As the rowboats slowly drew closer and closer to the shore, Aralynn stared at the magnificence of her surroundings with excitement buzzing deep within the pit of her stomach. For so long she had merely dreamed of the day she would be able to enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time, and finally, after such yearning; that day was upon her.

Once the boats docked, the large and furry man who had retrieved them when they exited the train—Hagrid, according to Harry—had all of the first-year students congregate at the foot of their new school. Even as the crowd began to move, Aralynn lingered behind, taking a few moments to admire where she was—with the castle looming over her, handsome and wise.

It wasn't long before Ron and Harry realized she had strayed behind, and they quickly approached in order to redirect her to the proper path. Before she allowed her star-struck gaze to be broken, she rummaged through her robes and pulled out her camera. She took a step back and photographed the castle with a smile spreading across her face. It would make a fine addition to the scrapbook Ron gifted her for her birthday.

Shortly after Ron, Harry, and Aralynn rejoined the fold, they were stopped at the top of the stairs, just outside of the massive wooden double doors leading inside of the castle. The large man turned around, and smiled at all of the children who were staring up at him. "Sorry 'bout not introducin' meself before scoopin' ye up and takin' ye away," he said. Before speaking again, he cleared his throat—which rumbled into the darkness like thunder. "My name is Rubeus Hagrid, but ye wee ones can call me 'Hagrid'. Here at Hogwarts, I'm the Keeper of Keys and Grounds. Now, before I take ya inside; I need t' remin' ye all to stay close, to each oth'r, understan'? Hogwarts is a righ' big place, and we needn't lose any of ya… on th' firs' day, no less! Stay close to each oth'r, ya got it?"

After the students nodded collectively, Hagrid returned a nod to them, then turned and pushed the double doors open to reveal the beautifully aged interior of the castle. They followed quickly behind him, staying tucked together in a close pack. As they ascended a staircase, Aralynn decided that photographs and articles from the Daily Prophet paid no true measure to the grandeur of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At the head of the staircase stood a black-haired woman with her lips pursed sternly and her arms folded on the inside of her robe sleeves. Hagrid gave a respectful nod to the woman before entering through another set of double doors. The fresh students stopped before the woman and stared at her uneasily; many wondering if they were facing certain doom.

The woman's green eyes flicked between each of the students' faces—her gaze seeming to linger on Harry Potter, and Aralynn Weasley for several moments longer than necessary. After a period of silence, she began to speak. "I am Minerva McGonagall, professor of Transfiguration, Head of the Transfiguration Department, and also Head of the Gryffindor House. Before you enter through these doors into the Great Hall, I will inform you of the four houses you have the possibility of being sorted into here at Hogwarts. There are: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw… and Slytherin. When you are sorted, your housemates will become your family while you are at Hogwarts. At the completion of each year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup. Each and every student possesses the ability to have points added or deducted from their house ledgers. Triumphs will earn points, and broken rules will lose points." Once Professor McGonagall stopped speaking, she looked the between students. "The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. I will see to the preparations, and will call you inside when we are ready. Remain here, and behave yourselves."

Once Professor McGonagall had disappeared behind the doors, children took it upon themselves to introduce themselves to their peers in an attempt to make new friends. Aralynn continued to gawk at the castle, and used her camera to take photographs of every bit of the structure that she could. As she was photographing the ancient doors, she felt tapping on her shoulder. She turned toward the source, and came face-to-face with a fair-skinned boy whose white-blond hair was slicked back. She cocked a red eyebrow at him as she tucked her camera away for safety. "Can I help you?"

"Don't remember me, then, Weasley?" the boy asked, pompously.

Aralynn gave him a once-over. "Should I?"

His cold grey eyes narrowed at her. "We met once before," he informed. "At Madam Malkin's. I was with my father."

"Oh," Aralynn nodded. "That's right—you're… well, I can't really remember your name." Of course, Aralynn did remember him. His name was Draco Malfoy, whom she had met simultaneously with his father, Lucius.

"Draco," he hissed. "Not hard to remember."

"Must not have been worth remembering."

