The next day, on the morning of September the first, Saturnia awoke to the sound of a shrill chirping beside her head. It was the alarm clock, or at least one of the wizarding versions of an alarm clock; a small, golden bird which sat on the bedside table. The little bird began to hop around the table, still emitting its highly annoying sounds. Well, it was highly annoying to most patrons of the Leaky Cauldron; but Saturnia, who rather liked birds, found the sound quite pleasant. It was quite unlike anything found at her local Target store, and a welcome change.
"I'm awake," said Saturnia. The little bird stopped its chirping and, bowing respectfully, and flew into the fireplace (possibly to navigate its way back to the front desk, where Saturnia had borrowed it from). Saturnia climbed out of her bed and immediately felt butterflies fill her stomach. Today was her first day of school! What does Hogwarts Castle look like? Would the students welcome her? Would she be able to pass her classes? Would they have Pepper Jack Cheese?
To distract herself, she rummaged through her trunk to find an outfit. Don't be silly, Saturnia, she told herself. No one there is any better than you. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. She pulled out a pair of Gape jeans and sat down on the bed. Well, except for me she thought wryly as she pulled her jeans on, both legs at once. She pulled her shiny, dark blue fitted t-shirt over her head, over top of her light blue 'Andromeda's Danties' lacy bra. On her feet she wore 'Penelope Odd' black and white striped knee-socks with little skulls on them, and over top of those she wore her sturdy and stylish black dragon-hide Gape boots (the ones with the adjustable heels, though Saturnia didn't need high heels as she was naturally tall). As a final touch, she took her beloved (but dead) father's silver pocket watch that she had hung on a chain, and placed it around her neck (though she tucked the special item into her shirt for safekeeping). Finally, she went to style her hair.
"I still don't understand how I did that," she mumbled to herself as she studied her face in the mirror. She did know any spells that could shorten her hair, and she didn't use her knife or scissors, so how could it have possibly happened? How? HOW?
The mysteries of the previous night's mysterious magical events remained a mystery to her, so she decided to leave her hair long, because it looked very pretty that way (but she wasn't vain, not in any way whatsoever).
The night before, she had asked a hotel clerk about transportation to King's Cross, and was informed that "The Knight Bus is probably your best option, miss." by a clerk that was enamoured with her beauteous face. She herself thought he was kind of cute, what with his silvery hair and Inu-Yasha like golden eyes (and puppy dog ears…). She was then given further instructions on fees, and when to catch it ("Anytime, as long as you're by a road."). With trunk in tow and the disgruntled Yugioh secured in her cage ("It's only for today, I'll let you out at Hogwarts," she reassured the Elf owl), Saturnia left the Leaky Cauldron and stepped out into the busy streets of Muggle London. Saturnia lightly stepped to the curb and, despite not having used it very much, thrust out her wand with a natural graceful flourish.
With a loud bang! and a puff of smoke, a large, violent purple triple-decker bus rolled to a squeaky stop in front of her. The illuminated sign above the front window read "The Knight Bus" in gold lettering, then quickly switched to read "All Stops". The door opened with a sharp hiss, and a pimply-faced young man in a purple uniform stepped out. He opened his mouth to speak as his eyes searching around to see who the customer was. His eyes met Saturnia's oceanic blue sparkling orbs, and his mouth gaped open in shock and awe of her beauty. Saturnia stared back at him, a puzzled look adorning her heart-shaped face.
The young man coughed quickly and adjusted his hair.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus," he said, puffing out his chest and attempting a more pompous air than was probably appropriate. "Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard." His eyes nervously darted down to look at Saturnia, but he quickly stared straight ahead again. "Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name's Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor on this fine morning. Where do you need to go, Miss..."
"Sparklepeu," said Saturnia, allowing Stan to help her up the bus steps. "How much to go to King's Cross?"
"Six sickles," said Stan nervously. "Special rate for the 'Ogwarts students we 'ave aboard.
