Author's Note: So this chapter came a bit later than I thought but it's a little challenging writing Luna Lovegood so I think I deserved a little extra time. I hope my portrayal of her won't be disappointing or OOC. Let me know if it is and tell me what I can do to make her more Luna Lovegood-y in the future.
JuggernautJJ: Selena is definitely going to get a culture shock since she's lived in Texas her entire life, never really leaving the lone star state. I guess you can say that she's a little sheltered which is why everything's so overwhelming for her.
molly1956: She'll definitely become good friends with Luna and Ginny. Luna is going to be making an appearance in this chapter and I have to say I was really excited about writing her although I was still nervous. Luna is my favorite character in the Harry Potter world and she's also a very unique one which makes her hard to write but I've done my best. I think I got her right but just let me know if there's anything I can do better.
zikashigaku: Selena will be sorted in this chapter but I'll just let you read to find out. She'll definitely be friends with Ginny no matter what. I've wanted to write a character like this since forever but I've never had the exact right story idea until now. I'm glad I'm doing this though because it a was a long time coming. My family, like Selena's, is Tejano which I'll go more into details about later in the story. I think my great grandfather was from Mexico but no one knows for sure. Some people in my family think he was born in Mexico before moving to Texas and other people think he was born in Spain before immigrating to Mexico and then Texas. It's a huge mystery in my family and like Selena said in a previous chapter, back then people didn't question their elders. Anyways...super excited to be writing a character with that kind of background. I'm interested in writing what her take on blood status will be with a background like hers since she's familiar with a little bit of racism back home.
Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.
The group then began discussing other things after talking about the different Hogwarts houses. Selena curiously asked questions about Neville and Ginny's families. She was very curious about wizarding families and they answered every one of her questions without hesitation. Neville was an only child but Ginny was the youngest of seven with six older brothers, four of which still attended Hogwarts. Selena was something like a middle child but she couldn't imagine what it would be like having six older brothers since one was bad enough. Poor Ginny probably wouldn't be allowed anywhere near boys until she was in her thirties. It wasn't long before the train started getting closer to Hogwarts and they had to change into their uniforms. Neville had gone to the bathroom to change so that the girls had the compartment to themselves.
"What about our trunks?" Selena asked after they had already gotten dressed in their robes. She was still a bit dismayed at the plain black robes but rules were the rules, after all.
"They'll have those sent to your dorms later on." Hermione informed her and Selena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah but how will they know?" Selena asked before noticing the look on Hermione's face. She blushed because she felt a bit silly. "Right…magic." It was then that the train came to a stop and Selena realized that they were finally there. The excitement and giddiness caught up to Selena in that moment as she realized that she was finally there. She was suddenly glad that she hadn't had any of the candy from the lady with the trolley earlier. Selena was sure she would've thrown up all the candy if she did. That's how nervous and excited she was.
"Well, Neville and I should get going." Hermione told her and Ginny. "You and Ginny will be going with Hagrid on the boats. It's a first year tradition. Don't be intimidated by Hagrid…he's very big and all but he really is one of the kindest and friendliest people at Hogwarts." Hagrid? Well, if there was anything she'd learn so far from being in the UK, it was that British people had really weird names. Wait…did Hermione say boats? Selena's eyes widened.
"Boats? What boats?" Selena questioned, suddenly feeling very frightened. Hermione and Ginny gave the Latina odd looks.
"The first years ride in boats up to the castle across the lake." Hermione explained, sounding very confused. Selena swallowed, flushing red with embarrassment. "Is that a problem?"
"I just don't know how to swim." Selena said vaguely and that was only the half it. Selena was terrified of any sort of large body of water that was bigger than a bath tub. Pools, lakes, rivers, and oceans terrified Selena. It was another irrational fear of hers that had been caused by her older brother making her watch Jaws when she was five. After watching the movie Selena had refused to take a bath for days, scared that a shark was somehow going to come up from the drain and bite her little toes. Her mother finally had to grab her forcibly and force her into the tub. Selena remembered bawling her eyes out the whole time but eventually she became comfortable with baths and showers again but nothing that was anything bigger than that. "I never bothered learning. There's really no reason to learn in Texas. There's hardly any oceans near where I live. The river near my house is probably infested with Water Moccasins and Alligators. Oh, what if I fall of the boat? I'll probably drown or get eaten by some kind of magical shark."
"Water Moccasin?" Ginny asked curiously and Selena nodded.
"A venomous water snake." She briefly explained and Ginny seemed slightly horrified at the thought of a venomous water snake. Hermione just shook her head.
"Well, there are certainly not any alligators and water snakes in the Black Lake." Hermione said reassuringly and the bushy haired girl thought it was probably best not to mention the giant squid that lived in the lake. Judging by the look on Selena's face, it was clear that the American girl would probably refuse to leave the train if she knew about the giant squid. For someone who had sounded very logical and reasonable earlier, Hermione thought that Selena had a vivid imagination when it came to some things. "And Hagrid won't let you fall into the lake. You can trust him."
"Okay. I supposed I'll just have to get over it." Selena said quietly because she knew she didn't really have a choice. It was either the boat or no Hogwarts. Selena would just have to suck it up and deal with the boat. Hopefully nothing would eat her. Hermione gave Selena and Ginny one last reassuring smile.
"Good luck with the sorting. I'll see you both at the feast." Hermione told them before she left the compartment to probably go find Neville or Harry and Ron. Selena was left alone with Ginny for the first time but she was glad she wasn't completely alone. It was nice that she had managed to make some friends before arriving at the school. At least she knew some people.
