Harry and Ron watched Veronica walk off with Draco before making any attempt to move to their own boat. When she was barely out of earshot, Ron said, "I really don't like that Veronica girl."
"Why not?" Harry asked. She had, in his opinion, seemed nice.
"Well, you wouldn't know, would you, being raised by Muggles and all," Ron said. The change of pace made Harry feel a bit insecure. "You don't know who her parents are. Mind, I don't really know who her father is, either, but her mother..." He shook his head. "Her mother is Bellatrix Lestrange. She's a lunatic, that one. No wonder Veronica lives with an extended family."
Ron nearly avoided a crash with a small girl coming barreling towards him, fear and yet an unmistakable look of awe written on her face. Even though she, too, was eleven, the other students towered above her.
"Need any help there?" Harry called after her. He felt very, very bad for her, considering.
She slowly turned around and said, "No, but thank you," before going on her way again.
The boats were cramped, and Veronica had been shoved into one with Pansy Parkinson, the girl she had met on the train, and another boy she didn't know, with dark skin and long, slanting eyes. He looked around, being very quiet. Despite his silence, he seemed to be very foreboding. Pansy had called him 'Blaise'; Veronica avoided meeting his gaze at all costs.
Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were in a boat right next to theirs. Every once in a while, Draco would say something like, "Thisis it?" or "I'd expect more from the 'finest school in Britain'".
After a while, Veronica was splashed directly in the face by Draco. She turned, a look of anger on her face. "Having fun, cousin?" he said, while Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy snickered for a very long time. Blaise stayed silent, looking as though we was split between being on Draco's side or sticking up for Veronica.
She was burning with rage. How much longer would she have to put up with him? Knowing fully well that he was going to be sorted into Slytherin, she begged, Please, for the love of Merlin, anywhere but Slytherin... I'd rather be a Hufflepuff than be in Slytherin...
The boats stopped in front of the castle. Upon seeing the tall, dark pillars and towers of the castle, all Veronica could think was one word: Home.
They followed Professor McGonagall throughout the castle. Despite laughing at her earlier, Pansy would not shut her motor mouth to Veronica for one second. "So, you're really Draco's cousin?" she said, as though this were the most magnificent thing in the entire world. Veronica desperately wanted to tell her to shut her giant mouth before McGonagall grew angry with them for talking. She did not seem like one to cross.
Instead, she nodded; Pansy squealed with delight (which was really quite a feat, considering who Pansy was). "Oh, that must be wonderful," she said. Immediately Veronica could tell that Pansy was taken with him. All she could do was say "Well..." before Pansy could interrupt again.
"And you live with him, don't you?"
She sighed, then nodded again.
"Oh, wonderful."
She wondered how much longer she would abuse the poor adjective, but said, "Well, it's not all that great. I've never met my parents before. At least, I don't really remember them much. I don't even know what they look like."
Pansy frowned, then said, "Well, I'm sure your aunt and uncle must be wonderful, though, right?"
"Yes...they're the life of the party, for sure..."
McGonagall gave them a sharp look. "If you ladies are done," she said, then said, "Welcome to Hogwarts." Though they were inside the castle, it was the first time that Veronica got a good look around. The school was beautiful. It was so perfect, in fact, that even though she had only been there a few short minutes, the place was already more like home than Malfoy Manor had been. The entrance hall was huge, with no distinguishable ceiling. The walls were lit with torches, similar to those in Gringotts bank. There was also a marble staircase that led up the stairs. It was so enormous that Veronica couldn't come close to taking it all in.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly," McGonagall continued, "but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."
Veronica's heart sank. Though she knew what the professor meant, if anything was like home at Malfoy Manor, she didn't want to be associated with it. Hogwarts already was so very different than home that she already knew that she liked it far more, and she couldn't fathom leaving at the end of each term.
"You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room." Her heart sank even more, seeing the look Draco shot her from across the entrance hall; immediately, she fell back into her thoughts. Anywhere but Slytherin, anywhere but Slytherin...
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. 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." Please, not Slytherin. Anywhere but Slytherin.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She took a good look around at all of them, then said, "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
As soon as McGonagall disappeared behind the huge doors leading into the Great Hall, Pansy fell into conversation once again, railing about how wonderful it would be if they were both in Slytherin and shared a dormitory. Veronica nodded, too polite to say anything else, then looked around for Harry and Ron, who were already busy discussing the sorting. A little ways behind them was the girl they met on the train named Hermione Granger; behind her, a boy holding a toad that must have been Neville Longbottom; and not too far from herself and Pansy, Draco was standing with Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise standing alone by them as well, looking around. A smirk was almost permanently etched on her cousin's face.
Ghosts started sweeping over the little group, and several students looked up in awe as they glided over head. Veronica was too busy begging Merlin knew who that she wouldn't be put into Slytherin. Anywhere but there...
McGonagall couldn't have chosen more impeccable timing to come back, leading them into the Great Hall. Veronica looked around, even more in awe than she had been when she came in. The first thing she laid eyes on was the staff table, where several older witches and wizards sat. In the center of the table was an older gentleman, with a long, grown beard that was very white, with half moon spectacles. Veronica instantly recognized him as Albus Dumbledore; Lucius had said enough about him to recognize him at once.
Apart from that, there were four long tables throughout the Hall where students sat, too. Looking at what they were wearing easily indicated what each student's house was. First, on the far left, the Ravenclaws presided, each of them looking more and more intelligent than the person before them; next came the Hufflepuffs, who were apparently above trying to decide who would be in their house; the Gryffindors were next, who (unlike the Hufflepuffs) were placing bets on who would be sorted with them; and lastly, the Slytherins. Veronica quickly looked away from them.
