1
"Angel Winters!" the stern-looking professor called out in a tight, crisp voice.
She was the last name on the list, and was awfully nervous. Angel collected herself, and strode
toward the stool where the Sorting Hat was placed, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the Sorting
Hat and jammed it on her head. It fell over her eyes, and she slid onto the stool.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice muttered slyly. "You seem to have quite a mix
in here... Brave, loyal, traits of both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor... intelligent, but lazy... no, not
studious enough for Ravenclaw." Here the Hat chuckled as Angel snorted. "You agree?"
"Yeah, well you see, Hat, I don't like school. At all. The magic thing is pretty cool, but the
learning? Ah, it BURNS!" Here the Hat gave a loud guffaw.
"Hmm, a sense of humor, too! Well, anyway, you also have a thirst to prove yourself. But,
no, you seem too... nice. No, wouldn't fit in there at all."
Here, where Angel had been on the edge of her seat, hoping she wouldn't be in Slytherin, she
jumped up from the stool and interrupted with a loud shout that could be heard throughout the hall.
"YEAH BABY! I'm not in Slytherin, ne ne ne ne ne ne!" Then she froze, sat back on the seat, and
slapped her forehead. "Oh, crap, I said that out loud, didn't I?"
The Hat just chuckled, and then-
"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted, making Angel jump up straight. She took the Hat off to many
different reactions concerning her outburst.
The Slytherins were glaring at her with hatred burning in her eyes, although two first years
had different reactions. One was wide-eyed and hurt, the other looking at her condescendingly and a
bit considering.
The Hufflepuffs were laughing and slapping the table with open palms.
The Ravenclaws were simply raising their eyebrows at her and pursing their lips(the females
for the most part), though a select few were acting like the Huffies.
The Gryffindors' reactions, however, was the best, with two first years and many of the
upperclassmen yelling, "Here, here!" Some slapping the table in mirth, though a few were acting
like the Ravenclaws had, or just looked astonished. One such example was a fiery red-head first
year. And most of them were clapping enthusiastically for her. Grinning, she walked over to her
table, a Gryffindor emblem having appeared on her robes. She took a seat in between a messy,
black- haired, hazel-eyed first year boy(he had made room for her)with glasses, and a older, around
fifteen-year old prefect, and across from a tired looking, sandy haired first year boy, who, if Angel's
memory served her correctly, was Remus Lupin. She had remembered because she thought in odd
that her mother's maiden name was Lupin. Funny.
"My name's James Potter, and I have to tell you, you ROCK!"
He was shoved out of the way by the other first year who had cheered for her, one with gray
eyes and black hair that seemed to fall perfectly into his eyes. He was a cutie, she thought absent-
mindedly. Those thoughts were pushed out of Angel's head, however, when he said, " Sirius Black,
and I second that! No, in fact, I worship you!"
And with that the two boys sprung out of their seats and proceeded to 'hail' her, saying,
"You are AMAZING!"
She grinned mischievously, and said with an airy, stuck up tone, said, "Yes, I know," but
winked to let them know she was kidding. They grinned and sat back in their seats just before-
"If you are finished your worshiping of Ms. Winters, Messrs. Potter and Black," the
Headmaster stated with a twinkle in his eye- a statement that everyone chuckled at, "then let the
feast begin!"
Sirius' face had lit up at the mention of food, and when it appeared on golden dishes,
moaned in delight and started taking large portions of everything. Except the liver, anyway. So
much he took, in fact, that he ended up needing four plates.
James just laughed at his friend's behavior, though not looking shocked like Angel, or
everyone else. Apparently he was used to Sirius' appetite. After Angel got over her shock, she took
some fried chicken off of a platter and mashed potatoes. She wasn't really hungry, as she had
sampled almost all of the wizarding snacks off of the trolley on the train. After she started eating, she
started up a conversation between the people around her, seeing as the boys were too busy stuffing
their faces. She already knew the two black haired boys beside her, and so started a conversation
with the boy across from her- the tired looking one with sandy hair only a few shades darker than her
own long, untamed yellow wave-ringlet Well, that's how Angel described her hair anyway.
"So... Remus, was it?" the boy looked up, looking startled that anyone would be talking to
him, "What house did you think that you would be in?" The shy boy, pulled up his downcast eyes to
meet her own and said in a quiet, even voice, "Well, I supposed that I'd be in Ravenclaw, because-
well, I like books a lot, I guess." His eyes darted downward, and looked a bit ashamed.
Angel, who was puzzled at the fact that he seemed ashamed of reading a lot, said , "Well, I
LOVE to read! Just, you know, not schoolbooks." she ended sheepishly.
