Disclaimer- JK Rowling has all rights to Harry Potter. I only own the character of Kate, and the plot of this story.
Kate stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and into the crisp autumn air. A sign above the platform said in faded gold letters 'Hogsmeade Station'. Park benches lined the walkway that led to a larger road.
She looked around the platform for her new friends, but saw no sign of them. Since she was separated from Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Kate decided to head over to the main road to see if they were over there. Instead of finding her friends, however, the majority of the road was taken up by strange, horseless carriages.
These carriages were a deep mahogany brown, with gold handles. But it was quite bizarre, for there were no horses to lead and pull the carriages. Kate stood there, gazing at the weird carriages, until she heard her name being shouted.
"Kate!" Hermione yelled from a carriage a few yards away. "Kate, come here! Here is a carriage!"
She was relieved to know that her new friends had not forgotten about her, and had saved her a seat in the carriage. Kate was comfortable when she saw the inside of the carriage, which was red plush velvet interior.
"So, Kate, where have you been?" Ron questioned with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Yeah, what took you so long?" Harry added to Ron's previous question.
"I went to go change into my new robes. When I was finished, I ran into Draco Malfoy. He apologized for his extreme lack of manners. He said that you have not gotten along since the first day on the train. Is that true?" Kate asked the trio.
This time Hermione spoke up. "Yes, it is quite true. Draco Malfoy has always been a twitchy, little, annoying, rude, conceited, arrogant ferret. Throughout the years, we have all always gotten into some sort of fight, usually because of his rudeness. Unfortunately, though, Harry and Ron still have not realized that it would be best to ignore him."
Kate smiled at Hermione's speech. "The Draco that I know does not seem to be as rude and arrogant as you claim he is. Except for his little outburst today, he has been the perfect gentleman that I have known him to be."
"You are not going out with him, are you?" Harry asked Kate with a deep look of disgust etched into his face.
"Of course I am not going out with him! What gave you such a ridiculous idea? Draco and I are just friends. We most certainly are not dating!" Kate laughed.
Harry looked strangely relieved as the carriage pulled up to a magnificent castle. Towers spiraled up into the night time sky, and the stained glass windows created a warm rosy glow on the surrounding stone wall. This castle that would be her home for the rest of the school year was completely gorgeous, even better and larger than her own home. The atmosphere of this place was warm and inviting, making Kate feel quite at home.
As the four friends got out of the carriage and ascended the stone pathway up to the large castle, something big and wet hit Kate in the shoulder. She looked down and saw the remains of a red water balloon at her feet. An evil sounding cackle made Kate look up. To her surprise, she saw a poltergeist.
"PEEVES!" screamed an old, but stern looking woman who was standing at the tall entrance doors. Her face was white and contorted with rage as she watched Peeves the poltergeist throw more water balloons on the unexpecting students below.
Harry leaned in and started to whisper into Kate's ear. "Don't mind Peeves. Every year, he always throws water balloons at the students. You would think he would be a bit more creative and do something else."
When they had entered through the large oak doors, the smell of baked pumpkin pie wafted through the Great Hall. The smell made Kate's eyes water, and her mouth water. Any doubts that she had about this new school were immediately banished.
The Great Hall was an amazing sight. There appeared to be no ceiling, just the night sky that was filled with bright stars. The tables seemed to be divided into five distinct sections. At the front of the Great Hall, was an elevated table that was decorated with red, blue, green, and yellow. It seemed like this was the table in which the staff sat at.
To the right, there was another section of tables. These tables were decorated with yellow and brown. Above the table, was a banner with a picture of a badger. The banner read 'Hufflepuff'.
To the left, at a table that was made up of blue and black sat another group of students. A banner, which held a picture of a raven, said 'Ravenclaw'.
In the back of the Great Hall, was yet another cluster of tables. These were green and silver, and according to the serpent banner, was the 'Slytherin' table. At this table, sat Draco along with some people that one would assume were his friends.
Next to the Slytherin table was the last table. This was decorated with the colors of red and gold. The banner, which showed a lion, said that this was the great 'Gryffindor' table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down at this table. Kate was about to join them when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.
When Kate turned around, she found herself face to face with the stern looking woman who had yelled at Peeves. "Miss Aberdeen, you are not to sit at a table until you are sorted. My name is professor McGonagall. Now please follow me so that you can be sorted."
And without saying another word, McGonagall turned around and started walking towards the front of the hall. Kate followed her, and was surprised when they stopped in front of a stool. On the stool sat a very old and worn looking patched up hat.
