"Blackwood, Maeve!"
Bracing myself calmly, I walked over to the stool and sat down nervously. The hat was placed on my head, and I heard it mumble to itself but also to...me? I couldn't tell.
'Ah, a Blackwood. That should be simple enough... Oh? But what do I see here? A plethora of empathy, a true, loyal friend...'
What does this mean? Aren't those Hufflepuff traits? But I can't be a Hufflepuff, can I?
Apparently, the hat could hear my thoughts because it answered me directly in my ears. I was painfully unaware whether the other students could hear what it was saying or not.
'Ah, yes. Of course, you Blackwoods have a legacy to uphold. And I do see this strong ambition inside of you, this thirst to prove yourself... But don't you agree that it is time to break that tradition and explore those notable qualities instead?'
No, I really can't care about that! I'm supposed to be in Slytherin! I have to!
'Very well then.'
"SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherins at the table on my right were cheering as Professor McGonagall picked up the hat from my head, and I promptly made my way over to my new housemates.
"Welcome home, Maeve."
When I sat down, I was greeted by my brother, Aiden, surrounded by his friends. I was never fully acquainted with them, but I knew their names were Miles Bletchley and Adrianne Pucey.
"Er — thanks, I guess," was all I could think of saying.
"Bulstrode, Millicent!" McGonagall called another student.
"Merlin, you two really do look alike," Aiden's friend with the lightest hair colour pointed out. He was scrutinizing me and Aiden's faces. I assumed he was Miles.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Many of the Slytherins cheered, but not my brother and his two friends; they were too busy talking to me — or about me? I couldn't be sure.
"Well, of course, we look alike," Aiden retorted as Millicent Bulstrode plumped herself on the seat next to mine. "We're siblings."
I waved at the new addition to our house, but the brunette raised an eyebrow at me and spun around to observe the sorting, clearly uninterested in meeting me.
"Yeah, but many siblings don't really look alike," Aiden's other friend expanded. She had light skin, black hair tied into two long french braids, and bright blue eyes. "You two are almost exactly the same."
I supposed I agreed with her. Aiden and I did share many similar physical traits apart from the obvious fact that we were of the opposite gender.
For instance, we shared our mother's dark and curly hair (although hers is much kinkier than ours) and a lighter version of her deep cocoa skin. We also had our father's light brown eyes and round chin. The only significant difference was that my nose was daintier than my brother's, and I had got longer eyelashes. Then there's also the fact that he will probably grow a jawline and facial hair eventually, but we did look very much alike.
"I suppose that's a little true," Aiden responded shortly after looking at my face for a hot minute.
Vincent Crabbe was called and sorted into Slytherin house, and Aiden wasn't very pleased about that ("How can this booger-head be sorted into Slytherin house? He has no ambition!" he complained.) Vincent was one of Draco's friends. Aiden and I were merely acquainted with him, but we knew that he and Gregory Goyle were completely dimwitted. Regardless, the other Slytherins cheered as Crabbe walked over and sat at the table.
"Hey, Maeve, do you know my name?" my brother's friend asked. He had hazel eyes, dirty blonde hair and a skinny-looking face.
"Er — you're Miles Bletchley," I answered uncertainly. My brother mentioned his friends several times, but he never described their physical appearance.
He raised his eyebrows at my brother, and they exchanged a smile. He then turned back to me and said, "Well said. That is, in fact, my name."
"Davis, Tracey!"
"So, you're Adrianne Pucey?" I asked the other friend who was the one with the black hair. "The one who plays quidditch seriously," I added before she could respond. At that, she nodded, smirking arrogantly at Miles.
"Call me Adri," she said, looking away from Miles' envious gaze.
"SLYTHERIN!"
We cheered as an onyx-skinned girl with kinky, ebony-black hair and dark eyes excitedly sat at the Slytherin table next to Millicent Bulstrode. We smiled and waved at each other but didn't acquaint ourselves. She turned around to look at the sorting.
