p data-p-id="74c9995c94ced19ff439b3b560c38130"Johanna was absolutely astounded by the big beautiful establishment that was Hogwarts. The castle was huge and according to James, the inside was like a labyrinth. If you weren't careful enough, you could get seriously lost. The students, new and returning, were all being escorted to the Great Hall for a feast by the head boys from each house. This feast normally went on at the beginning of the year and it was a type of orientation for the first years and in this rare case, the one transfer. Sirius had expressed to Johanna how James aspired to be head boy eventually, but James didn't think he'd be able to since he was always causing mischief./p
p data-p-id="b49567db6212801e8961af04a6e87333" The Great Hall was extravagant. Johanna instinctively looked up towards the ceiling and saw a sky full of stars, and it was almost as if the giant room had no roof at all. Lit candles floated high through the air over the long tables that were covered in empty platters and dishes. The group of first years in a herd, huddled to the front of the Great Hall in front of all the tables while everyone else took their seats. Johanna wasn't sure what to do at this point. She wasn't a first year, but she didn't have a house to sit with. A serious looking older woman with a pointy hat saw her and then smiled warmly, waving her towards the group. She followed and joined the other first years as she was instructed. /p
p data-p-id="7384b500e6548f5713428e7625585df8"A stool was beside her, and resting on top of it was a raggedy looking brown hat, riddled with patches and tears. She now told the new students what they were to expect,/p
p data-p-id="60444d612307d9f5b35cd8b6fc8c9539""When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your houses."/p
p data-p-id="199221b64b352cc10a4c871d08c32d29"She lifted the hat now and in her other hand was what looked like a list, probably of the names of new students. She started to read them off now, one by one:/p
p data-p-id="237b71c2011017d054b7bc44025bb266""Briar Potts."/p
p data-p-id="2da5e9ed7fed7cfe0b44584206b95457"She set the sorting hat down onto her head and suddenly, a large tear started to move, like a mouth on the hat. /p
p data-p-id="00ea00ea970be6f36d51ff456f79cc40""Oh! A tricky one right off the bat… I'd say….. Ravenclaw!" /p
p data-p-id="0467e92fe01898878fda25a151c7c9f5"The girl named Briar wrung her hands nervously and walked towards the Ravenclaw table, embraced with friendly smiles. /p
p data-p-id="040fc64e3d90ca454b6bd7a605d4d49e""Danny Squabs."/p
p data-p-id="5314e2805847edeaea00521c97f7c24f"The sorting hat didn't need much time to think it over. For a few moments, it was silent and then finally cried out,/p
p data-p-id="2d3b88d0b791f572b9aecb13fbe28112""Hufflepuff!"/p
p data-p-id="1501e3f587fc21312f55403dd418de5c"Danny smiled and ran over to greet the other Hufflepuffs. An older boy who looked to be his older brother hugged him and then tousled his hair. /p
p data-p-id="b55b39cee522543de8dd38a9f3b086c4""Addison Caprine."/p
p data-p-id="fc26b11b9ee3d495a4564f01b036902c""Gryffindor!"/p
p data-p-id="850cf4cc6c1861debaeeb6d77b9964e5""Marley Stripes."/p
p data-p-id="c77c3f49cb7c79d4b5a3eaa4c597f69a""Hufflepuff!"/p
p data-p-id="41d138c3df1502c9d103b14ab49b315e""Now, for our transfer student… Johanna Beetle!" Professor McGonagal called out her name and she was almost caught off guard by this. The first years all turned to look at her and sheepishly, she made her way towards the stool, nearly tripping over her own feet on the way. Giggles erupted from the crowd when this happened and Johanna sat down quickly, her face a bright embarrassed fire engine red color. /p
p data-p-id="d230760ca12fa32a33aeb60ff992963a""Very interesting! Very interesting… a Thunderbird from Ilvermorny… gracing the halls of Hogwarts! Now isn't that something…"/p
p data-p-id="c555a52c06d6d33649381b61d0410b5a"Johanna felt even more embarrassed now as she saw what felt like a thousand eyes staring her down judgmentally. In the crowd, Johanna spotted James, Sirius, Remus and Peter and she felt herself smile, despite the embarrassment she felt. /p
p data-p-id="429379078be0fadd7f014ff8e4613029""I've got it! Slytherin!"/p
