Chapter 10: Starting the School Year with a Meeting

Elsa gave a frown as she sat up in her bed and sighed once again. She was excited last night when she heard they didn't have to worry about breakfast until 7am and that was the first thing they had to do for the day. She thought this meant she would be able to sleep in for once in a really long time.

In the end, it didn't matter that they didn't eat until 7am. Her Queen training had forced her to get up at 4:00 AM sometimes and most times she was up at 4:30 AM at the latest as she had to get ready for the day and have breakfast by 5:00 AM. She would start her first lessons at 5:30 AM and continue until lunch with an occasional short 15 minute break here and there. Then after lunch she would spend most of the afternoon with more classes and learning to control her powers.

It wasn't until late afternoon she would finally be finished and had free time. Most of her free time she spent with Anna and that meant playing a game of some kind that required a lot of energy that she didn't always have depending on how the day went. Usually she got ready for bed right after supper and then would spend a little time either reading or writing in her journal before finally falling asleep.

So because of all of this she was now lying awake early in the morning in her bed staring up at the ceiling wondering what she would do with all of the free time she would now have at school. "That's easy… exploring," she thought to herself. This was a good plan and one she had made, but what was she to do early in the mornings. She guessed in the future she could read her school books if she found a good light source. At this time though, she wasn't sure where to even start with those if she did read them.

Elsa gave a stretch and another yawn. She decided she would look out her window. She figured it would be a little strange to see a first year up and about in the common room at this time on the first day of school. She pulled the curtains to her bed to the side quietly as she stepped out barefoot on to the floor. She could feel the flows of the room and knew that yes this would be really cold for most people, but she wasn't most people. Her elemental powers gave her an immunity to the cold.

At the same time, it was good she wasn't weaker towards heat or something like that. She even knew once she was in more control of her power she could actually make herself seem somewhat immune to fire as well. It was more due to her powers and the ways she would be able to manipulate the elements than an actual immunity though.

Elsa's breath caught as she looked outside the window next to her bed. Seeing the night sky covering the darkened grounds was a beautiful sight. Also if she angled herself just right she could see the moonlight reflect off of the lake. Really Ravenclaw had to have the best view of the area.

At dinner, Cho told them everything their common room view covered. Their common room had a view of the Quidditch Pitch, the Forbidden Forest, the Lake, the Herbology gardens and the surrounding mountains. Since the dorms were more or less kind of above the common room, each one had at least part of that view. Arendelle had wonderful views as well, and Elsa knew she was going to miss them, but these views were also nice and they were different.

Elsa gave a small gasp as she saw a giant tentacle breach the surface of the lake before slapping back down into it. She remembered Hagrid telling them about the giant squid, but seeing just one tentacle was enough to give her a better idea of how large it was. She had seen Humpback Whales back at her home, but this was a squid. She wondered what else lay in the depths of that lake. It had to be extremely deep for such a creature to call it a home even if it was magical itself.

The crown princess kept looking out the window waiting to see the sunrise. She wondered how nice it would be. She wasn't really sure which direction she was facing though. It wasn't like she was paying attention that specifically with everything else going on last night.

As time went by and she noticed shadows from the castle she realized they were facing the west. "Awww…. Can't see the sunrise from here…" she said to herself with a frown. She then gave a smile as she added, "At least that means the Sunsets will be amazing!"

"G-g-good then. I won't miss some spectacular view. It's a tad way too early…" a sleepy voice said as a head of disheveled auburn hair popped out between the curtains and the girl it was attached to gave a brief shiver.

"Morning, Morag," Elsa said with a smile. She then gave a quiet laugh as she added, "Sorry if I woke you up… I ended up waking up early and was so excited about the day I couldn't fall back asleep." It was partly true. She just left out the part of her also being used to waking up early.

"No worries. Just try to keep in mind we aren't all early risers in the future," Morag said as she got out fully and gave one more shiver before looking out the window with Elsa. "Aye it really is a beautiful sight."

Morag took in a few deep breaths as she looked out the window and took in sight. After a couple of minutes she said, "Well I best get going. There's a warm shower calling my name."

Elsa gave a giggle to that as the girl walked off to the restroom. Each Dorm room had one shared restroom. They had three showers/baths, three toilets, and three sinks in their restroom. Fortunately they each had their own bedside vanity/desk and wardrobe in the main room.

Elsa did have to admit she was a bit wary of sharing a restroom with four others not to mention it was a lot smaller than she was used to having. She would just have to get used to it. Hopefully they were kept really clean by whoever the staff was.

{-} {-} {-}

As the students ate their breakfast, the first years were surprised when several owls flew into the dining hall. It didn't matter if you were from a wizarding family it was still an impressive sight to see hundreds of owls fly into the hall. "Morning's Mail" an older student told Elsa and the others to clarify.

Elsa was further surprised when her owl flew down and landed gracefully on her shoulder and puffed up his feathers in pride. The Crown Princess gave him a smile as she stroked some of his feathers and said, "As always a good landing, Hermod." The owl gave a hoot as if to say she shouldn't have expected anything less from him.

She removed the letter tied to his leg and offered him a piece of bacon. He looked as if he was sniffing it for a moment before taking the whole strip with gusto. "Clearly the bacon here is Owl approved," said Terry Boot with a chuckle as he returned to his own breakfast.

Elsa opened the letter and read it to herself.

