Ten Ways To Say I Love You

Stereotypes (Part 1)

Don't live up to your stereotypes.~Sherman Alexie

Annabeth

I stepped on the train and waved goodbye to all the adults that were waving back. Going into the car, I breathed in the scent of the Hogwarts Express. Finally. After eleven years of painstakingly waiting, it was finally time for me to go to Hogwarts.

I found the only empty cart left, and dropped my trunk and everything on the floor. I stretched out on the seat and opened the book of spells, which I had already read, but it was good to have a refresher before school started.

"Hey, is anyone else sitting here?" A voice asked. I looked up. It was a boy my age, pointing to the seat across from me, and holding his own trunk.

"Oh. No, go ahead." I said, nodding at the seat and returning to my book. He took a seat across from me and out his stuff on the floor. I took another look at him.

He was shorter than me, with dark black hair and piercing green eyes.

He took out his wand and started muttering a few words to himself. "Why are you reading that?" He asked.

"So I know what I'm doing when I reach Hogwarts."

"You're on the Hogwarts Express." He said. "And you choose to read?" He smirked.

"Probably how I'll end up beating you." I said casually, turning another page.

"Why would you spend time at Hogwarts studying? It hogwarts! I would spend time trying to find all the typical passageways."

"Yeah, well, not all of us are hot-headed Gryffindors." I said, sneering at him.

"And I'm guessing you want to go into Slytherin?" He asked.

"You guessed correct." I said, finally looking up from my book.

"And what? You trying out for Quidditch?" He asked me, laying down and putting his hands behind his head.

"Next year, definitely. Do you think you're good enough?"

"Of course!" He said, slapping his chest confidently. "I think I could try out this year."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think you're that good."

"And how would you know that, Miss Slytherin?"

"Just a hunch." I smirked, then went back to reading my book.

"Yeh, well, i bet that my house is still going to beat you in Quidditch." He said.

Oh no. He did not go there. I tossed my book down and faced him head on. "We've won the house cup for the last five years in a row, I don't think that Gryffindor can beat us."

"You do know that our headmaster was in Gryffindor. Plus, Gryffindors are just better all around."

I gaped. "Are you insane? Slytherins are smarter than you Gryffindors could ever hope to be, plus we have the greatest wizard of all time. Merlin was in our house."

"You can't argue that Gryffindors have some of the best people. And we're not mean against people like half-bloods or muggle-borns, unlike you."

At this, I got really mad. "How dare you!" I snapped. "You go around touting about how Slytherins are mean, awful bigoted people while you do the same thing, smearing slander. If you want to claim to be better, how about you leave us alone instead of insulting us."

"It's a two way street." He sneered.

I glared at him and just went back to reading my book. I ignored him for the rest of the trip, and when we left the train, I made sure to stay as far away from him as possible.