They stopped in front of a stool, on which perched an ancient looking witch's hat. Too afraid to look forward, Veronica craned her neck upward, surprised to see that the ceiling in this part of the castle was absent. Instead, they got a very good look of the night sky. She had read in Hogwarts, A History that the ceiling was charmed, but she hadn't realized that it looked so lifelike.
The hall fell silent. There was no noise for a few seconds, then the hat started singing.
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 belong 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 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!"
Thestudents that had been sorted in years past started to applaud, and the teachers did too. However, the new students were too petrified to move. Veronica herself was still trying to will some sort of higher power to let her go anywhere, anywhere in the school but Slytherin.
McGonagall now had a long scroll of paper in her hands. She waited for the noise to die down, then said, "When I call your name, you will put the hat on your head and sit on the stool." She then looked down and read the first name: "Abbott, Hannah!"
Hannah Abbott came forward, looking about as queasy as Veronica felt. She sat on the stool next to the professor, who then put the hat on her head. Immediately, it fell down over her eyes. There was a moment's pause, then the hat spoke again, shouting, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table at the end of the hall erupted into applause. McGonagall took the hat off of Hannah's head, and she scurried off quickly to join her house. Though Veronica admitted the sorting wasn't too bad, it still was less than desirable, having her fate decided in front of the entire school.
"Bones, Susan!"
Another girl came forward, sitting down on the stool. The pause was much shorter this time, but was still evident, then she, too, was sorted into Hufflepuff. The sorting continued like this, with the next few names going by very, very quickly, in an unnerving sort of way. There was Boot, Terry sorted into Ravenclaw; then after him came Bulstrode, Milicent as the first Slytherin; and the list went on. Before long, Crabbe, Vincent (one of Draco's friends) was a Slytherin. The throng of students began to shrink rapidly.
"Lestrange, Veronica!"
Veronica's heart sank; she didn't feel ready to be sorted, and she was still muttering to herself, Anywhere but Slytherin...please don't let Draco and I be together... She wasn't sure if she was imagining her cousin mouthing the word 'Slytherin' over and over again.
As she walked up, she could hear the unnerving whispers of the group in the hall.
"Lestrange, did she say?"
"Like Bellatrix Lestrange?"
"Did they really let her come here?"
"She'll be in Slytherin for sure..."
Veronica's lip quivered; she wanted to cry, just to add insult to injury. But she continued to walk forward, feeling more and more dizzy by the second, and sat down on the chair, the hat sinking over her eyes just as she got a good look of the room.
A small voice immediately hissed in Veronica's ear. "Hmmm."
Don't put me in Slytherin, she thought back.
"No?" the hat responded. "Oh, but your mother and father both were Slytherins, you see. Your extended family, too, with few notable exceptions. But it's all in your head. You have a sharp mind, do you not?"
No, she thought back.
"Oh? It's all here, dear. And you seem to be adventuresome and friendly, too, even if a bit cunning and witty. Interesting, very interesting..."
The hat stopped speaking, so to say, as Veronica waited; easily, the waiting while looking at the inside of the hat was the worst part of the whole ordeal. Soon, she promised herself, she would be sitting with her new house and looking forward to her new life at the school. That was the only solace he could give herself: The solace that she would be settling into her new life soon, just after the hat reached a decision.
"Ah, I know. Better be...RAVENCLAW!"
She practically threw the hat off, running the table where the Ravenclaws gave a halfhearted job of cheering. She didn't understand what the fuss was; things had seemed off with them once it was announced that her name was Lestrange. She took a seat quickly, looking back at the sorting as her new house members continued to give her odd glances.
Not to anyone's surprise, when the name 'Malfoy, Draco' was called out, the hat barely grazed the top of his head before it announced, "SLYTHERIN!"
Veronica's heart soared. For the rest of her time at Hogwarts, she and Draco would not have to spend too much of their time together, and that was just the way she liked it. The crowd was getting smaller and smaller, and she found herself intrigued by her new house. It seemed as though the entire school was excited for the remainder of the feast. She finally brought her attention back after the sorting of 'Nolan, Sian' as another Ravenclaw.
She was surprised, as were Harry and Ron. Sian was the young girl they had met on the platform after getting off the Hogwarts Express that Ron had nearly ran into and that Harry had been very kind to. The rest of the students, even those seated, towered above her. But the thing that caught Veronica's attention was the way that Sian got herself around.
Sian was so much shorter than the rest of the school because she was in a wheelchair.
I haven't updated this for over a month, my apologies. I have a LOT of plans for this story, so yay :') I ultimately want to pair Veronica with a boy, but I want to know opinions (this should be should the boy be a canon character, or an OC? I'm open to either but I'd greatly appreciate opinions on the matter). Also, I wanted to let everyone know that the character Sian is inspired by two friends of mine: One, who is her namesake, is a friend of mine that writes as well; the other is a girl named Lucy, who has brittle bone disease and is in a wheelchair and is in my drama class at school. I also read a confession on the Harry Potter Confessions Tumblr, wondering how a disabled person would get along at Hogwarts. First off, I DO NOT WANT REVIEWS SAYING THAT THE MAGICAL COMMUNITY PROBABLY HAS 'FIXES FOR DISABILITIES' and blah blah blah. Because I WOULD like to explore this idea, okay? Kthx. Also the name Sian is pronounced, usually, like 'Shan', but I personally like it pronounced at face value as 'sigh-en' instead xD It doesn't matter to me how you choose to pronounce it. Reviews are as always appreciated.
- Hatter of Madness