Dear Miss Evergreen,

I wish to have a quick meeting with you before your first class today. There are some things we must go over. Fear not for my office isn't too far from where your first class is to be held. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick will be joining us as well. I am sure a bright Ravenclaw such as yourself can guess as to why we will be meeting. The password to my office is currently set to Fizzing Whizbee.

Directions to my office are as follows […]

Yours Truly,

Professor Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts

Elsa closed the letter after reading over the directions again and placed it in her pocket to dispose of later. She knew why they would be meeting and she already knew the head of her house would know who she really was. She also figured the Heads of Houses would be ready to deal with such knowledge or she at least hoped they would be. She still had to wonder if anyone here knew about her family's special gift apart from the Sorting Hat. She wasn't going to ask or even hint at it. That's how Grand Pabbie told her to handle it and she had come to really trust him and the other rock trolls over the years.

After all of the owls left, the heads of houses walked down the aisles handing out schedules to the students. Elsa took a break from eating breakfast to look it over.

Ravenclaw First year schedule:

Monday

1st period: History of Magic with Professor Binns

2nd period: History of Magic with Professor Binns

Lunch break

3rd period: Herbology with Professor Sprout

4th period: Herbology with Professor Sprout

Tuesday

1st period: Charms with Professor Flitwick

2nd period: Charms with Professor Flitwick

Lunch break

3rd period: Potions with Professor Snape

4th period: Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell

Wednesday

1st period: Transfiguration with professor McGonagall

2nd period: Herbology with Professor Sprout

Lunch break

3rd period: History of Magic with Professor Binns

4th period: Off due to Astronomy

Midnight: Astronomy with Professor Sinistra

Thursday

1st period: Potions with Professor Snape

2nd period: Potions with Professor Snape

Lunch break

3rd period: Charms with Professor Flitwick

3:30 PM instead of fourth period: Broomstick Flying with Madam Hooch (all classes)

Friday

1st period: Transfiguration with professor McGonagall

2nd period: Transfiguration with professor McGonagall

Lunch break

3rd period: Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrell

4th period: No classes

Elsa looked it over a couple more times and had to again wonder what she would do with all of this free time even if the castle was vast she wouldn't be exploring it every day. This was a lot of extra time in her day she never had to deal with before. Homework wouldn't really make too much of a difference either most likely. She was excited about this and a little worried. Perhaps she would be able to better work on extra projects or something.

"So double History of Magic today. Huh…" Terry Boot said aloud as Michael Corner gave a nod while reading over the schedule himself.

"Ouch! Talk about having it rough your first day…" a fourth year student said next to them.

"I thought History of Magic would actually be interesting," Elsa said to the older student.

"Oh the subject is interesting, but Professor Binns has a talent of making the most exciting things extremely boring. The only thing interesting about that class here is the Professor himself and even that loses its novelty after a while," he replied to her with a knowing chuckle.

"What's so different about the Professor?" Padma asked.

"Oh you'll see soon enough. I wouldn't want to spoil the only cool thing about the class for you all." He gave them all a wink before returning to his breakfast. Elsa and the others gave him a frown as a couple of nearby students added their own chuckles to his.

Elsa looked up to the Professors' table as she finished eating her breakfast and noticed the headmaster had already excused himself. She was sure it wouldn't be long before the other two professors she was meeting with did the same. She took a few final bites and a few sips of her juice before excusing herself.

"There is something I need to take care of personally before looking for the History of Magic classroom. If you will all excuse me," she then left a confused group of students at the table. They were caught off guard by her proper manners. She didn't know two sets of eyes from the Gryffindor table were following her with concern as she left.

"What do we do about her?" Hermione asked Harry.

"We'll just have to find time to talk to her after classes or something. I meant it when I said I would still be her friend no matter what houses we all ended up in," he replied.

Ron took a quick break from eating to say, "Are you sure about that? I mean she's in Ravenclaw. We're like rivals and all of that for the House Cup and Quidditch."

Harry, Hermione and even Neville gave him looks. He cleared his throat and said, "I-I-I was just making sure you all realized that. I mean we can totally still be friends just not during Quidditch matches between our houses." He then quickly went back to eating.

The other three shook their heads at him briefly. Neville spoke up, "I would have tried for Ravenclaw to join her, but I'm not really that smart, you know."

He then looked to Hermione and asked, "How come you didn't end up there? I remember you saying on the train that's probably where you would end up going. Were you that excited to be in the same house as Professor Dumbledore was in his school days?"

Hermione looked down and huffed. "I actually asked the hat to put me there, but he said that while I could fit in there… He thought it better for me to be in Gryffindor. I asked him why and he only said 'It is my duty to know and yours to find out if you care to'. I argued a little more after that until he said, 'Well since you have the audacity to argue with an ancient and powerful artifact created by the very founders of Hogwarts! Clearly you can only go to the house of the courageous GRYFFINDOR!'," Hermione sighed. "I really wanted to be with a friend who also liked to read and really study. I've never had that kind of a friend before. No offense to you guys," she finished.

Harry and Neville both replied, "None taken." Ron made sounds that were similar enough to be understood as the same, but his mouth was full and he was really making good use of the refilling plates they had in front of them.

"I wonder if things would have been different if we went before her instead in the sorting." Harry wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure that would have really made a difference, Harry," Hermione said.

"I don't know. Elsa is definitely the type that can really get results when she wants. You saw for your selves on the train while looking for Trevor," Harry pointed out.

Neville gave a nod and said, "Well either way we'll make sure to meet with her again sometime and talk it over. I hope she doesn't feel like we kind of betrayed her or anything like that…" He gave a frown at his words and half wished he could have been smart enough for Ravenclaw. He was sure the only other house he could have been in was Hufflepuff and he didn't want to be in 'the leftovers house' no matter what.

