The countryside was blazing past by the time the conversation in the car had started up again. Luckily, nobody else seemed to bother them, although that might have been courtesy of the weak Notice-Me-Not charm that Violet had slapped on the door.

This was Violet's first time on a train - or, really, any vehicle, and she was loving it. It had started out incredibly smoothly, and she only realized they were leaving because the light had started shifting between the boys sitting parallel to her.

"So, Violet, do you have any thoughts on blood purity?"

An eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?"

"Like..." Draco's lips curled as if they didn't know quite what expression to settle in. "Heritage. Like, out of mud-" a smack stopped the boy, who rubbed his head and glared at Blaise. "Muggleborns, Half-bloods, and Purebloods."

Violet didn't seem impressed. "Why would it matter?"

Draco gaped at her. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't it matter?"

"Exactly that," the redhead frowned. "Why would it matter? You're the one making the claim that it does. Provide proof. Back it up."

The blond glowered at the girl. "I'm a pureblood. The Malfoy family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and I can trace my heritage back up as far as I'd like and only find wizards and witches."

"You still haven't made a claim," the girl pointed out, undeterred.

"I was getting to it," Draco growled. "That means that my blood is more pure than a half-blood's or a mud-ggleborns."

Green eyes rolled. "All blood is made out of blood. What a ridiculous notion."

"You just don't get it, do you? Blood purity is everything."

"Perhaps I don't get it because you haven't provided a substantial argument yet," Violet shot back. Blaise looked between the pair, mildly amused. "Why does having more pure blood make you better than those with less pure blood, because I'm assuming that's what you're implying?"

"Because all of my descendants were magical-"

"And how does that make you better?" Violet raised an eyebrow. "Are you more powerful? Are you more knowledgeable? Is your magic more pure? Is that even a thing? Pure magic?"

"I- You-" Draco stuttered for a few seconds, getting red in the face. "It's because I'm not related to those filthy-" A hand clapped over Draco's mouth. Blaise looked the other boy in the eyes and raised his eyebrows, as if asking, 'Are you sure you want to say that?' It didn't seem to make much difference, between Violet seemed to have understood well enough. She didn't seem amused.

"That sounds like racism. You're saying that other people are inferior when your only basis is that your descendants were better. You know, America still has this problem, supposedly, where people are racist towards black people. Would you say that black people are worse than white people, Draco?"

The boy was flabbergasted. "No, of course not! There's no scientific basis for that!"

"And what's the scientific basis for purebloods being better than muggleborns?"

The boy went still, and his pale face went, somehow, even whiter. After a few moments of silence, he stuck his head up. "You just don't understand," Draco finally concluded. "Once you spend some more time in the Wizarding World - then you'll realize."

Violet rolled her eyes. 'Unlikely.' Luckily, Blaise chose that moment to step in and redirect the conversation. "So, what House do you guys think you'll be in?" He questioned.

"Slytherin, of course," Draco responded immediately. "I reckon if I go anywhere else, my father will disown me. Merlin, if I land in Hufflepuff he might kill me and wipe me from the family tree himself."

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" A red eyebrow raised.

"Oh, nothing," Draco waved off, a smirk forming on his face. "If you're fine with doing nothing with your life and being forgotten." Violet reared back in surprise. "I'm being serious! How many famous Hufflepuffs can you name?"

"Helga Hufflepuff, the Scamander brothers..." Violet trailed off as she realized she had run out already. "B-but, I haven't been in the Wizarding World for a long time! I'm sure there are more!"

"There aren't," Blaise cut in, clearly amused. "I'm surprised you know about the Scamander brothers - they're an odd bunch, you see. The only reason the younger one is known at all is because he was the only reason Dumbledore was able to fight with Grindelwald at all. And, calling the older one famous isn't true - in America, maybe. But not here."

Violet frowned. "They were in the list of Notable Wizards of the 20th Century," she reasoned.

Draco shrugged amiably. "Then maybe they were. Still, the point is, Hufflepuffs value loyalty and honesty, and that's good... if everyone around you is a Hufflepuff, too. Otherwise, you're just opening yourself up to being taken advantage of." Violet couldn't argue with that. "I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be terrible, either."

"Mm, yeah, what with the scale divide. I'd imagine your father would still be fine with that."

"Scale divide?" Violet raised her eyebrow again.

