Harry Potter doesn't belong to me. -it'semmynotemma

1.2

Weeks came and went since I had gone to Diagon Alley with my father, and my mother had the man who rented our cottage over. Skadi had become accustomed to the castle. Finlay stayed glued to either my mother's side or mine. Father often came and went from the Ministry, busier now since he had gone to Diagon Alley with me. The Prophet continuously tried to have my father do an interview with them, and hoped he would bring the whole family to the news company, but my family wasn't just another normal Pureblood family. We even managed to keep others away from our property by the multitude of blood wards sunken into the ground.

Twas the night before heading off to Hogwarts, when I was called into the parlor room on the ground floor my parents often lounged in. I entered the richly decorated parlor room, one decorated in the style of the 18th century. All in the colors of our family emblem: blood red and silver. It was too dark for my taste but finding one of the love chairs that faced the loveseat where my parents sat on, I folded my hands together and sat them in my light pink skirted lap.

Mother sat calmly with a richly decorated, long rectangular box one would put an ensemble in.

The silver fabric bow was fit snug against the darker silver wrapping paper.

Finlay was currently upstairs in the nursery with Litzie being his personal house elf nanny. She had taken care of me, and she had even taken care of Mother. No one else could be trusted to take care of the children and future heirs of the family.

Mother stood up from where she was sitting and sat the box onto my lap. She went back to her spot next to Father and she turned to look at him, earning a nod from him. She turned and faced me, before she spoke, "Honor, you have heard how Grandfather Ignotus had managed to trick Death, and how he could hide from him until he was content with dying. What is in this box is what Death had given him when he requested something from him."

I reached for the bow and went to pull it off when she motioned for me to do so.

I was honestly confused when the lid fell off and all I could see was a shimmering cloak sitting in the box. I ran my fingers against the cloak, almost yanking my hand from the cloak when a sudden rush of cold hit me more powerful than before. The flames of the candles in the room flickered and almost went out before they went back into their original strength. I knew that coldness, I knew touching this cloak meant I was touching something which did belong to Death.

"What you are holding is an Invisibility Cloak, which was part of Death's cloak but given to Grandfather Ignotus due to his quick thinking. He could wear the cloak, and Death wouldn't be able to see him. While his brothers, Antioch and Cadmus died young, Grandfather Ignotus was able to live a long life and eventually greeted Death as an old friend. He passed the Invisibility Cloak down to his son and then his son passed it down to his son, and so on and so forth. The night before the new owner would attend Hogwarts they would receive the cloak," Mother explained, observing me as I gently pulled out the cloak and dismissed the box falling out of my lap and onto the carpeted flooring.

"Did…Uncle Antioch and Uncle Cadmus get gifts from Death too?"

Mother didn't respond to me, but Father on the other hand straightened up and shook his head at me, as if to tell me this wasn't going to be a light and happy story.

"Yes, Honor. They did receive their gifts from Death. Unlike Grandfather Ignotus who used the cloak for good and was smart, his brothers chose items that could only bring bad things to them. Uncle Antioch wanted a wand that no one could defeat, someone came into his room one night after he bragged at a pub about it and took his life and the wand. It was called the Elder Wand. Then there was Uncle Cadmus, who had wanted the ability to talk to his lover who committed suicide. He received the Resurrection Stone and could communicate with her. She wanted to be at peace, and he grew insane the longer he was in her presence. He took his life to be with her."

I sensed him before he appeared within the parlor room through one of the exterior walls, turning my head as Grandfather Ignotus came into the room. His eyes went over to where Mother was and then his eyes went over to Father. He finally turned and saw me sitting in the love chair with the Invisibility Cloak in my lap. He smiled in a soft, distant manner. His mind most likely was going back to all the years he had the cloak himself before he gave it to his son.

"Ah! I haven't seen my old cloak in over a century. It's been in a box. I take it you are officially allowing her to go to Hogwarts after all. You're not going to take her to King's Cross and let her see Platform 9 3/4 only to take her home?" Grandfather Ignotus probed, which in return made both Mother and Father widen their eyes at what they had been asked.

Anger came across Father's face, at having everything he was being insulted but Mother reached her hand out and placed it on his chest.

