Always Late

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi and Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I do not own the characters or anything, but the plot belongs to me. Please don't copy my story, I've put a lot of work into this story and I don't necessarily want to see it duplicated elsewhere, it's depressing to me.

Note: This story started out as a one-shot for Sailor Ronin Usa-chan's Mentor thing she had going on her site, but it's quickly turned into a multi-chapter story. Anyway, I don't really have many comments to make except that I don't generally read stories in the Sailor Moon, Harry Potter genre so I don't really know the cliché's and whatnot so please don't accuse me of writing a cliché story or whatever because I'm uninformed about the trends that run around that section.

Thoughts are 'italicized'
Dream Sequences are 'italicized' (thoughts in dreams aren't)
olloollo Change of scene, time, etc…

Chapter 1 - The Sorting Ceremony

"You'd better hurry or the train will leave you standing right there." Luna said quietly into Usagi's ear. Usagi nodded her head and ascended the stairs and onto the train. She looked around and saw a few people milling about the hallways but it seemed that most of the students had chosen compartments with friends. Usagi felt kind of lost as she looked from one closed door to the next. She nearly cried out in surprise when something hit her from behind. She stumbled forward and dropped the animal in her arms that hissed indignantly at having lost her perch in Usagi's arm.

"Get out of the way, mudblood." A cold voice said close to Usagi's ear. She had managed to catch herself before she hit the floor and stood leaning heavily against the wall beside her.

"Nani?" She questioned quietly as she turned to face a pair of blue eyes under a head of slicked back platinum blond colored hair. She looked confused as she rolled the strange word 'mudblood' over in her mind. That was a word she had never heard before in her lessons with Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna. "I'm… sorry…" Usagi said slowly as she let the strange language roll off her tongue while she bowed slightly at the waist. He didn't respond and just smirked at her. His face was twisted into an amused smile, as he looked her up and down. She decided to wear her school uniform and then change into her Hogwarts robes on the train-ride.

"You should be sorry. What the hell is with the weird hair?" He asked as he grabbed one of her pigtails and gave it a painful yank.

"Oi! That hurts!" Usagi cried as she grabbed the blond streamer and made to pull it out of his hand. Luna leapt up from the floor and sank her teeth into the blond boy's hand, which caused a rather nasty curse to issue from his mouth. He shook his hand and flung the black cat to the floor. "Luna!" Usagi cried as she dropped to her knees beside the dazed cat and scooped her up into her arms. "What did you do that for! You hurt her!" Usagi cried as tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

"Stay out of my way." He said angrily as he pushed past Usagi and headed further down the train. Usagi remained on the floor cradling the dazed cat in her arms and nearly jumped when she heard a new voice above her.

"Are you all right?" Usagi looked up at the girl who had spoken. She wore Hogwarts robes with a strange badge above the crest on her robes. She had brown hair that was quite bushy and was holding out a hand to help Usagi up. A boy who was much taller than her stood behind her and had flaming red hair with his face was covered in freckles. He looked quite peeved and was staring in the direction of the blond boy from earlier.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Usagi said slowly as she took the offered hand and allowed the girl to help her to her feet. At this point, Luna's eyes opened and she mewed softly as she lay in Usagi's arms.

"You might want to look out for Malfoy. He's not very friendly." The girl said with a frown. "My name is Hermione Granger, you are?"

"Oh, I'm Usagi Tsukino." She said in reply as she nearly forgot to switch her family name and first name.

"Are you a transfer student?" Hermione asked as she eyed Usagi's strange garb. "It's not often that Hogwarts accepts transfer students."

"Yes, I'm from Japan. I received a letter last year that I had been accepted." Usagi said slowly as she rubbed the cat's head that lay pitifully in her arms.

"What year are you entering? You look as if you should be in fifth year." Hermione said a-matter-of-factly.

"I'm entering first year… The letter said that I was discovered late or something like that. I've been working for the past year to learn English." Usagi said slowly as she was still trying to get used to speaking only in English. Although Usagi knew English, it was a little tough on her talking to the girl Hermione as she had a heavy English accent.

"Oh? I'm surprised they're letting you enter." Hermione said as her eyes widened slightly. "After all, Hogwarts is the best wizarding school in the world. It's strange they would allow someone to enter so late. Oh well, no matter. Would you like to join us in our compartment?" Usagi nodded slightly and followed the dark-haired girl. The redhead beside her seemed to be angry and was casting strange looks in Usagi's direction.