"We should get going then." Ginny told her and Selena nodded silently in agreement. The girls left the compartment and Selena wrapped her hand around her wand that was safely tucked inside her pocket. For some reason the wand made her feel safer. Maybe it was the power that she felt every time she held it. It was a source of comfort for her and Selena had spent many nights sleeping with it tucked under her pillow. The two got off the train after all the upperclassman had already left. They stepped off the train and Selena felt a cold breeze hit her. She pulled her robes tighter around her and immediately wished she could've worn her coat too. It was really chilly outside.
"Firs' years! Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A gruff sounding voice said and Selena looked up ahead of them as they stood there on the small platform. A very large looking man stood there underneath long dark hair and an even more bushy beard. Selena, being a very small person herself, stood there in awe of how tall the man was. He looked taller than some of the basketball players she had seen on TV whenever her father watched a San Antonio Spurs game although this man wasn't anywhere as thin or athletically built as she remembered the basketball players being. Selena assumed that this was the Hagrid that Hermione had been talking about.
"Firs' years over here!" He called out again as more first years began to crowd around him. Selena felt a bit uncomfortable because she could see most of the kids here were much taller than her. Back home, she was short but a lot of the other kids were short too. Mexicans weren't really known for their tall height, after all. Great, this probably meant she was going to be the shortest in her class. Even Ginny was a couple of inches taller than her. "Any-more firs' years? C'mon, follow me! Firs' years follow me! Mind yer step!"
The burly looking man began to lead them away from the platform and down a very narrow and steep path. Selena concentrated on her steps, making sure that she didn't slip and fall in the darkness. How embarrassing would that be? It was dark everywhere she looked and Selena wished the man's lantern was a bit brighter. Everyone was quiet as they focused on not falling down the steep path.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' glimpse o' Hogwarts in a moment." Hagrid told them as they continued to walk down the path. "It's jus' round this bend."
It took a few seconds before Selena starting hearing a collection of gasps and sharp intakes of breath. The people ahead of her and Ginny stopped suddenly and Selena noticed that the path had opened up to edge of a very large looking lake, revealing a mountain on the other side of the lake. However, it wasn't the mountain that caused Selena to gasp but rather the large and beautiful looking castle perched on top of it. The castle looked like something out of a Disney movie and Selena could hardly believe something like that could exist in real life. Her life really was starting to feel like a fairytale. Selena observed all the towers and turrets with an expression of amazement on her face. She had seen pictures of Hogwarts in one of her books but nothing had lived up to the real thing.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out as he pointed to a collection of small boats sitting in the water. Selena felt uneasy before she felt someone grabbed onto her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. She turned her head and saw Ginny giving her a reassuring smile though the moonlight that reflected upon the lake. Selena returned her smile and Ginny let go as she climbed into one of the boats with Selena reluctantly following her. A small blonde haired boy who introduced himself as Colin Creevey and a brown haired boy who introduced himself as Sullivan Fawley. The two boys seemed nice enough but as the boats took off across the lake, Selena couldn't help but feel a tad annoyed by Colin Creevey as he rambled on about his life story. He was a No-Maj-Born like her so she supposed in another circumstance she would've felt relieved at the sight of another one but right now she wasn't in the mood for chit chat.
Selena was sure if she was white, she would've looked very green because she was definitely seasick. The constant rock of the boat and feeling of the gentle waves crashing against the side of the boat did nothing to soothe her already existent nerves. A part of her felt like she might puke if the boat ride went on any longer. She especially didn't feel any better when she thought she saw something move in the water. Selena really hoped that had just been her imagination acting up. They arrived at the castle in a reasonable amount of time and Selena was glad because it meant she wouldn't have to stay in that boat any longer. She definitely didn't see herself doing any sailing in the future. The Latina desperately hoped that she'd never have to ride in another boat for the rest of her life.
When they finally got out of the boats, Hagrid led them up a small hidden path through a passageway in the underground harbor of the castle. It took them a couple minutes but eventually they came into a large grassy area and then the front few steps of the castle. Selena was still trying to calm down from the boat ride and willing herself not to puke during the ceremony. If she happened to puke then she was going to demand her parents immediately take her back home and send her to live with one of the home schooling wizarding families. Selena was adamant not to be known as "Puke Girl" for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. She was broken out of her thoughts when Hagrid knocked on the large oak door and not a moment later did the door open to reveal a tall and slender woman with graying hair that must've at one point been dark. She wore pretty green robes but had a very serious expression on her face. The older woman didn't look like she had laughed in a very long time.
"I've got the firs' years here, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid told her and the woman didn't smile. Professor McGonagall? Selena could only assume that this was the deputy headmistress who had sent her the Hogwarts letter all those months ago.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." She replied before opening the door wider. Selena's seasickness was soon forgotten as she and the other first years walked into the Entrance Hall. Her mouth fell open a bit, a matching expression on many of the others' faces, as she looked around in wonder. The ceilings were so high that Selena could barely see all the way up and the walls were lit with flamed torches, resembling something she had seen while watching an episode of Scooby Doo when the Scooby gang investigated one of those spooky looking castles. Only this castle wasn't creepy at all…it was beautiful. The walls and floors were all made from stone and Selena realized that when they said Hogwarts was a castle, they meant castle. She marveled at the beauty of a gorgeous looking marble staircase that her mother would've fawned over. Selena and the other huddled close together as the woman stood in front of them, basically demanding them to be silent with just one look. She kind of reminded Selena of some of the very strict nuns back at her old Catholic school. The woman cleared her throat and everyone paid avid attention to her.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." The woman Hagrid had called Professor McGonagall then paused briefly continuing. "The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." Professor McGonagall then briefly took a breath before continuing once more.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." She informed them and Selena hung onto every word the witch said. "While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all adjust yourselves accordingly and smarten your appearances as much as you can while you're waiting." Professor McGonagall then looked pointedly at a couple of students who were a bit disheveled. Selena felt a bit self-conscious as she tried to get any wrinkles out of her robes. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." They all watched as the older witch left the room and they were left to their own devices momentarily. Selena then went back to looking around at the Entrance hall. She still couldn't believe she actually got to go to school here.
