Chapter two: Hogwarts express and the sorting ceremony

After bidding goodbye to their house elf, Renee braced herself as she went to the Hogwarts express. The train station for magical people was full of parents, bidding goodbye to their children and even some of them were crying.

Mother might be crying right now, she thought but then shove the idea away. I don't want to remember her crying.

She hopped into the train and looked for an empty compartment. Renee luckily found one at the far end of the train. She sat there and gazed at the window as the idea of going to Hogwarts School was slowly sinking to her.

Renee knew at the back of her mind that going to a medical school was just an excuse, she just don't want her mother to be alone. I already knew from the start that she was trying to protect me from something…or someone. I tried to ask her about it, but she never tells me anyway. My first thought was Voldemort; after all he was the most evil wizard of all time.

Renee trail of thoughts were cut off when someone poked his head at the door. The boy was tall and thin, but the really first thing she had noticed was his big teeth that were being exposed when he spoke at her.

"Can I share the compartment with you? All of the compartments were full" He asked.

"Sure" said Renee, smiling to the boy. Meeting a new friend won't hurt me.

The boy sat across her and looked at her peculiarly.

"You're new here right? It's the first time I saw you here. I'm Neville by the way" the boy introduced himself as he offered his hand to Renee.

Renee accepted his hand and shook her hands with him.

"I'm Renee, nice to meet you. I'm home schooled" she explained.

Keeping a company wasn't really bad after all, Renee noted. She had learned many things about the school from her new companion. Moving staircases, annoying ghost, moving paintings and the sorting ceremony were the likes she had learned from him. She began to be excited with the idea coming at the castle, after all…she don't have talking portraits at her local school.

"What house are you in?" Renee asked as she learned about the four houses.

"I'm in Gryffindor. You could be in any house, but please not on Slytherin." Neville groaned while eating a chocolate frog.

"Why is that?" Renee asked curiously.

"People on Slytherin were nasty; they use to bully me all the time, especially Malfoy." Renee sympathized with him, bullying on a wizard school would be the last thing I wanted to do.

After a while, they were already at their destination. As they hopped out of the train, they were greeted by some giant man with thick hair all over his face.

"First years gather around! First years!" The giant man shouted as the eleven year old students came out to the train, looking uncertain what will happen to them.

"Oh and the new student, There you are, yes come here too. Professor Dumbledore already told me about you. Please join us, don't be shy!" He urged Renee cheerfully as she hesitant to go with him.

"Bye Neville. Err…nice to meet you" Renee looked back at her new found friend before joining the giant man.

"Bye Renee, see you in a while!" Neville waved goodbye before disappearing into the crowd.

She joined the giant man with first years whose height was just on her shoulders, making her like a giant like their chaperon. Renee was delighted as they rode the boat, which was her first time and was astonished at the beautiful view as they finally saw the castle in front of them.

Maybe going here wasn't a bad idea after all.

After that ride in the boat, Hagrid, the giant man's name leads them inside the castle. The new students were greeted by one middle aged woman in robes. The old woman makes Renee reminded of her former teacher who gives detention for being late. Not that I'm always late, well…I just don't have sense of direction, she snorted to herself.

"Good evening to you all." The woman greeted them with a smile. She has those eyes that you can't mess with her if you don't have some trouble.

"I'm professor McGonagall. Before the opening celebration for you first years, you will be sorted to different houses. You could be in Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Now it is best if you present yourselves very well." She said as she landed her eyes at the oldest student who was the most outstanding of them all.

"You must be that student who passed the OWLS, what's your name again?" she asked her.

"Renee Ann Matte, professor" Renee said thinking what was the professor talking about. What is OWLS?

"Oh right, Miss Matte you may join the first years in sorting of houses." She informed her and glanced at the younger students again.

"Please be waited here, and good luck to you all." She said before she went back to the hall.

It was the longest 10 minutes of her life as they wait for them to be called inside. Renee tapped her shoes impatiently, what if I screw up in front of them? I'm going to hate my life then.

Suddenly they were now called up now. The doors opened automatically and they saw the lady professor up front, holding a pointed hat.

That must be the sorting hat like Neville told me a while ago, she thought.

Renee looked at the crowd. They were clapping and whistling too. Some of them were looking straight at her, as if she doesn't belong there.

Well, they were right actually.

"Michelle Cha." Professor McGonagall called. A Girl with pigtails stepped forward and sat on the stool. Professor placed the hat on her head and the hat started to mumble something.

"Gryffindor!" the hat suddenly shouted. The people on the far right cheered. It seems that they were from the same house. Renee searched for a familiar face and saw Neville.

