AN: Okee dokee, here's the next chapter. I have figured out which house
Cassandra will be in. It may be in this chapter, it may not, you'll just
have to read and find out!
Now, on with the story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~My (Cassandra's) POV~*~
As we all walked out of Gringotts, blinking in the sunlight, Harry and I silently agreed not to tell anyone about the letter . . . yet. We tried to act as if nothing happened, but we DID tell Hermione, Ginny, and Ron about all the gold in my vault.
"Hermione, Ginny, you wouldn't believe it! There were mountains of Galleons! Picture how much I inherited, ok? Now imagine it times 20." Said Harry
"Wow, Cassy, and you say it was all yours?" responded Ginny
"Yeah," I said, shyly.
"Harry, dear, would you mind showing Cassandra around all the shops and getting her supplies with her?" I heard Mrs. Weasley ask Harry. "I've got to take all the others around to get their things, and you seem quite taken with her," she finished. I got a little nervous. What if he said he wouldn't?
"No, I wouldn't mind at all, Mrs. Weasley," he replied. My nervousness went away and I smiled in relief. I was standing a ways off, so Harry came walking over to me.
"Do you mind if I show you around the shops?" he asked, and it was all I could do not to giggle.
"No, not at all! You lead," I said, putting my hand in front of me as a signal for him to lead the way.
We first stopped in Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, and Harry and I got fitted for new robes, as Harry's were now several inches short in the arm and leg, and I needed robes in general. I also bought a dress robe, as they were required for fourth years and up.
Then we went to Flourish and Blotts and got my new books for the year. I used Harry's list as a guide, since I didn't have one for sixth year. I also bought some extra books that I could train with and learn more about the wizarding world, like "Five Years of Magic Made Easy" and "From Muggle to Magic in Two Weeks".
Harry and I met up with Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley at the ice cream shop around lunch time. I got a strawberry cone, Harry got a chocolate cone, Hermione and Ginny shared a hot fudge sundae (this was a BIG sundae), Mrs. Weasley got a small cup of vanilla ice cream with chopped nuts, and Ron got a banana split.
"Ron, I swear, your stomach is bigger than a dragon's!" said Hermione crossly.
"Thanonyful!" said Ron with a mouthful of ice cream and banana.
"Don't talk with your mouthful, Ron" said Mrs. Weasley.
Ron swallowed and repeated: "That's not my fault! That I have a big stomach, that is."
The conversation went this way through much of "lunch" (if you could call ice cream lunch), until we split up again. This time Hermione came with Harry and I.
"All I have left to get is a wand," I said. "Where do I get that?" I asked Harry and Hermione.
"Ollivanders," said Harry.
"It's right there, two stores down on the left side," said Hermione, pointing. I looked in that direction, and sure enough, there it was.
When we walked in the store, Mr. Ollivander came out of the shadows, seriously creeping me out, and spoke in his creepy voice, "Ah, we have a new student going to Hogwarts, Miss - " he paused, looking into my eyes, "Calaway." He finished. I gulped and tried not to blink.
"Well, I see you have met Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, no doubt they have been very helpful?" he asked, as he started rummaging through the shelves.
"Uh, yes, they have been, actually," I said uneasily. Mr. Ollivander took so long in looking for a proper wand, that Harry, Hermione, and I were actually seated on the floor, whispering to each other to talk by the time he got back.
"I never thought I would take out this wand," said Mr. Ollivander as he reappeared from the very back of all the shelves, "Ebony, 13 inches, dragon heartstring. You're parents chose this wand for you, no doubt they knew it would work well for you," he said, handing it to me. (AN: Ebony is a solid black wood, making my wand black.) Nervous though I was at his statement, I held it tightly and I felt warmth spread from my fingers throughout my whole body. I flicked the wand slightly and green and silver sparks shot out of it. 'Green and silver?' I thought. 'But those are Slytherin colors!' I decided to think nothing of it. Maybe it was just coincidence. I thanked Mr. Ollivander and after we left his shop, he still stood by the counter, muttering, "So, the second Malfoy child lives, we shall see how well this is taken at the school,"
Harry then mentioned to me about Eeylops Owl Emporium, and asked me if I wanted an owl.
