Unlikely Sorting

"Gwen," Iris whispered as they stood outside the great hall. " How do you think that they sort us? I mean what if it hurts?"

"I promise I won't let you get hurt." Gwen soothed her sister's fears while covering her own. "Just hold Anya and take some deep breaths while we wait for Dumbeldore to call us in." Gwen hugged Iris around her shoulders and picked up Hera.

A skinny girl with red hair poked her head out the large door, "It's time for you ladies to be sorted," Gwen and Iris nodded and walked through the doors. Tables of boys and girls in black robes watched the twins as they walked to the front of the room.

"Gwendolyn and Iris Prashina are joining us from The Trevhill Academy for Witches in America. They will be starting in the 5th year class and continuing from there at Hogwarts. Now it is time for them to be sorted." Professor Dumbeldore said smiling at the twins. His kind eyes and grandfather appearance calmed the two girls.

' Gwen, why didn't he tell them we are royalty?"

' Our status doesn't really matter here. Don't worry it won't change anything.'

Gwen sat down first on the wooden stool. She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the sorting ritual to begin. She felt something drop onto her head and a small voice started. ' You have a lot to live p to m'dear. Your being a princess puts a lot of stress on your life. But your smart, and very talented. I see you only have two fears in your life; the safety of your sister and the throne of your people. You could be in any house but I think that GRYFINDOR will be the best' Opening her eyes she saw that a ratty old hat had sorted her and that a scarlet clad table was cheering. She stood up and took her seat at the Gryfindor table. Hera yipped excitedly.

Knowing that there was no pain in the sorting Iris calmly took a seat and waited for the hat. She jumped when the hat spoke softly into her ear. ' Iris, I presume. Your sister is quite fond of you. You have the talent for Ravenclaw but you are a bit too adventurous. Hufflepuff is to tame for you. I think I will put you in SLYTHRIN' Iris and Gwen were shocked at the turn of events. They had always been together and now this dirty hat had separated them. It was awful, but it was a challenge and the twins never turned down a challenge. Iris stood and carried Anya over to her table.

Vincent Crabbe felt as though his heart had been sat on. The one girl who treated him like a person was turned into his enemy. Gwen was a Gryfindor now, which made her untouchable. ' Draco always wins,' he thought watching Iris and Draco flirt. As usual Gregory just stared into space with a blank but mean look plastered to his face. 'I will just have to get over her.'

Gwen sat and ate quietly, every now and then she would pass a piece of chicken to Hera. "Gwen are you OK?" Hermione said patting Gwen's hand.

"Yes it's just that me and Iris have never been separated before like this. It feels weird not to be eating with her." Gwen said trying not to sound like a loser. Hermione nodded and went back to her soup. ' I think I will owl Vincent tonight, maybe he can make me feel better.' Gwen thought having no idea of the two house's rivalry.

GWEN

As Gwen followed Hermione up the stairs to the common room she felt a tap on her shoulder. A pretty girl with dark brown hair stood there smiling. "Hi, I'm Lavender Brown your Gwendolyn right. Me and some of the other girls were wondering if you wanted to come to Hogsmead with us tomorrow? Classes don't start till Monday." Lavender had a high sing song voice.

Gwen nodded, "Please call me Gwen, is Hermione coming?" She asked hoping that she would.

"Yeah, sure she can come to." Lavender said after a moment. Hermione wasn't too popular with the others but Gwen seemed to like her. Lavender told Gwen where to meet her and skipped off.

Gwen was amazed as she stepped into the common room. It was huge and beautiful. Six desks with comfortable red stools where in the back of the room while couches and fireplaces filled the front. Everything was in brilliant shades of red and gold. Gwen rushed upstairs not being able to wait to see her new room. She was in shock to see the five beds. Trevhill had always had two girls to a room and each room had a private bathroom and closet.

Gwen's dorm room had five beds all with a dresser and night table packed into the small room. The girl's trunks had been laid at the end of their beds. Hera's dog bed was on top of Gwen's trunk. Gwen had never had to unpack before. Her maids or house elves had always done it. She was in a state of shock when Ginny Weasly bounced into the room. "Cool, my brother, Ron, said that you and me might be sharing a room. Are you OK, you look scared?" The little redhead girl babbled.

Gwen snapped herself back to normal. "I'm fine, this school is very different than my old school. Could you help me unpack, I have never had to before." Gwen said knowing that she sounded pathetic. Ginny laughed and opened Gwen's trunk. "Did your brother say anything else about me?" Gwen asked wondering if Ron had aid anything about her royalty.

