Chapter 14: A Shaky Beginning
"What if I'm not sorted into Gryffindor, Ella?" Ginny asked for the umpteenth time since we've woken up.
Today was the long awaited 1st of September, and I could already tell that Ginny's nerves were increased tenfold. She had barged into my room early in the morning, demanded that I join her in her room for the preparation, and was getting ready frantically, all the while enduring my cranky morning behaviour. And now as I brushed Ginny's hair into the perfect half up-do that she loved, she was jittering and asking the same question of the Sorting.
"Not that I think the Sorting Hat will choose anywhere else but Gryffindor for the Weasley's, but there's nothing wrong with the other Houses. Relax, all will work out for the best, okay?" I bit down. I was beyond annoyed at her worry, and I was fed up with having to tell her the same thing over and over again.
"But what if I am sorted into Slytherin?" she asked.
"There's nothing wrong with being sorted into Slytherin!" I frowned. "Theodore is probably the most sensitive and kind hearted person I know, and he's in Slytherin."
Besides, the Hat did want to put me in Slytherin, too. I thought, but I wasn't going to tell Ginny that. The thing about my cousins was they were stubborn about their prejudice against the Slytherins. I didn't want them to look at me any different, though I would tell Ginny that it's all fine.
"Girls, are you about ready? Have you had your toast yet?" Uncle Arthur asked as he came into the room with a quiet knock. He saw Ginny nibbling on her toast and nodded approvingly as I tried to quickly fix my own hair into a sleek ponytail. "Hurry up, girls," he added again as he took Ginny's trunk down to the car.
When we finally all clambered into the car, for what I hoped was the last time we'd have to come to the Burrow again today, we were already running pretty tightly on schedule. I was excited to catch up with Hermione, since I hadn't spent much time with her in Diagon Alley. It was then Ginny let out a very frantic shriek beside me.
"Ginny!" Aunt Molly reprimanded her, annoyed at her sudden outburst.
"We have to go back. Oh mummy, please," she begged, tears almost springing to her eyes.
"What? What did you forget?" Uncle Arthur asked, but starting to the turn the car around nonetheless.
"My diary," she whispered desperately.
I looked at her, dumbfounded. "Really, Gin? Why can't auntie and uncle just owl it?"
"Because! Why are you so insensitive, anyway? Just because it's not important to you!" she snapped.
I felt my jaws go slack, and I saw everyone in the back had the same reaction. Then, I felt anger bubbling up inside me. The grip on the bench seat I had started to burn black, and the car started to shake side to side uncontrollably.
"I'm insensitive? I was the only one around the Burrow listening to your meagre problems all summer! And did I say that we should just leave it be? I just suggested an alternative to your irresponsibility!"
"Estella, calm down! Ginerva, that is no way to talk to your older cousin! Apologize!"
"No!" Ginny said defiantly.
"I don't want to hear your half-arsed apology anyway! Don't even breathe near me!" I snapped.
No need to say, the car ride from then was uncomfortable, to say the least. I had changed seats with Aunt Molly so I wouldn't end up in another feud with Ginny. Ginny, however, looked happier than ever before with her stupid diary safely in her arms. I gloomily wished that I hadn't sent Horus to Hogwarts before me so he could cheer me up but alas.
When we arrived at the King's Cross station, quarter to eleven, I jumped out of the car immediately, and took the only nearest trolley and strutted away from everyone without any goodbyes to my uncle and aunt.
When I got on the other side of the Platform, it was still ten before eleven. I smiled as I took my trunk and into the familiar stretch of scarlet steam locomotive in search for any of my friends.
"Ella! Ella, over here!" I heard Hermione's voice from ahead. She was beaming happily, with her head poking out of one of the compartments, and waving me over frantically.
I felt myself crack a smile, and feeling a lot lighter as I pushed the feud with Ginny to the back of my mind. I walked over quickly and entered - Hermione had found a compartment with Neville, Dean, and Seamus.
"Ella! You've made it," Seamus smiled crookedly, getting up to help me with putting my trunk overhead.
"We were beginning to think that you weren't going to show. Where are Harry and Ron?" Neville asked.
"I don't know, I guess they will show up soon, they were right behind me," I lied, nonchalantly. They will be here, if they didn't find us, they will see us at the Welcome Feast.
