Chapter Two; Well, hello?
September 1st couldn't come quick enough. Rosalyn had anticipated this day since receiving her letter. Now at the time of ten-past-ten in the morning, Rosa and her parents were dragging a trolley of a trunk, an owl cage, and bags upon bags of books that Rosalyn would be bringing.
King's Cross station was bustling. Businessmen, returning and leaving family members, the occasional fellow magic companions with their own cat cages, or frog pens, or owl cages, upon trunks with insignias of eagles, lions, snakes, and badgers. Of colors of blue and bronze, of red and gold, of green and silver, of yellow and black, each young adult, limit the newbies, had some sort of color on their bags and trunks.
"What platform, Rosa?" Her father's gruff voice asked, his eyes dark and stormy as he scanned over everything.
"Platform nine -" She scanned a look at the ticket she had received, by magic, mind that, the night before.
"Okay, right over the-" Rosalyn cut her father off.
-and three-quarters."
"Platform nine and three-quarters? There's no such thing. " Her mother stated, her eyebrows furrowed.
"It says right here!" Rosa exclaimed, pointing at the platform number. With both her parents sighing, Rosa led them to where platform nine and ten resided.
"-um, I know how to get onto the platform! It's not that complicated. It says simply how to do it, in Hogwarts; a History you know, that book I got in Diagon Alley?" the young girl had stated to her parents.
"I know, but my dear, it's your first year, we'd like to take you. " Her father had said. Rosa's ears perked. They knew how to get on the platform! In a split second, Rosa was by them, nibbling on her lip.
"Uhm.." She mumbled. Three pairs of eyes were now focused on her. "How do you get onto the platform?" She asked, fiddling with her thumbs. "Platform nine and three-quarters?" She specified.
"Oh! Well, you see this wall, right between nine and ten?" The woman questioned. Rosalyn nodded. "Well, you grip your trolley, and run as quick as you can into the wall."
"Into the wall?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Yes! And muggles aren't able to enter it so they don't notice it!" The young girl about her age had stated.
"Muggles?" The eleven-year-old asked, curiously.
"Non-magic folks, from quote, muggles, end quote, there could be a magic child. This child is a muggleborn." The other girl's father explained.
"Like my mum and dad!" Rosa exclaimed, a smile on her face.
"You're muggleborn?" Her mother asked, honestly interested.
With a proud nod, Rosalyn nodded. "Yup! Oh! I'm Rosalyn. Or, Rosa if you will! My mum and dad are over there." She pointed over to where her parents stood with her trolley. Waving her parents over, they dragged the trolley over to where the other family had stood.
"I'm Alice! My big sister Marlene is around here somewhere. She's in Gryffindor!" Alice had stated proudly.
"Gryffindor? Is that supposed to be something?"
"Gryffindor is a school house, there's four of them. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. I hope to either be in Ravenclaw or in Gryffindor!" Alice stated excitedly.
The station clock gave a warning toll. Five minutes before eleven.
"Oh! Alice, go on, go on. You'll be late for the train!" Both Alice's parents were giving her farewell hugs and kisses, promising to write. Rosa turned to do the exact same thing to her parents.
"Bye mum.. I love you! I'll see you at Christmas break! I'll write you too. Don't worry." Rosa promised her mother. Her father swung his only daughter up into a big hug, his beard rubbing against her cheek. "Bye Daddy.." Her eyes were glassy.
"Bye flower." He smiled, despite beads of tears falling. After being put down, Alice and Rosa lined up next to each other, preparing to running, well, into a brick wall.
"Bye!" Both sets of parents cried to their children as they ran into the wall, passing through the barrier. A huge scarlet locomotive stood on the track. Steam billowing out the top of the top.
"C'mon! We have to go!" Alice proceeded to hurry to the train, her trolley skipping over tossed rocks and debris on the ground. Following her, Rosa lugged her trunk up the stairs, with a few helpful hands from older Hogwarts students. After seeing Alice head into a compartment, she entered as well, holding her tawny owl's cage.
"I can't believe that we're going to magic school." Rosa exclaimed after practically throwing herself down on the seat across from Alice.
"I know, right! By the way? What's your owl's name?" Rosa thought for a second. Her tawny owl was elegant, but she had a spark to her.
"Ophelia. I'm naming her Ophelia." Rosa smiled and put a single digit into the cage and started to pet her feathers lightly. Alice smiled, not saying anything. Rosalyn looked out the compartment window watching as it passed the British countryside, acres and acres of plains a grass covered it. A distinct smell of manure permeating through the windows causing both Rosa and Alice to scrunch up their noses and exhale deeply.
"OH! That stinks, badly." The two girls stifled giggles and began to laugh out.
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As night drew closer, Rosa was more and more anxious. The darkness covered the scarlet engine and the only lights of each compartment showed.
"Should we change?" Rosalyn questioned after seeing quite a few other students change into their house robes.
"Yeah, let's go." Alice grabbed her plain black robes and Rosa grabbed hers, Alice heading to the rest rooms and Rosalyn pulling the shades down over the windows and the few over the front of the door in the compartment. Changing quickly and drawing the shades back up, she waited for Alice.
