"You said we wouldn't be the only ones."
"I lied."
A sigh left the smaller girl's lips as the taller of the two flashed a shit eating grin.
"I don't see the big problem about showing up in comfortable clothes, look at that boy over there he looks like he's suffocating." The taller girl shrugged as she pointed across the platform to a boy with slicked back white blonde hair.
"The stick up his arse has become his spine." She snickered as she watched his stiff movements.
"Alice! Don't let him hear you he's a Malfoy." The smaller girl warned and Alice rolled her eyes.
"Honestly Charlie, I know you've been teaching me about the magical world since you saw my pen float in primary school but how much of it do you think actually stuck?" Alice asked grinning at Charlie. While Charlie, or Charlotte as others knew her was a halfblood and had gone to muggle school up until her hogwarts letter arrived and that was where she meant Alice, an awkward girl who's socks never matched and tripped over thin air. Charlotte and Alice had always migrated towards each other, Alice had mentioned it could have been the magic's work, that and Charlotte was the only one who never teased Alice for her mismatching socks and hand-me-down uniforms.
"You know, one of the sacred 28." Charlie whispered and Alice's face twisted into a grimace as she stared at him.
"They actually meet all the standards they're held too." Charlie commented, a small grin on her lips as she looked over at her friend. Dressed in a baggy beatles shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants hung off her hips. Alice gasped and placed a hand on her chest, her mouth open and eyes wide at the playful insult.
"I. Am. Insulted." Alice scoffed before Charlie rolled her eyes at her friends dramatics.
"No, but really. There's standards for a stupid long train ride to the school, where we'll all change into our robes and wear the same exact thing, and be sorted into a house that dictates pretty much the rest of our lives?" Alice asked as she glanced at the train that sat in front of them. "Don't get me wrong this whole magic thing is the bee's knees I just think it's stupid to let, what was it you said? A talking hat? A talking bloody hat sort you into a house where you have to conform to that house's personality qualities or else you're considered an outsider? No thank you." Alice ranted and Charlie smiled at her friend.
"You'll be in Gryffindor." She laughed as Alice once again got into one of her rants. Charlotte was slightly nervous, Alice having convinced them to go to the train in lounge clothes insisting that there was no reason to dress to impress, 'We're probably going to sleep the whole trip anyways, Might as well sleep comfy.' She had said and being half awake Charlotte merely agreed not paying attention to what Alice had actually said. Alice felt the stares of some of the older witches and wizards, the girls from higher years trying to impress the boys and the pureblood families but they looked at everyone who didn't meet their expectations like that. and that. With Charlotte being a halfblood and willing to bet money that Alice was a muggleborn, those looks where to be expected and didn't bother Charlotte at the least. It was the other students looks that had made her nervous but as she stood with Alice, her ranting now above her normal voice level and her arms and hands moving as she talked Charlotte decided that it didn't matter what they thought as they saw Alice and her dressed in muggle lounge clothes. They were comfortable and everyone else could piss off.
"PREACH IT SISTER!" A passerby had yelled having hearing Alice's ranting on why you shouldn't let your house decide who and how you were.
"See, this guy knows." Alice said pointing a thumb over at the messy haired boy as he came over to the two.
"James Potter, first year." He introduced himself, holding out a hand to shake Alice's.
"Alice Kent, also first year." She smiled and looked over to Charlie.
"This is my mate Charlie Thorn." She introduced Charlie and James reached out to shake her hand too. With a smile Charlie shook his as well, with Alice around there was never anything for Charlotte to worry about.
Alice chewed on her lip as names were being called up to the sorting hat. From what she had gathered from the hat's song and everything she's heard from Charlie: The nerds go into ravenclaw, the goody two shoes go into Gryffindor, the pureblood and mean spirited go into Slytherin, and the outcasts go into Hufflepuff. She didn't know where she'd end up, at 11 years old she could barely say she knew herself enough to decide for herself. She could be considered a nerd, but only when the subject in question appealed to her. Charlie had joked about her being in Gryffindor but Alice wasn't so sure. Was she brave? She didn't know. Daring and nerve? Alice knew for sure she had that, she hardly backed down from anything and said whatever was on her mind most of the time. She was scared for slytherin, she didn't want to be stuck in with the purebloods, or 'the snakepit' as she had heard another student say but it made her quite sad. Alice had always somewhat adored snakes, thought they were cute and always wanted one as a pet but now at Hogwarts she settled with a rat she had named Jeremy. Alice was sly and cunning as a fox, she knew the right things to say to get out of a situation or make it go any which way she wanted; it all depended on her end goal. Alice glanced at the Hufflepuff table and smiled slightly, she had felt like an outsider in almost every situation she was in without Charlie, but loyalty she knew she had to her friends and the important people in her life. She heard her fellow first years whispering about dreading being in hufflepuff and she furrowed her eyebrows, being in a house that was known for its shared loyalty traits seems better than being in a house known for dark magic and evil. Alice was filled with anxiety as she thought about what house she'd be placed in, and even more as she pondered the thought of being split from Charlie, Alice reasoned that even though they were best friends and got along great their personalities weren't completely the same. A jab to her side woke Alice out of her thoughts as Charlie elbowed her once more.
