Mila's last month before Hogwarts was quiet. For the most part, she spent her days flicking through the pages of her new books, scribbling down notes here and there into loose parchment papers. Stains of jet black ink became a part of her, and there was more than one occasion where she had to get either Narcissa or Lucius to get rid of the spilled ink from the carpets. The times where her hand cramped from too much work, Mila spent her time on the broom with Draco in the back gardens. It was almost a guarantee that their friendly match of 1 on 1 Quidditch within the first few rounds would turn into a competitive mess. Margo followed her wherever she went, refusing to stay in the cage. Her wide, green eyes were trained on the girl, and not even Lucius could separate them. Overall, Mila enjoyed the last month of summer.
Which brought her to September 1st. Mila had woken at seven in the morning and by seven-thirty she had finished getting ready for the day. She had tied her light, blonde hair into a high ponytail and dressed in a simple, soft, long sleeve black dress that fell just above her knees. Mila double-checked she had everything packed and ready to go before she went back to her bed where Margo had been napping between the covers. She let out a low whine at the prospect of being removed from warm covers and handled at such an early hour. Mila shushed her by stroking her back a couple of times and then gently deposited her into the cage that was placed on top of her trunk. With another glance at her companion, Mila left her room in search of Draco.
Draco's room was still drowning in darkness when she entered, the only light coming through the door with her. She stood in the room for a moment, checking to see that Draco was still fast asleep and with his lack of moment and slow breathing urging her on, she jumped on the bed, startling him awake.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Draco growled out once he awake enough to realize what happened but by then Mila started chatting.
"Draco, come on get ready we need to go soon. Are you even packed yet cause I swear to Merlin if we are late because of you I will make sure you never play Quidditch again. How can you even be sleeping?"
"Shuttttt up, it's not even morning yet," Draco complained, pulling the covers over his head.
"It so is, get up,"
"No,"
"I'll tell Lucius," Mia half threatened in hopes to get him to do what she wanted but he didn't budge. If anything, he tried to push her off when turning on his side, his back facing her.
"Get lost, Mila," With a huff, Mila gave up for the moment and left him to sleep. She would get back to him by eating up most of the chocolate-chip pancakes, leaving him with the plain ones.
By ten-thirty, Mila and Draco were already sitting in one of the compartments on the large train. Having said a short and polite goodbye to Lucius and Narcissa, Mila followed behind Draco throughout the train until he found where their friends were sitting. Well, more like Draco's friends, Mila was an acquaintance to them. Lucius and Narcissa had set up meetings from time to time and while Draco seemed to like their company, Mila always tried to find different ways to get out of spending time with them. Seeing Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe already stuffing their faces the moment they had a chance made Mila wrinkle her nose in disgust and reach for a book from her trunk before sitting with her back by the window, propping her legs on the seat beside Draco.
The train finally let out a loud whistle and started to move, and for a while, Mila had enjoyed the relatively peaceful time on the journey. That was until Pansy Parkinson came into their compartment.
"Hi, Draco. Goyle, Crabbe," She greeted them before glancing at her. "Mila, move. I want to sit beside Draco,"
Mila glanced from the book and raised one of her eyebrows at her, scoffing under her breath. While Pansy Parkinson was thin and short in stature, her annoying and whining personality made up for it tenfold.
"Pansy, just sit by Goyle, it's not a big deal," Draco sighed, not paying much attention, choosing to watch the scenery go by instead.
"But Draco -" She huffed but nonetheless listened and plopped down beside Goyle.
"So," She smacked her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you hear that Harry Potter is on this train right now?"
Mila looked up from her book again, this time with interest, and Draco seemed to sit up at the news.
"Is that so?" He asked, even Goyle and Crabbe had enough sense in them to listen in.
"Mhm. Though I heard he was seen with the Weasleys so I wouldn't have too much hope for him if he chooses to associate with the likes of them." Pansy sneered at the very concept.
"I wonder which house he will end up if he is on the train," Mila mused out loud.
"Slytherin!" Crabbe shouted out with a chocolate frog in his mouth, it staining his teeth messily.
"He defeated bloody You-Know-Who, why would he be placed in You-Know-Who's house, Crabbe?" Mila remarked with disgust at his stupidity.
"Uh…"
"My money would be on Ravenclaw," Mila shrugged and returned to her book.
"Watch it, with the amount you read, you'll end up in Ravenclaw," Draco remarked in jest, earning a light kick from Mila.