"Just that you are a princess and so is your twin sister." Ginny said carefully putting away some jeans. Gwen pulled her three sets of dress robes and her formalwear out of her trunk. She hated the thought of folding them into a tiny drawer and went to hang them on her canopy bed. "Tap your wand of that lion head next to your dresser," Ginny said laughing. Gwen did as she was told and watched the wall disappear into a tiny closet. As soon as Gwen had hung her clothes and stepped back the wall reappeared.

"That is a really cool idea," Gwen exclaimed and finished putting away her clothes with Ginny's help. She slid her royal wear box under her bed. "are you coming with the rest of the girls to Hogsmead tomorrow?" Gwen assumed that she had been invited.

"No, the popular kids don't invite me and Ron places, we don't have any extra money to spend like that," Ginny seemed embarrassed to be saying that. Gwen walked over to the girl and asked her to come anywise. Ginny declined and put away her own clothes.

"Ginny where is the owl house?" Gwen asked.

"Do you want to send a letter?" Ginny asked glad to change the subject.

"Yes but I don't know where they put my hawk, Ra." Gwen was a bit upset she hadn't brought Ra in herself.

"Write Gryfindor, your name, and your birds name of a piece of parchment and slip it into the beak of the owl statue in the common room. Ra should fly in the common room window shortly after." Ginny said happily. "But if you can't use Ra, or don't have bird just do the same but write school bird where you would the name."

"Thanks Ginny," Gwen grabbed her writing supplies and ran down to the common room. There she scribbled the info on a piece of note paper and shoved I into the stone beak. Seconds later Ra soared into the common room and landed on Gwen's shoulder. He nuzzled her hair while she wrote her letters.

Iris, It is so weird being separated like this. This school is so different. I had to unpack my own things, my roommate helped out though. And the whole 5 people to room and one bathroom per gender per house is just odd. Well I hope your house is friendly. Love, Gwen.

Vincent, Hi, I was wondering if tomorrow afternoon around 5 we could meet up for a snack. I heard there is a nice little eatery in Hogsmead. Send a reply with my hawk, Ra. Later, Gwen.

"Ra take these to Vincent Crabbe and Iris Prash directly. Then come home to me. I should get a return letter from Vincent." Gwen instructed the bird and tied the letters to his leg. Ra pecked her nose and took flight. She watched the handsome bird fly around the corner and disappear. Gwen walked over to the table that Hermione was sitting at with a stack of books. "Do we have any essays due for the first day of class?" she asked startling Hermione.

"No, Professor Binns, the history of magic teacher, did say we would get extra points if we turned in an essay on the Dragon ban in England." Hermione rattled on about extra credit until Ra landed on one of her piles of books. "Is that yours?" Hermione said nervously.

"Yes, this is Ra. Don't worry he is very friendly." Gwen said and called Ra onto her shoulder. "I have a letter to write to my parents, and some extra credit to do before tomorrow's outing at Hogsmead. Don't forget, outside the common room at 7 a.m. bye," Gwen rushed of to her room with Ra clinging to her robes.

Gwen wrote the letter telling her parents that she and Iris where well and that the train hadn't crashed so her mother could stop worrying. Gwen asked that her parents let Ra rest before sending him back. It was a long journey from England to the northwest coast of the USA. She put Ra's royal leg band on so the guards would recognize him and made sure the letter tie was conformable. Then she sent him off with a treat.

IRIS

Iris held Draco's hand as he led her to the Slythrin common room. The Dungeons were dark and cold. Iris had been in the dungeons of her own home before but she chose not to spend any length of time there. Iris was relieved when she found the common room warm and cushy. "Draco, would you introduce me to some of the other girls in our house?" Iris flashed her brilliant smile knowing that he could not refuse.

"These are your roommates; Millicent Bullstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Luci Mantel, and Drucilla Caul. I trust they will be very respectful to you. I think that Goyle is calling me, ladies." Draco said quickly and walked over to Goyle leaving Iris to her own defenses.

"Why should I be respectful to you, You have stolen my boyfriend," Pansy looked coldly at Iris.

"Yeah, everyone knows that Draco is her man. I think I might have to hurt you. What do you think about that?" Millicent clapped her large fist into her hand.

"I think you should back off before I kick your lard ass out the tower window," Iris said loudly. The whole common room turned to watch. Nobody stood up to Millicent.

"Ha, why should I back off when I can pick you up and bend you into a pretzel." Millicent said charging Iris. Iris stood her ground and froze the huge girl with her wand.