"Alice Kent." A woman's voice called out and horror filled Alice as she realized it was now her turn. Alice stood up slowly and walked clumsily to the stool, not used to the robes she faltered in her steps as she stepped on the tail end of it stumbling to not trip herself. Alice sat on the stool, the hat was placed on her head and over her eyes, and she gulped.
"My my, what a decision." A voice echoed in her head and Alice rolled her eyes under the hat.
'You're telling me.' She replied and the hat chuckled.
'You certainly have the qualities of a Gryffindor, ranting about what house you get placed in doesn't determine your path, but then you're scared of being placed in slytherin for fear of house stereotypes. What happened to your house does not determine who you are hmm? Wise words, wise words indeed from an 11 year old. Hufflepuff you seem content with oh yes You'd be good there, loyalty and dedication are important to you, but playing by the rules doesn't appeal to you does it? Oh but what great things you can accomplish with slytherin, that ambition to show everyone that your house does not determine who you are, You're cunning and sly, yes little slytherpuff I believe i think i've finally decided where to place you, Alice Kent you'll go on to do great things in SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted. Alice's robes shimmered and now she sat with the snakes emblem embroidered into her robes and her tie now green and silver. She locked eyes with Charlie who offered her a small smile and Alice slowly stepped down from the stool and she set her eyes onto the slytherin table, filled with students glaring at her. Alice blinked, took a breath, and smirked as she walked to the slytherin table. She'd do exactly what the hat said, and prove that your house doesn't determine your future.
"James Potter!" Alice pulled her head out of her arms to watch the messy haired boy from earlier swagger to the stool and she smiled. From what she'd seen of the students earlier he'd definitely be placed in Gryffindor, her smile dropped, from what whispers she'd heard from the other students Slytherin and Gryffindor were sworn enemies.
"GRYFFINDOR" The hat called and all traces of her previous smile was wiped off her face.
What about Charlie?
Oh no oh gods oh bloody hell what about charlie?
Alice swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as turned her head and tried to find Charlie in the unsorted students. She felt relieved once she found the smal brunette but her anxiety hadn't left her when she saw she was talking animatedly to a boy. Alice tried waving, receiving looks from the students around her but to no avail, Charlie didn't notice her. Alice sighed and set her arms back on the table, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze she set her head back down on the table.
"We'll be okay." She whispered to herself, bouncing her leg as she waited for Thorn to be called.
"Charlotte Thorn!" Alice's head snapped up as she saw her friend walk to the stool. Charlie sat herself on the stool and locked eyes with Alice before she smiled and the hat was dropped over her eyes. Alice held her breath as she waited for the hat to announce Charlie's house. Charlie was a good person, She'd do well in Hufflepuff, and at least then their houses wouldn't be sworn enemies. She's kind and loyal and she's patient and-
"GRYFFINDOR."
And she's a Gryffindor.
Alice blinked rapidly as the table erupted in cheers and shouts of excitement and congratulations. Charlie had a wide smile on her face as she made her way to the opposite side of the great hall to the lions den.
"Charlie!" She whisper yelled, trying to get her friends attention that fell on deaf ears to earn looks from the students around her again. Alice huffed and searched her robe pockets, moving her wand to find jeremy trying to chew into the wood.
"No!" She gasped as she pulled him from her wand.
"I need you to get Charlie's attention for me, can you do that?" Jeremy twitched his nose and Alice smiled, rubbing circles on his head before she set him down for his task. Alice looked back up to Charlie to see a scowl on her face and Alice grinned. Perhaps she didn't like her fellow Gryffindors as much as Alice had thought. Charlie sat next to James while he talked animatedly around Charlie to a dark haired boy. Her scowl softened as she started conversating with a light brown haired boy that sat in front of her. Alice grimaced, maybe she was wrong. Then suddenly he screamed. A high pitch squeal had made its way to Alice's ears and she watched as the boy James was talking with jumped out of his seat and Charlie moved around him to pluck the small white rat off the bench seat. Charlie glanced in Alice's direction and Alice grinned wide at Charlie as she watched her talk to James and the dark haired boy who had jumped out of fear from Jeremy. Four heads turned in her direction and Alice's grin widened as she waved at Charlie and the three boys, but then she saw James and his dark haired friend's expressions twist into something of dislike, hatred. And then she saw Charlie's expression fall a bit and it was then, on her first night at hogwarts of her first year, she made the decision she didn't like James Potter or his dark haired friend.