Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All characters/settings/lore are the property of their respective owners.
Hermione and Hailey were both reclining in the chairs of the compartment. Hermione had convinced Hailey to change into the school uniform immediately, and was brushing out the knots in her straight black hair when the door slid open to reveal the youngest Weasley boy.
"Is anyone sitting here?" Ron asked. "Fred and George are testing dung bombs in their compartment and everywhere else is full."
"Not at all. You're welcome to share the compartment if you want," Hailey smiled, gesturing to the seats. Hermione seemed slightly irritated by the intrusion, but made no comment.
"Cheers," Ron said, turning towards Hermione. "I don't think we've spoken. I'm Ron Weasley."
"Hermione Granger," she responded curtly.
They sat in awkward silence for a minute, Hermione stowing away her hairbrush before Ron spoke again.
"So… have either of you girls ever played Exploding Snap?" Ron said, trying to break the ice.
"No, what's that?" Hermione asked, suddenly interested. She had never heard of a game called Exploding Snap.
"It's a Wizarding card game. Fred and George taught me how to play it," Ron explained, pulling out a deck from his robes.
"Your family are wizards?" Hailey guessed.
"Yes, I think so. Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant though. You two are Muggleborns, right?"
"My dad- her uncle- is a Muggleborn but I'm a Halfblood. He adopted me," Hailey parroted the fake backstory the Foundation had given her. "My dad raised me in a magical community in America. But Hermione's parents aren't magical. How about your family, what's it like having so many siblings? We're both only children."
"Well I've got 6 siblings. 5 older brothers and Ginny," Ron began, looking somewhat gloomy. "You've already met the twins, Fred and George. They mess around a lot, but they get good marks and everybody thinks they're funny. Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. Percy's a prefect. Everybody expects me to do as well as my older brothers, but if I do, it's no big deal because they did it first. You never get anything new either. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat."
He reached inside his jacket to pull out a fat sleeping rat.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he never stops sleeping. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made Prefect, but we couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers instead"
Ron went pink, seemingly embarrassed by what he'd said. Hailey gave him a sympathetic look, but he bristled and turned to look out the window.
"You must know a lot of magic already. Let's see some," Hermione said, trying to cheer the boy up. At least, that's what she thought she was doing.
Ron looked a bit taken aback, but he pulled out his wand.
"Well, George gave me this spell. 'Supposed to turn Scabbers yellow," Ron said, clearing his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"
He waved his wand over the sleeping rat, but nothing happened.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? It didn't work!" Hermione scoffed.
Ron's face turned pink again and he hastily stuffed his wand back in his jacket. Hailey nudged Hermione with her elbow, gesturing towards the boy.
"You know... I think I saw the ends of Scabber's whiskers turn yellow," Hermione said with a forced smile, trying to cheer the boy up. Hailey gave Hermione a thumbs up when Ron wasn't looking.
She knew Hermione struggled with being aware of other people's feelings. Hermione never intended to hurt people, but she would often assume others felt the way she did. It pleased Hailey to see her learning to cheer people up.
Hailey talked amicably with Ron for another half hour about Quidditch while Hermione read a thick book, occasionally piping in to voice her opinion when the topic of conversation shifted from sport. They were interrupted by the arrival of the sweets trolley. Hailey bought her cousin and new friend some treats using the money from her vault, purchasing a few chocolate frogs for herself.
She unwrapped her chocolate frog, immediately catching the frog before it could leap out the window.
"They're alive!?" Hermione exclaimed, pausing her attack on a Liquorice Wand.
"Not really, they're just charmed to move. You have to catch them quickly otherwise they'll escape," Ron said, picking carefully through a box of Every Flavour Beans.
Hailey absentmindedly chewed on the chocolate while she examined the picture. He had long silver hair and half-moon glasses. So this was Albus Dumbledore? She read the back of the card, eager to learn more about the man the Foundation held in such high regard.
"He's gone," Hailey stated bluntly when she turned the card back over.
"Well you can't expect him to stay around all day," Ron said. "He'll be back."
"Wizarding pictures are alive too?" Hermione asked.
Hailey listened in with interest. Maybe she should bring some paintings back to Site 19 for Cassy? She was always so lonely.
A knock on the door brought Hailey out of her thoughts. The door opened to reveal a round-faced boy. His brown hair hung limply on his head and his eyes were red and tearful.
"Sorry, but have any of you seen a toad?" the boy mumbled.
"Can't say I have. But if you'd like I could help you look?" Hailey offered, turning to her friends. "Would either of you like to come with?"