"Are you going to sulk forever, Ron?" Hermione asked as she glanced over at the redhead and noticed the looks he had been shooting ahead of them. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce Ron!" Hermione said as a slight blush touched her cheeks. "Usagi, this is Ronald Weasley. He's a friend of mine and fellow Prefect of Gryffindor house."

"It's nice to meet you, Weasley-san." Usagi said meekly as she looked in his direction. He just grunted a reply and Usagi returned her gaze to the floor. Things were already starting pretty bad… She had only spoken to three people and already two of them didn't seem to like her.

They walked pretty far down the train and occasionally would peek into a window as if looking for someone. Hermione seemed to be slightly annoyed at having to go so far down the train to find the rest of her friends. Finally after it seemed they were going to walk out the back of the train, Hermione and Ron stopped in front of a door that was slightly ajar.

"Finally! I was beginning to think you'd missed the train again!" Hermione said in annoyance as she pushed the door the rest of the way open and entered the room with Usagi and Ron in tow. Ron stepped through and plopped down in one of the seats. He made a grab for the treats that were strewn across the floor. Usagi scanned the room slowly at the occupants of the compartment. There was a girl with red hair and freckles much like Ron, a boy with black hair and blazing green eyes, a heavier set boy with brown hair, and a strange girl who was reading a magazine upside down.

"Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna, this is Usagi." Hermione said as she motioned to the blond standing in the doorway of the compartment holding a sleeping cat against her chest. Usagi seemed slightly taken aback at the name Luna and glanced up at the girl with the upside down magazine. She had the same name as Usagi's cat! Strange…

"Nice to meet you." Usagi said as she bowed at the waist, but remained standing in the entrance of the compartment.

"Usagi is a transfer student from Japan. She's entering first year." Hermione explained as she motioned for Usagi to take a seat on one of the open benches. Usagi reluctantly obliged and laid Luna on the seat next to her before she cast her eyes to the floor. It wasn't like Usagi to be shy, but she was really nervous she was going to say something weird or they weren't going to like her at all because she was the "weird foreign girl".

"Isn't she a little old to be entering first year?" The boy with the black hair and green eyes spoke up. As Usagi scanned his face her eyes were directed to the small lightening bolt scar on his forehead. He seemed to watch her as her eyes stopped on the scar, but she didn't question it.

"They discovered me late…" Usagi said slowly as her eyes left his scar. She wanted to ask where he had gotten the scar, but she didn't want to seem rude. She just wanted to make some friends so it would make it easier for her to be so far from home.

"Have you met Sailor Moon?" A new voice spoke up. Usagi's eyes searched for the source of the voice and they settled on the strange-looking girl with the upside-down magazine.

"Sailor Moon?" Usagi questioned as a slight shiver of fear ran through her body. There was no way that little girl knew she was Sailor Moon, was there?

"Yeah, she's a super-heroine in Japan. My father ran a story a long time ago because he knew her identity." Luna Lovegood said as the dreamy look never left her face.

"Eh?" Usagi questioned as she jumped to her feet in surprise. There was no way that girl or her father knew who she was! That was impossible!

"It was some Muggle actoress." Luna explained as she shrugged her shoulders. "I assumed you were a fan, doesn't she wear her hair like that?"

"Huh? Uh… yeah…" Usagi said in embarrassment at her sudden outburst. She slowly sunk back down to her seat, quite red in the face. "I collect the manga…" Usagi said slowly as she tried to hide the embarrassment that she felt inside. She must not have done a very good job because everyone else in the room continued to stare at her.

"Manga?" Hermione questioned as she heard the strange word come from Usagi. It was apparent they were staring because they didn't know what she was talking about.

"Oh! I'm sorry, they're called 'comic books' in English." Usagi said as a slight blush touched her cheeks and she flushed in embarrassment. "It's really popular in Tokyo because that's where Sailor Moon is supposed to fight evil."

"I bet it's just a publicity stunt for them to sell books." Hermione said confidently. She had heard of different companies setting up things along the same lines in order to sell their product.