However, by the time we had already arrived in Hogwarts, none of us saw any hair or hide of Ron or Harry. Hermione was panicking beside me, which affected the all of us. We were getting worried and looked around wildly during the whole Sorting for any signs of two Second-Years walking into the Feast late for whatever reason.
"Weasley, Ginerva," Professor McGonagall called suddenly. Snapping me back to the Sorting Ceremony at my cousin's name.
I was still very angry at Ginny's unusual outburst in the morning but I still did care for her, after all. I watched as she unsteadily and quite rigidly make her way to the stool. She was nervously chewing her lower lip as she jumped onto the stool. But as soon as Professor McGonagall had put the Sorting Hat on her head, the enchanted hat cried "GRYFFINDOR!" before it even fully sat on her head.
Soon after, the Sorting was finished. I was still catching up with everyone on their fairings during the summer. But in the back of my mind, I couldn't stop worrying about Ronald and Harry. What could have happened that was so drastic that Ron would miss a meal? A meal as grand as the Welcoming Feast at that?
What worried me even more was the disappearance of Snape during the meal. Filch had arrived a little late, whispering something to the Slytherin Head of House, before they took off without another word. Soon, there were strange rumours floating about.
"Did you hear, Harry Potter is being expelled t crashing a flying car!" I heard someone whisper.
I gave a sideways glance at Hermione, who had clearly heard the words as well. She paled a little, and I thought she would throw up all of the shaved pork that she had been eating earlier.
"No way, I heard that Harry Potter was attacked by a Giant Squid, something about Dark Magic?"
"No, I've heard that Harry Potter's Muggle relatives wouldn't let him attend Hogwarts this year, something about illegal magic?"
I didn't want to hear it. The chocolate fudge that I had been looking forward to earlier suddenly started to taste like sand and gravel in my dried mouth.
"Maybe they will show up," Hermione tried to convince me. "Let's wait until the end of the feast, maybe they will show."
However long we waited, though, Harry and Ron didn't show. An uncomfortable feeling settled on my stomach like stone, threatening to lurch up with the rest of the content of my stomach. Though it made the sandy feeling in my mouth, it was replaced with that of sour tasting bile that suddenly pooled on my tongue. It was a worse taste
"Come on, Ella," Hermione finally sighed. She had given up on waiting, I guess. "Percy gave me the password before he left. Maybe they will be in the common room, or even their dorms. We should go now."
I couldn't get out fast enough. I did not want to think about the possibility of Harry and Ronald not being at Hogwarts. And if the rumours about the flying car... our Ford Anglia, was true. There was nothing I could do to stop the doom that awaited my best friend and cousin.
"Harry! Ron!" Hermione broke me out of my trance. We were already near the portrait of the Fat Lady, and I hadn't noticed from my distraction that I had walked all the way up there. But surely, as Hermione had shouted, Harry and Ron were standing in front of us, in front of the Fat Lady.
"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumours – someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car," Hermione babbled.
"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured us.
"So you're telling me, the two of you really did fly here?" I asked slowly.
"Er... something like that," Ron said. "Look, can we talk about this inside? What's the new password?"
"It's wattlebird," Hermione said impatiently. "But that's not the point-,"
Her words were cut short, however, as the portrait swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping. I stood there dumbfounded with the rest of my friends, they all looked startled at the sight before them as well. It looked as though the whole Gryffindor House was still awake, packed into the circular common room. They quickly pulled the two boys away, complimenting and giving them praise for their work.
I huffed at the display though. Call me not a Lion, but I thought their spectacular display of coming into the school was stupid and reckless, not bold and courageous. The car was so old it was ready to give out without its wheels off of the ground, flying to Surrey and back was one thing, flying from London to Scotland was another, after all.
I whirled around and stomped away from the display, dragging along Hermione who looked just as unimpressed at the juvenile behaviour of the whole House. We helped ourselves into the dorm room which read Second Year, in the Girl's Dormitory, and shut the door with a great big slam. Horus gave an unhappy hoot, warily following me with his beady black eyes, as if he felt my anger.
This bloody sucked! I had been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts all summer, but now, I was annoyed at everything. Ginny and I had a petty fight over a stupid diary, of all things. My bloody cousin and best friend was an idiot. The whole bloody lot of the House was an idiot! This was not how I imagined it would be returning to one of my favourite places on Earth...