The Princess Witch - 1st book

Chapter III: The first royal school year

Talia stayed in her room all day on her birthday to swallow everything Dumbledore had told her.The next day, the whole Potter family went to London on the Crossroads to buy all their school supplies and, above all, wands from Ollivander's. Talia's wand was made of yew wood. Talia's wand was made of yew wood, measured 33 centimetres and had a phoenix feather at its heart. Harry's wand was made of holly wood, was 27 centimetres long and had a heart of unicorn hair. Talia's wand was particularly powerful because the phoenix feather was the same one used in the wand of the Dark Mage who killed her parents. They also went to Fleury and Bott to buy all the textbooks they needed for first year. Talia had received a voucher for her birthday and had taken the opportunity to buy a number of books on her family history and wizard royalty. James had given each of them an owl. Harry's was white and he named it Hedwig. Talia's was jet black and was named Hella.

The start of the new school year at Hogwarts was fast approaching. To avoid the cousins missing their train to school, the Potter family decided to spend the last few days of August with the Blacks in London. Enola had also received her letter of admission and was as eager as Harry and Talia to go to Hogwarts together. The night before they left, the three friends had not slept all night because they were so excited to be at Hogwarts. September 1st arrived. The Potters and the Blacks loaded the huge suitcases full of books and school supplies into the trunks of the carriages and headed for London to King's Cross Station for the eleven o' clock train leaving from track 9. ¾. Arriving outside the station, everyone rushed towards tracks 9 and 10 to reach the platform where the Hogwarts Express was leaving. Barely through the barrier, Talia noticed something unexpected from the older wizards. They bowed to her because she looked exactly like King Clarkson's wife and recognised her as the heir to the throne. Talia was intrigued by what had just happened and rushed to board the train with Enola and Harry.
The train began to move. The three friends saw their parents waving at them. As the train picked up speed, Talia watched her aunt and uncle grow smaller and smaller and then disappear. The houses lining the track flashed past the compartment window and disappeared to make way for the greenery of the English countryside. Talia felt a sense of excitement: she knew what lay ahead. The compartment door opened and a girl of their own age entered. She was of average height, with brown hair and dark eyes.
-Is the seat free?" she asked, pointing to the empty seat next to Enola's. "All the other compartments are full. All the other compartments are full.
The three friends nodded and the girl sat down opposite Talia. She glanced at Talia and then turned to face the window with an air of indifference
.-By the way, my name is Davina Prewett and yours? asked the girl.
-Enola Black. I think we're cousins. We met a long time ago when we were cousins with the Weasleys. said Enola, introducing herself.
- And I'm Harry Potter. said Harry
-I'm Talia. Talia Winchester. said Talia
Davina gasped as Talia introduced herself:
-So it's true," she said, "you really are the heir to the throne of our world.
Talia nodded in agreement.
-Without wishing to be too inquisitive and insistent, I was told that you survived the night when ....
-She was with me," said Harry. My parents have brought us up together ever since. I think of her as my own sister.
-Well...Davina stared at the three friends for a few moments, then realising what she was doing, she looked out the window again.
Outside, beautiful green fields and mountains stretched to the horizon. The three remained silent as they gazed at the cows and sheep grazing in the meadows.Around one o'clock, the four children heard a trolley jingling in the corridor and a smiling old woman stuck her head in the door of the compartment.
-Can I get you anything, children?" she asked, pointing to the sweets on the trolley.
-Yes, ma'am," said Enola, "we'd like four boxes of Bertie Crochue's jelly beans, a dozen chocolate frogs, three Patacitrouilles and eight Fondants du Chaudron. Don't worry, Davina, the sweets are on us.-There you are, my dear children," said the lady, "that'll be fifteen Mornilles and ten Noises.
The four friends (because yes, Davina had become their friend) gorged themselves on her delicious sweets. Harry asked his cousin if he could take his fudge cards and she agreed so that his cousin could put them in his fudge collection book.
Suddenly, three people interrupted their compartment. The first person to interrupt lunch was a young girl of their own age with green eyes full of mischief and brown hair so dark it almost looked black. She was followed by a handsome boy with wheat-blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. The third person was also a young brunette girl with brown eyes. The first girl exclaimed:
-Well, who's this? Well, I'd say the late Her Majesty Queen Amber has been resurrected before our very eyes!
Talia immediately noted her strong Irish accent.
-My name is Scarlett Prince! Allow me to introduce Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, member of our school's board of governors, and descendant of Lord Malfoy, member of the House of Wizarding Lords...
-Scarlett," exclaimed Draco sweetly, "there's no point in showering so many compliments on me. You deserve more than me, as the last heiress of the Prince dynasty.
-Drago," Scarlett replied even more hypocritically, "we're almost a republic now that the Winchester dynasty no longer reigns! Hi hi hi hi!
Scarlett and Draco were both shaken with almost hysterical laughter, even as they pointed at an impassive Talia. The dark-haired girl tried to reach them. In an instant, Scarlett and Draco stopped laughing and shared a glance in her direction.
-This is Paly Panity," Scarlett muttered dryly.
-Pansy Parkinson," corrected the young girl, clearly hurt by the carelessness with which she was being treated.
-Yes, yes, whatever. She follows us around like a puppy dog because Draco saved her from falling on the track earlier.
-He saved me...
