This is my first piece of fanfiction, so please review. Any bits of advice would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Constance belongs to me, along with the storyline. Everything else belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.
Please do not use Constance without my permission.
Forever Lost
Chapter One
She stood in line, nervously fingering the sleeve of her robe. The two other first years ahead of her seemed to be excited, almost bouncing on their feet.
"Ludgis, Kathleen."
The small brown-haired girl she had been watching walked forward towards the stool, shaking slightly. She sat down quickly and the Sorting Hat was plunked down on her head, effectively hiding her eyes. There was a moment of tense silence, and then the hat shouted…
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
A loud cheering erupted from the table to her right. Guess that must be them, she thought. Kathleen jumped off the stool and practically ran to the Hufflepuff table, where she was greeting with welcoming smiles and a bit of applause.
One more to go, she thought. She felt a tugging at her robes, and looked down quickly. Her hand was covered completely by her robes, and she realized she had been twisting the fabric so tightly it seemed as though the sleeve would rip off. She took a deep breath, and released the sleeve of her robe. Relax, Con. Father would be ashamed of your behavior.
"MacAlister, Logan."
The boy directly in front of her walked, no swaggered, forward to the stool. The hat had barely touched his head when it yelled out,
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table reacted much the same way the Hufflepuffs had, cheering and applauding their newest member.
"Malfoy, Constance."
Here goes. She stepped forward confidently, walking with purposeful strides to the stool. She could feel her brother's eyes on her as she took her seat, and felt the soft fabric of the hat drop down onto her head. She gripped the sides of the stool, and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would be over quickly.
"Hello there." A soft comforting voice whispered in her ear. "Oh my, a challenge. Not at all like the rest of your family, are you?"
Constance's hands tightened on the edges of the stool. No, I'm not, she thought. Not that father hasn't tried, she added absently.
"Perhaps Gryffindor for you? You seem to have the qualities…"
NO! she screamed to the hat. Not Gryffindor!!
"Whyever not?"
Father would kill me. We've all been in Slytherin. All of us….please please don't put me in Gryffindor! Anywhere else, just not them.
"Are you sure? You're definitely not a candidate for Slytherin. Not Hufflepuff, either. You do have ambition, no doubt. However, you would be much better suited in Gryffindor. Loyalty means much to you, doesn't it? And you are certainly brave to have tolerated everything you have.?
How do you know about that? She thought wildly.
"Are you absolutely positive you don't want to be in Gryffindor?"
Yes, I'm positive! Please don't place me there, she begged.
"Well, then. I guess it has best be…"
"RAVENCLAW!"
Her heart sank, and she rose shakily from the stool. The Ravenclaw table had cheered and were smiling and waving her over. She walked on unsteady feet to the table. She glanced quickly over at Slytherin, and saw her brother's eyes narrowed, watching her progress. She could almost feel his anger towards her, and shivered involuntarily.
There'll be hell to pay for this, Constance. She could hear her father's voice in her mind as she took her seat at the Ravenclaw table. You are a disgrace to the family name, girl!
She smiled absently as the other students introduced themselves to her. She could still feel her brother's eyes on her, knew if she looked at him, she would see the disappointment that would mirror her father's when he learned of her placement in Ravenclaw.
She glanced over at her brother's table and met her brother's eyes. He frowned at her, and turned away to speak to the dark-haired boy next to him, effectively dismissing her. She sighed and turned away. She forced all thoughts of her family from her mind, and drew her attention to the conversations at the table.
* * * *
He watched her silently, absently responding to Lucius's comments, not really paying attention to the conversation. The moment she had stepped into the room, his eyes had been drawn to her. She had the awkward beauty of the young, with pale gold hair that hung halfway down her back. She was small, so small she seemed to be enveloped in her black robes. He watched her glance nervously over at his table, and forced his breathing to remain calm.
He could hear Lucius calling him, and forced his attention back to the conversation. He stole occasional glances at the Ravenclaw table, watching her. All thoughts of the pretty red-haired Gryffindor he had watched yesterday were far away.
* * * * * * * * * *
So what do you think? Please review! This is my first piece, so anything will be welcome.