Chapter 2
Hogwarts Express, London, England
September 1, 1992
Addie looked down the long corridor and felt a wave of apprehension, or maybe it was excitement, run through her. The corridor was teaming with students wearing a variety of very eccentric street clothes and billowing, black robes. Small fireworks flitted near the ceiling before exploding and raining down sparks in every color. Addie took a deep breath as what she assumed was a paper airplane whizzed from the compartment on her left to the one on her right. She popped her head into one just in time to see a deck of cards explode and cover everyone inside in ash and soot. Jumping back she made her way further down the corridor. Most of the compartments were packed to the ceiling, but finally near the back on the left hand side there was a compartment with only one other girl inside.
"Excuse me," she knocked softly, "Is anyone sitting there?" she asked gesturing to the bench, "This place is pretty packed." The other girl, who Addie noticed, seemed rather slight and had ebony colored very curly hair, shook her head. Addie shoved her school bag onto the rack above their heads and turned towards the window. She stuck her head out the window and looked for her family and finally spotted them on the back of the platform. Mia noticed her first and gestured to their parents who waved back enthusiastically. She glanced at the wristwatch her father had given her for her birthday back in February and noticed there were still ten minutes until the train left.
""You're a muggleborn, then" the girl finally spoke up her voice cool and distant.
"I don't think so," Addie shook her head in response. That caused the other girl to raise an eyebrow before responding.
"Your parents look a little…out of place."
Addie glanced back out at her family; they didn't look that unusual to her. Mum was dressed in a billowing skirt and a sweater she usually wore for the first day of school, Dad had on his favorite tie, and Mia was dressed similarly to Addie herself in jeans and a dark gray jumper. Addie looked back at the raven-haired girl and shrugged as if to say she didn't get it.
"They look like muggles," the girl rolled her eyes, "Like really aggressively normally muggle."
"Well…I mean…they're not…like me?" she answered back, "What's your name?" Addie asked finally.
"Lucy," the girl smiled, "Lucy Abernathy."
"I'm Ad-…
"WELL BUGGER OFF ARSEHOLE!" The shout came as Addie was mid-sentence. Both girls turned to look at the door of the compartment. A rather tall gangly looking boy with toffee colored eyes and freckles peeking out from beneath his equally warm brown skin. He stepped into the compartment and looked between the two girls sheepishly. "Sorry," he muttered plopping himself down next to Lucy, "My brother," he gestured vaguely in the direction of the back of the train. Addie looked at Lucy and then at the boy.
"I'm Addie," she finally stated mostly to Lucy.
"Bash," the boy said dropping his head on the wall of the compartment behind him.
"Huh?" Lucy said
"Bash," he said again, "That's my name."
"Did your parents expect you to be particularly rambunctious?" Lucy asked him, which caused him to pick his head up and look at her. "You know…crash, bang, all those other sound words."
"Onomatopoeia," Addie supplied helpfully, which cause both Lucy and Bash to look at her. "It's a word that sounds like what it means…"
"Well you'll definitely be a Ravenclaw," Lucy laughed brightly before turning back to Bash, "But seriously though…when did you start going by Bash?"
"It's short for Sebastian," he asserted to Addie.
"Leave him alone, Lucy," Addie replied. Lucy sighed heavily and flopped back against the bench. She looked at Addie like she'd just sucked all the fun out of the room. "How do you know I'll be a Ravenclaw?" Addie asked, "I tried to find out how they sort you, but it wasn't in any of the books."
"You're a muggleborn, then?" Bash stated with interest and a sly look at Lucy, "My brother says you have to fight a troll as part of the sorting."
"Don't be ridiculous," Lucy laughed again, "My mum spent all summer teaching my how to put out dragon's fire." Addie felt her eyes grow wider the more Lucy and Bash swapped rumors they'd heard about how first year students were sorted into one of the four houses. Bash finally looked over at her and grinned a ridiculously wide lopsided grin.
"We're just joking," he told her, "It's just a hat."
"A hat?"
"Yeah, you put it on, it reads your mind, and decides where you should be sorted."
"Oh," Addie did not feel reassured thinking about a magic hat that could read her mind. "What house do you think you'll be in?"
