Author's Note: Oh, wow. I've never come out with this many chapters before in so short of time, it's really exciting. So I changed the name of the story to Serpents and Mudbloods, because it's been something I've been planning to do, and it matches the serious tone I'm trying to give this story. I also edited the first two chapters to change one little thing. Tracey's eye color. I had forgotten that they were black in the original and almost screwed up my entire story. Eye color plays a big part in this story of mine, oh yes indeed. Oh geez, anyone else as excited about the 5th movie as me! Sorry, too much internet...
Chapter Five"Firs' years! Firs' years!"
Tracey snorted, woken by the shouts and many footsteps as the passengers were unloaded from the train. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, watching Astrea and Daphne gather their things, while poor Erik tried to coax Cat into the cage. Astrea looked over at Tracey and smiled, saying, "Good evening. We're at Hogwarts now."
Tracey yawned and stretched, moving toward the window, and managed catch herself in mid-yawn, taken aback by the unbelievable sight before her. A brilliant castle, with torrets and towers and lights glowing from various windows, windows that littered the stone majesty.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Astrea said, taking a seat beside the window, as Tracey continued to gape. "We're staying there, learning there, living there."
"Well everyone, we don't have to take our luggage we just have to take small necessaries. Which reminds me, uhh, Tracey you better get your uniform on," Erik said, smirking down at her gray sweater and jeans.
Tracey gasped and began ruffling through her luggage, grabbing the necessary articles of clothing while Astrea, Daphne, and Erik left her alone in the compartment to change. She quickly dressed, nearly falling while attempting to get her skirt on as fast as possible, feeling rushed and panicked. When she was finished, she opened the door and allowed the others to grab what they needed before they all headed out into the cold and clear night.
As they stepped off the train Erik started in another direction, and the girls looked at him helplessly, he laughed and pointed in the direction all the first years seemed to be going and said, "Go with the big tall man, you get to go on the boats."
"Boats?" Astrea asked in shock. She looked toward the other girls and said, "What if we fall in the water? It's probably freezing cold."
"Then we'll just have to fish you out, then, won't we?" Tracey laughed in amusement.
Astrea only grimaced while Daphne snickered quietly.
"Firs' Years!" the gruff voice called again, and the girls followed a group of first years toward a man who just had to be a giant. He was very large and incredibly tall, with a face almost completely hidden behind a thick bristly beard. But his black beady eyes held a cheery brightness, and Tracey couldn't help but smile at him politely, as the students clamored together, all curious about what was going to happen to them.
"They're having that oaf take us to the school?" a familiar drawl sounded from behind her, and she turned to see Malfoy, who was nudging his friends and smirking.
"Obviously he knows what he's doing, otherwise they wouldn't have him show us where to go," Tracey hissed under her breath, though Malfoy didn't hear her, a girl with bushy hair gave her a friendly knowing smile, and Tracey grinned in return.
"I'm Hermione Granger," she whispered, holding her hand out to Tracey.
"Tracey Davis. Nice to meet you, Hermione," Tracey replied quietly, shaking the offered hand.
"I hope not everyone is like him," she said, jerking her head towards Malfoy who was snickering with his friends.
"Not completely, from what I've seen. Though they're all a bit sarcastic. I guess that's the way of this odd, odd world."
"New, too? Are you a muggle-born?" Hermione asked.
"C'mon, follow me- anymore firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!" the man called as he lead them down a narrow path through the darkness. Tracey couldn't tell if it was just really dark or if they were surrounded by thick masses of trees.
"Yeah," Tracey whispered. "You are, too?"
"Yes. Couldn't quite believe it, but my parents were really proud."
"Mine, too. It just all seemed a bit phony for me."
"Really? I don't know, but something in my bones told me this was the real thing."
"Wow," Tracey breathed, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Well, she knew now she was the only nonbeliever, even though it was all right in front of her, and this realization made her feel awkward.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, just around this bend here!" the giant shouted.
As promised, the first years were struck by an amazing view of the castle, it certainly didn't measure up to looking out the window of her compartment. The brilliant lights from the windows reflected onto the smooth black surface of a lake, and Tracey watched the the castle ripple slightly in the water. At the shore there were a fleet of little boats, floating on the water innocently.