"No, she's real." Usagi interjected quietly. "She saved my brother from some monster, I saw it." She said with a slight smile. Of course they didn't know about Sailor Moon or who she was. It was probably best that they believed Sailor Moon was just a publicity stunt, but it annoyed her slightly.

"I still say she's a publicity stunt." Hermione said stubbornly. Usagi just nodded. She saw that the fluffy-haired girl was very stubborn so it wasn't worth the argument. Besides, what could Usagi say? She's real because I'm her? Nah… That was the worst idea Usagi had ever had go through her head.

"Ne, Hermione-san." Usagi said a few minutes later after the boy Ron and Harry had gone back into their conversation on something Usagi had never heard before. What was Quidditch? Oh well, she'd ask someone a little later on.

"What is it, Usagi?" Hermione questioned as she looked up from the book in her hands. Usagi scanned over the book but couldn't find a title because the cover was so faded.

"What does mudblood mean?" She questioned as she remembered the strange name the blond boy had called her. She knew what mud meant and she also knew what blood was, but she had never heard the term 'mudblood' before.

"Where did you hear that!" Hermione asked as she nearly dropped the book that she was holding. Usagi glanced around and saw that everyone was staring at her and all their conversations had stopped.

"One guess who she heard that from." Ron said bitterly as his eyes narrowed in anger. "Of course it had to be Malfoy. Am I right?"

"You mean that boy that hurt Luna-chan?" Usagi questioned as she stroked the cat that lay at her side. The animal had been silent the entire time as a big ginger cat glared at her from across the compartment. Usagi assumed the ginger cat with the bottlebrush tail belonged to Hermione. They seemed made for each other; they even looked similar with the bushy hair they both had. "With the blond hair?"

"That's Malfoy all right." Harry said with a similar expression of anger on his face as Ron.

"Is it something bad?" Usagi questioned as she shrunk under their eyes. The air of the compartment had suddenly gone very tense.

"It's a very rude term used for a Muggle-born witch or wizard…" Hermione said slowly as her hands tightened on the book. "It means dirty blood. It's not used in civilized conversation."

"Oh…" Usagi said slowly as her face fell somewhat. She knew that it had been an insult, but she didn't think it had been that bad. Now that she saw their reactions, though, she realized that it was like some of the 'curse' words that she had heard Haruka use when she was frustrated while working on her car. Those had been the only words she had picked up weren't used in 'civilized conversation'. "So it's like a curse word?" Usagi questioned slightly.

"Hmm? Well, I guess you could call it that." Hermione said slowly. "Look, I'll be right back, I'm going to go find the head boy and girl and report this incident to them. They would want to know."

"Don't worry about it." Usagi said as her face flushed slightly in embarrassment. "It was nothing, really. I was just curious about what it meant. He can say what he wants, it doesn't matter to me."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked as she raised one eyebrow in Usagi's direction. Usagi nodded in reply and scooped up the purring Luna into her arms.

"What's your cat's name again?" Hermione asked as she rose and went over to pet Luna. "Oh wow, what a strange mark!" Hermione said as she scratched Luna under the chin and looked down at her face. "I see now why you named her Luna. Is that a bald spot?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Usagi said with a smile. "Luna is a very special cat. I couldn't leave home without her, she's one of my best friends."

"I suppose animals are you only friends, aren't they mudblood?" A familiar drawl came from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at the person standing in the doorway who happened to be none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Mou! Why are you so mean!" Usagi demanded as she rose to her feet and approached the rude boy. "What did I do to you?" She questioned angrily as she puffed out her cheeks and narrowed her eyes on the boy.

"Why should I be nice to a mudblood?" Malfoy sneered as his cold eyes fixed on Usagi. Two larger boys that appeared to be bodyguards flanked him on either side. They were thick and gorilla-like in their posture and appearance. Usagi didn't even flinch under his stare, much to Draco's dislike. "You should know your place." Draco said as he pulled his wand swiftly from his pocket and prepared to cast a curse on the blond girl. Before a word came out of the boy's mouth, a dozen different spells hit him from every side. Usagi's eyes widened as she saw the boy collapse to the floor sporting a bloody nose, purple tentacles growing from his arms, large boils all over his arms and face, and a head full of snakes instead of hair. His two goons appeared no better than he did as they lay beside him on the floor. The taller of the 'bodyguards' was leaning against the wall with tree trunks where his legs had been and his head looked like a large cherry about to pop. The other boy looked much better than Draco and the tall one except that he was hunched over puking up slugs 2 and trying to keep his wand from slipping out of his hands, which looked like over-grown slugs as well.