Draco glowered at her, but his gaze soon shifted to Harry. He studied him, eyes falling upon the scar above the boy's eyebrow. "Well then, the rumors are true. Harry Potter really has come to Hogwarts."

With the mention of Harry's name, the students quieted and began to whisper amongst themselves. There was a collective aura of awe at this new information coming to light. Harry, however, looked incredibly uncomfortable. He turned towards Draco, peering at me through his glasses. "And who, may I ask, are you?"

Draco held out a hand. "My name is Draco Malfoy." Harry, however, neglected to take his hand, much to Draco's indignation. He placed his hand back at his side. "Befriended the Weasleys, have you? A shame, really."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows at Draco. "I'm sorry?"

"You'll soon come to learn that some wizarding families are… well, lower than others. The Weasleys here are disgraceful to pure-blood lineage. Best you surround yourself with decent people, if you know what I mean. People like me."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco. "I think I've found the decent people myself, thanks."

Anger split across Draco Malfoy's expression. "How dare you insult me!"

"If there are any wizarding families lower than others, Draco, I would say that the Malfoys are at the bottom of the chain," Aralynn intervened, staring hard at the boy.

Draco took a step towards her. "What did you say to me, filthy peasant? You wait until my father hears about this. Your family will be ruined. With what is left to be ruined, that is." He then scoffed. "I should put you in your place, you know."

Aralynn smiled bitterly at him. "Do tell—you conceited tosser."

For a moment, it looked as though Draco Malfoy was preparing strike Aralynn with his palm. However, he decided against it. Instead, he turned toward a few people who were standing behind him and muttered something about her parents. Aralynn then tapped on his shoulder, waiting patiently for him to turn around. When he did, she balled her fist, and cracked it against his jaw. The children around them gasped as he fell to the floor, with a hand cupping his nose. "You hit me!" he exclaimed, appalled.

"Yes," Aralynn nodded. "I did, and if you say another word about me or my family, I'll hit you again. Do you understand?"

Harry and Ron each grabbed onto one of Aralynn's arms and pulled her away from Draco. They then turned her toward them, with their arms crossed over their chest. "Bloody hell, Ara—that was wicked!" exclaimed Ronald.

Harry nodded. "Wicked," he agreed, "but dumb. You could have been expelled for that, and we haven't even started!"

Aralynn shrugged dismissively. "Luckily, no one was around. Besides, I don't suspect that Draco will be telling any of the professors about it."

"And why not?" Harry asked.

"I imagine that Draco Malfoy is the kind of person who would be incredibly embarrassed he was 'bested' by a girl. Which, he just was. Therefore, his shame will also equal his silence."

"Wicked," Ron said again with a grin. When Harry glared at him, he cleared his throat. "Ah—well—don't do it again!"

"Don't do what again?"

The three of them swung around in surprise to see Professor McGonagall watching them with austere eyes. While Harry and Ron fumbled over their words to try and think of an excuse, Aralynn smiled at the professor. "Don't try to wander off again," she lied. "I get curious."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips skeptically, but then turned to the whole group. "We're ready for you, now."

The group of first-year students followed Professor McGonagall as the double doors leading into the Great Hall opened before her. They moved inside of the room, which was far greater than its name could pay homage to. As they walked down a pathway between rows of tables on either side, Aralynn immediately pulled her camera out of her pocket to photograph every trivial detail she could. Toward the front of the room, behind a long table, was a massive window peering out onto the castle grounds. The ceiling appeared to be missing, and instead revealed the indigo sky with small, twinkling stars littered askew. As Aralynn studied the sky and wondered where the ceiling had gone, she heard Hermione Granger's voice explaining that it was—in fact—the ceiling, and was simply bewitched to resemble sky. A few meters below the ceiling levitated wax candles, which acted as a primary light source, but also a beautiful decorative touch. The paused just between a stool sitting on a raised platform where the buffet for the Hogwarts staff was placed. Atop the stool was an old, mangy, patched pointed hat.

Aralynn leaned over to her twin brother, and nudged him with her elbow. "Is it everything you hoped it would be, Ron?"

