Thursday, 4th July 1991
She woke up feeling more relaxed than she had been in weeks, and even though she knew it was morning, she didn't want to get up. Instead, she pulled over her trunk without getting out of bed and grabbed one of her required books. The letter had said that she was to read the first five chapters of each book, to gain a basic understanding of the subjects. The book she picked out was titled, "The Standard Book of Spells (grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk" and on the cover, it had an image of a brown wand pointing straight up with a green light emanating from the tip.
She opened it to page one and looking at the contents page, she was amazed at the sheer amount of necessary spells. From basic locking and unlocking charms to spells that make things levitate, she could only wonder what could come in the years after this.
Skipping to the first page of spells, she began reading all about the summoning charm, using the incantation "Accio". The book read, "One of the most simple of charms that may be performed during the first year of wizarding is the summoning charm. Like many other spells you will find in this book, the distance and power of the charm depends on the caster's proficiency with the spell and also accessing their magical core, (for more information on the magical core, please read chapter one of 'Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling', the book that should be taught alongside this one.) This means that beginners should be able to move an object the size and weight of a thimble from the desk to the hand within two seconds. Any longer than that may lead to penalties in your practical exam at the year's close."
At this point, Cora brought out her quill and parchment, after all, she had to practice this new form of writing at some point, so why not start now?
"The incantation is to be said as Accio, with a hard 'A' and 'C', and emphasis at the start. The wand movement is just as simple, swishing the wand in a diagonal line to the right downwards, performing a sharp flick to the left and a second slow swish back to where the wand was originally will do the trick, the full wand movement forming a scalene triangle and the Thryf rune, the rune for movement. You must also focus on the object you wish to move, and feel its connection to the magical source and how it interacts with yours. Your professor will now demonstrate this, and you will be expected to follow."
Cora tried to do the wand movement, but thinking back to what Snape had told her, she decided that it wasn't worth the risk. Instead, she decided to look more into the description of the magical core, as she had heard of it many times but still had no idea what it was. She turned to chapter one of Magical Theory and began to read.
"There is no concrete evidence of where magic originates from, but using our current knowledge of the fundamentals, we can make assumptions. One popular theory states that 'Magic is not the product of only the mind, the body or the soul, but rather all three of them combined.' Many people have observed perceived mindless creatures such as the Sapphire Flagwyrm perform incredible feats of magic, and this lends itself to suspect that it is not purely the mind. Other beings, such as ghosts or poltergeists are also capable of performing magic, their existence being a prime example of this. While they have a mind and they have a Soul, they have no body.
The soul is more complicated, however, as it is not a physical manifestation that we can touch, nor an intelligent complex that we can gauge, but is instead something different that lies deep within all of us, though with very little evidence of its existence. One of the main ways we can prove it exists is one of its subsections, the magical core."
Cora was frantically writing down notes as she was reading, though she barely understood anything.
"The magical core is, in short, the essence that exists within all magical creatures that is our connection to the source of magic. If our core was cut off, then we would be unable to perform our art. We have, luckily, found no way to separate the core from the soul, however, if it could be done the effects would likely be catastrophic, creating an unlimited source of power that could be manipulated or controlled at the expense of every magical being including ourselves. It would also likely damage the host of the source, obliterating their soul, body and mind."
After reading that, Cora felt as though she had a better understanding of magic, and decided to listen to her stomach and leave to eat breakfast. After climbing down the creaky staircase, she grabbed a croissant and bowl of cereal from the bar and sat down at one of the tables in the corner.
She listened to the table next to her as she dug into her meal, and slowly began to feel a deep sense of foreboding in her gut.
"Did you hear about Harry Potter, the boy who lived? Apparently, he was in the alley a few days ago. Shame I missed him," one of them spoke through a bite of toast.
"I heard he got into a fight with a black-haired little bitch who used magic against him," another said with hatred in their voice.