Tracey heard Astrea gulp from beside her.
"I've had a few bad experiences with water and boats," Astrea hissed in Tracey's ear, frantically tugging at her friend's sleeve.
"It's okay!" Tracey whispered. "They probably have some spell that can prevent falling out or something."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," Tracey replied, though she doubted her own words.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant shouted, and the first years immediately scrambled to get into a boat with their friends, shouting and laughing, excitement building for what laid ahead.
"Tracey!" Daphne called, waving to her from a boat nearby, beside a very nervous-looking Astrea. "We got a boat!"
Tracey pulled her cloak tighter for warmth and quickly ran over to them, feeling the cold gushes of wind nip at her bare neck. She slowly climbed into the boat and tried her best to get comfortable on the hard wooden seats.
"We're going to-" Astrea was beginning to say until a throat cleared above Tracey.
"Got room for one more?" a low and cold voice said, and Tracey looked up to see a rather tall and thin young boy with chin-length straight black hair that fell over his face.
Daphne squeaked in surprise, then composed herself enough to say, "I'm not sure. What's your name?"
The boy ignored her and climbed into the boat anyway. sitting beside Tracey, but not even glancing at her. He stared at the still dark glass that was the water, shoulders hunched and hair masking his features.
"What's your name?" Daphne asked again, hands on her hips as she peered at him in scrutiny.
"I am Theodore Nott, and I prefer if you don't speak until this boat ride is over and I can be away from you," he muttered simply, glancing at each of them with very light blue gray eyes, so piercing that one with small look she felt as if he had read everything that had traveled through her mind.
Daphne scoffed, crossing her arms, and angrily looked away, muttering something that sounded less than decent under her breath.
"Everyone in? Right then- FORWARD!" and with the giant's call, the boats all at once glided forward through the water, smoothly cutting through the black surface like blades.
The trip was silent, only the sound of the water lapping against the sides of the boats and Daphne's huffs of indignation could be heard, it was obvious that she was still angry about Theodore's straightforward and "insulting" words.
"Heads down!" the giant yelled, and all the first years ducked under the curtain of ivy that hid the large opening in the cliff.
Tracey lifted her head slowly, glancing about as Daphne and Astrea composed themselves as best as they could while Theodore sat calmly, as if he hadn't even followed the giant's instructions. They drifted through a dark tunnel until they reached a sort of underground harbor, which Tracey presumed was under the school, and everyone climbed out of their boats onto the pebbles and stones, trying to keep from falling. Tracey climbed out of the boat, stepping quickly on the gravel, she managed to slip on a pile of smooth rocks and fell back. She waited for the hard impact but it didn't come, she opened her eyes and saw light blue orbs looking down at hers. When she was set upright she stared dazedly at Theodore.
"Be careful," he said simply and walked away, nudging through the crowd to the front where the giant was talking to a nervous and round boy, whose cheeks were red from tears. He smiled when the large man presented a frog to him and he followed the man through the passageway, carrying the amphibian triumphantly.
"Can you believe him," Daphne finally said, tossing back her hair and shooting daggers at Theodore as they walked along the path at the back of the group. "The nerve."
"He's rather neat, actually," Astrea countered, receiving an angry look from Daphne. "Well, he made you shut up."
"Oh, go kiss a ghost," Daphne muttered, moving so she was beside Tracey. "So, Tracey, decide what house you want to be in?"
"Not really. I thought we don't decide though," Tracey replied, kicking a pebble and watching as it smacked against the wall of the passage.
"I think we get at least some say in it," Astrea said with a shrug.
"I just don't feel up to decision-making. I'll leave it up to whatever is sorting us," Tracey returned.
As the trio began up the flight of stone stairs, Tracey heard the giant knock on the door to the castle up ahead, and grew even more nervous. Her shaky fingers played with the hem of her sleeve, eyes wide, heart beat quick as the door slowly opened to reveal a very sour and very thin-lipped witch, with black hair that was tied back in a perfect bun and neat dark green robes. This was definitely someone Tracey would not want to get on the bad side of.
"The firs' years Professor McGonagall," the giant announced proudly, as if it was a feat to have brought them all across the lake with all their limbs still attached afterwards.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she said sharply, "I will take them from here."