"I feel like the Fresh Prince." Selena whispered and hadn't meant for anyone to hear her but unfortunately she was never that lucky.
"Who's the Fresh Prince?" Ginny asked her curiously and Selena immediately blushed.
"Oh, um…he's the Prince of Bel-Air." Selena finally said. It was a pretty lame answer but how did you even begin to explain The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to someone from a wizarding family? Selena didn't really have a clue.
"Where's Bel-Air?" Ginny asked her and Selena nervously chewed on her bottom lip. Oh, boy. She really dug herself into a hole this time. Selena knew that she probably could've just told her the truth but then she'd have to explain what television was and then tell her about every season of the show in vivid detail and Selena knew that would take hours.
"It's just a small little kingdom in California." Selena said vaguely and Ginny just nodded, choosing not to ask any more questions. The redhead figured that she'd probably be even more confused.
Selena knew she should've been more concerned about the sorting ceremony but she was currently trying her hand at compartmentalizing. She knew if she thought about the sorting ceremony too much, she'd probably get sick again. The dark haired girl was then broken out of her thoughts as she heard several individuals let out gasps. Selena looked up and her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw. Several transparent figures floated through the air and as a reflex Selena grasped the crucifix pendant she was wearing around her neck, a gift from her parents after her first communion when she was eight.
"Wow, Fred and George weren't kidding when they told me about all the ghosts at Hogwarts." Ginny said in both awe and horror. All Selena could do was stare at the ghosts but she soon realized how silly she was being. Her grandmother had always told her that the dead were nothing to be afraid of. No, they were to be respected and celebrated. These ghosts seemed pleasant enough too as she watched them happily chat amongst each other. Selena soon let go of her pendant and instead stared at the ghosts with a fascinated look on her face. All the other students still looked quite fearful at the sight of the ghosts. Well, all but one other student. Selena curiously looked at a pale blonde haired girl that stood a few feet away from her. The girl was probably as tall as Selena but had a dreamy look on her face as she stared up at the ghosts, not looking to have the slightest care in the world. Selena noticed that instead of having her wand tucked inside the pocket of her robes, the girl had her wand noticeably tucked behind one of her ears. However, before Selena could give the girl anymore thought, Professor McGonagall returned and all the ghosts disappeared through the wall. Even the ghosts seemed slightly scared of Professor McGonagall, Selena observed in amusement.
"Form a line and follow me." Professor McGonagall told them sternly and Selena immediately got behind Ginny. They then walked across the Entrance Hall before Professor McGonagall opened the doors to the Great Hall and Selena was even more amazed than she had been before. She spotted four long tables in the large and magnificent looking hall. Thousands of candles floated in mid-air above all the tables, lighting the entire Great Hall and she had never seen anything so magical before.
The four long tables were filled with hundreds of students who were staring at all of the first years and the tabletops were decorated with the most elegant and beautiful plates and goblets. Her mother and grandmother would've gone crazy if they had seen all the beautiful plates and goblets. They probably wouldn't have even noticed the transparent looking ceiling above…the same ceiling that she had read about in Hogwarts: A History which was bewitched to look like the sky outside. Selena really hadn't seen anything more beautiful and she tried not to look stupid as she stared around but it was hard. Everything was just incredibly beautiful. It wasn't anything like Selena had originally imagined…no, it was more than what she had imagined.
The table at the front of the Great Hall was filled with what Selena assumed to be all the staff members. She immediately spotted Albus Dumbledore sitting among all the other teaches and she felt a bit star struck at the sight. Selena had read all about him, of course, and he truly was an incredible wizard. It turned out he was even famous back in America. Selena looked away from the ancient looking wizard and saw both Hermione and Neville smiling at her and Ginny from one of the tables. Selena assumed that was probably the Gryffindor table.
Professor McGonagall finally led them close to the teacher's tables and they came to a halt as she stood in front of them. She then placed a small stool in front of them before placing a ratty old wizard's hat on top of it. The hat was a dark brown color and looked older than perhaps Hogwarts itself was. It looked like something that might've been in the free box at a garage sale. Something that was most likely infested with lice. Selena looked around the hall and noticed everyone was staring at the seemingly ratty old hat. Her attention returned to the hat as she wondered what was so interesting about an old hat. It was then that she found out why. The hat jerked and Selena's eyes widened in surprise as the brim of the hat opened, almost like it was a mouth, and started to sing. Selena wondered if she was ever going to stop being surprised by magic. Probably not.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might be in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your first real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands(though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
Everyone then burst into applause including Selena and the rest of the first years. She was still amazed by the fact that the hat could sing. The hat wasn't exactly Lionel Ritchie by any means but it was just impressive that the hat was even able to sing. Selena didn't really know what to think of a singing hat but she knew that she was impressed. Something that troubled her somewhat was having to wear the hat as they apparently would have to for the sorting ceremony. She really hoped she didn't get lice. All the nuns at Catholic school always warned her and the other students against wearing each other's hats but maybe wizards and witches didn't get lice. The hat said not to worry, after all.
Selena felt slightly nervous at the idea of having to sit up there on the stool in front of the whole school as she got sorted. She was relieved that the sorting ceremony wasn't anything difficult but the idea of everyone's eyes glued to her was slightly unnerving. Selena really didn't like attention. However, before Selena could give anymore thought to the hat, Professor McGonagall held up a long roll of thick parchment paper.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." Professor McGonagall told them sternly before calling out a name from the parchment paper.
