The next morning, Ana got up a good forty five minutes before her roommates. Although she found the Hogwarts castle charming, she had taken a lot of the comforts of Ilvermorny for granted as she wasn't used to the lack of personal shower stalls or privacy blinds for changing. Thank Merlin I starched my shirt and pressed my uniform and robes yesterday, she thought to herself as she made her way to the girls' lavatory to clean up and change into her formal robes.
She grabbed a quick shower and after drying herself off, looked for the most sanitary-looking sink and brushed her teeth. After checking to make sure nobody was watching, she discreetly slipped on her underwear and charcoal grey knee-high socks, then buttoned up her white collared dress shirt and put on her pleated skirt. She tilted her body forward just a few degrees so she could put in her contact lenses, but just a split second before she was able to put her first one in, she was startled by a random greeting.
"'Mornin', Granger!"
"Auuuugh!" Ana groaned, as the contact lens dropped from her fingertip and on the ledge just above the sink. She whirled around to face the source of the interruption – a girl, still in her nightgown, with silky honey-blonde hair that hung nearly to the small of her back looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
"Huh. My mistake. You're not Granger," the girl mumbled, the embarrasment thick in her voice. "You kind of look like her though." She arched an eyebrow. "Truth be told, I don't think I've seen you before." Her eyes darted toward the neatly-folded set of robes Ana set out on top of her bag. "You're not a Gryffindor! How in the world did you end up here, pray tell?" She eyed Ana with equal amounts of curiosity and suspicion.
"I'm not a Hogwarts student," admitted Ana. "The name's Anastasia Harrison and I'm a Horned Serpent… it's one of the four houses at Ilvermorny. I'm just a guest here, so don't mind me…"
The girl's face broke into a broad smile. "Awesome! Are you a contestant in tonight's Quiz Bowl by any chance?"
Ana nodded. "Yeah. And I've never been so nervous about anything in my life." She turned back to the mirror and successfully put in her contacts this time.
"You're up rather early, woudn't you think?" the girl asked with a puzzled expression on her face. "I just got up to have a pee, but I'm not going back to bed now. Most of the rest of Gryffindor won't be up for close to a half hour so it looks like it's just you and me for the time being. You don't mind if I hang out here with you for a few minutes, do you?"
"I s'pose not," Ana murmured as she placed her teal and gold-striped necktie over her shoulders, then began making a tidy half-windsor knot.
The girl tiled her head again. "You're really good at putting on neckties… not many of us do it the old-fashioned way. The older students usually have theirs charmed, while some of the younger Muggle-borns are known to wear those tasteless clip-ons."
Ana shrugged. "I'd rather do it the old-fashioned way. I'm what you'd call 'Muggle-born', though at Ilvermorny the term's 'no maj-born'. Same concept."
"Are there a lot of… 'no maj-born' students at Ilvermorny?" the girl asked, her curiosity increasing by the second.
"Definitely," confirmed Ana. "Less than a quarter of North American wizards belong to what's known as Old Money families – they're rich and powerful families who have the lion's share of the wealth and prestigious government positions. Perhaps another quarter belong to families of lesser renown – these kids grow up with magic, but few of them have any shot at attaining any real power. And finally, about half of us come from nonmagical families. I know the odds are stacked against me, but I want to become the first MACUSA President to come from a nonmagical family."
"I wish you the best of luck, Harrison… it sounds rather similar to the power structure of Wizarding Britain," the girl said. "Oh, I forgot my manners. I'm Cosette Sotheby, a second-year Gryffindor. I also come from a non-magical family." She stuck out her hand toward Ana, who vigorously shook it.
"Charmed to make your acquaintance, Cosette," Ana replied. "I'm a second-year student too. I'm the only second-year Quiz Bowl contestant in all of Ilvermorny this term. It's a tremendous honor, but there's a lot of pressure for me to succeed." She grinned at the curious blonde girl. "Cosette – as in the Les Miserables character?"