"Can you imagine that? That would be so humiliating and degrading. I bet Malfoys would disown you," Pansy sneered with a weird glee in her face. Mila was about to remark back, but the door to the compartment was suddenly thrown open.
"Excuse me, have you seen a toad, a boy named Neville lost it," A girl with bushy hair spoke, clearly annoyed as her eyes darted around the compartment as if they would be the ones hiding it.
"No, does it look like we would have a bloody toad?" Draco bit out harshly, glaring at the poor girl.
"I was just asking, no need to be so rude," the girl muttered lowly and left them alone.
"Well, this has been fun," Mila sighed closing the book and reaching for her trunk to take out the uniform. She glanced at the cage that was laying on top of it and smiled, seeing that Margo was lazily laying down in it.
"I'll be right back, mind the book," She mumbled, throwing the book on Draco's lap and standing up on the seats to pass him before jumping down and leaving the compartment. It didn't take her long to find the girl's bathroom, but she had to wait in a queue before she could change. Sighing, she changed as quickly as she could, making sure that the uniform was tucked in and neat. She also checked herself in the mirror, ensuring her pale, freckled face was clean and her hair still tidy. She was pleased with what she saw in the mirror as her big, light brown eyes stared back at her.
Mila just stepped out of the bathrooms when she heard the small commotion nearby. To no surprise, it was Draco with Goyle and Crabbe already annoying someone.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Draco sneered.
"Unless you get out now," a voice retorted and Mila recognized the voice as Harry's, from the shop.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some,"
"If you keep eating all the junk you will get fat, and then," Mila interrupted their little fight with her own joke, hoping to avoid Draco getting in trouble.
"Funny," Draco rolled his eyes. She was close enough to him that when he abruptly took a step back, he bumped into her and stepped on her foot.
"Watch it!" Mila hissed hopping on one foot and reaching to rub the other when Goyle let out a horribly loud yell and frantically attempted to throw off a rat that had bitten him. All of them took a step back in fear of being hit, as Goyle wasn't the most graceful with the arms.
"Let's go," Mila used the opportunity to pull Draco's arm towards their compartment.
"That was Potter." He spat out as he shoved his arms into his pockets. Mila nodded in agreement, not sure what to think about that. From all the stories she had heard throughout the years, she was expecting...something more. The boy they met in the shop a month ago seemed timid and pretty average, not exactly someone that was said to be destined for greatness. She couldn't imagine how he could have defeated You-Know-Who as a child when right now he looked like he didn't even know what magic was.
The remaining of the train ride seemed to pass quicker than when it began and soon enough they were pulling to a stop. It was surprising that by the time they arrived it was already dark outside and chilly. Shivering, Mila wrapped her arms around herself and tried her best to stay beside Draco but with all the students moving in all directions, with some older ones being more aggressive in their walks, she got separated and couldn't see him anymore. She could feel her heart beating faster and a strange feeling overcome her. She had felt it from time to time when she was worried that she was in trouble back home, but right now she wasn't in any trouble so she couldn't understand why she felt it.
"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" She could hear a booming voice shouting over all the chatter and once more Mila's eyes darted across everyone in hopes to find Draco. She had never been separated from him that abruptly, most of the time she counted on having a rough idea of where he was but now she didn't and she didn't like it.
Someone bumped into her shoulder trying to pass by which got her to move in and follow the rest of the first years. They walked through a steep, narrow path in a line and Mila could barely see where she was going. She wanted to hold Margo but she had to be left behind on the train. It really wasn't her luck right now.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o'Hogwarts in a sec," The half-giant called over his shoulder. "jus' round this bend here."
The narrow path had opened on to the edge of a black lake. Mila had read about Hogwarts, saw pictures of it but the sight of the grand castle in person awed and took her breath away. It was something indescribable to actually see the vast castle with many turrets and towers that she would soon call home.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Mila ended up getting onto the small boat with people she had never seen in her life. She watched the reflection of herself in the black water as their little boats glided through with ease until they reached the tunnel that took them to some sort of underground harbor. Her feet barely landed on the rocks and pebbles before she felt her arm being yanked.
"Where the bloody hell did you disappear to?" Draco hissed at her, but she couldn't have been happier to see him.
"Me? You're the one that left me behind," Mila retorted but couldn't hide the smile that formed. She started to feel easier, the worrying feeling at the back of her mind finally disappearing and letting her stiff shoulders relax.
