CHAPTER 1

Sera watched the magnificent, looming castle come closer with her hazy deep violet almond shaped eyes, a soft smile on her crimson lips. She softly stroked the ends of her voluminous wavy pitch black hair, blacker that the darkest night. Her complexion was a mixed shade of apricot and sand. Her long dark lashes formed shadows on her enigmatic eyes. She slightly bit her lower lip as she stared out of the compartment's window.

*scritch* *scritch*

The faint sound of a quill at work pricked her ears. Sera looked away from the scenery and laid her eyes on her two companions. Nicole Silverman was sitting next to her, writing on her pine green leather bound journal with her favorite eagle feather quill that spews out emerald ink. Nicole is one of Sera's child hood best friends, she had long blond hair, bright as a dandelion that ends exactly on her midriff, and like her quill she had sparkling emerald eyes. She had a light complexion almost like Sera's only with a tint of autumn brown. Nicole mouthed the words as she wrote them in her journal with her plump lips that forms a heart when closed. Sera then turned her heart-shaped face to Jeanne Pearce, who was sitting opposite of her. Jeanne is her other child hood best friend. She has long luscious flaming scarlet hair with vermillion curls; the more Sera looked into her hair the more she thought it was on fire. Her hair reminded her of a muggle actress but she couldn't remember the name. Jeanne had a porcelain complexion but with just a touch of pink. She has huge icy sapphire blue eyes that moved as she read Lewis Carroll's legendary literary work "Alice in Wonderland" She silently tucked behind her ear a few strands of scarlet. As if sensing eyes on her, Jeanne looked up gracefully from her book and at Sera, she slowly raised a brow and asked,

"What is it?"

Nicole looked up from her journal glancing from Jeanne to Sera, furrowing her delicate eyebrows,

"What's wrong Sera?"

Sera smiled and slowly closed her eyes and breathed,

"We are almost there."

Nicole and Jeanne looked at each other and smiled, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry" was their final destination. The school they had dreamed about. The memory of the day they got their acceptance letters played in their minds,

They were all in the Silverman Manor that night in Nicole's bedroom, reading magazines and laughed at each other's jokes when suddenly three owls came flying in from an open window, a snowy owl with bright blue eyes, sharp talons and feathers that rhythmically fluttered like snowflakes landed on Jeanne's crossed legs. She looked directly at Jeanne with a thin envelope secured on its beak. The next owl was a screecht owl with feathers that had different shades of brown and white and dark brown eyes landed on Nicole's already raised arm with the same package as the first owl. The third owl was a great sooty owl, it flew in a black flurry, it flew so fast that it was already on Sera's shoulder in second, shades of gray and black tainted it silky feathers, its round dark violet eyes fixed on Sera. The bird slowly nodded, acknowledging her master and friend, and in return Sera nodded back. Nicole smiled,

"Is this what I think it is?"

Jeanne scratched the snowy owls neck, the letter on her hand,

"It is from Hogwarts."

Sera deepened her smile and looked at her owl,

"Thank you Midnight"

The great sooty owl softly rubbed it ear on Sera's neck in response.

"I appreciate this Sienna, thank you."

Jeanne quietly said to her snowy owl, the owl just cooed. Nicole scratched her screecht owl's chin saying,

"Nice work Honey duke!"

The three girls looked at the thin envelope in their hands for a moment, thoughts swirled in their minds. Jeanne broke the silence saying,

"Let us open it."

"Together"

Nicole added with a smile. And at that moment they opened their respective envelopes and quickly read the contents, in a split second they all jumped up in unison, the three owls flew up to the ceiling and circled their masters as they hooted happily..

The three girls smiled at the memory,

"I still can't believe it."

Sera thought, Nicole brought out her wand, it was made of yew wood, 13 inches long and veela hair for its core, it was made smoothly and had a slight curvature at the end, Jeanne cocked her head to the side and asked,

"Why have you brought out your wand?"

"No reason really, I just want to look at it."

Nicole simply said with a dreamy smile. Jeanne then brought out her own; it was made of white oak, 9 inches long with Phoenix feather for its core.

