Magical Hogwarts

Hogwarts Express
Britain
1st September 2005

"Yes, this one will be perfect" Sara said with a sweet smile as her father levitated her trunk into the luggage rack of an empty carriage. He was telling her something, but she was distracted, her thoughts on the beautiful steam engine she had watched pulling into Platform 9 3/4 not half an hour earlier. Dad had taken the morning off work and agreed to get there early so she could see the Hogwarts Express arrive. It made her happy to think that she, an incoming first year, had already witnessed something that few other students would ever have seen.

There were other bonuses to arriving early, too. Being one of the first onto the train meant she had her pick of the empty carriages and could settle down before the masses descended. Sara wasn't nervous about meeting her fellow students, she just wanted to meet them (seeing as being completely alone wasn't an option) on her own terms. And that meant having the pick of the carriages for a little while and settling down with a book in here as if she owned it. Dad had warned her the train would get crowded but she still privately hoped a well-practised glare would keep people away from this little bit of privacy.

As much as she wanted to get out a book and start reading, Sara kept her smile in place a while longer as Dad tucked the owl cage safely into a corner of the carriage and reminded her to write, not just to him but to her mother and... here Sara interrupted, giving him a kiss on the cheek and promising to write that very evening to let him know which house she'd been sorted into. Dad didn't need to know she would only be writing one letter home today.

Outside, the platform was beginning to fill, and most parents were simply waving their offspring goodbye. "I think you'd better let me get settled" she said, not wanting anyone's erroneous first impression to be of a little girl who needed her father's hand to hold until the last possible moment. Although...it could be quite amusing to let people underestimate her. Right now, dressed in jeans, sneakers and a pretty pink t-shirt she knew she just looked like a cute little kid.

Sara's smile lit up her eyes as she said one last goodbye, her thoughts drifting as she waved dutifully out of the window. The engine let out a snort of steam like a wild animal, and she wondered who drove the Hogwarts express and whether she could one day convince them to let her help. Then she thought about what they did for the rest of the year - presumably this train only ran on the few days students were travelling to and from school. Why wasn't that written in any of the books she'd read? A small frown appeared between her eyebrows as the train began to slowly pull out of the station.

“Yeah, I know.” Treasa glared at her mother as she finished her little speech. The fifth year was an important one. She needed to do well in her O.W.L.s. She should not pick up any fights. She should be polite to the staff - Treasa had rolled her eyes at that - she was usually polite to the professors. After all, she wasn’t stupid.

Fortunately Rosemary had little time to accompany her daughter and didn’t even go with her to the platform. They said goodbye in the muggle area of King’s Cross Station and Treasa let out a sigh of relief when her mother vanished among the masses of people. She waited a moment to be sure that her mother would not turn around again before she pushed her trolley down to platform 9.

It was still rather early so she took her time to get to platform 9 ¾. It was always illuminating to watch other Hogwarts students turn up with their families, some looking excited, some sad to leave for school, some embarrassed by their parents’ behaviour. Treasa herself was rather looking forward to the new year although she did not like everything about Hogwarts. However, being away from her mother who tried so hard to fit in with the post-war society was a relief. Wasn’t this a free country? Weren’t they all allowed to have their own opinion on politics? She didn’t want to pretend to be someone she really wasn’t.

As she made it to platform 9 ¾, it was rather crowded and it was difficult to navigate her trolley through the families that clung together like siamese twins. She pulled her trunk off the trolley and heaved it into the train. She was not going to search for one of her few friends now. The trunk was heavy and she wanted to get a comfortable seat before she’d end up in an overly crowded compartment.

A man just left a compartment, looking proud and sad to leave his offspring behind. A brief glance into the compartment confirmed Treasa’s suspicion. The girl in there was clearly an incoming first year. How sweet. Treasa’s lips curved into what she deemed a friendly smile and she stepped in, pushing her trunk into a corner.

“Hello, you must be new to Hogwarts,” Treasa said, “What’s your name?” She stopped herself from asking two more important questions - what’s your blood status? and what’s your family’s history?. “I’m Treasa.”

As soon as she could no longer see her father waving from the platform, Sara opened the book she'd tucked into her little shoulder bag (Dad had repeatedly warned her not to open her trunk on the journey; the clasps were quite stiff she it wouldn't do for her to be unable to close it properly again) and settled back. Magical Theory wasn't everyone's idea of a good read, but Sara wanted to be sure she'd read at least the first couple of chapters of all her new books before classes began. She hadn't started this one yet, so now was the ideal opportunity to...

Someone opened her compartment and stepped in, without so much as a by-your-leave. Sara's lips pursed and her frown deepened, but this girl was clearly older than her, so she forced herself to look pleasant, forming an impression as the girl shoved her trunk into a corner. Weren't they allowed to do magic on the train, or was she so stupid she didn't know how yet? She has to be at least three years older than me, Sara thought as she took in the large, dumpy figure, pale face and ginger hair. Right now she wouldn't feel particularly charitable towards anyone who had interrupted her before she could read even the first page of her new book.

Then the girl spoke, and Sara felt a bit uncomfortable. This was the first Hogwarts-person she'd met, and someone older would be a good choice of friend. She closed her book and laid it carefully on the seat beside her.

