Written for the Camp Hogwarts challenge, Cabin Longbottom.

Task: Kayaking- Write about your OC going to Hogwarts for the first time (50 points)

September 1st, 1971

Platform 9 ¾ was bursting with life. Cats were meowing, birds were screeching, people were talking and bustling about, passing by the Fawleys and their two daughters. Five-year-old Julie was looking around curiously, shrilly asking questions every two seconds, though her parents ignored her for the most part, already used to her endless chattering. Lisa was standing on her toes, anxiously searching the crowd for her cousin Frank and his parents. Frank was about to start his second year, and had promised her during the summer that he would help her get settled in.

Lisa was excited to go to Hogwarts, but at the same time, the thought terrified her. What if she didn't make any friends? What if her housemates didn't like her? What if she was sorted into the wrong house? She knew her father wanted her to go to Ravenclaw like him, but she didn't feel like she was smart enough to be there. If she ended up in Hufflepuff, James Potter would never let her live it down. He already picked on her all the time for no reason at all! She hoped they wouldn't wind up being housemates. Gryffindor with Frank would be nice, she supposed, but if she was sorted in Slytherin, she might just write to her parents and ask to be taken home. There were other schools she could go to. Anything would be better than Slytherin.

"Augusta!" Lisa's dad cried suddenly and waved, greeting his sister and her family, who were slowly making their way over through the crowded platform.

"Robert, there you are! Cutting it close as always, are you?" Aunt Augusta scolded him, while he shook hands with her husband. "Dawn, dear, how have you been?" she turned to Lisa's mother, who smiled.

"Oh, you know, getting the girls ready to leave the nest. I don't know what I'll do when my little Lisbug is gone!"

"Muuum," Lisa muttered with embarrassment, her whole face turning red. Frank was trying to contain a snort, but his shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.

"I'm sure Julie can keep your hands full, darling," her dad said, smiling fondly at his wife.

"I don't know how she has so much energy! Lisa was a lot easier to handle—"

The adults chatted for several minutes until it was time to help Frank and Lisa onto the train. By the time the train whistle blew, Lisa's mother was weeping openly in a large blue handkerchief.

"So, are you excited?" Frank said, dragging his trunk along the train.

"Yes, but I think 'scared' would be a better word for it. Are you sure I'll be alright even if I can't do any spells?"

"No first year can do spells; you need a wand for them."

"James can. He told me so."

Frank snorted. "James Potter is an arrogant little show-off. I seriously doubt he was telling the truth."

Lisa nodded, but just then a head popped from a compartment a little further down, and the boy it belonged to called out to Frank.

"Hey, Longbottom! Come on, we saved you a seat!"

Lisa turned with pleading eyes to her cousin, but he only threw her an apologetic look and went off to join his friends. She was left standing there like an idiot, not sure what to do next. 'Pull yourself together,' she thought. Tightening her grip on the trunk, Lisa continued past Frank's compartment and peered in each one to follow. Most were already full with older students, chatting happily and catching up with their friends. She walked by, not having the nerve to enter, until she finally spotted a familiar face. In a compartment full of what seemed like other first years, James was sitting with a black-haired boy she had never met, talking animatedly about something. She considered going in for a fraction of a second, but dismissed the idea immediately. She would rather sit with complete strangers than with James! He and his new friends would probably just make fun of her the entire trip and she'd end up with whipped cream on her head, like the last time the Potters paid a visit to the Fawleys.

Lisa continued down the train determinately, but almost everywhere was taken. Finally, at the very bottom of the Hogwarts Express, she found a mostly unoccupied compartment. The only person inside was a lean boy with tawny brown hair and his nose stuck in a book. Lisa liked that immediately – not many kids she knew would choose to read to pass their time. She placed her hand on the handle, but hesitated for a moment. She didn't even know this person. But then again, it was either him or James.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" she asked politely, sliding the door open. The boy's pale green eyes lifted from the pages and he nodded silently. He watched her as she slipped in and tried to pull her trunk after her, only for it to hitch at the entrance and make her drop it. The boy sprang from his seat and helped her put it in the luggage rail overhead.

"Thanks," Lisa said with a smile, once they sat down opposite each other. "I'm a first year, so I didn't want to bother any of the older kids."