"Sure, I'll help him look for his toad," Hermione said. Ron shrugged and nodded, agreeing to help.
"R-really? Thanks! I'm Neville Longbottom."
"Hailey Mardas," she replied, shaking the boy's hand. "This is my cousin Hermione Granger and new friend Ron Weasley."
Her two compartment companions both shook the boy's hand.
"Well then, let's go find your toad," Ron grumbled. Hermione cast a locking charm on the compartment door as they exited.
"So Neville… what house do you think you'll be in?" Hailey probed, trying to get the boy to talk.
"Um… well my family have always Gryffindors,"Neville hesitated, looking like he was surprised she was talking to him. "but I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff isn't so bad. It could be worse, you could be in Slytherin," Ron remarked.
Hermione slid open the door to the next compartment, which occupied by two boys in the middle of a conversation.
"Have either of you seen a toad? Neville's lost his."
"Sorry, we haven't seen one," the boy on the left replied. He spoke with a distinctive Irish accent.
"Damn. Well, tell us if you see it."
"No worries. I'm Seamus and this is my friend Dean."
"My name's Hermione. This is Hailey, Neville and Ron."
"Hailey Potter?!" Dean gasped, looking sharply at the black-haired girl who's face had gained a red tinge.
"I'd prefer it if you referred to me as Hailey Mardas," she replied, red with embarrassment. Ron and Neville both turned sharply to stare at her.
"Blimey, I didn't think we'd actually get to need you. Did you really fight a troll at the age of 4?" Seamus exclaimed, looking at her with awe in his eyes.
"No," she sighed. "Look, thanks for helping us with Neville's toad. It was nice meeting you both."
Hailey gently slid the door to their compartment closed, turning around to see Neville and Ron's shocked expressions.
"Is it true? Are you really… you know?" Ron trailed off, looking at her expectantly.
"Yes, I'm Hailey Potter. But the man who raised me gave me the name Mardas, and I'd like to keep it."
"OK."
"Excuse me?"
"OK. You're my friend. I can understand how you feel. If I learnt I was adopted I'd still want to be called Weasley. Even if I hate them sometimes." Ron said, Neville nodding next to him. "Blimey Hailey, did you think I was going to call you Potter out of spite?"
"Aw, thanks," Hailey smiled, leaning over to give Ron a friendly hug. She turned to give Neville a pat on the back. Neville didn't seem to know how to respond, but he did smile weakly at her.
"But I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when my sister comes to Hogwarts next year."
"Oh God, you're right," Hailey lamented, dramatically collapsing against Ron. He chuckled as he caught her.
"Well, we should probably keep looking for the toad," Hermione interjected, gesturing behind her to the rest of the train.
"Y-you guys don't need to do all this" Neville stuttered, face reddening.
"Nonsense. With more people searching, the toad will be found sooner," Hermione explained. "So it would be better for us to continue helping you."
Hailey grinned at her cousin. Trust Hermione to be completely misread what Neville was saying and reduce the issue to a logical puzzle. Hermione had trouble believing that somebody could refuse aid in a situation where she could be of help. But she would offer her help so readily to anybody who would benefit from it. It could be both annoying and incredibly endearing. Right now, Hailey considered it very endearing. And from Neville's grateful look, he did too.
They searched every cabin until they reached the front of the train before turning around to check the back of the train. As Hailey trailed behind Hermione who was opening the compartment doors, she noticed the eyes of the occupants seemed to follow her. Had the news of her identity already spread?
Whatever, she wasn't going to let that phase her. It was hardly the most important secret she kept. Though she would have much rather lived without the baggage that came with her name. Hailey's childhood thus far was dominated by the secrets and subterfuge that came with life in the SCP Foundation. And now she was about to be dragged into the Wizarding World's spotlight. How was she supposed to handle that?
She turned her attention back to the three people walking in front of her. Hermione was opening the door to another compartment, Neville was trailing meekly behind her and Ron was looking out the window at the passing forest. At least she had three friends in this new world.
"Has anybody seen a toad? Brown, about this big? Neville's lost his," Hermione said.
"If we did, do you think we'd tell you?" a voice sneared from the compartment.
Hailey leaned over to look through the compartment window and see who had spoken to her cousin so rudely. There were 6 people in the one who had spoken was a tall brown-haired boy standing in the middle of the room. Behind him on the seats, a tanned boy and a brown-haired girl were sniggering.
She leaned slightly further to see the remaining three people in the compartment. There were two other round-faced boys practically inhaling candies. Between them was a familiar head of blonde hair.