"Everything and more," Ron answered.

Aralynn glanced behind her shoulder, noticing her three elder brothers Percy, Fred, and George sitting together at one of the designated tables for the Gryffindor house. When they caught sight of her, they waved excitedly at her.

She returned her attention to Professor McGonagall when she cleared her throat. She held up a rolled parchment scroll for the students to see. "Now, on this scroll, you are all sorted alphabetically. When I call your name, you will approach the platform, and take a seat upon this stool. I place this upon your head, and you will be sorted into your designated houses." McGonagall then unraveled the scroll. "Now, let's begin… Hannah Abbott?"

As the blonde-haired girl approached the stool nervously, Aralynn turned towards Ron and Harry. "Any idea of the house you're hoping to be sorted into?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I'd be good with other than Slytherin, but I am hoping for Gryffindor. Mum and Dad would be proud, I think."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Is there something with Slytherin?"

Aralynn looked to Harry. "No."

"Yes, there is!" Ron intervened. "Every witch and wizard who has ever gone bad were in Slytherin House."

Aralynn rolled her eyes. "I doubt that's true, and even if it were, that doesn't mean Slytherin, on principle, is a bad house. They have a bad reputation, but that doesn't mean every single person to ever be sorted there is evil, or dark. Don't let him scare you, Harry. Slytherins have nice traits, actually—ambition, cunning, self-preservation, and goal-oriented. What's wrong with that?"

Harry gave Aralynn a small, but timid smile. "Nothing, I suppose."

Aralynn nodded. "Exactly—nothing. So, there's no reason to be afraid." She then turned toward Ron. "You need to be more tolerant, Ronald."

"I'm just saying what I know."

"No, you're just saying what you think you know. Just because people say awful things about Slytherin doesn't mean that any of it's true. In the letter that Charlie sent me for my birthday, he wrote: 'Slytherin is the House of Evil People, not the House of Evil,' and that's important to remember."

Ronald scrunched his face at her. "Yeah, alright."

"Hermione Granger!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang.

Aralynn, Ron, and Harry turned toward the stool as Hermione approached the stool. She sat down, and appeared to be muttering to herself. McGonagall placed the ragged hat upon her head, and she jumped in surprise. The hat seemed to be moving, as though it were alive. Aralynn tilted her head and looked to Ron. "Fred and George have told us about the sorting process, haven't they? Isn't the hat alive?"

Ron shrugged. "In some sense, I guess. I know it talks to you, but only you can hear what it's saying. You don't even have to speak, but it can read your mind. The only time we hear it speak is when it announces the house. I guess we missed it, though… talking and whatnot."

Aralynn held up her hand and shushed Ronald before he could speak any further. Hermione gazed at the crowd nervously, and soon, the Sorting Hat bellowed: "Gryffindor!"

Hermione's Gryffindor housemates began to clap and cheer. She hopped down from the platform with a bright smile upon her face as she took her seat at her newly designated table. McGonagall then continued to read off of her list, and Ron turned to Aralynn. "Being sorted with her will be annoying. She's mental!"

Aralynn shook her head. "You're so judgmental, Ronald."

"Well, she is!" Ron exclaimed.

Aralynn waved her hand at him and turned a smile to Harry. She looked to the scar on his forehead before redirecting her attention to his face. "You don't know much about the Hogwarts houses, do you?"

Harry flashed a sheepish smile. "No, not really."

"Well, I've told you about Slytherin," Aralynn said with a nod. "There's also: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Our parents and brothers have all been sorted into Gryffindor, and the house prides itself on courage, strength, and chivalry. Hufflepuff is known for resourcefulness, loyalty, and patience. Then there's Ravenclaw… their students are always intelligent beyond compare—creative, and witty. Oh! I can tell you about the founders, too. Well, who they are, anyway. The houses are named after their founders, and the traits for each house are reflective of the founders, but also reflect the kind of people they admired most. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin."

Harry listened to her intently, smiling as she spoke. He nodded and took a deep breath. "It's all a bit overwhelming, you know? This is all new to me. I don't know anything about magic, or this school, or anything… I feel so behind."

