Nadiahz, you are my hero! Thanks for the review! I was beginning to wonder if I was wasting my time with this story, even though I want to write it soooo bad! I'm not the type that holds a story hostage just to get reviews, but they do help my muse a lot, so thank you! To the ones have added this to your alerts and favorites, thanks to you all as well!
Everything, every thought, feeling and breath was squeezed out of Aileen as she fell deeper into the blackness. It felt as though gravity itself was being sucked from the air surrounding her. She tried to scream, tried to get Snape's attention, but no matter how hard she tried, the words would not come out. It was as if steel bars were pressed against her chest. There was no way a breath could be felt through her screaming lungs. Aileen panicked, thinking something had gone wrong and her fingers dug into Snape's skin. She felt him tighten his hold on her, squeezing her hand twice. Was that a sign that this was normal? Was it a sign that it would be over soon?
At the last moment, when she felt she could take no more, the world came into view again. The blackness melted and in its place was the bright sunshine. Aileen's feet hit pavement and she was thrust forward. Her tight hold on Snape was broken and she felt him grab for her, but he was too late. She stumbled, face first, into the ground, pain searing up her arms where she tried to break her fall. It was the least of her worries as the dizziness took over and she felt the bile rise from her stomach.
Aileen lay there, not sure she had the strength to get up. Snape was bending down beside her, his hand coming to rest gently on the small of her back. She shook her head, letting him know she wasn't ready to move. The dizziness intensified, which didn't help the nausea. What on earth was that and why would anyone want to travel that way? She made a mental note to NEVER try that again.
"It would help if you sit up, placing your head between your knees," Snape said softly.
That wasn't a possibility at the moment. Again, Aileen shook her head. Just that movement alone had her moaning through the nausea. Against her protests, she felt Snape grab her shoulders and gently sit her up. His other hand went to the back of her neck and he gently pushed her head down between her legs. Aileen had to admit, it was working. The dizziness eased some and the nausea released its hold on her stomach just a fraction. She began to breathe deeply, the smell of fuel and coal hitting her scenes.
"I should have given you better warning about what it feels like to Apparate. It takes practice to get used to the sensations, but we had no choice," Snape said.
"So, that-was-a-successful-Apparition?" Aileen said through slow breaths.
"Yes. If it was not, you would know."
"D-don't tell me what happens when it doesn't work. I-I can't take it right now," Aileen said, rubbing her shaking hands over her face.
"Do not worry, Miss Krimbling. You will not be able to perform Apparition until your sixth year," Snape said as he stood to his feet.
"N-no thanks, not even then."
It took a while before Aileen felt half-way to normalcy again. The dizziness had all but subsided, though the nausea still wanted to rear its ugly head. She began to be aware of her surroundings and the noises. She could hear laughter and talk just ahead of her. There was a loud sound like that of an engine.
Taking a chance, Aileen raised her head and noticed they were at a train station. The name, plastered on the front of a building read King's Cross Station. All around her, the people gathered with their luggage, their faces showing excitement. She turned to look at Snape and noticed him looking at his watch.
"It's ten forty-five, Miss Krimbling. The train will be leaving soon, so you must hurry," Snape said without looking at her.
Aileen felt a sting of nervousness, for it sounded as if Snape wouldn't be coming with her. As slowly as possible, she got to her feet. For a moment, Aileen swayed, but Snape grabbed her, holding her in place. Once she regained her equilibrium, he let go of her. Aileen gave him a thankful smile.
"As you enter the train station, you will be looking for the platform between nine and ten. It will not be visible of course, but it is called platform nine and three-quarters. You will find a brick wall between the two platforms and you will run through it," Snape explained.
"Run, through a brick wall?" Aileen asked uncomfortably.
Snape sighed audibly, as if dealing with a stupid child. Did he really expect her to know all of this? And what was to happen if she ran through the wrong brick wall? A horrible image of her hitting a solid wall and falling to the ground unconscious flashed through her mind.