-Talia, I think you know too well what old rivalries make us enemies. That's why, at the dawn of our schooling, and BEFORE we reach Hogwarts, I want to tell you this: may the best girl win. That's all I'd say to encourage you. I want my family's throne back, because yours isn't bloody likely to keep it!
What an appallingly harsh tone! Talia (being a good prince, or rather a good princess) didn't take it up. She accepted the challenge with an uncertain nod. That said, neither Scarlett nor Draco enquired about the identity of Enola, Harry and Davina. The two of them left the compartment with even more regal steps than when they had entered. Pansy Parkinson hurried after them.
A few minutes later Davina said to her new friends:
-They don't look very comfortable, those three. Let's hope they're not in our house. Let's forget about this long interruption.
-Where are you going?" asked Enola.
-I'm going to see the engine driver to find out how long it'll be before we get to Hogwarts.
-That's fine. You can tell us.
Enola got out and joined the locomotive.
-I wonder when we'll get there," asked Talia. I can't wait to get there. Your parents have told us so much about Hogwarts that going there is like a dream come true.
-Yes, it is. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that we're all in the same house. I really hope I'll be in Gryffindor like my parents and yours especially," said Harry. What are you most looking forward to?
-Um, let's think," replied Talia. I'd really like to know a bit more about my family history and all that. Oh, no, I know. Quidditch matches, I just want us both to be in the team.
-Yes, we're both so strong, and we've been practising a lot in the grounds of the manor," replied Harry.
Enola came back all excited and singing:
-We'll be there in less than an hour. We should change. There are dressing rooms. I can't wait to get there, it'll be like a dream but it's real.
-All right, let's get changed," said Harry. I'll go out and let you girls get changed. Enola, can you tell me where the cabin is so I can go and get changed.
Harry and Enola went out towards the cabin and Enola came back into the compartment. Talia had drawn up the curtains so that they wouldn't be seen changing. The three girls put on their wizard's robes. Davina's was a little short because she had forgotten to do the alterations. A few minutes later, Harry came back in his black dresses.
A voice rang out in the train:
-We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage in the compartments, it will be taken separately to the school premises.The train pulled into the station and stopped. All the students on the train rushed to the platform, which was plunged into darkness. The cool air made Talia shiver. A lamp swung over their heads and a tall figure appeared in the half-light. It was a giant whose face was almost entirely hidden by a long mane of tangled hair and a great bushy beard, but his eyes were clearly visible, shining like two black beetles in the midst of all this. The giant exclaimed:
-Good evening everyone, dear first years, my name is Rubeus Hagrid and I am the keeper of the keys and premises of Hogwarts School, which we will soon see. Please follow me, the path is quite crowded in the middle of the night.
After passing through a dense, quiet forest, Hagrid and the first years came to a shed where the boats for the journey to Hogwarts were stored.
The first years put themselves in groups of 2 or 3 per boat. These boats are magical. Enola, Talia and Harry got in together. As soon as they left the cabin, the first years saw a huge castle perched on a hill on the other side of the river, with the light from the windows sparkling in the starry sky. This castle was not just any castle: it was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The first years crossed the lake and reached the other side. Hagrid, who had just come down, asked the new pupils to follow him through a tunnel that led to a beautiful stone staircase, and the pupils rushed past a huge front door. In front of the door stood a tall, dark-haired witch in a long green dress. She had a stern face. It was Professor Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress. She came forward:
-Good evening everyone. Welcome to Hogwarts School. In a few moments, you will pass through this door and be divided into the four different houses. called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Slytherin. Throughout your time at school, your house will be like a second family to you. You'll attend the same classes, sleep in the same dormitory and spend your free time in the same common room. Each house has its own history, its own nobility, and each has produced some of the world's leading wizards and witches over the years. During your year at Hogwarts, every time you do well, you earn points for your house, but every time you break the common rules, your house loses points. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the Four Houses Cup, which is a very great honour. I hope that each and every one of you will take it to heart to serve your house well, whatever it may be. The Repartition ceremony will take place in a few minutes' time in the presence of all the school's pupils. I advise you to make the most of the time you have left before then.
The teacher turned and left for a few minutes. After five minutes, she returned with a parchment in her hand. She asked the new students to follow her. The large doors opened to reveal a great hall with four large tables, each representing the four houses of Hogwarts. There was also a magnificent magical sky and candles suspended in mid-air illuminating the Great Hall. At the end of the hall, the teachers were seated around a table that dominated the room. The students walked through the Great Hall and Talia noticed that the students seated around the tables made low masses as she passed them. When they reached the dais, they saw an old, pointed hat. It was the Sorting Hat, the magical object that would determine which house the students would be allowed to continue their studies at Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding the parchment in her hand:
-When I call your name in alphabetical order, I will place the hat on your head, which will define your house for the next seven years.

