From the Other Side

COS September

 I blinked, and before I knew it my mother was waving goodbye. She seemed so happy that I was going away, and I couldn’t regret it more. She could teach my anything these teachers could at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was ridiculous that she was making me go.

Truth was, it was the Headmaster. Mother told me when she was in school it was practically like a zoo. She was in Ravenclaw, and told me it was second to what she wanted to be in.

“Slytherin is where you need to be” she repeated all summer. “Slytherin is the top of the school, and everyone envies those in Slytherin. Ravenclaw isn’t bad, my dear, but my God, if you are in Slytherin I’ll be over the moon. Just make sure you don’t show any signs of going in Hufflepuff, and if you are in Gryffindor, there is no point coming back to this house.”

She would of given her life to be in Slytherin, but the stupid old hat didn’t put her there. She told me everything about Hogwarts, and everything I heard, I didn’t like.

“Mind if I take a seat?” A voice said, so I spun around and moved the cage of my owl – Rupa – onto the floor. She squawked loudly, and the girl just looked down on it with a puzzled expression. 

This girl was clearly someone who I’d become close friends with. She wore her hair up, in a sort of pony tail which had emerald green ribbons tied around it. Her hair was jet black, and her eyes were a piercing sapphire.

“Whatever” I said coolly, and looked back out the window to have my last glance of London. 

“Are you in the first year?” she asked, pushing my coat from the seat to the floor and sitting down. “My mother told me that I was definitely going to be in Slytherin.”

If her smugness was anything to go by, her mother was right.

“Matter of fact, so am I.” I spat. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” she said quicker than a Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

“I asked first!” I squeaked.

She narrowed her eyes, and smiled unpleasantly. “Camille Snape” she spat, as though proud. My mother had told me about the well-known families of the Slytherin house, and I knew for a fact…

“That’s a lie!” I smiled. “You are a liar. Tell me your name.”

She narrowed her eyes even more. If she did it any more, they would be closed.  “Fine!” she spat. “Camille Rosier! Who are you?”

“My name is Brooke LeCrasse” I said simply, and it was the truth.

The thing was; my mother wasn’t very popular in the school, and my dad didn’t even go there. She told me I was definitely going to be in Slytherin because my father (who I’ve only seen pictures of) was a ‘Death Eater’… whatever that is. 

She looked at me. “Have you got any other siblings at Hogwarts?”

“No” I said coldly. “I’ve never met my Dad”

“Oh” she said happily, which confused me. “Well, my Dad died before I was born, so I haven’t got any either”

Somehow this seemed to make a stronger bond between us, and for the rest of our trip, we just seemed to get along much better than usual. I know I’d only known her for a couple of hours or so, but it just seemed that we related. We were close, and I was glad of that.

Once we got off the train, I gave Rupa to a giant man – he had to be double the size of a normal wizard. He grinned happily and put her next to a group of other caged owls. One that took my fancy was a perfectly white owl, who looked as if she had more attitude than Penelope.