Once they got off the train it was night time and Selena couldn't contain her excitement. "We're here! We're here!" she squealed. "I think I might faint," she added, putting a hand to her forehead.
"Calm down Lena, we're all excited." Harry said.
He and Ron had changed into their robes at the last minute.
"First Years over here! Come on now, First Years. Don' be shy!" hollered at familiar voice.
Hagrid stopped in front of the twins and they smiled at him. "Ello Harry, Selena, had a good trip."
"It was amazing, it's so good to see you Hagrid." Selena said.
"Good to see you too, Selena. Now First Years, follow me. This way to the boats!"
Selena looked at Harry confused. "Boats?"
"The schools built by a lake, it's a tradition for all First Years to arrive by boat." Ron explained.
They followed the group towards the docks where there were several small, rowing boats docked. Hagrid was standing on the dock, holding a lantern and barking orders. "Four to each boat – come on now – don't crowd or you'll fall in the lake – you there, is this ya toad?" Hagrid asked, holding up a fat, warty toad.
A fawn haired boy gasped and ran up, taking the amphibian. "Trevor!"
"You keep an eye on him then, he's a slippery little devil." Hagrid said, sitting down in a boat.
"Right now, everyone ready. Forward!" he hollered. Selena and Harry gasped as the boats began to move on their own. Each boat had a smaller lantern attached to light the way. When the twins looked up, their eyes were met with a magnificent looking castle. "I don't know what Fairy Tale dream this is, but don't wake me up!" Selena murmured.
"Don't worry sis. We are living a Fairy Tale, Selena the Witch." Harry chuckled, playfully nudging his sister in the ribs.
When the boats were docked on the other end everyone climbed out and were met with a grubby looking man and a cat with red eyes. Selena frowned slightly as the man sneered at the group. "Follow me First Years," he said.
It sounded like it was the last thing he wanted to do. The group abandoned the docks and followed the man and his cat into the castle and up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs, was an elderly witch in emerald green robes. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor McGonagall. In a few moments, you will pass through these doors and be sorted into your houses,"
Harry whispered to Ron. "What does she mean?"
Ron shrugged. "Dunno, Fred said it's a sort of test."
Selena gulped. What did that mean? Did they have to perform a spell? She looked over and could see Hermione mumbling to herself about what spell she needed to use.
"They are Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin," McGonagall continued. "Now, while you're here. Your House will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most Points will be awarded the House Cup. The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily." She finished, entering the room.
A raven-haired girl pushed through the crowd. "Let me through," she said when she saw the twins. "I want to see the Potter Twins."
The group immediately began murmuring among themselves.
"Potter, did she say?"
"Harry and Selena?"
"The Potter Twins?"
"I'm Blackwood, Veronica Blackwood. I've heard so much about the two of you."
Draco just snorted in distaste. "Everyone has," he muttered.
Veronica noticed. "What's this? You think it's funny, do you? No need to ask your name. Blond hair, blue-grey eyes, you must be a Malfoy. I know all about you Purebloods. I'm a Muggle-born, see, and I know exactly what arts of magic your family tamper with," she scowled.
Selena clenched her fists in anger. How dare she say stuff about him when she doesn't know him! It wasn't right! She stepped forward and shoved Veronica out of the way. "Leave my friend alone, how dare you say that about his family!"
Veronica sneered in disgust. "He's your friend? Really Potterina, I thought that you of all people could do better than his lot. You'll soon learn that there are magic families out there that are a dangerous bunch of witches and wizards. Make friends with their lot, and you're as good as dead. Like your parents," she added.
There was a slap and suddenly Veronica was clutching her cheek.
A gasp erupted from the crowd.
"Damn…" whispered a girl nearby.
Selena was giving Veronica the Death Stare. "I think," she snarled. "I can tell who's the wrong sort for myself, thank you."
"Why you little bi-" Veronica snarled.
Luckily, Professor McGonagall came out of the room just in time to stop the brewing cat fight. "We're ready for you now," she said, leading the group through the doors.
