Disclaimer: (as said many times before) Sparkie and Thorn are the only two that are mine. Maken Wood and Cade Roran belong to Maken-Wood, Celestial Moon belongs to Setalina Muro, and Taffy Trelawney belongs to my sister, who has no Fanfiction account.
Author's Note: Woo! At the school! (FINALLY) Please forgive my HORRID sorting hat song... it SUCKS sooo bad... Oh well, I'll get over that. I played hell trying to get names for the other people in their year, not fun... Please R&R!!!
Chapter five
Welcome to the School
"Thorn, I've got to get to the school. Here." Severus pointed to a newspaper. "This portkey will bring you to the platform. I'll see you at school. I have to get going. Good bye." He put his hand on Thorn's shoulder then apparated away.
Thorn sighed and made sure that Sparkie was with her. She went over everything that she needed and made sure she had it all. She had sent her animals to the castle already so she wasn't really worried about them.
She wasn't wearing her robes; she was wearing what she wore under them. A tight black tank top, and form fitting black class pants. Her leather boots came to just above her ankle. Her wrist was covered as it always was, and her medallion fell to the center of her sternum. She couldn't go walking around a muggle port dressed as a witch.
When she was sure that she had everything that she needed she touched the portkey and felt herself being pulled along with it. Her hand couldn't leave the paper.
She ended up in an empty girl's lavatory. She gathered all of her things and shredded the portkey. She walked into the lobby and got herself a trolley.
She heard Sparkie's annoyed thoughts. He was in her trunk, rather annoyed at such as well. After all, muggles weren't accustomed to seeing winged lizards.
She pushed her trolley down the platforms, people not giving her a second glance. She walked along until she got to the platforms nine and ten. She set her trolley even with the wall and pushed it strait into it, going through the brick wall, and into platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express sat waiting.
She climbed aboard and went into an empty compartment and sat, waiting. Not five minuets later she heard the door open and looked up to see Maken standing in the door way. "Can I come in?"
She nodded and opened her trunk, letting the annoyed Sparkie out. He flew circles around their heads, Wind and Midnight watching him.
Maken sat across from her and said, "We're actually going to Hogwarts! I've heard my brother talking about it for a long time. He's in his fourth year now, and he was named the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team last year."
Thorn nodded. "He must be happy."
"Oh you should see him! He's like the most popular kid in his house..."
Thorn looked up to him from her book and said, "Is that a good thing? You don't seem too happy about it."
Maken shrugged, "I dunno, he's so popular, and people are going to have so many expectations of me. What if I can't fulfill them?"
Thorn smiled as kindly as she could, "Don't worry about it; you're not going to have to work up to expectations. It will be okay."
Maken was about to respond when they heard the door open again. The kid from Diagon Alley stood there. "Hi, may I share this compartment?"
Maken nodded and Thorn stayed silent, her usual way of agreement. He sat on the same side as Maken but a bit away from him. Then, just as he was about to say something, the door opened again, and a girl stood in the doorway, her long auburn hair pulled into a neat low ponytail.
"Hey!" she said, a bit too perky for Thorn's liking. "Can I share this compartment?"
Maken smiled, "Sure! Come on in!"
She smiled back and sat next to Thorn. After an awkward silence she said, "Ah, Yes, well, my name's Celestial, Celestial Moon, and you are?" She asked the group of them.
"I'm Maken Wood," Maken said.
"Cade Roran," the other boy said.
Thorn sighed. "I'm Thorn Rose."
Celestial smiled. "Nice to meat you all!" She put her trunk on top with the others and set her golden owl next to Wind, Midnight, and Cade's black and brown owl, who was named Cody. "Oh, this is Kara, by the way. So, any of you have your hearts set on a house that you want?"
Cade shook his head, "My dad's a muggle, so I don't have any clue on what house I'd want."
"What about your mom?" Maken asked, "Is she a muggle too?"
Cade looked down, and Thorn noticed that his left hand went to his wrist, where he had a leather bracelet with a tiger fang hanging from it. "She's dead."
"You're mom died? I'm sorry," Maken said, "I don't know what I'd do without mine. Thorn's parents died when she was young too."