Hagrid nodded to her with a smile as she pulled the door open wide, receiving "oohs" and "ahh's" from the crowd up front. Tracey, Daphne and Astrea curiously followed their peers up the rest of the steps into a magnificent and very large entrance hall. It gleamed as if brand new and the ceiling was so high that Tracey had to squint to make it out, the floors were polished and perfect (as her mom would have loved) and a lovely marble staircase lead to, what she presumed to be, the rest of the castle. They walked across through a door at the other end, which lend into a much smaller, empty chamber.
As they all crowded in Professor McGonagall took a severe stance at the front and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will need to be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house (Two boys nearby slapped hands at this.), sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the
school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
The witch looked over some of the boys in the front, whom immediately started grooming themselves.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," she said, and briskly left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.
"I bet your mansion isn't like that," Astrea sneered at Daphne, referring to the entrance hall. The blonde looked to Tracey and explained in a mocking tone, "All through the train ride was 'I'm rich this', 'I'm rich that', and 'We have a huge house.'"
"Not true, entirely," Daphne retorted defiantly, then calmly said, flipping her hair back, "I didn't say those first two things."
"Same thing, you snob," Astrea hissed.
"Uhh, could we not get blood on the floors? I don't think the custodians or whatever would be very pleased," Tracey snapped, dark eyes penetrating and rather stern.
"Yes, yes, darling," Daphne said in exasperation, "Let's act like adults here."
"You're one to talk," Astrea muttered, pouting. She then let out a deep breath and said, "Fine, but only because it's our first night here."
"So are you guys nervous," Tracey breathed, unconsciously tying up her hair, then letting it down, then tying it up again.
"A bit," Daphne mumbled, smiling feebly. "I think Erik would find some odd way to make us feel better."
"Or worse," Astrea laughed meekly, "He can a be a bit unpredictable."
"Yeah," Tracey agreed quietly.
"Oh god, I'm nervous as hell," Astrea cried, breathing heavily. "What if I end up in some dismal house or something. I don't want my mum to be disappointed."
"Ugh. I could ruin my family name!" Daphne howled dramatically.
"Well, I guess I have loads less to worry about. Thanks guys, I feel better already," Tracey said, laughing as they glared at her.
Tracey glanced toward Hermione Granger who was whispering beneath her breath and she suddenly felt chunks begin to rise.
"In front of the school," Tracey groaned.
"The people we'll be spending the next seven years of our lives with, basically," Astrea said.
Tracey took a deep breath, staring at the door that McGonagall would soon be coming through.
"Hey, look!" Astrea exclaimed, pointing in the direction of one of the walls.
Tracey turned just as a few people nearby screamed in fright. She could only stare blankly, eyebrows lowered.
"You've got to be bloody joking. It took all of my last year to convince those girls that ghosts weren't real," she muttered, not exactly freaked out, more frustrated and annoyed.
"Honestly, Tracey, where was your imagination? I thought muggles were all about fantasizing about magicians and bunnies or something of that sort," Daphne said from the corner of her mouth, watching the pearly white ghosts drift across the room, clearly in a heated debate.
"Funny you should ask," Tracey muttered, before going quiet so as to hear what they were saying, chills finally going up and down her spine as they floated above the floor.
"-gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost-" one of the apparitions said, with a ruff and tights on, before stopping short and looking at the first years in surprise. "I say, what are you all doing here?"
He was answered by a deathly silence. Pun not intended.
"New students!" cried the monk esque ghost. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
Tracey and a few others nodded silently.
"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" he exclaimed heartily. "My old house, you know."
Suddenly McGonagall returned, reminding Tracey and a few others of their dreaded fate.
"Move along now," she said sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."
The ghosts left one by one through the opposite wall, resuming their conversation on the other side.
"Now, form a line and follow me," McGonagall commanded, and they all did just that, walking and stumbling through the entrance hall and finally past the double doors into the Great Hall.
It was spectacular, tens of thousands of candles hovered over four long tables, where students were sitting, all wearing the same robes, though each table's had a different color to the hem and such. The tables gleamed with it empty goblets and dishes of gold, and she felt all eyes on her and the rest of her year as the marched up through the middle to the front of the hall. The stopped short across from a long table facing them and the rest of the students, where the staff sat. Tracey nervously looked about, and was taken aback by the fact that there seemed to be no ceiling.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside," Hermione whispered in her ear. "I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
"You've got to lend me it some time," Tracey replied quietly.
