THE GREAT WAR | HARRY POTTER

The Sorting

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PLATFORM 9¾, September 1, 1991

"ALRIGHT LORELEI, all  you have to do is walk right at the barrier between these two platforms- nine and ten. Don't worry about crashing into it," Nicholas Hugo explained to his now eleven-year-old daughter. Ten years had passed since he learned of her fate, and today, it would all begin.

Lorelei and walked rather quickly to the barrier, preparing herself for a crash. To her surprise, the much anticipated collision never came. Nicholas could only hope that this would be how the next seven years would go. 

The pair was met by a scarlet steam engine. Next to it, a packed platform that had a sign overhead it, reading Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Platform 9¾.

Lorelei looked around; students and their families were everywhere, hugging and saying their goodbyes for the term. She noticed a crowd of gingers, just across the way, radiating their familial bond. Their mother was attempting to wipe the youngest's nose with a handkerchief; "Mom -- geroff," he mumbled, wiggling free.

Her gaze was interrupted by a voice appearing next to her father. "Hugo," it greeted. Lorelei turned around to be met by its owner, who was none other than Lucius Malfoy. He was a close friend of her father's, they worked together at the Ministry of Magic, and he'd attended a few dinners over the years.

"Hello Lorelei," his son, Draco said quaintly, drawing her attention back to the front of her. His pale blonde hair was gelled back, he looked silly in her opinion, but she knew that he would throw a fit if she told him that.

"Are you excited? What house do you think you'll be sorted in? I know I'll be in Slytherin," he questioned.

Was she excited?  

...and houses. Everyone in her life had been in Slytherin: her father, her aunts and uncles, maybe even her mother was. But Lorelei didn't know if she was a fit for the serpents. What if she were sorted into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor? Would they all be disappointed in her?

"Maybe," she muttered. She couldn't shake the enigmatic feeling in her chest. All she wanted to do is please her father. 

She walked back to her father, who knelt down to her level. "There's nothing to be afraid of," he said, "Don't worry about the outcomes, just focus on getting through the moment.""

Lucius intervened in the conversation. "You are destined for great things, Lorelei. You'll get on with the right crowd," he paused, "Maybe even Harry Potter himself." His eyes lingered on her for a few moments before her father embraced her in a hug.

"You better get going. I'll write you as much as possible. Good luck, Lori."

And with that, she and Draco carried their trunks and owls, hers being a saw-whet owl, which was tiny compared to Draco's eagle owl. They made their way onto the train and sat in an empty compartment, later to be joined by his companions Crabbe and Goyle

After merely an hour, she found herself annoyed with their stupidity and told them she was going to look for an old friend, who of course did not exist. It was a simple ploy to escape.

She strolled her way through the different compartments peering through their windows. She set an eye on a boy with a round face and a toad in his lap. Across from him was a girl with bushy hair and her nose in a book. A History of Magic she read from the cover.