Keep Holding On

- Avril Lavigne

Professor Burbage left them in front of the train, leaving them so they were able to say goodbye properly.

The train station of 9 3/4 was filled with the noise of thousands of families saying goodbye and the noise of the train starting. Abby looked at all the families with their own trollies packed with their cases, pets and other required material. Some of the boys and girls even brought broomsticks. She looked at them curiously. Where they going to learn how to fly? Well, obviously. We are witches afterall. Abby thought while rolling her eyes at her own extent.

"Abby, did we really just run through a wall? Because I think we did but that's not really possible right?" Jane was white as a sheet with her eyes open wide looking at nowhere. That's when Abby noticed she hadn't said anything since they'd gone through the wall.

"Really Jane? You've found out I'm a witch, they sent a witch to fetch us, we even bought a wand! And know it kicks in?" She shook her head unbelievingly, even though she too was a but shocked about all this. Even if she was shocked she wasn't going to say no to an opportunity to leave her terrible town.

"Careful!" Abby heard someone call in her direction and quickly turned around not sure what she was going to find. She felt a sense of dread as she remembered all the times someone had called to her like that and she had recieved a ball in her face or, like the time before, a glass of water.

Instead she saw a ball a bit bigger than a fist flying towards her at an incredibly fast rate. Abby closed her eyes readying herself for the collision but after a few seconds no pain came and she slowly opened her eyes. Looking at her was a boy a few inches taller than her with dirty blond hair and warm brown eyes. She then noticed that he was holding the ball.

"Don't worry I catched it!" he said smiling from ear to ear. "I was playing pocket-quidditch, practicing as a seeker. My stepfather says I could get in the team next year," He continued to ramble on about that game while Abby just stared at him. It seemed his mouth was a nonstopable machine, he just talked and talked in a manner that assumed that you had to want to listen to him and Abby just wanted to make him stop.

"Stop, please. Can't you quiet down for a second? And what is quidditch anyway? It looks more like you're playing ball." The question appeared to astonish him enough that he just stared at her with his eyes open wide. Abby felt her cheeks redden at his gaping. It felt insulting so Abby automatically raised her eyebrow at him and responded in a harsh annoyed tone: "What? Do I have something on my

face?"

The boy, who she didn't know the name yet of continued ogling at her unattractively. "How don't you know what quidditch is? Are your parents muggles or something?" The boy just looked at her as if she was an alien while she tried to remember what 'muggle' meant. Abby knew Professor Burbage had mentioned it. She scrutinized her mind until she remembered. The term 'Muggle' was what magical people used to refer to non-magical ones; was that... bad?

Even if it was bad it wasn't as if she was going to give him the pleasure of seeing her baffled or embarrased of being who she was. That wasn't what her mother had taught her (one of the few things) and she wasn't going to start being ashamed now.

"Yes, my parents are non-magical if that is what you're asking. Is there a problem wih that?" Abby, then, gave the boy the best practiced bitch face she could muster and looked at him as if he was durt, expecting a condescending comment.

Instead the boy just beamed at her and started babbling about how his stepfather was a muggle too and millions of other things. The boy, who in between excited chatter introduced himself as Dylan Blishwick,was very excited about her being muggle-born and insisted in showing her everything she needed to know about the magical world and Hogwarts. Abby only opened her mouth a few times, just enough to show Dylan he had her attention: Abby thought she had learned more about him in a few minutes than she could have of a friend in a few years. Dylan had an older brother and a younger sister; the elder was in Gryffindor and the younger would start studying next year.

Soon, but not soon enough in Abby's opinion, it was time to get inside the train and the train wistled commanding. Abby turned around and looked at Jane, ready to say goodbye. Jane's eyes were prickling with unshed tears, feeling the opposite way to Abby: not ready to let her go.

"Don't worry Jane, I'll write to you as often as I can, though I don't promise much. Everything is going to be fine, it's not like it's my first day in school, it's just my first day in a different school -for magical people-" Abby knew she was talking too much but she couldn't help trying to comfort Jane and probably herself -though she wouldn't say that- from the upcomming departure.