"Ignotus, please, you insult your own blood? You have watched over the family for centuries. We've had wonderful family members you and the rest of us can be proud of. There are others we will never speak their names, and then there is Lachlan and me. You saw our courtship blossom when we were fifteen all the way to our marriage at seventeen. You even advised us, took care of us, surely you know we would never do anything like that," Mother declared, her own pink irises showing nothing more than respect towards her ancestor but also disappointment.

"You are right, Catriona. I apologize for insulting both you and Lachlan. I'm just very protective of Honor. She's our last Necromancer. Death says there will be no other after her," Grandfather Ignotus confessed, dipping his head down to show respect. Mother and Father turned and looked at each other, it was obvious this was hard for Grandfather Ignotus due to him not having someone he can speak to in a deeper Peverell manner of connection.

I, on the other hand, had relief flooding through me for a brief moment. It was gone a second later, as he turned his attention to me. He drifted closer and smiled some when he looked down at the Invisibility Cloak. I stood up from my spot and spread the cloak out before asking, "would you like me to try it on? For nostalgia's sake?"

He beamed brightly at me, clasping his hands together.

He nodded his head, and without further ado I threw the cloak over me.

I reached my fingers out and let them brush the inside of the cloak that cocooned me.

The cold fabric made me feel as if I was dunked into a cold bath.

I both felt drawn to it and not at the same time.

The Necromancer inside of me wanted to curl up in this cloak for all eternity while the other part of me, the somewhat normal part of me you could say, wanted me to take off the cloak and wear it only when it was truly needed.

Taking off the cloak I thought of Uncle Antioch and Uncle Cadmus and how I never saw them in the family cemetery, enough for Grandfather Ignotus to notice.

"Ah, you're wondering about why my brothers aren't buried here. Cadmus's in-laws buried him next to their daughter, they took custody of their children and raised them away from our castle. By the time I had learnt of Antioch's death his body had disappeared. It's only me here."

I opened my mouth to ask him if he was lonely and wished he could talk to his brothers again but from the stern looks from my parents it was wise for me to not do that. Instead, I sat there and listened to my parents talk to him. They rarely saw him.

Once Grandfather Ignotus left, I noted how Mother sighed and cleared her throat.

"Unbeknownst to your grandfather Ignotus, the cloak hasn't always been in a closet. When going to Hogwarts lost favor in our family, we handed the cloak off to the Potters. They kept it and carried it on, we were able to find the cloak before anyone in the Ministry could be due to family blood wards keeping it from anyone but family having it. I'm certain in time if you feel the need to tell him, you can. It's yours so it's your choice to tell him and anyone else about it if you want."

My mind went towards Grandfather Ignotus briefly, knowing a little white lie wouldn't hurt him.

All he knew was Lily and James were Potters and had died.

It was a private manner, something Mother didn't like to think about that much.

If she had known of the Potters more, had gone to check on them every now and then maybe Lily and James could still be in a safe house to this day…perhaps in this very castle.

Still, it was a touchy subject.

The rest of the night went by smoothly, and other than waking up every now and then in the middle of the night it soon became time for me to head off to the next stage of my life.

Mother and Father had used a spell from the library to fix my eyesight so I could see normally, but it was still best for me to have shaded glasses on as much as possible. I was more than thrilled at the knowledge my eyesight wouldn't hinder me at Hogwarts. I wasn't allowed to have my eye color changed; Mother had told me to find pride in our eyes. I knew one day I would end up finding pride in my eyes and my appearance in its entirety, but I had time.

There was a slight downpour when I woke up this morning, and a howling wind.

The kind of wind which wisped through the cracks in the castle and seeped into the stone.

I could close my eyes and focus on the way the cold wind could hit me if I stood close enough to the exterior wall of my bedroom, peering out of the large Gothic Cathedral window that looked off to the family cemetery in the distance. The window was stained glass at the top of the arch in different poisonous flowers. The extravagant white marble fireplace went from ceiling to floor when it came to its column. There was a decorative fireplace grate cover in front of the lit fireplace, silver cast iron the same design as the stained glass. The flooring was a dark, rich natural wood with multiple white antique rugs from a range of eras spread throughout the flooring. A huge four poster bed, the frame the same silver cast iron as the grate cover continued the decorative poisonous flower design. The many pillows and the bedspread, along with the bedcover were white too. Plants were spread throughout the room, in crevices and hanging pots from the ceiling. A standing mirror from the 1800's was in one of the corners of the room, which I went up to in my ensemble to make sure I looked presentable.

