Ch. 3
Oh you might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart.
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart.
-Part of the Sorting Hat's song, Year 1
Jupiter hardly knew what to make of her situation. She was so excited.
She watched as the train streamed past fields on its way to Hogwarts. This was it, they were on their way!
She nervously practised the few spells she'd learned, using her wand (Maple, Dragon Heartstring, 8 1/2 inches) to make her henshin stick float in the air using Wingardium Leviosa.
The Senshi were spread out over three compartments. The outers had a compartment to themselves. The four inners had one to themselves, and Sailormoon and Chibimoon were with Harry, Ron and Hermione. All had put on their Hogwarts robes before stepping onto Platform 9 3/4. Several students had timidly stopped by the Inner's compartment to say hello and probably to check with their own eyes that the Senshi were really on the train. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of Draco Malfoy, but Jupiter suspected that that was because word had spread down the train which compartment which Senshi were in. If he was as interested in Chibimoon as she thought, then he would head straight to her compartment. Jupiter set her henshin stick back down and sighed. Mercury put on her sunglasses, prompting the other Senshi to do the same. She'd done this spell several times before now.
"Lumos!" she yelled, illuminating the tiny compartment. The senshi took off their sunglasses and smiled to one another. That was better than Mercury's first try, in which the light at the tip of her wand (Holly, Unicorn Hair, 10 1/4 inches) had fizzled out. Venus decided to go next. She 'accidentally' sat on her sunglasses and pulled the mangled wreck from beneath her. She tapped them with her wand, muttering "Reparo".
The glasses fixed, she put them back on and grinned.
"I think we're getting good at this."
There was a knock at the door and a round faced boy stuck his head in.
"Have any of you seen Trevor?" he asked. "He's my toad. He got away from me again."
All the Senshi shook his head. Mars smiled kindly.
"Why don't you try a summoning spell?"
The boy's face lit up. "Yeah, I could!" He pulled out his wand and rolled up his sleeves.
"Accio Trevor!" he said. In a few moments, he heard a croak behind him and he turned as his bewildered toad floated down the hallway of the train. He took him out of the air and turned gratefully to Sailormars.
"Thanks! I'm Neville Longbottom, by the way!" He stepped into the compartment and shook each of the Senshi's hands. He backed out nervously.
"I'd better get back to my own compartment."
"Yes, Longbottom, go," a cold voice drawled. "You're blocking our way."
Sailormars' eyes narrowed. She recognised the voice. Neville whimpered and backed back into the Senshi's compartment. He tripped and fell backwards onto the floor. As the Senshi hastened to help them up, they all looked up in hatred at Draco Malfoy, who now possessed none of the charm and kindness he had put on to Chibimoon. He sneered at Neville.
"Squib. Come on Crabbe. Come on, Goyle." He snorted and left them.
"I am really beginning to not like him," Jupiter said. Neville sighed and stood.
"He's always like that…thanks again for helping with Trevor."
"Anytime, Neville," Mars said, smiling. "By the way, what house is Draco in?"
"Oh, Malfoy?" Neville said. "He's in Slytherin. I'm in Gryffindor." He smiled and almost tripped as he waved goodbye and headed down the train. Venus glanced around.
"I guess we know what house to try to avoid, then."
"Firs' years an' Senshi this way!" Boomed Hagrid's voice. "Oy! Chibimoon, y' alrigh' there?"
"I'm fine," Chibimoon called out as she had tripped and fell on the platform. Draco smiled warmly at Chibimoon.
"I'll see you at the feast after you're sorted. Hope to see you in Slytherin," and with that he walked away. Hagrid led them to the lake, and across it. The lake was placid as could be, and the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts sparkled in the moonlight. Sailormoon looked up at her home.
"Kami-sama," she said softly. "Guide us here."
When the Senshi were led into the Great Hall with the first years, they joined the collective gasp that went up from the nervous new students. It was so beautiful!! And the people..
Mercury recognised Harry at his table and smiled to him. Harry waved back. The sorting began.
"Aldridge, Justin!"
A red headed boy stepped out of line and sat on the stool, placing the hat on his head.
"Ravenclaw!" the hat yelled. The sorting went on, until Professor McGonagall reached "Chibimoon!"
Chibimoon gulped nervously and moved to the Sorting Hat. She let the hat slip over her head and waited.
"Hmmm…" a small voice said in her ear. "You've got ambitions, no doubt about that. But a stout heart, oh yes. You've done many courageous things. No need to do more, you'll be in Gryffindor!" She heard the hat shout out her house to the Hall and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. She glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy's downcast face. Then one of his friends whispered something to him and he brightened again. She sorting continued, the next Senshi to be sorted was:
"Jupiter!"