"One, I happen to be a siren which means I can tear you limb from limb. Two, Seeing that I am a princess, you harm one hair on my body and my people will rip your throat out. Not to mention my sister who is incredibly protective of me and will beat you to a pulp for even laying a hand on my skin. And three I don't give a damn about pansy Parkinson as to the fact she should be kissing the hem of my robes for the privilege of having her boyfriend stolen by me." Iris stood tall and seemed to have a light shine from her as she spoke to the frozen girl. "Pertrificus totalis reverso," Iris undid the spell and caught the letter from her sister's hawk that had just flown in.

Draco stood speechless after hearing Iris stand up to Millicent. Pansy had tried to keep a firm hand on Draco since first year and finally that hand had been lifted. Iris had scared pansy shitless and was now calmly reading a letter as though nothing had happened. Draco wondered how someone so sweet and beautiful could turn so cruel and ruthless. 'It has to be a siren thing.'

Iris read the letter as her sister's hawk dropped a letter on Vincent's head. She hadn't even seen her room yet but to her they sounded dreadful. As she heard that she would have to unpack her own things Iris got an idea. "Millicent, would you do me a favor." Millicent nodded and cringed expecting Iris' wand to come out. "Be a dear and bring my cat up to our dorm room, and while you're there unpack my things. The silver box is not to be opened and is to be slid under my bed. And I would like the bed next to the window. Thank you." Millicent looked stunned and made a move towards Iris, but seeing the wand she thought again and gently picked up Anya. The entire common room was stunned at how Iris had mastered the beast of Bullstrode.

Meanwhile Crabbe read his letter shocked at the fact that Gwen was still talking to him. He quickly wrote back;

Gwen, of course it would be my honor to meet you at the Three Broomsticks. I will see you there at 5. By the way your hawk is very impressive and very polite to strangers. Sincerely, Vincent Crabbe

He rolled up the letter and tied it to Ra's leg. Before Crabbe had totally realized that he had a date with his dream girl the bird flew away and landed on Iris' shoulder. "Here you go boy, stop at the owl house and send Horres down to me will you." Iris said tying the return letter to the bird's leg and ruffling his head feathers. Ra did a quick loop in the air and went out the window.

Draco came up behind Iris and kissed her cheek. "what was that for, not that I didn't like it?"

"For scaring the shit out of the bitch Pansy. And for being so damn hot. Draco responded. Iris kissed his cheek and went up to her room. "Crabbe, tomorrow she is planning to go shopping at Hogsmead. You are to escort her and keep her safe, I would but Snape asked me to meet him in his office." Draco commanded his favoright henchman.

"Sorry Draco but I'm meeting Gwen for lunch at Three Broomsticks tomorrow. Can Goyle do it in my place?" Crabbe had never stood up to Draco or refused him before. It felt good to him. Draco nodded knowing that Crabbe breaking a date with Gwen was close to provoking a tornado.

Iris looked around her room. The canopy beds were draped in silver trimmed green silk. Her bed, as she had requested, was next to the large window with a perfect view of the lake. She could see the giant squid basking in the shallows and the mermaids playing in the kelp. Iris' silver box holding her crown and royal wear was pushed under her bed. Her robes were put away neatly and Anya was sleeping on a large olive pillow. "Hmm, Spurcificus!" Iris said with a flick of her wand. The bed seemed to brighten and the bed trim became inlaid with garnets, the greens flipped to shades of violet and the small candle on her nightstand became a sparkling silver lamp. "Much better, all that green was rather depressing, huh Anya." Iris said to the still sleeping cat.

Luci came though the door of the room and saw the newly purple bed set at the other end of the room and yearned for the same transformation in her wardrobe. Her mother had sent her with the most unsightly robes and a horrible smock of a dress. She walked around in tattered robes and to big shoes that the rest of her house made fun of. Her roommates had stuck her with the bed set with chunks taken out of it and stained linens. "Um Princess Iris." She started, she was a little bit afraid of the girl.

"Just call me Iris. Your Luci right? What is it?" Iris said with her normal kind voice.

"I was wondering if you could teach me that spell you just did?" Luci said building up courage and hope that she would have a new friend or at least one less enemy.

"As long as you don't tell anyone else how to do it I will" Iris smiled, and Luci nodded and pulled out her wand. " Concentrate on some colors and gems that you like and use the swish a flick motion. Spurcificus, Ok dear." Iris said this and seconds later the ratty bed and linens were bright shades of pink and yellow with small pink sapphires dancing in spots. "You're a pretty quick learner!" the two girls talked until bedtime not even realizing that they had missed dinner. Horres had flown in hours before lights out as was dozing on Iris's dresser when she went to bed.