Draco bit his lip. "Well..." He sighed. "It's like... Magic affinity. There are different types of magic, right? Light magic is what Hogwarts teaches, and there's a lot of different types of it, such as Conjuration, Divination - although my father tells me the only reason Trelawney is still teaching is because Dumbledore would threaten to quit, which would tank the school - and so on. There's also gray magic and dark magic, and since the fall of You-Know-Who, the Ministry has been trying and succeeding in removing both from the British curriculum."

"How is magic grouped?" Violet pondered aloud.

"By their sacrifice," came Blaise's grim answer. "Light magic sacrifices magic, grey magic sacrifices both magic and something non-violent, and dark magic is everything else."

Violet blinked. "I didn't read about anything like this."

"The Ministry doesn't want you to. They'd prefer to pretend like it doesn't exist. The only reason I-we know about it is because our parents know about it," Draco admitted, stealing a look at Blaise, who hummed in assent.

The young girl immediately brightened. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask - how much magic do you guys know? I've been a bit worried about how much I'll have to catch up to the purebloods, but-"

"-Next to none," the Italian boy interrupted her rant.

Violet froze, her mouth still open. Draco agreed as well, adding to her shock. "N... None...?" She squeaked. All of her careful preparation, her worries-pointless?

"Younger children simply don't have the magical capacity to perform more than a small amount of magic. I still can't perform much," Draco admitted softly. "And kids can't get wands 'til their eleventh birthdays, and another wizard's wand simply doesn't work as well, so you can't borrow a family member's."

"Yeah, so the only real option left is theory," Blaise continued where the other boy left off. "And, good luck telling a bunch of ten year old's to look at textbooks of stuff they can't do."

Violet's head fell into her hands. "So much time... wasted..." She murmured to herself. The boys looked at her warily.

"You alright?" Draco asked, poking at her fingers. Red hair flew as the girl's head darted up.

"I wasted so much time this past month, just training!" Violet exclaimed, slightly upset. "I made a whole study plan and everything, stayed up for hours every night-"

"I'd imagine you spent a lot of time sleeping, though," Blaise interjected. "You're eleven, just like us. Casting more than 5 or 6 spells, even with a wand, would probably fatigue you to no end."

Red hair flurried as the girl shook her head. "Nope. Only two or three hours of sleep a night." 'If I'm lucky enough to get any at all,' she thought to herself miserably. "I have insomnia."

"Insomnia?" Draco leaned forward. "What's that?"

"It's a medical condition," Violet shrugged hopelessly, leaning back in her seat. "I don't fall asleep easily, and even when I do, I have great difficulty at staying asleep. If I wake up even once, I'll most likely find myself awake for the rest of the night."

"That sounds horrid!" The platinum-blond exclaimed. "Sleep is great. I don't know what I'm going to do if the beds at Hogwarts are uncomfortable. I might have my father import some Peruvian silk, if I must."

"You mention your father a lot." Green eyes peered inquisitively at Draco. "It seems like you're reliant on him."

Draco stared back, confused. "Well... Yes? I'm only eleven. Don't you-" The boy reddened as he cut himself off. "I'm sorry, I-"

Violet waved the apology off. "Don't worry about it."

"Wait, Violet," the third occupant of the car got her attention, "are you saying that you can cast magic?"

Violet nodded, crossing her arms as the reason for her ire was brought up again. "Yeah. I've been practicing with our school material, and so far I've made it through the second year material. I've also practiced a couple quality-of-life spells, as well as unconventional ones."

Both boys gaped at her. Blaise regarded her warily. "Then... Show us some." He challenged.

"Alright," Violet agreed easily. She stood up, straightening out her skirt as she did, and stretched a little bit. "What would you like to see?"

Draco blushed slightly, but spoke first. "I don't really know what content there is in the books," he admitted.

Violet nodded in understanding, massaging her temples a bit. "Alright, then. For starters, I placed a Notice-Me-Not charm on the door right after you guys got in so I wouldn't be bothered any more."

"I, not we?" Blaise noted, smirking. Violet nodded. When the boys looked closely, they could faintly see the shimmering sigil that represented the charm on the door. "That's advanced magic, isn't it?" Blaise questioned, slightly confused.

"It's not in the first or second-year Hogwarts syllabus, if that's what you're asking." Violet chose her words carefully. "I don't know if it's advanced. Anyway, the reason I brought it up is so I could show you... Finite Incantatum." She incanted, waving her wand at the door. Almost instantly, the boys noticed the lack of light from the door as the sigil disappeared.

"It's good you did that, we might've missed the Snack Cart if you hadn't," Draco nodded. "Oh, have you tried any wizarding treats yet?"