He smiled slightly. "I'm new too. Remus Lupin." He extended his hand to her and she shook it, trying to hold back a giggle at the formality of the gesture.

"What're you reading?" she asked, nodding to his book. He held it up for her to see.

"The Wind in the Willows! I love this one! Are you muggle-born?" she said excitedly, startling him.

"Half-blood," he replied. Her smile fell a little. "Oh. I've never met a muggle-born before. Have you?" He shook his head. "I hope I see one. There's this boy I know that always picks on me, and he told me all muggle-borns have purple skin. You don't think that's true, do you?"

The boy, Remus, blinked at her a couple of times, not sure if it was okay to laugh or not. "No, I don't think they do. They look just like us."

"But have you seen any before? How would you know?"

"I've seen muggles before, and they aren't purple."

"But maybe something in the muggle blood gets mixed with the magic and causes them to mutate!"

"I think that boy was pulling your leg."

Just then, the compartment door slid open again, and a girl with long red hair stood in the frame.

"Can we sit here? Everywhere else is taken."

Remus and Lisa nodded, and the girl took a seat next to Remus, while a black-haired boy, already in his school robes, followed her in and sat next to Lisa.

"Hi. I'm Lily," the girl introduced herself with a warm smile. "And this is my friend, Severus."

"Remus Lupin," Remus returned it shyly.

"Lisa Fawley," Lisa said. The other boy's eyes turned to her curiously.

"You're a Fawley?"

"Er, yeah," Lisa replied, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable from the intensity of his stare.

"Are you related to Hector Fawley, the ex-Minister for Magic?" the boy asked again.

"He's my grandfather."

"You come from a magical family?" Lily joined in.

"Long line of purebloods. They're part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight!" Severus answered in Lisa's stead.

"The Sacred Twenty-Eight? What's that?" Lily asked curiously.

"It's a registry for all supposedly pureblooded families. My mother's family was not considered 'pure enough' by the moron that made it," Severus explained.

"Are you a half-blood too?" Lisa asked. Severus nodded, but his eyes flickered worriedly to Lily for a second. The redheaded girl, however, didn't seem to notice.

"I'm muggle-born. It must be wonderful living in a house full of wizards! What is it like?"

"You're a muggle-born?" Lisa echoed and eyed Lily with the same fascination Severus was looking at her only moments ago. "But you don't have purple skin!"

Remus, who had stayed as much out of the conversation as possible up to this point, snorted loudly, but caught himself and tried to disguise it as a cough.

"Why would I have purple skin?" Lily asked in confusion.

"This boy I know told me muggle-borns were purple. Tell me all about muggles; I've never spoken to someone with muggle parents!"

Severus let out a small sigh of relief. The girls spent the whole trip talking about what muggle and wizard households were like, indulging on chocolate frogs and swapping funny stories. Severus would join in from time to time to add his own opinion, and Lisa found herself liking him a lot. He seemed smart, and he wasn't prejudiced like some of the pureblood kids she had met before. He was very excited to be going to Hogwarts too, and they spent a good hour and a half detailing to Lily the places they wanted to see and the classes they couldn't wait to start. Remus was a lot quieter, content to observe the conversation and only very occasionally commenting on something that was said. He spent the majority of the trip behind the cover of his book, but Lisa could tell he was secretly listening to every word.

The skies slowly darkened, as the train pulled up at Hogsmeade Station. The four kids made their way out of the train and mingled with the other students.

A voice boomed over the crowd, and they saw a giant man towering above the sea of heads, a heavy lantern swinging in his hand. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Lily, Lisa, Remus and Severus exchanged puzzled glances, but as none of them knew what to make of it, they followed the bearded man with the lantern, along with all the other frightened and confused first years down a steep, narrow path. After a short walk, it opened to reveal a big, black lake, where a battalion of small boats awaited them. And on its other side was—

"Hogwarts," Severus whispered wistfully. The castle's many towers and lit windows were just like something out of a dream. The four kids exchanged excited glances.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant called.