Saturnia glanced at the sign above the driver's head, which clearly stated that today's King's Cross fare was eight sickles, but she shrugged it off. Stan showed her to a seat (a poofy purple armchair with mahogany legs), where she sat for the remainder of the short and uneventful journey (exactly three jerky stops and starts later).
Saturnia debussed (which is the proper term for "got off the bus"), along with several other people her age and their families, into the busy station. She had a fair idea of where to go; judging by the numbers on her ticket and on the corresponding platforms, Platform 9 3/4 would be located somewhere between Platforms Nine and Ten. The problem was, where?
After trying and failing to catch up with the wizarding families she saw on the Knight Bus (a hopeless task in the busy station), and attempting to spot a wizard to ask how to get on the platform (you would expect a wizard to stand out from a muggle, but this task was equally hopeless as most Wizards had become quite adept at disguising themselves), she sat down discouraged on her trunk. It was quite a sight: a beautiful young lady with a squawking owl in the middle of a busy train station.
Saturnia felt eyes; eyes watching, eyes studying, eyes probing from all directions. It made her feel lost, and even worse, lonely. The crowd parted, and one pair of eyes stood out from the others: the soft brown eyes belonging to a lady with an electric-blue haircut straight out of the 1920's. Their eyes met, and the lady nodded to herself, as if in recognition. Saturnia felt as though she was connected to this woman and that she would somehow become important in her life, as though she had a part in a much larger tale...
The connection was suddenly lost, as the lady turned her head to speak to the (rather depressed looking) raven-haired bespectacled boy next to her. He nodded his head mechanically, and pushed his luggage trolly ahead. The pair was swept up in the crowd, and Saturnia was alone with her thoughts again.
Saturnia's heart reached out to the boy: by the look in his sorrow-filled emerald eyes, it was obvious that he was feeling lonely and lost as she was, and that he had recently lost loved ones. He was probably an orphan, like her, although she imagined that she had a much better home life than he. He was probably forced to live with a fat angry uncle and an equally fat spoiled cousin and a skinny nosy aunt who starved him and beat him and locked him in his room... Saturnia had an uncanny ability for being able to judge people (and their lives) solely on their looks, and she was almost always right. It was truly a gift, and saved having to talk about other people's lives in order to get to know them. And she could read this boy; no, this hottie of a man-hunk, like a book.
Through the loud, bee-like drone of the crowd, Saturnia's (almost elf-like) sensitive ears picked up the word "Muggle". She looked up; the sound came from a large family of redheads, specifically one of the older looking boys. Her ears picked up the mother scolding the boy ("Shush, Fred! And put your wand away, before one of them notices!"); they were headed towards the barrier between the platforms! She grabbed her trunk and her owl, and hurried to run after the family, but the crowd wanted to pull her in the opposite direction, like the river flowing against a spawning salmon.
Saturnia struggled and struggled, much like the struggling salmon, but much more graceful and probably birdlike instead of fishlike. Eventually, she gave up. She sighed heavily, but suddenly there was hope, and a word mysteriously floated to the top of her head in her head. She pulled out her wand, and muttered 'scindo'. Magically, the crowd parted in front of her, allowing her to pass through, but she had completely missed the Wizard family.
Suddenly, a thought dropped on her like a ton of bricks. Of course, it didn't damage her head like a ton of bricks would, as Saturnia's not stupid like most other girls. "Of course!" she thought to herself. The platform was located between platforms nine and ten, therefore the entrance must be in the barrier! Her instincts had to be right, as no one as beautiful as she could ever possibly be wrong.
With a leap of faith and the graceful legs of the spring nymphs, Saturnia sprang toward the barrier, trunk and owl in tow. The barrier came closer, closer, closer…
…Until there was no barrier at all, but a new platform. A scarlet steam engine waited on the tracks, its engine puffing a light smoke over the crowd. The sign overhead read "Hogwarts Express, 11 O'clock", and Saturnia smiled to herself: she was in the right place.
