The Lies We Tell Ourselves (A Harry Potter Crossover)

In Which the Brits Put a Damper on Things

I crashed in my bed face down, boots still firmly laced on my feet, before I even got a chance to say hello to the five other girls with whom I shared a room. Luckily enough, Hermione managed to nudge me awake in time for breakfast.

I slouched out of bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and glancing at the other girls who were getting dressed. A trunk had either appeared at the end of my bed in the night or been there when I had arrived and I was just hopefully oblivious to its existence. It was large and done up in dark brown leather with big buckles, similar to the trunks at the end of the other girls' beds. I opened it to reveal a neat stack of books to the left, an assortment of sweaters, skirts, ties, and shirts to the right. A pocket above it held a roll of parchment with a red wax seal holding it closed. I broke the seal with my thumb and out tumbled a wand that stuck in between the books and the clothes.

Maximum,

I hope you had a lovely trip to Hogwarts. The Hogwarts scholarship board have extended their generosity to buy you and your Flock's supplies for this coming school year. Enclosed should be a wand that will suit you until you are ready to find your own. Please wear the robes with the house tie or you will be in violation of dress code. Your class schedule is in your book Hogwarts, A History and is identical to other girls' schedules in your year. Enjoy breakfast!

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

I pawed through the clothes, picking out a not-so-hideous grey sweater, tie, and a shirt with which to wear it. The skirt I was apprehensive about, but there weren't any pants in here, so I pulled it on anyway along with the long black robes with a Gryffindor crest embroidered over the heart. The brogues didn't fit, so I kept my combat boots on and scrunched down the grey knee socks.

There, I thought, inspecting my handiwork. That looks better.

The other girls had left by now, so I grabbed my schedule and stuffed it in the waistband of my skirt, as these useless robes didn't have any pockets, and dashed out the door, closing it behind me. Unfortunately, someone else had a similar idea and we bumped right into each other, landing on the floor.

"McGonagall isn't going to let you keep those boots," the girl laughed, her stick straight red hair flopping in front of her ear. "She's a stickler for dress code and would despise anything that makes our uniform look cool in the slightest."

"Well I had to do something to improve this getup." I stood up, brushing myself off. I held my hand out to help the other girl up. "I'm Max."

She took it. "Ginny Weasley, nice to meet you. Want to go get breakfast?"

"Sure," I said. "I was going to need help to get there anyway. Those stairs are an impossible maze."

"Not used to the enchantments, huh?" Ginny asked as we walked down the stairs. "Then this term should be fun. You have N.E.W.T.S to pass."

"I have to pass a gross amphibian?" I asked, confused.

"No," Ginny shook her head and chuckled. "They're a sort of standardized testing. That's what you call them in America, yeah? They see if you're ready to pick a profession yet."

"Cool, but I'm new to all of this business, so I don't think I'll fit into the frame of magical tax broker." We walked out of the Gryffindor common room and into the bustle of students. I could see Nudge a few flights down, waiting for the staircase to connect. She was talking and laughing with her friends, the other girls in her year touching her hair as she yammered on about something (probably which shampoo she uses). I was glad to see that she was fitting in with the other girls in her grade instead of sitting like a leper in the corner. She looked up and waved at me with a bright, wide smile. I returned the wave.