"The one and the same," giggled Cosette. "Between you and me, I don't care who wins tonight… as long as it's not Slytherin. I know we're supposed to pull for our school and everything, but I'd rather Hogwarts win because they're actually the best team, and not doing something underhanded to win as Slytherin tends to do."
Ana nodded as she buttoned up her teal-and-gold sweater vest. "You're not the first to warn me about Slytherin. My pen pal Daphne definitely feels torn about Slytherin, as most of her family got sorted there, but she ended up in Gryffindor."
"Greengrass? She's a super-sweet girl," agreed Cosette. "Nothing at all like you'd expect a rich pureblood heiress with Slytherin ancestry to be like, but if I had to guess, her parents are probably good people too."
She lowered her voice as she recalled the first night of the term. "I sat just a couple of seats away from her during the Start-of-Term Feast, and the poor girl was so distraught when the Sorting Hat put her in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. She was crying like a six year old girl that lost her favorite teddy bear… she was afraid her parents would toss her to the kerb once they heard where she got sorted. She made such a big scene that Professor McGonagall – who's both our house head and serves as Deputy Headmistress – had to temporarily halt the ceremony to comfort the girl."
Cosette offered Ana a small shrug. "I mean, I'm sure the Hat considered strongly considered Slytherin as she was just quaking on that little wooden seat for a solid four minutes, but let's be real… the girl's ambitious, but she definitely prefers to play by the rules. The Hat put her in the right house, and to her relief, her parents accepted her sorting without question."
"That's interesting," murmured Ana. "I didn't know that a hat determined where you would go – neither Daphne nor Hermione told me that."
"The Sorting Hat is about as old as Hogwarts itself," explained Cosette. "The Four Founders enchanted it to read the minds of new students. It can take mere seconds to decide, or upwards of five minutes…" Her cheeks turned crimson. "It's very rare, but once you get to the five minute mark, it's what they call a 'hatstall'. I wasn't far off from one myself…"
Ana smiled. "Oh! What other house – or houses – were you considered for, then?"
"Hufflepuff," replied Cosette. "It mentioned Ravenclaw as a possibility early on, but while I'm smart, I'm not a swot. Slytherin was never an option – in fact, it's very rare for the Hat to even consider a Muggle-born for Slytherin. At most, one Muggle-born student gets sorted into Slytherin per generation." She gestured toward Ana with an open hand. "So, what about you? How do students get sorted at Ilvermorny?"
Ana waved a wand at her hair and whispered something that Cosette couldn't make out. Her damp, poofy russet jungle instantly became straight, sleek, and shiny; a few seconds later her hair magically twisted itself into a lovely French braid. "Firsties congregate into an area called the Sorting Chamber. When their name is called, they step into the middle of the room, which is marked by the Gordian Knot, which legend says is so strong that it cannot be undone. Then, one of four totems activates – that's the house that you'll spend the next seven years with."
"That's cool," hummed Cosette. "It sounds quicker than at Hogwarts. So… is it possible for more than one totem to activate? If so, what happens?"
Ana giggled. "Funny you should ask. Yes, it's possible for multiple totems to activate… in fact, I was allowed to choose between Wampus and the Horned Serpents! Each incoming class usually has between eighty and a hundred students… maybe five or six per term are lucky enough to be able to pick."
"So, has anyone gotten all four totems to activate?" asked Cosette. "I'm guessing that's incredibly rare…"
"You're right," said Ana. "Getting all four totems to activate is exceptionally rare… but as luck would have it, we got to witness it this past September! Before then, it had been many years since the last student got to pick from all four houses." She did a once-over to make sure her uniform was lint and wrinkle-free, then slipped on her teal beret, black Mary Jane shoes, and robes. Finally, she cast a couple of simple makeup charms which brightened her face and reddened her lips just a touch.
"You look lovely," Cosette murmured. "Not many second-year students can cast beautification charms – even the simpler ones like what you did. You really must be talented. I can see why you were selected to your house's Quiz Bowl team."