The general atmosphere of the platform quickly broke her pleased mood. Saturnia, being particularly empathetic (almost to the point of telepathy, but not quite as that would be over the top), sensed that where there used to be excitement, anticipation and happiness, there was now uncertainty and fear. Parents spoke in hushed voices, the students were grim-faced and particularly reluctant to leave. It was as though a dark shadow was cast over all of them, a shadow that had yet to grow. Would that shadow be broken by sunlight, only time could tell.
As Saturnia made her way to the back of the train to find an empty compartment (wisely avoiding the front compartments, which were completely packed as always), her ears caught snatches of conversation from the general din.
"Don't worry, Harry, I'll make sure you get all the news about your… cousin. Weekly updates, daily if we can manage it. The operation will go fine," said a shabbily dressed man to the dark-haired boy she saw earlier.
"You shall do nothing to disgrace your father, Draco. Remember what he has worked for," said a blonde stern-looking woman. Saturnia looked around to find Draco, but couldn't pick him out in the crowd. Her concentration broken, the conversations became more jumbled:
"Don't worry, sweetie. You'll be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."
"If you play in the water, the monster will come for you."
"Well, maybe the Great Leader is just some kind of ass freak, okay?"
Finally reaching the end of the train, Saturnia found an empty compartment. She pulled her luggage in with her, which was easy since it had been charmed to be lighter than normal (not that Saturnia was weak; a priestess of her calibre had strong yet feminine arms, and she would have had no problems lifting the trunk. However, manoeuvring the trunk proved to be quite awkward and the charm simply helped with this aspect.), and tucked it away in the storage area.
She sat down on one of the plush velvet seats and leaned her head against the window. Lulled by the quiet drone of the outside noise, her dark lashes fluttered against her eyes and she was taken into the realm of dreams…
The Lady is seated by the lake, her velvet purple cloak drawn close to her shoulders. Sadness fills her bright purple eyes, and she sighs wistfully, not noticing the crimson clad warrior behind her.
"Serena…" he says, seating himself behind her. "About what I said earlier, I—"
"Don't," says Serena, the Lady in Purple. "I know what you're going to say. I have always known it. But it cannot be, for it will break his heart and put our school in ruin."
"But… I love you," says the man, his bright eyes reflecting the light of the setting sun.
"I know," says Serena. "I wish I could say I love you too, but it cannot be. It will break his heart, it will break all of their hearts, and I cannot do that to them." She brings a slender pale hand up to his face. "Do not be sad. I care for you, deeper than you will ever understand, but I have to think of the others. I have to think of the school."
"Serena…"
"No, Godric," says Serena, standing and bringing herself to her full height. "It has to be this way. I must leave soon."
Saturnia woke with a start. It was the Lady again! Her name was Serena, and the man in red was Godric… but who were these people? And why was she having dreams about them? Could this be a part of some bigger plot, a sinister act of history repeating?
'No,' Saturnia thought, lazily stretching her 5'7" frame two inches taller. 'I'm just being silly again.' Saturnia was a rather modest girl, and modest girls such as she are not involved in historical events. She yawned, which showed off her natural million-galleon smile, and stared out the window.
Tinuviel was there, running alongside the train, her bright mane and tail trailing out behind her, like a train in the night. But this was the daytime, and the sparkling white unicorn sparkled in the midday sunlight.
Saturnia's eyes filled with tears, crystal-like tears, like that girl who cried solid tears; but Saturnia's tears were liquid, not solid, more like a liquid diamond than anything. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Saturnia's heart reached out to the unicorn, she longed to be with her friend, her friend that wanted only to be with her.
In a fit of wandless magick, her powers obeyed her heart, and the unicorn was suddenly transported into the train.
"Oh, Tinuviel," Saturnia sighed. She was glad to finally see a familiar face, and the two friends shared a touching embrace.