"Bet they're keeping it real quiet, I mean the Daily Prophet hasn't even reported on it yet, and that Skeeter woman would be all over this business if she was allowed." the first said again as a third hummed their agreement.
Cora picked at her food, and after eating only half of it she got up, her appetite long gone. She moved back up to her room, where she drew open the curtains fully and sat down at her desk to continue her research fully.
Saturday, 1st September 1991
It was nearly two weeks later when there was a knock at her door, so she went to open it. Standing there were two people, Draco Malfoy, the boy who had been in Madame Malkin's, and a taller man who looked to be his father. He extended his hand to her slowly, although he had an indifferent expression on his face, "Good morning, my name is Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father. I have been told by Professor Snape to pick you up and drop you off along with my son to platform nine and three-quarters. Have you packed?"
She took his hand cautiously, and he seemed to soften slightly. "Yes," she said, "The only thing left is my cat, wait here and I'll collect it."
At that, she turned and walked back into her room, where her battered trunk was lying on her bed. She whistled for Omen, and he jumped out from under her dresser onto her shoulder and coiled his tail around her chest. She picked up the trunk, nearly stumbling under its weight, and then she walked back to the exit.
"Here, let me," Lucius said, waving his wand and muttering something indiscernible, the trunk levitated, then moved so it was just behind his shoulder, out of the way. He turned and steadily walked off down the staircase, miraculously not making it creak once. Draco, however, was not so lucky, and he sounded like he was playing an instrument as he stumbled down. Cora smiled slightly, and followed him, not making nearly as much noise.
They left the pub and started walking down the street, looking very conspicuous in their long black cloaks. She saw some people turning their heads towards them and heard others muttering something about a cult. She shook them off and soon enough they made their way to King's Cross Station, where there was a bustle of likewise dressed individuals. She could see some children wearing cloaks walking with parents wearing normal clothes and wondered if they were the muggle-born people she had learned about in some of the books. There were also several trolleys, as it seemed that some people either didn't want to levitate their luggage or were incapable of it.
Cora trailed after Lucius, who was walking straight towards the wall that separated platforms nine and ten, and without any looks to the side, he just walked through the wall. It was relatively quiet, but there were still some muggles around, and she was surprised that none of them were alarmed. She watched as Draco followed him, looking perfectly calm and with a straight posture, but she couldn't help but hang back for a second before bracing herself to enter it.
It felt strange like ice water had rolled down her spine. She supposed that it was wizard space, much like Gringotts, and looking around she was almost instantly confirmed in her suspicion. The platform was massive, stretching at least fifty meters from side to side, with the Hogwarts Express located in the middle. The hall, for that was the only room that even came close to this, was also several hundred meters high, with large arched windows near the top and a huge slate roof above her. The far end was also several hundred meters away and was made of mostly brick but had a gate in it that was closed, but big enough to fit the express through once open.
The train itself was large, the locomotive standing at the front like a great crimson beast. The passenger cars were strung out behind it, almost twenty in total, and looking through the sash windows she could see several compartments already filled.
"Well do get on," Lucius was standing there impatiently, waiting with her trunk in his hand. She took it and then slowly followed where Draco had gone into one of the first cars. Omen mewed in her ear as she walked, and soon enough Draco had waved her inside his compartment as she was walking.
"Coraline, in here!" he said, "come and meet my friends. This is Daphne Greengrass," he pointed at a tall girl with brown hair who had a small smile on her face, "heir to the Greengrass seat, one of the main families in charge of exporting goods around the world." he pointed at another girl, this time around Cora's height, "This is Pansy Parkinson, the sister to David Parkinson, a seventh-year and the heir of the Parkinsons"
On the other side of the compartment were four boys, the on sitting with crossed legs reading a book identified as Theodore Nott, the Italian one with spiky hair as Blaise Zabini, and the other two identified as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The last two were about the same size, and Cora's first impression of them was one akin to a troll. She made sure to memorize all of their names as she thought it would come in useful later.
