"Girls wake up! You have to leave in forty-five minutes!" Phoebe said, flicking the lights on and off in Pepper's room at 2 am California time. Pepper shot up into a sitting position from where she was sleeping on the floor and Hermione did so from the bed. Phoebe left the room as the girls got dressed, Pepper's blurry eyes did both of their makeup and they triple checked Pepper's suitcase.
Finally getting downstairs, they found the boys and Pepper's three aunts were already waiting for them by the fireplace. "Isn't Uncle Leo dropping by?" Pepper asked anxiously.
"He said he was going to, but he'd better make it fast, we have five minutes until we have to leave," Piper said.
The seconds ticked by as seven people tapped their feet impatiently on the hardwood floor, waiting to see if Leo would arrive. When four minutes had passed, Leo suddenly appeared. She grabbed him round the middle and hugged him tightly. His arms went around her, too, and he hugged her back.
"Bye, Uncle Leo," she said. "See you in December." None of them had any idea if a Whitelighter would hear a call from a magical place like Hogwarts if she needed him.
"Bye, kiddo," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Have fun and behave yourself."
She tipped her head up and looked him in the face, wearing a mischievous grin. "Of course I'll behave, when have you known me not to?"
"Sure," he said. Kissing her again, he let her go and said farewell to the other three kids before orbing away.
"Well then," Paige said. "Let's do this Floo thing."
Harry explained the process of Floo Powder to Pepper's aunts and then they were off, each of them screaming "the Burrow!" and then spinning off to the Weasley's fireplace.
Mrs. Weasley welcomed them all and gave them all a "spot of breakfast" before they were all packed away into what Mr. Weasley said were "Ministry cars."
Pepper, Paige, Piper and Phoebe were all in one car with a driver, so the three older witches took this time to say their goodbyes and their 'we're so proud of you's and their 'good luck in school's to their niece. There were some tears shed also. Pepper decided to take the time to ask her aunts a question that had been tugging at the back of her brain for a while now. "Did Mom buy me that car? Because I didn't think I'd told anyone but her and I don't think she'd tell you about it...she wanted to be able to get it herself so it would be a surprise for all of us..."
This surprised her aunts a little, so it took them a moment to answer. "She'd had it at the car dealership and she told us when she left for the war," Piper told her finally. "Why did you want to know?"
"I didn't think you could afford all you did for my birthday," Pepper smiled. Her aunts chuckled.
The driver stopped at a train station called Kings Cross, and the four of them got out. They retrieved Pepper's trunk and met up with the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione again. Pepper looked at her ticket. "Platform nine and three-quarters?" she asked, seeing that there was only a Platform 9 and a Platform 10.
"Yes, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "You see the barrier there, between Platforms nine and ten? You run through that wall and you come upon Platform nine and three-quarters."
"Run through the wall?" Pepper asked, gulping.
"Yes. You watch Ron," she said, beckoning Ron to go ahead and set an example. Ron got a grip on his trolley and ran straight into the brick wall. Pepper winced, expecting him to crash but he just disappeared. "See?" Mrs. Weasley said brightly, smiling reassuringly at Pepper. Harry, Hermione and the youngest Weasley – Ginny – went next, and then it was her turn.
She grasped the metal bar on her trolley and approached the barrier. She moved forward, picking up speed as she went.
She passed right through the wall. Behind her, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and her aunts came through and her aunts looked as surprised as she felt.
"Pepper, come on!" She turned around and saw a scarlet train, labeled Hogwarts Express, and beside it three people, beckoning her over. She walked over to Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny and looked around at all the people in the station. She hadn't expected there to be this many young witches and wizards around, and she was sure that wasn't nearly everyone. She didn't even know that there were many witches in the world, and here they were packed into this train station.
"We've got to get a compartment," Hermione said.
"Hold on," Pepper begged, running over to her aunts and giving them each hugs and kisses. "I'll write," she promised them. "Bye Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, thanks for everything." And with a wave to the adults she hurried back to her new friends.