"I don't have much of a sweet tooth," the redhead admitted. "I might try a bit, but I've never had much of an appetite." 'It was a necessity. If I ate too much, I'd only be hungrier later.'

Blaise nodded as though he understood, though she was certain he didn't. "My mother says the same thing. She's always prided herself on her beauty, though, so I assume that had something to do with it."

Violet wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. "Erm... Alright. More magic?" She asked, and the boys lit up. She found it slightly humorous how the roles were reversed - they had been the ones to grow up in the magical society, and yet they were still in awe of her. The green-eyed girl slipped off one of her shoes and placed it on the ground. "Alarte Ascendare," she spoke clearly, pointing her wand at the shoe. A narrow silver beam shot out, and the shoe was quickly sent into the air. As it hit the ceiling and began to fall, Violet chanted again, "Arresto Momentum." Her spell hit the shoe as it was falling, and it quickly slowed down, stopping just a few inches above the floor. Satisfied, the girl slipped her foot in and whispered the General Counter-Spell as she sat down again. It was only then that she realized that the two boys were staring at her, wide-eyed.

"That... was bloody brilliant!" Draco whispered loudly. Blaise couldn't help but agree. "I'd reckon that most third year students wouldn't even be able to do that. Are you tired now?"

Violet snorted. "Not even close."

"Liar," Blaise accused. "If I did all of that, I'd probably be out like a light within seconds."

The girl shrugged. "Don't compare yourself to me, then." The tone wasn't meant to be so dismissive, but that's how it came off regardless.

Blaise scowled. "Then, show us some more magic, if you're not tired."

Violet knew a challenge when she heard one. Her emerald eyes started to blaze with power as she pooled magic into them. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She questioned, her voice taking on a menacing tone. Blaise flinched back, but held his ground.

"Yes, prove that you're not tired." The boy was feeling a bit less confident now.

In a moment, Violet was on her feet. "Accio." She threw her arm out to the side, and a pillow came flying into her hand. "Depulso." The pillow was sent flying back to where it had come from, but Violet wasn't done. "Arresto Momentum." The pillow froze in mid-air. "Diffindo." She finally began to use her wand, and the pillow was slashed in half, feathers scattering throughout the room. "Reparo." The feathers resumed their original places and the pillow stitched itself back up. Concentrating, Violet turned her full attention towards it as she wove her wand through the air, turning the pillow into a small chair. "Wingardium Leviosa," she incanted, causing the chair to rise in place. She then moved it around. "Finite Incantatum," she chanted, and the chair changed back into the pillow it had been originally. Finally, Violet sent it back to it's starting place. "Depulso."

As the pillow fell, Violet plopped back down into her chair, staring at Blaise with nothing but cold indifference. "Done calling me a liar?"

Both boys seemed shocked. Well, shocked wasn't a strong enough word. They definitely couldn't believe what they had just seen, at any rate. The bronze-skinned boy stared at her in what seemed like slight amounts of fear. "Y-yeah..." Viridian eyes narrowed. "I'm... sorry...?" He offered.

"Good. Leave."

"What?" Draco protested. "How are we supposed to find another cabin? Everyone has probably closed theirs since the train has started moving."

"Not my problem. Get out." She pointed towards the door.

"But-"

"Out."

The castle of Hogwarts was a breathtaking sight once again. Violet had seen the exterior briefly during her prior visit, but it didn't do it justice as compared to now with the stars gleaming beyond it. "Firs' years, firs' years over here!" A bellow came. Green eyes peered to her right and took in the massive form of Hagrid waving the students over to the boats.

Violet smiled, walking towards him and greeting him politely. "Ah, Violet!" He smiled. "Glad to see ye' again, 'un with a voice no less!" The girl blushed and smiled. "Unfortunertly, I gotta get yer all goin' on schedule. Four to a boat," he began to call, looking away from her at the last sentence. The half-giant looked back at her afterwards. "I'd like to see ye afta' the sorting within the next few days. Got a hut righ' on the grounds, courtesy of Professor Dumbledore."

Violet dipped her head in acceptance, scuttling away to an empty boat. It seemed like most groups had already begun to form, with boats settling in with four people quite comfortably. The redheaded girl noticed quickly that both Draco and Blaise had instantly gotten into a boat with two girls. 'Doesn't seem like they had much trouble, then.' She noted.

Most of the crowd had cleared away after a few moments, and with slight trepidation, Violet noted that there were two students who seemed to be looking at her boat, the rest already filled. 'Please don't come this way, please don't come this way...' She chanted mentally. As if divine intervention had struck, it appeared like their eyes had glazed over and they had managed to find two more boats that weren't entirely filled, and Violet was left in peace.