The four Gryffindors finished their meal and got ready for their first class after dragging Ron from the table. They would meet with Elsa when they could, but they weren't sure when that would be since it was the first week of school.

{-} {-} {-}

Elsa looked at the statue of the gargoyle. She was about to say the password when it seemed to come alive and said to her in a stone like voice. "What's a student doing here bothering the esteemed Headmaster?"

After Elsa recovered from the shock, she wasn't sure why it surprised her really. She was friends with rock trolls so stone coming to life wasn't new to her. She looked at the gargoyle and calmly said, "I have an appointment with Headmaster Dumbledore."

The stone gargoyle looked like it was about to rebut her, but she then said, "Fizzing Whizbee." The thing was stone still again and then a spiral stair case descended to reveal the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. She straightened up and ascended the stairs until she came to a door and knocked.

The door opened and Professor Dumbledore gave her a bow and said, "Princess Elsa of Arendelle. I am honored you accepted my invitation. I am also honored to meet you in person."

Elsa was confused by his demeanor, but returned his greeting properly without exposing her confusion. "You gave me a formal invitation on an important matter. It wouldn't be right for me as Crown Princess to decline the invitation of such an esteemed man."

Dumbledore then offered her a comfy seat, which she took and sat down. He bowed again and sat in his own chair. She then said, "I do hope you don't wish to be quite so formal in such a setting, Headmaster Dumbledore. It feels unnatural to keep up such ceremony outside of situations which require it."

He let out a relieved sigh as he gave a friendly smile and said, "I'm grateful you feel the same way I do, Princess Elsa. I've never been one for such pomp. If you wish you may just call me Professor Dumbledore."

Elsa gave him a smile and a nod. "I would appreciate that Professor Dumbledore. In most cases, I hope you will think of me as a typical student since that is what I am."

Dumbledore gave a light chuckle and said, "You are far from a typical student. No student is truly typical, each one is unique in their own manner. You are even more unique than most. I have never had the chance to teach royalty in my life time. I'm thankful I can at least have such an esteemed guest visit the school I am gifted with presiding over as Headmaster."

"I suppose you do have a point there, Professor. I should have instead asked to be treated as a student in most cases as opposed to a Princess of Arendelle. As for not having taught royalty before, as far as the Royal Family of Arendelle is concerned the gift does not always surface. Sometimes when it does the one blessed with the gift does not receive it until they have already taken the throne properly. I'm sure I don't need to tell you why they wouldn't attend Hogwarts in such a case," Elsa said.

"Indeed you don't, Princess Elsa," Dumbledore replied with a smile. He then asked, "Out of curiosity, do you know if your younger sister has the gift?"

"She, like all females in the family line, is a carrier of the gift. However, she has as of yet to show any signs of having awakened the gift. So it is hard to say if she will or won't be attending Hogwarts in the future. She does still have two years before she would be eligible. Sadly, my own feelings do not have any say in if she will awaken the gift or not despite how I wish she would," Elsa said with a hard to read expression on her face, though he could tell due to her tone that she really cared for her younger sister.

Dumbledore's eyes looked her over as if trying to figure out her thoughts. He was pleased he could only see what she let show. He knew she had already started her Royal training and seemed to be pretty far into it. He figured that was why she was placed in Ravenclaw.

He was relieved he couldn't pick up anything else from her. There were things he knew were secretly going on in the world magical and otherwise. It was good to see such a powerful future leader wasn't currently compromised in anyway. He shuddered to think what someone like Lucius Malfoy or any of the other still at large Death Eaters could do with such power and that didn't even include anything about her as of yet unknown magic prowess.

"Ah, yes. Sibling bonds… It is far too unfortunate that we, as a whole, take such bonds for granted. You are wise to hold such a bond as precious," Professor Dumbledore said with a wain smile. "If only I had cared for Ariana in such a way," he thought to himself. Fortunately, he didn't expose his emotions to her apart from a desire that could be easily interrupted as him wishing for more people to care more for such bonds.

"I'm guessing you know why I wished to inform Professor Flitwick of who you really are as well. Am I correct?" he asked her. It was also a way to change the subject so he wouldn't have to go into further detail about their previous conversation.

She gave a nod, "Yes, I understand and figured this would be a possibility. I'm glad to see that you have only wished to add Professor Flitwick alone. I appreciate having as few people knowing I'm a Crown Princess as possible."

"Agreed. Apart from myself, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick are the only other people who will know you are a princess unless you divulge the information yourself to others. I'm not saying many won't try to figure out all they can about you, but there are ancient and strong protections in place to keep such people ever looking into it. The curious will think of you as a mystery and try to figure it out, but something will always naturally turn them away from your secret if they get close. When they aren't at the school they will think it as something unimportant to bother with in the end. This school truly is an amazing place," Dumbledore finished with a hint of awe at Hogwarts. It still surprised him even to this day and he was thankful that was the case. It was refreshing for an old man such as himself.

Elsa was pleased to get the headmaster's thoughts on the subject. She had heard a lot from the Rock Trolls, but they didn't actually have first-hand experience with the magic protections. Magic really was amazing. The two might have talked a little longer, but there was a knock on the door. "It seems our two other guests are now here, your Highness. I fear you will have to yet endure more formality," Professor Dumbledore said with a warm smile.

