Chapter Four: Well, that's all sorted
"Why are you reading those?" Ginny asked, walking into the room the afternoon before the train would leave. Aria had packed all her new school things into her Muggle duffle bag, with the exception of her robes and a few school books, and her Kindle, all of which would go into a backpack she had scavenged from the boxes of muggle things Mr. Weasley would secretly bring home and hide in the garage. After she had shown him what it was used for, he had gladly let her take it.
"They are interesting," Aria said, flipping a page in her Transfiguration textbook. She had just finished writing a letter to Dumbledore in response to his theories about her eyes after she had told hm her idea weeks ago. She had used the Weasley's owl, Errol, to send it. She had no other plans for the day, which had resulted in her pulling out her school books again.
"But you have to have read them all the way through twice by now," Ginny pouted. She stood with a hand on her hip, a tiny version of Mrs. Weasley. Aria nearly laughed.
"What would you rater I be doing?" Aria asked, looking up from her book with a raised eyebrow.
"I dunno, lets go flying, or play hide and seek, or do something! After today I'll be the only one here and mum will make me help her with all the cleaning," Ginny said with a sigh, and flopped down onto her bed.
"Alright, we can play hide and seek, and you can go hide," Aria said, looking back down at her book with a smirk.
"But you won't come find me," Ginny said with a frown. Aria had pulled this on her before, and Ginny had wound up hiding for nearly two hours before she got bored and came out. They were both silent for a moment as Aria finished reading the chapter she was on. "I know!" Ginny said, sitting up. "Why don't you try some of the magic you've learned so far."
"Oh, I dunno," Aira said, sitting up straight. "I'm not supposed to do magic remember, I'm underage."
"I know, but it doesn't matter if you are in a house full of Wizards. Fred and George said the Trace can only tell when magic is done near you, not who's magic it is, so they will just think it's mum."
"Well," Aria said, dragging out the word. "I guess I can try something. What do you want to see?"
"Hmmm. Can you change something into a mouse! Then I can put it in mum's room and scare her," Ginny said, laughing at the thought.
"I don't think I can do that. We start with matches into needles in class," Aria said, thinking. She had memorized the needed spells, half remembering them from the books, and half from reading about them the last month. "I know the spell though…" she said, trailing off in thought. "Okay, I'll try it. What should I change?"
"Oh here, change this cup," Ginny said, grabbing an empty tea cup from her bedside table. Aria flipped to the chapter about transfiguring things into animals and reread a few paragraphs, just to make sure.
"Okay," she sad, pulling her wand out of the stack of clothes at the end of her bed. "Here goes," she said, then took a deep breath and focused on the cup. She said the spell clearly, following the wand movements depicted in the morning pictures in the book, ending with two sharp taps on the cup. She watched with excitement as the cup handle shifted into a pointed nose and sprouted whiskers. Two bulges on the cup rim began to bloom into round ears, and a tail sprouted from the opposite end of the cup, falling across Aria's bedspread. The cup itself became more rounded, but it didn't fully change into a mouse, and the china print was still over it's nose and tail. Ginny giggled, but Aria frowned. She had done everything right, the words were correct, with the emphasis on the right syllables, and the wand movement had been correct, so why hadn't it worked. She frowned while Ginny picked up the mouse, who was unable to scurry away since he didn't have feet.
"Let me try again," Aria said, reading over the spell in the book again. Ginny set the mouse cup back down and stepped away as Aria repeated the incantation and wand movements. This time, there was a small pop, and the cup had fully turned into a tiny white mouse, with a pink floral parent across its back.
"Aw, he's so cute!" Ginny said, picking up the little creature and letting him run over her fingers. Aria grinned at her near success. If she had done it right, he would have pink flowers on him, but it was close enough for her.
"Let me try to change him back," she said, lifting her wand again.
They spent the rest of the day laughing over the spells Aria attempted, and the ones she failed at first. By the time dinner rolled around, Aria was excited to start school and learn the real ways to do the spells she had messed up on.