They climbed into a boat together and the vessels carried them forward on their own. Everyone was quiet, staring mesmerized at the approaching castle, where they would spend the majority of the next seven years. Then suddenly, there was a splash and a girlish shriek, followed by snickering. Lisa turned to the left to see that James had splashed one of the girls in his boat with the icy-cold water, and he and the black-haired boy he was talking with on the train were sniggering, their heads close together. Lisa rolled her eyes. Leave it to James Potter to ruin such an amazing moment. She noticed with satisfaction that Lily and Severus were also looking at that boat disapprovingly and silently hoped she would be in the same house as them. She looked to Remus and saw he was staring at the castle almost spellbound, having not even noticed James' shenanigans. Lisa had the feeling that he was more excited to be going to Hogwarts than he let on.

After a short glide under a low, stone tunnel, the boats finally reached the shore. The giant led them all the way up to the castle, where a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall took over and led them through the big doors of the Great Hall. Lisa heard gasps all around her, as the new students beheld the enchanted ceiling for the first time. She had seen it before, in pictures from her parents' stay at Hogwarts. Lily's eyes were round as plates though, and Severus was looking around, absorbing every single detail. Remus looked like he would be sick any second.

When they got to the end of the hall, the Sorting Hat was expecting them upon a small wooden stool. A rip near the brim opened like a mouth and it began to sing. Lisa was too distracted by the knot in her stomach to pay attention to the words, but it was something about which traits the Founders were looking for in students. Finally, the song was over and the Hall exploded in applause. Professor McGonagall caught the hat by the tip and raised it.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said, looking down at a piece of parchment in her hand. "Abbot, Susan!"

Lisa watched as her peers were sorted one by one; and was as startled as everyone else when she found out James' new friend was a Black, and a Black that was sorted into Gryffindor. Most people didn't know if they should cheer or not, but the boy wore a wide grin as he made his way to the red-and-gold table and sat there. After 'Catchlove, Greta' was sorted into Hufflepuff, it was Lily's turn. She walked to the stool nervously, but after only a few short moments, she was pronounced as a Gryffindor. Lisa heard Severus groan softly next to her.

"What's the matter?" she whispered to him. He considered her for a moment, before admitting he was hoping Lily would make Slytherin.

"A muggle-born in Slytherin? You know it will never happen," Lisa replied, and he sighed sadly. "Who wants to be in Slytherin anyway? It's full of pricks."

Severus threw her a bemused glance, but her name was called, so she only gave him a reassuring smile and stepped up to the stool. The hat fell over her eyes, but instead of having a conversation with her, like her dad had told her it had done with him, it almost immediately proclaimed, "Gryffindor!"

The hat was lifted from her head, and Lisa just stared at the applauding students, startled at how quickly it was all over with. McGonagall gave her a light push in the back, and she made her way over and sat next to Lily. The redhead gave her a swift hug and they watched as not long after, Remus was sorted into Gryffindor as well and came over to them, smiling brilliantly. The expression did wonders for his pale face, and he looked like he'd never experienced a happier moment in his life. James was also sorted in Gryffindor, making Lisa and Lily exchange a sour look. Lily didn't seem to like James very much either. To their disappointment (and Lisa's extreme surprise), Severus was placed in Slytherin.

"But how can this be possible? He doesn't belong in Slytherin, the Sorting Hat must've made a mistake," Lisa mused, after the hat and stool were taken away and the feast officially began.

"He talks about how great Slytherin is all the time," Lily said casually, piling sausages on her plate. "He always thought he'd end up there."

Lisa stared at her, completely dumbstruck. Severus hadn't seemed like the sort of person that would fit in with Slytherins. Everyone knew they were all evil.

~O~

The first week of term went by in a whirlwind of excitement. Lisa met her other dorm mates, Marlene McKinnon, Alice Prewett and Mary McDonald. Alice and Mary were sort of quiet and nice, and Marlene was loud and liked to talk about wizarding celebrities a lot. Mary and Lily were both muggle-born, so they soon grew to be fast friends. James and Sirius Black soon proved to be the most obnoxious boys on the planet – not that that was any surprise – and what was worse, they didn't waste time sinking their claws into Remus. The two of them could often be seen inviting him along on their irresponsible wandering around the school, and Lisa hoped he could resist their corruption. The fourth Gryffindor boy, Peter Pettigrew, seemed a little lonely that first week. Lisa felt sorry for him, but she was too busy adjusting to this new way of life to worry about him. By Friday, she had gotten lost at least thirty-two times, and entered the wrong classroom twice. She had no idea how the older kids did it, the bloody castle was a maze!

