Harry was dressed, packed, and ready to go within fifteen minutes. Alli, however, was taking much longer to get ready. Harry knocked on the bathroom door for the third time.
"I'm almost ready!" Alli called before Harry had a chance to speak.
"They're going to be here any minute," Harry reminded her. The bathroom door finally opened and Alli stepped out dressed in robes that did nothing at all to hide their high-end designer labels.
"Five seconds, that's all I needed," Alli said as an explanation.
She walked past Harry into his bedroom. Suddenly, a loud crack sounded from behind her. Alli turned to see a tall, gangly boy with flaming-red hair and freckles appear in the room accompanied by a man who shared the same flaming-red hair.
"Ron!" Harry greeted him.
"Hiya, Harry," Ron said.
"Good evening," said Mr. Weasley turned his attention to Alli. "And you must be Allison," said Mr. Weasley. He held out his hand to her and Alli shook it lightly.
"Wait, how did you—?" Harry began.
"Dumbledore," Mr. Weasley said as an explanation. Alli smirked at Harry.
"You knew she was coming?" Harry asked slightly angry. "And no one told me?"
"We couldn't risk putting it in a letter," Ron told him.
"I could've at least had a warning," Harry said.
"Hey!" Alli exclaimed, "It's not like I'm inconveniencing you."
Harry gave her a look.
"Right, we best get going. It's already late," Mr. Weasley told them.
Harry and Alli both held tightly onto their trunks. grabbed Hedwig's empty cage and with a few loud cracks, they all disappeared. They reappeared outside a tall, run-down house that seemed as if it were tilting to one side ever so slightly. Alli wrinkled her nose.
"Welcome to the Burrow," Mr. Weasley announced. Alli nodded her head slowly.
"Is this," Alli sneered, "supposed to be a house?"
"Harry!"
A girl with bushy, light-brown hair emerged from the Burrow followed by a slightly younger-looking girl with Weasley-red hair and freckles. She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck excitedly and then turned to Alli.
"You must be Allison," the girl said, "I'm Hermione Granger."
"You can call me Alli."
"Harry," the second girl greeted him. She wrapped her arms around him just as Hermione had. She let go of him slowly and her cheeks were flushed pink. Alli raised her eyebrows at this.
"I'm Ginny," she said to Alli.
"Hey," Alli said, "I'm Alli."
"All of you to bed now. We leave early in the morning," Mr. Weasley said clapping his hands together. Alli followed the group into the Burrow.
"Is there even enough room?" Alli muttered to herself when they entered the tiny kitchen.
"Be nice," Harry muttered back.
"I wasn't even talking to you," Alli said a bit louder. Alli groaned when they reached the tall staircase that led to another tall staircase and another.
"Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, "Alli and Hermione will stay in your bedroom with you. Harry, you'll go in Ron's room as usual."
Alli followed everyone up the first flight of stairs.
"Why did I pack so much shit?" Alli muttered.
Luckily, Ginny's room was on the second floor. It was a small, cramped corner room directly to the left of the stairs. There was a twin-sized bed with a light pink knitted quilt against the wall and a small chest of drawers on the opposite wall.
"You may have to leave your trunk outside the room, Alli," Ginny said. "There's not much room."
"Obviously," Alli muttered. She placed her trunk just outside the door. Then something occurred to her. "Ginny, there aren't going to be like bugs, right? Or… rats or mice?"
"We have traps," Ginny responded. Alli bit her lip nervously and looked at her trunk again.
"Are you sure we can't bring it in your room?"
"It's going to be just as safe out there as it would be in here."
"What?!" Alli asked looking horrified.
"It's fine," Hermione said.
"I don't like bugs," Alli said folding her arms across her chest.
"Well none of us actually like them," Ginny answered. "It's just something you have to deal with when you live out where we are."
"Well, I would prefer to live somewhere a lot nicer," Alli said under her breath.
When they finally tucked in (Ginny in her bed, Alli on a reclining chair in the corner, and Hermione on a cot), Alli felt her arms and legs get heavy. Her eyes closed and she fell into a fitful sleep. Her odd dreams were filled with creepy insects and black rats with red eyes. Then, her dreams changed:
I find myself standing in a dark room. A small man bows before a tall dark figure. The room in which they stand is illuminated by the flickering of a fire.