Tinuviel suddenly gave a start; her ears pricked up and her eyes darted about. Saturnia sang quietly to try and comfort her friend, but soon her own sensitive ears picked up the noise that had startled the unicorn. Several loud voices floated into the compartment; it was probably some students looking for some of their friends.
"…and I don't see why we had to move. We were sitting there first!"
"You know what Malfoy's like. He'll try getting away with anything while there aren't teachers around."
"He was throwing impedimenta curses at me!"
"Well, you probably shouldn't have insulted his mother, Ron."
"He insulted my mum first!"
The voices stopped outside of Saturnia's compartment. She could see three figures through the misty privacy glass window: two boys and a girl. She panicked.
"Tinuviel," she whispered, hoping the three didn't hear her. "Tinuviel, you have to leave now. I'm sorry, dear friend." The unicorn nuzzled her nose against Saturnia's cheek. "Good-bye." Saturnia raised her wand "Portus," she said, and the unicorn disappeared leaving only unicorn tears of sadness behind.
Saturnia barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief when the compartment door burst open. The dark haired boy from the train station stepped inside, followed by a tall red haired boy and a girl with bushy brown hair (although, her hair was approaching more of a "curly" state). Upon seeing Saturnia in the compartment, the trio fell silent.
"Hello," said Saturnia, suddenly feeling somewhat shy. The two boys stared (somewhat open mouthed) at her, but the girl quickly spoke.
"Hello," she said. "Do you mind if we sit in here?"
"Go ahead," said Saturnia. "I'd be glad for the company." The dark-haired boy quickly shook his head, as though clearing his mind, and nudged his friend. They all sat down.
"So," said the red-haired boy, "You a new student?"
"Yes," said Saturnia. "I'm a—a transfer student. A sixth year."
"Wow," said the girl. "We're all sixth years, too." She paused for a moment. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."
"Saturnia Sparklepeu," said Saturnia, shaking Hermione's hand. A flash of faint recognition appeared on Hermione's face, but was quickly gone.
"Ron Weasley," said the tall boy, waving awkwardly from his seat near the door. "And this," he said, nudging the green-eyed boy with his arm, "is Harry."
"Harry Potter," mumbled Harry. Saturnia was right about him earlier; he was very depressed, to have gone through such tragedies in his life.
"Glad to meet all of you," said Saturnia. She chose her next words carefully, as she wanted to make them all feel comfortable around her. "I'm sorry about your loss, Harry."
Harry's emerald eyes widened in shock. "How – how did you know?" he said, tightly gripping the edge of the plush velvet seat.
"Sorry," said Saturnia, casting her sapphire eyes downward. "I saw you at King's Cross earlier, and I knew, I just knew that you – that someone very close to you had passed on. I couldn't not say anything to you. I'm sorry if I intruded." Saturnia felt an embarrassed blush spreading across her cheeks. He'll never want to be your friend now, Saturnia! she thought disparagingly.
But Harry didn't sulk, or storm out, or yell at her. A warm smile spread across his face, and he seemed to cheer up considerably. "Thanks," he said. "It means a lot to me, that you pay attention to my feelings and not my name or my scar." She's sensitive and beautiful, Harry thought to himself.
"So, what house are you going to be in?" asked Ron, secretly hoping she would be a Gryffindor.
"House?" said Saturnia. "Oooh, I read about them in 'Hogwarts, A History'. I'm not sure yet, I haven't been sorted."
"You've read 'Hogwarts, a History'?" said Hermione, leaning forward with a bookish gleam in her brown eyes. I hope she comes to Gryffindor, it would be great to have a smart, pretty girl to be a dorm-mate. she thought.
"Not all of it," said Saturnia. "I read a bit of it last night before going to sleep. Do the staircases really move?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "You'll have to watch that – it can be confusing at first. Look, if you have any classes with us, we," he nodded to Hermione and Ron, "will help you out. We'll show you around the castle."
"Unlike some people," said Ron, as Hermione uncharacteristically coughed out something that sounded suspiciously like "Draco Malfoy".