"Akerman, Lepus!" An auburn haired boy nervously walked up to the stool before sitting down and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. It didn't take that long before the hat came up with the right house for the boy.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat yelled and the table on the far right cheered and clapped loudly. Lepus happily got up from the stool and went to join his new house who all welcomed him cheerfully. Professor McGonagall then called out the next name and Selena knew it was likely going to be her name. Her name started with an "A" after all.
"Almendarez, Selena!" Professor McGonagall called and Selena gave Ginny one last small smile before walking towards the stool. She kept her eyes firmly on the stool as she refused to look at any of the other students in the Great Hall. Selena was afraid she'd have some sort of panic attack if she did look at any of them. The Latina then sat herself on the stool, looking at her shoes rather than the students, before Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Thankfully she noticed that the hat covered her eyes so she didn't have to look at the other students anyways.
"Now I wonder where I should put you. You're not exactly easy to place." A small voice said, sounding like it was whispering into her ear but Selena knew this was the hat. Wow…the hat wasn't kidding when it said it could see inside her mind. "That's right and an interesting mind it is. Slytherin is definitely not for you. While, I see some ambition, I know there are some circumstances where you would sacrifice those ambitions. Not very Slytherin like at all." The hat then paused briefly before continuing.
"I do detect some bravery within you so Gryffindor might be a good choice." The hat told her and Selena wanted to laugh. She wasn't brave. She was probably one of the least brave people at Hogwarts. Selena had about a hundred fears and she could spend an hour listing all of them off. "Your bravery is something you'll eventually grow into. I see you becoming a very powerful and great witch and Gryffindor could help you achieve that although…Your kindness and patience stands out to me. You're very loyal so perhaps Hufflepuff could be a great choice for you." Selena wasn't really surprised by that. She kind of figured that she might get sorted into Hufflepuff. A part of her wanted to get sorted into Gryffindor since she knew that's the house Hermione and Neville were in and it was very likely Ginny would end up there too. At least she'd know people there.
"Wait a second…I see something even more interesting." The hat said suddenly as if it had made some huge discovery. "You have a thirst for knowledge…that much is obvious. I already see many thoughts and ideas forming in your head about what you want to do with the knowledge you will gain at Hogwarts. So much creativity and originality. There's not a doubt in my mind that you'll do many great things at Hogwarts but I can only see you accomplishing those things in…"
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted and Professor McGonagall immediately took the hat from her head. It had felt like hours to Selena but she determined it had probably only been a minute or two. A large round of applause came from the table from the left as they seemed quite happy to be getting their first Ravenclaw of the night. A smile came across her face as she happily hopped off the stool and began to head towards the Ravenclaw table. Selena couldn't believe she had gotten into Ravenclaw. She thought she'd get into Hufflepuff for sure but she was happy with the hat's decision. Ravenclaw was a house famous for wise and intelligent witches and wizards and she felt honored that the hat thought she belonged there. An Indian looking girl made room for her at the table, introducing herself as Padma Patil who was apparently a second year like Hermione and Neville. Many Ravenclaw students introduced themselves to her including a third year named Cho Chang and another third year named Marietta Edgecombe. There were a couple other second year boys named Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot who all welcomed her to the house. Selena felt slightly overwhelmed from meeting a bunch of new people that she didn't even have time to have a panic attack from the situation.
As the applause died down, they all seated themselves quietly at the table and watched as the next student got sorted. The sorting ceremony didn't take as long as Selena thought as she watched numerous other students get sorted. Identical twin sisters named Hestia and Flora Carrow got sorted into Slytherin while Colin Creevey, the chatty boy from the boat, got sorted into Gryffindor which he seemed pleased with. Sullivan Fawley, the other boy from the boat, got sorted into Hufflepuff and a couple of other first years also got sorted into Ravenclaw. There was some girls by the names of Nanette Desford, Shelby Fawcett, Maria Glossop while some boys by the names of Richard Belby, Carlton Henrikson(Selena couldn't help but smile at his first name), and Alexander Hilliard were sorted into Ravenclaw as well.
Selena didn't really pay attention until Professor McGonagall called out another name. She called out Luna Lovegood and Selena noticed that Luna Lovegood was the pale blonde girl that she had previously seen staring at the ghosts with a dreamy look on her face. Selena watched curiously as the blonde girl skipped up to the stool before sitting down, exhibiting the same uncaring or otherworldly behavior as before. Selena wondered if the dreamy look on her face was perhaps a normal expression for her. The hat pulled a face after Professor McGonagall had placed it on Luna's head. The hat almost seemed puzzled which made Selena curious. It took a short moment before the hat called out it's answer.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted and Professor McGonagall took the hat from her head. The Ravenclaw table burst into applause including Selena and Luna didn't waste a moment as she hopped down from the stool and happily skipped over to the Ravenclaw table. Selena saw a couple Ravenclaws from the other side of the table congratulate her as she took a seat at the opposite end.
The rest of ceremony went on without a hitch and only one other boy named Erik Soderstrom got sorted into Ravenclaw. Selena watched with interest as Ginny, the last student to be sorted, sat on the stool but was ultimately sorted into Gryffindor. She was a bit disappointed because she was hoping to get into the same house with a new friend but Ginny being a Gryffindor wasn't all that surprising. Ginny's entire family had been sorted into that house, after all. Selena supposed she might have some classes with Ginny anyways so it wouldn't be all that bad. The sorting ceremony ended and as soon as Ginny joined her fellow Gryffindors at her table, Albus Dumbledore stepped forward with a delighted look on his face as he looked at all the students in the Great Hall. If Selena hadn't felt welcomed before, she definitely felt more than welcomed now.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore greeted happily. "And a great year it shall be. I'd like to remind all students to be welcoming to new faces and show kindness even when all others are absent to see that kindness. This is important for foraging new friendships whether it's between students in their respective houses, students from rivaling houses, or even international relations." Selena could've imagined it but she was sure Dumbledore's eyes rested on her face when he said that last part but when she blinked he was looking in a completely differently direction.