"What do they do?" I asked, being stupid on purpose, as I wasn't supposed to know about the wizarding world.
"Well, they're very useful, they carry your mail and deliver it to you," said Hermione
"And they make very good pets, they're bloody smart and are very friendly." Said Harry finishing for Hermione.
"Ok, then." By that time we were at Eeylops, and after all was said and done, I was holding a beautiful Eagle Owl. I had decided to name him Cazador, which means hunter in Spanish. It was about that time that we ran into none other than Draco Malfoy. Of course, I pretended not to know him, as I technically didn't.
"Well," said Malfoy, "If it isn't Potty and the Mudblood, oh, and look, Potter, it looks like you've got another girly fan tailing you,"
"Sod off Malfoy, she's not a fan, she hardly knows my history!"
"She's a new friend of mine and Harry's," said Hermione.
"I didn't ask for you're opinion, Mudblood," said Malfoy tartly. I tried to bite my tongue, but I couldn't, knowing what that name meant.
"Don't you call her a mudblood!" I said, and both my companions and Malfoy looked shocked.
"Oh really, and why shouldn't I? I take it you're one too? I hate to ask you're name, for fear that I know it," said Malfoy.
"I am NOT a muggleborn, I'm pureblood, just like you, only I'm not an insufferable prat like you are!" I shot back hotly. Malfoy looked very taken aback. He narrowed his eyes, and asked very quietly, but sneering all the while, "And you're name?"
I suddenly felt weak under his gaze. I gulped. "C-Cassandra Calaway," said shaking. Malfoy no longer looked like he was king of the world. Actually, he was quite the opposite. He looked now like he had just insulted his best friend on purpose. His eyes widened to saucers, and they actually showed . . . surprise? His mouth was open, and he seemed paralyzed. Hermione broke the silence after a second or two.
"There are better ways to catch flies than with your mouth Malfoy, but if you want to, then be my guest." At this Malfoy seemed to wake up, and said to Harry, "You better look after your little girlfriend, Potter," with a nod to me, indicating that he was talking about me. With that he stalked off, composure regained.
After a few seconds of eerie silence, I said out loud to no one in particular "WHY does everyone look at me like that when they know my name? First the Goblin at Gringotts, then Mr. Ollivander, and now Malfoy? What is bloody going on?"
Harry and Hermione were looking at me strange. "What?" I asked, annoyed.
"Ummm," started Harry, "How did you know all that about Malfoy? And, how did you know what 'Mudblood' meant?" Uh-oh. I was in trouble now. I couldn't tell them they were just book characters, so how could I explain what I had just said to Malfoy?
"Ummm, uhh, I, um, I," my brain seemed to have stopped working. I needed to think of something, FAST! "Well, Harry, you mentioned to me that Malfoy was a pureblood insufferable prat, and then later that night Hermione explained to me about muggleborns and that Malfoy often called her a Mudblood," I finished with a meaningful look at Hermione. I guess I would just have to tell her.
"Ok," said Harry, but he still looked suspicious. We eventually found Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny, and since we had all our shopping done, we flooed back to the Burrow. I was in for a long night of explaining to Hermione.
~*~Later that night, in mine and Hermione's bedroom~*~
"Alright, spill it," said Hermione. "HOW did you know all that?"
"Well, it can all be explained by you reading this," I said, and started digging around in my suitcase until I found Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I emerged from my suitcase and tossed the book to Hermione, who read the cover, her eye's widening with each word. She looked at the table of contents, and by the time she had gotten to the title of the last chapter, I honestly thought that her eyes would pop right out of their sockets.
"It's a book about Harry's life. Mrs. Weasley never told me your names, I knew from reading those books! That's how I knew about Malfoy calling you a Mudblood and what it meant. There are five books in the series, each for one of your years at Hogwarts, and I expect that the sixth book will have me in it, as I am one of the characters now." That realization had just hit me. I was now just a book character. I wasn't real. I was part of the fiction world for children's novels, I was now just children's entertainment! That's a scary thought.
