Chapter 2: Houses Apart

September, First Year

I waited at the side of the platform as Brittany made her tearful farewells and hugged Chloe for what felt like the millionth time. Papá had dropped me off at the station earlier this morning with a brief 'good luck, make sure you're in Slytherin' speech before going to work. It's not like I expected anything more from him, or mamá. It had been horrible saying goodbye to Tony, though. He'd begged me to let him come as well, and I'd even found him hiding in my suitcase last night when I got back from Britt's. With our parents working so much it had been just me and him keeping each other company in our house, and it was going to be strange without him around all the time.

I had been left on the platform to wait for the Pierce family to arrive alone. They had all come, of course. Her dad, with his blonde goatee and eyes that wrinkled when he smiled, which was most of the time. Her mum, the tallest of the family, with hair in disarray and obviously trying to stop herself from bursting into tears. Then there was Chloe, the six-year-old spitting image of Brittany who was clinging on to her sister as if she was never going to let her go. Well, I wasn't having that. There was no way Britt was staying here - even though she did look horribly upset. I hated seeing her sad, but I knew we'd be fine once it was just me and her. When we'd gone on that weekend camp in primary school it had taken forever to drag her away from her mum and dad, but as soon as they were out of sight and I'd distracted her she'd been fine. I looked up suddenly when I heard the platform clock begin to ring out eleven chimes.

"Britt, we've gotta go or we'll miss the train. Come on, Brittany," I told her urgently, taking her hand and pulling her away from Chloe, who was also now in tears. "Bye Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, I'll look after her!" I called out to them as I successfully pulled Brittany onto the train only a few moments before the door slammed shut and it started to move. Brittany leaned forward desperately through the window to shout out.

"Bye mum, bye dad, bye Chloe! I'll miss you! I'll write to you every day, I promise! Remember to feed the badger! And don't let Chloe go in my room! And…"

She trailed off as we rounded the first corner and her family disappeared from sight. Her shoulders slumped, and I knew it was time to step in. I reached out for her shoulder and pulled gently so that she had no choice but turn and look at me. My hands moved to her face and wiped away the fresh tears still running down her cheeks. I really, truly hated seeing my Britt-Britt sad. It's one of the worst things ever, right up there with that time Tony's puppy got run over in front of me.

"Brittany, we made it. We're on the train, to Hogwarts. Remember all those stories your mum told us about the secret passageways, and that moving tree, and the changing stairs?" There. A smile. It was small, but it made me feel like I was getting through. "I'm going to make sure we have the best time, okay? No parents giving us bedtimes. We can stay up as long as we want, and we'll always sleep next to each other, and we can sneak down to the kitchen for food whenever we want - I already got Carlos to tell me how to get in," I pointed out, referring to my older, slightly irresponsible cousin who had gone through all of his time at Hogwarts already and had given me lots of tips when I'd visited him in Spain over the summer.

"D'you think they'll have hot chocolate?" Brittany whispered, her eyes boring into mine, completely trusting.

I grinned. "Of course they'll have hot chocolate. Now come on, I already put all our stuff away in one of the compartments." I held out my little finger to her and she took it immediately, wiping away the rest of her tears with her other hand as she gave me a proper smile. "That's more like it," I told her encouragingly, leading her down the hallway to the compartment where I had put all our luggage while Brittany had been saying goodbye to her family. I stopped when I looked through the door, unimpressed at the sight that met my eyes.

"What d'you think you're doing in here?" I demanded, my free hand resting on my hip as I glared at Puck, Finn and the other first years they had been with in Diagon Alley the other day. This compartment was meant to be for just me and Brittany, so I could reassure her and get her back to her normal happy self before we reached Hogwarts. I didn't want her missing out on any of the excitement I knew she'd have when we finally got there.

"Other carriages were full, and I saw your name on the bags so I figured you could do with some company," Puck replied with what he probably thought was a charming grin. I rolled my eyes, letting the sliding door slam shut behind Britt and kicking at one of the larger boy's legs.

"Shove over, heffalump," I ordered, glaring at him. He glared back, but shuffled along to make enough space for me and Britt to sit at the edge of the seat without being squashed against him.

"That's Karofsky, this is Azimio," Puck told me. "You already know Finn. Santana and Brittany," he added to the boys, gesturing at us in turn.

"Hi again. What house do you think you'll be in?" asked Finn, leaning forward eagerly. He really was freakishly tall, even when sitting down.

"Slytherin, of course," I answered simply. It was tradition in my family - at least, the closest your family can get to tradition when they've only lived in the UK for three generations. I doubted that my relatives in Spain would care if I ended up in Hufflepuff, but god forbid my papá's reaction.