"Thank you!" Dumbledore said lastly before all the dishes on the table suddenly piled up with food. Selena watched the dishes in shock as they were now filled with more food than Selena could've ever imagined and that was saying a lot because Selena came from a Mexican family. She saw steak, roast chicken, pork chops, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, broccoli, and there was even quite a bit of food that Selena didn't recognize. She supposed it was probably English food which Selena knew she'd eventually try but not tonight. It was only now that she realized how hungry she was but she wasn't going to test her boundaries after her previous seasickness. For now Selena would just stick with what she knew.
Selena immediately piled some steak, mash potatoes, carrots, and broccoli onto her plate. Her family rarely ate steak since it was so expensive so she figured she might as well take advantage of the situation. The Latina then rested her fork and knife back on the table as she mentally prepared herself for prayer but paused before she did so. She waited for Dumbledore to start the prayer or perhaps a different staff member but none of them did. Selena looked down the length of the table and noticed how all her fellow Ravenclaws were already digging into the meal. None of them looked to be concerned about prayer at all.
"Aren't you going to eat something?" Padma asked her and Selena looked back at her, a bit taken back by the question. She calmed down a bit when she realized that Hogwarts wasn't Catholic school. Of course, there wouldn't be any prayer tonight. A lot of the students here were probably from different religious backgrounds and some might've even been Atheists. It was probably best to not tell her family that.
"Um…yeah." Selena said, sounding unsure as she picked up her fork and knife. The dark haired girl immediately began to cut into her steak, not knowing how to feel as she didn't pray like she normally did before meals. It wasn't wrong…she'd just pray before she went to sleep like she always did. Selena just didn't want to be known as the Catholic girl and she also didn't want to offend anyone that might've been Jewish or Muslim. This was why public schools didn't allow religion to be a factor in the school and Hogwarts probably had the same ideal. Selena bit into the steak and she could've melted from the rich and delicious taste. This cooking was enough to make her grandmother green with envy. Her grandmother was known as the best cook in the family and her tamales were evidence of that.
"So you're an American?" Shelby Fawcett asked her. The brunette girl was sitting across from the table from her with a curious look on her face. Selena swallowed her food as she looked at her.
"Yes." Selena answered a bit shyly and it was clear she had the curious gazes of a few individuals from around the table. She was even a bit embarrassed to notice that some people from another table were staring at her too. Selena assumed that it was probably the Slytherin table. It became clear to her that not many Americans came to Hogwarts. Selena wondered if she was the first American to ever attend Hogwarts.
"Why? Don't Americans have their own wizarding school?" Shelby asked rudely and Selena was sure she hadn't meant it in a bad way. It was probably just a British thing, Selena figured.
"Yes but Ilvermorny had a small mix-up so they decided to send me and some other students to different wizarding schools for the time-being." Selena answered as diplomatically as she could. She didn't want to get into the whole story at dinner. Selena was kind of hoping that maybe Hermione, Neville, or Ginny would mention something about it and it would just spread from there so she didn't have to keep answering people's questions. She understood that people were curious about what an American was doing at Hogwarts but she really didn't like being in the spotlight. Hopefully people would just get used to the idea of an American among them and leave it at that. Thankfully, Shelby didn't continue to question her about Ilvermorny as the other brunette first year Maria Glossop butted into the conversation.
"Ooh! Are you from somewhere cool like Los Angeles or New York? I've always wanted to go to LA and New York." Maria said almost longingly and Selena bit her lip nervously.
"Um…no. I'm actually from San Antonio, Texas." Selena said shyly before she started to ramble nervously. Well, she technically wasn't from San Antonio but none of them would know where Seguin was anyways. "It's nowhere as glamorous as LA or New York. I'm not that exciting. I've never really been outside of Texas except for New Orleans but that was only recently." The other Ravenclaws still seemed mildly impressed with that.
"I bet Texas is so nice and warm." Marietta said, almost sounding jealous and Selena looked at the girl's pale skin, knowing that Marietta would never survive under the Texas sun's blazing heat.
"It was in the nineties before I left." Selena answered and most of girls sighed with envy. She really didn't think those girls could take the heat. It wasn't even the heat but the humidity. Humidity was definitely unmanageable and especially when hair was concerned. Then suddenly one of the other girls at the table changed the subject and began talking about a vacation they took to the south of France over the summer. It was Selena's turn to feel jealous because it was just another one of many places she had never been to before. Before Selena could give the subject much thought, however, she felt a pair of eyes on her.
She looked up from the table and noticed someone staring at her from the Slytherin table. The boy staring at her was probably one of the palest boys she had ever seen in her life. He seemed even pale by British standards. His features were sharp and his chin was rather pointed but what caught her attention was his blonde hair which was nearly as pale as the girl named Luna Lovegood's hair was but still a couple shades darker. His grey eyes were piercing as she felt his intense and curious gaze on her. When he noticed Selena staring back at him, he flushed a very light shade of pink before hurriedly turning to talk to the dark skinned boy that was sitting next to him. Selena also blushed as she quickly stared at her plate on the table but was grateful that her blush wasn't as noticeable with her darker skin. The Latina went about eating her dinner but remained curious as to just who the pale blonde, grey eyed boy was.