They found a compartment before the train was too full and they all entered it, shutting the glass door behind them. Pepper took in her surroundings, she'd never been on a train before, let alone an express and she liked it that she actually had a destination to go to on this train.
When the train began moving, Hermione, Ron and Ginny said (uncomfortably) that they had to go to the Prefects' carriage, so they all left, leaving Harry and Pepper alone in the car. "So are you excited?" Harry asked her.
"No, Harry, I'm not excited at all about going to a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Pepper said sarcastically. "Of course I am! What do you think I am, a rock?"
"Okay. Sorry," Harry said, not appreciative of her sarcasm.
"I'm going to sound really out of place, aren't I?" she asked. "Everyone else is British-ish?"
"You might," Harry answered.
The door to their car opened and a girl with waist-length dirty blonde hair and very large eyes entered, carrying a magazine in one hand. "Hello Harry," she said dreamily. Without asking if anyone was sitting with them, she took a seat on the bench Harry was sitting on, but as far away from him as possible. She opened the magazine upside down and immersed herself in it.
"Hello Luna," Harry said. "Did you have a good summer?"
The girl looked over the top of her upside-down magazine at Harry. "Yes," she said as dreamily as she had before. "I don't know you," she said to Pepper, realizing that there was someone else in the compartment.
"Luna Lovegood, Pepper Halliwell," said Harry, introducing the two. "Luna's in fifth-year with Ginny, but she's in Ravenclaw."
"Hi," Pepper said friendlily.
Luna just went back to reading her magazine.
Half an hour later there was a clatter in the hallway and a woman opened their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Pepper was puzzled for a minute before she saw Harry get up and go to the door, money in his hand, and the woman brought a cart full of sweets into view. Pepper got up, too, ready to buy some British treats but saw magical ones instead like Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Pumpkin Pasties. She bought a few of each and between hers and Harry's sweets they almost took up the whole bench she was sitting on.
They gorged on sweets for the next hour, Pepper learning some of the weird flavors of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, how Chocolate Frogs have one good jump in them and that there are cards of famous wizards and witches in them. Harry had gotten mostly Chocolate Frogs to see how many different cards he could get, so the two of them ate Frogs and swapped cards while Luna read her upside-down magazine. They offered her some food but she read on, though Pepper noticed she stole a glance at Harry every once in a while.
By the time Hermione, Ron and Ginny returned there were seats available to sit in and they plopped down in them heavily. "There's a lot to do this year, be glad you guys aren't prefects," Hermione sighed, helping herself to a Cauldron Cake. "Oh, hello Luna."
Luna waved her hand a bit, not really caring who it was that spoke to her.
"You've eaten all the Chocolate Frogs," Ron scolded Pepper and Harry.
"Well they're really good...and Pepper wanted to have a card collection. Plus we were having contests to see who could eat the most of them in a certain amount of time."
"But you know those are my favorites," whined Ron.
"Ron there are plenty more sweets here," Hermione pointed out. Pepper was about to say doesn't the sweet lady come by the prefect compartment but then remembered that Harry had told her the Weasleys didn't have much money and she figured that Harry usually bought the treats for Ron and Hermione, too.
Ron muttered something incoherent but took something else anyway.
The compartment door opened again and this time it was Malfoy, flanked by two large, mean looking boys whom Pepper guessed to be Crabbe and Goyle. Harry had told her Malfoy needed bodyguards because he was too chicken to do anything himself, and the way he'd described them they sounded like these two boys.
"Well, Potty, the Weasels and the Mudblood seemed to have made a new friend. Did they bribe you?" Malfoy asked Pepper. "Halliwell, right?" he said, looking at her and realizing who it was.
"Oh, Malfoy, I feel so honored – you actually remembered my name! Catch me, I think I'm going to faint!" Pepper exclaimed, dramatically flinging the back of her hand to her forehead and pretending to faint against the window.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny laughed and Malfoy glared at her. Then he and his bodyguards left and Pepper came out of her fake faint.
