I excused myself from the compartment to go change in one of the trains lavatory, i could feel their eyes on me as i left. I blushed at the thought of either of the twins liking me. They were both funny, handsome and nice, but there were subtle differences about them that make me like both of them. Fred was more sarcastic and hands-on while George on the other head was the more sensitive and reserved one.
I walked down the hall and into the bathroom compartment. I stripped out of my everyday clothes and pulled on my school white shirt, tweed vest and knee length black skirt. I exchanged my scuffed up black Keds for a pair of heels and i threw on my black robes on top. I looked at myself in the small mirror, examining my skin and my hair. My skin was as pale as Draco's, if not paler. I shifted the blond pieces in my hair to re-frame my face and cleaned up my messy eyeliner. I smiled at myself in the mirror and then exited the lavatory confidently.
Draco was waiting outside for me.
"Emery," he gave me a sultry look, "You look good enough to eat." He licked his lips at me and then grabbed me by my waist, pulling my close to him.
"Piss off Draco." I said, shoving him back. I began to walk away when he grabbed my arm and held me back against him.
"Now, now. Don't be a little priss. Give your fiance a big snog, eh?" I glared at him and then broke his grasp on my fist.
"Draco," I said, pulling out my want, "If you bring that up again, you'll regret the day that you were born." I brushed past Draco hurriedly and speedily walked down the isle.
"I regret YOU being born Emery. If you hadn't been born, NONE of this would have ever happened!" He called down the hallway. I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned to him, wand in hand.
"Bat Bogey Hex!" I yelled and the curse went flying at him. I turned and ran down the trains corridor as fast as i could so as no one would catch me doing magic outside of school.
Fred and George were waiting outside our compartment, buying some last minute snacks from the trolley. I pushed past them into the compartment and quickly sat down with my hands folded on my lap.
"Oi, ehma, er yhu ahtay?" Fred said, his mouth full of licorice wands and chocolate frogs.
"What he means, is are you okay?" translated George as he sat down next to me, offering Bertie Botts Every Flavored Bean. I shook my head.
"No. Malfoy confronted me near the lavatory and I...sort of hexed him."
"Wicked!" They both exclaimed.
"No, it's not. You both know he's going to report me as soon as we get inside the school."
"Eh screw him," said Fred, swallowing his mouthful of candy.
"The only teacher that cares about what Malfoy says is Snape." explained George.
"And since you're in Snape's house-"
"He's highly unlikely to do anything."
"Snape and I don't get along that much." I explained, "Ever since i accidentally caught his hair on fire during my first year, he hasn't thought too kindly of me."
"That was you?" George cried out.
"Yeah. We were trying to make simple antidotes and he put his face too close to my cauldron when i was adding daffodil root."
"I couldn't stop laughing when i saw him half bald!" said Fred excitedly.
"He looked like a mighty right Git, that's for sure." George smiled at me. I smiled at both of them.
"Well it's glad to know that my awful mistakes have brought you two humor."
"Always." the simultaneously replied. We shared a quick laugh before the train started lurching to a stop.
"Hey Emma we'll see you at the school," said George.
"We have to go pull that quick prank on Pansy before she gets off the train" grinned Fred.
"Good luck, she's probably all over Malfoy right now. Hit him with a spare dung bomb if you got one." I smiled at them.
"Always," they replied and left the compartment.
I waited for the train to stop, not even being able to concept to myself that I had just revealed myself and my whole life to two boys that I hardly knew. I shook my head. I had seen Fred and George around in my past years at Hogwarts but had never really gotten to talk to them. I think i had said hello to one of them during my first year and they threw a smoke bomb at me. The train stopped and i got off. Student around me were already talking about O.W.L.S. and N.E.W.T.S. I felt stupid for forgetting that this year I would have to take the O.W.L.S. I was just glad that Draco would most likely fail his this year.
I followed the rest of the students to the carriages. Most of the students couldn't see the threstrals pulling them up to the castle, but I could. Ever since I saw my father die, six years ago. I shook my head and focused on the creatures, warning my mind about thinking about my father again. Their reptilian like faces fascinated me. I placed my hand on its long face and looked at its eyes. I smiled.
"How beautiful," I murmured, stroking its mane. A few students passing by looked at me strangely, not being able to see the wondrous things. I smiled secretively to myself and climbed up into the empty carriage. Three overly chattery Ravenclaw students filled the rest of the carriage. I stared at my hands the whole trip to the castle as they chatted about fashion, boys, and what they were expecting from classes. They eyed me suspiciously at times, not sure whether or not I was listening or not to their mindless talking.
We turned around a large bend and saw the castle rising behind the trees. I smiled as my second home approached, thinking about all the wonderful times I had spent up in the dormitory, writing stories in my journals or sitting down by the black lake and listening to the mermaids sing as the giant squid flopped around.
Our carriage pulled up to the castle doors and I filed out behind the Ravenclaw girls., shuffling my way into the castle behind the other students. We past through the archesof the entry way and past staircases as we all made our way into the Great Hall that was lit up brighter than the stars. I smiled up at Dumbledor and the other teachers as I made my way over to the Slytherin table, determined to get a good seat for Dumbledor's speach, and the sorting hats song. I took my seat on the side facing the Ravenclaw table in the middle. I sat there as the rest of the students filed in and took their seats. Pansy came and sat down next to me.
"Did you hear that Draco and I are going on a date on the first trip to Hogsmede?" She loaudly gloated to one of her mindless drones. "We're going to go get butterbears at the Hog's Head and then he said he was taking me shopping." She smirked and recieved witless compliments on her and Draco's "relationship". I chuckled a bit at her delusional thinking. She turned slowly to me.
"What are you snarking at Emery? Oh no, let me guess, you cut your wrist with a steak knife and are gladly welcoming death? Oh no! You snuck into a girls lavotory on the train and watched girls change?" I glared at Pansy.
"No Pansy," I sneered, "I'm laughing at the mirage of a 'relationship' that you have with Draco. We all know that you two aren't really together, so stop trying so hard to impress all of your drones and get a real life."
"You think you are so cool, don't you Emery? You have no friends and no life. All you ever do is write in your pathetic little journal. Draco and I are in love, the whole school knows it. When we get out of school he and I are going to get married and have an amaing life together because that's what we are ment to do. And if any little girls like YOU try to get in the way of that or even DISMISS mine and his relationship as nothing, I will hunt you down and use an unforgivable curse on you." She glared at me, rolled her eyes and turned back around to her "friends" so she could rant more and more about her and Draco.
"Atleast I don't smell like a dung-bomb," I murmured under my breathe, chuckling at my knowledge of Fred and George's prank. Pansy chose to ignore my mumblings and continued her chatter. I smiled, glad to be done with her for now and wondering if Fred and George would have anything I could put in her bed later tonight. The great hall was soon full of all of the older students and we all put on our black wizard hats. The first years soon entered the room, scared and in awe of Hogwarts halls. They stopped, waiting for the Sorting Hat with the rest of us. A few moments past before the ragged hat opend its mouth and spoke:
In times of when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll just teach those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to the light,
For each of the four founders had
A House in which they might
Take only those they wanted,so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only the pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the Houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the Houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year's I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Thought I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter ever year
Still I wonder whether sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within.
I have told you, I have warned you. . . .
Let the Sorting now begin.
The crowd erupted into cheers when the sorting hat finished, myself cheering the loudest at the Slytherin table. We watched the first years get sorted to their houses. The nervous expression on their faces made me smile, remembering my own feelings when i had first come to hogwarts.
