Chapter 6 The Sorting

Before I knew it, it was the first of September. I had practised using my wand and tried out most spells in the books. Regulations seem to be much laxer in Diagon Alley before the Dark Lords, as some of the books I slipped under Merrythought's nose are obviously dark. I mean, it is literally called, Curses, Blood Magic and other Dark Spells. I tried out quite a few of them on ants and spiders that had been attracted to my room through my manipulation of their will. My wand seems to be happier with those spells than the other simpler ones, which was quite interesting.

After bidding the nuns farewell, I casually leaned against the pillar at platform 9 and ¾ , there was no way that I was running headfirst into a potential wall, at least this way, I may stumble, but I won't break my neck if I was wrong. After gaping at the scarlette Hogwarts Express for a minute, I made my way on board the train, sat down, and took out a book and started reading.

I was quite early, as the train will not depart for another hour, so I just read my extracurricular transfiguration book quietly, while the station slowly filled with people. As the train started moving away from the platform, I heard a quiet knock upon my compartment door.

"Come in." I called.

A boy, not much older than I, pushed open my door, flicking away a lock of auburn hair. He had startling blue eyes. I feel like he should be familiar, but I can't place, for the life of me, where I had seen him before.

"Hello, may I join you in your compartment? Most of the others are taken." He asked.

I smiled, well, time to make friends! It might seem weird, but I don't feel like a weirdo for making friends with people around my physical age, since every year, my memory of the other world fades almost exponentially. At this point, I just feel like I have read a novel about my other life. I feel like I am actually eleven or twelve.

"Certainly."

When he sat down, I introduced myself, "My name is Seraphina Astrum, pleasure meeting you, mister…?"

"Oh, um, Dumbledore, call me Albus."

Seriously? I cursed inwardly, I am in a compartment and in the same year as Albus Dumbledore, the manipulative old coot, trouble causer of the century!? Of all characters! I literally met my least favourite one? Wait, at least I know that Dumbledore will be smart, and not that bad in his youth, I think. Oh well, may as well as literally shove a middle finger in the face of cannon and see how this goes, I guess.

After recovering from my slight, musing, Albus and I chatted about Hogwarts, and our expectations throughout the train trip, and the idea of how spells were able to tap into magic. It was fun, talking to him was almost like sparring, Albus was very quick witted, and he certainly could keep up with my ideas in our conversation. We landed on the topic of sorting.

"What house do you think you will join, Seraphina?"

"Maybe Ravenclaw or Slytherin, if I had to guess, yourself?"

"Gryffindor. It would help me with my family reputation."

"Reputation?"

"Wait, you don't know? I thought everyone did….. Wait, you are a pureblood right?"

"I don't know, half-blood, I think."

"But you behave exactly like a pureblood! Wait, what do you mean you don't know?"

"I was raised in a muggle orphanage, but Olivander said something about my mother's wand while I was there."

"Oh…um…I'm sorry"

Awkward! "It's okay, you could not have known."

"Um, yeah, anyway, my father just got sent to Azkaban for attacking muggles a few months ago. So our entire family is labelled as muggle and muggleborn haters."

"Don't worry, I would not judge you until you have shown who you are as an independent person."

After that our conversation lulled, until we arrived. Luckily, by the time this was only brought up, we were already almost at Hogsmeade.

After sailing across the black lake, Hogwarts was finally in view. Let's just say that the books do not do it justice. The place was so filled with magic, that the air itself was humming, the castle stood tall but welcoming, in full view of everyone. Before long, we were led up to the great hall. The great hall truly was a work of art, the stars twinkled while all the candles floated lazily past my head. After the old hat sang its customary welcoming song, a professor, whose name I failed to catch as I was too busy admiring the hall, called out.

"When I call your name, put on this hat and be sorted."

"Abbot, James!"

A blond boy skipped up to the pedestal, and jammed the hat on his head, less than a minute later, the hat called out.

"Hufflepuff!"

"Annesette, Lilith"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Astrum, Seraphina"

I confidently strolled up to the pedestal, ignoring the slight murmur going through a small group of seventh year Slytherins. The hat plopped onto my head, while I tilted it slightly, observing everyone in the hall while I was being sorted.

"Ooh, this is an interesting one, hello, you seem to have more memory than most, more confidence too. What? An ambition to change the world? Well, better be…SLYTHERIN!"

The hat yelled out the last part, as I gracefully stood up, I caught Albus's slightly wide eyes, filled with indecision and sat down at the Slytherin table. Well, this is going to be a fun seven years.