"What did you guys do that for?" Usagi demanded as she turned to face a compartment full of wand-bearing witches and wizards. Even Hermione stood there with her wand raised even though both she and Ron were prefects.

"He was going to curse you." Harry said defensively as he watched the blond girl kneel by Malfoy's side and gently lift his head up and place it in her lap.

"That doesn't mean you have to attack them!" Usagi shot back as she sent a dirty look in the direction of the other occupants of the compartment.

"But-" Ron started, but was cut off before he could say anything by Usagi.

"Daijoubu?" Usagi questioned as she unconsciously slipped back into her native tongue. Malfoy stirred and groaned slightly as his ice blue eyes flickered up and saw a pair of cerulean blue ones looking down at him. He was about to object when he realized it was the mudblood from before, but found he was unable to talk. He heard a hissing around his head and reached one hand up to run it through his slicked back hair. Usagi watched his eyes widen in surprise as a snake bit down on his tentacled hand harshly. That's when he realized why he was unable to talk… there were boils all over his face that were so swollen he was unable to move his lips. "I don't know how to reverse the spells, I'm sorry." Usagi said solemnly. "Is there anyone I can get that would know how to reverse them?" Usagi questioned as she turned to face the people in the room. Ron was glaring at her darkly as she held Malfoy in her lap.

"Why should we reverse them! They deserve it for all of the stuff they've put us through!" Ron said sharply as he glared harshly at Usagi. She didn't even flinch under his stare. She was used to people staring at her in that way because of all the monsters and creatures she had fought in her life. She had learned in her dealings with such beings that there was always some good underneath. They were just too weak or too afraid to show it. And Ron seemed to have good intentions, protecting her and all. The only problem was that he seemed to enjoy vengeance too much for someone so young. Could Hermione's group of friends really hate the blond boy so much? And could the blond boy's group hate Hermione's so much? It was unhealthy for such anger and malice to exist between the students, especially because they went to the same school and attended the same classes.

Usagi gasped when something connected with the side of her face. It was slippery and slightly damp and made a sickening slap as it connected with her cheek. Her head turned to the side from the force of the blow and remained turned as a few strands of blond hair hung over her cheek, effectively hiding the red mark that remained imprinted on her skin. She turned her face back slowly and met a pair of angry eyes. The injured blond boy was struggling with his tentacles to wipe the blood that had dripped down his boiled face.

"W… why?" Usagi questioned as she turned wide-eyed back at the boy Ron called Malfoy. "I was… trying to help you…" Usagi said slowly. His hand slid across the ground until it grasped his wand. He then waved the wand and mumbled something quietly and the boils on his face and arms disappeared.

"You filthy mudblood! How dare you touch me!" Malfoy growled as he glared down at Usagi.

"Eh?" Usagi questioned as her shocked expression grew. He was so cold… She felt a small shiver run down her spine as the now strange looking boy fixed her with his glare for a few moments more. He narrowed his eyes and then turned on his heel and exited the room. The puking boy had grabbed a trash can at this point and followed Malfoy out of the compartment carrying the can as a bucket to catch the slugs that would come from his mouth every few seconds. The third boy remained unconscious on the ground with his back against the wall. Usagi remained on her knees on the floor and watched the small group leave. Her eyes cast down to her hands that remained in her lap as Harry and Ron worked together to heave the huge boy out into the hallway and slid the door closed quietly. Usagi didn't talk much after that.

"Daijoubu, Usagi-chan?" A small voice asked close to her ear. Usagi hadn't even felt the soft paws of Luna as she jumped onto Usagi's shoulder lightly. She rubbed her face against Usagi's in an attempt to look affectionate so she would be able to speak with Usagi properly.

"Aa…" Usagi whispered softly as she rubbed her stinging cheek.

"That git, Malfoy…" Ron muttered angrily as he knelt down beside Usagi. "Don't bother feeling pity for him, he's a slimy git. You've just made yourself a life-long enemy." Ron said as he stood back up and offered a hand to Usagi. She took the offered hand and let him help her to her feet.

