The Choice of Destiny (Snape Love Story)

New Gryffindor

……….

The sunshine tickled her face as she woke up. Hermione’s cat was curled up in the crook of her arm and purred softly. Catalina propped herself up on her elbow and ran a hand through her hair, smoothing her hair back. She heard excited whisper coming from the other side of the room and noticed that Hermione slept on the bed beside her.

“I don’t see how she can sleep that long…”

“Like she needs to wake up early Parvati! She doesn’t do half the things we do in the morning… but she definitely should… that hair needs some serious straightening…”

Catalina groaned inwardly; she was fed up with this kind of talk from the girls’ dormitory in Beauxbatons. She decided to sneak out of the bed before she got noticed and evaluated by the other inhabitants of the room but she failed.

“Who are you?!”

The shout woke up Hermione who was frowning at the group sleepily through a mass of unruly hair.

“New student from Beauxbatons,” she yawned and set her head back down. “She’s a fifth year though.”

The three girls she hasn’t met looked at her in awe. Catalina felt like they were evaluating her from head to toe and the girl closest to her only confirmed her suspicions:

“Is that hair really yours? Or did you grow it out by magic?”

“It’s mine,” growled Catalina and got up. Crookshanks quickly jumped off the bed with a loud hiss and disappeared under the bed as if to escape some of the judgments passed on the color of his fur and claws.

Catalina looked out the window and saw that dark night’s sky was already becoming paler, with slight purple tones that suggested that the sunrise is near. She noticed two packages on her dresser and unwrapped it curiously only to see that it contained a Hogwarts uniform; especially suited for Gryffindor. Catalina laid out her new attire and started to get dressed. Just as she expected, the Hogwarts uniform fit her like a glove; Madame Maxime must have informed someone of her Beauxbatons uniform size. Catalina looked in the mirror and grimaced over the unappealing skirt, not to even mention the woolen pantyhose and shoes. She charmed her small mirror to levitate in front of her as she brushed her hair and pulled them into a high ponytail. Checking her attire, she felt ready to open the second package.

Catalina closed her eyes as she tore the wrapping and smelled ink, parchment and the glue that magical bookbinders tended to use.  With her eyes wide-opened, she started to look through the books and search through them; this was much better than the uniform. She heard mumbles from the other girls:

“First, she takes her clothes off like a shameless prat and now she’s proving herself to be another bookworm…”

“When I heard she’s from Beauxbatons I hoped she would be more normal. Like that she would wear make-up and such…”

Catalina smiled and slammed a Rune dictionary shut: “If it bothers you so much to see another female dress, I shall now wait until you are gone. I do wear make-up, however today, I’m lazy to put it on. And in case you haven’t heard it yet: books hold knowledge. It’s wise to be a bookworm.”

A slight flow of giggles erupted from Hermione’s bed while the other girls simply stared. Catalina grimaced and started to pack her school satchel with some parchment and quills. She was certain that she would receive her schedule today and perhaps, she would be able to return for the books later. 

Hermione got up and started to change out of her pajama’s herself; it seemed that Catalina’s impertinence had some merit. Both girls made a quick stop in the bathroom before they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Catalina did her best to memorize as many castle pathways as possible until they came to the Hall. Four long tables were set up with a variety of foods and the students at each table seemed to keep to themselves. Hermione lead her to the table to the most right and motioned for her to sit down beside her. Catalina situated herself and her satchel at the seat and took in all the stares that she was receiving right now.