"I'm Sara. Sara Lee" she said, looking up at the older girl and taking in her clothes (she looked like she came from a wizarding family, if her outfit was anything to go by) and wondering how she could make the best first impression. She suddenly had a whole list of questions she wanted to ask, but instead smiled her sweetest smile. "I'm going to be a first year, but it's fine if you don't want to talk to a kid like me. I'll be just fine reading my book." As she spoke, she gestured to the copy of Magical Theory
that she still held in one hand.

An eyebrow shot upwards as the girl who had introduced herself as Sara told her that she didn’t have to talk to her. Indeed, Treasa didn’t have to talk to the first year. She could find a different compartment, one with some of her classmates for example. However, there was little more intriguing than getting a first glimpse of the new arrivals.

“Magical Theory,” Treasa said, her lips curving into a smile. “Yeah, I can see how that’s more intriguing than chatting.” She was teasing and her voice clearly reflected that. Reading was one of Treasa’s hobbies and she liked history books and old wizarding novels. A book on magical theory, however, wasn’t exactly a subject that she’d choose for a long train ride.

“Are you from a wizarding family?” she asked as she sunk down on a seat that made a noise as though it was groaning because of her weight. “I suppose you know all about the houses at Hogwarts. What do you think, which one suits you?”

Treasa’s first impression of the girl was that she would either become a fellow Slytherin or maybe a Ravenclaw. Of course, she didn’t have a lot to go on yet, but the girl didn’t strike her as a Hufflepuff or Gryffindor which clearly spoke in her favour.

Sara let out an involuntary giggle. "I only meant if you have something more important to do" she said unnecessarily. As she spoke though, she glanced down at the book and put aside any feelings of frustration. She could always read some in bed tonight before she went to sleep. Or maybe even later on. They were going to be on this train all day, after all, and this could turn out to be more interesting.

"Oh yes. My Dad and I are both halfbloods. He works for Zhen and associates" she said promptly. Sara had heard about some students judging others on their blood status, and while such things didn't particularly bother her, she was both pleased that she could give that answer as well as feeling a little uncomfortable about her mother's muggle origins. It must have felt so weird getting on the Hogwarts express with absolutely no idea what to expect. Sara didn't follow that train of thought very far, though. She disliked thinking of that side of her family and besides, there were more interesting things to talk about.

"My parents were Ravenclaws..." she began thoughtfully, and then trailed off. Up until this moment Sara had sort of assumed she would be sorted into her father's house, and was happy with that. She certainly considered herself intelligent enough, and had enjoyed the description of the house tower, but now it came to it... what if she didn't end up there? How shameful would it be if she had to write home tonight and admit she'd been sorted into (whisper) Hufflepuff? She wasn't brave, so she wouldn't end up with a houseful of daredevils who cared more about running around breaking rules than actually achieving anything. But that left...

"I'd be happy with Ravenclaw or Slytherin" she said finally, and then, after a short pause, "What house are you..?"

Halfblood. Oh well, it could be worse. Technically she was a halfblood herself. Not a proud one, though. She would rather call herself not quite a pureblood than a halfblood, but that was nothing to discuss here. She was proud of her family even though the reputation in the magical world wasn’t ideal.

It didn’t go unnoticed that Sara hadn’t mentioned her mother’s bloodstatus. Treasa could already imagine that the little girl was ashamed of her heritage. Surely the mother was a mudblood or, even worse, a muggle. The latter would mean that the girl’s father had no standards… Mingling with muggles. Yuck.

Oh good. Sara went on and said that both her parents had been in Ravenclaw. So the mother was a mudblood. Disgusting enough, but not quite as bad as the father fraternising with muggles.

Sara said that she’d be happy with Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Clearly the little firstie had some taste at least. After Slytherin Ravenclaw was definitely the second best house.

“I’m a Slytherin,” Treasa said, straightening her back. She was proud of her house. “You know, the sorting ceremony is a very important moment of a young witch’s life. If the Sorting Hat fails you, your future might be ruined. If the Sorting Hat seems unsure where to put you, tell it what you want. You wouldn’t want to surround yourself with Gryffindorks or Fluffypuffs for the next seven years.”

Anxious to make a good impression, Sara sat up a little straighter. She really hoped that the older girl - Treasa - wasn't going to ask about her mother. She didn't want to talk about her, because then she'd have to mention the babies (as she thought of her half-siblings) and most people started talking in a gooey voice about what a great big sister she must be. It was revolting. Though actually, it was only adults who behaved like that. And she had a feeling that Treasa wasn't the sort of person who would talk in a gooey voice about anything, especially babies who were practically muggles.

She decided the best thing would be to let Treasa direct the conversation. So far, it seemed to be working.

"I know. Dad told me about it. My grandparents were in Ravenclaw too. He was really nervous in case he disappointed them and ended up in a different house. He said the hat decided where to put him really quickly, though." Then she fell silent, and thoughtful. This was the first Sara had heard about the possibility of being able to choose which house she ended up in. She giggled at the description of the other two houses, her hands curling into fists for a moment. When she looked back at Treasa, her expression was a curious one.

Now she thought about it, did she really want to be in Ravenclaw? It would be great to tell Dad, but being in a house where everyone was clever...wouldn't it be better to be with people who were ambitious enough to work hard to achieve their goals? And it wasn't as if he'd mind if she got sorted elsewhere, as long as she was happy - he'd said that often enough. "No. I definitely don't want that" she said with a grimace." Then something else occurred to her.

"Dad said you have to answer a riddle to get into the common room, and if you don't know it, you can't get in" she said thoughtfully. "Is that right, or was he just teasing?"