"My whole family's been in Slytherin for years," Bash said with a shrug, "That's where Blaise was sorted last year and probably where I'll go this year."
"I heard Harry Potter's in Gryffindor," Lucy smiled, "He looks pretty cute in his picture in the Prophet."
"You want to be a Gryffindor because of a boy?" Addie giggled.
"I'll probably be a Hufflepuff," Lucy sighed heavily.
"Sweet but silly," Bash supplied and Lucy smacked his arm.
Addie watched the two of them laughing and couldn't help but smile. She'd always done well at school, but didn't have a lot of friends because of the weird accidents that always followed her around. Sitting with Lucy and Bash was the most normal she'd felt in ever; like she didn't have to worry if she blew the roof off the book shop or caused Billy Gaines to get stuck to the swings at school. While they talked and joked, the Hogwarts Express had carried them away from London. Addie glanced at the window at the very green hills and small picturesque villages. They lapsed into silence, Addie staring out the window while Lucy scribbled in a notebook and Bash read a battered copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.
Just around twelve there as a loud clacking sound out in the corridor and the door of their compartment slid open, a plumpy woman with deep dimples smiled at them, "Anything off the trolley dears?" she asked. Addie looked wide-eyed at the selection of candy and sweets on the cart. She'd never heard of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans or Chocolate Frogs or Sugar Quills.
"You have to stop with the wide-eyed wonder," Lucy said as she reached around Addie towards the cart. She handed Addie a box of the Every-Flavour Beans, a Chocolate Frog, and a box of sherbet lemons. Bash rolled his eyes at both of them and picked up as many Chocolate Frogs as he could carry. They paid the woman, Bash helping Addie count out the right coins, and sank back into their seats.
"Are those really frogs?" she hesitated and gestured to the rather large pile of pentagonal boxes at Bash's side.
"No," he shook his head, "I don't really even eat the chocolate," he shrugged, "But I collect the cards. I've like twenty of Dumbledore, but I really need Ptolemy and Nicholas Flamel." Addie pulled the box open and watched as the little frog shaped chocolate sprang to life and jumped away from her. Bash reached over and snatched it out of the air quicker than lightning. He handed it back to her with a grin, "It won't go anywhere now, they've really only got one good jump." Addie smiled and bit into the chocolate. "Who'd you get?"
"Bertie Bott," she answered which caused all of them to collapse into a fit of laughter. Bash and Lucy explained that the beans really were every flavor and they devised a game where they picked two beans that look similar and each player ate one. Addie got coconut, blueberry, candy floss, grass, and pepper. Lucy refused to play anymore after she got an earwax bean in the first round and Bash managed to select green apple, buttered popcorn, soap, and cinnamon.
Sacked out on sugar they slumped back against their seats without speaking. Addie was just beginning to doze off when their compartment door slid open again. An a very tall, skinny boy with vividly red hair stood in the doorway. He was wearing Hogwarts robes that looked slightly too short, like he'd grown several inches very quickly, and a shiny red prefect's badge, "Zambini," he addressed Bash harshly before looking at the two girls, "You lot better get dressed. We'll be arriving shortly," he scolded before shutting the door with a perfunctory swish,
"Zambini…" Lucy looked over at Bash with a raised eyebrow.
Bash just nodded and stood to exit the compartment. He smiled he lopsided smile at them, "Yup," he quipped, "You couldn't tell from by dashing good looks?" He didn't give either of them a chance to answer before darting out of the compartment, presumably to change.
"His family is really old," Lucy told her by way of explanation, "And really rich. His great-great-grandfather invented Skele-gro or something." Addie did not ask what Skele-gro was.
They changed quickly into their school robes and had just finished when the train screeched and then jolted to a stop. They followed the rest of the students out onto the platform.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" they heard a booming voice calling them as they stepped off the train.
Hogwarts Castle, Somewhere, Scotland
September 1, 1992
The ride from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts had been nothing short of amazing. They'd been lead down a dark narrow path and Addie finally had her first view of Hogwarts. The castle looked both ominous and amazing. It sat high on a hill the seemingly millions of glittering lights reflecting on a great black lake. Hagrid, the man with the great booming voice, had loaded them all into tiny boats that ferried them to the castle and Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress.