"My Lord," the man says.
"Have you any news on her whereabouts?" a snake-like voice hisses.
"She has been moved to a safe place," the man says.
"That means nothing to me. I have already been told."
"Yes, my Lord. I haven't any more news. That is all we know."
"You lie!"
"I do not know!"
"You are not trying, Wormtail."
"I-I am, my Lord!"
"Is this task too difficult for you?" the hissing voice says.
"N-No," the man whispered, "I am trying!"
"Do exactly as I say! Do not fail me, Wormtail!"
"I will not fail you, my Lord. I will not."
Alli opened her eyes. The room was still dark. She glanced at the clock on the wall: 2:07 am. Alli sighed and stood up. She snuck out of Ginny's room and went down the stairs into the kitchen. When she got there, she jumped. Harry was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of water.
"Harry?" Alli whispered. Harry looked up.
"Alli?"
"I couldn't sleep," Alli admitted to him.
"Neither could I."
"I had a nightmare," Alli told him. "That's all." Alli sat down beside him on the couch.
Harry narrowed his eyes.
"A nightmare?" he asked.
"It was weird. There was this man and he was talking about finding someone to this other guy."
"Hold on," Harry said. "That's what my dream was…"
"Seriously?" Alli said confused.
"We had the same dream?" Harry wondered.
"That's weird," Alli muttered.
"I don't understand. How could that have happened?"
Alli shrugged.
"I don't know," Alli paused. "How long have you been up?"
"A few minutes."
"Same."
"I just don't understand it," Harry repeated. "Last year, Dumbledore said that Voldemort can often get into my head."
"What?" Alli asked.
"Yeah," Harry replied. "What if… I mean what if Voldemort can get into your mind as well?"
"I've never had a dream like this though," Alli told him. "Not until tonight."
"Strange."
"So, if he can get into my mind does that mean he can see all my thoughts and secrets and stuff?"
"Yeah," Harry told her.
"Eww," Alli cringed. "It kind of makes me scared to think about anything personal now."
A silence fell between them. Finally, Harry stood up.
"I'm headed back to bed."
Alli nodded.
"I don't think I'm going back to sleep now," Alli told him. "That dream was just… too real."
"I get them all the time. You get used to it," Harry said. He started back towards the staircase.
"Hold up," Alli stopped him. "Are you saying it's going to happen again? That I'm gonna have another dream like this?"
Harry shrugged.
"I dunno, Alli," he replied.
"Great," Alli sighed.
Harry left her. Alli drew her legs close to her body, leaned her back against the armrest, and tilted her head against the soft back cushions. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she closed them for what seemed like a few minutes. When she opened them, daylight had lit up the living room and kitchen. There was a wonderful smell in the air of bacon, eggs, and oatmeal. Alli rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked over her shoulder into the kitchen where a womean stood by the cluttered countertop using her wand to set the table. Alli stood up from the couch and stumbled sleepily into the kitchen.
"Good morning. You must be Allison," said the woman.
"I am," said Alli.
"I'm Mrs. Weasley, Ronald's mother," the woman said.
"Alright," Alli replied.
"Breakfast is almost ready," said Mrs. Weasley.
"'Okay," Alli responded.
"Why don't you go wake the others," Mrs. Weasley asked just as Alli had started to take a seat at the table. Alli groaned a little and stood back up. She walked over to the staircase and then opened her mouth:
"HEY! WAKE UP, Y'ALL! BREAKFAST IS READY!" Alli yelled up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley looked at her. "What?" Alli shrugged.
"I could have done that," Mrs. Weasley told her.
"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley, I already did. So, no need," Alli said with a small smile playing on her lips. Although Alli thought she had yelled loud enough, no one seemed to have heard her. Mrs. Weasley then insisted that Alli go up the stairs to wake up the rest instead of yelling again. Alli opened her mouth to complain, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head.
"No arguments. Breakfast is nearly done," said Mrs. Weasley. Alli groaned and climbed up the first flight of stairs. She opened Ginny's door.
"Hey, y'all. Get up," Alli said dully to Hermione and Ginny. "Breakfast is ready."
