Cassandra's POV
I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I blushed in front of a boy. And for no reason too! I mean he was attractive that's for sure, but that's it. I don't know him or anything. It was just...
"Hey Cassandra!" Chris practically yelled in my ear, yanking me out of my thoughts. "Get our head out of the clouds we need to get on a carriage."
"I've got it!" I retorted. "You don't have to yell in my ear."
"Well then get moving!" Chris said impatiently. I sighed, I knew how exciting this was for Chris. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just keep moving. We followed Hermione to a long line of old-fashioned-looking stagecoaches. They didn't appear to be pulled by anything so I assumed they were enchanted. However, when we got into a carriage and it started moving, it was bumping and swaying, as if pulled by a horse. Eventually, the carriages arrived at the castle and came to a halt. We all got out of the carriage and headed toward the Great Hall.
"We should probably go with the first-years, so that we can get sorted." I told Chris.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go." Chris said quickening her pace to catch up with the huddled group of eleven-year olds, who were leaving a trail of lake water. When we arrived we saw that one boy was completely sopping wet and with every step water seeped out of his shoes. We skirted around the big puddles and kept close to the group. We eventually stopped in a small chamber and all the first years clumped together in crowd while Chris and I stood off to the side together. The woman who lead the first-years turned around and surveyed us sternly. Her eyes eventually reached us.
"You two," she said. "Are you Cassandra Chopra and Christine Shanley, the new students from America?"
"Yes we are," I said. "Were we right to come here? We need to be sorted into houses right?"
"Yes, you'll be sorted with the first-years," she replied. "Now, I am Professor McGonagall. I am the head of Gryffindor house and I teach Transfiguration here at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes drifted to the drenched boy as she said that. "I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly." And with that she left the chamber.
A few minutes later, just enough time for everyone to work themselves up worrying about how they were going to be sorted, Professor McGonagall returned.
"Form a line, and follow me," she said sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."
We all walked into the Great Hall and gasped. I read about the Great Hall in Hogwarts, A History but I never imagined it would be this beautiful. I thought. Truly it was, thousands of gleaming candles floated in the air over four long tables covered in glistening golden goblets and plates. The ceiling, enchanted to look like the outside, twinkled as all the stars shone, making it hard to believe that there was a ceiling at all.
A soft thud broke me from my thoughts as I looked ahead and saw that Professor McGonagall had placed a stool in front of the first year that had an old frayed hat upon it. Then to my surprise, the brim of the hat opened and it burst into song. I was so surprised I didn't actually hear any of the words it sang and was jolted back into reality when Professor McGonagall started calling of names.
She listed them off alphabetically by last name, which made me a little nauseous as I realized my turn would be soon.
"Chopra, Cassandra!" she called. I made my way up to the stool, my stomach twisting with nervousness but I kept a poker face. I sat down and put on the hat which fell over my eyes.
"Hmm," a small voice whispered. "Interesting. A great mind, you'd do well in Ravenclaw. However, you're a bit manipulative and cunning. You know what to do to get what you want. You believe that the ends justify the means eh? And you're a Parselmouth? Better be SLYTHERIN!"
I took of the hat and walked to the Slytherin table, who were cheering loudly. I sat down by a pale boy with white-blond hair and an air of arrogance.
"Hello," the boy said. "My name's Draco. So you're a first year right?"
"No, I'm actually starting as a second year," I said. "I'm twelve years old."
"Really?" Draco asked. "So you've never done magic before."
"In America we start our wizard training at age ten." I said. "But there are no wizarding schools in America so everyone is trained by their parents."
"Really? That's very interesting," Draco said, flashing a smile.
Not really, I thought. Why is he so interested in me. I looked down the table. Oh. That's why. While I don't consider myself to be that pretty, I probably looked like a supermodel compared to most of the girls at the Slytherin table. There was one girl with a pug face who was glaring at me. She probably liked Draco.
Speaking of like, I thought. I looked around for Fred. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table next to his twin, George.
"Shanley, Christine!" was called and I looked up to see Chris crossing the Great Hall with a grimace, she hated her full name. After a few seconds on the stool the hat cried out "GRYFFINDOR!"
I cheered for her, which got me a lot of looks from the Slytherin House.
I leaned towards Draco and asked, "What's their problem, that's my cousin."
"Gryffindor and Slytherin don't really get along." He whispered back. "They're made up of blood-traitors and mudbloods."
I drew back with immediately. "Excuse me, that is a horrible and disrespectful name for muggleborns. Besides my best friends are muggles."
He withdrew in disgust. "Are you a mud- muggle born too." I knew he was about to say mudblood so I sent him a death glare, warning him.
"I'm actually a pureblood." I said haughtily. "But that doesn't mean I look down upon wizards who aren't or look down upon muggles."
He looked conflicted, probably didn't want to upset me because I was the prettiest girl in Slytherin, but he still was a racist and my ideas revolted him. I cheered up a bit at the thought that I was the prettiest girl in Slytherin. I wasn't bragging or exaggerating either, all the girls here were really ugly. Eventually, he made a decision and he opened his mouth.
"So you're a blood-traitor too," He sneered.
I stared at him for a few seconds, which turned into a few minutes until his cheeks started to turn pink.
"What," he said, obviously very uncomfortable.
I smiled slowly, the before he could react I grabbed my wand, whispered an incantation, and put it back before any teacher could see.
"What did you do!" he demanded.
"You'll see," I laughed. I giggled and then turned around to listen to the rest of the Sorting.
"Weasley, Ginny!" was sent to Gryffindor where she was received with roaring applause. She sat down by her older brothers, and I sighed thinking about Fred again.
Eventually all the first-years were sorted and seated and Albus Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I'm sure everyone here is hunger, so dig in!"
A feast magically appeared on the golden plates. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything all day except for the sweets on the train. I filled my plate and heartily tucked in. After dinner, dessert magically appeared and I was able to eat a few macaroons before I was stuffed. After the feast, the school sang the school song which I lip synced too because I'm a horrible singer. I was following the rest of the Slytherins to the dormitory, when a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin approached me.
"Miss Chopra, I am Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin house and the potions master." he said, he then withdrew a key shaped like a snake and handed it to me. "This is the key to your new room, where you will be living during the next six years."
"Thank you, sir" I said, accepting the key and pocketing it. I was a little unnerved, he kinda creeped me out. But he taught potions, my favorite subject, so he couldn't be all bad.
I walked quickly, catching up with some straggling Slytherins who were heading to the dungeon. I followed them until they reached a blank wall and said "pure-blood" which caused a hidden stone door to open. The common room was, disappointing to put it frankly. It was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and a ceiling from which round greenish lanterns hung on chains. A fire crackled beneath an elaborately carved mantelpiece and there were several high-backed chairs sitting around. I sighed, I guess I'll be spending all my time in the library. It's so depressing and creepy here.
I walked over to two ascending staircases, unsure of which one to take.
"Excuse me," I asked a fourth year boy, starling him. "Which staircase leads to the girls dormitories?"
"Er, the left one," he said.
"Thanks," I said and smiled, causing him to blush. It's kinda sad how ugly the girls in Slytherin are if a twelve-year-old girl can cause a fourteen-year-old boy to blush. I walked up the left staircase and pulled my key out of my robes. The snake's tail coiled around the number eight, which I presumed to be my door number. I found my room on the second landing. I opened the door to find Riddle curled up on my bed sleeping and my trunk leaning against a desk with gas lamp. I unpacked, got ready for bed, and drifted off to sleep.