"Your right. It is nice to look at it."

Jeanne quietly said. The two stared at their wands for a few minutes, and then they looked at Sera quietly. Sera softly sighed and brought out her wand slowly. Nicole and Jeanne seemed to have stopped breathing. Sera's wand had an enigmatic aura spewing from it. It was made of black thorn, 10 inches and the core was the dragon heartstring of an Ice dragon. Sera stared into her wand. She felt something inside her connect with the wand. After a few moments she placed it back into her cloak as did Nicole and Jeanne. Nicole and Jeanne were about to continue reading and writing when the train suddenly went to a full-stop. Sera quickly looked out of the window; they were at Hogwarts at last. She could see students getting off the train.

"Sera! Come on! Stop staring!"

Nicole called with Sera's black satchel bag, Sera smiled and took it. The three went out of the compartment and off the train. Taking in everything before them, the girls didn't breathe. They looked at the other students in robes running and catching up with friends, some students where just standing still like them. At the far end, a huge burly man came walking, he had messy long brown hair and a matching beard, his robes were patched with different cloths. Jeanne recognized him and said,

"That is Hagrid, the game keeper"

Nicole's emerald eyes grow large,

"How did you know?"

"When my mother bought me all of my stuff at Diagon Alley I saw him there, I didn't get a chance to talk to him though"

Sera watched as Hagrid, with his booming voice call on the new students,

"He is looking for the new students."

Sera quietly said, Nicole then asked,

"Where is our luggage?"

Jeanne was about to answer when someone pushed her away quite roughly, Sera quickly grabbed Jeanne's arm and steadied her.

"Thank you Sera"

Jeanne said and looked at the one who pushed her,

"Excuse me, please watch were your going."

It was a young man, who slowly turned around, he was tall and thin, and he had pale skin and white blond hair, light gray eyes that showed annoyance. His thin lips formed a smirk,

"The only thing that you need to watch is where you are standing!"

Nicole stepped up and was about to say something when Sera placed her hand on Nicole's shoulder, Nicole looked at Sera and the two exchanged a meaningful look and Nicole stepped back. The two girls both knew better than to step in on Jeanne's encounters. Jeanne pursed her lips slowly and asked,

"Who do you think you are?"

The young man raised a brow and scoffed,

"You're seriously asking me that?"

Jeanne's eyes deepened and the young man understood that she wasn't kidding, he smiled wickedly,

"Hmm, the name is Malfoy, Draco, Malfoy and you are?"

Jeanne's eyes flicked at her two best friends and back at Draco.

"Jeanne Pearce"

She quietly said, Draco raised a brow as if he didn't believe what he just heard, he closed his eyes and smiled wickedly and walked closer saying,

"A newcomer no doubt. Alright I'll forgive you for being in my way since you're new."

He raised a pale hand and reached for Jeanne's hair but her quickly to a step back, he chuckled coldly, and looked at Sera and Nicole, he asked,

"And your names are?"

Nicole looked as if she was about to something unintelligible, so Sera quickly said,

"This is Nicole Silverman and I am Seraphina Vane"

Draco furrowed her brows and looked from Jeanne and back at Sera and Nicole, he cocked his head as if he was thinking of something deeply, then he shook his head and stared at them with wicked eyes,

"Ah... Welcome to the worst school in the Wizarding World. I hope you three survive. "

Draco then started to walk but stopped to look at Jeanne,

"I do hope you will be sorted in Slytherin. It would give us enough time to get better acquainted."

He winked at Jeanne and walked away. Jeanne glared at his retreating figure, Sera and Nicole quietly walked to her side. Jeanne then said,

"I pray that I may not get sorted in that God-forsaken house."

Nicole looked at her with concern in her eyes,

"Don't fret my friend, there are three other houses."

"The Sorting Hat might hear your request."

Sera said. Then suddenly a huge man came to their side and said,

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, come with me and the other new students to the Great Hall."

The three girls looked at each other and smiled, forgetting their little scenario with Draco; they followed Hagrid with the other new students to the Great Hall, where they will be sorted.