Jupiter flushed and sat on the chair, slipping on the hat.
"No doubt about you," the voice said to her. "You're loyal and tough. So, for these traits, you belong in Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted. The Hufflepuff table cheered wildly as Jupiter joined their table. Chibimoon gave her a thumbs up sign. A few more names, and
"Mars" was called. Mars walked to the stool and tried on the hat.
"Oh my…" the hat said. "So many things to consider. You're brave, no doubt about that. Loyal you are, yes yes. Clever, most definitely. And ambitious, oh yes. It does matter, though, what house you're in. So, my ambitious senshi, you're going to be in Slytherin!"
Sailormars was stunned. She pulled off the hat and walked numbly to the Slytherin table, not noticing the wild cheers and high fives the Slytherins were giving each other, congratulating themselves on having a Senshi in their house. Next, was
Mercury, now quite nervous, put the hat on.
"You're, I can tell, scared by what you saw," the hat said. "But never fear, you belong in Ravenclaw!"
Mercury let out a sigh of relief and joined the Ravenclaws.
Next, "Moon!"
A sudden hush fell on the Great Hall as Sailormoon stepped forward to try on the hat. Grateful she didn't trip, she put the hat on.
"Don't wish to end up in Slytherin with Mars, eh?" it asked her. "It's alright. I know what house you're for. You, Sailormoon, belong in Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor table erupted in whoops and hollers as Sailormoon joined them. She was so busy hugging Harry, Ron and Hermione that she didn't notice the rather dark look Sailormars was giving her. A few more people, and it was "Neptune!"
Sailorneptune stepped forward with the gracefulness of any princess and tried on the hat.
"The soul of a poet you have," the hat said to her. "You know your mission, you do what you must. So, Ms. Neptune, you'll be in Hufflepuff!"
The next Senshi was "Pluto!"
Sailorpluto walked forward and sat on the stool. A few moments later, it yelled "Hufflepuff!" to the assembled school. Uranus was next.
"It would be cruel, I think, to separate you from Neptune. You care for her, in her alone you trust. For these reasons, I'll put you in Hufflepuff!"
Finally, it was "Venus!"
"A loving heart you have, after the goddess you're named for. So, Sailorvenus, get ready for Gryffindor!"
Venus nearly ran over to Gryffindor. She hugged Sailormoon and Chibimoon.
"Oh, wow!" she said excitedly. "We're in the same house!"
"Yeah, but Rei-chan is over there alone," Moon said, glancing at the Slytherin table. "I feel sorry for her."
"Less talk, more eat." Ron said. Dumbledore was indeed now giving a speech.
"-and some of our older students would be well advised to remember that it is against the rules to be roaming the castle at night," he finished, his blue eyes flicking towards Harry and his friends.
"And now," Dumbledore said jovially. "Let's eat!"
Sailormoon had, for once, eaten her fill. Now, very sleepy, she settled into the bed fitted into the Sixth Year Gryffindor Girls' dormitory for her. Venus and Chibimoon were already asleep. Her trunk had already been brought up and it hadn't taken her long to get ready for bed, changing into her favourite pink pyjamas that she'd brought with her. Now, her hair out and brushed, she finally fell asleep.
The next morning a jubilant Sailormoon joined the Gryffindors for breakfast.
"What have we got today?" She asked. Hermione smiled.
"Transfiguration with the Slytherins. So you'll get to see Sailormars today."
"Good," she said. "I hope Rei-chan had an enjoyable evening. I know I had fun."
"Yeah," Venus said, sitting down next to her and smirking. "It's hard to sleep when the person next to you keeps murmuring 'Mamo-chan…..Mamo-chan' in their sleep." Sailormoon flushed.
"I didn't! Did I?"
"You and Chibimoon both. Though I'm sure I heard 'Gohan-chan' in there as well." Sailormoon smirked.
"They'll be married soon, you know."
Chibimoon came in at that moment, looking bright. She gazed up at the ceiling of the Great Hall. It looked as if the Great Hall opened up to the sky.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside," Harry told her when he saw her staring. "It's better than the evening news if you want to know what the weather's like outside."
The ceiling showed the sky outside to be a clear pristine blue. Chibiusa sat down at her table and smiled.
"We'd better hurry up, we're going to be late!"
Chibimoon was quite dismayed when Malfoy took great pains to sit next to her-even to the point of isolating himself as the only Slytherin in a sea of Gryffindors. Fortunately for him, Professor McGonagall's classroom was not a place to instigate house wars and all behaved.
That day, they were to begin turning their chairs into cats. As the rest of the class started, Professor McGonagall walked over to the Senshi.