"Hey, sod off!" Ron shouted at the boy. Hermione gave him an appreciative look.
"Red hair and secondhand robes? You must be a Weasley. I'm surprised your parents could afford to send another Hogwarts this year," Malfoy scoffed as he stood up, his eyes looking over Ron.
Then his eyes darted over to meet hers. They shared a brief moment of connection in the moment their eyes met. She could see feelings of anger and betrayal reflected in his grey eyes. What did he have to feel betrayed over? She hadn't done anything to him.
There was something else that flickered behind them. Disappointment? She stared back at him defiantly until the interruption of the other boy broke their eye contact.
"A Weasley defending Mudbloods? Typical blood traitors," the brown haired boy drawled. He then turned to her.
"And you must be Hailey Potter. They've been saying that Hailey Potter was on the train, helping some Muggle-lover find a toad. But I didn't actually think somebody of your bloodline would associate with such filth. My name's Nott, Theodore Nott."
"Charmed," Hailey drawled, much to his irritation. She deliberately exaggerated her American accent which seemed to anger Nott further.
"Though I hear she goes by Mardas, isn't that right?" Malfoy added, practically spitting out the name.
"That's the name of the wizard who raised me."
"A Mudblood wizard, right?" Nott sneered. "I should have guessed, nobody of any quality would allow their daughter to associate with a Weasley and a Longbottom."
Hailey seethed inside, gripping her wand tightly. How dare he insult her father! She could feel her grip on space and gravity through the red mist that had descended over her mind, tempting her to make the boy pay for his slight.
A soft hand rested itself on her back, causing the red mist to fade. Hermione was looking at her with concern in her eyes, stroking her hand down the small of her back. Hailey took a few deep breaths, calming herself.
"Better a blood traitor than a Death Eater!" Ron snapped, gripping his own wand in his hand.
"Looks like you've got Weasley wrapped around your little finger like a good little attack dog, Mardas," Malfoy goaded, causing Ron to turn red with anger and embarrassment. "I'll be here when you find yourself looking for a better circle of friends."
He offered her his hand to shake, giving her an arrogant smirk. But Hailey could almost detect a flicker of genuine interest from him. She dismissed that thought quickly, looking back into Malfoy's eyes and giving him an exaggerated fake smile.
"Thank you for the offer," she drawled, imitating him. "But if a better circle of friends means you and lanky over there, I think I'll pass."
Malfoy's eyes hardened and he withdrew his hand sharply. Beside him Not tensed with rage.
"You'll pay for that Potter!" Nott snarled, leveling his wand straight at her heart with a stiff grip.
Hailey, Ron, Hermione and even Neville raised their own wands in response. The tanned boy and the girl also drew their own wand. Malfoy drew his, holding it lightly in his fingers with the ease of somebody experienced in dueling, slowly shifting it left to right across the group as if debating whether he wanted to involve himself or not.
"Look at the one on the right, he can't even hold his wand properly!" the girl scoffed, causing Neville to turn red. His hand was shaking wildly with fear. But he steadied his wand, pointing it directly at her.
"What's all this!?" a voice shouted from their left. They turned to see the lady who sold them the candies staring at them with an accusing look on her face.
"Just practicing some magic," Nott said, stowing his wand hurriedly.
"Well I'd ask that you don't "practice magic" anymore, or I'll have to talk with Professor Dumbledore," the woman ordered as she squeezed past them.
"Oh, do tell us if you see the toad," Hermione insisted with fake sincerity, closing the door to their compartment.
The four friends waited until they were out of hearing distance before talking again.
"Blimey, what a bunch of gits," Ron joked, causing Hailey and Hermione to chuckle.
"It was like Malfoy and Nott were competing over who could be worse human beings," Hermione agreed. Even Neville laughed at that.
"And Neville, thanks for having our backs in that standoff," Hailey praised, nodding at the boy with a smile.
"B-But I didn't do anything."
"You stood up for yourself when that pug-faced girl insulted you. That was very brave of you," Hermione consoled. "We'll be arriving at the school soon, we'd better get ready. Let's hope your toad shows up there."
Neville looked down at his feet glumly, before walking further down the train away from the trio.
"You're welcome to join us," Hermione offered. He turned around to see Ron tilting his head in the direction of their compartment, beckoning Neville to follow them.
"Really?" Neville asked, almost like he expected them to laugh at him.
"Sure mate. Let's go grab your things and head back," Ron said.
Neville hurried back to his small compartment, dragging his suitcase behind him with the help of his three new friends.