The headmaster turned to the door and called, "You may enter." Once his words were said, the door opened and in came Professor McGonagall followed shortly by a slightly shocked looking Professor Flitwick. Professor McGonagall gave a very formal bow and took a seat next to Professor Dumbledore.

Professor Flitwick then gave as deep of a bow as he could and said, "It is an honor to have a member of the long and honorable Royal Family of Arendelle in my house. If there is anything I can do to help you, please feel free to let me know, Princess Elsa."

Elsa was deeply touched by his sincerity. She didn't show how touched because she had to keep her head on straight. It was just that Professor Flitwick was so tiny and she already liked him despite not really knowing him personally. He was a great man she could tell.

Both Dumbledore and McGonagall watched to see how Elsa responded to this situation. Elsa stood up gave a smile as she said, "Professor, you don't need to worry about such ceremony around me unless etiquette demands it. I may be a crown princess, but I am still a student in your house. I only wish for you to treat me as a student and to help keep my secret."

The headmaster and deputy head were both impressed with the calm and collected answer Elsa gave. She wasn't overly eager to get him to treat her as a regular student nor was she demanding of him keeping formalities. Professor McGonagall was impressed by Princess Elsa's actions. These actions showed the girl had a certain level of confidence and maturity. She didn't feel the need to flaunt her position and so she didn't. The Transfiguration teacher hoped the Crown Princess would handle her magic prowess in the same manner.

Professor Dumbledore figured Elsa would behave in such a manner from his earlier interaction, but it was still nice to see someone with such a position handling it in such a way. She was only eleven years old, but already had the makings of being a wonderful queen when she took the throne formally. He hoped that wouldn't change after her time at Hogwarts. Being around others her age would be trying in a way she had never experienced before now.

Professor Flitwick gave another bow and said, "I will try my best, Princess Elsa. I hope you don't mind that I will still nevertheless take a certain level of pride that I have royalty in my house." He gave her a smile which she returned.

Professor McGonagall spoke up next, "Is there anything else you require of us? Are your living accommodations to your liking? I am not aware if we have ever had royalty in our hallowed halls during my time here."

"The living accommodations are different from what I am used to by a quite a bit, but I believe they are suitable. My father and mother both want me to experience what it is like to be treated as just another young student during my time here. They and I both believe it will help in a way to keep me grounded so to speak. After all, if I were to be treated like royalty even here, it would be easier to lose sight of regular people and by extension my subjects in the future," Elsa spoke in a hopefully diplomatic and intelligent manner. Judging by the Professors' reactions she seemed successful. She was then dismissed as were both Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.

While he was alone, Professor Dumbledore decided that he needed to remember that Princess Elsa was not to be always treated like a child. He also realized that he had to see her as more of an equal or even above him in certain circumstances despite her age. He started to wonder if maybe Harry might end up in the same category considering all he knew. He hoped not. Professor Dumbledore really wanted to treat Harry more like a child in the hopes that the boy could have as much of a normal childhood as possible. Dumbledore gave a sigh as he looked out a window in his office while in thought.

{-} {-} {-}

Elsa felt relief as she left the Headmaster's office. She didn't have anything against the professors, but she was glad to have that bit of her school life sorted. She hoped Professors McGonagall and Flitwick would keep their word and treat her like another student. She had no doubt Headmaster Dumbledore would. The man seemed adaptable and savvy like that. "Probably because he's old and powerful," Elsa thought to herself. She would see if this was a good thing or not as time went on.

Elsa quickly made her way to her first class. She was relieved it seemed she would make it on time with a few minutes to spare. She had a note for Professor Binns in case she was late, but she felt like she didn't need it. Professor Dumbledore knew the school really well and told her the fastest way to her first class.

The princess got there just as the queue of students in front of the classroom made their way inside. She was a little sad they seemed to have the class with Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. She was at least relieved that she was fairly sure Draco would be too busy surrounding himself with other Slytherins, so he probably wouldn't bother her in the class.

"Where were ya? You made rather short work of your breakfast after all," Morag asked as Elsa sat in the desk next to her.

Elsa gave her an apologetic smile as she said, "Sorry about that. I had to speak to the Headmaster about something. It was something I had to deal with because of where I'm from."

Morag would have asked what it was, but both of the girls were surprised when Draco for some reason decided to sit down next to Elsa. Both Ravenclaws looked towards the Slytherin with curiosity. "So, Miss Evergreen." He drawled sounding as if he was proud of himself for knowing her last name. "What will you do now that you don't have those others with you? Will you claim to be a dignitary's daughter now?"

Elsa sighed as she said, "I never said I was, Draco Malfoy. I merely said it wasn't wise to act in the manner you did. Especially, without knowing who everyone was and that you will always be under scrutiny because of your family's status, so be careful."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at her a little menacingly. It almost seemed as if they weren't sure how to act since she was a girl. Draco moved his hand in a manner that suggested he was calling them off as he said, "We shall see. You aren't in Gryffindor, so I'm willing to give you a chance."

"Thank you very much…" Elsa said dryly, but Draco didn't seem to notice. He just pulled out his school supplies as Crabbe and Goyle somehow managed to work out who sat next to Draco and who sat next to the other. Elsa was a little surprised they had enough brain power to figure that out. The two obvious minions/bodyguards didn't really seem bright at all.

It was at this time a ghost came in through the blackboard and settled itself at the podium in the front of the class. It introduced itself in a bored and dry voice, "I'm Professor Binns. This is History of Magic. Welcome…"

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise as she said loud enough to be heard, "The History Professor's a ghost?" She gave a sigh as she continued quietly, "This could be very good or very bad."

