Split Personality

The Hogwarts Express-First Year

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-
        I reach over and turn off my alarm clock, blinking and trying to get the sleep out of my eyes. 'Why was my alarm going off again?' I think, 'There was something important going on today... OH!' I suddenly sit up as fast as humanely possible. Then I yell (very loud I might add), "I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS TODAY!!!!!"
        I'm not a morning person, and it always takes me forever to get ready, but today, filled with promises, I am ready, shower, clothes and all, and sitting downstairs, almost (note: almost) too nervous to eat my dad's famous buttermilk pancakes, all in ten minutes.
        After eating, I went upstairs to grab my trunk (I had packed it days ago) and Moondust's cage. I wait in the living room for Dad and Lanie, who was insisting that she had to go with us to King's Cross Station. She came bounding down the stairs just as my dad entered from the kitchen door.
        "All ready, I see?" my dad chuckles, "Let's get over to Emerson's to Floo to the station." I laughed silently to myself. My dad was already using magic terms like they were everyday words. We trekked over to Emerson's house a few doors down, and she threw open the door to let us in. I must admit, she looked very nice in the blue uniform for Beauxbatons.
        "Okay, so to use Floo powder you throw a pinch into the fireplace, yell out as clearly as possible where you want to go, then step into the flames, got it?" Emerson explained to Lanie, who hadn't gone with us when we used Floo powder the first time, giving a pointed look towards me when she said 'as clearly as possible.' I just rolled my eyes, took a pinch, threw it into the fire, then as I stepped into the flames I yelled, "KING'S CROSS STATION" I'm pretty sure it wasn't possible to be any more clear than I was, and I was rewarded by tumbling out of an old fireplace on the side of a building right next to the station. Almost automatically, Emerson came out behind her, pushing her over, then Dad, them Lanie. Once we had all gotten up and straightened ourselves out, we went into the station and got all of my things on a cart. I looked at my ticket. Platform 9 3/4? How in the world am I supposed to get on a platform like that?
        Emerson must've seen my bewildered look, because she laughed and led me over to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.
        "Here we are," she said, "Just take your cart and run at the wall right here." I looked at her like she was crazy. Run at a wall? Surely she was just making a joke, but her face was dead serious. "Go ahead then, we'll be right behind you," she gave me a little push, and before I could chicken out, I ran towards the wall, sure I would ram into it at any second. Then all of a sudden I was standing in front of a scarlet steam engine. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, and the wall behind him said Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. I smiled, then moved out of the way for the incoming people behind me, all the time thinking, 'If that's how you get to Platform 9 3/4, how do you get to Platform 9 1/2 or 91/4?' I giggled at the thought. My dad and Lanie suddenly walk through the barrier, their arms linked together with Emerson.
        "Okay," Emerson says, bending down to hug me, "I've got to be ready at twelve to go to Beauxbatons, but I hope you have a great year!"
        I hug her back as I say, "You too! Oh, and remember that even though you're not around Fred all the time there, you still can't cheat on him." She just rolls her eyes, and with one last wave goodbye she was gone back through the barrier.
        "Ready?" my dad has grabbed my trunk and handed it to me, letting me balance Moondust's cage on top of the trunk, and with one last goodbye I climbed on the train.
        About half way down the corridor I felt a large thump, and all of my stuff fell down. I looked up to see who had run into me. It was a boy with blonde hair that was almost white and a pale face that was looking at my fallen things with a look on his face that showed that he wasn't sure if he should smirk and make fun or apologize and help. He obviously chose smirk and make fun as he said, smirk already showing, "Watch where you're going. Hey, didn't I see you outside the train? You and your family were amazed at how you got to the platform. Muggleborn, I'm guessing?"
        This boy was obviously a jerk, so I simply bent down to collect my things without giving him the pleasure of replying. I was about to place my owl cage on top when I saw the boy holding it, staring at Moondust.
        "What are you doing?" I say, with more than a little hostility in my voice.
        He looked up, as if he were surprised to hear me speak, and casually replied, "I'm just looking at your owl here. She's quite beautiful, despite the patches."
        "Personally, I think it's the patches that make her beautiful," I shot back. How could he be so casual when he had knocked my stuff over and was holding my owl? "Now, if you'll excuse me Mr..."
        His smirk widened as he replied, "Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy," it seemed to me like that was the perfect name for someone like him. "And you would be..." he asked looking me in the eyes as he asked.
        "Westbrook. Scarlet Westbrook," I said mimicking his form of introducing himself.