Hailey, Hermione, Ron and Neville all squeezed into the small rowboat carefully, trying to avoid capsizing it. Hagrid was directing students into multiple small boats, making sure that everyone was in safely. She waved to the giant as she passed, but he was too busy to stop and chat. As soon as all the students were in, the boats began to glide across the smoothe lake. They were forced to duck as they passed under a stone archway.
As they passed under the archway, Hailey felt her anomalous senses weaken. They must have passed through the anti-Apparition wards. Even under ordinary circumstances, it was hard for Hailey to look through the shifting and chaotic gravitational fields she could detect. She would often describe it to the Foundation as trying to pick out a single snowflake in a snowstorm. Within an anti-Apparition ward, it felt like she was standing in a blizzard. Everything was scrambled and weird, she could only just make out the mass of the hills and a particularly large object in front of them.
A loud "wow!" made Hailey open her eyes. Hogwarts loomed above them, its yellow lights glistening in the night sky. The stone towers rose majestically over the black lake, shimmering under the moonlight. Wow indeed. They disembarked the rowboats onto a small stone pier and walked up into the castle.
"Hey Neville, is that your toad?" Hermione asked, pointing to a brown creature lying on the rocks.
"Trevor!" he cried, scooping up the toad into his hands. How had the toad gotten there?
Hagrid directed them off the docks and into the castle. The interior was just as impressive as the outside. Arches rose up to the ceiling and massive stairways let up further into the building. This stone castle was very impressive, but some part of her still longed for the familiar concrete of her home. They approached a gigantic wooden door. Hagrid knocked three times, causing the doors to swing open magically.
A woman was waiting on the other side. She was old and wore emerald-green robes and a tall pointed hat. The room she stood in was huge, at least the size of a house, and the ceiling seemed to stretch on forever.
Hermione nudged her arm.
"That's the woman who turned mum's teacup into a mouse," she provided.
"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid announced.
"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here."
They followed McGonagall in silence, listening as the drone of voices grew louder. The footsteps of the 50 or so students echoed off the stone walls of the castle, creating a tense atmosphere.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began once they'd reached an even larger wooden door. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses."
Hailey hoped that the hat would place her in the same house as at least one of her friends. Honestly, the whole house thing was kind of scaring her. It was apparently a very big deal in British Magical society.
"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, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."
She snorted. No matter what "family" she was sorted into, Hailey doubted they could be less crazy than the family she had already. None of these Hogwarts houses contained a giant deadly reptile. Right?
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its 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 are awarded the House Cup, a great honour. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I shall return when we are ready for you."
McGonagall left the room through a side door.
They all waited idly in the room. Hailey leaned against the stairway and talked with Ron about the Sorting ceremony.
"Fred and George say you need to fight a troll, and they decide based on how you kill it," Ron provided, though he didn't really believe them.
Neville paled at the mention of a troll.
"Well I know for a fact that's not the case. They stick a hat on your head and it reads your thoughts or something," Hermione countered. Oddly enough, this was not mentioned in Hogwarts: A History. But the Foundation had an entire file dedicated to the object.
That was something Hailey hadn't considered yet. She didn't want some hat picking around in her mind. Her level of security clearance may not get you far in Site 19, but it got you far enough to learn things that make Area 51 look like Disneyland. Then again, this hat was apparently unable to divulge any information it learned and the Foundation didn't consider a security threat, so she wouldn't either.
A scream sounded from the back of the crowd, echoing against the stone walls. They turned and saw pale and translucent figures fly in through the walls and pass over the student's head. A few of the kids shrieked in terror as the ghosts flew above them.
Amateurs.
Professor McGonagall returned to the room while the ghosts floated through the opposite wall.
"Now form a line and follow me," she commanded.
Hailey got in line behind Hermione and walked through the even larger wooden doors. This room was even larger than the previous one. The ceiling was a cloudy black, dotted with stars. An impressive piece of magic, she thought to herself. It was illuminated by thousands of floating candles, none of which seemed to produce any molten wax. There were four tables in the hall arranged parallel to the entrance and one raised table in front of the window towards the end of the hall.
But most of Hailey's attention was focused on the stool towards the end of the room. On the stool sat a dirty and frayed wizards hat.
"I know the hat is ancient, but you'd think they'd have cleaned it once in a while," Hermione remarked as they waited in line.
She watched in curiosity as a rip in the hat began to open, like a mouth, and the hat 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"
Now Hailey was getting a bit worried. The hat may not be allowed to reveal anything she knew to others, but she didn't want the whole school to see what would happen if their hat encountered something memetic.
