Drops of Juniper (Discontinued, Rewrite On My Profile)

Chapter 1: A Train Ride, A Hat, and A Change of Fate

Juniper's POV: Kings Cross Station

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked my best friend Kara.

"I'm positive Juniper, I worked out all the details with Albus weeks ago" She answered. I'd known Kara since my first year at Ilvermorny. She had been a Thunderbird and I a Pukwudgie. She was slightly taller than me and had sangria-coloured hair to her waist. Her most noticeable trait, however, was magnificent green eyes that seemed to glow.

"I don't understand how hiding at a school with children will help" I complained.

"Hogwarts is one of the safest places on Earth, that's why" Kara answered, giving me an annoyed look. We had crossed the barrier now and a large red train sat in front of us, steam streaming from its chimney.

We boarded together and found an empty train compartment, and struggled with getting our trunks onto the rack over the seats. Kara sat opposite me and a few moments later we watched as Kings Cross station slowly began to fade from view. The bustling city of London transformed into the quiet and bare countryside.

"Everything will be okay Juniper, I promise, where we're going we'll be safe" Kara said not breaking her gaze from the window. I nodded, I had begun to feel drowsy and eventually fell asleep to the sound of the train chugging along its tracks.

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I was awakened when the train suddenly became full of excited chatter, the train had stopped, and students had begun disembarking. I sat up, groggy and sore from my uncomfortable sleeping position; I looked at Kara who smiled at me.

"Well Juni, we're here," she said getting up from her seat and helping me pull our trunks down from the rack. It was now dark out, I silently wondered to myself how long I had been asleep.

Stepping off the train, I took in my surroundings; a bench on the train platform read "Hogsmeade", and a man standing roughly 8ft tall with bushy black hair and bearing a beard to match, was directing students with a booming but kind voice.

"First 'ears this way!" I heard him say above the crowd of chattering. I stood there, unsure of where to go, Kara gently grabbed my arm and turned me toward carriages pulled by themselves. We got into one of the carriages and let them carry us to Hogwarts, looking out at the landscape in silence. This was a big change for both of us, leaving our lives behind and starting completely from scratch. In a high school no less, which was risky for everyone involved, but Albus had promised us safety; we just had to blend in.

Eventually, the carriages stopped, Kara helped me out, and I looked up at a magnificent castle, its towers brushing the sky. I took a deep breath mesmerized by its beauty. Ilvermorny wasn't this beautiful, I had never seen a school quite like this one.

"Magnificant, isn't it?" Kara asked; I could only nod as she steered me towards the entrance, holding on to my wrist.

Once inside, we made our way to the front of a grand staircase. Kara stopped me in front of it and gave me a look that said 'wait'. After a few moments, an older-looking woman wearing green robes and a big black pointed hat stood at the top of the staircase. I looked back at the crowd I was standing among and realised most of them were children, this was getting weird. The sound of the witch clearing her throat drew me away from my thoughts.

"Your attention, please," she half-shouted, she had a very stern look on her face: "Good evening, I am Minerva McGonagall, in a few moments, you will come through these doors to the Great Hall where you will be sorted; there are four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Once you are sorted, you will take a seat with the rest of your house; now please follow me" I followed Kara into the Great Hall. Anxiety slowly crept up on me.

We walked into a huge room with four long tables packed with students. The group stopped in front of a platform; on it was a stool and an old worn-looking hat; behind it was another long table where the teachers sat. McGonagall began reading names off a very long list, and as I waited for my name to be called, I looked up at the ceiling, which was enchanted to mimic the night sky with over a thousand candles floating in mid-air. It was breathtaking.

Finally, after all the first years had been sorted, she called my name, "Bane, Juniper" I walked up to the stool, my nerves now amplified, my hands had gotten suddenly very clammy, and I was very aware of the hundreds of eyes that were staring at me. McGonagall smiled at me and placed the hat on my head; although I'd seen many of the first years do it already, its voice startled me.

"Hmmm," it thought I could put you almost anywhere, brave, clever, loyal, but you have a desire for power as well" it paused; my heart was almost in my throat "however, it better be" there was another pause "Hufflepuff!" it yelled out. The Hufflepuff table erupted in applause and whistles, I smiled shyly, I was hoping for Slytherin, and I exited the platform heading for the Hufflepuff table. Kara was called next, she sat down on the stool with more confidence than I ever had. The Sorting Hat had barely touched her head when it shouted:

"Slytherin!" the Slytherins in response made a ruckus about it. I was one of the few Hufflepuffs clapping for her.

The man sitting in the middle of the table stood up, he wore long grey robes and half-moon glasses, the hall became silent at his presence.

"Now before the feast, I have some announcements, first I'd like to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Mister Remus Lupin" there was a lot of clapping as Lupin stood up and gave a slight bow, next to him was a teacher dressed entirely in black, with shoulder-length black hair he was not clapping and instead was staring at Lupin with a look of distaste. I stared at him, the man's voice droning on in the background, we made brief eye contact until I quickly looked away. His eyes were intimidating and held an unpleasantness to them, but there was something about him that I felt drawn to. I turned to the boy next to me.

"Who is that?" I asked him

"Professor Snape, he teaches potions, but he's honestly a git, he's unfair and rude." The boy replied, as he finished the sentence the table suddenly filled with food. I filled my plate with a little bit of everything, the thought of the Potions Professor slipping from my mind as quickly as he entered. I was starving! I don't even remember the last time I had food this good. I had two helpings of everything.

After the feast had ended, I found Kara among the sea of students. She gave me a warm smile when she saw me.

"So? Not as bad as you thought huh?" she asked slyly.

I nodded in response "Which one was Albus?" I asked her quietly. I had no idea who he was as I had never met him. It was Kara who had done all the planning, it was Kara who found us this safe haven. I felt a tinge of guilt that Serenity and Sapphire had to stay behind, but they knew it was for the best. They promised to communicate by owl, but I missed their presence.

Kara laughed at my question, "The man who did the speech obviously."

"And the man in black is Snape right?" I asked, trying to make myself seem uninterested.

Kara knitted her brows together and gave me a look "Yes, he's my head of house" she answered slowly. I nodded back at her, and a wave of butterflies seemed to take over my stomach. We split up at the bottom of the stairs, her heading to the dungeons and I to a portrait near the kitchens.

"Goodnight Juni! See you tomorrow morning!" she said cheerily. I gave her a quick hug and bid her goodnight following the rest of the Hufflepuffs to our common room.

The doors in the common room were round, and everything was bright and cheery. The decorations included the Hufflepuff crest and an assortment of yellow and black. Plants nearly covered the entire room and some suspended midair. I would've spent more time looking around  but my train nap hadn't sufficed and I was exhausted. I followed a handful of girls up stairs leading to the round door on the right side of the room. My trunk had already been brought up and I took the bed it lay in front of, I flicked my wand and closed the bed curtains. Allowing to fall into a semi peaceful sleep, anxious about what the future held.