"Keep your eyes open, Miss Krimbling. I'm sure you will see some of the other students and parents doing just as I'm telling you."
"W-why can't you come show me?" Aileen asked in a small voice.
Snape rolled his eyes. "Because, I am needed back at Hogwarts before the students arrive there. I should have been back hours ago," he huffed.
Aileen realized she was on her own. With one final breath to gain her courage, she said, "Platforms nine and ten, brick wall in the middle, will lead me to nine and three-quarters."
"Very good. Well then, I will see you tonight at the Welcoming Feast," Snape said, and without giving her a chance to say goodbye, he wound his robes about him and disappeared.
Inside the train station, Aileen dodged several people hurrying around her. Her wide-eyes looked around, mesmerized at her surroundings. It was the first time she had ever been to a train station. "Wow," she breathed.
With her one piece of luggage, Aileen began walking down the rows of platforms, calling out the numbers as she went. "five…six…seven…eight…," she whispered.
Finally, she looked between platforms nine and ten. Sure enough, there stood a brick wall. Aileen swallowed hard, feeling her nervousness etch higher. "Just run through it, yes?" she said quietly.
She noticed several people standing about, close to the brick wall she was to run through. Aileen studied them for a moment, sure they were all related. Each one had blazing, red hair. She watched, a hint of a small smile on her face, as the woman (the mother obviously) was hugging and giving out kisses to her children. Off to the side, but still close enough to the family for Aileen to assume he was with them was a boy that looked nothing like the red-heads. His hair was dark and messy. On his face, he wore glasses and he looked just as nervous and lost as she did. Aileen took comfort in this, knowing she wasn't the only one that didn't understand a thing that was going on. Without being suspicious, she crept closer to the family, just enough to be in hearing distance.
"Okay boys, you go first and we'll follow. Just watch them Harry dear, they'll show you how it's done," the woman said.
Aileen looked on eagerly as the boys ran through the brick wall and disappeared out of sight. Before she could stop herself, she gasped loudly. Every pair of eyes turned to her. Aileen laughed weakly, feeling completely embarrassed.
"Well, hello there dear," the woman said.
"Hi," Aileen said back weakly.
"Is there something we can help you with?" the man, who must be the father, asked politely.
"Um, no-well maybe. I-was just w-wondering how to g-get to platform nine and three quarters, but I-I think I was j-just shown," Aileen stuttered.
The man and woman smiled warmly at her, nodding their heads and letting her know that, in fact, she had found the way to platform nine and three-quarters.
"Looks like we're picking up all kinds of strays today, eh?" the man said. Aileen bit the side of her mouth to keep from laughing as the woman's elbow made contact with the man's side. He made an oomph sound and grabbed his aching body part.
"My name is Molly Weasley, dear, and this oaf is Author," she said pointing to the man, who was still rubbing his side.
"Hi, I'm Aileen Krimbling."
"Your first year at Hogwarts?" Molly asked. Aileen nodded her head. "Well, isn't that wonderful, Author, another first-year. You will love it, both me and my husband attended in our day. Every one of our children will attend too. As a matter of fact, this is our son Ron's first year."
Just then, Aileen noticed a boy, around her age, standing with the dark haired boy. He waved at her embarrassingly and Aileen, again, had to keep herself from laughing. "Ron, Harry, come here," Molly called.
The two boys walked slowly towards the woman, their eyes downcast, as if all they wanted was to be on the train headed to Hogwarts. Aileen knew the feeling. She wanted to be settled and have this over with. Her nerves were completely shot.
"Aileen, this is my son Ron and a friend, Harry Potter," Molly said, looking pointedly at Aileen, as if she should give some reaction to the two boys.
When all she did was say hello, Molly looked confused. "It's Harry Potter, dear," Molly said again.
"Mum!" Ron groaned out.
Again, as she did before, Aileen gave a small hello and a wave. The boy named Harry Potter was turning three shades of red and just gave a half smile.
"Oh my, the girl doesn't even know who Harry is," she whispered quietly to her husband.