On their own, the boats began to set off across the lake. It was only as they passed under the bridge with hanging moss that Violet began to feel something... off. She concentrated, but couldn't find anything hostile, eventually attributing it to something related to Hogwarts. The views were quite spectacular, as well, during the water journey. They passed near the massive lake on the school grounds, and Violet couldn't help but notice the miniscule lights appearing in the depths. A large splash caught her attention, though, as a massive creature appeared out of the water, flailing its tentacles everywhere and splashing many of the students. Violet was certain she heard some shrieks, some more masculine than others, but put it out of her mind.

Then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. The students disembarked to the front steps, waiting for the massive doors to open to them. And open they did! The interior displayed a lavish hall, braziers of fire hanging overhead, suits of armor lining the marbled walls. As the students began to enter, Violet caught sight of a flying red mop of hair - the rude boy from earlier! He seemed to be prancing around with two of his friends, annoying those around them. They got the shock of their life, however, as they began to fiddle with a suit of armor, only for a ghost to come floating out of it! The boys stumbled back, falling together in a heap on the floor, causing Draco to laugh. Violet raised an eyebrow at him, and he paused for a moment before sending a sneer back. The girl huffed. Clearly, whatever had started on the train seemed to disappear here. Fine, then.

More ghosts appeared out of the wall, gawking at the new students. "Oh, 'ittie widdle firsties!" One sneered at them. "Maybe these ones'll survive this time!" Several of the kids went pale at this, but one of the ghosts shook their head and sighed.

"Oh, seriously, Peeves, you ought to stop scaring them so!" The ghost turned to face the children. "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower!" He smiled cheerily, and a few students gave a half-hearted wave back. Only a few moments later, a stern-looking woman appeared.

"I am Professor McGonagall. No time to dally." The woman clicked her tongue. "Into the Great Hall, all of you. And line up once you're in there." The students did as they were told.

The inside of the Great Hall was a marvelous sight, to be sure. A massive room that seemed to go upwards endlessly - quite literally, there seemed to be no ceiling, just a starry sky above. An infinite amount of candles hovered in the air, brightly illuminating the entire area. "I've heard it's spelled to look like the night sky," a girl whispered breathlessly. Turning her head discreetly, Violet noted her as one of the two children who might've joined her on the boat.

"One by one you'll be called up in alphabetical order. Once your name is called, you will proceed to the front of the hall and put the Sorting Hat on your head." McGonagall informed them readily. Several of the children seemed relieved about this, but it merely annoyed Violet. 'Well, there go my chances of not being recognized...' She thought bitterly.

"Abbott, Hannah!" The first name was called.

The girl seemed extremely nervous, and Violet couldn't blame her. However, once she got situated and put the hat on her head, it only took a few moments before the hat itself bellowed out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" A table cheered loudly, which Violet presumed to be the Hufflepuff table, and there was a polite smattering of applause from the rest of the tables. Violet hated to admit it, but she somewhat zoned out for most of the sorting, going through the possibilities of what happened when someone put on the hat. She only zoned back in once she heard a name she recognized.

"Malfoy, Draco!" The boy went up with a confident swagger that Violet couldn't help but be jealous of. Nearly instantly, as soon as the hat touched the boy's head, the word "SLYTHERIN" was bellowed out. The platinum-blond grinned and tossed the hat haphazardly back onto the table and approached the cheering table. Violet rolled her eyes. 'At least he won't be disowned.'

A few more names were tossed out before, finally... "Potter, Violet!"

Whispers broke out among the Great Hall. "-Violet Potter-" "-did you hear-" "-Girl-who-lived-" "-Potter Heir!" Violet breathed in slowly and then made her way to the front of the Great Hall. An indignant squawk was heard from behind her, back in the line of First Years, which she deduced to be the boy who had asked her if she knew where Violet Potter was originally. She resolved not to care without much effort. As soon as she put the hat on (she made sure to give it more respect than Draco had), the Great Hall vanished before her eyes and she was transported to... nowhere?

It was a massive, empty space. Or, perhaps, a small, empty space. That was the thing about emptiness - it was quite hard to tell. A small light popped into existence suddenly, illuminating what Violet quickly recognized to be her room at Wool's.

"Interesting." A voice spoke.

Violet scrunched her eyebrows. "Hello?" She didn't see anyone else here.

"Hello there. No, you can't see me."