After the introductions she sat next to Draco who budged up and cleared a seat for her. "I saw what you did at Madam Malkin's, really impressive."
The boy named Blaise chimed in, "Yeah, my mother knows almost all of the gossip, she makes it her business to collect secrets and she took a particular interest in that story" At his he sat up straight and put his feet flat on the ground. Cora was surprised at the transformation, a boy that she had once judged to be mischievous and immature had suddenly sobered up and had a serious expression on his face, "she says it was like a flash, and your brother was flung across the room. That's some impressive magic, especially as you did it without a wand. It's rare in children, too."
She wasn't sure how to respond to this revelation, but decided to stick to the truth for now, "I wasn't sure how I did it, it just felt like my magic was calling to me and then suddenly it erupted from my hand like an explosion, it has happened before, but far less controlled." she stopped, suddenly realising that she wasn't sure if she could trust them. They looked friendly enough but she recognised some of their surnames from well-known Death Eaters, the same cult-like organisation that had killed her parents and forced her to live with her aunt and uncle for so many years.
"That reminds me," Pansy said, "your brother, he's going to Hogwarts too, isn't he? Must have done something bad to force you to react like that."
"He's a bully, and I intend to stop his attendance as soon as possible."
"I do hope you're in Slytherin," Draco said, "then we might help."
"What are the differences between the houses," Cora said, " I was raised by my aunt and uncle, so I haven't heard much about them."
Draco responded quickly, "well, the house that we shall most likely enter is Slytherin, the greatest of the four, it prides cunning and stealth above all else. Then there's our arch enemy, Gryffindor," he spat that last word with destain and paused slightly before continuing, "they encourage bravery and brawn, but there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity."
Pansy chimed in quickly, "A very fine one indeed."
Draco continued, nodding his approval, "There might as well not be one there at all. Anyway, the other two are more irrelevant, Ravenclaw reveres intelligence, which is respectable, but the last is Hufflepuff. If a student has none of the traits then that's where they go. They say they pride loyalty, but they'll take what they can get."
Cora thought about that for a moment. She knew she wanted to go to Slytherin, but after hearing the distaste the group had for Gryffindor, she felt that they might be biased in favour of their parents. Still, they were right in saying that there was no difference between bravery and foolishness, and she felt that her brother would love the opportunity to be a Gryffindor. Ravenclaw seemed alright, intelligence was a valuable skill, but to revolve your life around the pursuit of knowledge seemed dull. Slytherin then, Slytherin was the one she wanted.
It was then that she felt a jolt, and the train started pulling out of the station. She looked out of the window as the brick wall started passing by faster and faster, until the train was out of the gates and the train seemed to magically appear in the countryside, beautiful rolling hills passing her by in the sunlight, as she watched sheep grazing on the green fields.
Before too long she tore her gaze from the window and looked around the compartment. Theo was still reading his book, she noticed it now to be "Hogwarts, a History" and smiled, knowing that she had read it already cover to cover. Blaise was munching on a sandwich while reading a newspaper with the bold words "The Daily Prophet" printed on the front. Both Vincent and Gregory were eating some food they had brought, and she supposed they hadn't had time to eat breakfast. On her side, both Pansy and Daphne were also reading a paper, but Daphne was reading one that said "The Quibbler" on it and was occasionally making snorts of derision and disbelief. Draco was also reading a book, this one about quidditch, so she decided to get her copy of Magical Drafts and Potions from her trunk, a book that she had so far found fascinating. The number of things you could make was unbelievable, and if there wasn't something that fit an exact requirement, it was relatively simple to mix up two similar potions to get the effect you desired. This was unlike spells, for which you had to match the incantation in Latin with a wand movement made up of a certain combination of runes or parts of them that fit exactly. Anything other than that threatened to be dangerous, or simply wouldn't work at all.
She was deep into her reading when, about a half hour later, a woman came up to the compartment door dressed in an apron and a frilly purple cloak. "Anything off the cart, dears?"