"Molly, hunny, let's just get the kids settled on the train shall we?" Author said, as he swept the boys away towards the brick wall. Molly, for her part, just threw up her hands and with a deep sigh and held her hand out to Aileen.
"Well, come on dear, we'll go together," the woman coaxed.
Her small hand fit into Molly's easily and on the count of three, they ran towards the brick wall. At the very last second, Aileen's terror grabbed a hold of her and she tried to stop her run. Molly held on tightly and before Aileen knew it, she was passing through a dark corridor, almost like a tunnel. It was over as quick as it started and she found herself looking directly at a large train. On the front, it read Hogwarts Express. She had made it.
"Run along dear, you only have a few minutes left," Molly said beside her.
"Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Aileen said smiling.
Aileen began walking towards the entrance of the train. All around her, kids and their families were saying their goodbyes. For just a moment, she allowed the sting of the absence of her parents to hit her square in the chest. She would never know what it would feel like for her parents to see her off. With a sad sigh, she climbed aboard the train.
Walking down the aisle, there were several compartments filled with chattering students, all of whom sounded excited. Every time she went to open one of the compartments, the students inside would close it shut, explaining there was no room. She would nod her head in understanding and continue her search. She heard Ron's voice just up ahead and took a chance that they would allow her to sit in their compartment.
"Sorry about earlier, Mate. My mum can be a little over the top at times," Ron said.
"It's okay. I thought your parents were really nice to help me out," Harry responded.
Their talk died down as Aileen came into view. The boys looked at her and she looked back. Not a word was spoken for several minutes and Aileen was considering just walking away. Maybe, she could stand up for the entire trip, though she didn't know how far away Hogwarts was.
"Would you like to have a seat?" Harry asked.
With a sigh of relief, Aileen nodded her head and smiled. She crammed into the compartment with the two boys and made herself comfortable.
"We met on the platform," Aileen said softly.
"Yeah, we remember," Ron shot embarrassingly.
Aileen studied the boy directly in front of her. Molly had made such a big deal out of his name, as if she should have known him or something. For a moment, she thought about asking, but chose to remain silent. They had been nice enough to let her sit with them. She didn't want to make them angry. Something caught her attention on the boy's forehead. His hair was partly in the way, but she could see enough of it to make out that it was a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. She thought it most peculiar and yet, familiar.
"That must have hurt," Aileen said, before she could stop her mouth from opening.
Both sets of eyes were staring at her, as if she had slapped them in the face. Ron's face turned red and she could tell he was angry, but Harry just looked at her, relief showing in his eyes.
"That's not funny. What, you playing some kind of joke? Did Malfoy send you in here?" Ron spat.
"Did I say something wrong?" Aileen asked sincerely.
"I thought the little stunt on the platform, you acting as if you didn't know Harry, was fishy, but now I know you were acting all along," Ron said, still angered.
"Ron, calm down. It's okay, I don't think she knows," Harry mumbled.
"Yeah, right," Ron mumbled back, his arms crossing about his chest.
Aileen was about to open her mouth to speak, but the compartment door came open again and a small girl with bushy hair walked in. Her eyes roamed over the compartment's inhabitants before she took a seat beside Aileen. For the rest of the trip, the girl talked non-stop and in that time, Aileen learned exactly who Harry Potter was and why she should have known him all along. The only thing going through her mind during that time was a feeling of dread working its way down her spine.
Silence had fallen between the four as night fell outside the window. Aileen watched the darkened scene pass in and out of her vision. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. She was excited, scared, happy, sad…everything. The girl with the bushy head, who had introduced herself as Hermione Granger, was still talking non-stop. Aileen didn't mind, though. Looking over at the two boys, she noticed Harry lazily looking out the window and Ron fast asleep, his head lolling about his neck.
A short time later, the train began to slow its movements. The sound of the train's whistle and the screeching of the tires alerted every student that their destination was near. Aileen sat up, her eyes looking out the window to see if she could see anything. There was nothing but pitch-black darkness.
