my slytherin

first year

I'm just so proud of you, sweetie..." my mother sobbed, wiping a curl away from my forehead. "Promise you will write me and tell me everything about the new school. No detail spared. And take as many photographs as you can."

"I promise mum. Wait for my owl," she gave me a tight hug, so tight I could hardly take a breath.

 It had only been two months since we found out that I was a witch. When professor McGonagall first brought me my admission letter for Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry it was hard for them to think that this was not a prank or a joke. Soon they had to believe the facts and started wanting to know all about the strange world that was waiting for me.

Especially mum, she was now fascinated by the idea. What is a wand? And what is that creature on that book Professor McGonagall gave you? Are there any pictures of Hogwarts? Dad on the other hand, was more worried than proud. He found it hard to accept that I was to live away from them for a long time. However, he always wanted to best for me and later grew to love the idea of a new, magical life.

"We love you, honey." Dad hugged me, too.

"I love you, too." I kissed them both and got on the train, waving at them.

This would be a brand new start for me. No more being teased by kids at school. I would be with the ones that are like me. Nothing about me would be strange or odd.

It was terrible going to a school in which I felt so different. Even though the other students didn't know that I was a witch they were always so... nervous when I was around.

There was a scary aura about me; that, along with small incidents that only now made sense; a bully that fell down by himself, a broken window when I was angry, the water that slashed to a mean girl's face while she was standing next to a water stand. All these incidents went back to as far as I could remember. Most of the times I would end up thinking it was just my imagination going wild and so would my parents when I'd tell them. And that's because all these facts are explained by something that can't be controlled by ordinary people. Magic. Because what is in front of our eyes can't always be seen. The closer you look, the less you see.

The fact that I was a straight A's student didn't help much with my social life, since that made all my classmates jealous. They always called me the teacher's pet.  The rest of the girls spent their school breaks braiding each other's hair while I would stay in the classroom reading a book or something similar to that nature.  

after two months of realising how different I was, my parents were waving back as the train door was closing behind me. I took a good look at them, I remember. A long and straight one, knowing that I would wait until Christmas to see them again.

I walked through the corridors searching for a seat. Almost every seat was already taken. Only one was free and that was next to a lonely with a book folded in her hands. Having a book in your hands is always something that attracts me. When I see someone carrying one I know that he's the same as I am. The girl was pure blond, with her hair loosely falling in delicate curls. She had this innocent look in her eyes. "Hello, there..." she said with a dreamy gaze when I sat beside her. "My name is Luna. Luna Lovegood."

"rosae. rosae periwel. Nice to meet you." We shook hands. "What are you reading?" I said and took a look at the purple look on her hands. It seemed tatty and old with a wizard's hat on it.

"Fifty Tales of Great Wizards," she answered. "It basically shorts stories for the most famous wizards of all times... Merlin, Bagshot, Dumbledore..."

"I haven't read it. But I am fascinated about history."

"Is this your first year?" she asked.

"Scarily enough. It would be easier, if I knew anything about magic. I mean, I read some books during the time that I've known I am a witch but nothing more than that. There is only so much that theory can teach you."

Luna and I continued chit-chatting. I found her so funny, kind, crazy and smart at the same time and we couldn't stop talking. Her father is a wizard, too and she hadn't ever met a world without magic so she wanted to know all about the "muggles" as she called them. 

It was a long ride to Hogwarts and I felt tired at some point, but who can feel tired when one had a castle waiting for them. '' I am very interested to see in which house we'll be..." said Luna as we were walking up the stairs that were leading to the Great Hall. She had explained everything about the sorting during our ride, except for what each house stood for. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I have no idea. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the man that was making our trunks fly before we got into the boats," I answered.

Luna was about to answer when a cold voice interrupted.

"It's true then what they were saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." At once the stairs were filled with whispers. 'Harry Potter..?' they were asking. 'Can it be?'.

"Hey, Luna, who is Harry Potter?" It sounded like I was the only one who didn't know who he was and I regretted asking when I felt some eyes staring at me.

"You don't know who Harry Potter is?" There was no doubt that he was a famous boy or something...

For some reason, I couldn't keep up with Luna's answer. I was distracted by the much louder voice that was coming from the top of the stairs.

"This is Crabbe and Goyle."

The first thing I noticed about him was his loneliness. I don't know why I knew this but I found it written all over his face. Then, his eyes. They had a cold gray color with a blue-ish tone on them.

"And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," he said to a boy with glasses. He must be the famous Harry Potter. I couldn't hear what they were saying, I was far behind. The only thing I could tell that Draco was insulting Harry's red haired friend like he had done something wrong.

I looked deep into the boy's eyes. There was no need to think about it much, Draco Malfoy was a total bully. He had this grin in his look that you can easily find, if you go for a walk at my old school's cafeteria. But I looked deeper in his eyes, and deeper, and deeper. My God this boy went through some things... i knew he was lonely but, he's hurting, so much that he feels the need to make others feel that way too.

"Hey rosae, can you hear me?" Luna asked.

"Sorry Luna. What were you saying?" I said and came back from my daydreaming even though it was hard for me to take my eyes off Draco's.

"Harry Potter is the only person that survived by... You Know Who." She didn't help me at all with this answer.

"No, sorry. I don't know who," I answered.

Luna let out a sweet giggle. "No, no, no. That's the way we call him."

"Doesn't he have a name?"

"We don't say what his real name is," she whispered.

"Why not?" I asked.

"He is the darkest wizard in the whole world. No one survived, if someone crossed him. Harry Potter is the only one who did. He is the Boy Who Lived." The truth is that now I could recall some kids calling his name on the train.

"Oh, I really have to get a good history book in my hands..." It was true, I had spent a summer studying about potions, spells and magical creatures. I knew how wizards wrote, dressed, traveled and lived. Why didn't it occur to me to buy a book on the history of the magical world or at least Hogwarts?

The conversation left us with a lump on our throats as professor McGonagall was escorting us to the Great hall.

In the Great Hall there were four long tables set, I supposed each of them represented each house. I could also see that on each table the students were wearing different tie colors. I could notice green, blue, red-orange and yellow ties. In the far end of the hall I could see a long wooden table where the professors were sitting. Of course, the headmaster was sitting in the middle.

We walked through the middle corridor between the four house-tables. I also noticed that McGonagall was holding a parchment, probably with our names on it.

"When I call your name you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger." McGonagall called the first name after unfolding the parchment. A girl with fussy, curly hair and a smart face came forth, a bit scared as I could tell, and sat in a small chair. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head and... the hat spoke. Luna hadn't prepared me for this.

"Hm, right then, hm... Right, okay. Gryffindor!" it said. Hermione stood and went in the Gryffindor table. All kids were cheering and clapping.

"rosae, periwel."