This created a commotion from the occupants, as everyone started digging around in their cloak pockets for money. Cora unclipped her pouch from her neck and rummaged around inside. They ended up buying a huge selection of things, the cart seemed to be bigger on the inside as the lady managed to pull out an entire chess board from it as Draco had said that he had broken his old one, and wanted a new set. Cora, for her part, bought a couple of packs of Betty Bott's every flavour beans, several chocolate frogs and a selection of Cauldron cakes.
The group tucked into their meal, and Cora bravely opened a pack of Every Flavour Beans. Even after being warned of the horrible possibilities, she dug into a brown one. "Ooh, chocolate cake" she grinned, even as Theo groaned
"Spinach. Of course it was spinach." he opened the window and, looking green, stuck his head outside and retched. The rest of the group laughed as he pulled his head back in the carriage and immediately helped himself to another one. "Ugrh, sweetcorn"
"It's not too bad," Blaise said, amusement written all over his face, "once I got a rat fur one."
"Eww," The three girls said, trying to cover up their laughter.
Over the next few minutes, they experienced many new and interesting flavours: Carrots, Brussels sprouts, honey, sugar, pesto, meatballs, dust, vomit, boogers, cookies, bananas and syrup. The only consistent part was the texture, they were all very gelatinous, and they didn't go down without a chew.
After that, they moved on to the chocolate frogs, and Cora was surprised to see the photo on the card moving around, "They move?" she cried when her Dumbledore character started winking, then sidling out of frame.
"Well of course they do, why wouldn't they?" Draco responded, "Why would you ever keep them locked up?"
"Huh, people in muggle pictures just stay still"
"That's downright horrible," Pansy said in a clipped voice. Do they not respect their ancestors?"
"I suppose muggles wouldn't be able to perform the homunculus charm, you know, on the account that they can't do magic.
Cora just shrugged and took a bite out of the chocolate frog that was wriggling in her hand, making sure to eat the head last.
Over the next few hours, the group slowly ate through all the snakes, of which there were plenty, and when they were done Draco put forward an idea, "I say we go and see who else is coming. It could be interesting to see who we're spending our next few years with."
When the group all agreed, they opened the sliding door and poured out into the hallway. It was long, and looking down it she could see a few clumps of students walking to and from their compartments. They started towards the front of the train, peering in through the windows at anyone they deemed interesting. They saw a few seventh-years playing a game of wizard chess, along with a few first-years laughing and still enjoying their snacks.
"I say," Pansy whispered, "Isn't that your brother, Potter?"
She was right. Her features tightened and her smile set into a thin line. In the compartment, just across from her was a familiar face, along with the telltale messy hair. He was chatting with a boy with red hair, both of them laughing as they talked. There was also another first year, a girl this time, and a third boy with an oval face.
The redhead's expression changed for a moment, and although she couldn't hear what was being said, she could see him pointing at her. Instantly her brother swivelled around, and faced her directly, a cruel smile lighting his face.
Her friends opened the door and they all bundled in together.
"Malfoy, Sister," he snarled, keeping that same savage expression, "How delightful to see you again."
"You've met?" she asked, confused as to why Draco hadn't told her this before.
"More like my fist met his face," Draco sneered, "Very soft."
"I'd be careful if I were you," Harry said, "You wouldn't want to mess with the heir of the Potter seat in the wizengamot."
"You, the heir!" she laughed derisively, "And what gives you that right instead of me?"
"I read my parent's will, turns out they want me to be the benefactor of the lord's ring and everything that comes with it. I'll get it from my vault when I turn sixteen."
Theo winced next to her, "afraid it doesn't work that way, the heirship is always given to the oldest unless it has been expressly given up by them in writing and before a panel of judges."
"And I happen to be the oldest," Cora said, smugly. "You also mentioned a ring, is it perhaps this?" She held out her ring finger, where the ring that she had picked up from her visit to the vault lay.