Saturnia heard it anyway. A shining image of Draco from the day appeared in her mind. "Why wouldn't Draco Malfoy show me around the castle?"
"He's… he's not very nice," said Hermione. Harry snorted.
"Far from it," he said. "He hates Muggle-borns," he gestured to Hermione, "and Gryffindors, and those who don't support his father, and those who oppose Voldemort, and pretty much anyone who doesn't worship the ground he walks on."
"Oh, really?" said Saturnia, the image of Draco suddenly crumbling in her mind. "I – I met him the other day, and he was very nice to me. I don't know how he could be so horrible to you."
"Probably just wanted to get in your knickers," Ron mumbled, and Hermione kicked him. "Sorry. I'm sure he was nice to you, but he's always been a right bastard to me."
"It's almost tradition that he picks a fight on the train," said Harry. "That's why we had to move here." He took off his glasses and fixed a small crack in them that Saturnia hadn't noticed.
"I keep telling you to ignore him," said Hermione. "He's really not worth it. And it's not as if you argue about anything new; he questions your lineage, you insult his father, he insults my magical-status, Ron insults his mother, he insults Ron's whole family, and then we all hex each other."
"At least we know the formula works!" Ron said, grinning wryly.
Saturnia was torn inside; on one hand, there was Draco Malfoy. He had seemed nice enough, and even defended her against that cow he called a friend. She loved the way his blond hair shone in the sun, how she could see herself reflected in his silvery eyes… and yet, on the other hand, there was Harry Potter. He was a very handsome young man; his jade-green eyes glinted with mischievousness, his messy black hair falling just so over his face, how he seemed entirely grateful just to have her compassion. He seemed so much more… reachable, here in the compartment with her. Sure, he could come off as a bit harsh, but inside, underneath the surface, Saturnia could sense that he could change. He could change, if only he were shown the kindness and beauty that was never shown to him before… and maybe someday she could unlock the shining white prince that was locked behind his sneering face… somehow.
She noticed the others staring at her, as though waiting patiently for her response. Wisely, she chose the neutral approach:
"I'm sure you could get along if you would just agree to disagree," said Saturnia, and at that moment the compartment door slammed open.
Draco Malfoy stepped inside.
"Ah, I knew you'd be somewhere on the train," said Draco, "Though I had hoped that you would choose better company." Saturnia blushed, having just been thinking about Draco not two seconds before. Harry and Ron rose out of their seats, wands drawn, while Hermione scowled in a 'here we go again' manner.
"Clear off, Malfoy," said Harry, starting forward, but the other one cut him off.
"She was here first," said Ron, the fire in his eyes matching the fiery colour of his hair. "She didn't choose to sit with us. Leave her out of this." Harry and Hermione looked shocked for a moment, but then both joined Ron by his side.
"Calm down," said Draco. "I only wanted to ask Saturnia if she would go to the Hallowe'en Ball with me." Saturnia was shocked; that was two months away!
"There's a Hallowe'en Ball this year?" asked Hermione.
"Of course there's a Hallowe'en Ball this year!" said Draco. "Don't you Gryffindors hear any school news in the summer?"
"Well, I'm sorry for being too busy trying not to get locked up, instead of paying attention to social calendars," said Harry. "Why should we even care about a stupid ball anyway?"
"Piss off, Potter," said Draco. "You're just mad you didn't ask her first."
"I didn't even know there was a ball to ask her to!"
"Well, she wouldn't have gone with you, anyway. I recall hearing your last date ended with the girl running off in tears."
"How do you know she wouldn't go with me?" said Harry. "And that was Cho's problem, not mine!"
The two young men, with hair as opposite as Light and Dark, were now nose to nose with each other, hurling as many insults as they could think of. It only took one scream of "What about my broomstick?" when the verbal fighting turned to physical.
Saturnia was shocked. Partially shocked that two boys whom she barely knew were fighting over her, modest little onyx-haired sparkling-eyed not-too-skinny not-too-fat her, but more mad than anything. The compartment grew visibly darker as she stood to make her wrath clear.