Professor McGonagall was a tall, harsh looking woman, with her graying hair pulled back in a severe looking bun. She seemed very watchful and Addie imagined there was probably not much about the school or magic itself this woman did not know. Professor McGonagall met them at the doors of the Entrance Hall, which would probably have fit her whole house inside. She led them across the flagged stone floor and passed giant suits of armor.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said finally. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." She explained to them that the houses were very important at Hogwarts and than your house is your family. "You will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend your free time in your house common room."
"The four houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each house has its own history and has produced many great witches and wizards. At Hogwarts your triumphs will earn your house points, while any infractions will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. An honor my Gryffindors received last year and will endeavor to defend." She smiled at them that the ceremony would begin in a few minutes.
Addie looked anxiously at Lucy, who through an arm over her shoulder, "It will be fine. Like Bash said on the train…it's just a mind-reading hat." Addie noticed that despite the brave comment, Lucy looked equally as anxious as she felt. Addie closed her eyes and was focusing on not passing out or throwing up when she felt Lucy elbow her in the ribs. Her eyes flew open in time to see a hoard of pearly-white transparent ghosts float from one side of the Entrance Hall to the other.
"Ghosts?!" she looked stunned.
Just then Professor McGonagall returned. She instructed them to form a straight line and they followed her into the Great Hall. Addie thought Great was a massive understatement, but understood that Massively Gigantic Enormously Large Great Hall did not have quite the same ring. The hall was lit by what seemed to be millions of tapered candles floating above four long tables; the tables were decorated in what Addie assumed were house colors and heavily laden with gold serving platters and dinner wear. At the far end of the hall another long table housing the school staff ran perpendicular to the student tables. Addie saw Madam Pince sitting at the table next to a man with dark hair that hung to his shoulders and an unusually large nose. She waved enthusiastically at the hawkish librarian who nodded curtly at her.
Professor McGonagall set a four-legged stool in the center of the room nearish to the staff table and placed a large frayed and patched wizard's hat on top. The hat twitched slightly after a few minutes and a wide tear like a mouth opened near the brim. IT sang them a song, but Addie was so nervous she missed most of it. When the hat finished and the applause died down, Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a large roll of parchment.
"When I call your name, you will out on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she told them, "Abernathy, Lucinda!"
Lucy squeezed Addie's hand, "It's Lucy," she told Professor McGonagall as she sat on the stool. The professor just sighed heavily and placed the hat on Lucy's head. Addie watched her friend nervously until- "RAVENCLAW!" the hat finally shouted. Lucy looked a bit stunned but smiled and ran to join the cheering Ravenclaws.
"Carrow, Flora!"
A tall willowy girl with brown pigtails stepped out of line. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on the girl's head. There were barely ten seconds-
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted. The last table on the left explode and they cheered loudly again with, "Carrow, Hestia!" joined her twin.
"Caruso, Luca!"
"Hufflepuff!" The second table from the right cheered loudly as the dark haired boy scuttled over the them.
"Creevey, Colin!" a tiny boy, the shortest in their single file line, with strawberry-blonde hair became the first Gryffindor.
"Chambers, Brandon!" and "Duncan, Travis!" both joined the loudly cheering Ravenclaws. Addie shifted from foot to foot nervously as she watched the others in her line each get sort into one of the four houses.
"Frobisher, Victoria!"
"Gryffindor!"
Addie noticed quickly that sometimes, like with "Greengrass, Astoria!" The hat was silent for almost a minute before is shouted out a house –"Ravenclaw!"- and other times, like with "Harper, Cameron!", it erupted –"Slytherin!"- barely before it was placed on the student's head.
"Hooper, Geoffrey!" and "Kirke, Andrew!" both joined Gryffindor in rather short order.
"Lovegood, Luna!" A waif-like girl with very long curly very blonde hair glanced around dreamily before stepping forward before and perching on the edge of the stool. Professor McGonagall gingerly set with hat on the girl's head.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat erupted after a few moments of silence.