Harry's face twisted into a look of disgust, and the other students in the compartment cringed away from him, "How," he wheezed, his anger preventing him from talking easily.
Theo shook his head, "No, that's the heir's ring. It will appear before the rightful heir and proves to the wizengamot that you are the one to inherit the house, especially if there is a conflict between siblings. See, Draco has one."
At that Draco held out his hand, and on the finger was a silver ring laced with emerald veins. It had the Malfoy crest but it wasn't very thick, as she supposed Lucius' was now that she thought back to it.
Both Harry and the redhead stood up and bunched their fists.
Draco laughed, "You're looking for a fight, are you? We are eight people who have been trained to fight, and you and your friend are just pitiful, spiteful excuses for humans. Certainly brave, certainly foolish. No. I think our business here is done."
He spun on his heel and left the compartment, Cora followed him, her sneer still pronounced. The last to leave were Crabbe and Goyle, both of them shooting vaguely threatening glances over their shoulders. Cora only just heard one of them say, "Uptight bastards," before the door slammed shut, blocking out all of their noise.
The rest of the trip passed pleasantly, if quietly, and Cora spent most of the time staring out of the window, slowly watching sunny hills turn to rainy fields and then stormy highland passes, littered with gorse and sheep. Soon enough the train began slowing down, and the group hurried out of the compartment, pushing aside others vying to be the first to see the castle.
Suddenly a bell tolled, and a prefect stationed at the doors pushed them open, revealing a quiet, gloomy village. The fog was thick, and all she could hear was the rain, the cries of students, and the chopping waves of the nearby lake.
Suddenly a loud, gruff call came from up near the lake, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Then there was another murmur but Cora was too far away to hear it, and so began wading through the people towards the voice.
When she separated from the main student body, she ran over to join her friends on the shore. She saw a large man holding a lantern beside a small fleet of wooden rowing boats. "Let's go over there, maybe we can get a boat all to ourselves," she shouted, hoping that the others could hear her over the driving rain and screaming wind.
"Surely that oaf can't think this is safe!" she heard, but couldn't tell where it came from.
Still, they stumbled and slipped over to the boats, and just before they got in, they dumped their luggage in a larger boat. Omen latched on to her, and it was only after half a minute of tugging that he released her. They got in one of their own, feeling it list violently over to one side, then the other as it met the peaks and troughs of the waves. They grabbed the bulwarks and held on for dear life, as before long they could feel themselves slipping away and through the pounding waves. She screamed in terror as the boat leapt almost vertically and hit the front of an especially big wave, but it crashed down with a noise similar to a gunshot, so she didn't think that anyone had heard. She could barely see Pansy's lips moving, but couldn't make out what she was saying. The fog had surrounded them, and she could barely see the boats in front. She was sure that without magic, she would be capsized in an instant.
Her sodden clothes seemed oppressive, and it was getting harder and harder to lift herself back into a safe position. Her hair, once lustrous, was now hanging tangled as whipped around her face in the wind. She was shivering from the intense cold but barely even registered it because of the extreme weather.
Suddenly the lake calmed down, the rain stopped pouring and the wind stopped howling. The entire group had been flung unto the bottom of the boat, so they popped up, their sodden faces wondering why it was so peaceful. Cora looked back the way she had come, and she saw what looked like an invisible wall. On one side the waves were roaring and chaotically throwing around boats that were still in the maelstrom, but on their side, the lake was tranquil and looked up and saw the stars shining brightly in the night sky, the sky that had once been covered up by fog. She heard Daphne gasp, and slowly turned around, looking for the thing she had idolized ever since she had been invited, all those weeks ago. And there it was, sitting proudly upon a hill, was Hogwarts.