"Will everybody please be quiet? That's better. Now, before we start the sorting ceremony, I would like to introduce you all to a new student who has just moved here from New York. She is in sixth year, and her name is Kate Aberdeen," announced McGonagall in front of the whole school.
Kate began to turn into her favorite color, burgundy, as all of the other students just stared at her. Although she liked attention, and could sometimes be a drama queen, Kate was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Fortunately for her, the hat had begun to sing.
i "Throughout all my years
And frights and fears
There has never been
Peace with in.
Slytherin is clever and sly
But they can be mean and certainly not shy
Gryffindor is courageous and brave
But can not have the peace they crave
Ravenclaw is smart and wise
But can not get along with those they despise
Hufflepuff is nice and kind
But inner strength they can not find.
Now war has begun
And there shall be no more fun
Houses take heed
Take no stock in breed
Houses shall unite
If darkness shall be defeated by light. /i
When the hat had finished its song, the Great Hall was filled with whispers. However, McGonagall silenced the students, and told Kate to sit down and put on the hat. The hat was much too large, even for Kate.
"You are hard to place. You are a pure blood, clever, manipulative, ambitious, and clever. Those are the perfect traits for Slytherin. But I sense something even deeper still. You are bold, courageous, and brave. This will most certainly be quite helpful in the future. So therefore, I shall place you in GRYFFINDOR!"
The hat was removed from Kate's head, and she saw the Gryffindor table clapping loudly for her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked absolutely thrilled. Draco, on the other hand, looked upset and sympathetic. Kate sat down among her new housemates, where she was greeted with much enthusiasm.
"Well done, Kate!" exclaimed Harry as Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Thanks. I am glad that I was put in Gryffindor. That hat nearly put me in Slytherin!" Kate replied
Suddenly, food appeared on the table. There was every sort of food imaginable from roasted chicken to baked potatoes to garden salads. Kate eagerly helped herself to a plate full of mashed potatoes and gravy. She took a drink from her goblet and noticed that whatever the drink was, although it was quite good, she had never tasted it before.
When she inquired about what the excellent drink was, Hermione replied, "why, that is pumpkin juice. Haven't you ever had pumpkin juice before?"
Kate nearly spit the pumpkin juice out over the table. Instead, she spit it back into her goblet. She gagged as she asked, "Pumpkin juice!"
What she had mistaken for the smell of pumpkin pie, was the smell of pumpkin juice. To Kate's surprise, a small house elf appeared next to her.
"Is Miss displeased with her drink? Would Miss like for me to get you another drink?" squeaked the house elf politely.
"Yes, please. I would like a goblet of apple cider," Kate replied. The house elf took her goblet and scurried off to the kitchen.
Hermione's eyes were flashing with anger as she demanded, "What do you think that you are doing, ordering the house elf around like that?"
"A house elf is supposed to be ordered around, Hermione. That is its job," Kate replied.
"Oh really? House elves have feelings too, you know. They are not slaves that you can boss around any time that your heart desires. I suppose that you live in a large manor that is filled with house elves, don't you?" Hermione exclaimed angrily.
"As a matter of fact, yes Aberdeen Manor does have a lot of house elves. What are we supposed to do, clean the house ourselves? The house is much too big for that," Kate replied coldly.
Hermione's face was red with anger as she said, "Yes, it would not hurt you to get off your lazy pure blood arse and do some work. The sorting hat would have done good to put you in Slytherin. It is no wonder that you are friends with Malfoy, because are a pure blood snob just like he is. Anyway, house elves have rights!"
Kate laughed at the ridiculous comment and said, "Rights? Since when do house elves have rights, Hermione?"
"House elves have always had rights; they are just too shy to stand up for themselves. Anyway, once S.P.E.W. gets up and running, house elves will have a lot more rights. But they will never have rights while people like you are ordering them around. You probably treat them like dirt!" Hermione said heatedly.
Throughout the argument, Kate had been lighthearted. She thought that Hermione was a bit dramatic with the whole house elf issue, but this comment made her blood boil with anger. "Don't you dare accuse me of mistreating my house elves! I know more about them than you ever will, and yet you accuse me of such cruelty? You don't really know me, and after that, I hope you never do!"
And with that, Kate stood up abruptly so that the table shook and spilled Ron's pea soup all over his maroon sweater. She flung her chair into the table and stormed upstairs, unsure of her destination.
Author's note: oooooooh, cat fight! Will Kate be reconciled with the trio? Only one way to find out!
b Ashmee /b - thanks. I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. As I said, sorry for the wait.
b MerndaSaysDownWithWormtail /b You like it? That's good. Think that there is enough drama yet?
