"Griffin, Rachel!"
I shuffled reluctantly towards the hat. I sat down and pulled the hat over my face
quickly so no one could see how nervous I was. My hands were shaking so badly that I had to clutch the stool. As sweat stung my eyes I heard a voice.
"My! Very interesting, you're a complex one. It's quite difficult to follow your paths of thought. Ah! But there's determination, and a strong desire to succeed. The best would be SLYTHERIN!"
I pulled the hat off, slightly confused. I had figured I'd be in Gryffindor, considering my last name. Of course, what's in a name? I know little about the houses because I am muggle born. I'm still getting used to the thought of being a witch, and wizard words still taste strange on my tongue. I walked over to the Slytherin table. They looked like unpleasant people, all pushing each other and laughing obnoxiously at people's mistakes. I sat down next to a skinny girl with short hair the color of chocolate.
"Hey, I'm Rachel," I said.
"Oh, you're the one named Griffin. I thought you'd be in Gryffindor. You'd better not act like a Gryffindor, cuz if you disgrace our house you'll be very unhappy," she said without even introducing herself. She fixed me with a suspicious stare, then turned her back to me. I heard her whisper to everyone at the table "She's American," I hoped the rest of the Slytherins weren't as presumptuous as she was. But my stomach was growling, so I served myself some pumpkin pie, barely noticing that a minute ago the golden plates had been empty.
The next morning I got up early and did my usual stretches while all the other Slytherins were still asleep. I almost cried as I practiced my arabesques, knowing that I wouldn't be dancing much now that I was a witch. But I continued to stretch, it just didn't seem right not to.
During breakfast the Slytherins ignored me. I tried to start a conversation with a few of them, but they just sniggered and turned away. Well, it was their problem if they didn't want to talk to me. The rest of the day they treated me the same. The classes were interesting, and seemed fairly easy. My favorite was transfiguration. All the Slytherins seemed to think that Professor McGonagall was too strict, but I loved her. I especially liked it when she showed us how she was an animagus. After class I asked her how I could become an animagus. She smiled at me.
"I'm glad to see such an ambitious student. It takes very hard work to become an animagus, but if you would like me to guide you I would be glad to. Come meet me after classes tomorrow."
After that I went to the first meeting of the new dueling club. We all gathered in the great hall, and Professor Heaney, the new defense against the dark arts teacher stood up.
"I've heard that the last dueling club at this school was, err, rather a failure. I've never taught dueling before, but I was the dueling champion at my school. First I'd like to teach you a few elementary curses and spells to defend yourself and catch your opponent off guard." The rest of the meeting was rather hectic, with curses going wrong, and many students going of to Madame Pomfrey's with swollen ligaments or variously colored boils. A fourth year boy was sent to the infirmary with his feet turned backwards. He couldn't walk, so he had to be carried. At the end of the meeting, Professor Heaney stepped forward again.
"Shall we have a small tournament?" A giant cheer rose up from everyone. "We will begin with a single pair, and anyone may challenge the winner of the round if he or she wishes. The pair will begin when I blow my whistle, and must stop when I blow my whistle. Do I have any volunteers?" Dozens of students raised their hands. Professor Heaney picked a Ravenclaw second year and a Hufflepuff secong year. A Slytherin named Draco Malfoy challenged the winner, and won quite a few matches before being defeated by a Gryffindor named Harry Potter. After that he looked murderous. Harry won many matches, until there was no one who would challenge him.
"Well, does anyone want to challenge Potter?" Questioned Professor Heaney. I heard my own voice "I challenge him," what was I doing? He was a fifth year! I had no chance against him. I stepped forward, and the crowd parted for me. Harry had startlingly green eyes and jet black hair that stuck out every which way. He also had a funny scar on his forehead which reminded me of lightning. We bowed and pulled out our wands. As soon as the whistle blew Harry lifted his wand.
"Liquisium!" My feet were suddenly sinking into the floor. I tried to pull them out but they were stuck fast. Harry hesitated, wondering if it was fair to curse me while I was stuck. We both raised our wands at the same time.
"Repellius!"
"Expelliarmus!"