Dumbledore appeared at the house after dinner, and Aria and Ginny looked at each other in nervousness. Maybe the Ministry had been able to tell it was Aria doing the magic earlier.
"No thank you," Dumbledore said as Mrs. Weasley invited him to join the end of the meal. "I just came by to speak to Ms. Gray about her letter earlier." He turned to her and she frowned. She hadn't thought the letter warranted a trip out here, it was hardly even interesting, just restating her theory that her eyes changed when she thought of the future. "I've done a bit of reading into the causes behind the change in your eyes," he said, turning to Aria. She glanced at the others, wondering why Dumbledore was saying this in front of them.
"Yes, Professor?" She asked, prompting him to continue. If he was saying it in front of the Weasley's, he either wanted them to know, or this was a performance for their sake.
"I believe that you are a seer," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly. "It usually runs in blood, and from what you told me earlier this summer, I believe your grandmother was also one." Aria kept herself from frowning at him. She hadn't said any such thing, which meant that this was just what he wanted the Weasley's to think.
"Is that so, Professor?" She said, keeping her voice polite even though the family was now staring between the two of them.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling wider now. "I believe that the scenes you have described to me are simply visions of the future. I must ask you though, to please keep such things to yourself as they may not come to be true."
"Of course, Professor," she said, nodding. His ordering that in front of the others would curb their questions but they would be more apt to listen to her if she needed to tell them to do something in the future. Though she could see his plan, she didn't really like it. She wanted them to trust her on their own, not because Dumbledore had said she had a special ability. And this would probably spread all over school now. She shrugged it off though as Dumbledore turned to conversation with the older Weasley's. Aria muttered something about bed to get away from the curious looks from the younger Weasley's and disappeared up the stairs.
The next morning was extremely hectic. While Aria had packed a few days before when Mrs. Weasley had instructed them to, Fred and George, and Ron, were running around grabbing last minute items. Aria had already put her duffle bag and backpack into the car Mr. Weasley had taken home and secretly enchanted, and was now sitting at the table eating breakfast calmly with Ginny, Percy, and Mr. Weasley while the others ran about the house and Mrs. Weasley shouted at them.
Finally, around 9:30, the lot of them were squeezed into the car and on their way to the station.
"Alright you lot," Mr. Weasley said as they piled out of the car at Kings Cross Station. "I'll go get us some trollies, you all wait here and behave, and try to blend in," he said, then disappeared between the other parked cars. It was nearly 10:30 now, and Mrs. Weasley was rushing about, worrying that they would miss the train. Aria knew that Harry was being dropped off right about now, and soon he would be panicking about how to get on the right platform.
Mr. Weasley returned nearly ten minutes later with the trollies and helped them all pile their trunks and things onto them, then he led them into the station. As they entered the building, Mr. Weasley spotted someone he obviously knew from work, and rushed off to talk to him about something. Mrs. Weasley led them towards platforms 9 and 10, weaving through the crowded station with Ginny's hand grasped in hers. Up ahead, Aria spotted Harry talking to a very annoyed looking platform attendant, and she glanced over at Mrs. Weasley, who would have to mention muggles soon, or Harry wouldn't hear her and he would have no idea where to go. Aria shook her head slightly, fully coming to realize just how important every tiny detail was becoming. As they got nearer to Harry, Aria became more and more nervous. Mrs. Weasley was talking quietly to Ginny as they walked, and Aria was worried she would walk right past Harry. Aria made the split second decision to push her duffle bag off the trolly, which caused the rest of the group to pause for a moment.
"Sorry," Aria said, making sure Mrs. Weasley could hear her. "Someone bumped into my cart."
"It's alright dear, just hurry up now," Mrs. Weasley said, glancing down at her watch. "It's packed with muggles of course, it's the same every year," she said with a sigh as they continued walking. Aria glanced to the side and saw that Harry was looking at the group with interest, and she let out a sigh of relief.