"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've a 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 folks 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!"
The whole school clapped loudly as the Sorting Hat finished it's performance. Was this something that the hat did every year?
Professor McGonagall stepped forward to address the students.
"When I call your name, you will step forward and put on the hat," McGonagall said. "Abbott, Hannah!"
The blond-haired girl walked up to the hat nervously and placed it on her head.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.
Next up was a girl named Susan Bones, who was also sorted into Hufflepuff. Hailey found herself idly trying to guess which house everyone would be sorted into. Hermione would be suited for either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Ron, despite his worries, seemed like somebody who would fit right in with what she knew about Gryffindors. Neville, she wasn't so sure of. He could be brave, though surely the Gryffindors did not hold a monopoly on that? But she couldn't tell where she'd fit in.
"Granger, Hermione!"
"Good luck," Hailey whispered as Hermione walked up to the stool. The Sorting Hat seemed to pause for a while, as if making a careful choice.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Hermione smiled and walked over to the corner table, where people were shouting and cheering. She sat down near the end and turned to give Hailey a wave.
The next one of her friends to be sorted was Neville. He approached the stool nervously, and closed his eyes in anticipation once he placed the hat on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Neville looked shocked, like he had been expecting a different answer. The Gryffindors all clapped as Neville all but ran to the table, accidentally forgetting to take the hat off. The school burst into laughter, causing Neville to turn red. He sat down next to Hermione on the end of the table after returning the hat to the stool.
Draco Malfoy strolled up to the hat like he had all the time in the world when his name was called. The hat barely even touched his head before it shouted "SLYTHERIN!"
Theodore Nott was next, the hat sat on his head for only a few seconds before he was off to join Slytherin. Hailey waited patiently for her name to be called. At least, the name the Wizarding World knew her by.
"Potter, Hailey!"
The hall went dead silent. Not this again.
She walked up to the hat and placed it on her head.
"Hey before we get started, I'd just like to say that if you find anything in my memories talking about cognitohazards, exit that memory as soon as possible," she thought, hoping the hat would hear.
"Ahh, so the Foundation has sent another? Do not worry, I've sorted a few students aware of your organisation in my time," a voice said in her head.
"Really? You know about us?"
"I am old enough to remember the precursors to the SCP Foundation. Trust me, young one, I know lots of things about the place you come from," the Sorting Hat said. "Now, let me see here… plenty of courage, but also a thirst for knowledge. Not surprising, considering your organisation. But I see here you do not merely want knowledge for the sake of knowledge. No, you have great ambitions. To use this knowledge as a weapon against threats beyond comprehension. But where do I sort you?"
"Well, Gryffindor is where my cousin is…"
"And friendship means a lot to you, doesn't it? Two houses could put you on the path towards what you seek. Friendship, knowledge, the power to vanquish great evils. You know what your options are, Hailey Mardas. You will have to choose. Which path do you wish to take to achieve what you desire? Gryffindor or Slytherin?"
"Gryffindor," Hailey whispered in her head after a brief pause.
"Very well. GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to a roaring cheer from the school.
She took the hat off her head and walked confidently to the Gryffindor table, taking a seat next to Hermione who congratulated her. Her new housemates where whooping and cheering, shouting "We've got Potter!" at the top of their lungs. The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave her a nod of acknowledgement when he caught her scanning the head table.
Soon, it was Ron's turn. He looked absolutely terrified as he approached the hat. Hailey gave him a thumbs up when their eyes met. He smiled grimly in response before placing the hat on his head.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table clapped loudly, Hailey joining them as Ron walked over to the table with a relieved smile. The Weasley twins both gave him a pat on the back as he collapsed into a seat opposite her.
Albus Dumbledore had stood up behind the podium, a pleased smile on his as he looked over the students. His arms were spread like he wanted to embrace the entire school.
"Welcome!" he began. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Hailey's mind whirled. Dumbledore must have been speaking in some kind of code! But none of those code words were familiar to her. The Foundation would have told her if there was codewords she needed to know. Maybe the code wasn't for her?
"Is he a bit mad?" Ron asked her. Hailey shrugged. She didn't think the Foundation would work with a madman. Then again, they let Dr Bright work there.
Suddenly, she felt a small spatial disturbance. Hailey looked down to see that the tables were filled with food. Did they teleport the food here?
Whatever, she could look into that later. Right now, that pork chop was looking very appealing. She bowed her head and muttered a quick prayer before filling her plate.
"That does look good," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to see the ghost from earlier.
"Right, ghosts can't eat," Hailey recalled.
