The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station hours later as Carina prodded her cat back into his carrier. The four first years had gotten to know each other pretty well, with Carina avoiding specific names, the twins continually exchanging identities, and Lee being very open and flamboyant. They had changed into their uniforms, plain against the sea of red, green, yellow, and blue ties from the older students.
The first years were called by a large man they could barely understand over to small boats while the other students split off towards carriages that seemed to pull themselves. Luggage was left behind to be brought up to the castle by house elves.
Awkward eleven-year-olds piled into boats, the twins, Lee, and Carina sharing one together. The boat ride was uneventful under the overcast sky, even with the looming threat of the giant squid. But the first sight of the castle caught everyone's attention. Even the pure and half-blooded first years who had heard so many things about Hogwarts were enthralled by the ancient beauty. It was certainly a sight to behold.
The boats landed ashore, allowing the students to go to the castle. A few stumbled out of the boats, having never been in one before. Together they entered through the doors of the castle, all gazing at the amazing architecture of the historical building. They were then told by Professor McGonagall to wait outside the Great Hall until it was time for them to be sorted. The air was tense with the obviously nervous first years. Some knew exactly where they were going, others had a fair guess, and a small portion had no clue whatsoever.
Fred and George chatted away lively with Lee, not noticing Carina disappear into the crowd. When entering the castle she had noticed exactly the people she should be with when her name was called, other kids from Slytherin families. Off to the side stood Adrian Pucey, as stoic as ever. "Carina," he greeted, his hair perfectly coifed. Lestrange nodded in acknowledgment.
Next to Adrian was the tall Cassius Warrington. "So the word of Lucius Malfoy being on the platform was right," Cassius mildly joked. "Honestly, I thought you were a year younger, thus my confusion."
Carina rolled her eyes at his attempt to act coy. "You'd struggle to pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel." Her statement caused his face to twist into the confusion she was making fun of him for.
Adrian burst into laughter, something he was accustomed to doing around the girl whenever his family visited Malfoy Manor. The noise caused a few other first years to glance their way, but none kept watching except for the twins and Lee.
"I didn't even realize she left," Lee said, not caring all that much. If she wanted to meet other people, that was her business.
The twins, however, noticed something off. She was acting differently with the two boys from what she had with the twins and Lee. Carina's back was straightened and she had her head held high, like when she was with Malfoy. A Slytherin facade. Fred and George frowned together, having liked her company.
Every conversation ended as Professor McGonagall approached the group. The head of Gryffindor house was an imposing figure, standing at least a head taller than the first years.
"We're ready for you to be sorted," she stated simply, not wasting any time. The first years followed the professor in the Great Hall, trying not to fidget too much as the whole student body stared at them as they walked past. The four tables for the four houses had empty seats for new students.
The group was lead to the front of the room, where a stool stood with a wrinkled old hat on top. The hat then sang a horrid song, providing input for each of the houses and the founders. Finally, it was then time to actually sort the first years.
McGonagall unrolled a scroll and read the first name. "Bletchley, Miles," she announced.
A boy with dark red hair shuffled up the steps and sat on the stool as McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head. The hat took little time before yelling, "Slytherin!" The Slytherin table erupted into cheers as the boy joined them at their table. A few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were called up before the next two Slytherins, named Peregrine Derrick and Terrence Higgs.
"Johnson, Angelina," McGonagall called. A beautiful, dark-skinned girl went and sat on the stool. The hat took the longest time with her, but even then it was no more than a minute before it announced that she was placed in Gryffindor. The Gryffindor table had the loudest cheers.
Next was Lee Jordan. A few of the teachers remembered his dad being in Hufflepuff, but the hat had other ideas. "Gryffindor!" the hat exclaimed, just like Lee had said he wanted. Lee beamed brightly as he hurried to the lion table.
"Lestrange, Carina," McGonagall continued. Even McGonagall, in all her greatness, couldn't completely hide the surprise in her voice that a Lestrange actually had a child. She knew the whole list of names already but still couldn't stop it. All memories from the last war came to a head. Voices rang out, whispering to each other throughout the Great Hall. Many couldn't believe a Lestrange was here.