Thorn sighed as Cade said, "Really? How?"
She shook her head, "It's nothing."
Maken realized that Thorn hadn't wanted that to be a topic so he said, "Well, I'd like to be in Gryffindor. My whole family has been in Gryffindor for ages."
Celestial nodded, "I'd like to be in Gryffindor myself. My mother was. What about you, Thorn?"
"Slytherin." Celestial looked taken aback. "My mother was in Slytherin, as was my uncle. Besides, I would be unable to wear this." She pointed to her medallion.
"Ooh! Let me see!" She went to take the medallion into her hand but Thorn took it quickly into hers.
"No. It was my mothers. It says 'Slytherin and Proud.' If I were not in Slytherin, I would be unable to wear it."
Celestial nodded. "Ah, okay."
They were silent for most of the trip. When the food trolley came by, they bought a few things. Cade loved the Chocolate Frogs.
Then a prefect walked by and said, "You'd better change into your robes, we'll be there soon."
They quietly pulled their robes on. Sparkie, who had been sleeping in Thorn's, got up annoyed and flew around their heads. Maken sighed and ignored the reptile, but both Cade and Celestial were interested in him.
"Oh! What's that?" Celestial asked.
"His name is Sparkie, don't mind him, he can be a bit hyper." Thorn held out her hand and he landed on her closed fist and crawled to her shoulder.
"And overprotective," Maken muttered. Thorn chose to ignore him.
The train slowed and finally stopped. The group of them went out and followed the swarm of students. When they were outside, the sun had set and lanterns were set up along the roads. They heard a booming voice over the crowd. "Firs' years! Over here!"
Thorn looked up to see Rubius Hagrid standing above the heads of the students. She had forgotten how tall he was.
They walked over to the calls and he said, "Righ', everybody here? Kay, then let's get goin'!" He led them to the lake, where many small boats were docked.
Hagrid took one to himself and the students got into their own. Thorn, Maken, Cade, and Celestial got into one. They followed Hagrid to the castle, the ors rowing themselves, Sparkie sitting at the bow, barking orders to the lifeless ors like a slave driver, and loving every moment of it. Thorn scolded him under her breath, but he didn't stop.
When they reached the castle, Hagrid pointed them to the entry hall. "Professor McGonagall will be waitin' for ye there."
They went right to the doors, where, sure enough, Thorn saw the unmistakable figure of Professor McGonagall. She hadn't seen her for eight years, yet she hadn't changed at all.
"Welcome to Hogwarts! You are going to be sorted into your houses now. I will lead you into the hall, and you will wait until I call your name from this scroll, then you will come up, and I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted. Well, come on; let's not keep the hall waiting for dinner!" She turned around and opened the large oak doors.
There were many gasps among the students as they entered the huge hall. The house tables were set up, students sitting, waiting for the sorting to get over so they could eat.
McGonagall lead them down the center tables, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Thorn kept her head held high, Sparkie sitting in her pocket, staring out at the watching students. Thorn saw Oliver wave to his brother, and Maken nervously waved back.
They gathered before the high table. Severus smiled slightly down to Thorn, who smirked back. McGonagall looked down to the students and then to a rather battered old hat. Most of the first years jumped when suddenly the hat moved and broke out into song.
"When I was just a hat, you see,
the founders came together.
They all knew what they had to do,
and that it had to last forever.
To make a school for wizards,
that was they're master plan.
They worked throughout the years,
and brought their plan to hand.
When the school was finally done,
the four founders swelled with pride.
now young witches and wizards had a place,
where they didn't need to hide.
The founders were not only great,
but close in mind and soul.
They had a bond of friendship,
and it was thought to never fall.
Yet each founder was different,
they each had their own ideas,
it was these seperate thoughts,
that made each house ideal.
Gryffindor was for those with strength,
and those with noble hearts,
these few things alone,
set these students apart.
Ravenclaw herself, favored those with brains,
Their brilliance was well known.
they could master anything,
and their skills had always shone.
Those that went to Hufflepuff,
worked hardest for their place,
they always did their best,
No matter what the case.