"Which is our next class?" she asked Lily at lunch on Friday.

"Double potions with Slytherin," Lily replied, checking her schedule.

"Great," Lisa groaned. "What are you smirking about?" she added to Marlene, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"I got detention. No smelly dungeons for me today," Marlene said.

"Detention already? What did you do?"

"Didn't turn in that big essay McGonagall gave us. It was supposed to be fifteen centimeters, I thought she was joking! She can't give us something like that as our first homework assignment, it's inhumane! And she's our Head of House; she should give us some leeway!"

"McGonagall's very strict. Frank's told me about her," Lisa said, a little dumbfounded that a student would dare to neglect their homework and expect to get away with it. Marlene shrugged indifferently and moved to get up. The rest of the Gryffindor girls stood up as well and headed down to their very first Potions lesson.

The dungeons were dark and suffocating, and their teacher, Professor Slughorn, filled up quite a bit of space himself. He told them to pair up, and before Lisa knew what was happening, everyone else had a partner. Alice and Mary, James and Sirius, Remus and Peter, Lily and Severus. Lisa looked around, a bit scared she'd have to work alone, when she saw one last open spot, next to a pretty Slytherin girl with long, black hair. Lisa felt bile rise in her throat at the thought of having to work with a Slytherin, but walked over and sat down. Slughorn decided to have them jump straight into the action, and told them to make him a simple Forgetfulness Potion.

"So what's your name?" the Slytherin girl asked, while Lisa was measuring Valerian springs.

"Why should I tell you?" Lisa replied coldly. The girl raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Because I was trying to be nice?"

"Hah, nice. As if Slytherins can be nice," Lisa snorted, keeping her eyes on the scales. The girl turned to her, keeping a neutral face though her eyes were sparkling dangerously.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You know very well what it means! I don't want to associate with Slytherin scum!" Lisa hissed.

"So just because I'm in Slytherin, I'm scum, am I?" the girl exploded. "So because I was sorted into a certain house that gives you the right to judge me and tell me what I'm like? You're just a brainless sheep that lets the masses dictate your opinion, just like half the morons in this school! There's more to me than the color of my tie!"

The wand in the girl's hand rained sparks in her cauldron and the potion exploded, bathing the two girls in the yellow liquid, which smelled strongly of sweaty socks.

"Tut, tut, tut. It's only your first week, you shouldn't be starting fights," Slughorn scolded them lightly. "You will stay after class to clean up this mess. Without magic."

The girl scowled, but didn't protest and Lisa looked at her guiltily, as she tried to squeeze the potion from her hair. It was true, what she said. They didn't know a thing about each other, yet Lisa had decided in her head that she was evil before they had even spoken. But if she wasn't, why was she sorted into Slytherin? Lisa glanced at Lily's table. Why was Severus?

After the class was over, they were given buckets and mops, and Slughorn left them to it.

"...I'm sorry," Lisa said after working in silence for about ten minutes.

"Sure you are," the girl replied coldly.

"No, I am, really! You were right, I don't know you, and I just assumed—"

"That all Slytherins are evil?"

"Well... yeah. There's not a bad witch or wizard that wasn't in Slytherin."

"Rubbish! There have been plenty of Dark Wizards from the other houses! And what about Merlin, was he evil? He was the greatest wizard of all time, and he was a Slytherin!"

Lisa looked down at the mop at her feet.

"You get sorted into Slytherin for being ambitious and clever, not for being evil. Do you honestly think the Ministry would allow an evil house to exist within Hogwarts?" the girl continued with a sigh, putting the mop into the bucket and propping it against a wall.

"I'm sorry," Lisa repeated quietly.

"Yeah, whatever," the girl said, swinging her schoolbag over her shoulder and making for the door.

"Hey," Lisa called after her.

"What?"

"So... what's your name?"

The other girl swept her up with a critical gaze, but at the end replied, "Dorcas Meadowes."

"Lisa Fawley. It's... nice to meet you. It really is." Lisa held out her hand, and after a small consideration, Dorcas shook it.