Nadine Longbottom - Harry Potter Fanfiction

6. The Unique Sorting.

Nadine was standing in front of the barrier of Platform nine and three quarters. It was ten thirty in the morning. Augusta had decided to reach the platform early. It was the first time Nadine would be going on the platform. She was a ball of nerves.

She pushed her trolley towards the brick wall entrance and broke into a run. She was a foot away now. Nadine closed her eyes and opened it after she heard the hooting of numerous owls. Chloe had decided to gift her an owl, which Nadine would share with Neville. She named it Talons. Neville was given a toad as a gift by Uncle Algie, he named him Trevor.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o’clock. Nadine saw an archway, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Nadine pushed through the crowd. Neville had finally found an empty compartment, he called for Nadine and both of them settled inside, Augusta was standing outside just near their window.

Augusta stood there for a while repeating her instructions to behave at the school and concentrate on their studies. Ten minutes later, a girl knocked on their compartment door and opened it. She had lots of bushy hair and rather large front teeth.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" She spoke in a nervous way.

"Ofcourse not. Come in" Nadine told her.

The girl sat beside Nadine, pulled out 'A History of Magic' and began reading. Nadine had thought the girls parents might come at the window to say goodbye but no one came. The girl looked up after a minute towards Nadine and open her mouth a bit as if to say something but than closed her mouth and continued reading.

When it was ten minutes to eleven, Chloe came near their window.

"Hey Neville, Nadine all set?" Chloe asked looking at the other girl in the compartment.

"Yes I'm already excited." Nadine said. The bushy haired girl looked at Chloe.
"Hello there, what's your name?" Chloe asked, smiling at the girl.

"I'm Hermione Granger" She still sounded nervous to Nadine.

"Nervous, aren't you? It's alright. Even I was nervous when it was my first year"
Chloe told her, that seemed to cheer the girl up a bit.

"Gran I've lost my toad" Neville wailed.

"Oh Neville" Augusta sighed.

"I'll help you look for it, Neville." Nadine told her twin brother.

"Now listen kids, it's alright if you are nervous at your sorting, every first year is. Don't mess with Peeves, he is a poltergeist and If you see a big man with long hair and beard who would be looking like a giant, he might be Hagrid. Say hello to him from me." Chloe told them. The train whistled.

"Alright kids it's time now. Have a good year Goodbye" Chloe and Augusta started waving.

"Bye Gran. Bye Chloe. I'll send you both letters." Nadine said.

The platform soon disappeared.

"Hi I'm Hermione Granger. I'm really sorry that I didn't introduce myself when I first entered, I should have, though, that must have looked rude." She said everything really fast

"It's alright. I'm Nadine Longbottom and this is my brother Neville Longbottom." Nadine told her.

Soon the three of them started talking. Hermione told Nadine and Neville that she was a muggleborn and told them a bit about muggles and about her parents being Dentists. Nadine told her that they lived with their Gran who was a witch.