The doors opened by themselves and a huge candle lit dining room greeted them with four long tables filled with older students and another long table up front for the teachers. Selena looked up at the ceiling and gasped seeing the night sky looking back at her. At least she thought it was the night sky until she overheard
Hermione told another girl; "It's just a spell, it charms the ceiling to make it look like the night sky. I read about it."
Selena held tight to Harry's hand as she still had no clue what this test was. They approached the front table and McGonagall turned to them. "Wait along here please, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."
The old wizard that Selena recognised from the card stood up and spoke aloud to the students: "I have a few start-of-term notices that I wish to announce. The First Years please know, that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. I have also been informed by our caretaker, Mr Filch, that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side, is out of bounds to anyone who doesn't wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." He said, making Selena even more scared.
"Lovely," she muttered.
Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll. "When I call your name, you shall come forth and I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your Houses."
Selena breathed a sigh of relief.
Ron grumbled to the twins. "So, we just have to try on the hat, I'llkillFred. He was banging on about wrestling a troll."
McGonagall called out the first name on the list. "Hannah Abbott,"
A girl with blonde pigtails walked up to the stool and McGonagall placed a grubby looking hat on her head. Selena and Harry jumped as the hat spoke. "Right then, hmm, right. Okay, Hufflepuff!"
The Hufflepuff table cheered as Hannah ran to join her House.
Draco whispered into Selena's ear. "Father says that Hufflepuff's are a load of duffers."
Selena looked back at the Hufflepuff table. They did look over-excited and happy, but not crazy. She then glanced at the Ravenclaw table. They all looked nerdy and bookish. Selena didn't mind a little intelligence, but she wasn't a fan of those kinds of people who acted like they were better than everyone because they were smart.
She then glanced at the Slytherin table and felt a cold vibe from them. Most of the older Slytherins didn't smile and few more reminded her of Dudley's gang.
Draco was alright though, but he seemed like the most decent of the Slytherin's. Finally, she looked over at the Gryffindor Table. They were smiling, kind looking and pleasant. Like herself. "Hermione Granger," McGonagall called out. Hermione started shaking and after some words from the hat, the hat yelled out.
"Gryffindor!"
Selena looked around the room and locked eyes with a teacher with long, greasy black hair. He was staring intently at her and her brother. "Ahh!" Harry gasped, feeling a sharp pain on his forehead.
Selena clutched her forehead to, feeling the same pain. "What's wrong?" Ron asked.
"Nothing," they said together.
"Draco Malfoy," Draco walked up and Selena whispered to him. "Good luck,"
The hat hardly touched his head when it yelled. "Slytherin!"
Said table started cheering as Ron told Selena. "There's not a Witch or Wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin."
"Doubt that," she hissed, not believing old rumours.
Asha Grail was made Hufflepuff, then there was 'Moon, 'Nott, 'Parkinson, then a pair of twin girls, Patil and Patil.
"Veronica Blackwood," McGonagall called.
Veronica walked up smugly and after some silence, the hat yelled out. "Ravenclaw!"
"Thank God!" Selena cheered, mentally.
Evangeline Barkridge was also made Ravenclaw, and Selena noticed that Evangeline shot McGonagall a dirty look when she addressed her name; while Lavender Brown was made Gryffindor.
Finally, McGonagall called out. "Ronald Weasley." Ron gulped and walked up to the hat. "Ha, another Weasley. I know just what to do with you, Gryffindor!" Ron breathed a sigh of relief and ran to join his brothers.
"Harry Potter," McGonagall called.
Harry gulped and Selena could hear the tables chattering among themselves. McGonagall then placed the hat on her brother's head. The hat made a face and said: "Hmm, peculiar, very peculiar, plenty of courage I see. There's talent and a thirst to prove yourself, but where to put you."
Harry started muttering. "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin,"
"Not Slytherin, hey?" The hat said. "Are you sure, you'd be great you know, it's all here in your head. No, well if you're sure, better be, Gryffindor!"
The Gryffindor Table cheered the loudest.
"Selena Potter,"
Selena breathed in and walked up to the stool.
She could read Draco's mind from over at the Slytherin table. "Please let her be in Slytherin," The hat again made a face as it was place on her head.