"Hogwarts ahead!" an older student exclaimed once the compartment door had slid open. Both Rosa and Alice had plastered their faces against the cool window, their breath causing frost and steam to appear.
"Woah.." The castle finally came into view. As the train rolled to a stop, Alice and Rosa gripped their trunks, in addition to Ophelia's cage and followed the chatter of students off the train and onto the station platform.
" 'irst yea' o'er here. C'mon, Firs' years." Rosa turned to where the voice was calling. There stood a man, looming over Rosalyn, his hair and beard in a big bush and a mess of hair on top of his head. She and a bunch of other first years headed over to where he stood. "Now, clim' in'o these boats. Four per one." He ushered the girls and boys into the boats, which moved by itself. Rosa stared up at the castle, the towers and the turrets standing ominously over the heads of the fifty or so first years. Each statue posted on the walls, looming over everyone. The giant, Hagrid, as he introduced to the first years, pointed out certain places that were interesting. The dark murky water of the Lake seemed deadly and dangerous, forcing Rosalyn to stay in the middle of the unstable wooden boats. Sharing that same boat with Alice, and two other first years, both turning green as the boat rocked. Rosalyn gazed at the castle, each WINDOW illuminated with candles. Hagrid led the first years to the huge oak doors, pushing them open with a big heave.
"Woah." Rosa's eyes practically burst out of her head, the walls covered in moving portraits and the very slight silhouettes of ghosts floating here and there. The walls seemed to go on for miles, the intricately winding staircases meeting at different floors. Inhaling in surprise, she gasped audibly. The staircases were moving. "Alice." She mumbled, elbowing her fellow friend. The former looked over at her, "Look up." Raising an eyebrow curiously, Alice looked up and gasped the same as Rosa had. Staircases that were changing, the school truly was magic.
"Hello, and welcome. I am Professor McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress to Professor Dumbledore." They turned around seeing an elder woman, her hair tied up in a bun, with very little evidence of gray hidden. In her hand was a scroll and her wand. "Follow me." She stated, turning around swiftly, her cloak billowing behind her. Following behind the elder woman, the group of first years followed closely, stumbling on the heels of the students in front of them. Being led into a hall filled with four tables, one of green and silver, then of blue and bronze, then yellow and black, and lastly, red and gold. Every year above witch and wizard watching the first years closely, anticipating and placing bets on which house they'd be in. At the front was the high table, each professor seated comfortably observing the hall. Professor Dumbledore had gazed over the top of his half-moon glass lens to look deeply over his now first years. McGonagall had walked up the steps to where a stool and a hat had been placed. "When I call your name, you will come up, take a seat on the stool and place this hat on your head." She had started to unroll the scroll parchment. "Alby, Grace." Rosa had seen the girl a few times on the train. Grace was a mousy girl, mucky brown hair and pale skin. When Grace had sat down on the stool and had the hat place upon her head, Rosa wasn't anticipating to hear the hat speak.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat exclaimed, a voice coming from the seam. Grace Alby had scurried over to where the Hufflepuff table had been, now in an abundance of yellow and black congratulating her.
"Next up, Black, Sirius!" McGonagall called out. The said boy had walked up the stairs with a saunter, a smirk on his face. With the hat placed on a mess of unruly obsidian curls, the hat had taken forever to decide on a house. Sirius' expression had become solemn and his skin had turned pale. Rosa had become worried because he didn't seem to be feeling well after whatever the hat had told him.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat exclaimed, and the table to Rosalyn's left had exploded in applause. A faint smile was eminent on Professor McGonagall's lips.
"Dunbar, Rosalyn." Rosa's heart was beating in her throat. It was her turn. Slowly pushing past the students in front of her and slowly walking up the stairs to the stool. She bit her bottom lip raw and wiped her sweaty palms on her tweed skirt.
Ooh. Complicated, huh. Rosa jumped, turning and looking for the source of the voice. Never fear, for it is I, the Sorting Hat. Rosa's eyebrows raised, disappearing under the brim of the hat. I sense an abundance of smarts in you, but there's something else. Pride is it? Pride over your family. Muggleborn, huh? That pride and loyalty will make your years complicated. Your intelligence overcomes everything. Better be...
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat exclaimed and the professor lifted the hat off her curls, small pieces falling in front of her blue eyes. Rosa smiled huge and proceeded to head to the Ravenclaw table and sat between two upper year students.
"Welcome to Ravenclaw! I'm Charlotte Russo. Sixth year prefect, and to your left is Autumn Russo, my twin." Rosa was introduced to the two six years, smiling to the point where her cheeks were aching.
"Nice to meet you!" Alice was sorted into Ravenclaw with Rosa, and another muggleborn had been sorted into Gryffindor, the said student's fiery hair causing Rosa to smile.
Well, here's chapter two. Ugh. YAY! It was gruesome writing the hat scene, y'know, like what the heck is the hat supposed to say to a Ravenclaw student?!