"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years. I don't need to, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. I'm the ghost of Gryffindor."
"I know you!" Ron interrupted. "My brothers told me about you- You're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Hermione asked.
"'Mione, I wouldn't-" Hailey began, before being interrupted by the ghost grabbing his left ear and swinging his head off his neck. Somebody clearly tried to behead him but done it incorrectly. Or possibly used a blunt axe to deliberately hurt him. That looked brutal.
"Well, I hope you're going to win us the house cup this year," Nicholas said, flipping his head back onto his neck. "Slytherin have got the cup six years now, the Bloody Baron is becoming unbearable."
Nicholas floated off to talk with other students, leaving Hailey to enjoy her food. She listened to the conversations between the other first years, until the conversation eventually turned to family.
"I'm a Halfblood," Seamus explained. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mam didn't tell him until after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
The other kids laughed, even Hailey chuckled a bit. Despite their encounter on the train, Seamus seemed like a good person.
"What about you, Neville?" Ron asked.
"Well, my gran raised me, she's a witch," he began. "But the family thought I was a Squib for ages. They kept trying to force magic out of me. Nothing happened until I was 8. Great-uncle Alfie was hanging me by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go."
"That's awful!" Hermionie cried.
"But I bounced all the way into the garden and onto the road. They were all really pleased. Gran was crying, she was so happy."
Neville trailed off once he noticed how many people were staring at him. Hailey's early childhood had been awful, but at least she hated the Dursleys just as much as they hated her. Neville had to deal with abuse from people he loved.
"How about you Hermione?" Neville asked, trying to deflect their attention.
"My parents are both Muggles. They're dentists, which is like a Muggle healer for your teeth. But my uncle, my mum's brother, is a Muggleborn so they knew about magic," Hermione said. She'd also been told the fake backstory the Foundation gave Hailey.
"And her uncle is my adoptive father, so we're cousins," Hailey added. "His side of the family are Greek Americans, so I was raised in the United States, up in Montana."
"Where's that?" Ron asked.
"It's on the Canadian border. Really beautiful place, there's lots of mountains and forests I get to explore sometimes."
"That sounds wicked! I'd love to visit sometime," Ron said.
"Yeah… maybe," Hailey trailed off. "The... wizards that live there don't exactly like outsiders. I'll need to get permission to invite any of you over there. Sorry."
She winced and gave Ron an apologetic look, but he shrugged it off.
"Don't worry Hailey, I'm not upset."
Hailey smiled at him in thanks. Maybe, once she knew him better, she could invite him over to Site 19 if the O5 Council approved.
She turned back to the head table, looking over all the people she'll be learning under for the next 7 years. Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair and a sharp hook nose, his back turned to her.
The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell and right into her eyes. Hailey suddenly felt an intense burning in her heart, causing her to collapse forward slightly in pain.
"Ah!" she cried, dropping her knife to clutch her the spot of her chest above her heart.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked with a concerned look.
"I'm fine," she hissed as the pain ceased.
For a brief moment there, Hailey could no longer feel the spacetime of her environment. At all. She never realised how much she was constantly doing it until it was gone. It was like she had suddenly gone blind for a few seconds.
Just as quickly as the pain had some, it had disappeared and Hailey felt her spatial six sense return to her. She turned back to look at the hook-nosed teacher who had resumed his conversation with Professor Quirrell.
"Who is that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" she asked the Weasley twins.
"That's Snape, he's the head of Slytherin and the Potions teacher," the one she was pretty sure was George said.
"And he's a right git too! We've been trying to prank him since first year," Fred added.
Interesting, she'd have to keep a close eye on that teacher. The Weasley twins both laughed and spent the remainder of the feast running her through all the pranks they've pulled off. Hailey listened, pushing the thoughts of her burning scar aside as they described a prank they pulled off last year.
"So you charmed every door in a whole corridor to dump water on this Filch person? That's very impressive," she praised as she finished off the last of her dessert.
"What can we say? We aim to please," they said at the same time.
They fell silent when the plates and food all disappeared. The Headmaster had gotten up to address the school.
"First-years should note that the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, forbidden to all pupils. And a few of the older students would do well to remember that too," Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes flashing in the direction of the Weasley twins. "I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."
The two twins to her left whooped in delight, drawing a few laughs from the surrounding students.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
Hailey laughed in her head. At first, she thought it was going to be tough adjusting to life at Hogwarts, but this place wasn't so different to the Foundation at all!
"He's not serious?" Ron muttered to the twins.
"Must be," George replied with a smile.