Addie watched Lucy laughing and chatting with an older Ravenclaw student. All of the already sorted first years were already being embraced by their new houses. Addie worried that the hat wouldn't know what to do with her or that she wouldn't get on well in her new house and several other worries. There weren't many people left now. "Midgen, Eloise!" went to Gryffindor and "Patel, Sachin!" went to Hufflepuff. And then finally…
"Sharp, Adalyn!" Addie took a deep breath and stepped forward. She smiled nervously at Professor McGonagall as she slipped up onto the tool. The last thing Addie noticed before the hat dropped down over her eyes was Lucy craning around too look at her. The inside of the hat was black and quiet. Addie waited.
"Hmm," a small crackly voice whispered in her ear. "Strange…a quick mind, a fair amount of courage and loyalty…but it's tempered by a nice dose of reason."
Addie dug her fingers into the edges of the stool, Please just pick something, she thought desperately.
"Fine, fine…' the hat chuckled, "RAVENCLAW!"
Addie heard the hat shout the last word to the whole Hall. She took the hat off and handed it back to McGonagall. She stumbled slightly to the Ravenclaw table, relieved to have been sort. She slipped into a seat next to Lucy and a pleasant looking girl with wheat colored hair leaned around Lucy to smile at Addie.
"Hello," she smiled sweetly, "I'm Penny Clearwater, one of the prefects, we're so glad to have you." Addie grinned at Penny and then looked at Lucy who smiled widely at her and threw an arm over her shoulders. They turned together to watch the end of the ceremony. "Sloper, Jack!" had been sorted into Gryffindor while she'd been meeting the students closer to her and only three students were left.
"Tolipan, Alice!" went to Hufflepuff and then
"Weasley, Ginevra!" A small very pale girl with hair that was a cross between an orange crayon and a fire engine stepped forward. "GRYFFINDOR!" The girl ran quickly over to the table and sat next to the tall skinny prefect from the train. And finally it was Bash's turn.
"Zambini, Sebastian!"
"Finally…" he jogged up to the stool and flashed a grin at professor McGonagall before collapsing exaggeratedly onto the stool with a sigh. And then silence. The hat was silent for far longer than it had been with anyone else. Addie heard the other students whispering to each other and she felt terrible for Bash.
"Why doesn't it just place him in Slytherin?" a sneaky-looking girl with curly reddish brown hair hissed to her friends at the other end of the table.
"Ravenclaw!" the hat finally erupted after what felt like eons. A handful of Ravenclaws students clapped enthusiastically and the Slytherins looked sullen. Bash stepped out from under the hat looking pale and flustered. He made his way to the Ravenclaw table and squeezed in between Addie and Travis Duncan. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the sorting hat away.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was now standing in front of the students grinning broadly. He was an older man with a bright white beard that hung to the middle of his chest. He wore half-moon shaped spectacles and Addie was pretty sure his eyes were a clear twinkly blue. The Headmaster clapped once and opened his arms wide.
"Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to our newest students and welcome back to those of you who are old hats," the students chuckled, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to make a few announcements."
Before Dumbledore could begin his announcement a loud crashing sound, tearing metal hitting very solid wood, came from outside followed by several cacophonous thrashing sounds. The professors all jerked their heads towards the Entrance Hall, but only a professor with long dark hair and an abnormally large nose left the Hall to investigate. He reappeared a few moments later and Dumbledore smiled tensely.
"Tuck in," he clapped his hands again and the once empty platters were filled with every kind of food imaginable. Addie was reveling at the trays loaded with roast beef, roast chicken, sausages, bacon, pork chops and lamb chops, steak, boiled roasted and mashed potatoes, chips, peas and carrots, asparagus, giant boats of gravy and ketchup and oddly what appeared to be licorice whips until Lucy elbowed her sharply and pointed out that Professor McGonagall had also left the feast.
"Harry Potter…."
"Ron Weasley too…"
"Not on the train…"
Addie heard the other students whispering and looked at Lucy with a shrug. Lucy leaned around Addie and spoke to Bash, "Is there even another way to get to Hogwarts? Other than the train?"
