Allie watched the scenery go by out the train window. The beautiful forests with their autumnal hues racing past. As they sprinted away from London and to the mystical world of magic and wonder she could not help but think back to what the man at the bank said. 'first year, full blood'. It had to be a mistake, her parents were not magic. Why would they lie all these years? However, the information about the 'magical Hawshams' nagged at her until a welcome distraction presented itself. A seventh person had slid into their train car. A man on the shorter side with blonde hair and brown eyes.
"You must be Allie!" He said, startling her, she had not been listening to the conversation. "You are the one everyone is talking about!"
"What?" She asked,
"I'm Jack Honeycutt, second year." He slid down next to Nat and Clem and joined in their conversation. Allie learned over to Maxine,
"What is he talking about?"
"People probably heard that there is a 'Hawsham' on the train and assumed the worst." She said, yawning. "The wizarding world is small, so everybody knows everybody. It'll die down quickly." She hoped that Maxine was right. Allie returned to watching the scenery go by for the rest of the trip.
Getting off the train and into the giant castle that was Hogwarts was a blur of people and confusion. However, Allie now found herself in the most nerve wracking situation of her life. What are on the other side of these doors? She asked herself. What lies ahead at this magical school? She stood in a group of other new students, waiting to be let into the hall. Waiting to find out what house she would spend the next five years in. There was a nervous chatter among the crowd. She stood next to a small stringy brunette with olive skin who was humming to herself. The room where they were waiting was large, with huge vaulted ceilings and thick stone walls. Lanterns lined the walls illuminating the grand space. She wondered if the rest of the school was like this. A thunderous roar rippled through the crowd of first years as the doors to the great hall opened. They were herded into the room which was decorated with four long tables spanning the room. Large tapestries of various colors decorated the ceiling above each table. Then began the sorting process. Silas Bardsley was the first name called and he was sorted into Slytherin, then Ella Causey to Hufflepuff, and Flora Collingwood to Slytherin. Charity Devereux went to Gryffindoor, and the process went on.
"Rosalie Hawsham!" A silence fell over the crowd as she walked towards the sorting hat. She looked up at the ceiling, and there appeared to be stars glittering inside the hall. She approached the stool and felt her heart begin to race. The hat barely touched her head before it screamed 'Slytherin!" at the top of its lungs. A cheer erupted from the table with the green tapestry and she made her way towards her friends. The process continued.
"Esther Ecclestone!" The stringy brunette stood and made her way to the hat. She reached the stool and the hat was gently placed on top of her head. There was silence for a while. Longer than a while, the hat sat on her head for what felt like forever. She was on the verge of tears when it finally yelled its verdict.
"Slytherin!" Allie found herself participating in the cheer for the new member of her new house even though she felt that she hadn't earned the right to. After the sorting ceremony came to a close the feast began. The nerves had killed any appetite she had, so she watched her new friends eat and joke and talk the night away.
"I'm so glad you're with us!" Lellie sang, excitement ringing through her voice. She pulled Allie into a strong embrace.
"Why aren't you eating?" Clem asked her a few moments later. He had very rarely spoken around her, and she was startled.
"No appetite. I was so nervous."
"At least try the cherry pie" Jack cut in, shoving a slice onto a place in front of her. She nodded and took a small bite. All the anxiety washed away and a huge grin formed on her face. Her appetite came back and she was able to enjoy the honey glazed chicken, and roast potatoes that came her way.
"When will we get our trunks?" Allie asked the group.
"They will be there when get there tonight." Paige responded,
"And where is 'there'?"
"Our dormitories are in the dungeon." Nat said
"What?" Allie asked, surprised and confused at the same time.
"Don't worry doll, its cozy!" Lellie said with a huge grin. The feast was soon over and each house made their way to their respective common rooms. The Slytherin house squeezed down a tiny stairwell to get to the dungeons. A sigh of relief wafted through the line as the students entered into the warm room from the freezing corridor. The room was large and decorated with green tapestries. Lellie was correct however, it was not uncomfortable despite being a dungeon. Fighting off the exhaustion, she found her way to her bed, changed into her nightclothes and fell asleep.
She slept well for the first time in quite a while. She opened her eyes to light streaming in from the window, a gentle autumn breeze flowing through it. She had not seen her bedroom in the light before, so she inspected the room. Four four-poster beds were in the room, two still occupied. Allie rummaged in her trunk for her uniform, an ugly skirt and sweater, and her toothbrush and began to prepare for the day. Upon returning the items to her luggage, she happened upon the necklace she purchased from the street vendor, and slipped it in her skirt pocket. She made her way to the great hall for breakfast after. She spied her fellow first year Esther sitting alone at the table and sat down next to her. She sat quietly with her eyes closed, with no idea Allie was even there.
