Chapter 12

The train was everything she imagined and maybe even more. The soft smell of burning coal and laughter filled the air of Platform 9 and ¾. Alana walked quietly drinking it all in. In a few minutes she would take the train ride, talk to people, laugh, and eat lots of candy and by night fall she would seat on that stool and be sorted, with a little luck, in Ravenclaw.

"Just like mum" She thought.

Mrs. Weasley placed her hand softly on Alana's shoulder: "You better get on the train, it's about to leave". She gave the child a quick hug and pushed her towards the door.

The minute the young girl stepped into the train she was ambushed by a couple of girls around her age.

"Who are you?"

"How come we've never seen you before?"

"Is she a Hufflepuff?"

"She sure looks like one"

"You are too old to be a first year"

"I thought she was a Hufflepuff "

"Back off from her you snakes" Ginny stepped forward and grabbed Alana dragging her into one of the compartments.

"Who were they? I don't like them" She sat down and looked inside her bag pushing things around.

"Pansy Parkinson and her crowd, they are fifth year Slytherins, nobody likes them" Ginny chose a sit in front of her. "What are you looking for in there?"

"I have something I want to show you" She stuck her face inside the bag and came out with an old picture in her hand. "Here" Ginny took it and stared at it for a while. "It's me and my mum, but I can't tell where it was taken. I was about four or five months old so we were still living in England by that time"

"And you were hoping…"

"That you'd know where it was taken, yes"

"It looks very familiar I have to say, but I can't say for sure, maybe Godric's Hollow"

"The old village?"

"Yes, didn't Dumbledore grow up there?

"I'm not really sure. I don't know that much about him" Alana pondered about her great grandfather. Truth was she never did care about him or his life. To her it was very simple: he had abandoned her mother to rot away with that prick and that was it. The fact that he was in her life now didn't change anything. She thanked him for saving her life from her father, scratch that, her ex father but that didn't mean everything was forgiven. Truth be told she had to admit she held a grudge against him, she resented him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door. A young girl stood there, with a soft yellow dress that matched her hair and a pair of hearings that were particular to say the least.

"Oh hi Luna, come in, this is Alana, she's coming to Hogwarts for the first time this year and she'll be in a class above us" The girl stepped forward and held out her hand and Alana shook it. After that she sat down beside Ginny. The conversation they held was pleasant, they laughed a few times and Ginny finally confessed she had a crush on Harry, like it wasn't obvious.

"Hey Aly" Alana looked up; she hadn't hear anybody call her that since her mother. "Why don't you show Luna the picture, maybe she'll recognize the background". The young girl dug into her back pocket and handed Luna the photograph.

"Ginny says it might be Godric's Hollow" Luna examined it carefully and then lifted it up and held it against the light.

"It's Hogsmeade. It says so right on the picture"

"What? Where?" Alana looked at the picture but couldn't find anything. Her mother was in the center of the frame holding her in front of what seemed like an old house.

"Look at it against the light" Luna spoke softly and Alana obeyed. There it was, Hogsmeade.

"It seems like she didn't want anybody to know where it was taken, doesn't that seem odd?" Ginny had moved next to her in order to get a better look.

"Yeah, but why?" Alana couldn't make sense of it.

"Keep reading" Alana eyed the Ravenclaw and moved her hand; there it was, her mother's hands writing.

"HogSmeade,

The old place

The new life

Your eyeS

I will have Peace"

"Your mum had a thing for riddles?" Alana clenched her shoulders, she didn't really know.

"Why are the two S and a P in capital letters?"

"I don't know" Alana was getting frustrated and Ginny seemed to get it.

"We'll be there soon, Alana, Luna, let's change into our robes."

Hogwarts was spectacular. The castle, the grounds, the ghosts, the air, everything was magical. She looked around amazed at the fact that this was going to be her home for the 4 years. (A/N, I'm not quite sure if I made it seem like she was going to be in Harry's year; if I did sorry, but she'll be in Ginny's, for story' purposes.)

She stood in the Entrance Hall with a bunch of first years; one by one Professor McGonagall called them for sorting until she was the only one left there.

"You are supposed to be in there" She turned around to find a ghost staring at her. The transparent figure approached her and circled around where she was standing as if measuring her. "I'm waiting to be sorted, I just transferred"

"Oh, I see, for a minute I thought I was dreaming…" Alana stared at the ghost with a confused look on her face

"I didn't know ghosts could dream, or sleep for that matter"

"We can't, that's why it seem so odd, you remind me of her"

Her eyes opened widely

"Who? My mother? Did you know her?"

"She couldn't have been much older than you; she was standing right there the night I found her, her eyes filled with tears… and that… glow"

"Her name was Briseida, are you talking about her?"

"They are calling for you" With that the ghost disappeared out of the Great Hall

"Wait! Wait"

"Miss Dupond, it's your turn to be sorted" She turned around to face the Gryffindor Head of House:

"But… she was…"

"Come on, nothing to be afraid of"

She walked fast through the Great Hall with her head down, feeling as if every eye was fixated on her. When she looked up she met Professor Snape's gaze, it was hard, emotionless; had she done anything to offend him? She was guided to a stool and then a hat was placed over her head covering her eyes and part of her nose.

"Well, let's see, what do we have here? A little old but that's ok, smart, brave, stubborn, you remind me of someone"

"Who?!"

"Where to put you is the question now… I think GRYFFINDOR!" The last word echoed in her head, she didn't know if it was because she felt thankful to know people there or because the hat screamed it in her ears. The next thing she knew her house was clapping and she jumped of the stool walking towards it. She turned around to look at Dumbledore and he gave her a small wink and when she eyed Snape he seemed almost relieved that she wasn't his pupil.

SOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT, I KIND OF GAVE UP ON THE STORY BUT NOW I'M BACK! AND PROMISE WEEKLY UPDATES! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT AND LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!

LOVE!