"Might have to take a look, eh Forge?" Fred remarked.
"Oh certainly, we'll take Ronny with us," George laughed. Ron's face turned pale, causing the twins to laugh louder.
"Ron might not want to go, but you can certainly take me with you instead!" Hailey offered, calling their bluff. "Tell you what, meet me there in a week and we'll take a look, OK?"
Honestly, she had trouble remembering a time when she didn't share a roof with something capable of giving her 'a very painful death'. She once lived next to a red liquid that caused human organs to explode for about a month. So this third-floor corridor was nothing out of her comfort zone, though obviously she was just trying to call their bluff.
"Oh most definitely, little firstie," George replied, seemingly amused by her comment.
Well that backfired.
She was saved from having to respond by Dumbledore.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" he said, conjuring some golden ribbon that began to form words in the air. "Everybody pick their favourite tune. And off we go!"
She joined the rest of the school in singing the weird school song, finishing with the rest of the school. The Weasley Twins were the last ones left singing. Dumbledore smiled and conducted the last few lines of their funeral march with his wand.
"Ah music," he began. "A magic far beyond what we do here. And now, bedtime. Off you trot."
They followed Percy up the stone staircases of the castle. The people in the portraits pointed and whispered as they passed through the corridors. She was going to do some research and determine how these portraits are created to see if she could make Cassy a friend.
Percy stopped in front of a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress. Judging from the large void Hailey felt behind the portrait, this must be the door to Gryffindor house.
"Caput Draconis," he shouted so the other students could hear him, causing the portrait to swing open to reveal the interior of the common room. There were large windows on the tower, letting them see out onto the grounds. In the corner of the room a fireplace crackled peacefully. It was surrounded by comfortable-looking armchairs. Gold and red tapestries hung from the walls around the room.
The common room was very homely. Quite different from the concrete and steel she was used to.
"Girls through that door, boys through that one. You have beds assigned to you. McGonagall will be here to address you in the morning. Now, go to bed," Percy commanded.
Hailey said her goodbyes to Ron and Neville before she departed the common room with Hermione. They walked up the spiral staircase into their assigned dormitories. In the room, there were four beds and two girls already there. Her trunk had also been carried into the room from the train somehow.
The two girls, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, introduced themselves to Hailey and Hermione. All four of them were too tired to talk much, so they all collapsed into their assigned beds.
It was going to be weird sharing a room with somebody. The only people she'd ever shared a room with for any large period of time were the rare occasions the Foundation allowed her to sleepover with Alice and when Achilles fell asleep reading her bedtime stories. Though Hailey was looking forward to the experience.
She drifted off to sleep, excited for her first day of school tomorrow.
The first thing Hailey saw when she opened her eyes was a swirling sea of red and black light. She felt hard stone beneath her back and a biting wind that was neither hot nor cold. Instead it felt like she was being pelted by a hundreds of little shards of glass.
She stood up, looking around at the barren and desolate landscape she'd been transported to. There was nothing but hot brown rock and glass-like sand beneath an awful black ash-filled sky. An unnatural red sun hung in the sky, casting it's baleful light upon the scorched earth. It looked like it was weeping in pain. Some instinctive primordial part of Hailey knew that there was something very wrong about this place. Every atom of her being wanted to leave and never return.
Hailey tried reaching out with her teleportation powers to leave, but they had deserted her. Left without any other option, she chose a random path and began walking. She had taken only a few steps before she felt the air contort and twist, like it was screaming in agony. Something very powerful had taken notice of her intrusion. The unnatural sun focused all of it's light unto her, plunging the surrounding landscape into darkness.
Hailey screamed as her body was wracked with pain, causing her to collapse into the ground in a twitching mess. She clutched her heart, which had begun to burn like a nuclear inferno. Thick black blood leaked through the gaps of her fingers, pouring from the jagged scar on her chest. The entity's rage and hatred pounded against her mind as she spasmed in a growing pool of blood. Images flashed before her eyes. A man with a rolling pin looming over a tiny bloodied child, a concrete statue covered in blood and flesh, Site 19 burning in eldritch red and black flames
She curled up in terror as an ancient and malevolent laugh reverberated through her soul.
Hailey's eyes snapped open. The comforting view of the Gryffindor dormitories greeted her as she frantically checked her surroundings, panting heavily as her panic faded. That echoing laugh slowly faded, leaving only peaceful silence in its wake. The early morning sun had begun to shine through the windows, giving the room an ethereal glow.