She took a deep breath and went up the second flight of stairs. There were three doors on this floor. She knocked on the first one and then opened it without waiting for a reply from whoever was inside.
"Wake up," Alli said. This was Ron's room. There were two twin-sized beds against the wall. Harry was in one. Ron was in the other. Ron opened his eyes, took one look at Alli, and pulled the sheets back over himself.
"Bloody hell," Ron said sleepily.
"Breakfast is ready," Alli said. She turned on her heel and went back down the stairs to the kitchen.
The wooden table was set for breakfast. As soon as the Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, and Alli had assembled into the kitchen, everyone sat down and began to eat. Alli stared at the food that had been placed on the table as everyone else helped themselves.
"Something wrong, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Alli shook her head.
"I'm just not hungry, that's all."
Alli watched everyone else eat the food that she decided looked disgusting and not something she intended to put in her mouth. She was a picky eater after all—not like anyone knew that. Not long after breakfast had begun, there was a loud smack on the window. Alli looked over her shoulder just in time to see a mess of brown feathers slide down the glass into the garden outside.
"Fetch Errol, Ron, will you?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Ron got up and retrieved the mess of brown feathers which turned out to be a scrawny little owl.
"It's our Hogwarts letters," Ron said pulling a pack of bound envelopes from Errol's beak. Ron handed out the letters. When Alli received her own, she took a long look at the front.
Miss Allison Potter
The Burrow
Ottery St. Catchpole
Devon, England
She smiled excitedly and gently ripped open the top of the envelope. She pulled out two sheets of parchment.
Dear Miss Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl no later than 31 July.
Yours Sincerely,
M. McGonagoll
Minerva McGonagoll
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Grand Sorcerer)
The second sheet of parchment was the list of books and equipment which not only included items for sixth-year students but some of the supplies needed for a first-year student. Alli read it over quickly and then placed the letter on the table.
"It's your first year at Hogwarts, isn't it?" Ginny asked Alli. Alli nodded. "But won't it be curious that you're so much older than all the other first years?"
"It's not like I'll be taking classes with the first years or anything," Alli told her with a tone that made it seem as if Ginny was stupid for asking that. "I'm taking sixth-year classes."
"But you haven't learned up to that level yet, have you?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not like uneducated or anything," Alli snapped at them. "I went to school in the United States."
"So, you're at our level then?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, of course," Alli told her.
"Well, your first year at Hogwarts, you must be very excited," Mrs. Weasley said. Alli nodded.
"I am."
"Is there anything that seems especially exciting?" Mrs. Weasley continued.
"Well," Alli said, "There is one thing that I'm looking forward to." She paused dramatically. "The Sorting Ceremony."
"I was nervous when I went to get sorted," Hermione said lightly. "Are you?"
"A little, but not much," Alli said. "I mean I already have an idea of where I'm going to be placed. It's not like I'm afraid I'll be put somewhere else."
"Where?" Harry asked curiously.
"Probably either Ravenclaw or Slytherin," Alli replied with a smirk.
"Slytherin?" Harry repeated in shock. Everyone exchanged silent glances until Alli finally spoke up.
"What?" Alli snapped.
"You don't want to be in Slytherin," Ginny said. Alli narrowed her eyebrows.
"Why not?" she said confused, "What's wrong with Slytherin?"
"Slytherin is not a good house to be sorted into, Alli," Hermione said., "Ravenclaw is much better. Slytherin is just -"
"Terrible?' Ron finished for her.
"How do you even know?" Alli growled. No one answered her. "Just forget it."
She rolled her eyes, stood up, and left the kitchen. Alli stomped up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom and slammed the door. She crossed her arms over her chest angrily.
"You should go talk to her," Hermione told Harry. Harry sighed.
In Ginny's room, Alli sat down on the edge of the bed. Then, there was a quiet knock on the door.
"What?" Alli called.
"Alli," Harry's voice said. "We didn't mean to—"
Alli opened the door.
"I'm sure," Alli said sarcastically.
"Slytherin…" Harry paused and took a deep breath. "Slytherin is okay. It's a fine house to be in—"
"Okay, whatever," Alli said rolling her eyes, "When are we leaving to go to Diagon Alley?"