"I didn't think anyone could be that cold…" She said quietly as she rubbed her cheek lightly. She was well aware that all the eyes were on her as she walked over to one of the seats and sat down. She drew her knees up to her chest and turned so she could see out of the window of the train. She remained that way for the remainder of the journey, deep in her own thoughts. Only when she felt something pulling at her skirt did she look up for her musings.

"You have better change into your robes, we should be arriving soon." Hermione said as she placed a comforting hand on Usagi's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh… all right." Usagi said as she rose from her spot on the seat and walked over toward the door. She walked down the hallway a few paces to where her trunk was stored and rummaged through the inside until she found the sleek black robes they had bought at Diagon Alley a few weeks prior. She didn't bother to go back into the compartment and pulled the black robes on over her old school uniform. She didn't care that it wasn't what she was supposed to wear at that time. She would make sure she wore the proper uniform for classes. She just didn't feel like wandering around until she found an empty compartment to change in. She had just closed up the front of her robe and closed her trunk when the train came to a stop and students began to pour our of closed compartments. Usagi's eyes widened in shock as they crowded around her, pushing and shoving to get off of the train.

"Excuse me!" A girl's voice shrieked close to Usagi and a stuck-up looking girl with a silver crest that had a snake in the shape of an 's' embroidered on her robes pushed past.

"I'm sorry." Usagi said as she recognized the boy that stood by the obnoxious girl's side. It was him… the boy called Malfoy and his glare was fixed on Usagi as he passed. She felt another shiver travel down her spine. Of course she had to anger one of the most gorgeous guys, now that the tentacles and snakes were no more, she had seen on the train ride to school. The only thing that married it was the nasty sneer that seemed to remain in place on his face at all times. She shrunk under his glare and turned her face away as he passed.

"There you are, Usagi." Hermione's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you all right?" Hermione questioned as she saw the strange look on Usagi's face. Her eyes followed Usagi's gaze and saw easily what made Usagi look away. Malfoy again… his glare fixed on Hermione and she only sneered right back tauntingly. "Come on, it's clearing out."

olloollo

"First years, this way! First years, over here!" A sharp feminine voice called as Usagi stepped off the train followed by Harry and Ron. Usagi looked in the direction of the voice and saw an older woman with cropped gray hair and a rather large chin.

" Who is that?" Usagi questioned as she saw the woman standing several feet away. She looked like she was someone's grandmother instead of a teacher.

"Huh? What's Professor Grubbly-Plank doing here?" Harry asked himself as he seemed surprised to see the woman. "Hagrid must not be back yet…" He said more to himself and seemed disappointed.

"You had best go with her. You have to take the boat across the lake. Have fun." Hermione said with a smile as she turned back to face Usagi. "I suppose we'll see you after the sorting. Maybe you'll even be in Gryffindor." Hermione said with a smile. "Well, goodbye." Hermione said as she, Harry, and Ron headed for the carriages that stood near the train. Usagi's eyes bugged out her head once more as she saw what was pulling the carriages… The looked kind of like horses, but they were extremely bony, had large wings and a reptilian look about their heads. They were unlike any horses Usagi had ever seen before. She didn't say anything because no one else seemed to take heed to them and instead turned her attention back to the woman yelling for First Year students. She took a deep breath and pushed her way through the thinning crowd and approached a group of students who were much younger than she.

"Hmm? Sorry, this is for First Year students only." Professor Grubbly-Plank said briskly as Usagi approached. Usagi was about to object when she cupped her hands around her mouth and continued to gather the first year students.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Usagi interjected politely as she dug into the pocket of her robes for the paper she had received from Hogwarts.

"I'm very busy dear, what do you want?" She asked in exasperation as she turned her attention back to the blond girl. She had a strange accent and her hair was done up in one of the weirdest styles she had ever seen. Some people had strange customs so she didn't say anything.

"I am a first year student, ma'am." Usagi said as she held up the paper for her to see. "I'm a transfer student from Japan. They discovered my abilities late and I received this last year." She explained as a boy close by snickered.

"Aren't you a little OLD for first year?" A boy with dark hair asked as he sneered up at her. Usagi blushed slightly, but felt annoyance rise up inside. Before she could stop herself, she flicked the boy on the forehead and glared at him with an annoyed expression on her face.

