Anticipation bubbled within me. I turned to my twin, Harry, who wore a mirroring expression. Hagrid had deposited us at the train station’s entrance, leaving us utterly clueless about where to proceed. We stood near Platform Nine, gazing around with wide eyes.
A large family, freckled and ginger, hurried onto the platform.
“Hogwarts is just around the corner,” a woman called out, “Through the barrier, quickly, quickly!”
Harry darted forward. “Did I hear Hogwarts?”
“You did,” she replied. “I’m Molly Weasley. This is my son, Ron.”
“Hi, I’m Harry. This is my sister, Y/n,” Harry said, gesturing to me.
“Wait, those names sound familiar. Are you… the Potter twins?” Molly asked, her eyes widening in recognition.
“Uh, yeah,” I said, walking beside Harry. “We are the twins.” My voice held a hesitant confusion. What was the big deal?
“You’re *the* Potter twins?” Molly repeated, disbelief evident in her tone.
“Yeah?” Harry responded, equally unsure.
“Come on, Ronald! You’re going to miss the train!” Ms. Weasley urged, as Ron’s siblings vanished through the barrier. The four of us remained, watching Ron push his cart of belongings straight *into* the solid wall, disappearing without a sound. We followed, walking through the wall almost instantaneously. I looked around at my new surroundings: wizards and witches rushing about, boarding the train, embracing friends after months apart, and saying goodbye to families.
A bright red train, emblazoned with “Hogwarts Express” in gold lettering, sat before us. Harry and I waited for Ron to finish saying goodbye to his mother, then we boarded the train. He led us to an empty compartment, smiling as he stowed his suitcases overhead. We followed suit, settling into the seats as the train lurched forward. We began to talk, tentatively at first, then with growing excitement.
“I’m sorry if this comes off as rude,” Ron began, whispering as if revealing a great secret, “But… do you guys have the… the scars?”
I instinctively touched the back of my neck, tracing the lightning bolt. Harry lifted his hair to reveal the matching scar on his forehead.
“That’s so cool!” Ron exclaimed excitedly.
“Thanks? Um, do you mind if I ask why you’re freaking out about us so much?” Harry asked.
“You really don’t know?” Ron asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
Harry and I shook our heads.
“I’ve been learning about you since I was a child. There was this evil wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and he was trying to take over the Wizarding World. He was evil, and one day he came into your house, trying to kill you and your family. He killed your parents, but for some reason, you two survived and… killed *him* instead. That’s how you got the scars; his spell bounced off of you from there.”
I sat in stunned silence for a moment, absorbing the information. “We really did that?”
“Yeah! You’re legends!” Ron declared with a grin.
I turned to Harry. He looked just as shocked as I felt. We continued our conversation with Ron, deep into a game of Bean Roulette—randomly selecting candies from a box—when a girl with bushy brown hair entered the compartment.
“Have you seen a toad around here? A kid named Neville lost his,” she asked.
Harry shook his head, and the girl sat down beside me.
“Hermione Granger,” she introduced, extending her hand.
“Ron Weasley,” Ron replied, mimicking her gesture.
“Pleasure,” she said.
“I’m Y/n, and this is my brother, Harry,” I added.
Hermione returned to her search, and we resumed our game of Bean Roulette.
~~~
I stepped off the train, changed into plain black Hogwarts robes, and spotted Hagrid immediately. Harry and Ron followed me as we walked toward him.
“Heya, kids!” he boomed, leading us down a hill to a lake. A fleet of boats awaited us, and we quickly climbed aboard. We rowed across the lake, eager to reach the other side and finally see the castle. It soon materialized—a breathtaking structure that towered above us.
We entered the castle, and I stood in awe. It was gorgeous. All the first years were gathered in the front hallway, waiting to be Sorted—whatever that meant. Ron muttered something about Houses, so that was probably it.
A boy with blond hair approached Harry and me, flanked by two towering companions. His voice was cold and arrogant, as if he was superior to those around him. “So the rumors are true? The Potter twins are at Hogwarts now?”
“Yeah, we are,” I responded, keeping my voice steady.
“Well, I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.” He smirked, his eyes assessing us.
I heard Ron snicker behind us. We turned to look at him.
“Think my name’s funny, do you?” Draco snarled, his voice laced with anger. “No need to ask yours. Red hair, and hand-me-down robes? You must be a Weasley.”
Ron backed away, his face flushing red, while Draco turned back to us, his pride evident. “You don’t want to become friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” He extended his hand.
“I think I can find the wrong sort for myself, thanks,” Harry said firmly.
Malfoy’s smirk vanished, replaced by a scowl. A girl with similarly colored hair stepped up beside him. Both Malfoy and the girl opened their mouths to speak, but a professor strode forward, her voice calm and authoritative.
“Please follow me into the Great Hall and wait to be Sorted,” she said.
We followed her into the Great Hall, where rows of tables were arranged. The professor began calling out names.
“Abbott, Hannah!”
“HUFFLEPUFF!!”
“Granger, Hermione!”
“Hm… GRYFFINDOR!”
“Potter, Harry!”
The hall fell silent.
After a tense few minutes, “Better be… GRYFFINDOR!!”
The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers.
“Potter, Y/n!”
I walked up to the chair and sat down, fear bubbling inside me.
“Hm… smart and witty like a Ravenclaw, brave and loyal like a Gryffindor, kind and hardworking like a Hufflepuff, cunning and ambitious like a Slytherin… better be… SLYTHERIN!!” the Sorting Hat declared.
Confusion flooded my face as the hat was removed. I walked toward the table on the far left, where the Slytherins sat, as a green patch appeared on my robes. I didn’t recognize anyone here, except Draco, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be friends with him. I sat down, tears welling in my eyes. Why did Harry and I have to be separated?
A girl turned to me and tapped me on the shoulder. I wiped away my tears as she spoke. She looked like the same girl who had come from behind Malfoy earlier.
“Hi, I’m Star! You’re Y/n Potter, right?”
“I am. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Hey, I know you’re upset about being in a different House than Harry, but trust me, it’s not that bad here. Us Slytherins get a bad rep, but we’re not all evil little snakes,” she added with a laugh. “Oh, and about Draco, just ignore him. I’m his sister, and he’s just mad because he wanted to have you and your brother on something he calls ‘his side.’ Everything is a competition with him.”
“Thanks,” I said. “You seem nice. Do you want to be friends?”
“Of course!” Star replied, her smile warm and genuine.