Gregory Goyle and Daphne Greengrass were later placed into Slytherin as well. Daphne Greengrass had straight blonde hair (held back with two green bobby pins on one side), a pale pinkish face, and bright green eyes.
"Hey," she greeted coyly, waving at my brother and his friends (but mostly at my brother for some reason), who raised their eyebrows at her, unimpressed, but waved back nonetheless.
"Did Aiden tell you that I didn't play quidditch seriously?" Miles Bletchley asked suddenly. Apparently, he had been mulling over that for the past ten minutes.
"Well, he just said that Adrianne—"
"Adri, please."
"Right, that Adri was more serious about having a quidditch career than you were."
Aiden laughed in his hands, and Adri smirked once again.
"Wow, really?" Miles shook his head in disapproval at my brother. "For the record, Maeve, I am serious about quidditch,"
"Yet you couldn't get a spot on the quidditch team last year," Aiden teased. Miles rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Yeah, well, last year — last year, I was like, twelve," Miles insisted. "I'm thirteen now!"
"Clearly, adolescence hit you like a train," Adri piped in. She and Aiden burst into quiet laughter, whilst I smiled awkwardly. Miles was much smaller than his classmates. He looked a lot more like a first-year student than a third-year student.
"Oh, shut up, guys... My mum says I'm just a late bloomer."
"Malfoy, Draco!"
My childhood friend swaggered to the stool. Unsurprisingly, the hat barely touched his head, and he was already sorted into—
"SLYTHERIN!"
The Malfoys had a great reputation, especially in Slytherin house, so Draco was greeted with a considerable amount of cheers compared to everyone else sorted into Slytherin house.
Draco Malfoy proudly carried himself to the Slytherin table and pompously sat between Crabbe and Goyle, diagonally across from where I sat.
"Hey, Malfoy," Aiden greeted him. Draco nodded briefly at my brother before turning back to the two goons surrounding him.
Crabbe and Goyle were almost twice Malfoy's size, yet we could immediately tell which of the three was the leader. And he had that same pompous smirk that he always carried around.
I had always known these two goons. The Malfoys hosted a Yule Ball annually between relatives and close friends. My mother was Narcissa Malfoy's (Née Black) closest friend since Hogwarts, where they met. So naturally, we were invited every year, and that was where we met Crabbe and Goyle, amongst others.
Narcissa Malfoy was sort of like a second mother to us now. Both my parents worked at the potion shop during the week, so Narcissa took care of us during their absences. That was how Draco, Aiden and I had gotten so close, although it was usually just Draco and me.
Aiden tended to retreat into the music room to play the piano. Our mother had taught us both, but Aiden was a lot more interested. He was also older and has learned much more than I had. He could play very beautifully, though he would get shy if you entered the room while he played. Draco and I would listen outside the door.
"Potter, Harry!"
Students whispered across the Great Hall. A famous boy who survived a killing curse by the Dark Lord was attending Hogwarts this year. I was lucky to be in the same year as him, coincidentally. Perhaps I could be friends with him. Unlike Draco, I knew insulting people wasn't the best approach to leaving a great first impression.
"I hope he gets Slytherin," I said, knowing that it'd be easier to befriend him if that were the case.
"Don't be so hopeful, Maeve," Draco chimed in. "He's friends with a Weasley blood traitor."
I didn't know what I was supposed to say to that. I had never really known what to think of blood status. On the one hand, half of my family would tell me that muggleborns are too ignorant and weak to be considered true wizards, but on the other hand, the other half would tell me that blood status didn't matter and that anyone could achieve great things no matter what. I still didn't know what to believe.
Draco and his family were very hung up on blood status. Pure-blooded wizards who approved of muggles and muggleborns were labelled "blood traitors" by magical folks like the Malfoys. And so, I had grown to never contradict them, not wanting to raise any conflict. Besides, I was neutral on the topic, so I didn't see the point in throwing away a decade of friendship over that.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"I knew it," Draco mumbled as the Gryffindors cheered like crazy.
Some Gryffindor ginger twins were chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" When the cheering died down, McGonagall resumed the Sorting.