Aralynn placed her hand on Harry's shoulder comfortingly. "You'll learn, Harry. I mean, didn't your parents teach you about magic? Are they Muggles?"

Harry shook his head. "No, they aren't. At least—I don't think they were. I don't know much about them, either. They died when I was a baby. I was raised with my aunt and uncle—and they're Muggles. I guess they knew about me being magical, but they never told me. So, I didn't really have anyone to teach me."

"I'm sorry about your parents," Aralynn told him before smiling sympathetically. "Well, you'll have people to teach you now. The professors, and Ronald and I. That's something."

Harry smiled brightly at her. "Yeah, it is. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she nodded. When McGonagall called out Harry's name, Aralynn squeezed his hand encouragingly. It felt as though electricity shot through their hands—there was a sort of familiarity in the touch, but she decided not to question it. "Good luck."

Harry grinned nervously at her before approaching the platform. Aralynn reached over and took Ron's hand, watching the hat move about as it spoke secretively to Harry, who looked even more nervous than he originally had. She looked at her brother, who was watching the hat as well. "What do you think it's saying?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out."

After a few more seconds, the Sorting Hat yelled "Gryffindor!" as its verdict. Aralynn let go of her brother's hand to clap her hands excitedly. She gave him an emboldened smile as he walked over to Gryffindor's seating area.

Fred and George stood from their seats, clapped their hands rhythmically, and chanted, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Ron and Aralynn Weasley eagerly waited for their names to be called by Professor McGonagall. When she finally finished with all students with last names starting with 'U,' Aralynn's name was the first to be called. She looked over to Ron nervously, and he reached out to give her hand a squeeze. She then approached the platform slowly; anxiously. She could feel the eyes of every single person in the Great Hall burning holes into her back. She turned towards the crowd and sat down hesitantly. Every single pair of eyes staring her down made her feel as though she were going to vomit. McGonagall placed the hat down upon Aralynn's head, but she couldn't hear anything. After a moment, however, she jumped when she heard the hat's thoughtful humming.

"Ah, yes… yes, much here—much to analyze," said the Sorting Hat. "Bright as a Ravenclaw… loyal as Hufflepuff… ambitious as a Slytherin—oh, and the nerve—the bounding heart! A perfect resemblance to Gryffindor! Ah, but the decision… the decision, as it is, is difficult. Perhaps the first student I've come across in a very long time to fit each house's qualifications. You have a great deal of talent, Miss Weasley—a long and troubled destiny ahead of you. I almost want to say that Ravenclaw would be the best fit for you, but no… no, I don't think I'll be putting you there…" For a long moment, the hat paused. "You have so much greatness, and I believe… yes, that'll be it." The Sorting Hat then went silent. Aralynn watched the crowd nervously, and then looked to Ron, who smiled at her. "Gryffindor!" the hat finally shouted, causing Aralynn to jerk in surprise.

McGonagall pulled the hat off of her head, and she moved to join Harry and her brothers at the table. When she sat down, Fred rustled her hair. "Hey, good job there, Little Red. Thought for a moment you were being sorted into Slytherin!"

George laughed. "Oh, Mum would've loved that."

Harry looked at her from across the table. "What did it say?"

Aralynn shrugged her shoulders. "It almost sorted me into Ravenclaw, but it said that I was almost a perfect make-up of all the houses."

Percy looked over, eyebrow cocked. "Really?"

Aralynn glared at him briefly. "Don't be rude, Percy."

"Oh, oh—shut it!" Fred exclaimed. "I think Ron is about to get the decision."

"Oh, I hope he gets Hufflepuff," George said.

Fred laughed. "We'd never let him live it down!"

George smirked. "Never."

Ronald, however, was not sorted into Hufflepuff—like the rest of his siblings before him, including his parents, he was sorted into Gryffindor as well. He let out a massive sigh of relief, and then joined us at the table. "Bloody hell, that was terrifying."

Aralynn smiled proudly at her brother. "That's it, then. We're all lions now."

George learned over, smirking at his younger sister. "Yes, you are. Welcome to the lion den, little cubs."