Disclaimer: This is for this chapter, and chapter one, as well as for the rest of the story…Any recognizable characters, are JKR's. However, I own all rights to the twins.
~*~
September 1 dawned as an absolutely gorgeous day. Rachel rolled out of her bed in one of the rooms, and made her way downstairs for breakfast. There was no hurry, as her trunk had never really gotten unpacked since she and her sister had gotten there.
"Morning Tom." she yawned.
"What'll you have, Rachel?"
"Whatever ya got. Is Ariana up yet?"
"Yes. I'll get you what she's got. She's in the corner over there." He pointed Ariana out to Rachel, and watched for a minute as she walked over to her sister. Then Tom laughed to himself. "I wonder how long it will take the two of them to realize how powerful they are. Oh well, back to getting them breakfast." He walked back to the kitchen.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty."
"Excuse me? You're the one who usually sleeps in every morning. So you're one to talk." Both girls laughed, and then Rachel yawned again.
"First day at a new school, and they gotta sort us with that sorting hat thingy-ma-bobber. Nervous?"
"What's there to be nervous about? Even if we don't make any new friends, then we'll still have each other."
"True."
They sat in silence and ate whatever it was that Tom brought them for breakfast, then got ready to go. When they had finally managed to drag their trunks down the stairs they found a ministry car waiting for them. They glanced at each other, and tossed their trunks in the back, and headed over to the station.
Once they were inside the station, Ariana glanced down at her ticket. "Platform 9 ¾. There's platform 9, and there's platform 10." She pointed them out. "Now how did Becker say to get through it?"
"Just walk through the barrier. C'mon." Rachel said, grabbing at her cart, and heading directly for the barrier. When she disappeared, Ariana blinked, then nodded to herself. "I guess Rachel was right." Then she followed, crashing into her sister, who was standing stock-still in front of where the barrier was.
"Rachel. Come on. This is not the best place to stand right now."
"I know. But it's just so different from home."
"We both know that. Let's find a space before the train starts. Race you?"
They grabbed their trunks, and through much dragging, lugging, and laughter, finally managed to get everything onto the train. With that done, they collapsed onto the train and waited for it to start, taking them to Hogwarts.
The train ride itself passed rather uneventfully for the two of them. A couple games of wizard chess, a game or two of exploding snap, the rereading of the letters that Headmaster Becker had given them, skimming through a couple of their textbooks for the year, and of course taking a minute to change into their school robes.
When they stepped onto the platform at Hogwarts, the first thing that they saw was a giant man calling for the firs' years. The girls stuck close together and waited for someone to call them over.
"Ariana! Rachel! Over here!" They turned at the sound of the voice, and saw a woman standing there, looking very strict. When they had walked over, the woman introduced herself. "I am Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress. If you two will come with me, then we will take care of a small personal sorting ceremony, and then you will join the house that you are sorted into."
Ariana and Rachel did all that they could do; they nodded, then followed Professor McGonagall. McGonagall led them through so many rooms, that they were thoroughly lost, and finally they were in the room with the sorting hat.
"This is the sorting hat." McGonagall nodded in the direction of the sorting hat. "You will put it on one at a time. Ariana, if you would please put it on."
Ariana walked over to the sorting hat. She picked it up, and placed it gently onto her head. Even though she had read the information that Headmaster Becker had given them, she was still shocked when she began to hear the hat talk in her head.
"Let me see. Definitely the cunning of Slytherin. You would do well there. What's that? Oh, I see. Well then, as loyal as you might be, Hufflepuff is not for you. Books, Ravenclaw. I could put you there, you know. And then there's Gryffindor. The brave ones. And you were where? Ah, I see. I guess that you must belong in Gryffindor."
Rachel ran over to Ariana, and hugged her. "You got the one you wanted." she whispered in her ear. "Now I want to know if I get the same; the one that I want."
Rachel walked solemnly towards the sorting hat and put it on her head. Her only reaction when the hat began to speak in her head was to blink. Then she waited patiently for the hat to tell her where she belonged.
"Just like your sister. Hmmm. I really ought to put you into Slytherin. You, of all people, would do well there. Better than your sister, even. I don't think you would do particularly well in either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Being studious and loyal does not necessarily make you perfect for either of those houses. And that leaves Gryffindor. You would do well in Gryffindor as well. I guess that leaves the choice at either Slytherin or Gryffindor. What do you want? I understand that. That's fine, then, we can do that. If you insist, then we will put you with your sister, although keep in mind that you would have done well in Slytherin. No? Fine. Gryffindor."
The girls had identical grins. They were still together.
"If you two are done celebrating, we need to hurry over to the Great Hall so that the first years can be sorted. This is Lily, one of the prefects of your year, and also in Gryffindor. She will introduce you to some of the other people in your year, and show you around the school, until you know how to get around."
That said, Professor McGonagall grabbed the sorting hat, and all but ran out of the room, leaving Rachel and Ariana alone with the girl she had introduced as Lily.
Lily grinned at the two of them for a minute, then said, "I'm Lily, but McGonagall told you that already. C'mon, let's go to the dining hall. It's this way." Along the way to the hall, Lily explained how classes worked, and more about the soon to be sorted first years.
As they entered the Great Hall, they realized that they had gotten there just in time, as McGonagall was about to call out the name of the first first year. The three of them ignored the sorting, as Lily whispered to them about the different people in their year.
"Those four boys are nicknamed the marauder's because of all of the trouble that they enjoy stirring up." Lily said in a hushed whisper pointing them out. "The one that's not really doing anything is Peter. Remus is the quiet one that really only listens. Sirius is the one who happens to never shut up. Look, he's talking even now. The one with the disorderly hair is James."
"Does James like anyone?" Ariana quickly put in.
"No. Why?"
"No reason. I just thought that he was kinda cute."
"You and the rest of the school." laughed Lily.
Rachel simply rolled her eyes. Trust her twin to have already gotten a crush on the most sought after boy in the entire school.
The sorting ended very quickly, and then Dumbledore stood up. "A few words. I would like to welcome our two exchange students, both of whom I see have been sorted into Gryffindor."
A loud whisper from the direction of the Slytherin table could be heard, "Of course they would be Gryffindor's. That's where all the goody-two-shoes and mudbloods are."
A large portion of the room gasped, but Dumbledore continued as if nothing had happened. "It would be advisable to stay out of the forbidden forest, as it is questionable that you may make it of there alive. Finally, be cautious as to who you befriend, and what information you give them. You don't know who might be a death-eater. Enjoy your meal."
With that, all of the plates filled up and the entire room proceeded to demolish the meal, the marauder's all but shoveling food into their mouths. The three girls tried their hardest to stifle their giggles, but they failed miserably.
Soon people began to drift out of the Great Hall, and up to the common rooms. Lily lead out the Gryffindor first years, and Rachel and Ariana, leaving James with his precious marauders, still stuffing their faces. She sighed and muttered under her breath, "How did he manage to become a prefect yet again? I have no idea how he manages to pull it off." Then she said a little bit louder, "This way to the Gryffindor common room."
And with that, they were off. The beginning of a Hogwarts year had only just begun.