The sorting ceremony feast soon ended after that with Dumbledore orchestrating the entirety of the school to sing the Hogwarts school song. He dismissed everyone soon after and the two sixth year Ravenclaw prefects, Penelope Clearwater and Robert Hilliard, escorted Selena and the rest of first years up to the Ravenclaw common room. Selena and her fellow first years all looked around in amazement and awe as they climbed up the enormous staircase. She couldn't help but stare at the moving portraits in surprise and even waved back when some of the people in the portraits waved at her in greeting.
They finally reached the Ravenclaw staircase which was in one of the castle's many towers. Selena and the others had to climb a narrow, spiral staircase to get to the common room but she didn't mind the effort. She needed a little exercise after the big meal she just had. They stopped in front of the large, oak door and Selena admired the eagle-shaped knocker on the door which was bronze. Bronze, if Selena remembered correctly, was one of the house colors for Ravenclaw along with blue. Selena was then broken out of her thoughts as Penelope Clearwater turned to the rest of them.
"You'll find that Ravenclaw is unlike any of the other houses given the fact that instead of having a password, we must actually solve a riddle to enter the common room." Penelope told them and Selena felt a tad nervous at the thought of that. Answering a question just to get into a common room? Selena might never be able to get into the common room. That was so much pressure. Selena's state of panic was interrupted as the bronze eagle-shaped knocker began to speak, much to her surprise. She really didn't know why she kept being surprised after all this time.
"What has an eye but cannot see?" The eagle asked in a very deep but soft voice. An eye that couldn't see? Selena had to think about it for a moment but her sense of logic began to kick in. She wasn't sure if she was right but if she didn't know better then she'd say that the answer could only be…
"A needle." Penelope Clearwater answered and Selena was satisfied to know that she was right after all. Maybe it wouldn't be as difficult as she thought it would be to solve these riddles. She supposed the sorting hat had placed her in Ravenclaw for a reason. Penelope and Robert then began to enter the common room, gesturing for the first years to follow them and Selena was immediately blown away by the common room.
The Ravenclaw common room was wide and almost circular with a domed ceiling that was beautifully painted with stars. The windows were arched and she was sure when morning came the common room would look absolutely stunning with the sunlight streaming in through those windows. Glamorous looking drapes of blue and bronze silk hung along the stone walls, proudly displaying Ravenclaw's house spirit. The carpet was a bright midnight blue color that also had stars printed on it, matching the ceiling above. Tables and stairs were scattered around the Ravenclaw common room which Selena could only assume were for studying but that wasn't what had Selena's attention. No, it was the large bookcases throughout the room that were so big that they went from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. Not to mention the bookcases were incredibly packed with books, not a space to be seen in between one book and the next. Selena had read somewhere that Hogwarts had a library but the fact that the Ravenclaw common room had their own personal collection of books too? Well, that was just icing on the cake.
Penelope Clearwater told them where the dormitories for the first years were with the boys on one side and the girls on the other. Selena was relieved by the fact that the boys couldn't get into their dormitory. That had been one of her father's main concerns but she was sure when she wrote to her parents he'd be happy to hear that the staircase would turn into a slide if any boys tried to climb it. Selena zoned out for a while as she looked around the common room with much interest but focused when Penelope brought up all the books.
"In Ravenclaw, as I'm sure you've seen, we have a wide selection of books in our own private library that any Ravenclaw is welcomed to although rules dictate that you cannot let anyone from any other house borrow those books. You only have to sign a piece of parchment on the podium by the bookcase when you borrow one." Penelope explained to them before continuing. "Our Head of House is Professor Flitwick. I must implore you to win our house many points so that we may win the house cup at the end of the year. Now it's best if you head up to bed and get plenty of rest before tomorrow. You'll need it. Trust me."
And with that Penelope and Robert wished them all a goodnight and none of the first years wasted any time as they started to head up the marble staircase, the boys walked up one staircase while the girls walked up the other one. Selena briefly took notice of a marble statue of a beautiful woman which stood in between the two staircases. She figured it was most likely Rowena Ravenclaw who was the founder of the house. Selena turned away from the statue, following the other girls up the staircase before entering the first year dormitory. It was a large room with five luxurious and large looking beds. The beds were decorated with blue and bronze colored comforters, sheets, and pillows. The curtains that hung over the beds were also a matching color with an elaborate design of a bronze eagle stamped across it. With much surprise, Selena noticed that her large purple suitcase was also in the room along with all the other girls' luggage.
Shelby, Maria, and Nanette all immediately claimed the first three beds in the room, giggling as they hopped on top of the beds. They immediately began to gossip with each other, excited looks on their faces and Selena got the feeling that these girls probably already knew each other. They were probably from wizarding families and Selena couldn't feel more out-placed. Selena desperately wished that Ginny was there because at least Ginny had talked to her and wanted to be her friend. It seemed the other Ravenclaw girls' interest in the American girl had faded after dinner. Trying to set aside her nerves about being an outsider, Selena made her way into the room and silently claimed the fourth bed.
She immediately knelt down on the floor in front of her suitcase and unzipped it. Selena had noticed the large mahogany wood trunk in front of every bed and assumed that was where they were supposed to store their clothing and other items. Selena put her casual clothes at the bottom of the trunk since she figured that she probably wouldn't be wearing them much before placing her textbooks and snacks from home on top of the clothes and placing her school robes on top. Selena noticed the blue and bronze colored ties, scarves, and gloves that must've magically found their way into her suitcase and fondly admired them before placing them in the trunk with all her other stuff.