"Both of you, stop it!" she screamed, and they did. "I won't go to the ball with either of you! I barely know you!" This was true enough; because although she had felt like she had known both of them for a very long time, it had only been a few hours at most.
"You're both idiots," continued Saturnia, tears forming in her eyes. "You shouldn't be fighting at all! Houses, sports, social status… none of it matters!" She wiped her tears away with a graceful finger. "You probably wouldn't be fighting if you'd stop being so selfish and listened to each other. I don't care about Gryffindor or Slytherin or who takes me to a future dance, I like both of you just fine! So stop it!"
Draco released Harry from his headlock grip, and Harry stopped jamming his wand into Draco's stomach. They both looked at each other sheepishly, but Saturnia was still mad. She stormed out of the compartment to the washrooms; she needed to be alone for a minute.
When she came back, Draco was gone. Hermione handed her a note. "He left this for you," she said. Saturnia scowled and sat down, bursting the piece of paper into flames.
Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at her.
"What?" said Saturnia.
"You set it one fire!" said Ron. "Without a wand!"
"So?"
"So," said Harry, "that's pretty hard to do."
"Did they teach you that at your old school?" said Hermione.
"No," said Saturnia. "We weren't allowed to do practical magic at my old school." This was true enough, and Saturnia had been advised by the Lady not to reveal her priestess background.
"So, you know how to do wandless magic without practise? Wow, you must be an even better student than 'Mione here," said Ron. Hermione quickly shot him a murderous glance, which was quickly covered up by a polite smile. This, of course, went unnoticed by all present.
The new friends chatted amiably for the rest of the short trip, when they were informed by the train's announcement system that they would be arriving shortly, and to leave their baggage on the train. Once off the train, they had to fight their way through the sea of black hats and cloaks.
"Should I go with them?" asked Saturnia, referring to the first years gathering around the large, half-giant man.
"I'm not sure," said Hermione. They walked up the beaten dirt path from the platform, over the hill, when they saw their transport to the castle.
Saturnia gasped.
In front of her were one hundred stagecoaches, each pulled by two winged creatures. They looked rather like gruesome Satan Horses; Pegasus skeletons covered in the black pelt of an already dead animal. Their large, leathery wings flexed impatiently, and it suddenly dawned on Saturnia what they were: Thestrals.
"You can see them, too?" said Harry, startling Saturnia out of her thoughts.
"Yes," said Saturnia. "I've read about them, in books. I always thought they'd be uglier than this, but they're not. They're fascinating." As she stepped closer to the coach (which Hermione and Ron had already climbed inside), the nearest Thestral turned its head and stared mournfully at her with its bright white eyes. She reached out and stroked the back of the Thestral's neck, feeling its coarse, brittle fur under her long fingers.
Ron leaned out of the stagecoach. "Are you coming?" Saturnia gave the Thestral a reassuring, gentle pat, and climbed inside the coach.
After a short, uncomfortably bumpy trip, Hogwarts castle loomed into view, and Saturnia was glad that it looked like a place of learning, a place of adventure, and most of all, a place she could call home.
As Saturnia stepped out of the coach, a stern looking woman with square glasses stepped forward.
"Miss Sparklepeu?" asked the woman. "I am Professor McGonagall. You will be sorted along with the first years. Come with me."
Saturnia waved back to her new friends, then followed Professor McGonagall to the frightened looking first years.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall to the younger students. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony…"
Saturnia tuned out the rest of her speech – having already skimmed through most of "Hogwarts, A History", she knew all about the Sorting Ceremony and the houses she could be sorted into. The whole thing seemed pointless to her: why create unnecessary animosity between students by placing them in houses? There was already enough hatred towards each other though bloodlines, financial background and Quidditch, why make matters worse?
