Robes? Check!
Wand? Check!
Textbooks? Not having a lot of luck with that...
Aerith looked around the shop looking lost. It was just too crowded in here for her to focus. Not that she had a problem with people, but she felt some staring at her- making her feel uncomfortable and nervous. Sizing her up, as if they were trying to figure out what house she'll be in and if she would end up dragging her house down. One look at her and everyone knew that she didn't belong here.
It's because you're a mudblood, she thought since she kept hearing mudblood in some of the conversations she overheard. Conversations she knew where about her since she could see their mouths move every time she walked passed. Those who looked down at her, believing that Aerith was just like the ground they walked on. That she was unfit to be in there presence and if she had any sense she would run back into the muggle part of London and forget about the wizarding world completely.
Aerith was so lost in her own thoughts and self-pity that she didn't notice the person right in front of her until it was too late.
"I'm sorry, "Aerith said as she hastily tried to gather her books along with the belongings of the girl she ran into.
"It's alright," the girl said, as Aerith looked up and the first thing she saw was the girl's black fingernails reaching for the scattered books. Then the girl's blood-red hair… then her blood-red eyes. Something about the girls appears made Aerith fall back in fear. The girl reminded Aerith of a vampire, and because of it, she was afraid that the girl before he was going to take a huge bite out of her neck. Plus the goth-like clothing didn't help her fears, why would a girl who looked Aerith's age be wearing clothes like that. The dark clothes weren't something eleven-year-olds usually wear. It wasn't anything too bad, the girl's clothes were just strange.
"I know, my choice of muggle clothes and my physical appearance tends to scare the crap out of some people or make them do a double-take. But I promise that I won't bite," she said, with a half-smirk on her face, "My name is Willow Valentine, but you can call me Wil."
"I'm… I'm Aerith... Aerith Gainsborough," Aerith replied.
"You a first-year like me?" Wil asked once they both gathered all their books and got off the ground.
"Yeah. I'm really exi-"
But before Aerith could finish, she paused when she heard it… that dreaded word. Like Aerith, Wil paused her emotionless features turned into anger. Is she like me? Someone with muggle parents, Aerith thought.
The next thing she knew was that Wil got between her and a group of boys wearing the Slytherin colors. Aerith noticed how Wil tensed up when she saw them almost like a wild animal getting ready to attack.
Wil was glaring at the silver-haired boy in the middle of a group. The way his cold gaze met Wil's glare, Aerith could tell that there was a history between them. But, she doubts that she knew Wil enough to ask about that. However, Aerith could sense the hatred and disgust between them.
"What are you wearing," the silver-haired one asked Wil, who moved until she was directly in front of Aerith, attempting to hide her.
"Clothes… what else would I be wearing?"
"Not muggle rags like that."
Wil rolled her eyes and was about to say something else, but the silver-haired boy moved Wil out of the way.
"Leave her alone, Sephiroth!" Wil growled, trying to get back to Aerith, but the other two boys held her back, "she's a student like us!"
"That filthy mudblood isn't a student yet," Sephiroth said, "and if it were up to me, she and the others wouldn't be allowed to attend Hogwarts… and you humiliate our family and the Slytherin house talking to such filth."
"You mean, you're family!" Wil growled, finally breaking free of the bigger boys, "I'm not apart of your family… and I won't be in Slytherin. If I do I hope that God-or whichever higher power is up there- will strike me down where I stand. So, I'll ask you one more time, leave my friend alone!"
Aerith froze when she watched Sephiroth take out his want, intent to cast a spell on Wil and her, but before he could finish his spell, a huge brown book hit his forehead and caused him to fall back.
"Sorry… it slipped out of my hands," a voice said, and Aerith looked up to see a blonde boy who had the bluest eyes Aerith had seen. Even though his blonde bangs mostly covered them up. Spiky hair, bangs that appeared to cover his face, and a ponytail… it looked like his hair didn't know what style to take on. his clothes were the same way. It was like he didn't know if he should wear robes or muggle clothing, so he wore a mixture of both.
And it seemed like as fast as he appeared, he was gone.
"Get him!" Sephiroth said, as both he and his goons finally left them alone to go after the strange boy.
"Did you get into another fight?" A dark-haired, boy named Zack Fair, asked the blonde boy who was leaning against a wall, out of sight of everyone passing by. If Zack wasn't looking high and low for his friend, he doubted that he could have found Cloud, "are you trying to get expelled before school starts?"