They spent the rest of the train ride talking or looking out the window and when there was an announcement that they would be coming up on Hogwarts soon they all changed into their robes.
Pepper pressed her face to the glass when Hogwarts came into view; she wanted to see everything she possibly could. She couldn't see the school from the train, though, especially in the dark, so she focused her attention on packing the rest of the sweets into her pockets along with the others.
The train finally stopped and everyone emptied their cars and headed for the exits of the train. They all stepped out and onto a tiny platform, Pepper waiting to see how they were getting up to the castle.
Horseless carriages were their means of transportation, Pepper discovered as a mass of them was drawn up around them. They all climbed into one and as it rattled along the school finally came into view.
Pepper gasped when she saw the hugeness of the castle. She didn't know what she was expecting exactly, but not a gigantic castle on a hill, that was for sure. Her stomach was now jumping with nerves and excitement and she had to contain herself from bouncing up and down in her seat.
After a long, winding road the carriage pulled up in front of Hogwarts. They exited it and went up the flight of stone stairs that led up to the castle. A giant wooden door swung open and they crossed the threshold into the entrance hall, which was so big Pepper couldn't see the ceiling. She realized she was the only person looking around with great interest, everyone else was acting if this was a normal routine, so she made her head stop moving.
"Ms Halliwell," a formidable looking woman suddenly appeared beside her, wearing emerald green robes and a tall, pointed black hat, not unlike Pepper's own. "I'm Professor McGonagall," the woman introduced herself. "The Headmaster would like to see you." Pepper waved her hand in a 'see you later' to Harry, Ron and Hermione and followed Professor McGonagall.
The witch led her through winding passageways, up staircases that sometimes moved and to a statue of a raven. "Tootsie Roll," she said and the statue twisted into a staircase. Pepper followed Professor McGonagall up the stone steps and the Professor let her into an office where there were some of the strangest things Pepper had ever seen.
There were portraits of witches and wizards that were moving in their frames, some were talking to others and some were reading a book, others were doing other normal, everyday things, though Pepper did not think it was very everyday to have moving pictures. There were silver instruments on spindly pieces of furniture and behind a desk was a man with a long silvery beard and cool blue eyes.
"Hello, Ms Halliwell, I am Professor Dumbledore," he said. "Please, have a seat, for we do not have much time."
Pepper sat in a chair in front of his desk and waited for him to continue.
"I would just like to tell you a few things so that you are not too confused. I trust Harry Potter has told you about the four houses?" he asked. Pepper nodded. "Well you will need to be sorted into one of those tonight."
Pepper hadn't really thought about this, she just hoped she'd automatically be in Gryffindor, where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were.
"At the feast in the Great Hall tonight, the First Years will be sorted. However, you need to be sorted, also, so Professor McGonagall shall sort you first. I must ask you, do you prefer Halliwell or Black?"
Pepper wondered for a minute how he knew that, but she was sure he'd heard from the Ministry of Magic, like Mr. Weasley, and thought nothing else of it. After all, why shouldn't he know? "Halliwell," she replied.
"Very well, I will take the liberty of escorting you down to the Great Hall, we have delayed the Sorting on your behalf, Ms Halliwell, so we must get a move on. One more thing before we go, I assume you guessed that you shall need to have private sessions with each of your teachers to make sure you are caught up in class. You can work that out with your professors individually." With that he got out from behind his desk and he and Pepper walked back down to the entrance hall, Professor Dumbledore talking to her as they went.
He told her about some of the portraits hanging in the stone corridors and she asked why they moved. He asked her if she really expected them to hang around in one place and she just shrugged. He then said she must've eaten some Chocolate Frogs on the train, didn't she notice the wizards in those pictures moving? She said she wasn't too observant of these things and then she wondered to herself why she hadn't noticed. He told her some of the tricks to Hogwarts, how the staircases moved and there were some stairs that were like quicksand, others laughed when you stepped on them and still others vanished and you had to jump them. He told her about tricky doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely and doors that were just walls.