Draco gave a chuckle and acted as if he knew something she didn't, but his curiosity was obvious from his body language. Elsa gave a half frown at the blonde boy, but decided she might as well treat him neutrally for the time being. Their families did do business after all and maybe it was partly Ron's reaction that caused his behavior on the train. She doubted it, but if nothing else it would only add to her pleasure when the Malfoy heir later realized he messed up badly with someone who could determine his family's fortune and fate easily. The Crown Princess was already making a sort of 'list' thanks to Draco.

As the class went on, Elsa understood what the older student was talking about. She wanted to learn a lot about the history of magic and listened intently to the class, but Professor Binns made it so very boring. She had a feeling even truly horrendous and epic battles and wars would cause students to fall asleep in this class. She even noticed a Slytherin boy on the other side of the room asleep already.

Elsa looked to Morag. Her dorm mate had a frown as she took notes. She then whispered, "Get a load of him. I'm actually looking forward to learning about gardening, and I've never liked the subject." Elsa hid a giggle as she nodded.

The crown princess then looked to her other side where Draco was sitting. She was actually surprised how focused he seemed at least. Elsa might have been more focused, but so far the professor was more or less repeating the textbook. The textbook was much more interesting than he was. Still, she got back to taking notes thinking that maybe it would make things better or at least pass the time quicker. Taking a nap would probably pass the time the fastest, but the last thing she would do was sleep in a class.

{-} {-} {-}

Elsa gave a stretch and a sigh of relief as they made their way to the greenhouses. She hated to admit it, but there was a distinct possibility History of magic might end up her least favorite class. "You know… I usually love history!" Morag looked to her curiously as she continued, "But Professor Binns makes it so boring… I mean really boring. He's just repeating the book."

"I know what ya mean. It seems being taught history by a ghost is a very bad thing," Morag said giving Elsa a smirk. Elsa blushed a little. She really didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Well…" Elsa started and then faltered. "Nevermind… I'm not going to say that after all… Not going to jinx it." The people around her chuckled at her words even a couple of nearby Slytherins. They knew what she almost said and agreed with her decision not to say it. It would only make things worse.

Lisa Turpin, who sat on the other side of Morag in the last class playfully asked, "So… Morag… Ready to experience a new liking for gardening?"

"After that class… Yes, I actually am… Sad ain't it," Morag said with a shake of her head as the others laughed.

"What if the professor just lectures us using the book as well?" Amanda Brocklehurst asked barely containing a snicker.

"Then I'd ask why'd we come all the way out here for the class," Morag said with a snort. The group laughed and joked back and forth until the entered the classroom.

It turned out Morag didn't need to ask her question. Professor Sprout was a friendly and cheerfully woman, but it was apparent she was also very professional. She gave two students from Slytherin a harsh lecture and docked points when they acted as if plants didn't matter and didn't bother to even pretend to pay attention to the class at first.

Draco was across from Elsa and a couple of her fellow Ravenclaws. She was once again a bit surprised that despite his arrogance towards other students he actually paid attention to class. Maybe her words actually struck a chord with him, or maybe he was almost a barely decent person from the start. Elsa would wait and see. At the same time, she had now dubbed Mondays 'Regretfully Slytherin Day'.

Herbology actually turned out to be kind of fun and interesting. Elsa had never really worked with plants before. They had professional gardeners take care of that at Arendelle Palace. She always thought it would be kind of boring to do that herself, but in the magical world plants were different. Plants might actually fight back here.

At home, the worst that would happen was maybe accidentally pricking yourself on a thorn or stumbling back after pulling a weed that was deep rooted. Here, if you weren't careful, the plant might actually sock you in the jaw. Elsa managed to hide her laugh when one did just that to Goyle. He then tried to punch it back, but to no avail. The plant managed to somehow dodge him before hitting him once more.

"Mr. Gregory Goyle… That will be 10 points from Slytherin. We do not have fist fights with the plants," Professor Sprout said with a sigh.

"But it hit me first…" Goyle tried to defend himself. That also didn't make a difference, probably because both Malfoy and Crabbe were snickering behind him.

"Only because you didn't follow instructions, Mr. Goyle," the professor said with a small frown. Goyle looked to Crabbe to back him up, but it seemed his friend found it too funny that he lost to a plant in a fight.

Goyle then frowned at the plant and said, "You're dumb, plant." The plant then managed to hit him one more time seemingly in response. This caused the whole class, especially Draco and Crabbe, to laugh uproariously. Professor Sprout even managed to chuckle a little quietly. Goyle just glowered at the plant and seemed eager to use it in a potion so he could chop it up in revenge.

The rest of Herbology was fun for Elsa. She was surprised that she enjoyed working with her hands so much in the class. Depending on how things went, she might ask to have her own small garden to work in back home at Arendelle. She would probably have to share it with Anna, but that just made the idea even more appealing to her.

{-} {-} {-}

Once the day was over and they all were back inside the castle, Elsa decided to head to the library to work on her History of Magic assignment. She wanted to just be done with it, plus reading about history would be fun for her. She looked around the library and she felt mesmerized by it. There were books flying back to their shelves and it was fairly large, but it was mostly the flying books which amazed her.

She watched the flying books for a few minutes before finding an empty table to sit at. She pulled out her supplies and started to work on the assignment. It was a lot more fun and interesting compared to the actual class.