"What about you, Brittany?"

"I'll be wherever Santana is," she answered simply with a smile, leaning into me. I looked over at her to make sure she was recovering from her emotional goodbyes, and she seemed to be doing okay.

"You're not pureblood," Azimio accused from across the compartment. "I saw your dad, I've never seen a bigger muggle! Slytherins have gotta be pureblood!"

I bristled at the remarks, ready to jump to Brittany's defence, but she spoke up before I could.

"Mum says I can be in whatever house I want if I ask the hat nicely enough. And anyway, my dad does card tricks. He's really good," she replied simply. I smiled smugly across at the boy, daring him to respond. He didn't. I tugged a box of Bertie Botts from the bag below my feet and offered them to her, deciding it was best to just ignore the other moronic occupants in the compartment. I should have just chucked them all out when I'd first seen them, but it was a bit late now. This train ride was meant to be the start of an adventure for me and Britt together - we should have been able to talk about classes and Hogsmeade and house quidditch without being interrupted or spoken over every five minutes. Stupid boys ruined everything.

By the time the train slowed, I was half asleep and Brittany was snoring on my shoulder, her new cat purring in her lap. The boys weren't much better, and I had to smirk when I noticed Finn drooling. Carefully I shook Brittany awake. I didn't want to - she looked so peaceful, and any sign that she had been crying this morning had long since disappeared - but I didn't want to end up in a boat with any of these idiots.

"San-tana," she grumbled into my shoulder, wrapping her arms firmly around me to try and get me to stay still so she could continue sleeping.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. We're here," I whispered into her ear. I grinned as her eyes snapped open to look straight at me, a wide smile rapidly growing on her face.

"We're here," she repeated in wonderment, sitting up to look out of the window. It was dark, but as we watched the lights of Hogsmeade station came into view.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I'm sick of this train," I said, lifting the cat into its basket and securing the flap tightly, checking on Pato at the same time. He squawked grumpily at me when he saw my face. Yep, he was just fine.

"What about our bags?" Brittany asked, smoothing down her robes. She had insisted we put them on barely an hour into the journey, but at least we didn't have to worry about them now.

"They come get them for us. Come on, Brittany," I encouraged as I saw Puck stretch behind her.

I'm kind of used to things being grand and magical - my family likes to show off on both counts, whenever they can. But I have to admit, the view from the boats as we approached Hogwarts was pretty amazing. Brittany couldn't stop talking, her excitement back in full force. Quinn and Tina, an Asian girl I'd never met before, were similarly impressed.

Everything seemed to pass in a blur until we reached the Entrance Hall to be greeted by one of the most imposing women I've ever met; the deputy headmistress, Professor Sylvester. She was tall and thin, with short blonde hair and a mouth that snapped out insults I'd never dreamt of before. It wasn't the most welcoming start to Hogwarts… in fact, it brought my attention to the fact that we were about to be Sorted. What if I wasn't in Slytherin? What would papá say? I reached out for Brittany's hand and gripped it tightly, my heart racing. Normally I didn't like holding her hand in public. People looked at us strangely, so we had settled for little fingers. But now, I didn't care; I was too nervous to care. Looking across at her calmed me a little, and she gave me the brightest smile I could hope for considering the circumstances. At least, whatever house I ended up in, she would be with me.

The whole school was watching as we trailed into the Great Hall. Once again, I found myself astonished that the ceiling I had heard so much about from Brittany's mum was actually as impressive as it had been described. I noticed Brittany staring at it as well and grinned across at her. All too soon, though, we were lined up in front of everyone.

"Abrams, Artie."

A boy with glasses and strange, almost mechanical-looking legs walked stiffly over to the stool and brought the hat down on his head with trembling hands. I, at least, would have the dignity not to look scared when I was being Sorted, even if I was terrified inside.

"Hufflepuff!"

Of course it had to be Hufflepuff, when he looked so scared. Azimio was next, and was Sorted straight into Slytherin. Damn. I had been hoping he might get put in Hufflepuff as well, just to see the look on his face after he'd talked to Brittany like that.

"Berry, Rachel."

I smirked as I remembered the girl from Diagon Alley, who looked slightly less ridiculous in regular wizarding wear - but only slightly. She marched over to the hat determinedly and pulled it down over her head, not at all phased by all the eyes on her. It didn't take long for the hat to decide.

"Slytherin!"