Tracey looked back down again as Professor McGonagall quietly set down a four-legged stool before them. On top of it she laid a filthy, old wizard's hat, with patches and frayed ends.
Tracey stared at it, her heart thumping in her ears.
Suddenly the hat twitched, and before Tracey could react, the brim opened wide like a mouth and it began to sing:
"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you're ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
"It's rather grotesque," Daphne said in a hushed voice as the hall erupted in cheers, the hat animatedly bowed to each of the four tables before going still once more.
"Well, at least Erik wasn't lying," Astrea sighed in relief.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment and looking over all of them shortly before saying, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she paused. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A rather pink-faced blonde girl with pigtails nearly crashed into McGonagall as she stumbled out of line. She slowly put the hat on and Tracey watched as it fell over her eyes.
There was a moment of silence, then-
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the far right cheered enthusiastically, greeting the new member of their house.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat yelled, once more, and Susan scurried to join Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The table second from the left yelled and cheered, greeting Terry with just as much enthusiasm as the Hufflepuffs had.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"
"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted, and Tracey watched as Mandy hurried to her table, grinning widely.
"Oh, bother," Tracey muttered, fiddling with her sleeves again.
"Brown, Lavender!"
A few seconds, then-
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The table at the far left shouted and cheered as the girl got off the stool and hurried to join her house.
Tracey sighed, watching as "Bulstrode, Millicent" became a Slytherin and Daphne groaned in anticipation.
Tracey began to feel insecure about any powers she possessed, insecure about how she would be looked upon. She was certainly not stupid. She had seen the way Daphne's sister had looked at her, with a grimace of distaste. Was there something wrong with her that she had yet to figure out? Well, besides the fact that she was a muggle-born, but why was that so bad?
Thoughts whizzed through her mind, and she began literally yanking on her own sleeve, nerves in a bundle.
"Davis, Tracey!"
Tracey squeaked in surprise, feeling a nudge at the small of her back as Daphne and Astrea pushed her forward.
She stepped hesitantly before everyone, slowly going up the small steps to the hat, her footsteps echoing throughout the hall as everyone sat silently. She felt like the hat was staring at her with its gold and blue lopsided patches, making her feel even more uncomfortable. She slowly sat down on the stool, lifting the hat above her head and quickly dropping it, everything going dark as it went over her eyes.
"Well, well, well. You must have been quite shocked during the last few months, eh? Not a believer at all until that letter came," the hat said in her ear.
What the-? Tracey thought in surprise, sitting stiffly in the chair.
"I can read thoughts, you know," it replied slyly. "Now, now. It seems you aren't very biased, that's a relief, but that does make things a bit more difficult for me. You are brave, very, though you don't know it, you'd make a fine Gryffindor. Great loyalty, I see, the quality of a Hufflepuff. The brains, certainly, no doubt about it. But there's something else about you... Strong ambitions, strength, do I see some cunning, too?"
Umm... she thought nervously, foot twitching as it hovered above the floor.
"That's right. I know just where to put you, welcome to SLYTHERIN!" the last part was shouted to the entire hall, and the second to the right table cheered loudly, applauding Tracey as she set the hat down and scuttled over to her new house, feeling quite proud of herself as she took a seat next to Erik.
"Well done, Tracey! I knew you had it in you!" said Erik, grinning at her.
Tracey smiled back, but something in the back of her mind said cruelly, They wouldn't be cheering if they knew what you were.
Tracey shook her head, clearing her thoughts enough to applaud another first year who had been chosen to be in Slytherin.
"Well, he looks more like a Hufflepuff in brains, but I suppose he's just supporting the stereotype," Erik muttered to Tracey, shaking his head as the boy sat beside another less than intelligent, in looks, first year.
"Stereotype?" Tracey questioned, eyebrow raised.
"We're known as the evil house," Erik explained simply. When he saw how taken aback Tracey was he laughed and said, "Probably should have told you that on the train."
"I don't know," Tracey shrugged. "I do kind of like the respect I might get if that's true."