Carina tried her best to ignore everything she heard as she took a seat on the stool. Hmm, she heard in her head. Lestrange, huh? I suppose you won't object to me putting you in Slytherin? It was the hat in her head, she knew, but it was still strange to hear.
I don't mind, she replied. I'm used to it.
You'll do well there, it reassured. The hat then exclaimed, "Slytherin!" There was a pause before the Slytherins clapped. Everyone, except Muggle-borns, had heard of the Lestranges. Now the Muggle-borns would be told to steer clear of her.
More Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors were sorted. Some Slytherins as well, but Carina didn't pay much attention to the rest of the sorting. Adrian and Cassius sat on either side of her when they were sorted as she'd predicted. The two sortings she did pay attention to were Fred and George's.
She smirked as George attempted to go in Fred's place, but McGonagall already looked exasperated and done with the year even though it had just started.
Albus Dumbledore began with announcements. Most of the students already knew what he was going to say. He said what was off-limits: certain items, the Forbidden Forest, etc. Then he wished the students a good year, said random words, and the feast appeared before the students.
Multiple stomach grumbling, mouth-watering food choices were available. Different meats, vegetables, fruits, and other sides piled onto the plates of students. Pumpkin juice and water were among the beverages.
Carina ate in silence while Adrian and Cassius talked avidly over her. She didn't mind all that much, preferring to keep to herself anyway. "Carina, right?" the boy in front of her asked. "I'm Miles." The boy's dark auburn hair had nothing on the Weasley's bright orange hair.
"Pleasure," she spat out before returning to her food.
"She don't talk much, mate," Adrian told Miles quickly. "I'm Adrian, this is Cassius."
"I'm Gertrude," the blonde next to Miles introduced. "I'm really excited to be here. My parents told me loads about Hogwarts."
"Are you a pure-blood?" Cassius questioned.
"No, both of my parents are half-bloods," Gertrude replied, unsure of how he would take it. "What about you?"
"My father's a pure-blood, but my mother's half," he explained. "And you, Miles?"
Miles looked up from his food, not expecting the question to be asked of him. "Same as Gertrude, but I guess my grandfather on my mother's side is a pure-blood," Miles said. "What about you, Adrian?"
"I'm a pure-blood, and so is Carina," Adrian told him.
"Oh, yeah, Lestrange is one of the sacred twenty-eight, right?" Miles asked.
"Mhmm." Carina didn't look away from her food.
Gertrude's eyes lit up in understanding. "Are you the godchild of Lucius Malfoy that everyone was talking about on the train?" she inquired. Carina nodded in response. "You're going to get a lot more hell from the other houses than the rest of us are, I'm sorry."
"I didn't even think of it that way!" Miles exclaimed. "We're all Slytherin, sure, so we're bound to get picked on a lot, but she's a Lestrange and lives with the Malfoys. We all need to walk in a pack."
None of that sounded appealing to the dark-haired girl. "I can handle them on my own, thank you," Carina pointed out.
"You're the one most likely to get hexed on the first day," Miles countered. "Your father is in Azkaban for siding with You-Know-Who. People will be lining up to take revenge. Us Slytherins need to stick together."
Carina sighed in frustration. She wasn't going to get them to stop this, but that didn't mean she was going to let them follow her willingly. "Fine," she replied, with no real intention of letting it happen. The others were none the wiser.
Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, the twins and Lee were in a heated discussion. "She's a Lestrange?" Lee repeated as a question. "Did you two know?"
"Yeah," George answered.
"We saw her with Lucius Malfoy on the platform," Fred explained.
"Just because she has their last name, doesn't mean she shares their views," George continued.
"And she was hilarious," Fred wrapped up.
"Are you guys talking about the Lestrange?" a bulky girl with coffee skin cut in. She sat across from Lee, next to another dark-skinned girl. The three boys looked at her strangely. "Sorry, I'm Alicia. I couldn't help but overhear."
"And I'm Angelina, just as curious," the other girl said with a mischevious smile.
"I'm Lee, this is Fred and George, but don't bother asking which one is which because they're just going to switch it up on you," Lee introduced. "Or at least, they did that with me."
"Sorry, mate," George said.
