James and Sirius were smiling and laughing as Gwen listened to both boys talk about the pranks they were planning on using as soon as they got to Hogwarts after the welcoming feast. The train was to leave in a couple of minutes and still no sign of Lily and Severus, which she found odd.

"Would you like to join us Gwen?" James asked as they looked over at her as she stared at boy boys

"Maybe"

"Oh come on Little Gweny, it'll be fun" Sirius threw his arm around the girl as he tried to coax her into saying yes to him. Rolling her eyes she fiddled with the book in her lap as she knew that he wouldn't repent until she gave him an answer.

"I'll think about it, is that better?"

"I'll take what I can get my dear Gweny" Sirius flashed her a cheeky grin as he withdrew his arm from her, she let out a sigh of relief as she wasn't used to people her age especially boys around her. Suddenly the door to the small cabin opened where a red headed girl and a raven haired boy stood as they stared at the three in silence.

"They needed a place to sit and I knew that you wouldn't mind if they sat with us" Gwen quickly explained as Lily smiled and took her seat across from them with Severus sitting next to the window. Gwen noticed that Sirius and Severus locked eyes for several moments as both James and Lily were distracted by their own conversation. There seemed to be tension between the two as they had a silent battle to which bright party one as they both looked away from each other.

Interesting….

Gwen smiled as she watched them all introduce themselves except for Severus who simply smiled politely before going back to the book he had in his hand. She was so busy listening to their conversation that she didn't even notice that they had already left the station.

"What house would you want to be placed in Evans?" James asked after they had all made small talk that lasted for about half an hour as Gwen merely watched them. "Gwen?"

"Personally I think they're all wonderful in my opinion" She smiled as Gwen knew that she was just excited to be a witch in the first place

"I'd love to follow my Mother's footsteps and be placed in Ravenclaw as I know she'd be proud if I were to be placed in her house" Gwen smiled shyly as she stared at the floor as she ran her fingers through a large piece of her hair, glancing up she saw that the four were staring at her with soften expressions. With a healthy blush rising to her face she cleared her throat as she looked over to Sirius "What about you Sirius? Where would you want to be placed in?"

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," Sirius stated with a glum expression

"Blimey," exclaimed James, "and I thought you seemed all right!" This caused Sirius to grin widely.

"Maybe, I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword.'"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" James smirked as he playfully winked at Lily "Like my Dad" He added

"Of course you would" Severus scoffed quietly from his book to which Gwen thought was quite rude of him but kept quiet as she could now sense the tension in the small cabin from that comment.

"What do you mean by that comment Severus?" Lily and Gwen exchanges looks as they watched James and Severus glare at each other

"Gryffindor are quiet loud, nauseating and not to mention very stupid" Severus huffed, Gwen watched as Sirius was staring at Severus with an emotion that she couldn't quite place as he looked torn

"Lemme guess, you're a Slytherin?" James asked as he stood with a snide tone

Gwen didn't expect house rivalries to start today as they didn't even know what houses they were to be placed in. But of course, her parents were right about the rivalries being thick as the cabin was filled with malice. She was daft to think that making friends was going to be easy, especially since statuses were a big thing when it came to making friends.

Gwen quickly stood as she inched out of the small cabin and towards the bathroom not wanting to be a part of what was going to happen. Gwen waited a good twenty minutes before she made her way back into the cabin, where she found a fuming Lily and an upset Severus. Gwen didn't say anything as she knew that they were both too upset to talk. In her opinion though Severus started it by making that rude remark, but she wasn't going to say anything as she decided that she was going to stay neutral about the entire situation.

Gwen stepped off the train along with Lily and Severus with a huge smile as she watched other students her age surround her in a black mass as they now all wore robes as they changed out of their muggle clothing on the train.

"First years over here!" A huge man with dark brown hair as he stroked his beard yelled, "All First years over here!" Gwen followed both her friends as they made their way to the giant man with a large beard as he held a lantern in his hands

"I'm so excited" Lily whispered excitedly to her as she clapped her hands together

"My name is Hagrid, I'm the groundskeeper as well as the teacher for Magical creatures! You will be getting into boats as you make your way to the other side of Black Lake to Hogwarts! I want you to get in a boat in a small group of five!"

Turning her head she watched as Lily and Severus had already disappeared as most students had already teamed up and claimed boats. Looking around she saw that one boat hadn't left yet, as they were down a person. Quickly walking over to the small docks she found a boat with four boys smiling and laughing.

