She's A Hufflepuff ~Book One of the Hufflepuff Chronicles

Chapter One

I stepped off the Hogwarts Express with confidence. I was headed straight toward the future I had been waiting for my whole life. I was going to be a Slytherin. My father had called his old school mates and had everything set up. I was to be treated like the queen. I was going to own Slytherin. I started toward the boats with my entourage of future Slytherins behind me. Mindi Steward, my fathers old girlfriend's daughter, was to my right. Danny Delucca, my fathers best friends son and my boyfriend, was to my left. And in the back was Cheryl Dibua her mother had known my mother. In the boats we met up with more Slytherin legacies.

I sat at the front of the boat and breathed in the salty air. "This is it," I looked back at my friends. "Time to make our parents proud." We all grinned.

"Slytherin!" The sorting hat bellowed. Mindi hopped off the stool and went to sit with Danny and Cheryl at our table.
"Guinevere Malfoy!" Professor McGonagle announced my name. My heart didn't even skip a beat. The hat called out Slytherin in a second for my friends. This was, basically, just a formality.

I walked up the steps and hoisted myself onto the creaky stool. I looked over at my friends. I made eye contact with Danny he waved and I winked at him. The hat was placed on my head. It was hot and heavy.
"Hmm," a deep voice grumbled for a few seconds.
"What?" I squeaked out suddenly nervous. The answer was clear what could possibly be taking so long for him to decide.
"You desire Slytherin, yes?" The hat asked.
"Of course!" I couldn't believe what was happening.
"But your mother wasn't a Slytherin," the hat informed me.
"My father was!" I argued.
"I know exactly where you belong," he said and before I could respond he shouted. He shouted the one word that nobody had expected.
"Hufflepuff!"

The entire hall was silent. A few scattered applause came from the Hufflepuff table. I slid off the stool and looked around. This was wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I looked wide eyed at Danny. He didn't make eye contact. He turned around and faced away from me. I trembled down the steps and approached the Hufflepuff table. All I got were warm smiles from everyone. I slid into an open spot on the bench. The rest of the sorting resumed but I blocked that out. My face felt hot and my eyes began to tear up. But then I remembered what my father had told me when I was six and lost my mother. He had said to me
"Guinevere. We mustn't cry. When you are weak you never let it show. Let your pain fuel your ambition. And never let your guard down." My eyes dried and I sat up straight again.
"Hi, I'm Pepper," a skinny girl with huge brown and purple hair sat across from me. She held out her hand which looked as if it had been dipped in rings and henna. I shook it with the firm grip my father had taught me.
"I'm Guinevere," I said with my chin high.
"Well, lets make this a year to remember!" Headmistress McGonagall announced. Then she raised her arms and the table filled with heaps of food. The students began dining and the hall filled with chatter. "Hi, I'm Taylor," the plump girl next to me said through a mouthful of pudding.
"Charmed," I gave a weak smile. I turned to see my friends. They were all talking and laughing. None of them seemed to even notice I wasn't there. I turned back to my own table. Pepper smiled at me. It was so infectious, I felt a smile nudge at my own lips. "Hey Pep," a boy with a mop of dark brown hair and startling green eyes slid in next to her.
"Mm, Guinevere this is Ash, my brother, he's a second year. Ash this is Guinevere," he shook my hand.
"Welcome to Hufflepuff," he winked. Then he grabbed his sister at her waist and hugged her releasing a squeal. "Congrats on making it little sis!" I chatted with Taylor and Pepper and Ash for a while. Pepper and Ash's mum owned a spice and tea shop in Hogsmead and they had no dad. Taylor was they're cousin. We ate a little longer until it was time to go to our dormitories.

When all the students in the hall stood up I managed to grab Danny.
"Danny, what's happening?" Panicking, I took his hand.
"Hey, Gweny, um, I got to go. We'll talk later," he let my hand go and without a second glance disappeared. I turned back to Taylor and Pepper.
"That's my boyfriend," I explained.
"Wow, he had a funny aura," Pepper put her hands on her hips and her giant hair bounced with her big smile. "Come on! She took my hand and followed our prefect, Hannah Cabaret.