"Can you-"

"Yes, I can read your mind. That's where we are right now, actually. This is the place most familiar to you... which is unfortunate. You know, keeping someone in total darkness is considered a form of torture." Violet gave a non-affirming grunt. "Ah, I see. Yes... Mhm... You are quite brave, yet not reckless. Loyal, but only to those who deserve it, and far from honest. Cunning and intelligent, in pursuit of power... No, not quite." The voice seemed confused. "In pursuit of safety... Interesting."

"Are you... the Sorting Hat?" Violet questioned curiously.

For some reason, she felt like the voice grinned. "Indeed I am. I'm here to..." The voice trailed off. Violet was spun around against her will to see a crack in the wall, with light shimmering through. "Is that...?" Suddenly, the wall imploded, raining debris throughout the room, although none of the pieces hit the red-haired girl. Beyond the wall spanned Diagon Alley as Violet knew it. "An Occlumency shield." The voice sounded... excited, almost. "That's quite impressive, especially considering you did it unintentionally. Used to guarding your feelings, are you?"

Violet wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She peered through the wall, and suddenly, a feeling of intense vertigo surrounded her. She took a few steps back, slamming into another wall. She whirled around to see... the bookstore? She observed her surroundings. She was now in Diagon Alley instead of her old cell. "What in the..."

"An Occlumency shield," the Sorting Hat informed her kindly. "Although, yours was not constructed normally. It's intended to shield the inner layers of the mind from assault, and also assists with a variety of other tasks. It was done quite well, in fact. I didn't notice there was anything amiss for a few moments, and I'm enchanted to break through any sort of mental barrier." Violet stayed quiet, staring around her with wonder. It seemed so... realistic. "You're adapting to this quite well," the hat noted. "I see, I see. Well, regardless, I am supposed to judge which house is fit for you at Hogwarts. In spite of myself, I seem to have arrived at quite the conundrum. You have great aspects of all four houses, but also don't fit into any of them perfectly."

"Well, then what?" The girl questioned. "I can't imagine you'd send me back simply because of that."

"Send you back?" The voice cried, almost pitifully. "Not a chance! You see, you'd do well in Slytherin, yes. However, you do not entertain the treacherous thoughts that many of the House of Snakes do - you aren't willing to betray solely for self-gain. In Ravenclaw, you would almost certainly stand atop the whole house with your intelligence, but you'd find it to be unfulfilling. You would be pushed away from that which you yearn for in favor of what others yearn for you. In Hufflepuff, you would certainly find yourself a merry band of friends, compatriots, and allies, but you wouldn't be pushed further than you could push yourself. The House of the Badgers yearns for comfort, for family, as do you, but a part of you has also given up on that long ago," the hat noted with no small amount of regret. "In Gryffindor, you would be an outcast. Despite your brave soul, your inquisitive heart and mind would set you apart from many of the others, and childlike jealousy would rear its head before long..."

"I've grown used to being alone," Violet intoned quietly. She watched Mr. Fortescue serve a young child a bowl of shimmering ice cream in the distance, and realized with a start that the child was her.

The hat clicked its tongue. "Yes, but you should never have had to. Just because you can tolerate it does not mean you like it. And before you decide that you're fine with the loneliness, realize that you shouldn't have to be. You are your own person, Violet Lily Potter. No matter where you go, you will be great. Of that I have no doubts."

Violet frowned. "Can you see the future?"

"To an extent, Miss Potter," the hat sounded amused as it continued, "can't we all?"

In spite of herself, the girl felt a smile come to her face. It faded quickly, though, as she remembered the reason for the chat. "Still, what will happen, then? Obviously, I can't go unsorted."

"No, you can not," the Sorting Hat agreed. "So, perhaps it is up to you to make the decision. Where do you want to be sorted?"

"I..." Violet frowned. How was she supposed to know? "Is there anywhere I can go where I will be happy?"

"Happiness comes from within, not from around you. I see that you've made up your mind, too." The hat sounded a little sad, almost. "I do hope that you'll come talk to me again, Miss Potter. For now, it better be..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table cheered loudly, and Violet noted a duo of identical twins who seemed to be chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" to which Violet scowled. She wasn't some damn trophy to be lauded around. Unfortunately, her anger didn't seem to stop the cheering. She placed the Sorting Hat carefully back on its pedestal, hopped off the stool and went over to sit at the table, at which many of the students seemed to go out of their way to be nice to her and offered her a seat, but she made her way down to the end of the table where the other First Years were sitting and took her place.

"Nice to meet you," Violet dipped her head in greeting to the other students near the end of the table.