My mouth dropped open in shock. Slytherin? Her? I had to sleep in the same room as that girl for the next seven years? God help me. My mind wandered as Professor Sylvester ran through the list of names, only taking notice really when Quinn was Sorted into Ravenclaw, and then Karofsky followed his friend and Berry into Slytherin.

"Lopez, Santana."

Oh god, oh god. It's me. Relax, Santana, relax. It's in the bag.

A squeeze of Brittany's hand reassured me more than any of my own thoughts could have. I shot her an almost-confident smile before pulling away and stepping up to the stool, pulling the hat over my head with steady hands until I could no longer see the crowds of students in front of me.

Please Slytherin, please…

Ah yes, it's easy to see where you're going. You're not going to pull any punches to get what you want, are you?

"Slytherin!"

I let out a breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding as the single word echoed around the hall. It was okay. I was in Slytherin, after barely a few seconds of deliberation. I didn't have to face my papá's disappointment. I tore the hat off my head and dropped it unceremoniously back on the stool, hurrying over to the applauding table and making sure to send Brittany a thumbs up. As I approached the table I hesitated for a moment before taking a seat next to Karofsky. He had to be better than that Berry girl, right? I didn't have to wait long for Brittany's Sorting, and soon she was sat on the stool, her amazing blue eyes covered up by the fabric.

My smile began to falter when it didn't call out Slytherin straight away. Then the smile fell off my face completely as the silent seconds grew into minutes. I had never really considered before that Brittany and I might not be in the same house. Brittany's mum had always said that the hat listened to what you wanted. Since I was first in the alphabet, we had decided long ago that Brittany would just ask to be wherever I was. But, if it was that easy why wasn't she sitting next to me already? Why did it look like she was having an argument with the hat? Her fists were curled up tight in her lap and her whole body was tense - that only happened when she was really upset.

"Hufflepuff!"

I froze. Hufflepuff? No. That couldn't be right. Brittany, a Hufflepuff? No!

Berry was staring at me in concern from across the table - I guess I had spoken aloud. But I didn't care about that - I cared that Brittany, looking as though she was about to cry, was being ushered to the Hufflepuff table. She was staring across at me, her eyes begging me to do something. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be living together for the next seven years, with each other all the time - not sleeping in different parts of this stupid castle! But what could I do? I could run up there and argue with Professor Sylvester, but that would probably be a bad idea. I could argue with the hat, but Brittany must have done that already. I barely registered Puck sitting down next to me, still staring in shock at where Finn was attempting to comfort Brittany on the Hufflepuff table.

"Cheer up, Santana. You'll get another best friend soon. Maybe midget over there," Puck grinned at me, nodding at Berry. He obviously thought he was being funny. I lifted my fist and punched him in the arm, as hard as I could. He made an extremely satisfying, high-pitched squeak and grabbed his arm, scowling. "Alright, alright! Sorry Berry, looks like you're out of luck," he said in a deeper voice, obviously trying to reassert whatever masculinity he had lost when he had squeaked a few moments ago. I snorted derisively, stabbing at a roast potato with my fork when it appeared in front of me. I didn't even have the energy to be impressed by all the food. This wasn't how it was supposed to be! I smashed up the potato on my plate, my appetite gone even though I'd only eaten junk food all day. Glaring up at the staff table, I made a decision. Dropping my fork to the plate with a clatter, I rose from the table and marched up to stand in front of Professor Figgins, the headmaster. Professor Sylvester had been in charge of the Sorting, but I wasn't quite brave enough to face her. She just had an atmosphere around her that made me feel like she could make my life a living hell if she so desired.

"I want to be Sorted again," I demanded simply, crossing my arms in front of me. My papá was going to hate me for this. My abuela would be furious. But I didn't care. This was about Brittany. This was about making our time at Hogwarts just like it should be. If the Sorting Hat wouldn't let her be in Slytherin, then it would sure as hell have to re-Sort me into Hufflepuff. Even if it was the loser house. No, Brittany was in it. Maybe it was the loser house with a few amazing people put there by mistake.

Professor Figgins blinked up at me in obvious surprise. "I am sorry, Miss…?"

"Santana Lopez."

"I am sorry Miss Lopez, but it is out of my hands. Once the Sorting Hat has placed you in a house, you cannot just change your mind."

"But I'm meant to be with Brittany!" I told him, my voice raising. "We've had this organised, like, forever! We're in the same house. Apparently it can't be Slytherin, so that hat's just gonna have to change its mind and put me in Hufflepuff!"

"Miss Lopez, the hat will not Sort you again. Pupils have tried before - it simply refuses. There is nothing I can do, you will simply have to meet up with your friend in class," he told me with a shrug of his shoulders.

