Playing With Potions

*1*

Isabelle is starting her first day at Hogwarts. The platform is crowded and noisy, and she can barely see her parents through the steam from the train. Isabelle is still in her muggle clothes, and her new Hogwarts robes are tucked away in her trunk, already stowed in a compartment. She is accompanied by her cat, Henery. Isabelle is looking for a place to sit and spots two twin boys with red hair inside a room. She opens the glass door and takes a seat across from them.

"Hello," Isabelle greets the boys politely as she takes out a book to read.

"Hello," the boys say in unison. One of the boys introduces himself as George Weasley, and the other as Fred. They stare at Isabelle, and George asks for her name.

"I'm Isabelle Malfoy, but please call me Belle," she replies, shaking their hands. Fred is quiet for a while before complimenting her.

"You look wonderful," he says with a smile. Belle thanks him and engages in conversation. George observes that she is a first-year, and Belle responds with a hint of sarcasm.

"Your observation skills are impressive, George. Let me guess; you must be in the third year," she says. Fred corrects her, saying that they are in their second year. They all smile, and Belle returns to reading her book as the train heads toward Hogwarts.

Upon arriving at Hogsmeade, they take a boat to Hogwarts and wait in front of the grand doors. The castle is magnificent, with millions of pictures constantly in motion. While waiting, a girl with straight brown/blond hair stands beside Belle.

"Hi, my name is Katie Bell," she says with a warm smile, extending her hand.

"I'm Isabelle Malfoy, but you can call me Belle," Belle replies, returning the handshake. They hear laughter from the boys in front of them, and one of them talks about joining the Quidditch team. His name is Cormac McLaggen. Belle has few friends except for Pansy, who is only a year younger than her. They are close because of their families, but starting school simultaneously is a pain. Belle will have to try to make new friends and potentially be alone for the first year.

Belle stands patiently in the corridor, her eyes scanning the crowds of students eagerly awaiting the doors opening. Amidst the buzz of excitement, she hears a boy frantically calling out for his lost toad. Belle can't help but feel annoyed at the disruption and begins tapping her foot impatiently as her friend Katie chatters away about trivial matters.

Suddenly, Belle interrupts Katie's chatter with a polite request, but her tone unintentionally comes off as cocky. Katie didn't respond but turned her attention to the entrance as an older woman opened the doors and walked to the front of the room. The woman is Minerva, and she explains the sorting process to the students, calling each one individually to sit on the chair. As they wait their turn, Katie introduces Belle to her new friend, Cho, whom she met on the train.

As Isabelle introduced herself as Belle, she extended her hand for a friendly shake. Cho Chang greets her with a smile and returns the handshake. Katie pointed out Cormac McLaggen, who swiftly turned around and waved a greeting. Minerva calls out the names of several students and sorts them into houses, including Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Katie Bell is sorted into Gryffindor, and Cho is sorted into Ravenclaw.

With a nervous expression, Belle slowly makes her way to the stool and sits, feeling the weight of everyone's anticipation upon her. Minerva, the headmistress, gently places the Sorting Hat on Belle's head. The Great Hall falls silent as everyone waits for the hat to decide.

After a brief deliberation, the hat seems torn between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Belle possesses qualities that would make her an excellent fit for either house. However, in the end, the hat proclaims Slytherin as her destiny. The announcement is met with stunned silence as it is widely known that the Malfoy family is almost exclusively associated with Slytherin. It is unprecedented for someone from that family to be placed in Ravenclaw.