p data-p-id="a1b4236bda7a8a256ef01a776c32a174"The Slytherin table cheered and as she walked towards them, her heart sank… her new friends were in Gryffindor. And sitting smack in the middle of the Slytherin table was Emma and a group of her friends. As soon as Emma saw her, her eyes widened and she shook her head,/p
p data-p-id="1a484d5c31f2c5a70b722de4a7a9b2b6""Oh no. We're doomed."/p
p data-p-id="27ca60ab237938bb4225249cc929629f"No, I'm doomed. Johanna thought to herself and she sat down with dismay. From across the room, she saw Remus give a little wave and trying to look happy, she gave a small wave back. Professor McGonagal continued to read off names, but all of it faded into the background and sounded like static to her. Why did the sorting hat have to put her in Slytherin? Why couldn't she be in Gryffindor like her friends were? It all seemed very unfair to her, in her own personal opinion. But, even so, she was glad to be out of the limelight and sitting alone, with no one watching her. Except for the occasional glance from her friends or a sideways glare from Emma and her group. /p
p data-p-id="93669b6174d44605abd45f4a888be203"Eventually, every kids name was called out and they were sorted into whichever house they belonged to. Johanna was snapped out of her zoning out as she heard Professor McGonagal gently tap her spoon against her glass,/p
p data-p-id="36a5629e5247a906c3a8be32fc312160""Your attention please?"/p
p data-p-id="1a973a67a451e10e5cf3d7bc77b0a43b"Everyone looked up to the front of the Great Hall, where all the teachers sat and Dumbledore stood up, a small smile on his face. /p
p data-p-id="79be86e3778d8fa48866c35a08ec8f09""Let the feast begin."/p
p data-p-id="d0e390b13bb174f2f3015c733dcb6e37"To everyone's complete and utter amazement, the empty dishes magically had loads of foods appear on them. Johanna picked up her glass and inside was a drink already poured when before there hadn't been any liquid at all. Her eyes widened when she saw the food laid out in front of herself. Golden buttery mashed potatoes sat piled high in a shiny looking bowl, a whole roasted turkey sat down a few people and she even thought she saw a plate with jello salad towards the end. They even had macaroni and cheese and when she picked up her cup to try the drink, it was filled with her favorite drink, fruit punch. It was almost as if she had died and gone to heaven. Johanna got a hearty scoop of mashed potatoes and then started to get some macaroni when suddenly, a see through arm shot from out of the bowl. Johanna's eyes widened and she squeaked, stopping herself from screaming in front of everyone. Now, a head poked out as well, and when the see through head saw her, he laughed. /p
p data-p-id="5f2a372be0b6f975809c7bfc4eba982b""What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost!"/p
p data-p-id="536c7a9c4503335639aeebd75049cdeb""Leave her alone, Peeves. Let her eat her supper!" A boy who sat across from her said and the head turned to look at him with a frown,/p
p data-p-id="9142b2761b3c10dd1544d9a9137ebf07""Aw! You're no fun Severus!"/p
p data-p-id="10771465eea159161ced02e2717bbd74"The specter's entire body now flew through the table and Johanna looked up to see many ghosts were now flying through the air. /p
p data-p-id="244ba816cdb6de0823f92b0bcdfc09db""Sorry about him! He's a bit much sometimes. But you get used to him."/p
p data-p-id="676a9ae5e6dc1442c51cb1db1de54bc7"The dark haired boy apologized and Johanna felt herself shrug,/p
p data-p-id="ea19869599fdc486c6b3f841bb94e39f""It's okay. Just felt caught off guard, I guess." /p
p data-p-id="fcf3f5508f3a349d9104c13af2c21917""I'm Severus." The pale dark haired boy introduced himself properly and she felt herself smile,br /"I'm Johanna."/p
p data-p-id="8f9d4f0f5adec0e9c9f7ff0d3ade7e63""How come you transferred to Hogwarts? That rarely ever happens you know." Severus was now helping himself to some of the food on the table. /p
p data-p-id="a0a3c414379107b87f0f677f00f6b300""My mom decided to move us to Scotland to live with my Nan." Johanna lied, and felt herself feel sorry that she had to in the first place. She did want to tell him the truth, but blabbing about how the Magical Congress had practically forced them to leave the country was not only something she should've kept to herself, but also embarrassing to talk about. Severus nodded his head and took a drink from his own goblet,/p