When they finally reached the entrance hall, Pepper saw that there were two more heavy doors, and they opened to reveal a large room with four long tables and another table at the top of the hall. The hundreds of students occupying the tables all shut up when Pepper and Dumbledore entered the hall and by the "oohs" behind her Pepper could tell there were other people following the two of them. She guessed they were the first years, come in for sorting.
The entire group of them walked up to the front of the room, and, with a pat on her shoulder, Dumbledore went to sit at the high table that Pepper now saw, which was filled with teachers. Professor McGonagall stood in front of all the new students by a stool with a worn-looking hat atop it. Then a rip near the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing...
Pepper only caught the first few lines of the song before she was too nauseous to concentrate on anything but not throwing up in front of the whole Great Hall. She began to look around. The four tables, she found, were laden with gold goblets and plates, but there was no food on the tables. She almost gasped when she saw the ceiling – it looked exactly like the night sky outside, except Pepper didn't feel any breeze or cool air in the room. She scanned the tables and found Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny sitting at one and across the room she saw Malfoy and his two bodyguards.
Everyone began clapping and Pepper realized the Hat had finished its song. "When I call your name please step up to the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head," Professor McGonagall said. "First we have a new sixth year student joining us this year who will be sorted first. Pepper Halliwell," said Professor McGonagall, calling Pepper up to the stool.
Pepper nervously walked up to the four-legged stool. She picked up the hat, sat down, and placed it on her head. It almost slipped over her eyes, but she could still peer out at the four tables from under the brim.
Suddenly, there was a small voice going "Hmm..." in her ear. "Where shall I place you?" the voice said. "There's cunning...a great mind and power...bravery, I see, willing to go to any lengths to save someone..."
Pepper remembered what Harry had told her. He hadn't wanted to be in Slytherin and he said he had just thought it in his mind and the hat had put him in Gryffindor.
"Where shall I put you?" the voice said again. Not Slytherin, Pepper thought, taking Harry's advice. "Are you sure?" the voice asked her. "Slytherin could do great things for you." But Pepper wasn't sure. She wanted to be with Harry, Ron and Hermione but she also wanted to learn to her full potential and if Slytherin could help her with that...
"Not sure then," said the voice, reading her thoughts. "Gryffindor... Ravenclaw...Slytherin...you could be great in any. Though there's a desire for companionship, I see...well then, it better be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled the last word to the whole hall and the Gryffindor table cheered as she made her way over, glad she was done with that ordeal, and sat between Hermione and Harry. Both of them smiled at her and she gave them a relieved smile in return.
As the Sorting went on, Pepper noticed that hardly any of them took as long as her sorting did, though maybe it just seemed long because she was the one up there and she was so nervous. "Did I take longer than these others?" she whispered to Hermione.
"Yes, you even took longer than Harry did, and he took long," Hermione whispered back. "What was it saying to you?" Someone being sorted into Gryffindor interrupted their conversation as the table burst into cheers.
"It was saying all of these characteristics and strengths I had and that I'd be good in Ravenclaw, Slytherin or Gryffindor but I got sorted here because I have a 'desire for companionship.'" Pepper told the other girl.
"It almost put me in Ravenclaw," Hermione said. "You know, I don't know if that's normal, having three houses you'd do well in. You'd probably be the best in Hufflepuff if that were where it put you, but then, everyone in any other house would be the best in Hufflepuff, they're not too bright. Known for their loyalty to each other," Hermione whispered, letting out a 'ha'.
"Oh," Pepper said in answer, and they clapped again as another person was dubbed a Gryffindor.
When the sorting ended, Dumbledore stood up and said a few words, and when he was done a magnificent feast appeared on the table. "Where'd it come from?" Pepper wondered.
"The kitchens are right below here," Hermione explained. "House elves make the food and then it's sent up through the floor."
Pepper asked no more, just piled her plate with food and began to eat.
"So, Pepper, did you do what I told you?" Harry asked.
She nodded. Swallowing, she said, "But then it asked me if I was sure and I wasn't. I just wanted to be in the House that would help me out the most."