Ana blushed. "Well, thank you. I'm not quite there yet with the beauty charms, but Missy's usually there to lend a hand. She's not just my Quiz Bowl teammate, she's also one of my house's trustees."
Cosette tilted her head. "Trustees? Is that what you call prefects at Ilvermorny?"
"Yeah," confirmed Ana. "You'll know Missy when you see her. She'll wear a unform similar to mine, except she'll have this silver sash that she wears across her torso that indicates her status as a trustee. In a lot of ways, she's like having another big sister."
"Maybe you can talk Missy into spilling some of her secrets to my first-year housemates," suggested Cosette. "Cor, Granger's hair gets even wilder than yours! I will say that Greengrass, Brown and Parvati have worked wonders on taming her hair without magic… but when her hair's done up proper-like, it's some of the loveliest in the castle."
"Hermione is a beautiful girl," agreed Ana. "I haven't spent much time talking to her one-on-one, but I get the feeling that she's every bit as gifted as I am. I'd love for her to make the Gryffindor Quiz Bowl team next year – she really has the goods to pull it off."
"Well, it was nice meeting you," purred Cosette. "I don't want to keep you from whatever it is you need to do to prepare for the big game tonight, so I'll just wish you the best of luck and hope you kill it out there tonight!"
"It was wonderful meeting you too," Ana said with a smirk. "I'll most likely be in the library for much of the day, though I might be spending some time reading for pleasure too because I do need to get my mind off academics – I don't to burn myself out before tonight." She waved good-bye to her new friend as she made her way downstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Although Hogwarts was a far smaller ediface than Ilvermorny, it was arguably even more confusing to those unfamiliar with the castle. The rotating staircases threw Ana for a loop; not to mention she found the resident poltergeist Peeves to be most unhelpful when she stopped to ask for directions somewhere on the second floor – or at least what she thought was the second floor. She didn't think anything of it at first, but when she got a better look at him – he vaguely resembled a court jester, she thought – she instantly regretted it.
"Oooh, ickle outlander is a bit lost, is she?" Peeves asked in a taunting sing-song.
"I'll be fine," Ana huffed. She vaguely remembered her Hogwarts friends warning her about a flamboyantly-dressed prankster who delighted in annoying students and faculty alike. "I'm just trying to make my way downstairs for a bite to eat is all… just having a little trouble recalling to get there is all. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
"Perhaps ickle outlander would like a tour guide?" Peeves suggested mockingly, but Ana just shook her head.
"No thank you," Ana replied tersely. Just as she turned heel and marched in the opposite direction, Peeves let out a devilish chuckle.
"Oh, but insist, I do." Peeves cracked a grin that was something more than merely mischievous, but not quite evil. "OI, TOUR GUIDE!" he yelped down the corridor. He then threw several small marble-like objects, followed by a most unflattering grunt of annoyance.
"Who the HELL just pelted me with gobstones?" came an indignant roar from the shadowy end of the corridor. A huge girl in Slytherin robes charged into the lit area of the corridor, with a scowl that could frighten an ettin. Peeves simply floated in the air, cross-legged, humming softly with a falsely-pious expression on his face.
"Ickle outlander did it, ickle outlander did it," he chanted, waving pointed index fingers rather dramatically toward Ana. He then strutted up and down the corridor, relishing in the commotion he just stirred up.
The massive Slytherin girl was clearly an underclassman – certainly no older than Ana as she was still prepubescent – but she was at least four inches taller and nearly twice her weight. She wrapped one meaty arm around Ana's neck, putting her in a tight headlock. Ana felt her body double over as the larger girl put a significant amount of her body weight over her neck and upper back. "I didn't do it," Ana screeched between gasps. "It was that harlequin menace!"
While the hefty Slytherin was busy striking Ana in her midsection with her powerful knees, Peeves frolicked about in front of the girls, giggling with glee. The larger girl paid absolutely no attention to the poltergeist, but Ana's shocked and pained expression quickly gave way to anger as he taunted her with his irritating laughing and dancing.