The teacher called all the students beginning with the letter A. Then, at B, Enola was called by McGonagall. Enola stepped forward and sat down on the stool. The Sorting Hat sent her to the GRYFFINDOR house. The students went through one by one. Draco Malfoy was called and as soon as he brushed against the hat, the latter shouted SLYTHERIN. There weren't many people left in the newcomers' line. McGonagall called Harry, then Davina, who had been sent to GRYFFINDOR.
Then the eminent academic called Scarlett Prince.
Scarlett strode towards the token with a conquering, almost fearsome air. With a majestic gesture, she wore it like Napoleon wore his imperial crown. Her face remained impassive for a moment. It would have been impossible for anyone to guess what she meant. It was only years later that she dared to speak out, enabling this author to reveal not the secret of confession, but the secret of distribution.
-So much courage, so much determination, ambition, intelligence... whispered the Chooser. You'd think Slytherin would suit you, dear child. Yet all this ardor, all this willpower stems from an unwavering loyalty to your family, to your blood and even to the Wizarding Kingdom of Ireland, for which you would be ready to shed every last drop of your blood. I read your heart and what I see there shakes the depths of my thousand-year-old soul. You're capable of so much love, so much sacrifice... I think Hufflrpuff...
-No! Scarlett thought with determination. I won't do it. This is not the house of my ancestors! Salazar Slytherin was King Connor's nephew, over a thousand years ago. The entire Prince dynasty passed through Slytherin! That's where I must find myself!"
-But not all of them had this capacity for love, this altruism that you hide under very stern appearances!
-It doesn't matter! Hufflepuff will never be my home!
-And in that strength of character, I see only one house: Slytherin!
Scarlett got up from the stool, took off her hat and went to sit at the green-trimmed table with a queenly step.
Minerva McGonagall then called Pansy Parkinson who was sent to SLYTHERIN. The number of students dwindled until only Talia remained, still standing and starting to get leg cramps.
-Winchester, Talia!" called the teacher.
As Talia stepped forward, murmurs rose throughout the room: "The Talia Winchester?"
Before the Sorting Hat had been placed on her head, Talia saw all the heads, especially Dumbledore's, staring back at her. The Sorting Hat whispered in Talia's ear:
-You're not a good enough witch for Hogwarts!Horrified by what the old hat had just told her, for it had always been her dream to be at Hogwarts, Talia kept her cool and voiced the fact that this was really just a test.
-You've proved that you're brave and that you never give up on your dreams. That's why the best house for you is GRYFFINDOR! shouted the Sorting Hat.
The Gryffindors cheered their future queen with all their might, and she joined her friends seated at the table.
Dumbledore had risen and delivered a speech of welcome, reminding them of the school's rules and, above all, listing the forbidden places, including the Forbidden Forest and the third floor. When he announced the third floor, all the students were astonished.
Then a great feast appeared on the tables.Once the feast was over, the new students from each house followed their prefect. The new Gryffindors followed Percy Weasley to the common room, which was hidden behind a portrait of a fat lady and required a password to enter. After a brief introduction to the rules of the common room and the installation of the students in the dormitories, Harry found himself in a room with six other boys. As for Talia, she found herself in the same room as Davina and Enola.

Everyone slept peacefully except Talia, who couldn't sleep because she was excited about starting school here in this beautiful place. She knew deep down that her parents were proud of the young girl she had become. Now all she could do was hope that she could live up to everyone's expectations of her.