"Are you sure you'd like to start at this advanced level? I can certainly start you off on something easy-"
"Professor," Sailorvenus said softly. "With all due respect, we do have a type of magic of our own. I think we'll be able to manage."
Professor McGonagall gave a rare smile. "As you wish."
An hour later, Sailormoon walked out cuddling a pretty silver cat. Sailorvenus walked out behind her, nuzzling a small cat with a wood pattern. Chibimoon walked out, looking a little dejected as she held out a small furry wooden chair that was purring. Sailormars was admiring her own black cat with wood print eyes. Sailormoon smiled.
"I think I'll keep her, and let her be a companion to Luna when we get back."
"Yeah," Chibimoon giggled. "And when Luna's least expecting it, she comes into the room and sees a chair on her favourite pillow!"
Everyone laughed at this. Malfoy sidled up next to Chibimoon, hastily stuffing his miniature chair with ears, whiskers and a tail into his bag.
"Would you like to meet at lunch? Perhaps we could go over our transfiguration notes there."
"That's what libraries are for," Ron said, coming up on the other side of Chibimoon. Malfoy sneered.
"What would you know about libraries, Weasley, you couldn't afford a library card."
Chibiusa frowned. Boy, Malfoy had sure shown his true colours quickly. If she had any say in it, she'd "accidentally" Pink Sugar Heart Attack him. Just to annoy him. Or maybe she'd launch into that "Sanji no Yosei" song she'd been subjected to while she was being kidnapped by Badianyu. She giggled at the possibilities. She turned to Hermione, who was too busy admiring her orange tabby to notice anything else.
"What class do we have next?"
Hermione consulted her schedule. "Flying with the Ravenclaws."
"Then let's go!" Sailormoon said, breaking into a run. "I want to show Mercury-chan my new little neko. Hey, that's what I'll name her. Neko-chan!!"
"A quick review of the basics, for the benefit of our newer students," Madam Hooch said. She went over the basics while the students waited in line, waiting to mount the brooms.
"Now, everyone hold you hand over your broom and say 'Up!'"
"Up!" Everyone chorused. Everyone's brooms jumped into their hands. Madam Hooch quickly showed the Senshi how to mount and the correct grips before sending them all soaring off into the air.
Sailormoon was exhilarated. This was wonderful! Better than a hot fudge sundae! Better than that Knickerbocker Glory she'd had in Diagon Alley! She was in heaven.
As Harry watched Sailormoon weave in between the various brooms in the air, he could tell that she, like he, had a natural talent for flying. Venus seemed to be doing fairly well as well, and Chibimoon was making sure she stayed close to the ground.
Sailormercury, however, was having a lot of difficulty. From the start, her kick-off hadn't been good and now she was struggling with the broom. Madam Hooch flew over to her.
"You need help, Sailormercury?"
"N-no," she answered just as her broom veered off to the right. She fought it back on course. "I-I'm fin-shimatta!" she finished in Japanese as the broom took off at breakneck speed towards the ground. She had to slow herself down!
"Shabon Spray!" she yelled, making the area around her into a dense fog. The bubbles began to cushion the broom and her speed began to slow. She hit the ground with a slight thump and rolled to a stop. Sailors Moon, Venus and Chibimoon all landed next to her.
"Are you alright?" Venus asked her in Japanese, worry seeping into her voice.
"Daijoubu," Mercury said. "But I just realised I don't like flying brooms."
Chibimoon giggled. "Don't worry. We won't mention this incident to Touma…much."
"So you're not a whiz at everything, Ami-chan," Jupiter said, smiling. The Senshi were all in the Great Hall, but they were off to themselves talking in Japanese. "I didn't expect you to be able to do everything the first day."
"How were your classes?" Venus asked. Jupiter made a face.
"Oh gods, that potions teacher! Let me tell you, Queen Beryl had nothing on him. He's rude, sarcastic, and totally biased."
Mercury nodded. "He is, it's horrible. He nearly reduced one Hufflepuff girl to tears when her potion didn't turn the right colour."
Venus frowned. "What's a monster like that doing teaching here?"
"I don't know," Pluto said softly. "But watch out for him. I hear he has it in especially for Gryffindors."
"Then that's no problem for me then, now is it?" Mars asked smugly.
"Is he the head of the Slytherin house?" Sailormoon asked suspiciously. When the Outers, Mercury and Jupiter nodded, she sighed.
"Harry warned me about him. He's got a personal vendetta against Harry too, but I was told he always favours the Slytherins."
"Then we'd better watch out," Chibimoon said softly.
She laughed softly. Humans were such fools. As she continued to watch the energy in her crystal rise, she couldn't help but marvel at the naivete of humans, these witches and wizards. Very soon now she'd be strong enough to begin an all out assault on the Earth, making it hers.
No one would stop her