"I can't believe you're really Violet Potter!" One of the girls gasped.

Violet raised an eyebrow. "Who else would I be?" The girl didn't seem to understand it was a question and giggled in response, as did her friend next to her. A third girl, the one who had commented on the Great Hall's roof, introduced herself to Violet as well.

"I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you."

Violet's lips curled upwards. Somehow, just from a few words, she discerned that the girl was intelligent. "Violet Potter. Although, I assume you already knew that."

Hermione nodded. "I've read about you and your adventures, and-"

"Most likely, every single word you've read about me is a lie," Violet did not spare the girl's feelings, and the other redhead stopped and gaped.

"Really?"

"Really."

"So no dragons?"

"Nope."

"No trolls?"

"Nope."

"No dementors or ghouls?"

"Nope."

"Not even a-"

"Nope." This time, Violet said it more forcefully, and the other girl got the memo.

"I see," Hermione nodded slowly. She smiled at Violet. "Well, I hope we become friends." Her eyes flicked over to the other two girls, the ones who had been giggling earlier, and Violet got the idea. 'Cause no way I'm hanging out with them.' The green-eyed girl nodded in return. "I hope this isn't particularly invasive, but would you mind if I saw your scar?" It was more polite than she had been asked previously, so the girl offered her hand. Hermione looked at it curiously. After only a few moments, she was satisfied. "Alright, thank you!" She offered the other girl a tentative smile, which Violet returned, vaguely amused.

The rest of the sorting was of very little importance to Violet. The rude boy from the train (Weasley, Ron), was sorted into Hufflepuff, which he seemed devastated about. For some reason, Violet could've sworn the hat gave her a wink after that. The sorting was capped off with Blaise being sorted into Slytherin, something he didn't seem particularly surprised about, and he calmly made his way over to his table, not sparing the Gryffindor section a single glance.

"Well, what a wonderful sorting we've had!" Dumbledore stood up from his seat.

"That's Headmaster Dumbledore," Hermione whispered to Violet. "He's considered to be the most influential wizard of the twentieth century, as well as one of the most powerful." Violet just smiled and nodded as if she didn't already know.

"Before we get started with the school year, I find it important within myself to say a few words! Those words being, of course, nitwick! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" The students laughed, a few clapping. Violet simply raised an eyebrow. "Now, on to more pressing matters. Of course, as per usual, the Forbidden Forest is, dare I say it, forbidden, without explicit permission from a teacher. The far corridor on the third floor is forbidden to all but those who wish to die a very gruesome death," the student body shivered, and Violet narrowed her eyes. "Of course, dueling club signups will be opened on the second Sunday of the school year! While participation is not mandatory, topping the rankings is, of course, incredibly eventful!" Several parchment sheets rolled themselves out in front of the students, names being inked upon them as they did. "These are the current standings for fifth, sixth, and seventh years!" Unsurprisingly, Violet recognized exactly none of them. "Now, onto the feast!" He clapped his hands, and piles of food landed in front of the children.

The old headmaster sat down, and Violet took it upon herself to investigate the rest of the teachers. McGonagall had joined Headmaster Dumbledore up there, and Hagrid was near the end of the table. In between them, however, was a great variety of people that the girl didn't recognize. Most of them, her eyes simply passed over, but there was a duo of teachers...

Her hand was shaking. Her whole arm was, actually. It was very softly, yes, unnoticeable to others... but, it wasn't normal. It wasn't right. Something was quite off with those two teachers... One of them was wearing a turban, and the other looked like he lived in a monochromatic world where black was the only option, whilst his skin was a pale white. 'Vampire?' Violet thought to herself, then found herself wondering if vampires actually existed.

Sighing, she figured she'd meet the important ones in time. She looked in front of her - a stunning variety of food, most of which she didn't recognize. In her time in Diagon, she had... Well, she had pretty much sequestered herself within her room, studying nonstop. A variety of food hadn't been her first priority. Carefully, precisely, she took a small amount of food off of each plate, making sure not to touch anything she wasn't going to use. She had heard that those were rude manners in some book or another.

Blinking sleepily, she realized just how long the day had been. So, she picked at her food, followed the Prefects up to the Gryffindor Tower, and made sure to commit the password to memory. She wasn't even sure she remembered making it into the dormitories, but somehow, she had, and luckily, nobody else was there to witness her falling face-first onto a random bed and falling asleep.

I am not planning on continuing this story, I am just testing something out by posting this chapter because has been messing with my stories for some reason.