Selena closed her trunk when she was done unpacking her necessities and placed her framed photographs and a couple posters on the bed along with Corn Dog, her stuffed unicorn. She took her two framed pictures and immediately set them on her nightstand. One framed picture was of her and her entire family that included her parents, siblings, grandmother, and herself while the other framed picture was just of her and Belen. Selena placed the Our Lady of Guadalupe figurine on her nightstand as well before grabbing the most important thing of all the things she had brought with her. The poster. Using sticky putty from home, Selena stood on top of her bed and hung the large poster on the wall above her headboard and didn't even notice the pale blonde girl watching her.
"Who's that?" Selena heard a soft voice ask from behind her and Selena immediately turned around after finishing hanging up her poster. She noticed the girl with the dreamy expression on the floor, staring up at her but this time with a more curious expression on her face. Selena knew that the girl's name was Luna Lovegood but had yet to actually meet her. Selena hopped down from the bed.
"That's Selena." She answered as she admired the large poster with the famous and beautiful Tejano singer on it, singing into a microphone. Selena usually would've been more shy to answer but the iconic singer was a topic that Selena could talk about for hours on end. She even owned every one of the singer's cassette tapes even though Selena sadly knew that she wouldn't be able to listen the singer's music due to electronic devices not being able to work in Hogwarts.
"I thought you were Selena." Luna said, sounding almost confused and Selena just smiled.
"I am but that's a different Selena. That's Selena Quintanilla and I'm Selena Almendarez. She's a famous singer back home in the states." Selena explained to her and Luna nodded in understanding. Up close Selena noticed that the pale girl had hair that was even longer than her own and the blonde's hair even appeared to be somewhat messy. Her eyes were an unusual color, almost silvery but whereas Selena's eyes were big and doe like, this girl's eyes were bulging and dreamy. Her voice, Selena noticed, was also very soft and almost fairy like. Selena was also taken back by the very odd necklace the girl was wearing which seemed to be decorated by a cork of some kind although the cork didn't look like it had come from a wine bottle.
"You look a bit like her." Luna told her softly and Selena's eyes widened in surprise but smiled at the compliment. She knew it was probably an unintentional assumption that Selena looked like the famous Tejano singer since they were both of the same race but she didn't care. She'd take the compliment anyways.
"You really think so?" Selena questioned happily and the blonde girl nodded.
"Yes, I'm absolutely positive." Luna said in that same soft, fairy like tone. Selena smiled at her, happy that she seemed to be getting along with at least one person in the dorm. The other three girls seemed oddly content in excluding her and Luna from their conversation.
"You're Luna, right?" Selena asked her even though she knew fully well who the blonde was.
"Yes, Luna Lovegood." The blonde's gaze then rested on the poster again before moving over to the pictures that sat on Selena's nightstand. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the pictures. Selena realized that it was the first time that night that she had seen the girl with anything but a dreamy expression on her face. "Why are the pictures not moving?" At first Selena didn't know what she meant until she looked back over at the pictures. She realized what Luna meant.
"Well, pictures don't really move in the No-Maj world." Selena told her before biting her lip as she looked back at Luna. "I noticed that pictures seem to move a lot in the wizarding world." Luna was still staring at a picture of Selena's family with an odd expression on her face.
"How…exceptionally unique." The eleven year old girl said as she continued to stare at the picture. Selena smiled as she stared at the picture too.
"That's my family." Selena told her in a fond tone before pointing to every individual in the picture and telling Luna who they were. "That's my parents and Abuela over there. Over here is my brother Jorge, he's at college right now, and there's my younger brother Rafael but everyone calls him Rafi. Then there's my sister Belen and Sofia. Sofia is four years older than me and Belen is two years younger than me." Luna smiled at the picture but Selena noticed that she looked rather sad.
"It must be nice to have such a large family." The blonde said in her usual light and airy voice.
"Are you an only child?" Selena asked her curiously and Luna nodded before gesturing to a framed photo that she had of her own family that sitting on top of her nightstand on the other side of Selena's bed. Selena curiously walked over to the picture and noticed that unlike her picture, Luna's picture was moving. There sat a couple with blonde hair, which could only be Luna's parents, smiling at the camera with a slightly younger looking Luna giggling in the photograph. The blonde's appearance looked slightly neater in the picture and while Luna obviously had her father's silvery eyes, she also had her mother's smile.
"Yes. Those are my parents." Luna informed her before a smile crossed her face. "Daddy is the editor of The Quibbler."
"The Quibbler?" Selena questioned, never having heard of something called The Quibbler but she assumed it must've been a magazine of some sort. She could tell that Luna was very proud of this by the way the blonde girl smiled. Selena understood that. She was very proud of her own father for all the hard work he had accomplished.
"It's a magazine that Daddy publishes his journalism in. Daddy's the smartest man I know and all his readers know it." Luna proclaimed proudly and Selena smiled.
"What about your mother?" Selena asked and Luna's smile soon faded. She frowned when she saw the slightly sad look on Luna's face.
"Mommy died two years ago." Luna told her in a quiet voice that was very distant and Selena understood why she had been sad before when she looked at the picture Selena had of her family. It was because Luna's mother had passed away. Selena didn't really know what to say so she decided not to say anything at all as she abruptly grabbed the girl's cold and dainty hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Luna didn't really seem surprised about the gesture and didn't make any move to retract her hand. Selena got the feeling that Luna was someone who wasn't surprised very often. "She was a very curious witch who liked to experiment with spells and well…one day it all went wrong and she died. It was very sad and tragic. Daddy was devastated and so was I but we're doing well now. Daddy and I have each other."
Selena slowly let go of her hand and they fell into a comfortable silence. She noticed that Luna seemed quite content with silence, not seeming at all inclined to start up a new conversation. Selena thought that she hadn't met anyone quite like Luna before. It was then that Selena decided to change the subject and maybe make Luna feel better. She didn't really know this girl that well yet but Selena really liked her and she also hated seeing people sad. Luna didn't really seem to show it but she must be sad. Selena knew if her own mother died then she'd never recover. The Latina smiled softly at the blonde.
