Chapter 2

"First-years! First-years this way!" A half-giant was moving all the first years towards the edge of the platform. Jack started moving towards him when another first-year ran into him, laughing.

"Oh God, sorry! The mates were messing around with me a bit." The boy laughed, and helped Jack up. "Scorpius Malfoy." He stuck out a hand.

Jack shook it. "Jack Frost."

"Frost, you say?" Scorpius smirked. "You've got the hair for it."

Jack scowled, touching his white hair. "You're one to talk. Nice stardust, Scorpo." Scorpius felt his hair, and started laughing when glitter came off on his hands.

"You're not bad." Scorpius grinned at him. "Wanna share a boat together? I'll introduce you to my mates."

Jack shrugged, giving Scorpius a smile. "That depends. Do they have weird ass names too?"

Scorpius threw his arm around Jack's shoulder. "I have a feeling we're going to get along swell, Frost."

"That makes one of us, Princess Sparkledust."

"Oh, come on!" Rapunzel scooped up her hair as fast as she could, running after the other first-years. A boy had slammed her hair in a compartment door, and it had taken a while to get it back out. Dried tears speckled her cheeks. A number of cruel things had already been done to her, and she hadn't even gotten to the castle yet. Please put me in Hufflepuff…Please.

"Oi! Hurry up, Goldie!" The last boat was about to leave just as Rapunzel ran up. Inside sat a girl with long, curly red hair. She looked rather impatient, tapping her foot, her arms crossed.

"I'm coming!" She jumped into the boat, and it pushed away from the dock, pushing itself fast through the dark waters, trying to catch up with the entourage ahead. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"Don't mention it. I heard two girls talking about some cursed girl behind them, scheming to leave you here with no boat."

"Oh. Yeah, that'd be me." Rapunzel frowned, watching the dark waters splash up against the sides of the boat.

"I pushed them into the lake."

"Oh, that's-WHAT?"

The red-head shrugged. "My family doesn't tolerate bullying."

"Well, erm, thank you. For doing that." Rapunzel smiled at the girl.

She smiled back. "I'm Rose, by the way. Rose Weasley."

"I'm Rapunzel Gothel. Pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you."

The castle came into sight, rendering the two speechless. It had been nearly 12 years since it had been rebuilt, and it still glowed as if the wizards had just put the finishing touches on it yesterday. The many windows all glowed with candlelight, and the two could just make out the carriages crossing the drawbridge into the castle.

"Hurry on up to the castle! Professor Longbottom will be waitin' fer you." Hagrid, the half-giant, was directing the first years as they stepped off of their boats.

"Come on! We get to be Sorted now!" Rose nearly capsized the boat, she hopped up from her seat so fast.

"H-hang on!" Rapunzel quickly stepped out, rushing after Rose.

"You will be Sorted into one of four houses: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff…." Professor Longbottom was giving the students instructions as they waited outside the main dining hall. Rose leaned over to Rapunzel as he did.

"My family wants me to be sorted into Gryffindor, but I want to be in Ravenclaw. What about you?"

"Uh, well, I'd like to be in Hufflepuff."

"Huh. Hufflepuff. It's a nice house." Rose smiled at her. Rapunzel beamed. She was the first to compliment her choice.

"In you go." Professor Longbottom opened the large doors, and the first-years marched in. Rapunzel gaped as they entered. She'd heard of the ceiling being enchanted and of the beautiful dining arrangements, but seeing it was entirely different from hearing and reading about it.

She heard snickering behind her, and turned to see the boy she'd shared a compartment with, Jack, and another with very light blonde hair beside him. They were both looking at Rose, and she could tell that the boy with the light blonde hair had just made a joke about her new friend. Rapunzel glared at Jack, whose eyes widened at her. She turned forward as Professor Longbottom began to read off the list of first-years to be Sorted.

She whispered with Rose about the dining hall ("It's just like what I've read in Hogwarts, a History II!" "You've read it too?" "Of course I have!") until she heard Jack's name called.

"Frost, Jack." Jack slid past her, making his way to the stool with the tattered Sorting Hat. Professor Longbottom put it on him, and after a few seconds, it shouted out, "SLYTHERIN."