My long white hair was pulled up in a mid-high braided bun, while I still had my veiled hat upon my head. Mother and Father had written to the headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, and requested me to be able to wear it until the Sorting, then it would only be worn outside of classes. The white turtleneck cotton blouse, V-neck gray cashmere sweater, black pleated skirt that fell a few inches above my knees, knee high black socks and nice black flat school shoes made up my school uniform. A plain black tie, which would change to the color of my Hogwarts House after the Sorting, was tied around my neck. It was an odd feeling, to be wearing the school uniform for Hogwarts, when today I would have otherwise been introduced to my governess.

Skadi was lounging on the top of the white silk covered bed bench that was placed in front of the bed. She brought her head up from where she was resting and gave out a little meow to let me know what she thought of all this. She was going to attend Hogwarts with me, maybe she would have other cats she could communicate with in the Common Room or Dorm Room of the House I would be Sorted into. Hopefully she wouldn't have any troubles with the owls or the toads, that was if anyone was bringing toads to school. I was more hopeful it was just going to be owls and cats.

A soft knocking on the doorframe made me turn my head towards where my parents were standing in front of me. Mother was wearing an Haute Couture hat and veil. The hat white was made of expensive cashmere fabric and fit her white-haired head in a unique manner. The Russian net veil sewn around the ends of the hat fell a few inches above her lips. A matching-colored elegant stand collar fit coat with belt corsage and skirt that fell a few inches past her knees–flaring out. She most likely wore a light-colored designer dress underneath. White high heels with silk bows tied upon the back finished her ensemble. She wasn't holding Finlay, Litzie most likely was going to take care of the three-month-old, since he was still so little.

Father was wearing an ensemble just like he had worn in Diagon Alley, only the coloring was the Peverell Red, another reminder of what would happen when I would arrive at Hogwarts. My family name could be a curse, and most probably thought of the Peverell name as a curse. I only found it as any other normal name, until moments like this happened.

Taking Mother's hand in mine, the both of us turned to Father, our pink eyes still being noticeable underneath our veils. Father gave us reassuring smiles and would have kissed us on our foreheads if our hats weren't in the way. I put Skadi into her cat's crate and held it by its handle, knowing it was best for Skadi. Father had my suitcase in one of his hands.

Then, Mother and I did Side-Along-Apparition.

Just like there was an Apparition point usually in the wixen world, there were some on the outskirts of where the Muggles were. We ended up at one not too far away from where King's Cross was. I observed how some of the people who passed by our spot had children holding suitcases or having luggage rolling carts filled with luggage and sometimes pet cages. Parents and legal guardians were telling them about different things from when they were in Hogwarts, something I wished I could hear. Stories of adventures in Hogwarts, even if it were from parents who weren't mine.

"Come now, Honor," Father said, before we went away from the Apparition point and in the direction of where the train station was. Mother kept her gloved hand in mine and gave me a slight squeeze of the wrist to let me know she was there for me.

There were a multitude of people who were rushing through the train station as we went past train platforms. Men and women were tapping their shoes against the floor of the platform in annoyance, the men most often than not were glancing down at their pocket watches or their watches that were on their wrist. Children were either patiently waiting or they were doing things to try and make time go faster. Some got in trouble with their parents, but this was a common occurrence for anyone about to board a train.

Reaching the pillar to lead us through to Platform 9 3/4, Father went through the pillar first before I went next, and Mother went last. My eyes widened when I saw what was on the other side of the pillar.

The large, famous magical train was exactly how I had heard it looked.

The shiny red paint, the golden bold lettering on the side of the train. Students were moving to and fro around the platform, some of them were boarding the train while others were busy conversing with their parents/legal guardians. I could tell which ones were Purebloods while others weren't, the ease they had even if the children were about to attend Hogwarts for their First Year.

Sitting the cat crate down I turned and peered up at my parents.

