Hogwarts, 1991.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Elyon's heart froze.
It can't be...this was wrong, right? This was a joke and in a very poor taste.
The table of Hufflepuff broke into cheers and applause, waking her up briefly from her shock. She rose onto feet automatically, handing it over to Professor McGonagall and made her way to the Hufflepuff table, still in shock and walking like a robot. Her teal eyes darted around, searching for her brother and sister's reactions.
Randall stared at her with a dropped jaw from the Gryffindor table. From the table of Ravenclaws, Gwen looked at her in disbelief and widen eyes.
Hufflepuff...her. She was a badger?
She had never before felt so out of place as she sat there by the Hufflepuff table. Apart from her sister and brother. She knew there had never...never at all, been any Hufflepuff in her family on either side.
What was she going to tell her mother? And father. And Adele...and her grandfather who has so much hopes in her.
She didn't looked forward to send a letter about it.
Elyon were shaken from her deep thought when she looked at the sorting and saw Harry Potter being sorted. If she weren't wrong, then it was probably taking just long as her.
Then the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR" and the students of the particular house broke into applause. The twins cheered and sang "We got Potter! We got Potter!". Even Randall, who quickly got over the shock of his sister, were seen in full spirit and he dived between the twins to shake Harry's hand excited.
Suddenly Elyon didn't knew what to feel. Took many thoughts ran in her name, too many feelings were shaken and in the end, she were just confused and lost.
The first shock and the afterwave of it slowly began to settle down by the time Elyon watched the last student, Blaise Zabini, being sorted. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away. Now, Professor Dumbledore, the esteemed headmaster and one of the world's most powerful wizards, stepped forward for some sort of a speech.
Elyon leaned forward, very curious of what he were going to have for speech.
"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! "Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered.
That was...special, Elyon decided as she was unsure of what she were to do. She blinked in surprise, she had expected a grandious speech.
"Surprised?" A boy who sat across in front of her said. He looked older, as if he were in the same age as Randall or perhaps older. "I was quite surprised too when I got here first time, I could tell of your reaction."
In the same moment, Elyon jumped as the food appeared on the table and everyone began to help themselves. Piles of roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint candies.
"Here, I can get you potatoes." The boy in front of her said, and loaded three, four big roasted potaties on her plate. "I'm Cedric, by the way. Cedric Diggory."
"Elyon Pemberton." She replied and got back her plate, which she now filled with lamb chops. It was her favorite. "Um, which year are you in?"
Cedric filled his plate with roast chicken and gravy. "Fourth year. How does it feel to be a badger now?"
"Odd." Elyon said. "I mean, I'm not ungrateful. I was just shocked-"
"Yes, it must've been such a shocker if everyone else was shocked." Cedric said as he stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork. "You didn't noticed?"
Elyon stared. "How did everyone know that?"
"Pemberton is very wellknown, Elyon. Everyone else knows that there have never been a Pemberton in Hufflepuff before." Cedric explained. "My father told me that once before."
"Well...I guess it feels better." Elyon remarked and ate her lamb chops.
That night when the new first year students of Hufflepuff had found their way to their common room and lied comfortably in their beds inside their respective dorms, Elyon lied awake and stared up into the ceilings. Her head were full of so many things she had felt, heard and experienced today.
Gwen would most likely send an owl to their mother and tell of the news. That she, a daughter of Pemberton, has been sorted into a Hufflepuff.
Big news it was, indeed. Elyon didn't dared to imagine what her mother would say or even their father. She had no idea what she were to feel about it yet and in all honesty, she had never considered what would happen once she were sorted into this house.
Elyon thought of what would happen when the classes started. She had already formed a slight friend in Susan and she decided that she should stick to Susan, so she doesn't meet any friends of the wrong kind.
Then there were Harry...
She would loved to see him as friend, but Elyon knew that would change everything her mother has told her. She weren't supposed to be very close to him, she had said. Elyon remember that she were told to only mind her business and don't be too curious.
Around midnight, Elyon found an solution to her problem. Her mother would never know if she didn't tell everything.
What happens in Hogwarts, could stay in Hogwarts of course. Besides, Hufflepuff are wellknown to be good friends with Gryffindors and especially during classes as Herbology.
Elyon turned to her side and looked down at the floor, her cat Salem lied in his basket and slept. She smiled as she thought of how tomorrow would be unpredictable in every way before she fell asleep.
Teal eyes looked at it's reflection in the mirror, Elyon combed her short hair before she attached a clip. It was a gift from her maternal grandfather, the Minister of Magic of Korea, to celebrate she were going to attend one of the finest schools in the world and he had told her that this would be a very special clip. It were formed as a beautiful butterfly, made of white gold and it's wings were made of blue opals.
She remembered as she were given that gift when she last visted her grandfather.
"Here's a lovely thing for you, grandchild." Minister Dae Hyun, the Korean Minister of Magic, spoke to Elyon, the third child of his daughter. He took a small jewellry box from one of his servants and presented it for Elyon. "Go on and open it, I'm sure it's to your enjoyment."
Elyon, dressed in a traditional hanbok of silk (AN: Hanbok is a traditional Korean dress) opened the box and looked at the hair clip she found inside. It was formed as a butterfly, the colors inside the wings were pale blue and shimmerings. The outlines of the butterfly were white, but it didn't seemed like silver. The eyes of the butterfly were two, small gemstones of sapphire.
Her grandfather smiled. "This is made of white gold, in case you're wondering." He spoke and took the hair clip, attaching it as he pulled away her long bangs to the side. "You will wear to not only to show how beautiful you are, but to show your status with me."
"I'm very grateful for your gift, but...what does my status really mean?" Elyon asked.
"That you're my successor." Her grandfather said, making Elyon stare at him surprised. "The choice will be the people's in the end, but I don't doubt that you will succeed. Your parents agree as I have already spoken to them."
Elyon nodded slowly. "I understand, grandfather and I won't disappoint you."
"You can never disappoint me, child." He said and looked as his personal house elf, Seol, poured tea, made of lotus, for them. "To your journey for Hogwarts, you will not only bring your new accessory, but the hanbok you're wearing as well. Use it when you feel for it."
The girl looked at her grandfather and bowed with her head. "Thank you, grandfather. I will use it well."
Elyon glanced to her open trunk, seeing her neatly folded hanbok inside. She smiled a little when she recalled the memories she had with her grandfather. Naturally should her brother and sisters he jealous, but they weren't as they had already decided their paths.
Randall wished to become an Auror, as their father. Gwendolyn made her decision to become a healer and work outside Great Britain. Her youngest sister, Adele were a bit unsure, but she loudly protested to dress up and being pretty.
Elyon looked back in the mirror, dressed inthe school uniform with the emblem of Hufflepuff, a badger, visible on her robes. "I'm ready." She told herself before she turned to walk to the Great Hall for breakfast.
She knew her self-made fate has already begun.