A smooth milky bubble formed around me, giving me time to free my feet. But the bubble dissolved as soon as it was hit by Harry's curse. I lifted my wand again.
"Precipitus!" At first nothing happened. Then there was a *pop!* and a torrent of white pillows rained from the ceiling, burying Harry under a mountain of white. All was silent. Professor Heaney blew the whistle and dispelled the pillows with his wand, showering the students with feathers. Harry got up, looking bewildered and slightly out of breath. Then there was a great cheer from the Slytherins.
"Will anyone challenge Rachel, or shall we call it a day?" asked Professor Heaney. No one spoke. "Well then! I will see you all in classes and we will meet again next week." As we left I searched for Harry in the throng of students. He was talking to a girl with frizzy brown hair.
"Harry!" I called. He looked up.
"Umm, no hard feelings?" I asked. He smiled.
"No hard feelings, you're a good dueler. Come sit with us at breakfast sometime," He said. I smiled back and said I would. I was glad to have made a possible friend.
Apparently Harry wasn't the only friend I made. The Slytherins were considerably nicer to me the next day, and many of them came up and congratulated me. Even Draco Malfoy said something, and I had learned that he rarely complimented people, not that it was much of a compliment.
"You're not bad, for a first year," he said. "Next time drop something heavier on him."
After classes I went to see Professor McGonagall. She was correcting papers when I arrived.
"Very good Rachel, a 94 on your first test. You're a promising student. So, you'd like to become an animagus? You might succeed, but it is a very difficult process, and requires great commitment. It is just as likely that you will not succeed. Will you still try?" I nodded. "Well," she said. "Some wizards are natural animagi, but a few become animagi through hard work and determination. First you must decide on your animal, but it is not a choice to be taken lightly. Many animagi originally intended to become one animal, and ended up becoming another. I'd like you to write me three rolls of parchment on what animal you think you might become and why. Turn it in to me on Monday after classes. You may go." I left, thinking how long three rolls of parchment would be. I already knew what I would be, I had had dreams about it. But how could I explain why?
One morning after breakfast a Gryffindor named Neville tripped, dropping all his books. When he got up Malfoy and a first year Slytherin that I didn't know tripped him again and began to laugh like it was halarious. Then they pretended to help him pick up his books, and dumped ink all over them. I was just plain sick of all the other Slytherins picking on everyone else, so I decided to say something.
"Yeah Malfoy, real funny. What did he ever do to you?" Malfoy looked at me slightly surprised. Then his normal lazy look returned.
"He was born. And who are you, his mother?" Neville winced, and I could see he was trying to hold back tears. The Slytherin first year snickered.
"You think it's funny too?" I asked. "Well, have you ever considered that it's not his fault he's clumsy? Next time you make a mistake I'm going to be there, and I'm gonna laugh in your face." I was taken aback by my boldness, and ran back to my dormitory before I could say anything else.
Later that day, in potions, the same Slytherin first year bumped into a Gryffindor's cauldron, intending to spill its contents on the Gryffindor, but spilling them on himself instead. He began to turn a sick mustard color and his arms began to grow, lengthening until they touched the floor and continuing to grow. Instead of getting mad at the Slytherin, Snape got mad at the Gryffindor.
"You idiot! What did you put in that potion? Nightshade petals?! You might have poisoned him! What are you staring at, take him to the infirmary immediately!" They hurried off to the infirmary, the Slytherin's arms dragging behind him. I regretted my words to him that morning. Had I jinxed him? I felt so guilty that I went to see him in the infirmary after class. I managed to sneak in by Madame Pomfrey. He was lying on one of the infirmary beds, looking at the ceiling. He seemed to be back to normal, but he was still a little pale. He had dark brown hair that looked kind of like fur, soft and thick that made you want to touch it. His eyes were also dark brown, and he had high cheekbones and a long skinny nose. I cleared my thoat. He jumped a little and looked over at me.
"Hey, umm, I was just gonna say that uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jinx you or anything." I mumbled. He gave me a funny look, then laughed. His laugh was easy, cheerful and sudden. It surprised you, unpredictable unlike his usual snicker.