Once upon a time I would have been looking at the Potters, where Lily had brilliant red hair that cascaded down the back of her neck in slight waves. She would be very pale with also bright emerald eyes. James would have a natural sun kissed tan skin, despite being a Pureblood that had come from a line of English witches and wizards there might be a few ancestors who were from the East. He would have messy black hair on his head he could never have combed down and circular glasses that rested on his nose. The glasses were currently sitting in a glass box while a portrait of Lily and James hung above the little memorial shrine for them and their wands were in glass cases.

"I'm going to miss you, Mother and Father," I confessed, tears starting to rise in the corner of my tear ducts. I wanted for a brief moment to rush forward and wrap my arms around my mother, or my father, before telling them I would rather have a governess than be away from them. It soon disappeared when I knew it was time for the Peverells' to be in Hogwarts again.

Mother reached her hand out and pressed her hand against my veil covered cheekbone, giving me a small smile in response. "Your father and I will miss you immensely too. I'll make sure to write to you at least once every week. I'll make sure to send you pictures of Finlay too."

Father had his attention focused on anything other than me for a moment, before he took a deep breath and turned towards me. He came forward and crouched down, so he was at eye level with me. He placed his hands on either side of my shoulders and peered at me with an intensity I wasn't always accustomed to but didn't startle me too much. He pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around mine before holding me close to him.

"I know you will make me proud, my daughter. You do so every day. Write if you need to," Father assured me, before he pulled away and stood up straight. I gave an awkward smile towards him and then towards Mother.

Heading towards one of the train carriage doors, I climbed up the stairs and into the front of the compartment and into the door that led further into the carriage. There were closed compartments on either side of the carriage, glass panels at the top half of the compartment doors, while the rest of the compartment doors were wood with golden handles. The aisle was a crimson carpet. There was compartment doors opened as students went through them. I kept my fingers clenched on the handles of my luggage and my pet carriage.

Glancing through the different compartments I stopped when I saw an empty one.

Thankfully the compartment door was enchanted to open if a person had their hands full.

I went to the left bench in the compartment and sat my things down, unlocking the door to the pet carrier so Skadi could come out and travel through the compartment. I went to put the suitcase into the overhead luggage rack, only for me to hear, "Heiress Peverell?"

Turning away from the poor attempt I would try at putting the suitcase up on the overhead luggage rack (I would keep Skadi's pet carrier with me down here and not up on the rack with my suitcase), I was welcomed with Draco Malfoy standing in front of me with four boys around him and one girl. I was relieved to see the girl, otherwise I would have told him to find another compartment.

A Pureblood girl could not be alone with more than one wizard.

Draco looked about the same as he did back in Madam Malkins' shop, his aristocratic aura around him made it obvious he was an heir of one of the original twenty-eight families of the United Kingdom (nicknamed the Sacred 28). It also meant he most likely was raised with bigotry ideals thrown at him towards only Purebloods being worthy of having rights. Perhaps he would learn to have his own voice, but then again considering the fact his father had been a Death Eater (he was able to escape from certain death because he claimed the use of the Imperious spell took away his free will and forced him to be in the servitude of Lord Voldemort), it might never be a reality.

His light blond hair was combed down and it was slicked with hair gel. There were no wrinkles that were upon his robes and while one of his hands was holding his suitcase the other was holding an owl cage with his pet owl sitting calmly upon a branch. The bottom part of the owl cage had a plaque with the family emblem carved into it. Another reminder of him being who he was. His silver eyes were lit up and there was excitement but also weariness in me rejecting him.

"Heir Malfoy, good morning. Please, come in. I must insist…. she sits next to me," I said, making the boys look confused for a moment before they nodded in realization. The girl pushed the boys away from her and stuck her chin upwards, a smirk lighting across her features at how she had been acknowledged and told to sit next to her.

The girl had her suitcase but no pet, she most likely would end up using one of the many owls the school had. Her black hair fell a few inches above her shoulder blades, her features showed some Pureblood signs. The nose, the chin, the eyes. They were something that every one of the Sacred 28 shared due to the practice of inbreeding between them all. Everyone was related to each other, some closer to each other, and others not too close in the family tree line.