        "Well, Ms.Westbrook, we'll be seeing each other again sometime, but goodbye for now," he said placing the owl cage on top of my trunk and handing it to me.
        "Goodbye, Mr.Malfoy," I replied already dreading the next time we met, which would no doubt be soon, and started making my way down the hall. As I looked out the window I realized the train was already moving, and the station was almost out of sight. Sighing, I made my way down the hall to a compartment that looked empty. As soon as I opened the door, though, I realized that Rose Weasley and Albus Potter were already there.
        "Sorry," I said, starting to back up, but quicker than I could protest, Rose darted up and grabbed Moondust, while Albus grabbed my trunk.
        "Please, come and sit with us, there's plenty of room," Rose said as she put up my trunk.
        "O-Okay," I replied as I sat down next to Rose, across from Albus.
        "So, are you nervous about what house you'll get, Scarlet?" Rose asks me, getting right down to business.
        "Umm... well, Emerson didn't explain the houses very well to me, so I'm not really sure," I admit.
        Albus and Rose both simply smile, then Rose starts to explain, "Your house is where you have your dorm, your classes, and your quidditch team with. They're like your Hogwarts family. There are four, one for each of the founders of Hogwarts. Ravenclaw, the smart bunch, though my mom was the best in her class, and she was in Gryffindor, that's the house that my whole family was in actually, it's full of daredevils, Hufflepuff is another one, all the people in that one are softhearted, not that that's a bad thing, oh, and Slytherin...people say it's the worst house, and only evil people get in there, but I think the cunning do too, so they can't all be evil..." she trailed off when she saw my smile. "What?"
        "Oh," I say, smile still set on my face, "sorry, but I was just testing you to see if you were as smart as I guessed you were. I read all of the course books in advance, as well as some of the extra ones Emerson gave me, I know all about the houses, but you summed them up pretty well," I ended with an even bigger smile stretching across my face.
        Rose looked at me curiously at first, then shrugged and gave me a small smile of her own, saying, "Okay, but what house do you think you'll get?"
        "I don't really know," I reply, my smile gone, and my forehead crinkled in thought, "I know I won't be Hufflepuff, I'm not soft enough for that. As for the others... I really don't think I'll fit into Gryffindor, and I'm kind of hoping that I don't get Slytherin, even if I don't believe that everyone is evil in there either, Rose, and Ravenclaw seems nice, I just hope I'm smart enough."
        "Speak for yourself," Albus suddenly says, after being quiet all this time, "I don't think I could live with myself if I got Slytherin."
        "Oh come on Al, it's not that bad," Rose replies rolling her eyes, "Enough talk about houses, you missed the sweet train Scarlet, so help yourself to what we bought," she gestures to the large pile of candy next to her.
        "Thank you," I say with a smile. I'm familiar with the candy because Emerson had given me some to try. "Do you have any chocolate frogs?" I ask, shifting through the pile.
        "Rose insisted we buy some, even though my collection's finished, and she isn't a fan of the chocolate," Albus mutters as he eats a pumpkin pasty.
        I eagerly reach forward and grab as many as I can, as I just started my collection, but they were fascinating, even when I got two of the same ones. I loved the chocolate too.
        After awhile, Rose asked Albus to excuse himself so we could change into their robes. After we were all changed, we heard an announcement about leaving luggage on the train, then felt the train stop.
        As I stepped off the train I saw a very large man that started to call, "Firs' years over here!"
        "There's Hagrid," Rose says as she makes her way to him.
        "Okay, 'ere we go, yeh'll get your first look at Hogwarts in a sec, ah! 'Ere we go," Hagrid says as we round a bend, getting my first look at Hogwarts. The sight takes my breath away. The castle is probably one of the most beautiful yet strange things I'd ever seen. Hagrid's booming voice shakes me from my daze, "No more than four to a boat!"
        Albus, Rose and I all climb in a boat. Right before the boats take off I feel the boat move a bit, and look over to see none other than Scorpius Malfoy sitting next to me. I'm too busy avoiding him and explaining to Rose and Albus what happened on the train (to which Rose replied, "If there ever was a Slytherin, that boy fits the bill," earning appreciative laughter from Albus and I) during the boat ride to notice much, but then we're getting out of the boat and heading onto dry land. I start to worry about being separated from Rose and Albus. They were my only friends here so far, and without them... I had to stop myself from totally going crazy, but I wasn't doing that great of a job. By the time we reach the front door, I'm too nervous to think. My last thought before Hagrid pounds on the door is, "Everything's going to be okay," but I don't think that I convinced myself.