"No, it's okay. It was my own stupid fault, I was a jerk," he replied.
"Yeah, you sure were," I said. His smile faded.
"I don't want to be a git like Malfoy. I always feel so fake. And what you said seemed so right. It's just hard not to be like all the other Slytherins."
"Well I'm not like them, and I deal with it." I reminded him.
"I don't know if I'm as strong as you though. Can we be friends? Maybe you'll rub off on me a little," he suggested, surprising me with his laugh again. I laughed too.
"Sure, but I have to get to my next class. Come sit with me tomorrow at breakfast. Hope you feel better." I left, a lot happier than when I entered.
The next week went by fast, but I missed dancing. I still did my stretches, but I longed to get out and really dance. I was having trouble in herbology. We had each planted a small garden of healing herbs just outside the green house and everyone else's had already sprouted. Mine, however, was devoid of any sign of life. One night I couldn't sleep, and I decided to go see if my plants had sprouted. The castle was pitch black, and I tripped over Mrs. Norris and fell through the trick stair. It took me fifteen minutes to get out. I finally managed to reach the grounds.
I found my way to the green house in the moonlight, and sat by my plants, which still hadn't sprouted. The grass was covered in dew, which sparkled in the moonlight, mirroring the clear sky of stars, so that I felt that I was sitting in the sky. I wrapped my arms around my knees and took off my sneakers and socks. In the bare dirt of my garden, I drew little nonsensical symbols I remembered from my dreams with my toe. Then I stood and rubbed my feet in the dark, cool soil. It felt so smooth between my toes. I did a pirouette. I started out slowly, dancing familiar phrases that I had missed more than anything. The cool night air felt silky as I danced. My body loosened up and my jumps got higher, my turns faster. I danced things that I had no idea where they came from. I leaped, flinging my arms over my head towards the sky. And landed soundlessly. A small green shoot stood alone in my garden. Then someone spoke, I whirled around.
"Congratulations Rachel. You have danced the first spell."
To be continued.
OK, so here's the deal. If you write me a signed review I promise I will read one of your fics and review it!
I shuffled reluctantly towards the hat. I sat down and pulled the hat over my face
quickly so no one could see how nervous I was. My hands were shaking so badly that I had to clutch the stool. As sweat stung my eyes I heard a voice.
"My! Very interesting, you're a complex one. It's quite difficult to follow your paths of thought. Ah! But there's determination, and a strong desire to succeed. The best would be SLYTHERIN!"
I pulled the hat off, slightly confused. I had figured I'd be in Gryffindor, considering my last name. Of course, what's in a name? I know little about the houses because I am muggle born. I'm still getting used to the thought of being a witch, and wizard words still taste strange on my tongue. I walked over to the Slytherin table. They looked like unpleasant people, all pushing each other and laughing obnoxiously at people's mistakes. I sat down next to a skinny girl with short hair the color of chocolate.
"Hey, I'm Rachel," I said.
"Oh, you're the one named Griffin. I thought you'd be in Gryffindor. You'd better not act like a Gryffindor, cuz if you disgrace our house you'll be very unhappy," she said without even introducing herself. She fixed me with a suspicious stare, then turned her back to me. I heard her whisper to everyone at the table "She's American," I hoped the rest of the Slytherins weren't as presumptuous as she was. But my stomach was growling, so I served myself some pumpkin pie, barely noticing that a minute ago the golden plates had been empty.
The next morning I got up early and did my usual stretches while all the other Slytherins were still asleep. I almost cried as I practiced my arabesques, knowing that I wouldn't be dancing much now that I was a witch. But I continued to stretch, it just didn't seem right not to.
During breakfast the Slytherins ignored me. I tried to start a conversation with a few of them, but they just sniggered and turned away. Well, it was their problem if they didn't want to talk to me. The rest of the day they treated me the same. The classes were interesting, and seemed fairly easy. My favorite was transfiguration. All the Slytherins seemed to think that Professor McGonagall was too strict, but I loved her. I especially liked it when she showed us how she was an animagus. After class I asked her how I could become an animagus. She smiled at me.