"I-I can't believe this!" Said Hermione, flipping through the books. "The battle with the mountain troll, our first classes, Professor Snape, the Sorting Hat, Voldemort, Quirrell, this-this is just AMAZING!"
"You have to promise me that you won't tell Harry, Ron, or Ginny, or anyone else on this planet, for that matter." I said worriedly.
"You have my word," said Hermione. "Let's shake on it," she continued, holding out her hand. I took it, and I got an electric shock, almost like I wasn't supposed to be touching her. She seemed to have gotten it too, as we both drew back our hands, and yelped. Come to think of it, it WAS the first time that I had touched anybody in the wizarding world.
"That was strange," said Hermione. "I wonder if it would happen again?" so we tried to shake hands again, warily, and as we gripped each other's hand, nothing happened.
"Whew. I was afraid I'd never be able to touch anybody!" I said. "I guess I'll have to shake everyone else's hands as well, to get the initial shock off."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione.
~*~
My last two weeks at the Burrow seemed to fly by, but I had to say that they were the best two weeks of my life. I had spent practically all day and night of each day being tutored by Hermione, but I thought it was rather fun. And I did have time to learn how to play exploding snap expertly, and Harry and Ron even tried to teach me wizard's chess, although I failed miserably. I can't even play muggle chess very well for gosh sake's!
But, all in all, I think that, with extra tutoring at Hogwarts, I will be just as caught up at the end of the year as the rest of the students.
So, I was happy, yet sad at the same time as I boarded the Hogwarts Express on September first. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I found an empty compartment and sat down. (Ginny was with some of her friends.) There was an uncomfortable silence between the four of us, which no one seemed to want to break.
Harry eventually cracked the ice.
"So, Cassy, um, are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"
No response. I was staring out the window, not paying attention to anything but the countryside whizzing by the window.
"Cassy?" Harry tried again. Still no response. Ron decided to pitch in.
"And then while we were at Diagon Alley Snape came up to us and handed us a bunch of bags of Honeydukes Sweets, and then after that Malfoy came up and pronounced his love for Ginny, and THEN Voldemort showed and announced that he was a fluffy little bunny rabbit . . ." Ron started.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!" I half shouted.
"Now that Ron has gotten your attention for me . . ." started Harry, "Are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"
"Oh, yes, of course! What's it like?" I asked to all three of them. They all started talking at once.
"It's a giant castle with all kinds of secret passageways . . ." (Harry)
"There's this big hall where you eat and the food just appears on your plates . . ." (Ron)
"All the classes are wonderful, there are just so many of them . . ." (Hermione)
"Whoa, slow down!" I said, and they all stopped talking. "Don't talk all at once! One of you start, and then the rest of you just keep alternating who's talking. That way I can hear ALL about it."
So, for the remainder of the trip, they were all talking about how great Hogwarts was.
~*~
When the train arrived at the station, Hagrid met the first years, and then he called out, "Cassandra Calaway? Is Miss Calaway 'ere?"
"Right here," I said uneasily as I walked up to him.
"Right then. Dumbledore says you're to sit with 'arry and the rest o' his friends, and then wait for Dumbledore's instruction for you to go to the Sortin' Hat."
"Oh, ok" I said and then caught up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We all got into a carriage and rode up to the castle. On the way, conversation started again.
"What did Hagrid say, Cassy?"
"Hagrid?"
"The giant you just talked to." Said Ron.
"Oh. He said that I should sit with you three and than wait until Dumbledore calls me up to be sorted. He said something about a Sorting Hat. What does it do?"
"You just put it on and it tells you what house you are going to be in, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin." Said Hermione.
"You don't want to be in Slytherin, mind you, there's not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin," said Ron.
"What house are you guys in?"
"We're all in Gryffindor," said Harry. "I'm pretty sure you'll be in Gryffindor, too," he said reassuringly.