The castle was beautiful. That was the only word for it. Light twinkled from hundreds of windows stretching all along the walls. The battlements were lined with slits, as were the towers, and it all coalesced into a single, almost organic-looking, stone castle. There was a door, and as they drifted closer to the dark docks, it was thrown open to allow in the students who had taken the trip around the lake on the silhouetted horses and carriages. The light that emanated from it was warm, almost golden, lit by the many candles that lined the walls in their iron hangings. Cora almost forgot the sopping mess that her clothes were, and she stood up, and walked along the length of the boat to the stern, beholding the wonderful sight.
Soon enough the boat docked at a wooden pier, slippery with water. Cora stepped onto it, using a post for balance as she welcomed the solid floor under her feet. She could hear the waves lapping against the shore, but unlike the bank at Hogsmeade, it was anything but aggressive.
"Wow, that was certainly something," Draco swallowed next to her.
"Yeah, you could even call it… magical," Cora breathed as a response.
The dock creaked quietly as more of her friends got off the boat and onto the dock. She could hear multitudes of subdued voices surrounding her, and even when she spotted Harry, he didn't infuriate her like usual, she was just too caught up in the wonder her life had become.
Then she was struck with a thought. She was in Hogwarts now. She could do magic. Thinking back to her studies over the last month, she slowly drew out her wand from her back pocket, pointed it towards her and muttered "Aguamenti" while making her wand move in a wave-like shape, Slytha, the rune for flow. Unexpectedly, a jet of water shot out of her wand, and she immediately stopped the flow of magic in her wand. Wrong spell, she thought to herself, mildly annoyed. She thought for another few seconds, then remembered, "Exaresco", she said, and waved her wand with a straight line going down with a semi-circle at the bottom, the shape of a Ytrez rune, the rune for energy.
Instantly she felt a sense of relief, as the clothes that were sticking to her unpleasantly loosened, and the water sticking to them evaporated. She warmed up quickly, happy to have done her first successful spell.
"Oi, mind giving me a hand?" Draco whispered behind her, and the others agreed. She chuckled and quickly redid the spell, only taking a couple of attempts to dry everyone.
They all sighed in relief, and Blaise shivered slightly, "Thanks, now I really hope you're in Slytherin."
They turned as a group towards the castle and stepped through the door along with the rest of their yearmates. She spotted Harry and couldn't help but laugh when she saw the state he was in. He had wide red-rimmed eyes, his clothes were sticking to him, outlining his frame perfectly, and miraculously, his hair was lying flat. Self-consciously he turned away, talking quickly to the redhead.
A tall, black-haired witch wearing emerald green lined robes stood in the hall and she called all the students to her, the oaf stumbled in behind them, and in his gruff voice he said, "The firs' years, professor McGonagall."
"Thank you Hagrid, I shall take them from here."
She made a mental note to remember their names, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid. Was he a professor? She didn't think so. He didn't look nearly professional enough. Even so, McGonagall was clearly in charge of the situation as she exuded an aura of power. She would not be someone it would be fun to cross. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seat in the great hall, you must be sorted. The sorting is very important because while you are here, your house will be something like your family. You will have classes with your house, you will sleep with your house and you will eat with your house.
While you are at Hogwarts, you may earn house points for good work, and you may lose them by breaking the rules. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, which grants your house certain bonuses that you would not have otherwise. I hope that you shall all become a great credit to your houses, and also to the school as a whole.
The sorting ceremony will take place in a few short minutes in front of the rest of the school. When your name is called, walk to the centre of the room, take a seat on the stool and put on the hat. I suggest you smarten yourselves up before you enter, just like this young woman." she pointed at Cora, and she smiled, feeling a prick of pride. No one had ever complimented her before and it meant more than she felt it should've.
Suddenly, about ten seconds after McGonagall had left, the students were shocked by a multitude of ghosts pouring in through the doorway, pearly white and semi-transparent, "forgive and forget, that's what I say. We really ought to give him a second chance."
"A second chance? My dear friar, don't you think that we have given him enough chances? He has been here, causing mischief and commotion since the day he died. I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the crowd.