The half-giant raised his gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The old, heavy wooden door opened at once. A tall, black-haired woman with emerald-green robes and a very stern facial expression stood there.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," He informed the woman.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." With that, she pulled the door wide open. Mila had never seen anything as big as the Great Hall. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and the magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors. They all followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Mila didn't plan of letting go of Draco, choosing to loosely hold onto a piece of his robe. They were lead into a small empty chamber off the hall, all of them cramping inside closely.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall spoke "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, 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. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. 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 within the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Mila listened to her speak and felt shivers run up and down her back, each word sinking in. She couldn't wait till they got sorted so she could start earning points for Slytherin. With the amount of study she put in, she was sure she could at least impress the professors.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," With that, she was gone and they were left alone. She could hear someone whispering very fast about something, and she could catch a few names of spells, but before she could listen in more, someone screamed. She jerked to look back just as about twenty ghosts streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the new students.
"New students! About to be sorted, I suppose?" One of the ghosts had finally noticed them. Some people nodded in agreement, not daring to speak.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house you know!" Mila's eyes trailed to Draco when she heard him snort.
"Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Stand in line and follow me." Professor McGonagall returned and sounded even stricter than before. If that was even possible.
Mila stepped behind Draco as they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was just as magnificent as she imagined and then some more. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were gloating mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. It was weird to feel so many eyes on her but she tried to ignore it, choosing to look at another long table at the end of the Great Hall where the teachers were sitting.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in 'Hogwarts: A History'" Mila heard someone behind her brag and resisted the need to roll her eyes. The girl was clearly attempting to show off how smart she was to read a boring book. For some reason, it irked her. Anyone could read a book.
McGonagall led them to the front and placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Mila's nose scrunched at the thought of it touching her hair, she would have to shower again today by the end of it. For a few seconds, there was complete silence then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and to her utter surprise, it started to sing. Even Draco turned back to look at her as if to ask if she was hearing what he was. She shrugged her shoulders at him and was hoping it would shut up, but the hat kept singing for what felt eternity.
Mila clapped along with others out of politeness as the hat bowed to each of the four tables before becoming still again. That was… wacky. Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," She said. "Abbott, Hannah!" Mila watched people being called out to the front with mild interest as her and Draco's names wouldn't be called for a long while.
"See you in a minute," She leaned closer to Draco, whispering to him when the names edged closer to the letter 'M'. Draco gave her a small smile and nodded.
"Malfoy, Draco!" His name was finally called and she watched him confidently swagger forward.
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted out, after making the briefest contact with him. Mila clapped loudly, feeling pride fill her heart. She had no doubt he would be sorted anywhere else.
The list kept moving slowly through each student and Mila started to wonder why they haven't provided them with chairs if they insisted to go through everyone's names. She listened at times when a name she knew got called out but other than that she spaced out.
"Potter, Harry!" Professor McGonagall called out and everyone's attention, including Mila's, turned to the boy with glasses and messy hair. It seemed that everyone was waiting with bated breath to see what the verdict was.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted out after a few moments and Mila's shoulders sagged. That was… a bit anticlimactic. Sure, she didn't expect him to be sorted into Slytherin but Gryffindor was almost too predictable.
"Rosier, Mila!" Hearing her own name be called out so loudly made her jump a little. With a loud beating heart she looked up at the chair and took a step forward. And another. And another. Until she was sitting down on the stool in front of everyone. Then a black hat was placed over her head.
"Hmm," a small voice whispered into her ear. "What to do with you? Such wit and desire to prove that you're the best among them all. Not a small thirst for adventure and knowledge either. You'll apply yourself quite well in…." Mila's breath caught in her throat, anticipating the answer. This was it.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The air suddenly left the room with no warning. Every bone in her body froze, the blood disappeared, and she felt like she left her body altogether. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't do anything for a moment. When she got separated from Draco earlier in the day and felt the sudden feeling of fear, she thought that was odd. Now, that fear felt like a gentle breeze compared to the wave that just crashed and drowned her.
That was not the answer she expected.
Welp, that just happened. That's all I really got to say about this chapter. What you thinkkkk? Thank you guys who favourited and followed and commented, I love getting emails about it. I will try and reply to all the reviews I get without spoiling anything and let me know if ye want me to do like a small comment at the end of the chapters shouting out the people that favourited/followed the story :)
ThingsCanBeTwoThings - I'm so glad you liked the chapter and thanks for being the first who commented. I'm currently obsessed with the ideas of where I can take the characters in their future years and I hope the backstory won't disappoint :)
Thanks for reading x