"Hmm, strange. You're a tricky one I see. There are the values for all Houses in your head; There's kindness, creativity, cunning, intelligence and great amounts of bravery, that makes you a born leader. I see that you are loyal to those you love, especially your twin,"
Selena chuckled. "I didn't need to be told that, he's my brother,"
The hat chuckled back. "There are definitely similarities between you and Harry, Selena. You are witch of the kindest heart, Hufflepuff would be very proud of you. You would do well in that House, but I see your also brave at heart, you wish is to stand by your brother just has you always have, you would put yourself between him and danger if you must. There are definitely some traits belonging to your mother Lily, a brave and gifted Gryffindor, you are a spitting image of her from your appearance down to your heart. There is a cunning wit about you that would do you some good in Slytherin, you could break the stereotype with that heart of gold, but I sense the resemblance between you and your mother is uncanny. Better for you to follow in her footsteps, you will be in... Gryffindor!"
The table cheered loudly again.
"YES!" Harry and Ron cried, fist pumping the air.
The Weasley Twins, Fred and George started chanting: "We got the Potters! We got the Potters!"
Selena send an apologetic look at Draco, who looked disappointed. "NO!" he cried.
Selena hugged Harry around the neck, grateful that they weren't separated from each other. Finally, they knew where they belonged. When the cheering died down, Dumbledore stood up and announced. "Let the Feast, begin."
Suddenly, the tables were filled with so many things the twins liked to eat: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, chips, Yorkshire Pudding, peas, carrots, beetroot, buttered corn, gravy, ketchup and for some strange reason, mint humbugs. Selena and Harry grabbed a bit of everything, except the humbugs and began to eat.
Dudley always took anything that the twins really wanted, even if it made him sick. But tonight, Dudley wasn't there to spoil their feast.
Over dinner, the talk turned into their families. "I'm half and half," a boy named Seamus Finnigan said. "Me Dad's a Muggle, Mam didn't tell him she was a witch still after they were married, imagine the shock when he found out,"
"What about you Neville?" Selena asked.
"I live with my Gran, who's a witch but the family although I was all Muggle for ages, until I got my letter."
Harry nudged Percy Weasley. "Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" Selena followed their gaze and saw the same, greasy haired teacher talking with Quirrell.
"Oh, that's Professor Snape," Percy explained.
"What does he teach?" Selena asked.
"Potions, but everyone knows it's the Dark Arts he fancies, he's been after Quirrell's job for years."
"He certainly looks better for the job than Quirrell," Selena commented.
"You aren't wrong, but we can't be too harsh on poor Quirrell. He had some run ins with vampires in the Romanian forests and had some nasty trouble with a hag back in the day."
"Yikes, that doesn't sound pleasant." Selena whispered.
Ron reached out for a third chicken leg when a transparent head popped up, making everyone nearby jump in shock. "Hello," the head spoke cheerfully. "Welcome to Gryffindor,"
Everyone looked up and saw other transparent people floating around the room. Ghosts.
Percy smiled and greeted the ghost who had surprised them all. "Hello, Sir Nicholas, had a nice summer?"
Sir Nicholas rose out of the table and started floating above them. "Regretfully, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied once again."
Ron gasped in surprise. "I know you, you're Nearly Headless Nick! My brothers told me about you!"
Sir Nick glared at the boy. "I prefer it if you called me Sir Nicholas De Mimsy Porpington, Resident Ghost of the Gryffindor Tower."
"Nearly Headless?" Hermione commented. "How can you be Nearly Headless?"
"Like this," Nick said as he pulled on his right ear and making his entire head fall off.
Someone had obviously tried to behead him but hadn't done it properly. Nick's head was only just hanging on by a small piece of skin. Selena cringed in disgust, suddenly she losing her appetite. Ron shrieked as Nick put his head back on and floated away.
At the Slytherin table, Draco was pouting. Blaise patted him on the back. "Don't worry about it too much Draco, she's just a girl."
Draco stared at his best friend in shock. "She's not just a girl, Blaise, she's Selena Lillian Potter, for Slytherin's sake!"