To Slytherin went the strong of mind,
and the stubborn to heart did too,
Their ambitious minds set them aside,
they fight for what they find true.
Now that you know about them,
what house do you well fit?
Well, just put me upon your head,
and I'll place you into it."
The hall broke into applause and the hat bowed dramatically. Then it stopped moving again. Minerva took the scroll and began to read off names. "Belden, Louis!"
A rather nervous looking boy stepped forward, his hands shaking a bit. He sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. After a moment of silence, the hat cried, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
A large cry erupted from the Hufflepuff table as Louis Belden, smiling, ran to his table and took a seat.
"Ceaira, Piper!" a girl about Thorn's height came forward. She had blonde hair that came to the middle of her shoulder blades. Her bright blue eyes showed nervousness.
After a moment the hat screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"
They watched as the students were named off and sorted. Ceris, Hufflepuff. Chang, Ravenclaw. Davis, Ravenclaw. Dawson, Ravenclaw.
After a large line of students, McGonagall called, "Moon, Celestial!"
Celestial walked up nervously. Thorn could have sworn that she saw Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting at the head table next to Severus, wink at her.
After a moment, the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Celestial walked, grinning, to her hollering house table.
Well, Thorn thought as Nelson, Zoe was sorted into Ravenclaw, Celestial got what she wanted. Maybe we will to.
Then the stream of student names continued. Neviare, Ninor, Rees, Revour, and finally, to someone else Thorn knew. "Roran, Cade!"
Cade walked forward, looking both nervous and confused. The sorting hat was dropped onto his head and it quickly said, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Thorn and Maken clapped along with the rest of the school as Cade walked to the Gryffindor table. Thorn leaned over to Maken and said, "Don't worry; you'll be there, too."
Then McGonagall called, "Rose, Thorn!"
She walked steadily to the stool and sat down. She could feel the eyes of the school on her. She had no doubts on getting in Slytherin. She heard the hat talk inside her head. Ah... You are a difficult mind to unravel. Strong in mind and power. A brilliant mind, at that. Strong spirit. Impenetrable wall blocking out emotions. Difficult to place. How can I when I can't read you?
Get used to it, Thorn thought, I reveal my mind to no one.
Ah, very well, the hat said, You are also determined, I see, and stubborn. I know exactly where you'll go... "SLYTHERIN!"
She felt the hat rise from her head and looked around. The Slytherins were cheering loudly. She glanced to Severus, who was clapping along with the rest, his dark eyes showing pride.
She walked to her house table and sat down. She looked to Maken, who smiled and gave her the thumbs up sign.
Soon, there were only three people left. Maken, some boy with brown hair that was cut unevenly, and a blonde girl with really long hair, who was wearing pink robes. It hurt Thorn just to look at her.
"Trelawney, Taffy!" McGonagall called and the girl with the pink robes skipped up to the stool, humming happily.
She sat on the stool, bobbing up and down in a happy way. McGonagall had to grab her shoulder to stop her moving to put the hat on her. It was on for a total of three seconds before the hat cried "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"I bet it wanted to sort her quickly to get her away!" Sparkie muttered to Thorn.
She smiled, "Would it surprise you?"
When Wilkes, Pike was sorted into Slytherin Maken was the last one there. "Wood, Maken!"
He quickly walked to the stool and sat down. It didn't take long for the hat to yell, "GRYFFINDOR!"
The hall went crazy, some because Maken got into Gryffindor and some because the sorting was finally over. Thorn was probably the only Slytherin clapping for the first reason.
When Maken sat down, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome to Hogwarts! A grand new year has begun! Yet, as I do at the beginning of every year, I must mention the rules. To first years, and to some older students, I might add, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds. Also, Mr. Filch's list of forbidden items had grown over the summer and can be viewed in his office. Well, as I can see, most of you are rather annoyed and would like to eat, so, let the feast begin!"
He sat back down and the silver plates in front of them filled with food. Sparkie's eyes widened and he said, "I've died and gone to heaven!" Then he leapt onto her plate and began to load it with foods.
