A/N: Sorry for the long dry spell! I'm back, though, and I'm going to finish this story! Also, sorry for the multiple alert emails... I've been messing with a few things.
Only Aeryn and the plotline belong to me!
And sorry for the somewhat short chapters. I'm trying to get the background up so we can get to the real action!
As I stepped off the train already clad in my new robes – so soft! – the sight of the stars reflecting off the lake and the candle-lit castle caught my breath. For a minute all I could do was soak in the grandeur of a world that I had dreamed of as a refuge when other children would go to a new home and I would stay at the orphanage, enduring the pity of the Sisters and their half-hearted hopes. The rain we had heard on the train ride had washed the air clean and brought the scent of a nearby forest to the forefront of the natural welcome of the castle. My musings didn't last for long, though; a blonde boy with his entourage stalked past me, his cronies' trunks splashing mud onto my new robes.
"Hey!" I shouted, twitching my robes out of the way as the leader of the pack barely turned his head. A hand settled on my shoulder as the jerk continued walking, and Ron's voice said behind me, "Don't pay any attention to him, Aeryn… he's just a real git." I fumed for a minute before Ron continued talking, attempting to pull both my attention and my physical body over to one of the enchanted carriages.
"…and so that's how Hermione punched him in the face. It was a bloody great sight to see. The look of shock on Malfoy's face was bloody brilliant… not to mention the black eye she gave him!" Ron's triumphant smile dimmed slightly as he noticed that I was only half-listening to him. I had met Hermione on the train, and although we had gotten along, she had been too busy with her duties to really stay and chat. Ron, on the other hand, had made time to talk with us. Maybe that was why Hermione had been so busy…
"Earth to Aeryn… come in, Aeryn…"
A hand was waving in front of my face.
"Oh! Sorry… I was… well, I was somewhere," I finished lamely, unwilling to truly bare my soul on something as personal as my reflections on being treated as worthless. Ron and Harry exchanged a look that almost shouted disbelief and I started to laugh.
"Well… it's just stupid of people to look down on others because they're half-Muggle or even full Muggle! I mean, it's completely insane to have to accept someone who's done evil things or is completely rude and selfish just because Mummy and Daddy happen to be pure-bloods. What about Merlin – was he a Muggle-born? Did he even know who his parents were? No! And he was one of the greatest wizards in the history of—of—of wizardry!" I panted slightly, my diatribe having rounded all three bases and come fully home for a bona fide American home run.
Ron laughed and put his arm around my shoulder. "You're going to love Hermione when you two have more time to talk…"
The doors to the Headmaster's office were large and awe-inspiring. The graceful carvings on them were both beautiful and terrifying in what they depicted – a phoenix rising from the ashes; a basilisk lurking in an underground chamber; even a creature I didn't recognize with the body of a horse, but the wings and head of an eagle in mid-flight. I hesitated, my hand poised beside the door as I decided whether or not I really wished to knock on the door. Ron and Harry had seemed sure of my being placed in Gryffindor House with them, but what if I were placed somewhere different? Somewhere… maybe even Slytherin? Would they still associate with me if I were in the school's darkest House?
That was a stupid question.
Wasn't it?
I took a deep breath and tried to make my knock sound as though I were as confident as their parting smiles had been.
"Come in!" a booming voice called. As the doors opened of their own accord, I couldn't help but gasp in slight surprise at the scene before me. The office was filled with gadgets that whistled and whirled, while a true phoenix stood on the arm of the impressive man before me. His light blue eyes were filled with kindness, while his long white beard spoke of years of intellect and experience. His smile broadened as I stepped into the room and he gestured toward a seat in front of his desk.
"Sit, please! I am very happy to have you here, as I am sure Ron and Harry are too." His eyes glinted for a moment with a mischievous attitude. I laughed, wondering just how he had known about that interesting meeting. The older man slowly walked around his desk to the fireplace that I hadn't noticed yet. In fact, I realized that I hadn't noticed a lot about the office after laying eyes on the famous Professor Dumbledore, supposedly the only man that Voldemort feared.
"Aeryn Mitchells, you have chosen to attend Hogwarts over any other magic school," the professor said, his amused countenance growing serious. "Your past, however, may not allow you to enjoy your time here fully." His piercing blue eyes regarded me intently as he judged how this comment affected me. I stayed quiet for a minute, wondering just what he knew about my past.
"Sir… I don't know what you know about my past," I said slowly, not daring to look him in the eye. My linked hands sat calmly in my lap, although my heart wasn't even close to calm. "I have been with the Sisters for as long as I can remember, and all I know about my parents is that they were not people whose actions I should emulate." I raised my head to look him straight in the eye, my equilibrium somewhat resettled by the look of approval and sadness in the professor's own eyes.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said gently. "I will not tell you more about your history now, though. You will learn in time what you need to know, and I believe you will have the strength the come to the right decision. Now then," he beamed, "we should go to the feast and see where you shall be Sorted!"