𝐎𝐃𝐃 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐔𝐓 harry potter.

4: Seething Slytherin

AFTER THE SORTING, THINGS STARTED TO FEEL ODD. Ginny was placed in Gryffindor, Luna in Ravenclaw, and Ally—Ally was sorted into Slytherin. With a heavy sigh, she sat at the far end of the Slytherin table, her gaze wistful as she watched her twin sister, surrounded by cheerful chatter and affectionate ruffles. The feast laid out before her was exquisite, far surpassing anything her mum could make—no offense intended. Yet, despite the bounty, she had no appetite. Her stomach churned with a flutter of anxious moths, a prickling sensation beneath her skin that felt as relentless as an incurable rash.

She supposed that none of the first-years had any clue about her unexpected legacy, save for a few who likely hailed from pureblood families. Some were even bold enough to proclaim their half-blood status openly, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere brewing within Hogwarts. Luckily for Ally, Draco Malfoy and his cronies were seated at the far end of the table. Still, she had caught his narrowed gaze when the Sorting Hat declared her a Slytherin.

After the feast, Professor Dumbledore kept his remarks brief. The Forbidden Forest was off-limits, Filch's ever-growing list of banned items was posted near his office, and anyone hoping to avoid detention or the loss of house points would do well to stay in his good graces.

Dumbledore then instructed the first-years to follow their prefects, citing "urgent matters" that required his attention. Ally couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with her brother Ron, who had been conspicuously absent from the Sorting and the feast. As she stood with the other fresh-faced first-years, her feet shuffling and her robes trailing along the stone floor, she found herself staring at her new shoes, her head hung low.

A cold dread settled over her. Merlin, what would her parents say? Ally, their darling daughter, in Slytherin? She could already imagine her mum's strained smile, the flicker of disbelief when she saw the green and silver tie. She could hear her mum's voice now: "Never in my life... Nothing like her brothers..."

The Slytherin common room was the opposite of what her brothers had described about theirs. Nestled in the dungeons, it was eerie yet oddly comforting, with a greenish glow from the Black Lake and serpent-emblazoned mantelpieces. Ally tried to absorb the sight of what would be her home for the next several months, taking special note of the password.

Their dormitory was much as her brothers had described: four-poster beds draped with green curtains, some shimmering with real silver. There were five beds in the cramped room—smaller, she assumed, because they were first-years. The girls exchanged awkward glances as they chose their beds, with Ally opting for the one in the corner, leaving the others to grumble about being stuck with the ones in the middle of the room.

She sat on her bed, which was springy but softer than the one she had at home, her feet touching the cold stone floor as she watched her dormmates settle in. One girl struggled with a loud owl, eventually setting it free by the window, while another had a cat that hissed and hid under the bed.

Ally stared at her worn-out trunk, its second-hand nature apparent to anyone who looked. Trying to blend in, she began brushing her hair and changing into her nightgown. She was quietly brushing her hair when one of the girls broke the silence. "I like your hair," said a girl with a pixie cut, the uneven ends giving it a choppy look.

Ally grasped a lock of her hair, which now reached her waist. "Thanks... I like yours, too."

"It's so long! Did you enchant it?" asked another girl, who had box braids and owned the hissing cat. Ally thought she was the prettiest girl she had ever seen. A hot flush crept into her cheeks.

She shook her head, "I've never cut it before," she replied meekly.

The girls introduced themselves as Charlotte Fitzwilliam and Amelia Ashcroft, respectively. The two other girls, however, didn't bother to join the conversation, immersing themselves instead in books on Charms and Potions.