Pansy Parkinson groaned. "So what if she's famous, she's not even that pretty,"
Draco blushed as he muttered under his breath. "I think she's beautiful," he sighed, staring at the girl sitting next to her brother at the Gryffindor Table.
She was the definition of a natural beauty. Her skin was flawless and fair toned. Her eyes reminded him of the emerald's his mother kept in her jewellery box and her hair was the colour of a glowing ember and waved around her face like silk.
His thoughts were cut off when he noticed Goyle hogging the chicken. "Oi! Tweedle-Dum, ever heard of sharing?"
Goyle stopped in his tracks as the rest of the Slytherins looked at the blond boy in surprise.
"Mate, where did ya hear that?" Blaise chuckled at Goyle's embarrassed expression.
"Selena came up with it,"
"Selena Potter?"
"No, some other Selena, of course Selena Potter!" Draco snapped.
"Jeez, it was just a question." Blaise muttered. "Maybe I spoke too soon, that girl does come up with some great nicknames."
"What about me?" Crabbe asked, stupidly.
"She came up with Tweedle-Dee,"
"That's stupid!"
"Would you prefer Crabbie Cakes?"
Crabbe glared at everyone sniggering into their food and tried to focus on his own plate. "No!"
"Then Tweedle-Dee it is then,"
Pansy cleared her throat and smirked at Draco. "I hear we're going to be doing broom riding with the Gryffindors," she said, taking a swig of Pumpkin Juice.
Draco nearly choked on his pork chop. "W-what?"
"Looks like you'll be seeing the Potter Girl again." Pansy teased.
"Hey, hey!" Blaise cheered excitedly. "Bet you guys ten Galleons that Malfoy's gonna fall off his broom from staring at her."
"Nah mate, 20 Galleons,"
"30!"
"Shut up you lot!" Draco snapped. "I will not fall off my broom! My Father will hear about this!" he warned.
The other Slytherins just laughed.
Half an hour later, the uneaten food disappeared of everyone's plates and the puddings appeared: Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, jelly and custard. Selena was busy making herself an ice cream sundae. "This is awesome!" she cried, pouring chocolate sauce over her raspberry and chocolate ice cream.
She looked up and saw Draco talking with the other First Year Slytherins. She couldn't deny that he was good-looking, for an eleven-year-old. Suddenly, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the boy. He was the cutest boy she had ever seen. His platinum blonde hair was slicked back and his eyes reminded her of the sea after a storm, blue, but also greyish.
She continued to stare until Harry started snapping his fingers in her face, yelling: "Hello, Earth to Selena, anyone there. I don't think a sundae needs that much sauce." Selena looked back at her bowl and gasped.
The bowl was nearly filled to the top with chocolate sauce and the scoops of ice cream looked like drowning islands in a sea of brown.
"Oh god, I didn't realise!" she cried, quickly setting the pitcher back on the table.
"You zoned out sis, where were you?"
"I was," she paused, taking one last glance at Draco, before looking back at her brother. "Thinking…about school tomorrow."
Harry and Ron nodded at each other, though it was clear that they weren't buying it. "Right, thinking about school."
"Hey," Harry said, nudging his sister.
"I'll have some off that extra sauce."
"You sure?"
"You can't get through that much chocolate without wanting to throw up."
"Fine," Selena held her bowl over Harry's and poured the extra sauce into his own bowl. "Thanks Harry," she said.
Another half-hour, the puddings disappeared also, leaving behind clean plates. Dumbledore stood up again, starting another announcement. "I hope you all enjoyed the feast and I finally welcome the First-Year students to Hogwarts,"
Everyone in the room started clapping and cheering. "Now, we will all finish this night with the school song, everyone may use their favourite tune, on the count to three!" Dumbledore flicked his wand like a conductor stick and the whole school started singing the Hogwarts Song, the First Years picking up the lyrics from the older students.
However, people started to take notice that some of the students had stopped singing as one voice was echoing throughout the Hall. Everyone slowly started to stop singing, trying to work out who the person the voice belonged to. Even Dumbledore looked around the room, searching for the person. The voice was clearly belonging to a girl and it was coming from the centre of the room. Soon, the silent message reached everyone and it was clear it was coming from the Gryffindor Table. Everyone, but one person had stopped singing, with the Great Hall echoing with the voice of one, red haired First Year.