Remus looked up, eyes interested and food forgotten and said, "Really? Who's your favorite
author?" Angel loved talking about her books, and leaned in and replied, "Well, I LOVE Anne
McAffrey's books, especially her Pern series, and the Lord of the Rings, and SO many more that I
can't think of right now- what about you?" Remus grinned, happy to have found a kindred spirit and
said, " I haven't ever heard of Anne McAffrey, but I love dragon books and J.R.R Tolkein is my
favorite author! Have you read the Simarillion? And also, I read..." Here Remus rattled off a few
authors that Angel hadn't heard of before, and so she said, "Well, I brought tons of books- we can
share our stash!" Remus nodded and went happily back to finishing his food.
Sirius, who had wolfed down his food (yes, all four plates of it) shook his head in mock-
sadness. "Wow. You're both nerds." James, over-hearing Sirius' last statement, wacked him in the
back of the head.
Sirius yelped. "Oww!" I was just joking, you know, James," he said with a scornful look at
his best friend. Then, Angel swatted him on the back of his head. "Jeez!" Sirius gasped. "I'm being
abused!" Angel, who had been glaring at him, broke down and chuckled, along with Remus, who
had been looking at Sirius, angry that the boy had called him and his new friend nerds.
After the ice had been broken and dessert had come, Sirius turned to Angel with a
questioning look on his face. "So, you're American, then, yeah?"
Remus and James looked at him with incredulous looks on their faces. "You just noticed
that?" Remus spoke up.
"Erm... yeah?"
After everyone had a good chuckle over that, Angel replied, "Yeah- or, well, I was until two
months ago. Then we moved here. Funny, because a month after we did I got my letter. My mom
freaked." Then, she got a smirk on her face and said, "So funny." Sirius beamed and said, "You
know, I think I'm gonna like this girl." That was when the Headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up once
more and announced, "We will now sing the school song!"
And then he waved his wand and words started to appear out of midair while students sang.
After the song, The Headmaster continued, "Well, now that we are all full and sleepy, let the
prefects escort you to your
dormitories."
And with that statement, all the students got up and filed, in a not-so-neat jumble, out of the
doorway, while Angel yelled, "AH! A rampage!" James and Sirius laughed loudly, while Remus
allowed himself a quiet chuckle.
They were climbing up the first staircase when-
"Jesus Christ in high heels- the staircases are moving!" Angel cried out in astonishment.
A few of the older Gryffindors chuckled at her outburst, and the red head first year who had
been astonished at her outburst at the Sorting stated matter-of-factly, "Well, yes, I've read all about
it, of course, in Hogwarts, A History. Supposedly Godric Gryffindor charmed them to do that
because Salazar Slytherin had done something or other to him and he wanted to get him back."
Sirius, who had been looking at her with an open mouth and incredulous look, said,
"Riiiiiiiiiight..." then, turning back to Angel and Remus, continued, "Okay, she," here he pointed
at red-hed," is officially the geek."
At Sirius' statement, James and a pudgy kid that had been following the quartet burst out
laughing, and the red head's eyes brimmed with tears. "Stop! It's not my fault that you don't read!"
She said angrily, though the effect was partially marred by the fact that tears were now dripping
down her cheeks.
Angel turned, with angry eyes, back to Sirius and James. "You're assholes, the lot of you,
you know?"
And with that she turned and marched up next to the crying girl. Since both of the girls were
about the same size, Angel slung her arm around the girls shoulders, guiding her up the stairs, since
the prefects had already moved on, and saying things to cheer her up, like, "Don't worry, their
stupid idiots. No- wait, would it make you feel better if I used English curses?" Here she put on a
passable English accent and said, "The bloody bastards!"
Angel's attempt paid off, and the girl laughed. Now grinning, Angel introduced herself. "I'm
Angel."
The girl, still sniffling, said, "I'm Lily."
Then the group stopped suddenly, having reached a portrait of a fat woman squeezed into
what looked like, to Angel, at least, was a dress two sizes two small.
"Password?" the portrait asked in a shrill voice.
Angel jumped. She knew that pictures moved, from the chocolate frog cards, but she had no
idea that they talked.
Lily got a laugh out of her new friend's startled reaction. Angel sent a mock-scornful look at
Lily, and then joined her with a little chuckle.
"Lions," the prefect said. Lily and Angel scrambled into the portrait hole, helping each other
in, and then gasping at the interior design.
"It's -" Angel started.
"Absolutely wonderful," Lily breathed.
The design was predominantly scarlet and gold, with a fireplace and comfy-looking sofas
and cushy chair in all the corners.
The prefect then said in a bored, rehearsed tone, "Those are the girls' dormitories, those are
the boys," while motioning to the aforementioned places. Lights off in ten minutes."
And so, Lily and Angel climbed up the winding staircase, Angel ignoring the pleas for
forgiveness from Sirius and James that she had been ignoring all the way up. Then, when she
reached a landing, she turned around and, deliberately ignoring the others, yelled down, "G'night
Remus!"
Lily and Angel entered their dorms along with the other first-year girls and smiled. This was
their new home.