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"Slytherin!"The sorting hat had yelled, encasing the hall Melinda had been enchanted by moments ago in silence.
Melinda's heart had dropped so far that she thought it had left her body completely. She stopped breathing, and so did everyone else. Everyone watching, as well as Melinda herself, was frozen in place. She came to Hogwarts hoping to be with her brother, her brother who comforted her on her worst days. But her brother, who had been there for her her whole life, was nowhere to be found.
All at once, the scene around her unfolded; cheers and claps began at the Slytherin table, starting with her new friend, Kedan. She looked around as everyone joined in, and the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach returned. She was overwhelmed by their faces and the way their eyes pierced her with their stares.
Finally, with tears filling her eyes, she hopped down from the stool and walked over to the table, keeping her head down. She sat down next to Kedan, still keeping her head down. She was afraid of their stares and afraid of the harsh whispers that were heard around the room. She tried so hard to stop them, but the tears began to fall, and all she could do was let it happen.
She longed to be on the ice. So she closed her eyes and entered her mind, seeking comfort. She pictured herself spinning and jumping elegantly. The familiar lavender haze blurred her vision and eased her stomach, but it wasn't enough.
What she desperately needed at this moment was Harry.
But just where had he gone off to?
"There is a plot, a plot to make most terrible things happen."
Melinda thought back to the encounter with Dobby just days before.
What if he was telling the truth?
Kedan turned to face her, his eyes soft. She quickly wiped her tears from her cheeks, but it was noticeable nonetheless.
"Is everything alright, Melinda?" Kedan spoke softly. She admired his delicate voice.
"Yes." Melinda nodded. "Well, not really, I mean..." She trailed off a bit.
"Not the house you were hoping for?" He chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood.
She gave him a tight smile. "I hoped to be with my brother. But now I don't know how he'll react to this."
Melinda was aware of all the things Slytherins were prone to doing. The way Harry spoke of them with such disdain, she thought them all to be bad people.
Maybe this is my karma for thinking like that?
"Is he not here?" Kedan asked her as he looked around the hall for Harry's face.
"No, I never even saw him get on the train." Her worry began to worsen, and her anxiety grew. She kept her head down, ignoring the other first-years coming to sit down next to her.
