Bright

-3-

The inside of the castle didn't strike awe into the trio as much as they thought it would. It was beautiful, and there was no changing that fact, but it almost felt like something they've seen in Malfoy Manor. With all of the portraits staring down at the newcomers, talking amongst themselves as they bore their cream colored painted eyes onto the first years. Elle thought that the portraits were kind of creepy the more that she thought about it. Not only the ones that resided in the vast castle, but the ones in Malfoy Manor too.

"So, What do you think, Elle?" Blaise blurted after a few moments of silence.

"Kind of a let down if you ask me." Elle said back to him. This caught the attention of not only Blaise and Draco, but also caught the eyes of a few other new students.

"Nothing lives up to the standards of the princess, do they?" Draco responded mockingly.

"Oh let us bow at the feet of the great one, who knows everything about interior design and all things worthy of praise." Blaise came out and said, and he and Draco simultaneously bowed to Elle. She rolled her eyes and pushed past the boys

"Just because I have class does not make me a princess. Now come off it, we have a sorting to get to!" Elle called out quite excitedly, which completely contradicted her earlier expressions of her disappointment in the Hogwarts decor.

The two boys followed behind her, and they made their way to a very large door, where a woman in a black witches hat stood, trying to keep track of all of the students. Draco saw his new best friend Theo and decided that he and Blaise would try to catch up to him. Elle caught Pansy's eye and decided to stand next to her.

"Hey, Pansy!" Elle called out vehemently. Despite the decorum of the castle, she was very excited to start her journey at the school. She was also very excited to make new friends, and she felt that Pansy was going to be her first.

"Hey Elle!" She called out, waving Elle over as she made the last few steps that it took to get to Pansy's side.

"Are you excited?"

"Very! What house are you hoping for?"

"Slytherin!"

"Me too! Hopefully at the end of this I'll see you at that table."

Elle nodded, and they both stood awkwardly while the last few students were still making their way to the teacher with the witches hat.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The start of year feast will begin momentarily, but before that is to happen, you must be sorted into your houses. These houses will be like your family. You will attend class together, sit together, and even play quidditch together when you are older. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

Elle saw that directly across from her, Draco was nodding to Blaise and Theo, as if he knew what house they would be sorted in before he even saw the great hall. Although Elle wouldn't doubt the validity of his guess, since the Malfoy family has been producing Slytherin's for as long as Elle could remember, she still didn't want him to be certain, because things could change. Elle almost wanted Draco to be in Gryffindor just so she could make fun of him for getting his hopes up and being wrong.

Pansy gave her a nudge, causing her to draw her eyes from Draco to look at Pansy's beaming brown eyes at the mention of Slytherin. Elle returned an ecstatic nod and returned her eyes back to the woman, who's name she believed to be Mcgonagall, instructing them. Her cheeks looked hollow, almost sunken in. She had big, bright blue eyes, and an authoritative Scottish accent. No wonder Dumbledore made her a teacher.

"Each house has its own unique history..." The teacher drawled on about house points and things that Elle couldn't care less about. She just wanted the waiting to be over and to have that sorting hat on her head. She caught a glance at Draco and Blaise, both of whom looked annoyed listening to the woman drone. Draco caught a glance at her and chose the worst moment to make her laugh. He brought his hands up and started mocking the teacher with his hands, mimicking her hand and eye movements. Elle couldn't help but giggle as she nudged Pansy to watch as well. The two girls allowed Draco to entertain them, because it made the exhausting speech somewhat bearable.