"Well, you're in Gryffindor and we'll help you out, too," he said.
"Thanks, I'll probably need a lot of it," said Pepper.
After the feast, the Gryffindors were led up to their dormitories, the prefects leading the way. "Here's one reason why you'll be glad," Harry said to Pepper as they made their way up a moving light of stairs, "Our common room is much nicer than the Slytherin one."
"You've been in there?" Pepper asked. "I thought you were only allowed in your own common room."
"It's a long story," Harry said. "I'm sure you'll get to hear it later. Let's listen for the password..."
"Fortis Animi," Hermione said to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress.
"Go in," the Fat Lady said and the portrait swung open to reveal a warmly lit room decorated in gold and maroon. There was a fireplace on one side of the room and there were couches and armchairs in front of it. At the far side of the room there were a few tables and desk chairs.
"Boys dormitories are up those stairs to the left and girls are the same to your right," Hermione announced. "You'll find your things are already up there."
There was a great shuffling as all of the Gryffindors filed into the common room and went up to their dormitories. Pepper waited for Hermione to finish directing traffic so she could go up with the girl. She didn't really want to go into the wrong dormitory and she figured Hermione would know since she'd been going here for five years already.
Pepper followed Hermione up the small flight of stairs to the right and into a hallway with more than a few doors. Hermione led her to the sixth one on the left side and opened it. There were four canopy beds and two dressers in the dorm and Pepper saw that her trunk was at the foot of one bed so, supposing that was hers, she pulled back the curtains to take a look at it. It wasn't too exciting - white sheets and a gold bedspread - but when Pepper sat on it she found it was pretty comfortable.
Coming out from her bed, Pepper asked Hermione whom else they shared the dormitory with.
"Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil," Hermione answered with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Are they both sixth years, too?" Pepper asked. Hermione nodded.
Just then, the door squeaked open and two girls walked in. They stopped giggling when they saw Pepper and Hermione standing there and one of the girls smiled fakely at Pepper. "Hi," she said, "I'm Lavender Brown, and this is Parvati Patil."
"Pepper Halliwell, nice to meet you," Pepper said.
Lavender and Parvati seemed to be eyeing her up with a mean look in their eyes, as if they wanted to see if she would be competition. Competition for what, Pepper did not know, though she could guess it was for attention or boys from the way these girls carried themselves and by the amount of makeup they wore.
"Well, I'm going to bed," said Parvati, looking less mean after she decided Pepper wasn't much competition. "I need my beauty rest."
"Me too," Lavender added, also deciding Pepper wasn't near competition.
But they didn't get much beauty rest, Pepper knew, because they were up all night giggling together. Pepper was too excited and nervous about starting classes tomorrow to get much sleep herself, but she could tell that's not why Lavender and Parvati didn't sleep. Pepper caught a bunch of names, giggles and then what they thought of those people from their conversation. She even caught her own name, giggles and then: "Do you think she thinks she's pretty?" "I'm not sure, cause she's NOT!" Giggle, giggle. "I know, I don't know if she wants a boyfriend, but she's not going to get one." "Yea, just like Hermione. She's probably a bookworm, too." Giggle. "But don't you think Ron likes Hermione?" "Maybe...but they've been friends for so long how can you tell?" "Maybe she's just put a charm on him or something so she can get a boyfriend." Giggle. "Well, Pepper just better not be after Harry, he is so mine."
Pepper thought she'd have to tell Harry about this, but she didn't know which one of them liked him. Oh well, it might still give him a laugh...unless ... unless she meant 'he is so mine' by 'we're already going out.' Pepper didn't think Harry would stoop to going out with girls like Lavender and Parvati, but even so, she thought she'd have to ask him or Hermione about it. Then Pepper wondered why she even cared if he was going out with someone like those two girls. She wasn't jealous, was she? No, why would she be? She was just Harry's friend and she wanted to know if he was dating one of these two girls because he should know they were talking about other people and that's a mean thing to do.