She came close to me and did a curtsy while introducing herself, "it's an honor to meet you, Heiress Peverell. I am Pansy Parkinson, Heiress of the Ancient House of Parkinson." She straightened up and sat down next to me, reaching one of her hands out to shake mine. I put my gloved hand in hers and shook it, earning a slightly curved upwards smile.

Barely socially acceptable in Pureblood Society.

"Please, let me put your luggage up on the rack, Heiress Peverell."

Turning from where I stood, I noted how Draco had already seemed to put the luggage which belonged to Pansy up into the upper luggage rack. Behind him there was a taller, darker exotic skinned boy (his skin could be described as bronze glow) with short layered black hair. His eyes were a stunning blue, and he had two boys standing in the aisle outside of the compartment, big boned boys with quite unsettling features and weren't as put together as Draco and the dark-skinned boy.

"Goyle, Crabbe, go to the next compartment. Nott should be there too, and don't bother him. You know how he gets when it comes to being interrupted when he's reading," the dark-haired boy instructed, earning grumbles from the boys before they went into the next compartment. Two other boys in the Sacred 28. I wondered if this boy would be of the Sacred 28 like Draco and Pansy were.

The dark-haired boy turned to me and gave me a polite smile.

I bowed my head forward and he went into the compartment completely before sitting down once he put his own luggage up. His blue irises focused on me with enough intensity that to others they would look away but considering the fact I was someone who often gave people intense stares all the time maybe it just didn't affect me the way it was supposed to.

"I'm sorry about Heir Goyle and Heir Crabbe. I'm Blaise Zabini, Heir to the House of Zabini. My family house is not sacred. I hope you don't hold that against me," Blaise joked to me, sending another charming smile. I reached my gloved hand out and he took it, giving me a strong and professional handshake. His skin was warm, while I knew my hands were still feeling frozen.

"I'm not of the sacred houses either," I remarked.

An awkward pause, silence.

I turned my attention down towards Skadi as she lay comfortably on my lap now, her pretty eyes peering at the two boys that were across from us in the train compartment. Pansy twitched her fingers by her side, and I smiled at her, assuring her she could pet Skadi if she wanted. Pansy's eyes sparkled in excitement as she peered at me as if I were telling her she could open her Yuletide gift earlier than she had been told she could.

"Are you sure? Mother and Father said we couldn't have any pets because the last thing she wants to deal with is animal fur on our stuff," Pansy confessed, jealousy streaking through her voice as she said this. I nodded my head, and she hesitated for a moment. A moment later she went and ran her fingers through Skadi's fur.

While Blaise had made his introduction to me and then seemed content with leaning against the booth and peering through the train window to the dreary but still pretty landscape outside, Draco wasn't very subtle. He had gotten a Quidditch magazine from his luggage and tried to look as if he was browsing through it without any real reason only for his eyes to stare at me too long, enough for me to press my lips together in annoyance.

I was away in my thoughts, thinking of how Mother was going to be even more attentive towards Finlay than she already was, when the compartment door slid open, and someone appeared in the open doorway. I turned my attention to the person who had interrupted our peaceful train ride to Hogwarts. Skadi brought her head up and peered at the person who was standing in the doorway before deciding there was no reason for her to get excited, so she placed her head back down onto my lap.

The person standing in the doorway was a frazzled terra-cotta girl with natural deep brown hair that reminded me of a lion's mane. Her eyes were a warm brown but when she opened her mouth one could see her teeth were on the larger side. Her eyebrows were bushy, but her uniform was completely smoothed in all the right places. It was obvious she had ironed her uniform before she had gotten onto the train. She was playing with her fingers, and her eyes were scanning the entire compartment for a moment before she realized she was being rude.

"Sorry for the interruption but you haven't seen a toad around here, have you? His name is Trevor, he went missing," the girl confessed, biting the corner of her lip as she waited for one of us to say anything. I shook my head, which in return made her turn her attention towards me again. Confusion appeared on her face and before I could react, she added, "Oh, you aren't allowed to wear that hat. It's not a part of the school guidelines."