A man came walking down the aisle, yelling for everyone to exit the train and that they had made it to Hogwarts. Aileen stood, her one bag in her hand, and followed the other three outside. Before she and the others could hit the first step, they were pushed aside by three boys. Aileen looked over, her face red with anger and she recognized the boy from Diagon Alley. His white-blond hair was streaked back on his head, his face showing a sneer.
"Watch it Potter, Weasley, Granger," he spat. "Next time, get out of my way."
The boy's eyes landed on Aileen and they softened a bit. She wanted to hit him for his arrogance, but she reigned in her temper. "My name's Draco Malfoy," he said, extending his hand. "Take my advice, stay away from these three losers." When Aileen made no move to take his hand, he scoffed at her. With a flick of his head, he and his friends exited the train.
"He's nice," Aileen said sarcastically. The other three just nodded their heads.
They made their way off the train and into the night. They heard a booming voice and looking over, a man the size of a tree was walking towards them, his lantern raised in the air. He was directing the students on where they needed to go. Aileen heard the first years being directed towards the boats and the rest were directed elsewhere.
As soon as Aileen sat in the boat with Harry, Ron and Hermione, she received her first glimpse of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her eyes grew wide with amazement as she watched the school getting closer. It stood on a cliff, overlooking the darkened waters. From every viewpoint, a light could be seen shining through the massive windows, as if to welcome all students. The top of the school reached towards the heavens. Its massive, stoned walls sat against the backdrop of the night.
Aileen let out a shaky breath, too overcome with awe to speak words. No one in the boat spoke, their eyes staring towards the towering building before them. It was more than Aileen could have ever hoped for and a large smile began to build on her lips.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," the giant man, known as Hagrid, whispered.
The boats came to a halt and Aileen staggered out, trying to get her feet underneath her. Underneath the shadows of the school, her neck craned up as far as it would go. In the darkness, the massive building looked haunting and surreal. Aileen's mouth came open, her eyes bugging out of her head.
"Right this way kids," Hagrid said.
Aileen followed the giant towards the entrance to the school. Standing at the door, the light bouncing off her back, was a woman in a large, black hat. Aileen looked closely at the woman to get a better look at her face. She had a hard look about her, yet her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
When all the students gathered around the woman, she raised her hands to quiet the excited chatter. "Can I have your attention please, that's right, everyone pay attention to my instructions," the woman yelled. The first-years grew quiet, waiting to hear what she had to say. " My name is Professor Mcgonagall and I will be leading you all into the Great Hall as one group. Each student will step before the sorting hat and there you will be sorted into your Houses. After that, you will join the table where the House you belong to is sitting and we will all enjoy the Welcoming Feast."
As soon as she was satisfied that all students heard her instructions, she turned and went into the school. Aileen and the group of first-years followed her. Up the stairs and through large, wooden doors, Aileen found herself awestruck again. The room was massive, with floating candles just above their heads, the night sky showing above the candles. Millions of twinkling stars winked as if they were alive. In the middle of the room sat four sections of tables. There were already students sitting in the chairs, watching the first-years as they made their way into the room. Aileen looked to the front of the room and found several older looking men and women watching them. She figured they must be the Professors.
Aileen looked around wanting to see one Professor in particular and there he was, sitting in the middle of the table. His black orbs were on her and she smiled at him. He did not return the smile but kept his face as still as stone. Immediately, Aileen's smile fell from her face. She looked away from him to another man. He stood before a podium, an owl sat in the front. He, too, was watching her over half-mooned glasses. His eyes were kind and warm with a hint of a twinkle. She felt relaxed immediately when she looked upon the man.
The first-years came to a halt, all of them nervous and excited. From the corner of the room, Aileen watched Mcgonagall bring out a stool and what looked to be an old, black hat. After a long speech from the man, who introduced himself as Albus Dumbledore, the students began to be sorted into their house, their names being called alphabetically. There were loud cheers as the sorting hat yelled, "Hufflepuff! Gryffindor! Ravenclaw! Slytherin!" Each time, the student stood and ran to their respective tables to a celebration of hand clapping and pats on the back.