"Excuse me, is it quite alright if I were to join you?" All the boys looked up at Gwen as she had interrupted their conversation, fiddling with her fingers she looked through her bangs to find two familiar faces as they were beaming at her "Oh hello Sirius and James, I wondered where you two ran off to earlier"

"Miss me Gweny?" Sirius smirked causing Gwen to roll her eyes at his comment, James merely laughed as she shook her head no which caused Sirius to pout a bit

"You can join us" A boy with sandy brown hair, light blue eyes and a couple of scars on his face introduced with a warm smile

"Thank you so much" Gwen turned her attention towards the boy who spoke to her

"Here let me help you" Sirius stood up as he offered her his hand as he helped her into the large boat where she took her seat beside him

"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus smiled as he offered his hand to her "It's nice to meet you Gwen"

"Likewise Remus" The other boy in the boathad now snapped out of their stupor, he had brownish blondish hair as he merely smiled at her

James smiled cheekily before gesturing to the still unknown boy who had done nothing but stare at her since she interrupted their conversation "This is Peter Pettigrew"

"It's a pleasure to meet the both of you"

Sirius untied the boat from the dock as he pushed them off as they were the last ones to leave. Slowly they made their way across the black watery abyss called Black Lake. She heard from her Father that merpeople and a dangerous large squid lived in these waters. She wondered what they looked like as she had only seen drawings and sketches from books that she had read.

"Oh my word" James spoke up causing all of them to look towards the large and daunting castle

The castle was large as it had towers, wings and from what she remembered had about a million stairs and it looked to be very intimidating at night, as it overlooked a large and the dangerous dark forest. Her flFather warned her to never step foot in the forest as there were plenty of dark creatures that lurked in the woods and she could find herself getting killed. Placing her hand gently to touch the surface of the water she felt her hand become cold as it was a freezing temperature.

"Do you really think merpeople live in this lake?" James asked as he leaned over into the water as it slowly started tipping

Gwen clutched onto Sirius as her reflexes kicked in as she felt the boat tipping as James had leaned even further to look into the water as Remus began scolding him as Peter clutched onto the boat in fear. It felt like forever as they had stared at each other in silence, Gwen felt a blush crawl onto her face as she noticed that their faces were in close proximity to each other.

"S-sorry" Biting her bottom lip Gwen let go of Sirius's robes as she scooted a bit away from the boy as she had felt her face getting flushed

"It's alright" Was all he said as she refused to look at the boy as she focused back on the three boys seated in front of her

"There's a giant squid who lives in these waters and I don't think it's wise to almost get killed before the ceremony" Remus reasonded as he had insisted that James be more careful and not have all of them fall into the lake

"We need to start the year off with a bang" James insisted as Peter had been petrified the entire time

"If you insist," Remus dropped the subject as they were now docking onto shore

All the boys had climbed out as Gwen was still inside as she was nervous that she was going to fall in. Seeing this Sirius offered her his hand, looking at his offered hand through her bangs. She placed her hand into his for the third time already as he helped her up from the boat. Standing in the boat she felt it rocking side to side under her feet, stumbling she fell into his arms rather than onto the floor.

"I'm s-sorry" She quickly collected herself as she blushed once again as she looked away from him briefly

"Don't worry about it," Glancing at the boy who had made her blush twice already she saw that his dark grey eyes held a soft look "Little Gweny" He cracked a smile which had her smiling without realizing

"Do you really plan on calling me such a thing?"

"Of course my dear Gweny"

"Alright students! This way!"

Gwen walked with the four boys towards the large doors that were the entrance to Hogwarts castle. She smiled as her eyes lit up in fascination at how beautiful the castle was as they slowly walked inside. She turned to Sirius who was just as captivated as her about the large and legendary castle.

"Can you believe it Sirius?!" She asked in excitement as she grabbed his right hand with a huge smile "We're here! I can't wait to become an amazing and talented witch like my Mother!" She exclaimed as she tugged on his arm slightly

"I can," He smiled as he stared at her intently with sincerity in his eyes "We'll go on many adventures together Gwen" he promised as he tightened his grip on her hand

"Pinky promise Black?" She raised her other hand and wiggles her pinky with a teasing smile on her face

"Pinky promise Appleton" He used his other hand to lock pinkies with her as he leaned into it and kissed it, she blushed but followed in suit.

"I should go find Lily, but I will hold you onto that pinky promise Black"

Teasing him, she turned and disappeared into the crowd of other first years as she looked around for her two childhood friends. She had found with ease as both the redhead and the raven haired boy were together waiting for everybody else to catch up.

"I thought you were right behind me Gwen, if I'd known that you weren't I wouldn't have left you" Lily spoke in an apologetic tone

"Don't be, I made some friends on the way here" Gwen smiled as she thought about the two other boys she had met in the boat

"That great" They soon started walking into the large castle as they made their way through several corridors and up a flight of stairs as a women by the name Professor McGonagall had led them here

"Now listen up!" All the students had stopped as Professor McGonagall started speaking "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."