I hope I could be in Gryffindor.

Then one by one, the first years were called. They went to different houses, which who cheered for them after they were sorted.

"Renee Ann Matte" professor smiled and looked at her.

She swallowed hard and step forward. She could feel all eyes were into her and become stiffed in the stool as the professor placed the hat on her head.

"Is she a first year? She's way too old."

"I overheard from the professors that she took the same exam with the fifth years and got the second highest score that's why she got accepted here"

"She got second place? Bloody hell! "

She heard various comments from the students and began to be impatient at the sorting. Crap now I gathering attention, just great…just what I needed.

"Very…intriguing... Interesting... You're a very special person eh?" The hat finally spoke before she could think that the hat already fell asleep.

"Special? What do you mean?"

"Oh, you don't know? Well its not that I expect that you know. It is just hidden within you. You just have to find it."

"You could be in Slytherin or..."

"Please anything but not that!" Renee groaned.

"Why is that? You could be famous and great witch if you..."

"All I want is a quite school year. Not. In. Slytherin."

"Fine, if that's what you wish. Why new students were so stubborn? What's my used if they don't like the house they will be?" the sorting hat keeps complaining. Somehow those made her feel bad.

"Wait, what do you mea…" Renee remembered what the hat said about her being special. Me? I'm just an ordinary witch that was just dragged her mum to be here. I bet I could finish the school here and no one will remember me at all.

"Gryffindor!" he shouted. Professor McGonagall took the hat from her. Renee glanced at the hat wondering what he was talking about.

Renee went to the crowd that is cheering for her and shook a couple and hands and then saw Neville waving at her.

When she looked at the front table which the teachers were supposed to sit, an old man stood up and smile. He has long white hair and a long beard too, which has same color and has those kindest blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Welcome to the new students of Hogwarts." He said smiling. Renee couldn't help but to smile too. He could influence others so well that she could see the other students smiling back at him.

"And also welcome our new transferee Miss. Matte, the first in Hogwarts history. She got the second highest score in OWLS last year which serves as her admission exam." He said beaming at her.

Renee almost fall at the chair she was seating to. This is not what I wanted; I don't want to have this attention they were giving to me. Everyone were clapping and whistling for her, especially people in Gryffindor.

"Way to go Renee!" Neville said. Renee really wanted to put her head under the table until their hospitality subsides.

"Now we have one more genius in our side, wicked!" A red headed boy with freckles said. He was sitting next to Neville and smirking at her.

A girl with long thick hair rolled her eyes at him and looked at her to apologize. A boy with glasses also smiled at her.

"Sorry about that. He's a bit…mental you see" she said as darted her eyes at the boy.

"It's okay. I could see that already." Renee said smiling back at them.

"I'm Hermione Granger" She shook her hands on her.

"And you're…" Renee looked at the guy with the glasses. Hermione looked at her wonderingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Harry. My name is Harry Potter" The boy was startled but then took her hands. As Renee shook her hands on him; she felt some electricity that stings her. She suddenly broke at the handshake and looked at him. Surely, he also felt the electricity and looked at Renee, shocked.

Renee couldn't take her eyes off him. Suddenly he touched a lightning like scar on his forehead.

"I think I remember you" Renee finally remembered the boy in front of her.

"Yeah since he's been on newspaper for quite sometime... Actually not quite, he always on the daily prophet, I'm Ron by the way" the boy with freckles introduced himself.

"Now that's why he looked so familiar. The boy who lied huh, the paper said that" Renee said as a matter of fact.

"No, it's true. He's back. I saw him" He seems to forgot his arching scar and looked at her earnestly.

Renee just nodded at him and dropped the issue. I maybe not living in this world, but I heard badly this about that dark lord. Killed many wizards and made the others suffer. Just thinking about that made Renee shiver.

They tend to forget that the professor, which they called professor Dumbledore, cleared his throat was in front of them and giving them announcements.

"And also, forest is strictly forbidden" Renee swore he glanced that their side, as if this group of students were always in the forest, or maybe breaking the rules.

So much for my quite school year

"The forest has been now a room for our guests for awhile, the dementors" he said and the students began to murmur to each other. Renee had read about those but didn't saw a real one.

"So the news about two prisoners out of Azkaban was true..." Ron trailed as he munching some fried chicken on his hand.

That was the only time Renee realized that headmaster's speech was already finished. And the empty long tables were now full of different kinds of food she had never seen before. Name it and you have it here on the table.

Renee took some of the chicken and started to eat. The food was really great, greater than Toby cooks, or Mum does. She was really enjoying the food and new company that the girl had forgotten her worries for a while.