"I'm glad to see such an ambitious student. It takes very hard work to become an animagus, but if you would like me to guide you I would be glad to. Come meet me after classes tomorrow."
After that I went to the first meeting of the new dueling club. We all gathered in the great hall, and Professor Heaney, the new defense against the dark arts teacher stood up.
"I've heard that the last dueling club at this school was, err, rather a failure. I've never taught dueling before, but I was the dueling champion at my school. First I'd like to teach you a few elementary curses and spells to defend yourself and catch your opponent off guard." The rest of the meeting was rather hectic, with curses going wrong, and many students going of to Madame Pomfrey's with swollen ligaments or variously colored boils. A fourth year boy was sent to the infirmary with his feet turned backwards. He couldn't walk, so he had to be carried. At the end of the meeting, Professor Heaney stepped forward again.
"Shall we have a small tournament?" A giant cheer rose up from everyone. "We will begin with a single pair, and anyone may challenge the winner of the round if he or she wishes. The pair will begin when I blow my whistle, and must stop when I blow my whistle. Do I have any volunteers?" Dozens of students raised their hands. Professor Heaney picked a Ravenclaw second year and a Hufflepuff secong year. A Slytherin named Draco Malfoy challenged the winner, and won quite a few matches before being defeated by a Gryffindor named Harry Potter. After that he looked murderous. Harry won many matches, until there was no one who would challenge him.
"Well, does anyone want to challenge Potter?" Questioned Professor Heaney. I heard my own voice "I challenge him," what was I doing? He was a fifth year! I had no chance against him. I stepped forward, and the crowd parted for me. Harry had startlingly green eyes and jet black hair that stuck out every which way. He also had a funny scar on his forehead which reminded me of lightning. We bowed and pulled out our wands. As soon as the whistle blew Harry lifted his wand.
"Liquisium!" My feet were suddenly sinking into the floor. I tried to pull them out but they were stuck fast. Harry hesitated, wondering if it was fair to curse me while I was stuck. We both raised our wands at the same time.
"Repellius!"
"Expelliarmus!"
A smooth milky bubble formed around me, giving me time to free my feet. But the bubble dissolved as soon as it was hit by Harry's curse. I lifted my wand again.
"Precipitus!" At first nothing happened. Then there was a *pop!* and a torrent of white pillows rained from the ceiling, burying Harry under a mountain of white. All was silent. Professor Heaney blew the whistle and dispelled the pillows with his wand, showering the students with feathers. Harry got up, looking bewildered and slightly out of breath. Then there was a great cheer from the Slytherins.
"Will anyone challenge Rachel, or shall we call it a day?" asked Professor Heaney. No one spoke. "Well then! I will see you all in classes and we will meet again next week." As we left I searched for Harry in the throng of students. He was talking to a girl with frizzy brown hair.
"Harry!" I called. He looked up.
"Umm, no hard feelings?" I asked. He smiled.
"No hard feelings, you're a good dueler. Come sit with us at breakfast sometime," He said. I smiled back and said I would. I was glad to have made a possible friend.
Apparently Harry wasn't the only friend I made. The Slytherins were considerably nicer to me the next day, and many of them came up and congratulated me. Even Draco Malfoy said something, and I had learned that he rarely complimented people, not that it was much of a compliment.
"You're not bad, for a first year," he said. "Next time drop something heavier on him."
After classes I went to see Professor McGonagall. She was correcting papers when I arrived.
"Very good Rachel, a 94 on your first test. You're a promising student. So, you'd like to become an animagus? You might succeed, but it is a very difficult process, and requires great commitment. It is just as likely that you will not succeed. Will you still try?" I nodded. "Well," she said. "Some wizards are natural animagi, but a few become animagi through hard work and determination. First you must decide on your animal, but it is not a choice to be taken lightly. Many animagi originally intended to become one animal, and ended up becoming another. I'd like you to write me three rolls of parchment on what animal you think you might become and why. Turn it in to me on Monday after classes. You may go." I left, thinking how long three rolls of parchment would be. I already knew what I would be, I had had dreams about it. But how could I explain why?