"Good, because you three are the only people that I know at Hogwarts, with the exception of that slimy git Malfoy." By then the carriages had reached the front doors. Harry, Ron, and Hermione led me into the Entrance Hall, and all I could do was stare at how magnificent everything looked, but that was nothing compared to the Great Hall. Thousands of floating candles lit the Great Hall, and then I looked up, knowing I would see the night sky, but I never expected it to look so beautiful.
Harry led us to the Gryffindor table and we all sat down. A few minutes later, after everyone was seated, the first years came in, all looking extremely nervous, kind of the way that I felt.
After all the first years had been sorted (ending with Ziegler, Jenny into Hufflepuff), Dumbledore stood up, quieting the whole Hall.
"I wish I could let you all begin eating, but I cannot just yet, because we have a new student this year who is not eleven, but sixteen, and she has not joined us here at Hogwarts until now because of certain circumstances. So, may I introduce to you, Miss Cassandra Calaway!" As he said this there was lukewarm applause, because nobody knew who I was, after all. "Cassandra," Dumbledore continued, "will you please come to the front to be sorted?" I was now VERY nervous. I stood up and slowly walked over to the stool where the sorting hat was sitting. Professor McGonagall was still standing there, and she picked up the hat and motioned for me to sit down on the stool, so I did. She then placed the hat on my head, it said,
"Ah, Miss Calaway, as Professor Dumbledore has instructed me to call you, you have everything here to be put in Slytherin: a talented mind, a quick tongue . . ."
'Please, not Slytherin! Not Slytherin!' I thought desperately.
"Not Slytherin, eh? Mr. Potter was the same way when he was sorted. Now doubt he has had some influence . . . I also see bravery in you, and the ability to stand up to your enemies . . . very well then, I shall put you in . . ."
~*~Draco's POV~*~
'Please put her in Slytherin, please put her in Slytherin, please put her in Slytherin . . .'
~*~My POV~*~
"GRYFFINDOR!" I heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall as the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers. I practically threw the hat off my head to join my friends, who were clapping madly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Well, that was chapter four. I hope you guys liked it, and now that you are done reading, REVIEW! Next Chapter - First Class: Potions.
Peace!
SpicySugar
Now, on with the story!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~*~My (Cassandra's) POV~*~
As we all walked out of Gringotts, blinking in the sunlight, Harry and I silently agreed not to tell anyone about the letter . . . yet. We tried to act as if nothing happened, but we DID tell Hermione, Ginny, and Ron about all the gold in my vault.
"Hermione, Ginny, you wouldn't believe it! There were mountains of Galleons! Picture how much I inherited, ok? Now imagine it times 20." Said Harry
"Wow, Cassy, and you say it was all yours?" responded Ginny
"Yeah," I said, shyly.
"Harry, dear, would you mind showing Cassandra around all the shops and getting her supplies with her?" I heard Mrs. Weasley ask Harry. "I've got to take all the others around to get their things, and you seem quite taken with her," she finished. I got a little nervous. What if he said he wouldn't?
"No, I wouldn't mind at all, Mrs. Weasley," he replied. My nervousness went away and I smiled in relief. I was standing a ways off, so Harry came walking over to me.
"Do you mind if I show you around the shops?" he asked, and it was all I could do not to giggle.
"No, not at all! You lead," I said, putting my hand in front of me as a signal for him to lead the way.
We first stopped in Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, and Harry and I got fitted for new robes, as Harry's were now several inches short in the arm and leg, and I needed robes in general. I also bought a dress robe, as they were required for fourth years and up.
Then we went to Flourish and Blotts and got my new books for the year. I used Harry's list as a guide, since I didn't have one for sixth year. I also bought some extra books that I could train with and learn more about the wizarding world, like "Five Years of Magic Made Easy" and "From Muggle to Magic in Two Weeks".
Harry and I met up with Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley at the ice cream shop around lunch time. I got a strawberry cone, Harry got a chocolate cone, Hermione and Ginny shared a hot fudge sundae (this was a BIG sundae), Mrs. Weasley got a small cup of vanilla ice cream with chopped nuts, and Ron got a banana split.
"Ron, I swear, your stomach is bigger than a dragon's!" said Hermione crossly.