"New students!" the first ghost cried jubilantly, "Well I do hope you are sorted into Hufflepuff, that is where I was, you know!" he gave a wink, and then the cavalcade of ghosts rushed out of the hall and up the marble stairs at the end.
Professor McGonagall strode in through a door, and ushered them towards a door on the right side of the hall. She pushed it open, and once again there was a chorus of gasps as the students took in what was inside. It was a large stone room with four huge tables inside, stretching the length of the room on the left and right. A multitude of students sat at them, all staring at the first-years in silence. The tables were laid with glittering plates and goblets, although they were empty. At the front was a smaller table, upon which many members of staff were sitting, and just in front of that was a podium, where a man with a long, wispy grey beard was standing. In the centre of the room, there was a small wooden stool, upon which sat an old and battered-looking wizard's hat.
The ceiling, however, was the thing that really took her breath away. There were candles that lit up the entire room, floating in midair. Not only that but instead of a roof, there was what looked like a starry night sky. She knew that it couldn't be real, of course, but the illusion was so convincing that she had a hard time not believing her eyes.
For a few seconds, there was silence, and then a small rip appeared in the hat, and it grew into the shape of a mouth. Amazingly, it then began to sing.
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!
The whole hall burst into applause, but the first-years just stood at the entrance in shock, Cora included. She knew that magic was incredible, but for an inanimate object to create such a song was… unbelievable. Soon enough though, Professor McGonagall walked to the hat and picked up a scroll of parchment. She cleared her throat, then began: "Abbot, Hannah!" a pink-faced girl walked to the front, and while shaking, picked up the hat and stuffed it on her head, which immediately fell down over her eyes. She sat down and waited, a few seconds later it opened its mouth again and yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
At this, the table on the far right erupted into cheering, and Hannah hurried over there and sat down, instantly congratulated by her peers. After waiting for the hall to calm down, McGonagall announced the next name, "Bones, Susan!" as soon as the girl sat down on the stool with the hat on, it again yelled "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The next was a Ravenclaw, a small boy with glasses announced as Terry Boot. After that came another Ravenclaw, Mandy Brockenhurst, but Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor to join the year. The applause was thunderous, she could see several redheads like her brother's friend cheering, and she wondered if they were an infestation.
A few names later the first Slytherin was called, a girl she had never met before named Millicent Bulstrode. Then it was Malfoy's turn. He tried to look prepared, but she could see a tinge of nervousness in his eyes. He put the hat down over his eyes and a few seconds later, "SLYTHERIN!" was called. She watched him swagger to the table on the far left, wearing an overjoyed expression. She started to feel a bit of worry, what if she wasn't Slytherin, or even worse, what if she was in the same house as her brother?
After tension started building in the air between the rest of the first years, "Potter, Harry!" was called. The entire hall waited with bated breath for the result, and after a while of deliberation, the hat called out his house. "GRYFFINDOR!", and what followed was arguably the longest applause so far. She could see that many of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were looking slightly disappointed, but then, it was her turn. "Potter, Coraline!" she started walking up the central aisle, feeling all the eyes in the room locked on her.
She breathed in, and out, and when she reached the stool, she lifted off the hat and placed it firmly down on her head.
I just want to address the review I received, which contained in my opinion unjust criticism. First of all, yes. I made one of the potters abusive because I wanted to imitate realism. If Harry had been brought up in the exact same conditions as Dudley, chances are that he would have ended up the same as him. it is only when he enters an environment where everyone is forced to be equal that he starts to become more rational. More importantly, Cora is certainly not being glorified here, much less is she an SI. As I just said, I do not expect characters to be fixed in this story, and just as Harry becomes good I think we will see more and more of her bad side. Because of my aim to make things realistic, there is no plot armour. If Cora gets into a situation where she could be killed then I will roll a die and there is a good chance she will die. doesn't mean the story does, just her. I hope this makes things more exciting for you guys :)
Either way, if you don't like it, then sod off ya bollock. it's as simple as that.
Next Chapter: Sunday, 3rd December 2023