here is the first time," we heard a voice say from the opening compartment door. Cousin Victoire was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face- and a bandaged hand at her side. "I told your parents you'd have no trouble making friends- seems I was right," She directed playfully at me and Al, flipping her red blond hair out of her face. She sat down next to me, and her tone turned purely business. "Firstly, and most importantly, the forest on the grounds is strictly forbidden to all pupils. Magic is not to be used between classes in the corridors. You will be told more about the houses and house rules before the Sorting Ceremony."
As Victoire had been speaking the train had begun to slow down, and as she finished a voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Victoire jumped up and went to the door, "Well guys, that's my cue. I'll see you at the sorting!" With that she left. A second later she poked her head back in. "Oh, and Malfoy, be nice to my cousins, will you." We could all hear the implied threat in her voice ringing in our ears as she left.
"Ignore Victoire," Al said as we got up and worked our way through the thronging crowd. "She's just protective." We hadn't gotten very far up the train when the whispers started. "I don't get what the big deal is, it's not like we did anything" Al murmured to me as we continued to walk.
"Don't look at that way, Al," I muttered back to him. "Look at it this way." I raised my voice and said, "It is really hard to get through this crowd! You would think with everyone going in the same direction it wouldn't be so tough." And with those words the going got much easier.
"Uncle Ron is going to be so mad when you make Slytherin," Albus whispered in my ear. I ignored him.
We came out onto a small, dark platform and immediately heard a high female voice saying "First years! First years, over here! First years!" We pushed our way through the thinning crowd and came to stand in front of a rather tall young woman- no older than 18, really- in black satin robes. "Hello Rose, Albus," Opal Maxime practically shouted, obviously relieved to see us. "How have you been?"
"Fine," I answered. "A little neverous. Yourself?"
"Same." She looked over our heads at the sixty or seventy people gathered behind us. "Is that everyone? Good. Follow me!" We all proceeded to follow the lantern that Opal was holding, that being easier to spot than her black-clad form. We walked in silence until Opal shouted over her shoulder, "You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a second! Just around this bend!"
Immediately people began to crane their necks to get their first look at their home for the next seven years. We finished rounding a bend I hadn't even known we'd been taking, and there it was- Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
I hope you all like the chapter. Please, point out any spelling or grammar mistakes. I don't have a beta (though one would be welcome). Tell me what you think, whether you love it, hate it, or are somewhere in between going "what in the world?" I'd love to hear what you have to say.
-Morzan's Elvish Daughter