"Thanonyful!" said Ron with a mouthful of ice cream and banana.
"Don't talk with your mouthful, Ron" said Mrs. Weasley.
Ron swallowed and repeated: "That's not my fault! That I have a big stomach, that is."
The conversation went this way through much of "lunch" (if you could call ice cream lunch), until we split up again. This time Hermione came with Harry and I.
"All I have left to get is a wand," I said. "Where do I get that?" I asked Harry and Hermione.
"Ollivanders," said Harry.
"It's right there, two stores down on the left side," said Hermione, pointing. I looked in that direction, and sure enough, there it was.
When we walked in the store, Mr. Ollivander came out of the shadows, seriously creeping me out, and spoke in his creepy voice, "Ah, we have a new student going to Hogwarts, Miss - " he paused, looking into my eyes, "Calaway." He finished. I gulped and tried not to blink.
"Well, I see you have met Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, no doubt they have been very helpful?" he asked, as he started rummaging through the shelves.
"Uh, yes, they have been, actually," I said uneasily. Mr. Ollivander took so long in looking for a proper wand, that Harry, Hermione, and I were actually seated on the floor, whispering to each other to talk by the time he got back.
"I never thought I would take out this wand," said Mr. Ollivander as he reappeared from the very back of all the shelves, "Ebony, 13 inches, dragon heartstring. You're parents chose this wand for you, no doubt they knew it would work well for you," he said, handing it to me. (AN: Ebony is a solid black wood, making my wand black.) Nervous though I was at his statement, I held it tightly and I felt warmth spread from my fingers throughout my whole body. I flicked the wand slightly and green and silver sparks shot out of it. 'Green and silver?' I thought. 'But those are Slytherin colors!' I decided to think nothing of it. Maybe it was just coincidence. I thanked Mr. Ollivander and after we left his shop, he still stood by the counter, muttering, "So, the second Malfoy child lives, we shall see how well this is taken at the school,"
Harry then mentioned to me about Eeylops Owl Emporium, and asked me if I wanted an owl.
"What do they do?" I asked, being stupid on purpose, as I wasn't supposed to know about the wizarding world.
"Well, they're very useful, they carry your mail and deliver it to you," said Hermione
"And they make very good pets, they're bloody smart and are very friendly." Said Harry finishing for Hermione.
"Ok, then." By that time we were at Eeylops, and after all was said and done, I was holding a beautiful Eagle Owl. I had decided to name him Cazador, which means hunter in Spanish. It was about that time that we ran into none other than Draco Malfoy. Of course, I pretended not to know him, as I technically didn't.
"Well," said Malfoy, "If it isn't Potty and the Mudblood, oh, and look, Potter, it looks like you've got another girly fan tailing you,"
"Sod off Malfoy, she's not a fan, she hardly knows my history!"
"She's a new friend of mine and Harry's," said Hermione.
"I didn't ask for you're opinion, Mudblood," said Malfoy tartly. I tried to bite my tongue, but I couldn't, knowing what that name meant.
"Don't you call her a mudblood!" I said, and both my companions and Malfoy looked shocked.
"Oh really, and why shouldn't I? I take it you're one too? I hate to ask you're name, for fear that I know it," said Malfoy.
"I am NOT a muggleborn, I'm pureblood, just like you, only I'm not an insufferable prat like you are!" I shot back hotly. Malfoy looked very taken aback. He narrowed his eyes, and asked very quietly, but sneering all the while, "And you're name?"
I suddenly felt weak under his gaze. I gulped. "C-Cassandra Calaway," said shaking. Malfoy no longer looked like he was king of the world. Actually, he was quite the opposite. He looked now like he had just insulted his best friend on purpose. His eyes widened to saucers, and they actually showed . . . surprise? His mouth was open, and he seemed paralyzed. Hermione broke the silence after a second or two.
"There are better ways to catch flies than with your mouth Malfoy, but if you want to, then be my guest." At this Malfoy seemed to wake up, and said to Harry, "You better look after your little girlfriend, Potter," with a nod to me, indicating that he was talking about me. With that he stalked off, composure regained.