One morning after breakfast a Gryffindor named Neville tripped, dropping all his books. When he got up Malfoy and a first year Slytherin that I didn't know tripped him again and began to laugh like it was halarious. Then they pretended to help him pick up his books, and dumped ink all over them. I was just plain sick of all the other Slytherins picking on everyone else, so I decided to say something.
"Yeah Malfoy, real funny. What did he ever do to you?" Malfoy looked at me slightly surprised. Then his normal lazy look returned.
"He was born. And who are you, his mother?" Neville winced, and I could see he was trying to hold back tears. The Slytherin first year snickered.
"You think it's funny too?" I asked. "Well, have you ever considered that it's not his fault he's clumsy? Next time you make a mistake I'm going to be there, and I'm gonna laugh in your face." I was taken aback by my boldness, and ran back to my dormitory before I could say anything else.
Later that day, in potions, the same Slytherin first year bumped into a Gryffindor's cauldron, intending to spill its contents on the Gryffindor, but spilling them on himself instead. He began to turn a sick mustard color and his arms began to grow, lengthening until they touched the floor and continuing to grow. Instead of getting mad at the Slytherin, Snape got mad at the Gryffindor.
"You idiot! What did you put in that potion? Nightshade petals?! You might have poisoned him! What are you staring at, take him to the infirmary immediately!" They hurried off to the infirmary, the Slytherin's arms dragging behind him. I regretted my words to him that morning. Had I jinxed him? I felt so guilty that I went to see him in the infirmary after class. I managed to sneak in by Madame Pomfrey. He was lying on one of the infirmary beds, looking at the ceiling. He seemed to be back to normal, but he was still a little pale. He had dark brown hair that looked kind of like fur, soft and thick that made you want to touch it. His eyes were also dark brown, and he had high cheekbones and a long skinny nose. I cleared my thoat. He jumped a little and looked over at me.
"Hey, umm, I was just gonna say that uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jinx you or anything." I mumbled. He gave me a funny look, then laughed. His laugh was easy, cheerful and sudden. It surprised you, unpredictable unlike his usual snicker.
"No, it's okay. It was my own stupid fault, I was a jerk," he replied.
"Yeah, you sure were," I said. His smile faded.
"I don't want to be a git like Malfoy. I always feel so fake. And what you said seemed so right. It's just hard not to be like all the other Slytherins."
"Well I'm not like them, and I deal with it." I reminded him.
"I don't know if I'm as strong as you though. Can we be friends? Maybe you'll rub off on me a little," he suggested, surprising me with his laugh again. I laughed too.
"Sure, but I have to get to my next class. Come sit with me tomorrow at breakfast. Hope you feel better." I left, a lot happier than when I entered.
The next week went by fast, but I missed dancing. I still did my stretches, but I longed to get out and really dance. I was having trouble in herbology. We had each planted a small garden of healing herbs just outside the green house and everyone else's had already sprouted. Mine, however, was devoid of any sign of life. One night I couldn't sleep, and I decided to go see if my plants had sprouted. The castle was pitch black, and I tripped over Mrs. Norris and fell through the trick stair. It took me fifteen minutes to get out. I finally managed to reach the grounds.
I found my way to the green house in the moonlight, and sat by my plants, which still hadn't sprouted. The grass was covered in dew, which sparkled in the moonlight, mirroring the clear sky of stars, so that I felt that I was sitting in the sky. I wrapped my arms around my knees and took off my sneakers and socks. In the bare dirt of my garden, I drew little nonsensical symbols I remembered from my dreams with my toe. Then I stood and rubbed my feet in the dark, cool soil. It felt so smooth between my toes. I did a pirouette. I started out slowly, dancing familiar phrases that I had missed more than anything. The cool night air felt silky as I danced. My body loosened up and my jumps got higher, my turns faster. I danced things that I had no idea where they came from. I leaped, flinging my arms over my head towards the sky. And landed soundlessly. A small green shoot stood alone in my garden. Then someone spoke, I whirled around.
"Congratulations Rachel. You have danced the first spell."
To be continued.
OK, so here's the deal. If you write me a signed review I promise I will read one of your fics and review it!