Professor McGonnagal opened the doors to the Great Hall, to reveal a shabby, ripped-up hat placed on a stool in front of the table. "When I call your name, you will put the hat on your head and sit down to be sorted." She glanced down at her list of names. "Ackerly, Samantha!"
Saturnia frowned slightly the little girl on the stool became a Ravenclaw. Why create unwanted hatred between students on the basis of house. Take Harry and Draco for example: if they were in the same house, they might've become friends. Lovers even! They're quite similar in their stubbornness, but if they were forced to live together they might actually get along.
Saturnia looked at the faces seated at the tables: she could see Harry staring at her, green eyes shining behind his glasses. Why couldn't he see the importance of human life, that you shouldn't waste time fighting when you could be using that time productively? He had lost someone recently, he should at least be able to understand that.
And Draco… Saturnia's eyes locked with those of her fair friend. Why couldn't he be more tolerant? There's nothing wrong with being a muggleborn, or half muggle, or anything. His father probably makes him think that way. Saturnia sighed a wistful, frustrated sigh.
As "Weatherby, Charles" became a Hufflepuff, Saturnia was drawn out of her thoughts by the loud drone of the students in the great hall. Thinking that the sorting was over, they immediately began to talk and chatter amongst themselves, until Professor McGonagall raised her hands to silence them.
"The sorting is not yet finished," said Professor McGonagall. "This year, we have a new sixth year student, and as it is customary for her first year here, she will be sorted." McGonagall waved an arm towards the door, where Saturnia was standing. "Sparklepeu, Saturnia!"
Hiding her nervousness from the prying eyes of the Great Hall, Saturnia marched purposefully over to the stool and sat down. She placed the hat on her head, half-hoping that it wouldn't muss her hair, and a raspy voice filled her mind.
"Hmmm..." said the Sorting Hat. "Another difficult one to place. Courageous, ambitious, loyal, and a taste for knowledge... Cunning, yes, but you're not suited for Slytherin, you wouldn't do well there at all; horrid little bastards, every one of them. You're friendly enough to be a Hufflepuff, but they're a bunch of pushovers, really... and those Ravenclaws hardly ever leave their tower, bunch of lazy bookworms. I've told them time and again that parchments aren't their friends and that quills will never save their lives, but do they listen? No, no, no-one listens to a hat, a hat doesn't have a diploma or a wand or a pretty bird that everyone just loves because he's so majestic--"
"Shut up! Shut up!" said Saturnia to the Hat. "Just place me anywhere! I doubt it matters very much!" She was angered by the bitter and biased hat, and her eyes burned with a fury that rivalled the flames of Udûn.
"Hang on, hang on," the Hat grumbled. "You're certainly bold enough to be in Gryffindor, but I doubt you're loud enough."
"Just sort me! I don't care, I just want to be placed and go about my life!"
The Sorting Hat gasped, if that was possible. "I've... I've heard that voice before! But where? Someone, a-a person from a long time ago." The Sorting Hat stuttered, as if it were trying to grasp a long forgotten memory. Saturnia could feel it growing warm on her head, brimming with life. It spoke again, obviously pleased with itself.
"I know who you are. Oh, this will be interesting time to be in, an interesting time indeed."
"What?" said Saturnia, the hat growing quite hot on her head.
"Don't ask questions, girl. Place me back on the stool, I've an announcement to make." Saturnia did as the hat asked, and was glad to be rid of it – it messed up her hair. She noticed the entire school staring at her; she had been sitting there an awfully long time, and they had never seen a student take the hat off before being sorted.
There was a terrible unnatural silence, at least until someone coughed. Dozens of students turned their heads in unison and glared at the offending student for breaking the mood.
The Sorting Hat opened the rip in its brim and spoke: "The Fifth Heir has arrived."
Someone coughed again, and the Sorting Hat dramatically burst into flames.
Next Chapter: Where will Saturnia finally be sorted? Who is the mysterious figure in her dreams? And who will take her to the dance?!!
Please review, I'm very new to this and want to know what people think lol!
- 3 3 3 girrly