I opened my mouth to speak to her only for Draco Malfoy to snap his head towards her with anger flooding through his silver irises. I could only sit there and watch him as he tore into her, enough for the girl to have tears rise into her tear ducts. She slammed the compartment door closed and rushed away, while I sighed.

"It's a pity the students they are admitting into Hogwarts now," Pansy remarked, earning agreement from the others around her. I bit the corner of my mouth and got up from the bench, sitting Skadi into Pansy's lap to keep her distracted. It worked. The boys on the other hand only had to realize a moment too late how I was a girl and probably was heading off to the loo.

Moving down the long aisle hallway towards the loos, I barely paid attention to the students gathered in the compartments.

The older Year students were happily conversing about their summer holidays and some of them were playing magical games since they were already quite accustomed to magic by now. Others were fine with just sitting with their pets, and some were reading. There were some with blankets wrapped around them as they were napping off. All of them weren't too interested in watching me, though I was certain a few glanced over at me thinking they had seen a ghostess instead of an actual fellow student.

Reaching the two loos, I listened closely and could hear the sobbing of the girl. I quietly went up to the door and knocked politely, enough for her to sniffle out for me to go away. I cleared my throat and spoke, "I'm sorry for the way Heir Malfoy spoke to you. I'm certain that you must either be a Muggleborn or a Halfblood and didn't know the right etiquette. I'm not trying to defend him. He shouldn't have acted the way he did, it's not what Purebloods should act like. May I come in?"

A quiet pause and then the door unlocked, revealing the terra-cotta girl peering at me with widened, watery and red tinted eyes. I came forward and reached into the pocket of my robes before pulling out a handkerchief that had my surname and family emblem etched across it. She took it from me with a watery smile before she dabbed away the tears from her face. She sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and observed me as I closed the loo door.

"W-Why are you helping me?"

"It's the right thing to do. I don't want you to get the wrong idea about Purebloods, we aren't all bad like Heir Malfoy. I should introduce myself, I'm Honor Peverell, Heiress of the House of Peverell. May I ask your name?"

The girl paused for a moment, her eyes flickering away from me and towards something in the loo before she looked at me again. "I'm Hermione Granger, I'm a Muggleborn. I'm not from some noble house. I'm just the daughter of dentists. I'm sorry about me pointing out your hat…may I ask why you are wearing it?"

I reached my hands up and grabbed the rim of my hat before pulling it off, revealing my albinism for her. She peered at me with a marveled look before she smiled and nodded her head. I put it back on my head and situated the veil in its proper place.

"I can tell you are excited about being a witch. I can have some books from my family library rented out to you. You'll have to return them by Yule, but they can tell you all about our society. How you should address the Sacred 28 families, and other Purebloods. Along with other customs we have had throughout the centuries."

Hermione snapped her head towards me and nodded rapidly, "could you? I love reading, I've read Hogwarts: A History multiple times. I would like to learn more about being a witch and this world. I do know you can't say Heir or Heiress at Hogwarts. We're supposed to call each other by our first names or our surnames."

"I'll keep that mind, Hermione. Hopefully we will see each other more. Please know not all Purebloods are the same," I added, before I left the loo and went back into the compartment I had settled into. Pansy was still petting Skadi while the boys were discussing the latest season of international Quidditch. I wasn't too intrigued by it.

I didn't mention Hermione to those around me, knowing they wouldn't understand. They would most likely tell me I was wasting my time on comforting her. I instead felt Skadi settle into my lap again, having sensed my emotions. I had to keep my mind off of things like this, especially when I knew this wasn't going to be the last, I would hear about their distaste towards those who weren't born with a magical spoon in their mouth.

We weren't too far away from the train station outside of the village near Hogwarts, called Hogsmeade, when everyone started to put on their robes. The Upper Years would have their uniforms signaling their School House Crest and their School House Colors. The First Years, like me, would be wearing only plain black robes which would change to reflect our School House Color and Crest.

Hogsmeade Train Station was situated a few miles away from the village, which was lit up and showed a warm, lively town. There were some villagers who were near the train station in order to see the students' arrival while there were others who were merely going about their own business, entering the local pub to get some food and drink. I found the aesthetic and aura around it more than comforting, as if the village beckoned for us to visit them instead of entering our school.