They came to a halt in front of the barrier, and Mrs. Weasley began sending them in by pairs. Aria made sure to go through first with Percy, so that Harry wouldn't see her and recognize her from their time in Diagon Alley.
Aria boarded the train immediately, looking for an empty compartment, towing her duffle bag behind her with her backpack slung over her shoulders. Her free arm was wrapped around a basket that held Jupiter, whom she had taken to calling Mr. Cat when she spoke to him.
Aria got her things into the luggage rack, then went back to the platform to say goodbye to the others. She saw Harry board the train, helped along by the twins, then was distracted as Ginny hugged her tightly.
"I'm going to miss you!" Ginny said into Aria's hair. Aria laughed and hugged her back.
"I'll miss you too. But it's okay, I'll see you at Christmas… if that's okay with your mother," Aria said, suddenly realizing that she wouldn't really have anywhere to go when school let out. It would be okay over Christmas, because she knew the family would be visiting Charlie in Romania and she could stay at the castle, but what about for the summer?
"It'll be fine," Ginny said, pulling back. "Mum loves you, she's always going on about how nice it is to have more girls in the house."
Aria laughed, and was then pulled into a tight hug by Mrs. Weasley.
"It's been so nice having you dear," Mrs. Weasley said, giving her another squeeze. "You have to come back for Christmas, and for the summer holidays," she said with a smile. Aria caught Ginny's eye as she pulled away and Ginny gave her a knowing grin that Aria returned.
"Alright, best get on the train now," Mrs. Weasley sad, giving Aria a little push. "Wait a second, Ronald, you've got dirt on your nose," she said, pulling him to her and wiping at his nose.
"Mum, you'll never guess who we just met," one of the twins said, jumping from the train. Aria glanced toward the train and caught Harry's eye. He watched her for a moment, a confused look on his face, then he sunk down in his seat so she couldn't see him.
"No you can't Ginny, the poor boy, I was wondering why he was alone," Mrs. Weasley's voice cut into Aria's thoughts. The train whistle blew loudly and there was a flurry of motion as students who had been on the platform rushed to the train.
"Bye!" Aria called, waving to Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, and to Mr. Weasley, who had finally appeared on the platform.
Ron followed her back to the compartment, and she was not surprised to see Harry already there.
"Is it alright if we sit here? Everywhere else is full," Ron said, looking around the compartment.
"Uh, sure," Harry said, waving a hand at the seat across from them where Aria had left the basket containing Jupiter. As the door slid closed, Aria lifted the lid, but he was asleep and stayed put.
"I'm Ron," Ron said as he sat next to Harry. "Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry replied, watching them closely. Ron's eyes lifted to Harry's scar for a moment, then he turned to face Aria.
"I'm Aria Gray," she said, smiling at him.
"I met you in Diagon Alley," he said, narrowing his eyes a little.
"Yep," Aria said, grinning at him. They all sat in silence for a few moments, then Ron started talking about quidditch, which then led to an explanation for Harry. Aria got her backpack from the luggage racks, and set it on the bench beside her, taking out her Kindle to read. She had made sure to sneak down to the village one last time before they left to charge her Kindle for the long train ride. She was sure the thing wouldn't work at Hogwarts, so she was determined to finish reading the first book for the fifth time that summer. She had memorized as much as she could from the book, but she was still nervous that her being there would change something little which could cause them to lose the war or something drastic. Jupiter climbed onto her lap as she began to worry over the details and curled up on her crossed legs, calming her with his quiet purr. She pet him twice, then began to read.
She read uninterrupted throughout the journey, with the exception of Hermione and Neville coming in to look for Trevor the toad. Aria made sure to smile at Hermione, feeling sorry for what would happen to the girl within the next couple months.
As the sun was beginning to set, the battery on Aria's kindle died, and she was forced to pay attention to the conversation, which was now revolving around the piles of candy they had bought from the trolly and the trading cards that came with chocolate frogs.