"Well fear isn't exactly respect," Erik teased.
"Greengrass, Daphne!"
Tracey glanced around, looking for Hermione, who must have already been sorted, and was disappointed to see that she had joined Gryffindor. She looked to the front of the hall silently as the hat paused, with Daphne underneath it, and then shouted:
"SLYTHERIN!"
Daphne almost literally threw the hat off her head as she smiled in excitement, running over and sitting across from Tracey and Erik. She looked to her right and waved, and her sister, with the same dark bronze hair, waved back, somewhat smiling. Daphne looked to Tracey, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Slytherin! You and I!" she exclaimed.
"Very exciting," Tracey breathed, smiling as well.
"But I'm not surprised," she added smugly with a laugh.
Tracey only shook her head at Daphne and looked to the front of the hall as a small Asian girl with very long dark brown hair was sorted into Ravenclaw. She looked along the staff table, seeing Hagrid, a professor with a long silver beard and eyes that twinkled so brilliantly that she could see them from across the room. She continued along, raising an eyebrow at a teacher with an overlarge purple turban on his head, and then beside him...
Black connected with black and an eerie chill made the hairs at the back of Tracey's next stand. This was just too weird, she had never seen an eye color so close to hers before and until now. Tracey immediately looked away, breathing heavily.
"What is it? Are you okay?" Erik asked, looking down at her in concern.
"Who was it that you said I reminded you of?" Tracey asked quietly.
"Well, I didn't mean in exact features or anything, I didn't mean-"
"Just tell me, please," Tracey demanded.
"Professor Snape," Erik said quickly, then jerked his head toward the dark man up at the staff table.
Tracey glanced at him quickly, afraid of that eerie feeling she felt when their eyes connected.
"I got this weird feeling, Erik," she whispered, but was interrupted by McGonagall.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
The blonde stepped out of the line, that grew smaller and smaller as each first year was sorted, and sat on the stool confidently. The hat had barely touched his head, when-
"SLYTHERIN!"
Tracey and Daphne groaned, both for obviously different reasons.
"You know him, Tracey?" Daphne asked, glaring at the back of his head as he greeted his house mates with a smirk.
"Met him at Gringott's and ran into him before crossing the lake. I'm not exactly fond of him," Tracey muttered darkly.
"Well, his dad threatened my dad, because my dad owned him a little bit of money. I mean, come on, big deal, the man's too wealthy anyway," Daphne explained, her voice exasperated.
"Moon, Astrea!"
Daphne quickly turned to the front of the hall, anger forgotten, along with Tracey and Erik, all waiting silently as Astrea sat under the hat for nearly a minute.
Just as Tracey began to wonder if Astrea had fallen asleep, it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"
Daphne gasped in shock, while Erik and Tracey cheered as loud as they could.
Astrea sat down next to Daphne, grinning rather complacently.
"Nice job, Astrea. Isn't this great? All of us in the same house!" Tracey said in excitement.
"Humph," Daphne muttered simply, before taking a deep breath and attempting to congratulate Astrea, who accepted it with a smile and a "thanks."
"Nott, Theodore!"
"Theodore Nott?" Erik repeated, eyebrows lowering darkly.
"I knew the name sounded familiar when he introduced himself," Astrea commented thoughtfully, as Daphne nodded.
"You talked to him?" Erik asked with wide eyes.
"Is there something wrong?" Tracey queried.
"Do you know who his father is? His bloody father! How could they let his child even come here," Erik ranted as the hat shouted "SLYTHERIN!". Erik continued, unfazed by the interruption, "His father was convicted for being a follower of You-Know-Who. He was one of the first Death Eaters to recommend raping and torturing muggles and muggle-borns."
"Are you kidding? And who's You-Know-Who?" Tracey questioned sharply, so shocked that she felt numb.
"No, and he's the man that lead the Death Eaters, caused so much terror in the wizarding world. Luckily, because of some baby, he's gone," Erik explained.
"What baby?" Tracey asked.
"Potter, Harry!"
Author's Note: Oh please review, the last ones have helped this story come out so much faster, despite all the loads of homework I've received. Please, continue to inspire me, and tell me your thoughts on my characters, I've worked super hard on them.