Immediately students started speaking amongst themselves as they had received this new piece of information. Gwen glanced over at Lily and Severus and wondered if them being placed in different houses would affect their friendship. She knew that Severus was going to be in Slytherin as his mother was from that house and so were many of his family members. Lily was muggle born so she didn't have a lineage to give her any clues, and she came from a long line of Slytherins and Ravenclaws. "Alright students, follow me!"

The large doors opened up for them as they stepped into the large dining hall. In the air hung several thousands of candles as they hung over four large tables, four different colored banners hung over each table of their respective house. As they walked towards the large table that sat on a platform where several Professors sat as they watched the new students arrive. On the platform there was a stool, Professor McGonagall had taken out a large scroll that listed all of their names for them to be called upon to be sorted into the house they belonged in. Soon a deep voice penetrated the air as that hat became singing.

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry,

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin,

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means,

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Gwen felt her stomach twist in knots as she thought about what house she would be in as she watched the students get called on. One by one, they were placed into the four houses, claps and shouts rang through the air as the Sorting Hat made its decision. Lily grabbed her hand as she could feel Lily's nervousness as she had started tapping her left foot. A habit of hers when she was anxious.

"Calm down before you wear a footprint into the floor you git" Gwen whispered jokingly as she glanced at Lily who bit back a laugh not wanting to interrupt the ceremony

"No matter what house we're placed in, we'll still be friends, right?"

"Of course, don't be a ninny" Squeezing Lily's hand that held her own hand hoping it'd help reassure the redhead "You've been stuck with me since we were in diapers"

"Of course" Both girls turned back to the ceremony as Gwen watched Remus make his way towards the Gryffindor table

She took notice that the group of boys she met on the train and the boat ride were all placed into the same house, as they were all seated together at the Gryffindor table. She could feel Sirius's stare on her as she focused on the hat in front of her as she watched a student walk towards the Hufflepuff table. Lily let go of Gwen's hand as she was then called up. It was in slow motion as her best friend Lily made her way towards the tall stool. With the hat placed on her head, it felt like hours but in reality were just mere minutes as the Sorting House found it difficult to place her into a house. Before he finally made his decision and the house name was loudly announced in the air.

"Gryffindor!" Smiling Gwen watched as Lily had taken off the hat as a huge smile made its way to her face as she walked down the small number of steps and towards the Gryffindor table

Gwen watched as Severus had looked at Lily with sadness in his eyes as she knew that he was sad that she was placed into Gryffindor and not Slytherin. But maybe there was a chance that he could be placed into Gryffindor as well. When Severus was called she watched as he made his way to the stool, she and another student were the last ones to be placed into a house. She watched as he took his seat and the hat wasn't even placed over his head before the Hat shouted the worst news for Severus as it wasn't the house that Lily now resided in as he made his way slowly to the Slytherin table.

She suddenly felt small as she stood and watched the student make its way to the platform. She wondered if she was placed into a house other than Ravenclaw or Slytherin, would her Father be happy with her? Several thoughts were running in her head as she felt uneasy when the student made their way to the Slytherin table with a proud smile on their face. Slowly she walked towards the stool where the Professor held the sorting hat for her. Taking her seat on the stool, she watched as everybody had become silent as they stared up at her. Her heart was racing as she suddenly felt her palms get sweaty as she glanced at her fellow students.

"Gwendolyn Appleton"

The hat was placed on her head as she could feel everybody's anticipation to know what house she would belong to as when they heard her name there were whispers and mumbles all around.

"Another Appleton I see" The Sorting Hats voice was loud throughout the silent Great Hall as Gwen clutched the sides of the stool

"Yes" She mumbled out as she could feel her cheeks grow hot from the attention she was receiving from everybody

"A long line of pure blood Ravenclaws and Slytherins is what I see" Gwen could feel how everybody grown more interested in what the Hat had to say about her as it was dropping hints "So many wonderful qualities that could place you into any of these great houses but only one of these houses is what you desire to be in" He added as he fell into silence once again as Gwen could feel him picking around in her brain "You're very clever just as you are ambitious, studious as you were cunning, and intelligent as you are loyal"

"What house do I belong to then?" Gwen whispered as she felt as if she was about to explode from the suspense that the Sorting Hat was creating as she could see that Professor McGonagall also became very interested in what the Hat had to say about her.

This wasn't a movie, no because if it was then this moment would be going in slow motion. The camera would zoom in on her friend's faces as they held their breaths as they waited to hear the news.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Published: December 1st l, 2019

Editors: March 4th, 2020