"So what about you? Where are you from?" Harry asked, looking over at her with a calculating expression. He had just finished detailing his aunt and uncles house for Ron, who had described the Burrow before that.
"I've been staying with Ron and his family," she said, shrugging. Jupiter was still curled up on her lap, purring softly, and it made Aria much less anxious about the upcoming year.
"Yeah I know, but what about before that?" Harry asked, and Ron was now paying attention too.
"I'm from Wisconsin, in the states," she said, smiling.
"You told my parents you were from Alaska," Ron said accusingly.
"No, I said my parents live in Alaska, and that I was born there, but I lived in Wisconsin," she said to Ron, who frowned. "My parents moved back to Alaska last year. I didn't go with them," she said, her tone clearly stating the end of the conversation. "I expect we're nearly there, we had best change into our robes," she added, grabbing her backpack and standing slowly, letting Jupiter jump onto the bench beside her where he sat, gazing at them.
She left the compartment to find a bathroom to change in, and by the time she returned, the boys were already dressed.
"I hate wearing skirts," she said, walking back into the compartment. The boys looked up at her from their seats, their eyes wide. "This school uniform is shit," she continued, plopping down. "I mean, it's not like you can see the stupid thing anyway, under the robes, so why does it matter?"
They looked at her blankly, clearly surprised by her sudden swearing.
"Never mind," she said, rolling her eyes at them. They might have replied, but at that moment, the train began to slow, and they turned to look out the dark windows for a glimpse of the castle.
When they left the train, leaving behind all the luggage and pets, Aria became separated from the two boys, and found herself standing right behind Draco Malfoy when the group came to a stop in front of Hagrid who had been calling them.
"Alright Harry?" She heard him call over the group of chattering first years. "No more 'n four t' a boat," Hagrid called, waving toward the tiny fleet of boats.
Since she was towards the back of the group, Aria ended up sharing a boat with Lavander Brown and the Patil twins. None of them talked as the boats began to move, preferring to stare up at the brightly lit castle in awe.
As they exited the boats, Aria caught back up with Ron and Harry, who took no notice of her as they followed Hagrid through the castle.
"Here they are, Professor," Hagrid said, coming to a stop near the doors as Professor McGonagall pulled them open.
"Very well Hagrid, I'll take them from here," she said, then turned and led them into the entry hall. She turned to the group as they looked around the large hall. "Please wait here, quietly, I will return for you when we are ready," she said, then disappeared through a doorway.
"Is it true what they're saying on the train then?" Draco's voice drawled out from behind them. Aria, Ron, and Harry turned to face him, as did most of the other first years. "Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts?" He continued, and muttering broke out among the group. Draco approached them, his two larger friends trailing behind him.
"I'm Malfoy," he said. "Draco Malfoy." Ron let out a snigger, and Aria tried hard to suppress the smile.
"Think my name's funny do you?" Draco asked, turning his attention to Ron. "Hand me down robes, red hair, no need to ask who you are. My father told me the Weasley's have more children than they can afford," he said, and Aria instinctively grabbed Ron's arm, just as he jerked forward a bit, but Draco had already turned back to Harry.
"You'll find that some wizarding families are… better than others. You don't wan tot go making friends with the wrong sort," he said, holding out a hand. "I can help you there."
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry said, and Draco let his hand fall with a sneer on his face.
At that moment, many students shrieked or let out gasps as dozens of ghosts poured through the walls.
Aria ignored the conversation between the ghosts and students, choosing instead to sidle over towards where Draco was whispering to his friends.
She was just within earshot when professor McGonagall returned and beaconed to the group. They followed her into the Great Hall in silenced awe, staring up at the ceiling, which Aria had to admit, was quite beautiful. The Great Hall looked exactly as she had pictured it, but she didn't have time to analyze everything as Professor McGonagall had already brought out the hat and instructed the first years. The hat sang its song loudly, and Aria suddenly realized, with a jolt, that the hat was able to see into her mind, and it would see the future, and probably tell Dumbledore about it. There was nothing she could do though, except watch anxiously as the first few people were sorted. Finally, Hermione Granger was sorted into Gryffindor, and Aria's name was called.