"Hey first year" Bennet sat down next to Allie with a muffin in one hand and a goblet in the other.
"Good morning." She replied, annoyed.
"How does it feel to be evil?" He smirked, then took a bite of his muffin.
"Excuse me?" Allie asked, genuinely confused at his comment.
"You're a Slytherin first year. Do you promise to tell me when the murderous urges start?" He asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Why? So you can run away?" She bit back.
"No. I like a challenge." He leaned in towards her. Allie was seething with anger. She had only been part of this house for twelve hours but she already felt a strong allegiance to it.
"Well you're going to get one." She leaned in towards him to call his bluff.
"I like where this is going." He smirked.
"Is he bothering you?" Clem asked from behind the two. They quickly pulled their faces away and Bennet stood up.
"Just some healthy trash talk to rile up the first years." And sauntered off out of the great hall. Clement sat down where Ben previously was.
"How did you sleep?" He asked, reaching some porridge.
"Really well actually. What about you?"
"Well they load the food down at the feast with herbs that make you sleep, so really well."
"Really?" Allie asked, surprised.
"No." He laughed, "they don't drug the students." Allie felt a tingle of embarrassment flush her cheeks.
"What classes do you have today?" He asked, still smirking.
"Charms, transfiguration, potions, and astronomy. Everything else is tomorrow and flying is Friday."
"Is there anything you are excited about?"
"Potions I think." She said. She reached for a goblet of fluid on the platter in front of her and took a sip. "Is this pumpkin juice?"
"I have never heard of anyone being excited for potions. And yeah, it is."
"Well I guess I'm just a huge nerd then." She laughed.
"You are too pretty to be a huge nerd-" He began to say, but was cut off by Jack Honeycutt slamming himself down at the table with them. He began throwing himself onto the table grabbing at the goblets and chugging them one after another.
"What the fuck is wrong with him?" Allie asked, concerned.
"Someone gave him a desert mouth candy. It absorbs all the moisture in your mouth and it takes forever to get it back." Nat said as he sat down with them. "I always tell him that he's too trusting." They continued their casual conversation as their friend writhed on the ground in pain.
"Are you going to play quidditch this year Clem?" a student that Allie didn't recognize asked from down the table.
"Quiddich?" Allie was beginning to get used to being completely lost all the time.
"Quiddich, my dear first year, is the greatest wizarding sport is history." A voice from behind her said. She turned and saw Bennet. Anger began to boil inside her. "And you are speaking to Gryffindor's Quiddich captain."
"Yeah I think I'll play again this year." Clem said, Bennet smiled.
"Finally, some damn good competition. First year, your friend here is the best fucking keeper I have ever seen."
"What's a keeper?"
"You, my dear first year", Bennet says, pointing at Allie, and walking away. She sneered at him.
"A keeper is a player who keeps the balls from going into the hoops so the other team doesn't score." Clem explained.
"Like a goalie?" The others in the group stared blankly at Allie.
"Looks like it's time to head to class." Nat said, rising from his seat at the table. The rest of the group followed suit, leaving the hall to start the first day of a new term.
Potions was Allies last class during the day, and it was in the dungeons by the common room. The potions classroom was not as comfortable as the warm common room. A horrible draft whipped at their clothes and sent shivers down the student's spines. She was at a table with Esther Ecclestone and Flora Collingwood, who were her roommates. The room was quiet save for a few whispers among students. A tall skinny woman entered, her hair was wiry and stringy and wild.
"I am Vertiline Lockwood, your potions instructor." She said as she slinked across the room to the front. "I am also the head of house Slytherin" She flicked her finger and a piece of chalk began to write the things she was saying on the board behind her.
"Potions are the physical manifestations of magic." She started concocting something at her workstation, "Fairy wings, morning dew, fresh rose, unicorn hair" She was mumbling to herself as she worked. Finally, she finished and drank the potion. In an instant, the woman who stood before them was gone, and was replaced by a very beautiful woman.
"Each step and ingredient plays an important part of that manifestation. If I were to have used the wrong number of fairy wings in that beautification potion, I would be a ball of sludge… There is one step that is different between 2 potions. One that removes your ability to talk for the rest of your life, and another that makes you babble like an idiot.". She returns to her workstation and concocts a second potion, which makes her look normal again.
"Potions, are the most meticulous magic." She cleans off her workstation and retrieves the textbook from her desk. "If you make a single mistake… It could be deadly." The students stared at her in a combination of horror and awe.
"Alright, turn to page twelve, we will be making a simple potion to cure boils."