Selena Potter was singing her heart and soul out in a voice, that would nearly have been mistaken for that of an angel, bringing tears to everyone who wasn't gapping in shock. She was so wrapped up into the song, she hadn't noticed that she was the only person singing. When the song finally ended, Selena held out the last note for a good minute before finally finishing gracefully.
She looked around the room and froze. Everyone had their eyes on her, either with their mouths open or tears in their eyes or both. Selena felt her face go as red as her hair when she realised the entire school had been watching her. There was a pause, before the Hall exploded into cheers and clapping. "That was amazing Selena!" Hermione cried, excitedly.
"Go Selena!" Fred and George cheered.
"That's my sister! That's my sister!" Harry cheered, hugging her tightly.
Dumbledore nodded in the girl's direction. "That was very beautiful Selena,"
"M-My neighbour taught me," she stammered into a whisper.
"She must be an amazing teacher." Dumbledore said, wiping away a tear. "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we teach here. Now, bedtime. Off you trot."
It was then that Selena realised just how tired she was. Never before had she been this sticky and full of food. She giggled at her brother because it was clear that Harry felt the same way. Once again, the Great Hall was full of sound of chattering pupils. Selena stuck close to Harry as Percy started barking orders. "First Years follow me now – quickly, First Years – don't dawdle." Percy led the First Year Gryffindor's through the wide, open hallways only lit up by flaming torches until they reached an open, spaced room lined with portraits of exotic animals, beautiful women, men in suits of armour and much more. But that wasn't all that attracted Selena's gaze.
There were openings in the walls that continued going up and each opening was connected to a stone staircase. "This way to the Gryffindor Tower, careful of the staircases, they like to move around." Selena overheard Percy saying. Instantly, she looked up and gasped when the staircase above her moved across to the opening on the opposite end of the room. Quickly, she and Harry tried to stick close to the group, but they were soon distracted by the people in the portraits moving and even started to talk to them.
"Hello there,"
"Welcome, Welcome,"
"Welcome to Hogwarts, young ones."
Percy then led the Gryffindors up a flight of stairs towards a portrait of a fat lady in a pink gown. "Password," she said as the red-haired Prefect approached her.
"Caput Draconis." Percy said.
The lady gave him a nod at the portrait swung open like a door, revealing an opening in the wall. Percy led the group through the passage and into a cosy looking room decorated in red and gold. Hanging from the ceiling were the House banners of the Gryffindor Lion. Five red couches were seated in front of a large, open fireplace. It truly felt like home.
Percy gathered everyone in the middle and gave out instructions. "Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. You will now all head up to your dorms. Boys dorm up the stairs on the left, Girls the same on your right. You will find that your belongings all been brought up."
Everyone started heading up to their dorms, exhausted from the long journey to get to Hogwarts and preparing for the hard studies ahead of them. Selena and Harry turned to look at each other, unsurely. "This is going to be the first time we are sleeping in separate rooms." Selena said, sadly.
Harry nodded, knowing that Selena was prone to nightmares. When they were little, Selena would get nightmares a lot, due to watching Watership Down at six-years-old, only because Dudley wanted to watch it and she would wake up during the night, crying and screaming.
The Dursley's could care less about her troubles, so that meant that Harry had to get up and comfort her himself.
But Selena hadn't had a single nightmare since she was eight. "I know, we should've suspected that we would we put in with our own gender dormitory. Do you think you'll be fine sleeping away from me?" asked Harry concerned for her.
"I-I think so…I mean…It's been three years since my last nightmare. I guess I'll be fine if I'm with the other girls."
"Good, but if you get worried, wake me up with Twin Telepathy and I'll come get you."
"Promise,"
"Pinkie Swear," Harry said, holding out his pinkie finger. Selena smiled as they Pinkie Swore, before parting ways.