Half way through the last part of her assignment Elsa was pleasantly surprised when she noticed Hermione coming over to her. Hermione took in a deep breath and quietly said, "Elsa, I'm so sorry I didn't get into Ravenclaw… I really tried to. I argued with the hat, but it refused to let me go there. The worst part is my arguing proved to the hat my 'Gryffindor Courage' since I stood up to him."

Elsa actually felt relieved hearing her friend say that and she found it a little funny. She wasn't about to admit it, but she had felt a little disappointed none of her friends from the train trip followed her into her dorm. She gave a smile and said, "It's okay, Hermione. I told you all I wanted to still be your friend regardless of what houses we ended up in. I really meant."

Hermione let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she sat down next to Elsa. The bushy haired girl seemed more relieved than Elsa had felt seconds ago. "Harry said the same thing at breakfast. I'm so glad to hear that…" After a moment or two of silence as she got out her own supplies, Hermione asked again, "So how was your first day?"

Elsa gave an unqueenly groan as she started. "History of Magic is sooo boring! I mean how can it be boring. Its magic and history. I've always loved History, but Professor Binns has made boring an art form. He's even a ghost and he's boring. I wouldn't be surprised if he had bored himself to death and that's why he's a ghost."

"I know right?!" Hermione said louder than she meant to say. This earned her a hush from Madam Pince and a giggle from Elsa. Hermione gave the librarian an apologetic look. The stern woman just shook her head and went back to reading something behind her counter.

Hermione turned to Elsa. "We just had History of Magic. We started off with Herbology in the morning. I really liked Professor Sprout."

Elsa smiled and said quietly, "Herbology was fun and interesting for our class too."

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"Well I found the plants and subject material interesting. I also liked Professor Sprout. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. It was nice to do something practical after History of Magic," Elsa said. She then gave a grin and hid a snicker as she added, "But my favorite part was when Goyle got into a fight with a plant and lost."

Hermione giggled as she asked, "Really?" She did at least manage to be quiet this time. Usually she would be completely quiet when in a library, but she had never had a friend with her to talk to while she was there. She had always been annoyed and slightly jealous when she saw a couple of people talking over a book in the library.

Elsa nodded and said, "Yes really. Even the Professor couldn't help, but laugh when he called the plant stupid and it hit him one more time." The two shared a laugh and got a half-hearted glare from Madam Pince. It was like she was warning them she was about to warn them and hush them again or something.

Hermione then gave a worrying frown as she said, "So I guess since we spent the whole day with Hufflepuff that means you had Slytherin the whole day."

Elsa gave a frown and nodded. "Yeah… Draco even decided to sit by me in History for some reason."

Hermione's frown deepened. "How did that go?"

"Not as bad as I feared it would. I'll have to see about that in the coming days if it continues. He was actually surprisingly focused during classes."

Hermione gave a sigh as she said, "I hope he will be that way when we have classes with Slytherin, but somehow I don't think that will be the case."

"Maybe you'll all be lucky enough he won't sit near you guys," Elsa said hopefully to her friend. She doubted Malfoy would behave regardless. It seemed him and Ron already hated each other. Elsa also doubted his arrogance would allow him to leave Harry alone after turning him down on the train and on top of that being friends with Ron.

"So how are Harry, Ron and Neville? Are you three still friends or have you all been busy trying to get along with others already instead?" Elsa asked.

"They're alright. They've been getting along with Dean and Seamus," Hermione answered as she concentrated extra hard on her assignment for a bit.

Elsa gave a frown. "What about yourself?"

"Dean and Seamus seem alright to me," Hermione answered not looking up.

"Hermione…" Elsa started. Maybe she was being a little forceful here too quickly, but Hermione was acting just like Anna did when she was purposely leaving details out. Anna could go on for a good while acting like that.

Fortunately, Hermione wasn't Anna. She gave a sigh as she said, "Okay fine… I can't get along with Lavender or Parvati. I mean their nice enough and they aren't mean to me at least, but I can't really talk to them. Their always busy giggling, gossiping about fashion and wizarding celebrities, who I don't know about at all. I'm not about to dare ask them who these celebrities are either. They'll just giggle and probably make fun of me for not knowing. Right now we just don't bother each other. Fay Dunbar seems to get along with them, but she's a little colder than they are and also grew up in the wizarding world."

Elsa placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and the girl seemed to let out a sigh in relief and smiled weakly. "You do still have some friends at least. Maybe try to get to know some of the other girls in Gryffindor better instead?" Elsa replied helpfully.

Hermione shook her head, "It's alright. I might try, but like you said I do still have some friends at least. I even have you, another girl, as a friend. Which is a relief."

Elsa then gave a stretch as she said, "Well it seems like Padma is very different from her sister. She's actually kind of quiet."

"Maybe she just isn't used to being separated from her sister and she might actually be just as talkative," Hermione said.

"Possibly," Elsa responded simply.

"How far along are you on your History assignment?" Hermione asked.

Elsa took in a deep breath and started working on it again. "Almost finished before double checking it once or twice."

Hermione seemed to light up at Elsa's response. "So not only are you also a girl, but you also actually care to finish your assignments early. What a relief!"

Elsa gave a chuckle as she asked, "Why's that a relief? Plus, I am a Ravenclaw you know. Studying is kind of our thing."

Hermione gave a small laugh to Elsa's response before answering. "Well Ron's already made it clear he has no intention of doing any homework ahead of time. Harry and Neville seem to be following his lead on that subject for now at least. 'We should be exploring the castle! Not wasting our time on Homework.' After Ron said that they ended up exploring the common room by talking about Quidditch and how awesome the common room was with Dean and Seamus."

