Brave [Harry Potter OC]

Chapter 2

Let the Feast Begin

"In a few moments, you will walk through these doors to your classmates but before you take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule-breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup—"

"Trevor!" A short, pudgy boy shouts and runs up to get his toad which sits at the professor's feet. He looks up at her, embarrassed, "Sorry." She just stares down at him with a raised eyebrow.

"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily," she informs. Her boots click on the stone floors as she walks away from the students.

Left alone, the students begin chatting amongst themselves. Before Alice could turn to speak to Harry or Ron, a small boy with pin-straight blonde hair and a confident grin speaks up, "It's true then. What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Hushed voices chatter as students share their surprise. Poor Harry stands there, intimidated by the sudden attention.

"This is Crabbe, Goyle, and I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy," he told them. The awkward confidence causes Ron to snort in an attempt to cover up a laugh.

"You think my name's funny, do you? I don't even need to ask yours. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe, you must be a Weasley," he sneers.

Malfoy's rude attitude towards her new friend causes Alice's face to shift to a look of anger. She rolls her eyes in annoyance. Malfoy's gaze shifts to her. "Got something to say, Scamander?"

Her eyes narrow at him. "That's right, I know all about you and your mad parents. Surprising, I know. They have kept you so well hidden. And for good reason I'm sure," his lip curls at her in disgust.

She hides the pain of that last statement behind a scowl. Her mind races as she thinks about it. Do they really hide her?

"Potter, you will soon see that some wizard families are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He holds out his hand for Harry to shake.

Instead, Harry just glances down at it and replies, "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

Students begin murmuring again, only this time it is due to McGonagall's presence behind Malfoy. She gets his attention by tapping him on the head with a piece of parchment. Embarrassed, he moves out of the way.

"We're ready for you now. Follow me."

The young students stared in awe at the ceiling above them in the Great Hall. The higher it got, the more it faded from walls to a dark, starry night sky. Underneath the sky were candles, floating above them but not dripping any wax. They couldn't have imagined a more magical and magnificent place than the great hall. It had such a warm, cozy atmosphere. The new students couldn't help but feel at home.