"Hey, you mentioned something about your father's magazine? The Quibbler? You wouldn't happen to have a copy lying around, would you?" Selena asked her and she noticed the way Luna's face immediately lit up at the mere thought of someone taking interest in her father's magazine.
"Would you like to see it? Daddy just published a very interesting issue about Nargles." Luna told her in a factual tone before quickly walking over to her bed to show Selena the new copy of The Quibbler. Selena watched the very colorful and decorative magazine cover in wonder, amazed by the flashy nature of the magazine.
"What's a Nargle?" Selena asked her curiously as Luna handed her the magazine, the dark haired girl immediately sat down on Luna's bed as she began to flip through the magazine. She saw numerous articles about magical creatures and even some articles about the Ministry of Magic which Selena didn't know much about despite what she read in her books. There were some interesting theories she could see about the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge as she skimmed through the magazine. Selena looked up briefly only to see Luna's eyes widen even more which Selena didn't think was possible.
"Nargles infest Mistletoes and are known to be mischievous thieves." Luna told her in that odd light and airy voice of hers. Luna then began to clutch her necklace much like Selena had done with her own necklace before when she had seen the ghosts. Selena's eyes fell down to the strange necklace she had noticed Luna wearing earlier. "This is a Butterbeer cork necklace. It's supposed to keep the Nargles away." Selena stared at the necklace curiously before looking back up at Luna.
"Really?" She inquired and Luna slowly nodded.
"I could make you one if you like." Luna suggested and Selena smiled brightly, intrigued by the idea of a magical necklace that could keep a magical creature away.
"I'd like that." Selena told her before glancing back down at the fascinating magazine. Her eyes rested on an article about a Nargle that was thought to be seen in Birmingham, England. Selena momentarily looked back up at Luna with a somewhat hesitant look on her face. Luna had fallen silent again, seemingly content with just watching Selena read the magazine. She bit her lip nervously before asking Luna a question. "Luna, do you think I could maybe borrow this magazine for a while? Would you mind?" Luna seemed overjoyed that Selena had asked her this for some reason.
"You can keep it if you like. Daddy gave me a lot of copies to give to friends." Luna told her, looking very hopeful. Truthfully, she had tried to hand out copies of The Quibbler to other first years on the train but most had either laughed in her face or given her looks of disdain. The Quibbler certainly had a reputation in Wizarding England. Selena, however, was the first one who actually seemed to enjoy her father's magazine and Luna was glad. "We're friends, are we not?" Selena was a bit taken back by Luna's blunt question, never having faced such bluntness before but she smiled happily at the blonde before quickly nodding.
"Of course." Selena told her and Luna seemed happy to hear that. The Latina was just happy to have made a friend within her own house. She'd been worried that it would be a very lonely school year for her if she had no friends within Ravenclaw. Selena liked to think that Ginny was her friend but they weren't in the same house so Selena knew she was only likely to see her during class or in the Great Hall. It would be nice to have a friend within her own house that she could talk to and Selena had a feeling that she wouldn't get along with Shelby, Maria, or Nanette. Luna seemed very nice and interesting, not seeming like anyone Selena had ever met before. Selena also liked how she didn't ask her questions about her accent or what America was like. She didn't seem to care at all and Selena was thankful for that.
"There have been sightings of a mysterious creature where I live too." Selena told Luna suddenly as she read an article about how the existence of Nargles weren't necessarily proven but many people believed in them. It reminded her of something from back home. Luna's eyes widened in intrigue as she stared at Selena. Her stare slightly unnerved Selena because Selena felt like Luna could see right through her.
"Really?" Luna questioned curiously. "What's this creature called? What does it do?" Selena smiled as she leaned forward, closing the magazine and setting it aside as she recollected something her brother used to tell her.
"El Chupacabra." Selena stated mysteriously as Luna began to hang onto every word she said. "It translates to Goat-Sucker in the English language. It's a reptilian creature with sharp spines running down its back and hops like a Kangaroo to get from place to place. They have long fangs that they use to pierce the necks of goat and drain them of all their blood. Chupacabras are particularly nasty creatures that you don't want to cross and they mostly live in Mexico as well as the Southern part of the US." Luna processed this new information that Selena told her, storing it in her memory to save for later.
"How interesting. I've never heard of a Chupacabra before." Luna said and Selena smiled in amusement at her lack of an accent when speaking the name. She hadn't ever heard someone pronounce the same that way before. Selena watched as a determined look came over Luna's face. "I must write to daddy about this Chupacabra. I'm sure he'll be very interested in including an article about a Chupacabra in next month's issue of The Quibbler." Selena didn't really think Luna's dad would be interested in putting an article about some random legendary creature from Mexico but if it made Luna happy then so be it. Little did Selena know that Luna's father was very much the kind of person who definitely would publish an article about the Chupacabra.
Eventually it started getting late so the two girls changed into their pajamas like the rest of their dorm mates before slipping into bed. Selena bid Luna one last goodnight before copying the other girls' movements by pulling the curtains around her bed. As Selena laid in bed and stared up at the curtains hanging over her bed, she realized the curtains were decorated with stars and planets to match the night sky. It was only then that she allowed everything to sink in as she recalled the events of that day. The train ride, her sorting, and even her new friends. Everything had been better than she could've ever imagined and she didn't know why she had been so worried. All her previous fears and concerns just felt silly now. The Latina eventually drifted off to sleep, her dreams consisting of herself floating through the night sky while Nargles and Chupacabras passed by her on little broomsticks.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a nightmare.