The short life of Kyrah Swanson

Chapter 3 | Year One

     Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she explained.

     "Andrews, Michael!" 

     A small boy walked forwards Professor McGonagall dropped the hat on his head, but the hat being so large slipped over his eyes, a moment of silence passed before the hat yelled out audibly "RAVENCLAW!" the table at the far left side of the Great Hall burst out into applause.

     "Black, Sirius!" Kyrah looked at her cousin encouragingly as he walked to the chair, and with great effort he smiled back at Kyrah, "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled, as Professor McGonagall took the hat off, Kyrah saw Sirius face and she was surprised to see a huge grin on his face, he looked over at her and gave her a small wink. As the table in the middle erupted into louder applause.

     "Brown, Beatrice!" 

     "SLYTHERIN!" looking back at her friend she saw a shocked expression on Beatrice face as she made her way over to the right side of the hall, "No!" Alice moaned next to Kyrah.

     "Evans, Lily!" 

     "GRYFFINDOR!"

     "Finnigan, Tom!" 

     "HUFFLEPUFF!"

     "Lupin, Remus!" 

     "GRYFFINDOR!" He passed by Kyrah and he looked very tired, making a mental note to ask Sirius about his new friend and why he looked sickly she averted her eyes back to the sorting.

     "McKinnon, Marlene!" 

     "GRYFFINDOR!"

     "Nicholson, Alex!" 

     "HUFFLEPUFF!"

     "Pettergrew, Peter!" 

     A small plumb boy with mousy hair struggled out of the crowd of first years up towards the chair, he scrambled into the chair and gave everyone a watery look as the sorting hat slipped over his eyes. Everybody was silently waiting for the hat to call out a house name, but the hat was rather quiet. Professor McGonagall stood there awkwardly looking at the boy in the chair and then back towards the professors table, she was just about to reach for the hat when its brim open and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" the Gryffindor table applauded but with less enthusiasm than they did for the other first years.

     "Podmore, Alice!" 

     "GRYFFINDOR!"

     "Potter, James!" 

     "GRYFFINDOR!"

     "Regal, Megan!" 

     "RAVENCLAW!"

     "Swanson, Kyrah!" looking up at Professor McGonagall when she heard her name, Kyrah felt oddly ill. As she walked up towards the hat and she felt all the eyes on her back, burning her, Kyrah sat down and closed her eyes shut so as not to see all the eyes looking up at her.

     Professor McGonagall slipped the hat over Kyrah's head and it covered her eyes. A small voice spoke from inside the hat, "My, my! You are a clever one aren't you?" it whispered in Kyrah's ear 'Not Hufflepuff" she thought desperately.

     "Not Hufflepuff ey? But they are loyal and trustworthy, but maybe you have a few secrets so no, well plenty of courage you have but I see a great ambition in you, dark but great. Yes... yes... I see it now, how could anyone have guessed it though? I know where you should go..."

     She held her breath as the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" the table in the far right corner erupted in a loud applause as Kyrah handed Professor McGonagall the hat back and walk towards Beatrice. Chancing a glance toward Sirius, she saw on his face just as much shock as she felt. She sat down trying to listen as the sorting continued. "You have a great ambition in you, dark but great." the hat had whispered, Kyrah suppressed a shudder and tried pushing the hat's words out of her mind.

     "Snape, Severus!" 

     "SLYTHERIN!"

     When the sorting was over, a professor with a long white beard got up and all the students fell silent listening to the professor, "Well a new year at Hogwarts! Now before the feast begins, I need you all to listen to the start of term rules." He smiled down at us, "First rule, nobody is allowed near the Forbidden Forest, hence the name forbidden. Second rule, no spells are allowed to be performed in the corridors. Third rule, tug in!" he clapped his hands together and Trixie snorted, "What a nutter!"

     Kyrah turned back towards the table and saw that it was now laden with food, Kyrah never realized how hungry she was until she saw the food. After the pudding vanished Professor Dumbledore got up again, "Prefects!" and the older students got up from the tables.

     "First years with me!" yelled a muscular boy with white blond hair, "Follow me or sleep in the corridor, either way I don't really care." He smirked at the group of first years. "Now you are in the noble house of Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the four! So don't get lost in the dungeons and don't forget the password."

    He assured them off into a dark lit corridor in the dungeons, at a solid brick wall he stopped and said, "Parselmouth." The bricks slid away to reveal a common room with luxurious chairs and a fire burning in the hearth.

     "Boys dormitories are on the left side, Girls yours are on the right-side. You can go up to your rooms, your luggage has been brought up." And with that he walked away. Looking over at Beatrice and shrugging they followed the girls to the dormitories.

     Beatrice and Kyrah shared a room with three other girls; they sat up that night talking about their parentage which was apparently a big deal here in Slytherin. Beatrice was an odd case since she was a Muggleborn it was none heard off for her to be in Slytherin. The other three girls quickly made it clear that they didn't like her blood status and when they turned to Kyrah, she smiled at Bea's sad face.

     "Sorry girls I'm half-blood so I'm a disgrace too." she said smirking and the other three climbed into bed without a further word to either Kyrah or Beatrice. Before drifting off to sleep Beatrice whispered "Thank you." And that made Kyrah smile, because from that day on they were the best of friends.