Bash looked up from his pot roast, "I'm sure there is," he told her with a shrug, "It seems pretty illogical that there's a place this big and only one way here." Lucy nodded in agreement and they chattered about the sorting.
"It really isn't surprising," Addie overheard someone from the table behind them saying, "She's a Weasley after all… like she'd end up anywhere else." Addie turned to look at the speaker and saw a thin boy with white blonde hair, gray eyes, and a very pinched expression speaking to two hulking boys across the table from him.
"That's Draco Malfoy," Bash told her, "My brother," he indicated a tall boy that shared his toffee colored skin with had bluey-green eyes and an easy smile, "Blaise, says the girls in Slytherin are all mental for him."
Addie shrugged, "He looks sort of like a guinea pig my neighbor had one time," she replied causing Bash to roar with laughter. Addie tilted her head to the side and considered him thoughtfully. He was still laughing but stopped when he noticed her staring.
"What?"
"Nothing…you were just under the hat for the longest time of any of us and I wondered why?" she asked directly.
"I was arguing with the Hat," he answered nonchalantly. Addie gave him a look that she hoped said Go on…I'm listening. He did not continue but rather resumed eating.
"Probably begging to be in Slytherin," Lucy joked lightly. Addie noticed several other students turn towards them nodding. She was fairly certain that Lucy had been joking, they clearer were at least vaguely acquainted with each other, but the other students around them didn't seem to share Lucy's light-hearted nature.
Bash shot her a look and sighed dramatically, "Actually just the opposite," was all he said.
"Right," came a slightly snide voice a few people away drawled, "You're family's as bad a Malfoy…Slytherins for generations."
"Terry!" a dark haired boy cuffed the boy who had spoken on the back of the head.
"Actually," Penny spoke up from beside Lucy, "His mother's a Ravenclaw…She's best mates with mine from their days here."
"Look.." a pretty Asian girl pointed towards the head table indicating Dumbledore and the dark haired teacher had returned.
"Who is that with the headmaster?" Addie asked.
"Professor Snape," Penny answered, "He teaches Potions, but everyone really knows he wants the Defense Against the Dark Arts post." Addie just nodded as Dumbledore stood to address them again.
"Just a few brief announcements now that we've all been properly fed and watered; First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students. A few of our returning students would do well to remember that as well," he looked pointedly towards the Gryffindor table, "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes.'
'Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Those interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.'
'And finally, our dear Whomping Willow has suffered quite a shock this evening. Please stay clear while it is being healed and repaired.'
'And now bedtime. Off you go." Dumbledore clapped and the remains of the feast disappeared and the golden plates and goblets sparkled.
The Ravenclaw first years followed Penny through the chattering crowd of students. She led them out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Addie felt Lucy grip her hand and bounce excitedly on her toes; she smiled at her new friend and laughed with her. They leaned on each other as they trudged up the stairs. They wound through halls and up so many staircases Addie lost track of what floor they were on. Finally they reached a narrow marble staircase; Penny led them up the final staircase until they were all crowded on a small tiled landing in front of a door with no doorknob or keyhole. Addie tilted her head this way and that trying to figure out how they would open the door when the large eagle bronze eagle on the door knocker spoke.
"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" the eagle asked its voice low and metallic sounding.
"Because there is a B in both and an N in neither," Penny answered clearly.
"Well spoken," the eagle replied and the door swung open. Penny led them up another small flight of stairs to the common room; the common room was a wide, circular room with deep midnight blue carpet, arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks. The room was light and airy with a high domed ceiling that was painted with stars. The room had tables and great squashy chairs scattered around in pairs and clusters. The walls were lined with bookshelves.
"The riddle changes," she smiled at them, "sometimes twice a day…be careful with your answers or he'll lock you out." She directed the girls to their dormitory up the stairs on the right and the boys to theirs up the stairs to the left.
The circular dorm room was filled with four airy white canopy beds covered in soft looking cobalt comforters and fluffy bronze and white colored pillows. The beds were draped with heavy cobalt curtains and each of their trunks was positioned at the end of one of the beds. The four girls were too tired to speak and slipped into their pyjamas and fell into bed.