Hermione gave a sigh as she said, "Boys…"

Elsa laughed louder than she meant and she was the one on the receiving end of Madam Pince's glare this time. She instantly understood why Hermione quickly gave an apologetic look to the librarian. Madam Pince seemed a little scary. Fortunately, the librarian gave another shake of her head before she returned to reading.

Hermione covered her mouth as she gave a giggle at Elsa. "At least she seems more concerned about reading than scolding children," Hermione said.

Elsa gave a bit of mischievous smile as she said, "I bet it's one of those novels." Hermione sat there with her mouth agape blushing as Elsa gave another giggle. Hermione then closed her mouth and momentarily became super focused on her assignment while still blushing.

Elsa decided Hermione would be a very fun friend to have after that reaction. "I can see why Anna loved teasing me about things now… That reaction was too fun," the princess thought to herself. She then gave a sigh. She was already missing Anna.

Elsa and Hermione talked a little while they worked on their assignment. Once Elsa read through it twice, she pulled out a new roll of parchment and started writing. "We didn't have a Herbology assignment did we?" Hermione asked almost in panic. It would be really bad if she missed something like that in the class. It was so unlike her.

Elsa shook her head. "Writing a letter to Anna. I just have to figure out how to talk about things without giving anything away. I can't really tell her about magic."

Hermione wanted to ask why that was, but she decided not to. She figured maybe it was something to do with the Statute of Secrecy. She only asked Professor McGonagall about it regarding her and her parents. Maybe things were different if you had a sibling who wasn't magical.

After a little bit Hermione asked something that just came to her mind, "So who introduced you to the magical world? How long have you known about it? Professor McGonagall came to my house and talked to me and my parents about magic about a year ago when I got my letter, but it was too late for that school year. She also took us to Diagon Alley to get supplies shortly before we started this year." Hermione felt it was best to answer her questions first before Elsa. They were a little personal and it was probably best to offer up equally personal information in return or in this case advance.

Elsa gave a smile as she said, "A wonderful woman who goes by Miss Rose introduced me to the magical world. It's kind of her thing to help new witches and wizards where I'm from. But I've kind of known about magic since I was a little girl. I just didn't know about this magical world."

Hermione almost wanted to ask where Elsa was from exactly. She knew the girl was from somewhere Icelandic or Nordic she was thinking more Norway really. However, something she found more interesting was what Elsa said about magic. "Really? You've know about magic for that long?"

Elsa nodded, "My family is a little different when it comes to magic. Magic has always run in my family. However, it doesn't always appear in us, but from what my mom told me all women are carriers of what we have come to call the gift. Men can have the gift in our family, but unless they marry another witch it won't pass on to their children." Elsa hadn't told Hermione about this on the train. She just told Ron and Harry.

Hermione gave a hum in thought about this. It was really interesting and odd. "Does that mean your sister might be a witch?"

Elsa gave a frown. "If Anna has magic, she hasn't shown any signs. She's a couple of years younger than me so she still has some time for it to show in time for Hogwarts. I'm not counting on it though. It would be too heartbreaking if I hoped on it too much and then for her not to have magic." Elsa was relieved it seemed Hermione understood not to press despite seeming curious as to why it would be so heartbreaking for her. If this was all Hermione or if it was part of the protection she was told about, she wasn't sure.

It seemed it was more Hermione than the protection as the girl grabbed Elsa's hand and smiled. She didn't say anything, but Elsa could tell there was some kind of understanding between them now. Hermione then went back to working on her third revision of her assignment. Elsa had to admit she was a little impressed Hermione could stand to revise that many times and seemed to be quick about it.

{-} {-} {-}

The two friends finally got up from their table and left the library. As they walked the halls together Hermione said, "Even though I went to the library, I bet I've seen more of the castle today than Ron. I bet he's still going on about Quidditch. Really It seems even wizards can get rather fanatical about sports. It must be a guy thing."

Elsa chuckled as she said, "I don't know if I would say they're all like that. That would be like saying all girls act like you said Lavender did."

Hermione stopped for a second in mock horror. She then smiled and said, "Maybe it's a Ron thing? I mean Neville got into it too, but he seems less intense about it."

"Harry seemed to really enjoy hearing about it on the train," Elsa said offhandedly.

Hermione paused again. This time she seemed closer to actual horror as she spoke. "We'll have to watch Harry. I know he's a guy as well, but I really don't want all of my male friends to be Quidditch-holics. You have to help me here, Elsa."

Elsa giggled in response before Hermione joined her. They really didn't know just how much of Harry's school life would involve Quidditch at this time. Even after finding out later, they would probably agree Ron was on a whole different tear of Quidditch crazy.

They soon approached the point where they would go their separate ways. "It was nice running into you at the library, Elsa," Hermione said with a smile. She was glad she managed to get to meet with her only female friend so soon.

Elsa smiled in return, "I'm glad you did too, Hermione. I'm glad we talked and already finished our History assignments." She then gave a giggle as she added, "I'm glad I got to tell someone else about Goyle's fight with the plant."

Hermione gave a giggle too. "I'll be sure to tell the others. See you tomorrow I guess?"

Elsa smiled as she said, "Yes. We will. We all have DADA at the same time." She then blinked in thought before asking, "What other classes do you have?"

Hermione pulled out her schedule and looked it over. "Double Charms and Transfiguration before DADA."