"Stand still, squirt," the larger girl commanded as Ana struggled under her powerful hold. "I'm not finished with you!" Knowing she was no match physically for her tormentor, Ana tried reaching for her wand as magic was her only real chance of escape. Just as the fingers of her right hand were about to grasp her trusty eleven inch sequoia wand… CRACK! A massive elbow caught her between her shoulder blades, and the wand fell to the floor, well out of her reach. She let out a whimper of defeat as she was now fully at her assailant's mercy.
Again, Ana tried in vain to free herself from the stranglehold. SMACK! A powerful fist landed in the small of her back. Tears began welling in her eyes – she hadn't felt this helpless since before she found out she was magically gifted. Her breathing became jagged, and the sound of sniffling caught the larger girl's attention. "Awww, baby girl gonna cry now?" she said mockingly.. "Mummy isn't here to save you, dearie… it's just you and me,and the party's just startin'." She began to chortle mockingly at Ana, and inadvertenly eased her grip around her neck.
It was then that a rush of adrenaline coursed through Ana's body; she seized the opportunity by using both of her hands to seize the larger girl's free hand and spun it around behind her back and held it steady with a strength she wasn't aware she even had. "Ack!" the Slytherin shrieked with surprise.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ana reeled back and clocked the other girl squarely on the nose with a sharp right hook. "Take that, you heifer," she spat. Blood squirted out of one of her nostrils, and looked at Ana with a look of genuine surprise. Ana reared back, ready to deliver another blow on the other girls' lip, but felt the firm grip of someone's hand over her fist. But it wasn't the other girl's hand holding her own– it was even larger, large enough to almost completely cover Ana's tiny balled fist.
"That'll be quite enough," growled a soft baritone that was quite unfamilar to Ana's ears. When Ana turned around to see the source of the voice, she took a step back at the pallid man in black that stood before her, with a scowl so severe that it made Madam L's countenance look pleasant. "Millicent Bulstrode," he continued in his trademark monotone, "Return to the dungeons right away and clean yourself up. In the meantime, five points from Slytherin for pugilism. You've been warned before."
"But she started it, Professor Snape," protested Millicent. "That little moppet hit me with gobstones. I was told not to start fights, but I will finish them."
Snape raised a forefinger. "I will not tell you again, Miss Bulstrode. Go downstairs and make yourself look more presentable," he repeated, ever-so-slightly firmer than before. Millicent nodded with deference and purposefully made her way to the Slytherin dormitories. He then turned to Ana, his expression and tone unchanged. "What is your name, young lady?"
"Anastasia Harrison," Ana murmured.
"Miss Harrison." Ana swallowed the lump in her throat as Snape looked her over with a discerning eye. "You are not one of my students."
Ana shook her head. "I've come to represent Ilvermorny for tonight's Quiz Bowl, sir."
"You're representing your institution quite poorly, if you see it fit to engage in fisticuffs in the storied halls of Hogwarts," Snape retorted in the same deliberate creak. "What house do you belong to at Ilvermorny, Miss Harrison?"
"I'm a Horned Serpent, sir," Ana replied in a soft voice.
"Ten points from the Horned Serpents," Snape responded, barely giving Ana time to finish.
"But that's not how it works at Ilvermorny," Ana protested. "We use demerits as a penalty…"
"Silence." Snape cut Ana off before she could finish explaining. "You are in no position to tell me what I can and cannot do. That's a further five points for questioning my authority."
"All I wanted to do was go downstairs to have a warm breakfast. I got a bit lost, but this nasty creature in colorful rags seemed intent to amuse himself at my expense," Ana said. "I promise I didn't start anything…"
"Spare me your excuses." Snape's eyes narrowed further. "You have vexed me quite enough. I shall personally see to it that you be ruled ineligible to compete this evening." He lowered his voice to a slow, nasty whisper. "Pick up your wand, and begone with you."
Ana silently picked up her wand, and fled the scene in tears.