"You should respect your elders, brat." Usagi shot back as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away from him.

"Very well. Let's be off." Gubbly-Plank said as the carriages began their trek up to the palace and the assembled first year students followed the older woman along a little path. Hermione had mentioned boats so Usagi had a good idea of what was to come, but she didn't know what would happen after that. Hermione had said something about being 'sorted' but Usagi didn't know how that was done and she was quite nervous about it. As she glanced around, she realized that she wasn't the only one who was worried. The majority of the kids around her were pale with fear or anxiety. 'I hope they don't test us with magic!' Usagi thought wildly as she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began to chew on the corner of it in nervousness. 'I didn't get my wand until yesterday! I don't know the first thing about magic!' Usagi thought to herself as her fear only grew.

She was jolted back into reality when she ran into something and knocked backward onto her backside. She groaned slightly and struggled to stand up.

"Better watch it, there." A voice said and as a boy reached a hand down and hoisted Usagi to her feet.

"I'm sorry." Usagi said as she blushed slightly. She could hear sniggering nearby and glanced over to see the dark-haired boy acting out her graceful landing.

"Here we are! All right, four to a boat, don't over crowd!" Grubbly-Plank's voice rose over the quiet whisperings of the student. Usagi picked a nearby boat and three other girls climbed in as well all huddled together. She could hear them talking behind their hands and she assumed it was about her because she was so much older than the rest of them. She didn't really mind, though. They could say whatever they wanted about her; she still had friends to go home to. And she had possibly made friends already with Hermione and the rest of her group.

The boats were all loaded and had begun to drift across the lake as an unseen hand pulled them smoothly along. Usagi enjoyed the light breeze against her face and took a moment to breathe in the fresh scent of England. She had been in Tokyo for so long with its overcrowding and air pollution that she had almost forgotten the smell of clean air.

"Hey, do you know anything about how they do the sorting?" One of the girls who sat across from Usagi questioned timidly. When Usagi didn't answer right away she frowned and muttered to her friend. "I bet she doesn't understand English…"

"I understood you fine." Usagi said without turning to face the girl. "I was merely enjoying the fresh air after being stuffed up on that train for so long." She said as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And in answer to your question, I do not know how they do the sorting."

"She stuck up just because she's older." The girl who spoke whispered to her friend that sat on her right side. Usagi ignored their conversation. She didn't much care about what they had to say about her. She was startled out of her reverie when she felt a pair of hands on her back, but before she could catch herself, she tumbled over the edge of the boat. She put out her hands to catch herself and opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as her mouth was instantly filled with water. The water stung as it touched her skin and icy fingers prickled like needles wherever the water touched. The sudden shock of cold only caused her to suck in a deep breath of water. She bobbed to the surface sputtering and coughing as she forced the cold, dirty water out of her mouth and began to paddle her way back to the boat.

"Why did you do that!" Usagi demanded as she grabbed the edge of the boat. She went to pull herself in, but her robes were sopping wet so she was unable to lift herself into the boat.

"What are you talking about? We didn't do anything, did we?" The girl said as she looked over at her friends for confirmation. They nodded their heads affirmatively with looks of forced innocence and surprise on their faces.

"What's going on!" Professor Grubbly-Plank's voice broke into the conversation. A boat had floated up beside Usagi, who was still clinging to the edge of the boat to keep from sinking.

"They pushed me in!" Usagi said as she pointed at the girls accusingly. Grubbly-Plank, aided by one of the boys in her boat, grabbed her under the arms and hoisted her into the boat. Usagi shivered involuntarily as the colder air met with her wet skin and robes.

"That will be quite enough! Behave yourselves or I'll have to take points away before the year even begins!" She said as she glared in Usagi's direction.

"Nani! Me cause trouble! It's those little brats!" Usagi protested as she pointed a finger accusingly at the girl across from her.

"We don't know what she's talking about. Perhaps she doesn't know proper English so she probably doesn't even know what she's saying." The girl said innocently as she pretended to look shocked.

"That's enough from all of you!" Grubbly-Plank said as he frowned at the girls surrounding Usagi. She fixed Usagi with a sympathetic gaze before she frowned at her as well. "Now, we're almost there." She continued as she turned her attention back to the opposite shore. Usagi shivered once more as a breeze fluttered through the trees and sent another chill throughout her body.