Jane just looked at her with glimmering eyes and hugged her in a bone-crushing embrace. She then mumbled incoherent things on Abby's head while kissing her head at the same time.

Abby felt the dread of the separation as she gathered her belongings and held her cat which she had named Janette. Her eyes stung but she wasn't going to let any tear fall so she quickly started towards the Hogwarts Express. Soon the sadness changed into nerves and excitement. Afterall she was just an eleven year old girl about to start the most exilerating part of her life up until now.

Dylan was like a very bossy puppy and as soon as they got in the train he, quote, 'offer you my splendid company and my grand knowledge' and went with her without her consent. Abby noticed Dylan liked to be in charge and though he was kind in the way he talked and acted he wanted to order people around so instead of accompanying her, he guided them through the aile until the reached a compartment that was reasonably empty. There was just a girl with black hair reading a book so they decided to go in (well, Dylan decided to go in).

"Hello! Do you mind if we sit with you, the other compartments are all too full," Dylan said as they entered the room, not offering a chance for refusal. The girl said yes, lifting briefly her attention from the book to look at them before proceeding with her reading. "My name's Dylan by the way, and this is Abigail, but I call her Abby." Abby looked at him incredously.

"Only friends call me Abby," actually, only Jane and her father did.

"That's why I call you Abby, duh" he said with a tone that implied it was obvious.

"When did we become friends? When did I agree to that?"

"We became friends when we met, dummy. And you don't agree to that kind of things, they just happen!"

"Well I certainly wasn't iluminated by the knowledge that we were."

Abby felt her cheeks redden at a fast pace even though Dylan didn't seem offended by the remarks but more annoyed by her not agreeing. It wasn't that she didn't want Dylan as a friend, it was more that she hadn't expected or even thought that Dylan would want to be her friend and the prospect of having one so fast scared her.

Abby and Dylan were woken from their trance by the laughter of the girl sitting across from them. Her long striaght hair was now covering her face and her very pale and slightley freckled face was know covered by a slight blush.

"God, you're so weird both of you!" Dylan smiled contently at the comment while Abby looked at her offended. "My name is Lucia Prince by the way, but you two can call me Lucy anyway, since your logic states that we're friends now." Lucy looked at them with an amused smile and her once dull blue eyes were struck by light and happiness.

That seemed to break the ice and all of them laughed and they soon engaged in a conversation which was actually Dylan talking with Abby giving side remarks and Lucy commenting were she deemed appropriate.

"So," Dylan continued after a few minutes of silently eating sweets -Abby couldn't yet believe she had eaten a toilet water flavoured jelly bean. "Which House do you think you will be sorted in? I really don't mind in which one I end up as they're all pretty cool. I'd like to end up in Gryffindor like my brother but he says I'll be sorted into Hufflepuff. I think it'd be nice to be sorted into any of those though, if I make good friends then that's that."

Abby wasn't sure how to answer the question. Dylan had said that there were four houses in Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw but he hadn't detailed much about them and instead talked about how neat the sorting hat was. Instead of talking she let Lucy answer who didn't look very keen on taling either.

"I think you'll definitely fit into Hufflepuff my friend. Well, my older sister was sorted into Ravenclaw, don't ask me why, but I expect to be sorted in that house too. I am, if you let me say, quite good in the academic ways and I really enjoy studying so I'll probably end up there. I am prepared to go there too, as I have already read all of the necessary books plus some of next year from my sister."

The two others were left looking at her as if she had said the most disgusting thing ever.

"You've read them all? I haven't even opened mine yet!" Dylan vociferated both their thoughts.

In return, she looked at them proudly and smirked.

"Well, that's why I will be a Ravenclaw and you two will be Hufflepuffs. So, Abby, where do you think you'll be sorted in?" At that, they both looked at her and she panicked. She didn't know anything about them and was afraid of being seen as an idiot.

"Since I do not know what makes each House different from the other I do not know how to answer that question" she said simply, trying as hard as she could to not lower her gaze timidly.

At Lucy's astonishment, Dylan explained that Abby was a Muggle-born and therefore didn't know anything about how Hogwarts worked.