After a few seconds of eerie silence, I said out loud to no one in particular "WHY does everyone look at me like that when they know my name? First the Goblin at Gringotts, then Mr. Ollivander, and now Malfoy? What is bloody going on?"
Harry and Hermione were looking at me strange. "What?" I asked, annoyed.
"Ummm," started Harry, "How did you know all that about Malfoy? And, how did you know what 'Mudblood' meant?" Uh-oh. I was in trouble now. I couldn't tell them they were just book characters, so how could I explain what I had just said to Malfoy?
"Ummm, uhh, I, um, I," my brain seemed to have stopped working. I needed to think of something, FAST! "Well, Harry, you mentioned to me that Malfoy was a pureblood insufferable prat, and then later that night Hermione explained to me about muggleborns and that Malfoy often called her a Mudblood," I finished with a meaningful look at Hermione. I guess I would just have to tell her.
"Ok," said Harry, but he still looked suspicious. We eventually found Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Ginny, and since we had all our shopping done, we flooed back to the Burrow. I was in for a long night of explaining to Hermione.
~*~Later that night, in mine and Hermione's bedroom~*~
"Alright, spill it," said Hermione. "HOW did you know all that?"
"Well, it can all be explained by you reading this," I said, and started digging around in my suitcase until I found Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I emerged from my suitcase and tossed the book to Hermione, who read the cover, her eye's widening with each word. She looked at the table of contents, and by the time she had gotten to the title of the last chapter, I honestly thought that her eyes would pop right out of their sockets.
"It's a book about Harry's life. Mrs. Weasley never told me your names, I knew from reading those books! That's how I knew about Malfoy calling you a Mudblood and what it meant. There are five books in the series, each for one of your years at Hogwarts, and I expect that the sixth book will have me in it, as I am one of the characters now." That realization had just hit me. I was now just a book character. I wasn't real. I was part of the fiction world for children's novels, I was now just children's entertainment! That's a scary thought.
"I-I can't believe this!" Said Hermione, flipping through the books. "The battle with the mountain troll, our first classes, Professor Snape, the Sorting Hat, Voldemort, Quirrell, this-this is just AMAZING!"
"You have to promise me that you won't tell Harry, Ron, or Ginny, or anyone else on this planet, for that matter." I said worriedly.
"You have my word," said Hermione. "Let's shake on it," she continued, holding out her hand. I took it, and I got an electric shock, almost like I wasn't supposed to be touching her. She seemed to have gotten it too, as we both drew back our hands, and yelped. Come to think of it, it WAS the first time that I had touched anybody in the wizarding world.
"That was strange," said Hermione. "I wonder if it would happen again?" so we tried to shake hands again, warily, and as we gripped each other's hand, nothing happened.
"Whew. I was afraid I'd never be able to touch anybody!" I said. "I guess I'll have to shake everyone else's hands as well, to get the initial shock off."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Hermione.
~*~
My last two weeks at the Burrow seemed to fly by, but I had to say that they were the best two weeks of my life. I had spent practically all day and night of each day being tutored by Hermione, but I thought it was rather fun. And I did have time to learn how to play exploding snap expertly, and Harry and Ron even tried to teach me wizard's chess, although I failed miserably. I can't even play muggle chess very well for gosh sake's!
But, all in all, I think that, with extra tutoring at Hogwarts, I will be just as caught up at the end of the year as the rest of the students.
So, I was happy, yet sad at the same time as I boarded the Hogwarts Express on September first. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I found an empty compartment and sat down. (Ginny was with some of her friends.) There was an uncomfortable silence between the four of us, which no one seemed to want to break.
Harry eventually cracked the ice.
"So, Cassy, um, are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"
No response. I was staring out the window, not paying attention to anything but the countryside whizzing by the window.
"Cassy?" Harry tried again. Still no response. Ron decided to pitch in.
"And then while we were at Diagon Alley Snape came up to us and handed us a bunch of bags of Honeydukes Sweets, and then after that Malfoy came up and pronounced his love for Ginny, and THEN Voldemort showed and announced that he was a fluffy little bunny rabbit . . ." Ron started.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!" I half shouted.