Usagi was very glad when the boat touched the opposite shore and with another shutter as her wet clothes brushed against her skin, Usagi lifted herself from the boat and began to walk up the lawn. A moment later, she was joined by the rest of the first year students as they ascended the grassy hill toward the huge castle they had seen silhouetted against the sky. She would be happy to be inside in a set of nice warm, dry robes that sat in her trunk she had left outside the train. She had managed to get Luna to go into a carrier before she got off the train with the promise that she would bring the feline something good from the dinner table that night. Luna didn't seem to want to leave her charge alone in a strange place such as this.

When all of the students were assembled on the shore, they followed Professor Grubbly-Plank as they walked across the soft green grass up to a set of decorative double-door. Usagi assumed this was the main entrance to the school and gasped slightly when they approached them. On further inspection, Usagi could see intricate carvings in the hard wood of the doors as they towered above her. From the lake, the doors, and the castle for that matter, didn't look nearly as big as when she stood looking up at the tall stone towers with their many windows.

"Follow me." A new voice said as the doors slowly opened to reveal an older woman wearing ornate green robes and spectacles on the bridge of her nose. Usagi gulped slightly at the strict-looking woman in an attempt to swallow the lump in her throat. The witch turned around and led them into a great entrance hall with another set of double doors directly in front of them. Instead of going through the next set of double doors, Usagi was slightly surprised to see the woman led them to a door on the right. "I'm Professor McGonagall, your Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor house. Before you take your seats in the Great Hall you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin." She explained as she stopped at the other end of the long room they had entered. "I believe they are almost ready to begin the sorting. Wait here for a moment and I will return when they are ready for you." She said and disappeared through a door to the left at the very end of the room.

"So, what house do you think you'll be put in? Certainly not the best one in Hogwarts." The girl who had ridden in the same boat as Usagi asked loudly. Usagi turned in her direction with a slightly confused look on her face. She didn't care which house she was placed on as long as she didn't make a fool of herself. She wasn't exactly graceful and she wasn't quite sure of her magical abilities because she had only just found out she was a witch.

"I don't know." Usagi said as she turned away from the girl. She grasped the end of her sleeve and squeezed it between one hand as water splashed down at her feet. She shivered once more and jumped in surprise as she felt something draped around her shoulders. When she looked over, she saw a semi-transparent figure behind her. "Nani?" She questioned as she slipped back into her native tongue. "A ghost?" Usagi questioned as she looked at the figure in surprise.

"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. I'm the resident ghost of Gryffindor, it's nice to meet you." The ghost said as he grasped his head and tipped it to the side as one would tip their hat in the olden days of England. Usagi touched the blanket that the ghost had draped around her and pulled it closed in front of her. She was still cold but she figured she would warm up in no time.

"Thank you." Usagi said as she bowed to Sir Nicholas slightly as was the custom in Japan.

"My whole family has been in Slytherin so of course I'll be there too." The same girl from before said loudly to her friends.

"What's so great about this Slytherin?" Usagi questioned delicately to a boy who stood a few paces from her. The girl talking seemed very pompous and arrogant so Usagi had silently decided that maybe she didn't want to be in Slytherin. Even the name made a shudder go down her back, it sounded like a snake of some sort. The boy turned to face her and spoke in a very low tone.

"I wouldn't be so thrilled to be in Slytherin." He said in a hushed tone. "There isn't a wizard that's gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin." He said with a frown on his nervous face.

"Are you serious?" Usagi questioned as her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She didn't know much about the wizarding world, but she assumed that when he said 'went bad' meant they had gone to the supposed 'Dark Side', just like many of the villains she had faced as Sailor Moon.

"Yeah… I would do anything to not end up in there." He said slowly. He stopped as the door to the side opened and the familiar figure of Professor McGonagall stepped into the room.

"We are ready for you. Follow me." She said simply as she stepped through the doorway. The first years unconsciously lined up in a single line in order to pass through the doors. Usagi stood about halfway along the line and slowly filtered through the doorway with the rest of the first years. Since she was so short, she didn't stand too terribly much taller than the rest of the students so she didn't stand out too rashly against the rest. The look of nervousness of a first year was on her face, though. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tightened the blanket around her shoulders and passed through the doorway.