"Hey, actually," Miles began, grabbing our attention. He had a playful grin plastered on his face. "Adri and Maeve look alike, too... You two could pass as sisters."
"Huh? I don't see it... at all..."I said, an eyebrow perking up. I knew that Miles was kidding, but for some reason, my automatic response was to take him seriously.
"Oh, yeah, I totally see it!" Aiden said sarcastically.
"I mean, apart from differences in skin colour, hairstyle, eye colour, nose, lips, and general face shape, you guys absolutely look like sisters!" Miles added, beaming excitedly. I shook my head and laughed.
"Oh, yeah, apart from literally every facial feature we have, we look nearly exactly the same!" Adri piped in sarcastically. But then, she suddenly looked seriously at Miles and asked, "Miles, are you high?"
"Are you scared of being remotely related to me, Pucey?" Aiden asked her, smirking. I suddenly noticed the double entendre and held back a snort to avoid sounding rude.
"No, I don't care," she said, crossing her arms. "Maybe then, you'll stop fancying me."
"I don't fancy you—!"
"Oh, come on, guys, we all know that incest is quite common in the wizarding world," Miles interjected.
"Only for weird families like the Malfoys," Adri responded. Malfoy wasn't paying attention, so I didn't hide my laughter.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Blaise Zabini was the last student to be sorted. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.
Albus Dumbledore, whom I knew was the school's headmaster, got to his feet. He was beaming at the mob of students. His arms were wide open as if our presence was the only thing that could have pleased him.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Draco and I exchanged a baffled look.
"Is he always like that?" I asked my brother and his friends. Miles and Aiden were whispering something to each other, so they didn't hear me, leaving Adrianne to answer.
"Yeah, I mean, it takes a little madness to achieve such brilliance, doesn't it?" she said thoughtfully.
"Yes, I suppose that's true..."
The golden plates on every table were now completely filled with all sorts of food. So much had occurred since the last time I had eaten that I hadn't noticed how starved I was until now. And so, I made sure to grab as much food as possible on my plate. Daphne Greengrass grimaced at me. I guess I didn't look very poised when I stuffed my plate and face.
"Do you ever gasp for air between those nasty bites?" she sneered. I rolled my eyes as I struggled to swallow quickly so that I could respond.
"Well, at least I'm eating," I pointed at her empty plate. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Not really. I ate on the train," she replied.
"Are you sure? I mean, those chicken wings are more than excellent," I insisted, moving one around tauntingly.
"No, I said I wasn't hungry!"
"Alright. Your loss, I suppose."
The feast was jaw-droppingly delicious, to say the least. I ate many different types of meat: chicken wings, turkey breast, pork belly, beef flank, lamb loin, and jellied eel. Malfoy snidely commented on how carnivorous I was, so I responded by stuffing my face with vegetable salad.
Once we reached dessert time, my stomach was begging me to stop eating, and I truly wanted to listen to it, but all I could quite literally see were assortments of cake, pie, and pudding. And before I knew it, the feast was over, and I was hit with a food coma.
The Slytherin Head Prefect called first-year students to follow him, and we all filed in a line behind him.
The Slytherin common room was in the dungeons. Immediately when we descended the stairs, I felt a temperature difference. We, first years, were quiet as the Head Prefect guided us to the common room.
After his little introduction speech about Slytherins being like brothers to each other — I missed most of it because of how sleepy I was (food coma, you know?) — they finally showed us to our dorms. The boys dorms were on the left whilst the girl's dorms were on the right. There were five beds in the dormitory for the five first-year girls in Slytherin house: Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis, and me, Maeve Blackwood.
I was not fully acquainted with these girls, except for Daphne, whom I had known since we were kids (Malfoy Yule). However, I was curious to know more about them and perhaps even become their friend.
None of us spoke much before going off to bed. We all craved some sleep, so we each chose a bed and made ourselves comfortable. After mumbling a "good night" to everyone, my eyes closed, and I drifted off to sleep.