"Thorn!" She turned to see Maken turned around himself right behind her on his table. Next to him was Cade, and across from them was Celestial. "You happy?"
Thorn raised one of her eyebrows. "Maken..." she said in a slightly annoyed voice.
"Oh! Yeah, nevermind." He turned around, as did Thorn. She heard Celestial ask him something, and he muttered, "Nothing."
Then she heard Antonette Sloan, one of the girls in her year, say, quite loudly, "Well, my family is the best of the purebloods. We've never crossbred in any generation."
Thorn rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance. The two emotions that she was the most familiar with were anger and annoyance. It took vast amounts of them for anyone with a mantel connection to catch them.
Yet, Antonette had caught her eye roll. "What? You think you're better?"
Thorn was very tempted to say, "I know I'm better," but she settled on shrugging and taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.
Antonette snorted. "Well, it's only obvious that you don't have pure pure blood. You just don't look it. I can't believe that you got into Slytherin at all."
"I am too pure blood, and there's more to getting into a house then your blood. Only you wouldn't know that, I doubt that there's much that you do know." Thorn picked up her fork and began to prod her potatoes, not really hungry.
It seemed to take Antonette a while before she got what Thorn was saying. "Are you calling me stupid?" She finally asked.
Thorn sighed. She didn't use much sarcasm, yet she was thankful that it wasn't an emotion. "Nah."
Antonette's face grew red in anger and Phillis Ninor, one of the girls who had been listening to her, said, "Watch yourself! I'll tell Professor Snape!"
Thorn almost laughed. "He won't do anything to me."
"How can you be so sure?" Manuel Graham asked her harshly.
She sighed, "Why would he? I've done nothing wrong. Apparently you have no common scene either. It's remarkable that you got into Hogwarts at all."
Darret Nevaire burst into forced laughter. "Ah, you think you're so clever! What makes you think that, eh? You're prob'ly no better then the rest of us!"
She turned to him, "Tell me this then, what potion will temporarily change you into the physical form of another?" She mentally thanked the book Most Potent Potions. She had memorized it.
Neviare blinked twice then looked to Graham, who shrugged. She smiled. "What makes me think I'm better? Nothing. I just know a bit more than you do, because I read."
"Well then, what's the answer?" Manuel asked, yet Thorn had stood, for the hall was beginning to empty, and walked off.
"Why didn't you tell them that Severus is your uncle?" Sparkie asked her from her shoulder, "They wouldn't bug you then!"
"Yes they would," Thorn stated as she followed the prefect out of the hall and waved to Maken, Cade, and Celestial as they parted ways, "It wouldn't matter, and they'll know soon enough anyway."
Sparkie nodded then crawled down her arm and into her pocket. The prefect led them to the Dungeons and to a hall with a dead end. Then he said, "Serpent Tongue!"
The bricks of the wall moved into one another and the Slytherin common room was exposed. "Alright, Girls Dormitory is on the left and up the staircase, boys is on the right," He recited the lines rather boredly. "Your things have been brought up already."
Thorn, unlike most of her classmates, went strait to her dorm. It was a rather large circular room with four four poster beds. "Sparkie?" She asked when she was alone. "Did you give Maken that note, explaining my spell?"
Sparkie looked up to her and grinned sheepishly. "Sparkie!"
"Sorry, Thorn! But I..." he shrank under her stern gaze.
She sighed, "Sparkie, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to worry, he will not take your place!"
Sparkie huffed and crawled under her covers. Thorn sighed and scribbled a note in her small, neat handwriting.
Maken,
Don't mind this note so late. Sparkie was supposed to give you one ages ago, yet he... forgot... This is explaining a spell that I made. Don't try now, or, if you want to, go ahead, but if you want to see to me, point your wand to a flat surface and say the word, "Sparkify," then, if you want to talk to me, point it to your lips and say it again, and to make sure that only you can hear what I say, point to your ears and repeat it, otherwise everyone around you will hear what goes on over here. Then, to stop it, point to the surface and say, "I have seen," to your lips and say, "I have spoken," and to your ears, "I have heard." Have fun with it. Since I figured that we would be in different houses, I thought that I would make a way to communicate. This spell lets you see through Sparkie's eyes, talk through him, and hear what he hears.