"We couldn't resist," Fred finished.
The girls laughed together. "What happened?" Angelina asked.
"They kept switching their names around to mess with me," Lee told them, mildly annoyed but still smiling.
The other students in the hall chatted lively, meeting new friends. Some were excited for the plethora of classes they would get to take, while others knew exactly the classes they were dreading, like Potions with Professor Snape or History of Magic with Professor Binns.
After dinner and dessert, prefects led the first years to their respective dormitories. The Slytherin prefects led the descent into the dungeons. The older male student stopped in front of a dark stone wall. "Bungarus fasciatus," he recited. The wall slid open to reveal a dark passage with a green light coming from the end of it. The prefect then walked in, the first years following closely. "The password changes every fortnight. It will be posted in the common room. If you get locked out, tough luck. No one from other houses are allowed to know the password or allowed in the common room."
The passage opened into the common room. The room had a green tint, courtesy of the green colored lamps and chairs. The fire was lit, softening the green light to a warmer one. A few chess tables were present, and a few sofas. Tapestries of medieval Slytherins were hanging on the stone walls. Windows showed the Black Lake that the dorm extended into. "Girls dorms are to the left, boys to the right," the prefect continued. "Your room will have your things in it already. If you have any questions, come find me." He then joined a few students by the fire.
The first years glanced at each other uneasily before splitting up to their dorms. Carina found her dorm quickly, being the first in the room. The room had four, four-post beds, draped in green bedding and curtains. In the center was a fire stove to heat the room. Carina began making sure all her things were sorted, letting her cat out of the carrier, putting her textbooks on the nightstand next to her bed. Her parchment, quills, and ink were also placed in the cupboard in the stand. She then put her shirts, skirts, and undergarments in the drawers on the opposite side of her bed. Her casual clothes stayed in her trunk, with her casual reading books, and a pouch of coins that she bought some sweets on the train with.
Then two other girls entered the room. One was Gertrude while the other Carina hadn't met yet. "Hi," the unknown girl greeted, her wide eyes getting bigger. "I'm Sylvia Melville. You're Carina, right?" She had warm, tawny-toned skin with a light pasting of freckles.
"Yeah, nice to meet you," Carina replied, courteously. Carina noticed Sylvia's unruly curls contrasted greatly with Gertrude's pin straight blonde hair.
Another girl then walked in with a deep tan, her golden brown hair whipping behind her. "Oh, hello," she said, stopping dead in her tracks. "You must be my roommates. I'm Mildred. Mildred Peebles."
Carina resisted the urge to laugh at the last name and instead introduced herself. "Carina Lestrange. Pleasure." She then turned back to her things to grab pajamas and get ready for bed.
"I'm Gertrude Meads," the blonde said, not skipping a beat as Carina walked past and into the restroom to change. "Don't mind her. She keeps to herself."
"I'm Sylvia Melville," Sylvia said to the newcomer. "I think I'm going to change as well." The other girls followed suit and went to their trunks. Carina was in and out as quick as can be Sylvia entering the bathroom next.
Before long, the girls settled into their beds. "I can't wait for classes, to be honest," Mildred revealed. "I've been so excited ever since I got my letter."
"Same here," Sylvia agreed. "My mum is a witch, but my dad's a Muggle, so we don't talk much about magic. He was told, but mum doesn't want him to feel left out."
"I know I'm going to hate History of Magic, but the other classes sound fun," Gertrude added.
A frown swept across Mildred's face. She wasn't sure what anyone could hate about knowing the history of something many people didn't believe existed. "Why are you going to hate History of Magic?" Mildred asked.
"It's taught by a dreadful teacher," Gertrude explained. "Professor Binns. Apparently, he died and didn't know it, and continued teaching."
"Wait, he's a ghost?" Sylvia inquired, voice clouded in shock.
Instead of verbally replying, Gertrude nodded with a peeved look on her face. "Most people hate it because he's so boring."
Carina, ignoring the three girls, laid in her bed quietly, relishing in the comfort of the warm bed. The bed being the only warm, comfortable thing about the Slytherin dungeons, just like Malfoy Manor. At least she had her cat huddled against her back.