"Then we can rule out Slytherin for you, girl. I don't think Muggle-borns have ever been sorted in that house; even if they had I don't think they came out alive."

Abby wasn't sure what to make out of that. She still wasn't yet certain how people saw... people like her.

Thankfully, Dylan was there to break through Abby's dim thoughts with an explanation of what exactly each house was (with one or two comments from Lucy).

Gryffindor is the house of the brave and adventurous. My brother was sorted there. He is kind of adventurous, always been up for mischief but I wouldn't say he's brave at all. (Lucy seem to deem that his explanation wasn't very accurate for she raised an eyebrow and closed her book which she hadn't closed until now, and added "They are more like the stupidly impulsive people who, even if they don't say it, think they're better than the rest)

Ravenclaws are very intelligent and boring. They love to learn and work. My second cousin Larry was sorted there. He used to read all throughout summer and could recite probably all the poems ever written. He's very nice but kind of a douche. (For you information, Ravenclaws are nothing but intellectual and talented wizards and even if we aren't awarded much, we are the witches and wizards who have given the Magical world most of its useful essence.) You haven't even been sorted yet!

Going back to the important stuff, Hufflepuffs are the loyal and hardworking ones, they are also the ones who'll make the best of friends. That's what I think, no matter what my brother says about them. (You can also describe them as the naïve and kind ones. My sister says they'll believe anything, one day..) Shush! She doesn't want to know about your sister!

At last, Slytherins. They are the ambitious and conniving ones. They are capable of stabbing you in the back if necessary but I heard that the actually look out for each other. (Don't listen to him, they are pure evil. They only care about Pure-bloods and being the best...)

At this point Abby was staring at them with the biggest smile she could ever remember having until now. The image of these people (friends?) quarrelling about trivial stuff was definitely amusing, and seeing Dylan standing up and defending his position as leader while Lucy, who had recommenced her reading, gave him light remarks, gave her a warm sensation. She thought she could get used to this. Having friends. It felt exciting and frightening at the same time. She was scared that she'd be hurt again, or be disappointed by the people she treasured, but somehow, looking at her friends made her think it wasn't possible.

She didn't mind anymore in which house she ended in, but she sincerely hoped to be sorted in the same house as one of these two.

The Sorting Ceremony was going on smoothly, at least it looked like it. As they got closer to the 's' Abby's nerves grew stronger and stronger. She was scared of being alone, of not achieving what she wanted. Of being a failure. Above all she wanted to go high, in all the possible ways. A few minutes ago she had the strong conviction that she would be able to achieve everything she desired, from fame to acceptance, but somehow as Tyler Rivers was called all her confidence had suddenly faded. She looked around and found Lucy looking at her from the Ravenclaw table with an encouraging smile, still with the book in her hands wide open and she also searched for Dylan's face in the Hufflepuff table. Dylan was chatting with some people from his house, which didn't surprise her and she didn't feel hurt or ignored by the lack of attention but hoped to get some kind of signal from him either way. Okay, she felt slightly offended but tried not to think much into it. After all she had only spent a few hours with them.

"Abigail Summers", she heard Headmaster McGonagall say. She gulped her fear and forced some blood to flow through he face and limbs as she slowly but as confident as she could make her strides, walked to the stool where the famous Sorting Hat awaited her.

The hat was placed upon her and immediately she was greeted by an elderly and wise voice which seemed to come from the hat. Abby's eyes widened in a silent screech as the hat chuckled at her scare. Abby sent him the best "shut up" image she could think of. The hat seemed to have gotten her message and proceeded to recite a poem about the Houses. Abby couldn't but think that the hat was taking too much time to get to a decision. Wasn't he supposed to read her thoughts and immediately know where she should go?

"You are a tricky one, Miss Summers," the hat answered. "You have the ambition for Slytherin but also the wit of a Ravenclaw. I'd say you'd be very good in both. But in which will you succeed and rise furher?" Aren't you the one supposed to tell me that? Perfect, I've been given the defective magical hat... The hat just sighed and shouted out loud so that everyone would hear him: SLYTHERIN!