p data-p-id="a5945015c990a3b991c7b83430bdb8d1""Interesting… so just you and your Mum? What about your father?"/p
p data-p-id="f6c75c7b192608e42d112badc30a6788""Oh! My dad was drafted into Vietnam. We actually received news earlier this year that he was killed in battle." Johanna tried to keep herself from feeling down while having to talk about her father's untimely death. /p
p data-p-id="c7e1bb566e46ecb98c7c902b362f4b43""A wizard, being forced to join a muggle war… complete and utter rubbish if you ask me." Severus spat, and right away, he assumed that Johanna's father was a wizard himself. Johanna tried to stop herself after remembering the warning she received earlier, but the words came out anyways,/p
p data-p-id="8a536baadf07a1294dd4dce131df74b7""Well, actually my dad was a muggle."/p
p data-p-id="3a8c84fc973a3f2cc3c40321fc98bfdb"The section of the table she sat at suddenly went silent, and the students who had heard her say what she had turned to look at her, either with confusion or glares. Severus looked around at everyone else and smirked,/p
p data-p-id="63a7dfd473e2af688fb4d2f8150d6910""Oh. That's a shame."/p
p data-p-id="b63301f3dca9aa57bbf2c346bcf39473"Johanna felt a twinge of shock go through her chest. A shame? Instead of choosing to get angry about what he had said, Johanna chose to ignore it, in case it was an honest mistake and he didn't mean to offend her. The kids at her table didn't seem to like being around her all of a sudden. The people sitting next to her seemed to scoot away from her, and everyone averted their eyes as if they refused to look at her. This made Johanna's heart sink in her chest. This must've been what Remus and Sirius had warned her about on the train. The other Slytherin students seemed very judgmental towards her now that they knew her father was a no-maj, and although she tried not showing it, it hurt her./p
p data-p-id="fddd21b9d7ce17da93c30fa5a653a1df"*br /*br /*br /*br /*/p
p data-p-id="3e280996566c4366378b78b1d401eeb9""You did not tell a table full of Slytherins that your dads a muggle." James' eyes were serious and Johanna sighed shakily,/p
p data-p-id="3b30c40218cd82569be213b7b2691544""I didn't think they'd have that sort of reaction. In the states, people aren't so judgmental towards muggles."/p
p data-p-id="df4706aeac1454430bd18d0937cfbb4b""Well, unfortunately enough, things are different here." Sirius looked like he genuinely felt bad for her and Peter shook his head,/p
p data-p-id="8668df5729e4cbe6729442b6e95d06c8""It probably didn't help that you started off talking to Snivelus."/p
p data-p-id="31a4eeaf7fee030f7acee105e4db0352""Severus? Was he one of the people who were mean to you? If he was I'll-" James started to spout and Johanna was quick to stop him before he got too heated. /p
p data-p-id="dd9deefa9241793fc9db93edb9adfc4d""No! He was one of the only people to actually talk to me at the Slytherin table. He seemed nice enough…" /p
p data-p-id="31e59c149ee6b9dc4e21b3a46a11746c"In all actuality, Johanna wasn't sure who she could trust when it came to her house. Almost every Slytherin already seemed to hate her before they even got the chance to know her. James shook his head after hearing Johanna jump to Severus's defense,/p
p data-p-id="dc25445afd89c1eaad7ffcde87f7e84d""He's not a nice person, you know. He hangs out with all the wannabe Death Eaters and does whatever they want so they'll like him."/p
p data-p-id="960db5c96e04f022229a498a4108b2dd""Well, I like to judge people on my own accord. Not by what other people have to say." Johanna tried to explain but James simply huffed and crossed his arms over his chest,/p
p data-p-id="ed52c80619ef881939f241b5b449f02c""Don't say I didn't warn you. Come on Sirius." /p
p data-p-id="f54776d2a25b00e8d4ecf6c0af2f62a2"James and Sirius walked away and Peter was hot on their heels, very eager to follow their trail. Remus lingered behind, but only for a moment to say,/p