Once she had passed through the doorway, she gasped slightly at the great hall they had entered. The room was vast with four long tables covered in gold dishes. The ceiling looked like the sky outside, slightly cloudy with a few stars peeking through. It took Usagi a few moments to realize that it wasn't the actual sky, but a bewitched ceiling. In addition to the strange ceiling, there were hundreds of candles floating above the tables, which threw a golden glow over everything their flickering light touched. She looked forward at the row of first years and saw that Professor McGonagall held an old, tattered hat in one hand, and was leaning against a stool with the other as the first years filed into the room.

Once all of the students were lined up and a hush had fallen over the four long tables, Professor McGonagall stepped into the middle of the platform with the hat tucked under one arm and the stool with both hands. She set the stool in the very middle of the platform in front of the first year students and placed the hat on its seat. Usagi watched in wonderment as McGonagall stood back from the hat and crossed her hands in front of her. Before Usagi could ponder this, a small rip near the hat's brim open and it began to sing a song. Usagi listened impatiently as the strange hat sung its song. It seemed to have a warning at the end of the song for the Houses to unite together. 'How strange…' Usagi thought vaguely as she thought about the strange song. 'A hat that gives advice?'

"Now, as I call your name, you will come up and sit on the stool. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head and it will sort you into your Houses. Then you will go sit at the your House table with your classmates." McGonagall said as she stepped up to the stool and picked up the Sorting Hat. "Abercrombie, Euan." McGonagall announced and the boy who stood next to Usagi scuttled forward, moving as if his whole body had frozen. Usagi watched with interest as McGonagall placed the hat on the boy's head. The hat sunk down onto his head and nearly covered the boy's whole face. All that held it up was his ear, which stuck out to either side quite far. The rip near the brim opened once more and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Usagi waited impatiently as her nervousness grew with each and every student who was called to try on the hat. She watched as the girl who had pushed her in the lake walked up to the stool ('Parkinson, Petunia' 3) and it seemed the girl was right, she was placed in Slytherin. With a superior smirk, she walked off to her table and sat near the blond boy from the train who had slapped Usagi across the face. She caught his eye and felt a shiver go down her spine at the sinister sneer that was plastered on his face. Usagi frowned at him and turned her head to the side with her arms crossed over her chest. If he was going to play that way, she could do the same. She had just been trying to help him on the train and he'd done nothing but act nasty toward her. She nearly jumped out of her skin a few moments later when Professor McGonagall's voice said a name loudly.

"Tsukino, Usagi!" She said louder than the rest. Usagi was jolted out of her reverie and stepped forward.

"Hai!" She called as she stood in front of the rest of the students.

"Miss Tsukino?" Came McGonagall's voice again. Usagi turned in the direction of the teacher as her face slowly turned red. "If you would please step forward to be sorted, the rest of us would appreciate it greatly."

"I'm sorry." Usagi said as she bowed and walked forward to the stool.

"Miss Tsukino is an exchange student from Japan so please make her feel welcome. She's a long way from home." McGonagall said before she placed the hat on Usagi's head. The hat sunk over Usagi's eyes and she heard a strange voice in her head.

"Curious…" The voice said. Usagi nearly jumped at the strange voice. 'Nani! Where did that come from?' Usagi thought as she tried to move her eyes to see if there was something inside the hat. "Very curious… I see plenty of courage here, but there is something that's much greater." Usagi's eyes widened in surprise as a sudden thought came to mind. 'Is this hat talking to me?' Usagi thought in astonishment. "Of course I'm talking to you, child!" The hat said once more. "Now… your loyalty to your friends is overwhelming. If I'm not mistaken, you have given your life for them?" He questioned. 'Aa…' Usagi said as a slight sadness came into her eyes. 'And I would do it again, if I had to.' "Very strange indeed… You gave your life for them… yet you are still alive now? Well then, I know where you belong. HUFFLEPUFF!" The rip in the brim yelled. Before Usagi could question it further, the hat was pulled from her head and she stepped forward toward the cheering table.

:Fin:

3 Since Pansy is such a nasty witch, I figured I'd make the girl who was picking on Usagi be related . So, she has a nasty little sister, ne? Must run in the family .

Well, that's it for chapter 1, I hope you liked it Thank you to all of the people who reviewed the first chapter