While the Upper Years went off on their own means of transportation, I along with the rest of the First Years, went around the left curve of the road outside of the train station. There was a soft glow in that direction and there was someone with a thick Scottish accent directing us towards him. I wasn't surprised when Pansy, Draco, and Blaise circled around me. A protective claim over me to let others know they wouldn't let anything happen to me.

As we went around the bend of the road, noting how we were up against the shore of the Black Lake, I also noticed how there were multiple row boats meant for four people per person. The person who stood not too far from the boats with a lantern attached to a walking stick was not completely human. They most likely had Giant blood in them.

The Giant blooded man was twice as tall as a normal heighted man and five times as wide. Long tangles of bushy black hair fell down his back and a beard hid most of his face. His hands were the size of dustbin lids, and his feet were covered in leather boots that were the size of baby dolphins. He wore a moleskin coat with simple outdoor clothing suited for his profession: the groundskeeper of the school. His name was Rubeus Hagrid.

As Hagrid commanded four people per boat and not one person more, I got into one of the boats with the help of Draco. I took his hand in mine and allowed him to help me down onto the bench built into the boat. Pansy sat down next to me while the boys sat across from us on the other bench. The other First Years got settled into their boats, where there were lanterns attached to the front of the boat. Hagrid had his own boat, since he wouldn't be able to fit in with other students. The boats immediately moved forward across the inky hued lake, and everyone whispered excitedly to each other about what they hoped to expect in our first year at the legendary school.

We were getting closer to the school when gasps were heard around everyone, making me turn and pull my veil away from my eyes to look up at the tall medieval castle with multiple towers spread throughout the grounds along with a stone gazebo that looked out to the lake, lit up with little lanterns hovering magically in the air. There were some trees here and there with lights strung through them. Every window within the castle was lit up, sending out beautiful reflections upon the lake. I could only imagine what the school would look like on the inside.

The boats were moving swiftly on their own, with no need for any help by rowing paddles. An open cave built against the cliff the school was built on, led to a dock for the boats to rest against while the students would be getting out. There were torches that were in different spots through the cave to make sure there would be light everywhere. There would be no crevice unlit.

Standing in the back of the cave, still on the dock, was a tall and elegant woman.

With emerald, green, feminine robes that weren't too tight on her or too loose, the woman also had circular reading glasses resting at the end of her long nose. Her brown hair, with streaks of gray hair, was pulled up in a high bun with a black witch hat on the top of her head. The type of hat you would expect a witch to wear, only the quality was anything but cheap Halloween Costume fabric material. There were slight wrinkles that were spread across her pale skin, but they were barely noticeable. It was obvious this woman was a professor at the school.

Once everyone was gathered around her, the woman thanked Hagrid, who bid us goodbye before he went through the wooden door. The woman turned her attention towards all of us, her dark hued eyes pausing when they landed on me. A brief sense of sadness came dripping from her, but it went away before long. She had more important things to do than probably be reminded of the death of my parents, and their blood that flowed through me was replaced by distant relatives' immediate blood.

"Good evening, I am Professor Minevera McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with the professor for Transfiguration and the Head of my House, Gryffindor. As you are entering your First Year, you will be Sorted into one of the four school Houses. Ravenclaw, the House of the creative and the intellectual. Hufflepuff, the House of the loyal and the dedicated. Slytherin, the House of the ambitious and the resilient. Lastly, there is Gryffindor, the House of the brave and the courageous. All four Houses are equally important and shall be united instead of separated. I will not accept any bullying of any type."

My eyes flickered towards those around me, noting how there were some who were already claiming which House they would end up in. They stated this as though they were telling you what their favorite color was, as if it was already solidified instead of still in the air. I had no idea what House I would end up in, and although my heart raced at the knowledge, I couldn't go to either of my parents to learn about the Houses on a more personal note, I knew I would accept what House I would end up in without showing prejudice towards the others.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, gaining all our attention again.

"It is time. Get in a single line, by birth month and alphabetical."

After we got into our single line, Professor McGonagall opened the door and slipped through. There were loud conversations on the other side of the door, and I couldn't see what the room looked like, but it was obviously the Great Hall. I was about to enter the famous Great Hall and learn what House I would be in for the next seven years.