She was lying on her back, her bedsheets dishevelled and drenched in sweat. It was just a nightmare, she was OK. Hailey sighed as she fell back onto the bed, placing her hand on her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.
A/N: I told you that the plot of this story would be different to the original. Voldemort is going to be the least of Hailey's worries. Originally this chapter was a lot more graphic but I figured that'd be too much of a change in tone for what has so far been a generally lighthearted story. Plus it would force me to surpass that later in the fanfic and its subsequent sequels.
So I finished this chapter. I made this one longer than average to make up for breaking my weekly update schedule. It's around 8000 words instead of the usual 5000. We get introduced to Ron, Neville and Theodore Nott. Neville is going to play a more important role in the earlier years (2 and 3). Theodore is also going to be more important, acting as a kind of inner-Slytherin rival to Draco and a secondary antagonist for "The Golden Quartet" (Hailey, Ron, Hermione, Neville), but he's not just going to be a Draco ripoff. Theodore is the brash and violent counter to Draco's cold and calculating. Theodore and Draco both come from influential old families and will be competing over who reigns supreme over Slytherin House, so they will also be rivals with each other just as much as the Golden Quartet. I hope I managed to convey that dynamic in the train scene. And Ron is going to be book Ron. I like him so I'm not going to make this a Ron bashing fanfic.
I'm also working on ways of bringing some low-risk SCPs to Hogwarts. Some of this is going to be pretty OOC for the Foundation (they almost never let SCPs leave containment), but I need a way to keep the SCPs involved in the story while Hailey is at Hogwarts. My explanation is going to be they are more willing to release SCPs in the Wizarding World because there is a reduced risk of breaking normalcy (Wizards wouldn't look twice seeing SCP-085, for example).
Quick question for the readers: Would you prefer me to go into the same level of detail as the original books? I felt like most of that sorting ceremony and feast was just a plain retelling of the book, which we've all read. On one hand, I don't want to bore you with plain retellings of the book. On the other hand, I want the narrative and character interactions of this fanfic to make sense.
xxMockingbirdxxx: Thanks, I hope I'm characterising everyone in a fair way. They will obviously evolve in a different way to the canon books, but I want to make sure everything is realistic. This is my first fanfic so I hope I'm characterising correctly.
PasiveNox: Cheers. Glad you've stuck with this for so long.
Yukine-ren: Well here's the update. I decided to make this one longer because I didn't post this chapter at my usual time, so I covered the journey to Hogwarts and the Sorting in the same chapter.
Hoodedgenius98: Just wait and see. I've already planned the ending for the First Year, and it involves a highly dangerous SCP on Hogwarts grounds.
Shelly: Can't say yet. You'll have to wait for the sequel: SCP-5536 and That Other Large Reptile (title subject to change).
Fast Frank: Thanks. I think I did alright with this chapter and I got some work done on the next one.
Guest (1): Dunno, but I'm pretty sure that's what Hagrid says in the original book. So you'll have to ask Rowling.
Guest (2): Dumbledore has a lot of reasons to fear the Foundation, which will be revealed later. Also, if you didn't pick up on it, O5-11 is a former student of Hogwarts. He still calls him Professor. I haven't decided yet if I want to include Foundation prophecies or not.
I'm trying to explain the limitations of Hailey's powers without revealing their exact nature and origins. It doesn't make people like her, rather it eliminates certain barriers that would prevent her from being liked in certain people/entities (exactly what people/entities will be explained later). Like I said earlier, if an SCP would be willing to be friends with Hailey if given time to know her, they will be willing to be friends with Hailey immediately after meeting her.
Let's imagine there's an SCP called Dave. This SCP has an anomalous property that it tries to kill everybody who looks at it. Unbeknownst to the Foundation, Dave really likes people who like the colour blue. One day, Hailey shows up. Her favourite colour is blue, but Dave doesn't know this. Normally, Dave would never get the chance to know this and kill her the moment she looks at him. But when they each perceive the other, they share an instantaneous connection. Hailey subconsciously shares her some of her feelings, dreams, memories, etc with the other person (generally things that define her character, not just events in her life). Neither of them actually perceive the information shared between them, but Dave does get the feelings this information would provoke in him. He still doesn't know that Hailey likes the colour blue, but he knows there is something about her he likes. And so he becomes friends with her.
And now let's imagine there an SCP called Steve. This SCP has the same properties as Dave except for the fact that he really hates people who like blue. Hailey shows up. They share that emotional connection. But instead of liking her, Steve feels an intense hatred. He can't tell exactly why he feels this way, but something about Hailey makes him angry. So he kills her.