She walked up to the front of the group and sat on the stool and slowly lifted the hat to her head, then closed her eyes.
'Hm, what's this?' A voice said inside her mind. "You have an intense knowledge of future events, and… you aren't from this world, so why are you here?"
'I don't know,' Aria thought, and she heard the hat chuckle.
'Well lets see here,' he continued, speaking into her mind. 'Plenty of intelligence in here, and you are very loyal, but only to a select few. You are not brash, but certainly brave, but over all of that, you have a goal, and you know what you need to accomplish it. You manipulate everyone around you to make things convenient… and stealing and lying are necessary steps in your path. Very ambitious… Yes, I know just where to put you, better be "SLY-"
'Wait please sir,' Aria thought desperately, and she was sure that her face betrayed some of her panic though she did her best to keep it clear. Muttering had broken out at the hats beginning yell and silence.
'Ah, I see, yes, you must be near those three, to watch over them, hmm,'
'May I please be in Gryffindor? They will never trust me if you put me in Slytherin,' Aria begged in her mind.
'Yes yes, I see that, and you are sure of the outcome of all of this?' The hat said in her mind. 'You are sure that you haven't already changed things? You have given young Harry reason to wonder about you, and the young Malfoy boy wonders too,' as he spoke, images came to her mind, memories of the past few months.
'I need Harry to trust me, and he has to know that I am right about things, otherwise I won't be able to instruct him later without too many questions. I'm starting small, but eventually he needs to realize that I know some of the future, and that he needs to listen to me. And Malfoy… I was trying to make him an enemy, but he behaved in a way I didn't expect, though things seem to be back on track now,' she thought of the anger from him earlier.
'And with this ability to manipulate others, you are sure Slytherin would not be the best choice? You would fit in well there.'
'No, sir, I must be near Harry Potter, and he will undoubtedly ask to be put in Gryffindor as well,' Aria thought, peeking an eye open to glance around the crowded hall. Students were whispering to each other, and she realized that she had been on stage for nearly five minutes now.
'I understand, and if you can guarantee the outcome you have in your mind then there is no other choice. You must be in "GRYFFINDOR" the hat shouted the last word.
'Thank you,' Aria thought as she took the hat off and headed to the table that was clapping for her. She sat down beside the twins and watched the rest of the sorting. The only person who took longer than she did was Harry Potter, though Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger were both close.
Aria found herself worrying over the upcoming school year so much that she wasn't hungry during the feast. The only thing she noticed after her sorting was Draco's sorting. In the books, the hat knew immediately that he should be placed in Slytherin, but in this world, the hat took nearly a minute to decide. No one else found this odd, but Aria frowned, trying to think of what had changed.
As she followed the Gryffindor Prefects up the stairs and through the portrait hole, Aria listened to the conversation around them. No one seemed to think it odd that the hat had changed it's mind halfway through announcing what house she should be in, they were all more interested in their classes the next day and finding their dorms.
Aria shared a room with four other girls, Lavander Brown, Hermione Granger, Fay Dunbar, and Parvati Patil, all of whom found it odd that she had a duffle bag at the end of her bed, rather than a trunk. She shrugged them off when they asked about it, and changed into her pajamas behind the hangings of her bed, then climbed in and curled up under the blankets, leaving a spot for Jupiter next to her pillow.
As she listened to the other girls get ready for bed, Aria sighed, thinking of home and wondering if she would ever go back to it. She fell asleep long after the other girls had fallen silent, and moonlight fell softly across the room. She caught herself almost wishing she still had a stuffed animal or something familiar, to help her feel more comfortable here, and nearly laughed. She was twenty three. She was used to moving and new places. She would be fine here in a few days, maybe she would even have fun.
She drifted off with that hopeful thought in her mind.