Thorn Rose
She whistled lowly and Midnight came swooping to her from her cage. Sparkie glared at the bird. "Hey! Why aren't you using me!?"
"Because," Thorn chittered back, "If I do, you'll forget it, again." She tied the message to Midnights leg and said, in human language, "Take it to Maken, first year Gryffindor boys' dorm."
She opened the window near her bed. It was the same size as all the other windows in the dorms, but only about two feet above the ground. Midnight flew strait out of it and into the night.
She closed her window and laid down. She heard Sparkie ruffle around, pretending to be asleep. Sparkie, she thought to him and he instantly stopped moving, I can tell when you're awake, you know that.
He burrowed deeper into the covers, pouting still, then they heard footsteps as the other girls came up. Thorn sighed as the Dormitory door swung open and Antonette Sloan, Dreara Horst, and Phillis Ninor came in, laughing rather loudly.
"Oh," Antonette said suddenly, in a disgusted voice, "It's you. Sorry, I never did catch your name. What was it?" Thorn knew she was looking for something to mock her about, but it would take much more then that to break her.
"I am entitled to keep my name from you, though you will only have to wait until tomorrow to find it out. Yet even then, I doubt that it will penetrate through your thick skull."
Antonette scowled, then said, "Well, then I won't tell you mine."
"Antonette Sloan." Thorn stated simply, making her dorm mate look up. "Unlike you, I listened during the sorting." She picked up her book and began to read.
Antonette was a rather... large girl. She had a pudgy face and her hair was a bronze color. Phillis Ninor was a small girl. She was paper thin, her hair was a dull orange, like it was dieing right on her head. Dreara, however, was about Thorn's size, a bit shorter then she was, and her build was slightly different.
Thorn had a pretty muscular body, because of her constant training to strengthen both her mind and body. In fact, she was probably under the 'very good looking' category, but she didn't care.
The other girls in her dorm shook their heads in disgust and began to change into night dresses. Thorn continued to read. Antonette sat on her bed and watched Thorn. "Aren't you going to change too? Or are you too good for us to change in front of us?"
Thorn's eyes never left the book, "Why would I change when I'm not going to bed yet?"
"Well, because you're not going anywhere else," Antonette said.
"You're name's Thorn Rose," Phillis suddenly said, Dreara and Antonette looked to her.
Thorn smiled coldly, "I'm glad that you took the time to read my trunk." Sparkie snickered from under her covers. Even when he was pouting, he loved his friend's cleverness.
Phillis crossed her arms over her chest and put her nose into the air. "I was wondering how long it would take one of you to find out that my name was under your noses for such a long time."
Antonette stepped right up to Thorn's bed and stood above her. "You had better watch yourself, Rose," she said, trying to intimidate Thorn, "We share a dorm; you don't want to get on my bad side."
C'mon! Tell 'em! Sparkie thought to her, disposing of his anger, They wouldn't mess with you if they knew that Severus is your uncle!
No, Thorn agreed, But they wouldn't if they knew that I'd killed people as well, and we don't have to tell them that. There are many ways of making sure that they don't think twice about doing anything.
"Antonette," Thorn said, shaking her head, "You understand nothing. I do not fear you, so don't try to scare me."
Dreara snorted, but said nothing as she climbed into bed. Thorn then stood and stripped of her robes and changed into her bedclothes, a loose black tank top and loose black pants. Her cover stayed in place, as always.
"Why do you wear that?" Antonette asked harshly.
"I don't have to explain everything to you." Thorn was about to climb into her covers when a tap came at her window. She opened it and Midnight swooped in, a piece of parchment attached to her leg.
Thorn took the note and read it to herself.
Thorn,
Ah, that will come in handy, thanks. It doesn't surprise me that he "forgot" at all. He isn't very fond of me.
Maken
Thorn folded the parchment back up and she heard Antonette snicker. "Who's that from? You're boyfriend?"
Thorn sighed. "No, my best friend." She climbed into her covers as Midnight settled in her cage. She heard the others get into their beds and the light went out.