I stared at him, not believing that this was happening. Hogwarts without Brittany by my side? Feeling tears prickling at my eyes I spun away, ignoring the curious stares and marching over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Move," I ordered menacingly. Finn glanced up from where he was happily tucking into sausages, apparently having given up on trying to comfort Brittany. He took one look at me, then shuffled quickly to the side to make space. I slid in next to Brittany immediately and wrapped my arms around her. It took her a few moments to realise who I was, and then she gasped and hugged me back.

"Santana! Did they let you change? I begged and I begged but the hat wouldn't put me in Slytherin, it just wouldn't!" she said, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. And I'd thought I'd got rid of Brittany's tears for the day. Just great.

"I'm sorry, Britt-Britt, that hat's bloody stupid." She flinched a little at the swear word. She didn't like it when I swore, even something as little as that - mostly because my mamá threatened to wash my mouth out with soap every time she heard me, and she was worried I wouldn't be able to talk to her properly if that happened. "But I don't care. It doesn't matter we're not in the same house now, I'll work it out for us. The hat can Sort me again next year with the first years or something. It's going to be okay," I reassured her.

Inside, I had no idea how I was going to fix this. Years of planning had just been thrown out of the window without so much as a sorry. But the how didn't matter right now, because this was for Britt, and that meant I had to work it out. She sniffed, and I wiped away her tears for the second time that day.

"Now, how about we get some food into us before it all goes cold, yeah?"

She nodded in agreement and I started piling food onto both our plates. Noticing a pig-tailed girl across the table staring at us, I sent her a fierce scowl until she looked elsewhere. Glancing around, I was glad to see that everyone else nearby was avoiding my gaze. Good. If they knew who was boss, they wouldn't mess with Brittany. If I couldn't be around all the time, I would just have to make damn sure that people never knew if I was round the corner or not.

By the time the meal ended, the slightly awkward silence between us had long since faded and Brittany had returned to her bright self, chattering on about how great the food was and didn't the stars look pretty and she hoped Charity - stupid name for a cat - was doing okay without her. But then I saw Puck and the other Slytherin first years rise with one of the prefects, and I knew I had to leave her. She didn't want to let me go - I didn't want to let her go either, but I also didn't want to get lost trying to find the Slytherin common room on my first night.

"We'll meet here, tomorrow morning, okay? A few hours sleep, then we'll see each other again. It's just like being at home," I told her, trying to make the best of it. She nodded, and I could see she was trying really hard not to cry again. I kissed her swiftly on the cheek, for once not caring what other people thought, then turned away, hurrying just fast enough to catch the group of Slytherins as they left the Great Hall.

"My name is Jesse St. James, and I am one of your house prefects," the older boy announced. I disliked him straight away. I stood away from the other first years. Puck was trying to be sympathetic, I could tell - he was just doing a terrible job. Azimio and Karofsky were ignorant to the situation, and Berry was just plain irritating. How could such a small girl have such a loud voice? The others I was happy to ignore. "If you have any questions just come find me and I'll help you out. Try not to forget the password," he instructed, already stepping back out of the door. Where was he going in such a hurry? Wasn't he supposed to be supervising us or something?

He was already gone though, and I was in no mood to talk. I turned away from the common room and made my way up to the first year girls' dorm. To my relief no one was in there. My bags had been brought up, but I didn't want to unpack. I wanted to sit on my bed with Brittany and discuss everything we had seen so far, and what else might come tomorrow. Kicking off my shoes and dropping my robe on top of one of my suitcases, I flopped onto my bed and pulled the curtains securely around me so no one could look in. Burying myself under the covers I tried to pretend that everything was alright. But it wasn't. All my life I had been planning this night with Brittany; our first night together at Hogwarts. But it had all been ruined by a stupid magical hat.

Rolling over, I closed my eyes to try and sleep, but everything came back to Brittany. I heard the other girls come in chattering - Berry had already annoyed some of them, I could tell - but they were tired too and soon all I could hear were snores. Sleep still wouldn't come, though. I could only hope that wherever in this castle Brittany was, she was at least having a better night's rest than I was.

Other Glee first years not specified were sorted into:

Gryffindor: Sam, Kurt, Mercedes, Lauren
Hufflepuff: Rory, Becky, Sugar (the mentioned girl with pigtails staring at Santana)
Ravenclaw: Tina, Mike, Jacob, Matt

The slytherins are all mentioned. Some of them had a reason for being in houses, others we don't know loads about were randomly assigned to even out the numbers a bit. Apart from Brittany & Santana, the houses people are in aren't that important to the storyline.