"Now that Ron has gotten your attention for me . . ." started Harry, "Are you looking forward to Hogwarts?"
"Oh, yes, of course! What's it like?" I asked to all three of them. They all started talking at once.
"It's a giant castle with all kinds of secret passageways . . ." (Harry)
"There's this big hall where you eat and the food just appears on your plates . . ." (Ron)
"All the classes are wonderful, there are just so many of them . . ." (Hermione)
"Whoa, slow down!" I said, and they all stopped talking. "Don't talk all at once! One of you start, and then the rest of you just keep alternating who's talking. That way I can hear ALL about it."
So, for the remainder of the trip, they were all talking about how great Hogwarts was.
~*~
When the train arrived at the station, Hagrid met the first years, and then he called out, "Cassandra Calaway? Is Miss Calaway 'ere?"
"Right here," I said uneasily as I walked up to him.
"Right then. Dumbledore says you're to sit with 'arry and the rest o' his friends, and then wait for Dumbledore's instruction for you to go to the Sortin' Hat."
"Oh, ok" I said and then caught up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. We all got into a carriage and rode up to the castle. On the way, conversation started again.
"What did Hagrid say, Cassy?"
"Hagrid?"
"The giant you just talked to." Said Ron.
"Oh. He said that I should sit with you three and than wait until Dumbledore calls me up to be sorted. He said something about a Sorting Hat. What does it do?"
"You just put it on and it tells you what house you are going to be in, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin." Said Hermione.
"You don't want to be in Slytherin, mind you, there's not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin," said Ron.
"What house are you guys in?"
"We're all in Gryffindor," said Harry. "I'm pretty sure you'll be in Gryffindor, too," he said reassuringly.
"Good, because you three are the only people that I know at Hogwarts, with the exception of that slimy git Malfoy." By then the carriages had reached the front doors. Harry, Ron, and Hermione led me into the Entrance Hall, and all I could do was stare at how magnificent everything looked, but that was nothing compared to the Great Hall. Thousands of floating candles lit the Great Hall, and then I looked up, knowing I would see the night sky, but I never expected it to look so beautiful.
Harry led us to the Gryffindor table and we all sat down. A few minutes later, after everyone was seated, the first years came in, all looking extremely nervous, kind of the way that I felt.
After all the first years had been sorted (ending with Ziegler, Jenny into Hufflepuff), Dumbledore stood up, quieting the whole Hall.
"I wish I could let you all begin eating, but I cannot just yet, because we have a new student this year who is not eleven, but sixteen, and she has not joined us here at Hogwarts until now because of certain circumstances. So, may I introduce to you, Miss Cassandra Calaway!" As he said this there was lukewarm applause, because nobody knew who I was, after all. "Cassandra," Dumbledore continued, "will you please come to the front to be sorted?" I was now VERY nervous. I stood up and slowly walked over to the stool where the sorting hat was sitting. Professor McGonagall was still standing there, and she picked up the hat and motioned for me to sit down on the stool, so I did. She then placed the hat on my head, it said,
"Ah, Miss Calaway, as Professor Dumbledore has instructed me to call you, you have everything here to be put in Slytherin: a talented mind, a quick tongue . . ."
'Please, not Slytherin! Not Slytherin!' I thought desperately.
"Not Slytherin, eh? Mr. Potter was the same way when he was sorted. Now doubt he has had some influence . . . I also see bravery in you, and the ability to stand up to your enemies . . . very well then, I shall put you in . . ."
~*~Draco's POV~*~
'Please put her in Slytherin, please put her in Slytherin, please put her in Slytherin . . .'
~*~My POV~*~
"GRYFFINDOR!" I heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall as the Gryffindor table erupted with cheers. I practically threw the hat off my head to join my friends, who were clapping madly.
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AN: Well, that was chapter four. I hope you guys liked it, and now that you are done reading, REVIEW! Next Chapter - First Class: Potions.
Peace!
SpicySugar