Finally, it was Aileen's turn. With her heart pumping through her chest, she stumbled, more than walked, to the stool. Every set of eyes were on her at that moment and she felt like she would faint. She tried to calm her breathing to relax, but the harder she did, the worse she felt. Aileen coaxed herself to keep going, reminding herself that it would be over soon.
The stool was within arm's reach and she grabbed it, almost knocking it to the floor. It made such a loud raucous and she felt like dying on the spot. Professor Mcgonagall reached out with her free hand, helping her to fix the stool. There were a few pockets of laughter, but with one look from Dumbledore, all grew quiet again. Out of the corner of Aileen's eyes, she watched, in slow motion, as the hat was raised. It went past her shoulders, just above her head when it yelled out and she almost jumped from the stool in fright.
"Slytherin!"
She felt Mcgonagall stiffen beside her. Looking up, Aileen noticed the sorting hat dangling in mid-air. It had never reached the top of her head. She quickly looked up at the woman, seeing if it was a bad sign or not. The woman's eyes were staring at Dumbledore, but he paid her no attention. His eyes were directly on Snape. Aileen watched the two men exchange looks, speaking without words. Their look of surprise and knowing wasn't wasted on her.
Dumbledore turned slowly towards Mcgonagall, his head nodding just an inch. It was settled, though in a strange way, Aileen would join Slytherin. "Off you go, dear," Mcgonagall said in a hushed voice.
Aileen stood on shaky legs, turning to look at the sorting hat once more. There was a slight tremble that could only been seen close up. Mcgonagall had either seen or felt it, maybe both, for her eyes were staring at the hat as well.
The applause was stalled, but soon it erupted over the Great Hall. Aileen made her way over to the Slytherin table, the inhabitants already on their feet to greet her. Each one patted her on the back, welcoming her to the greatest House at Hogwarts. She smiled, her confusion from the sorting hat already dying away. Two girls grabbed Aileen's hand, bringing her down to sit with them. They began shooting off questions one after the other and Aileen could do nothing but smile.
Before she knew it, the sorting hat ceremony was complete. Aileen was disappointed the three people she knew the best were sorted into Gryffindor. Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked over at her. Their smiles were filled with pity. She wouldn't dwell on it. Just in the time she had been sorted into Slytherin, she had made friends with the other students. At the teacher's table, Aileen noticed Snape and Dumbledore deep in conversation. Both their faces looked worried. As if they felt her eyes upon them, they turned to look at her. As quickly as she could, Aileen looked away, narrowly missing the look of concern on Snape's face. She would have rather wished to not have seen it.
After a bountiful feast and more chatter than Aileen was used to, she and the other students followed the older students to the Slytherin common room. It was almost time for everyone to get in bed and Aileen couldn't deny she was exhausted. They stood in front of a portrait that asked for a password. The prefect gave the correct password and everyone proceeded into the room. Aileen looked around, stunned at the sheer size of the common room. It was rather cold, seeing as it was underneath the school in the dungeons.
"Hey, what's with the lights being green?" someone asked.
"It's because we are sitting under the Black Lake," the prefect answered. There were murmurs at this, some finding it cool, other's just finding it boring. Aileen was with the ones who thought it cool.
All of the furniture and items in the common room were black and Aileen found herself a nice cozy spot on one of the couches. The students stayed up longer than they should have, each one getting to know the newest members of Slytherin. It was a while later that Aileen realized she was alone in the room, everyone else now resting quietly in their beds. She felt at peace with her new House, as if she was meant to be here all along. Tomorrow would start the first day of classes and Aileen knew she needed to go to bed.
As she walked up the stairs to her room, she wondered what the next seven years at Hogwarts would bring and if it would be as exciting as tonight had been. A small voice in the back of her mind whispered that she should be careful what she wished for. It always had a way of coming true.
Please review and tell me what you think so far. I hope to be working on the next chapter soon, like tomorrow, but I'll have to wait and see!