p data-p-id="86d8bf60054372cfdaaa48b4348aaa6e""It's very kind of you to judge others by your own experiences and I know you mean well by it… just be careful, that's all. Don't let your guard down."/p
p data-p-id="cc6e8badfa0501acadb98868e5ce1141"He too then turned and went off in the same direction as his friends, hurrying to catch up with them. Johanna stood there, confused over what she should do. Severus seemed like the nicest Slytherin she had met so far, but the other boys she had made friends with seemed to really not like him. At the same time, that might've been for a good reason, but there was no way to know for sure. /p
p dir="ltr"Johanna was now walking on the balcony, above the courtyard and suddenly, she heard someone cry out,/p
p dir="ltr""Blimey! Briar Potts is hanging from that roof!"/p
p dir="ltr"Everyone below suddenly seemed to scatter in that direction, wanting to watch what was going on. Johanna stayed put and tried to see if she could spot the girl… after squinting her eyes for a moment, she suddenly spotted her. Briar was the small Ravenclaw first year she had seen in the Great Hall the other day, and with her little arms, she was holding onto the edge of the roof for dear life. /p
p dir="ltr"Teachers started to arrive at the scene now and Johanna saw the girl losing her grip. Down below she could see her friends in the crowd. Everyone was terribly shaken, visibly afraid that she could get hurt badly or even killed. Johanna then thought about the small piece of cloth she had in her pocket. She could use it possibly if needed… it had never failed to get her out of a jam before. The girl's hand started to slip now and before she knew it, Johanna leapt off the balcony, and in her hands was a small cloth, the size of a hand towel. /p
p dir="ltr"Suddenly, almost at magic speed, the cloth grew into a full sized carpet, just large enough for Johanna to sit on, plus a little more in the back. It was a rectangular, fluffy orange and brown shag rug, with a sunflower design printed all over. Johanna gripped the front of the rug with one hand and then with her other arm, dove for the girl, who was now free falling in the air after her other hand let go. /p
p dir="ltr"The girl was so small, winging it, Johanna was able to snatch the girl out of the air with one arm, while still hanging onto the rug with the other. At full speed, the girls sped towards the ground and tumbled when they hit it, rolling a couple of times before finally stopping. The students and the staff were now running to the two girls and when the teachers saw Johanna, they looked fearful. /p
p dir="ltr"Briar sat up, looking almost dazed. /p
p dir="ltr""What happened?"/p
p dir="ltr"" , can you please explain what you were doing up on that rooftop?" Professor McGonagal almost looked angry and Briar looked confused even more,/p
p dir="ltr""I was on the roof?!"/p
p dir="ltr""You don't remember how you got up there?" McGonagal asked questioningly and Briar shook her head. Murmurs erupted from the crowd of students behind the teachers./p
p dir="ltr"Professor McGonagal now eyeballed Johanna with surprise and amazement,/p
p dir="ltr""Is that a flying carpet?"/p
p dir="ltr""Yeah, my mom made it herself." Johanna was breathing quickly out of excitement and that's when Professor McGonagal turned to the group behind herself,/p
p dir="ltr""Alright. Go on then, give the girls some air. Go about your business."/p
p dir="ltr"The crowd disbursed now and McGonagal looked down at the girls with a sigh. /p
p dir="ltr""Briar, you come with me. , Slytherin is awarded five points for your act of heroism today. But I must tell you, since you're from the States, magic carpets are banned in Scotland and most of Europe. I won't confiscate it because you didn't know any better, but I will ask that you keep it packed away for the rest of the school year. Is that understood?"/p
p dir="ltr""Yes, ma'am." Johanna nodded her head, very respectfully and Professor McGonagal gave her a quick nod before walking off with Briar. The rug in her hand shrunk down now, back to the size of a hand towel. It's design was now gone and it looked nothing more than a raggedy dish towel. Johanna folded the fabric up neatly and then stuck it in her pocket, giving it a happy pat afterwards. Carpet never ceased to amaze her. /p