The blonde didn't say anything. Cloud didn't want to say anything, even towards his childhood friend. He was too angry and hurt to do anything other than to look at his friend.
Zack was a Gryffindor third year, and with his good looks and charming personality, he was one of the more popular guys at Hogwarts. He was also Cloud's first and only friend. Cloud Strife thought that he would be left behind. He was just a first-year who didn't know what house he was going into or knew which house he wanted to be. Even if he did get into Gryffindor, with Zack, he didn't know what would happen. The age difference and different classes… Cloud doubted he would be able to spend much time with his oldest friend. And because of that, he wished that they would end up in different houses.
Cloud wanted to grow into his person, and he didn't want just to be a shadow. He wanted to save those girls from those bullies, even though they beat the crap out of him when they caught up with him.
"Come on," Zack said, "you need to learn how to break out of that shell. You know I'll be gone after four years, and you'll be a force to endure school alone."
"And here I thought you'd stay and teach for a while," Cloud smirked, "because you would be so miserable without me."
Aerith didn't know what to expect when she got to the train station. She had no one to guide her, her mom could not come and see her off. In fact, her mother didn't want to leave mostly due to the fact that she would be so far away and surrounded by people who wouldn't care about her.
Aerith's thoughts went to that girl, the one from the bookshop. After that incident with Sephiroth, Wil left in a hurry. Aerith hasn't seen after, and it's been close to a week since their encounter. But no matter how many times she went back to Diagon Alley for some last-minute shopping for school, she never saw Wil.
After claiming she was Aerith's friend, she left...left without saying another word to her. Was Wil afraid of what her family would do to her? That Sephiroth said that she brings shame unto her family, were those two related in some way. Cousins? Perhaps. Or they were just the older boy's goons who love to prey on people like her.
Aerith glupped, starting to regret her decision to leave home. If there were more wizards and witches like that, they would make her life a living nightmare and Aerith would have nothing.
"Damn it, Yuffie! Get back here!" A voice ran out, and two girls ran past her. One was this tiny girl with short black hair, and the other was…
"Wil?" Aerith asked, making the redhead skid to a halt.
"Aerith!" she exclaimed, "I thought you would be on the train already? And I'm sorry I left without a word, but my dad was waiting for me. And based on your first reaction of me… you might have ran for the hills screaming if I would have introduced you to him… I'm not trying to make excuses for leaving you so abruptly, but…"
"Hey! Willow! Come on! Cid told us to hurry back!" the black-haired girl said.
"We wouldn't have had to come back if you didn't drop your doll," Willow called back, before turning back to Aerith, "do you need help with that? We don't have much time before they close off the platform… wouldn't want you to hit the wall…But I'm glad that I found you."
Aerith didn't need to say anything, because Wil was already pushing her cart. Forcing Aerith to move, to follow her into the strange wall.
Still, Aerith smiled at her newfound friend.
Though Yuffie was still too young for school, she waved goodbye at the two girls as they looked out the window.
"So… is Yuffie you're a sister or another relative?" Aerith asked once the train started moving.
"Our families have always been close, and she used to sneak off and spend some time with me. Said I was the closest thing she had to a sister."
"Do you have any siblings?"
"Sadly, you met my only sibling," Wil said, "Nasty boy from Slytherin. I'm really glad we only share a mother, and that my dad fought so hard to keep me." Wil answered with a content smile on her face, her father must be a good and kind man. Why would Aerith have a reason to fear the man who seemed to do anything for his daughter. Then her smile grew as she turned her attention back to Aerith and asked, "Have you ever been on a train before? You look both amazed and nervous."
Aerith nodded, "until my letter came, I never left my village. So, the train is a new experience. Well, everything from the past few days has been both fascinating and odd, but I feel like the whole magic thing is too much. But it's better to learn how to control it, right?"
"Don't be scared. You'll get used to it someday."
"Aerith Gainsborough!"
Aerith gulped, it was finally her turn to be sorted. This is one of the things that kept her so restless on the train. Wil tried to calm her, but after a few hours, she gave us and fell asleep.
"Don't be afraid… just breathe…" Wil whispered.
With a deep breath, she began walking towards the women who held the sorting hat in her hands. Once Aerith sat down, the woman placed the hat onto Aerith's brown hair
"Oh… this one is easy… Hufflepuff!"