Elsa gave a bright smile as she hugged Hermione. The curly haired girl was surprised at the response. "Sorry…" Elsa said looking sheepish. "I was just relieved. After spending all day with Slytherin it will be nice having most of the day with Gryffindor tomorrow. We have Charms together. Though Ravenclaw has Potions before DADA."

Hermione smiled and quickly gave Elsa a hug back. She was happy she would be able to have a class together with Elsa already. "I'll make sure to save you a spot!" She then frowned as she asked, "Ummm… Your year mates won't mind, right?"

Elsa thought for a moment and shrugged. "I don't think they will. We get along well enough so far. Besides, you and the others were my first friends apart from my sister." Hermione smiled at that.

She then took in a deep breath and said, "Well then. See you tomorrow, Elsa. I'll tell the others that as well. Oh… Do you want to tell them about Goyle instead?" Hermione looked a little bummed at the thought. This was something really didn't want to have to keep from the others.

Elsa gave a laugh as she noticed Hermione's expression. "You can tell them. Besides, it will just show them how much they missed by not going to the library with you to study." Hermione smiled at that and the two went their separate ways to their dorms.

{-} {-} {-}

As Elsa entered her dorm to relax a little before supper, her dorm mates turned to her and Morag asked, "Please tell us the History assignment wasn't as bad as the class…" They knew she went to finish it.

Elsa gave a mock shocked expression as she said, "Ravenclaws avoiding an assignment? What will the Prefects think?"

A couple of the girls shifted a little uneasily. Elsa then giggled and the others either laughed in return or gave halfhearted glares at her. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."

Morag gave a lazy smile as she rolled her eyes. "So what is it?"

"It was actually a lot more enjoyable than the class itself," Elsa replied.

The others seemed to sigh in relief at that. "I still don't see how a ghost can make even history boring…" Lisa said with a shake of her head.

"For the record…" Padma started and was a little shocked at the silence that followed her words. "What?"

"Nothing…" Mandy said looking to the said.

"I do talk sometimes…" she gave Mandy a half-hearted glare. "As I was saying… For the record, I wasn't fully avoiding the assignment. It's just that Professor Binns actually made me dread anything related to History and I wanted to avoid it for a bit… I think he did for all of us," Padma said as she looked to the others who nodded in agreement.

Elsa sighed, "I'll admit the only reason I did it so soon was because I feared the worst and wanted it out of the way. I love history, but like you said. He's ruining it for me." She then gave a giggle and added, "Hermione and I are probably the only ones to have already done the assignment."

"Ah yes, Hermione. She that Lass you told us about at the feast, right?" Morag asked. Elsa nodded. "If what you said is true, it's a wonder she ended up in Gryffindor."

"Well I don't think she's had any accounting classes yet," Elsa said with a chuckle.

Padma then nodded sagely and said, "Perhaps there is some truth to that theory after all." Again she was caught off guard by the four pairs of eyes looking at her. She frowned. "Just because I'm not a chatterbox like my sister, doesn't mean I never talk!" The other girls gave her apologetic looks and she sighed.

They'd only met her at the opening feast. They didn't know her. Granted she never really did say much before because her sister was such a chatterbox. She also was usually very much fine to keep quiet, but still it annoyed her a little. At the same time, she had been surprising herself with how much she had talked already since the start of school. It was different and she hoped that Parvati's presence wasn't the only reason she was different from her twin sister in that regard.

"Oh yeah. That reminds me," Elsa started. "We actually have Charms with Gryffindor tomorrow. Hermione and I compared our schedules."

"That's a relief…" Lisa sighed as she relaxed. "I really would have hated to have two Slytherin days back to back."

Mandy nodded as she said, "I don't really like the looks some of them were giving us even if they kept to their selves. Especially that Pansy girl." Mandy then turned to Elsa in concern as she continued, "She was glaring at you something fierce during History. I think she's got a crush on Draco or something."

Elsa frowned at this information. "Thanks for telling me, Mandy. I'll keep an eye out. There's no telling what a girl will do because of her crush, especially a Slytherin." The princess wouldn't start anything with the Parkinson girl, but if said girl started something Elsa would finish it and do so the smart way while also not getting caught.

"If she tries anything, you let us know. Us claws got ta stick together," Morag said with a nod.

The others nodded as well, even if Mandy gave a giggle shortly afterwards and said, "That's rather Hufflepuff of you, Morag." Morag gave her a frown. The other girl gulped a little thinking she might have upset her.

Elsa let out a sigh. "I don't get what all the hate for Hufflepuff is about. Their house is known for being just, loyal and hardworking. Sure its where all the 'leftovers" supposedly go. But that just means they have the most potential and should be respected."

The girls looked thoughtful at her words as she continued, "It means they can have traits from all of the houses. For instance, they can be cunning and ambitious, but they're not willing to stab others in the back," Elsa said.

Mandy gave a nod as she added, "Meaning they're the type who would be like 'I'm going to top. Want to come with me?' Instead of waiting to step over others."

Padma's eyes lit up as she said, "They could probably be just as brave or in some cases braver than Gryffindores. Except their driven by loyalty to others instead of for the sake of being brave alone."

The girls spent a little more time discussing this new theory along with the good and bad implications it had. They finally took a break when they went to supper where they discussed other things with everyone else. Once they finished supper, all of the other girls started working on their History assignments and so there wasn't much debate for the rest of the night. Elsa used the quiet time to work more on her letter to Anna. She would find time tomorrow to mail it out, or she might actually make it a really long letter to send at the end of the week and let Hermod get used to the castle and the other owls a little first. She wasn't sure which would be the best and would sleep on it.