Jack slid off the stool, no expression on his face as the Slytherin table cheered. Next after him was, "Faunteil, Belle," who was sorted into Ravenclaw, then "Grabowski, Amber," who went to Hufflepuff. A few more passed through until "Gordon, Beckett," was sorted into Slytherin. Rapunzel saw that he had become friends with Jack, as Jack's face brightened considerably once he saw that someone he knew was in the same house as him.

"Gothel, Rapunzel." Rapunzel suddenly felt very nervous as she climbed the stairs towards the Hat. She dropped her bundle of hair as she reached the Hat, and where whispers once came from the House tables, all stopped. She blushed, trying to hide the length of her hair as Professor Longbottom set the Hat upon her head.

She didn't hear anything for a few minutes, and she could feel the rest of the dining hall getting restless. A voice finally popped into her head, just as she was about to give up hope that it had found a House for her.

Hmm…fine amount of bravery, you have…..let's see…..Oh. How peculiar.

What? What is it? She thought fervently, worried that the Hat wouldn't let her into a House because of what had happened to her.

Normally, I'd say Hufflepuff (you're very well-rounded, my dear) but this…this ability you have….hmm…you have a special gift. A very special gift. Let's say….

Please say Hufflepuff! Please! I don't want to be in a well-known House! I'll be picked on for not living up to standards, and‒

"RAVENCLAW!" The Hat announced proudly, and Professor Longbottom took the Hat off of Rapunzel, who climbed slowly down from the school, and walked towards the silent Ravenclaw table.

Most of them gave her dirty looks, but one of the first-year girls scooted over to let her sit down. "Thank you." Rapunzel whispered, staring at the ground as the others were Sorted.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked, handing Rapunzel a piece of cake.

Rapunzel accepted it, and looked up at the girl, smiling. "I'm fine, thank you."

"I'm Belle Faunteil."

"Rapunzel Gothel."

"I love your hair. It's beautiful." She gave Rapunzel a wink. "I'm rather good at hairstyles. You should let me try sometime."

"Thank‒" Rapunzel was interrupted by the name "Weasley, Rose" being called out. She gave Belle a smile, then swiveled around so she could see Rose get Sorted. The Hat remained silent for a fair amount of time before yelling out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Rapunzel squealed as Rose raced towards the table, which erupted in loud, boisterous cheers, a far cry from how they accepted Rapunzel. Ignoring the many hands aimed at her, Rose sat down next to Rapunzel, giving her a hug. "We get to room together now!"

"We do?"

"Yeah! All three of us, eh?" Rose smiled at Belle, who glanced up and gave her one back.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Belle said, shaking hands with Rose after she had introduced herself.

"Move aside, mutant." A girl from the far end of the table came and squeezed herself between Rapunzel and Rose. "Talia Francis, third-year. I know so much about you, Rose! I hope we can be fast friends." She gushed, hugging Rose, who looked rather uncomfortable, and glanced at Rapunzel. Rapunzel just gave her a wavering smile, and stared down at her food as Belle death-glared the girl.

"Um, Talia, Rapunzel is my friend, and I would prefer it if you didn't call her a mutant."

"But she is, Rose. She's scum, someone who should be put in a quarantine facility. Ugh, just sitting next to her makes me feel contaminated from whatever curse she got put upon her. Don't you agree?" She frowned at Rapunzel, scooting farther away from her and closer to Rose, whose face began to turn red.

"Talia, please leave."

"But why? We were getting along so well." She smiled sweetly at Rose.

"Maybe we would've, had you not decided to insult one of my friends. I may not be my mother, but I can sure as hell wield a wand if I need to." Rose's glare made Talia look like she was shrinking into herself.

"I'll talk to you later, Rose." She got up, and glared at Rapunzel as she left.

"Are you okay, Goldie?" Rose asked worriedly.

"I'm just going to, ah, go to the bathroom…uhm, please excuse me." Rapunzel stood up, walking as quickly as she could towards the doors at the end of the hall. Tears threatened to spill as she did, hearing the other comments the other students had.

"Ew. Look. It's the mutant."

"Ugh, why are they even allowed to go to Hogwarts? They're pests."

"My mother says that if you touch a cursed person, you get the same curse they have."

Rapunzel pushed open the doors, breaking into a run as her tears finally began to flow down her cheeks. I want to go home.