"Goodnight Harry,"
"Goodnight Selena,"
Selena made her way up the stairs to the Girls Dorms and passed by Hermione on the stairs; wearing pyjamas and toothbrush in mouth. Selena waved as she passed by and reached her dorm. The plague on the door read: Gryffindor First Years Girls Dorm B. She opened the door and her heart sank when she realised that were three other girls in her dorm that she didn't recognise. She didn't need to introduce herself as the girls already recognised her. "So, you're Selena Potter." A short blonde girl with large, hipster glasses, asked when Selena stood in the doorway.
Selena shrugged. "What gave it away then? The scar?"
"No – okay maybe, you have a lovely singing voice by the way. Did you do lessons outside of school?"
"Thank you and no, my neighbour taught me. What's your name?"
"Oh, silly me, forgot my manners. My name is Odessa Digby."
"I'm Adeline Knotley," said an Indian girl with tan skin, freckles, bright gold eyes and strangely, magenta hair.
Selena narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "Is that…natural?"
Adeline nodded. "Yup, same thing goes for the eyes, funny, right?"
"I guess, how is it natural?"
Adeline shrugged jokingly. "Dunno, but it's still cool though."
The third girl chuckled. She had a faint tan, brown hair cut above the shoulders, brown eyes, raspy accent and a rebellious expression. "Hi there, names Vanessa, Vanessa Shadowmend, but my friends call me 'Nessie' or 'Loch Ness'."
Selena chuckled. "After the Monster that Muggles claim to see from time to time."
Vanessa snapped her fingers. "You got it. My whole family has been to Hogwarts. I've also got a cousin in Ravenclaw, First Year as well. Can you girls believe it? We are sharing a dorm with the Selena Potter?"
Selena rolled her eyes, giggling. "I'm still trying to process that I'm a witch and will be learning Magic tomorrow." she said, switching her school robes for a pair of polka-dot pyjamas.
"Understandable. I heard that you were raised by your Muggle Aunt and Uncle. What are they like?" Odessa asked.
"Horrible, and my cousin is no better," she looked over to Vanessa. "You're lucky you have a cousin who's like you, magic wise I mean."
"True that, though Evan is a bit…well…bananas." She explained, twirling her index finger in a circle next to her temple.
"Oh," Selena's nose wrinkled in confusion. "Hang on, there's no Evan in Ravenclaw. Only an Evangeline."
Vanessa shook her head, chuckling at the obvious. "Evangeline is Evan's birth name, but she prefers to be called Evan."
"Oh, that makes sense."
Adeline smiled, climbing into bed. "She's a lovely person, I met her on the train. She's really funny."
"I look forward to meeting her." Selena said, crawling under the doona and crisp clean white sheets.
"So, Draco Malfoy then?" Odessa smirked, setting her glasses on the table next to her bed.
Selena shot up in shock. "Excuse me?"
"We saw you looking at him all dreamily," said Adeline.
She and Odessa started giggling at the stunned look on Selena's face.
"So, it's true then," Odessa smiled.
"What's true?"
"That the two of you are in love and are an item!" Adeline exclaimed.
Selena's face turned as red as a baboon's bottom. "What in Elvis's name? No! Draco and I are not an item, or in love. We're just friends."
Vanessa frowned that the girls' behaviour. "Jeez Adeline, give Selena a break. Besides, we're too young to be dating anyway."
"That doesn't stop you from crushing on your cousin's friend, Alec Rathmore."
It was then Vanessa's turn to blush. "Excuse me?"
"Oooo, looks like two of our dorm friends are crushing in boys. I will go down with Dralena and Vanelec!"
"WE ARE NOT CRUSHING!" The two blushing girls shouted.
Selena sighed, not just from the situation, but also exhaustion. "Now all of you – please – Go. To. Sleep!"
"Fine," The girls groaned as they all climbed into bed.
Selena's head fell back on her pillow. Maybe I don't like Draco that much right now, but what if Adeline's right. Maybe I do like him. After the feast and the emotional exhaustion of the day, she fell asleep quickly with a smile on her face.
Brace yourselves Wizarding World, The Potter Twins have come to Hogwarts.
So she's in Gryffindor and he's in Slytherin?
Sound familiar? *wink*