"Allison, get up! You have to get ready to go to Kings Cross Station!" my mom's voice echoed through the stairwell.
I groaned as I stumbled out of bed.
I hate mornings.
Not that staying up till 12:00 wasn't great, but it always seemed to punch me in the face when I woke up. I always considered myself to be a night owl, and this proved my theory.
I rubbed my fuzzy visioned morning eyes and put my deep brown glasses over them, my eyes focusing on the floor. I sighed and lugged myself out of bed.
As I shuffled over to my mirror and lazily glanced over at the wall beside it. On the cream colored wall hung pictures in black and white surrounded by white intricate framing.
These frames contained pictures of my friends back at Ilvermorny in our 1st year, smiling and laughing, seeming to have not a care in the world.
We always seemed to have the best times together back then, and never seemed to get enough of each other. I remember the countless sleepless nights we had, talking about crushes and makeup as teenage girls do. Usually, this resulted in us being late to our classes, but we didn't care; we had bigger priorities. Looking back on it, these were really stupid ideas, but I would do anything to relive those careless days.
I really miss them.
This year would be completely different; I was transferring to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sure, I had a blast at Ilvermorny, but I was unchallenged. I had decided that enough was enough, and I needed to become more serious about my studies. The only reason I had stayed there that long was for my friends Cleo and Ada, but this year I wanted to try something new -- something different.
There was something so incredibly interesting about Hogwarts. It had that kind of magnetic feeling that you have when you are so deeply interested by something that you can't even begin to put your finger on it.
As I began to walk towards my clock to check the time, as small knock pattered aganst my door.
"Allison are you up?" my mom inquired quietly, slowly creaking the door open. I turned to her from where I was standing and gave her a weak smile.
"Yes, mom, I'm just about to get ready." I replied. I tiredly trudged over to my closet, a loud and dramatic yawn escaping from my lips.
I opened my closet door, and got to work.
This outfit had to be perfect, because it would determine my life for the whole year. Sure, it sounded crazy, but when you take into account all of the factors that needed to be taken into account it was more understandable.
This outfit would not only decide who would sit with me, but what my personality was. If I was likeable, if I was pretty, if I was smart, if I was charming...
Overthinking was a large trait of mine, and this was where it most commonly showed.
I dug around in my closet for what seemed like hours, my options seeming to be so slim. Sure, being a teenager was great and all, but nothing ever seemed to fit my standards of the "perfect outfit".
Too fluffy...too big...too small...
After the seemingly endless search I finally decided on a soft light brown sweater with an off the shoulder neckline, and a white and black checkered skirt. To finish off my look I chose my signature cowboy boots; the ones that had brought me good luck many times in the past.
It was something simple and comfy, but not un-flattering.
I quickly clicked my way on over to the bathroom and turned on the lights, grabbing all of the supplies I needed from the drawers in my sink.
I decided to style my hair in light waves in a half up-half down look, taking two small strands of my caramel hair out to frame my face.
A light makeup look was what I settled for, as I did not want to be too flashy for my first day. With a content smile and a quick glance in the mirror, I rushed out of my bathroom, grabbed my trunk from my room, and clomped down the stairs.
I lugged my boxy trunk to my chair and was soon greeted by the delicious smell of breakfast, and the sound of a fire coming from the kitchen. "Hey, look who's finally up!" a deep voice exclaimed from behind me. I whipped my head around to see my father, a hearty chuckle soon following.
"Morning." I grinned. My father sat down next to me as did my younger brother soon after him.
My mom exited the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist, splotches of batter littering the fabric. She made her way behind me, putting her hands on my shoulders.
"You have everything you need right? Dress robes, your wand, your favorite book..." my mom asked. "Yes, I got everything. I made sure to check last night before I went to bed." I replied.
"Okay..." she teased, "but if you forgot something don't say I didn't warn you." she scolded, pointing her wooden spoon at me.
I nodded my head in response and she went back to the kitchen, the door swinging behind her.
Several minutes later, she came out with a large stack of pancakes in one hand, and a bowl of strawberries in the other. She then gently placed them in the center of the table with a proud smile on her face.
I immediately dug into the warm, fluffy golden pancakes in front of me when I heard light tsk-ing behind me.
"Hey, save some food for your father and brother." my mother warned me. I slowly shook my head before shoving a strawberry into my mouth.
Me and my mom loved cooking together ever since I was very young, spending entire afternoons making fancy cakes and pastries. Though there were several mishaps in the past, we still worked together perfectly.
We were the mother daughter duo.
It made me sad to think that we wouldn't be able to bake together for a long while, but afterall, I was sixteen. Hogwarts was a chance for independence.
"What time are we leaving to go to the station again?" I asked with a mouthful of pancakes. "We apparate at 9:00." my mother informed me from the kitchen.
I lived in America, hence why I went to Ilvermorny in Massachusetts. This year, I'd have to apparate for my first time in order to get on the train.
Once I finished my breakfast, rather quickly might I add, I got up from my seat with my trunk and rushed to the kitchen.
"All ready to go." I stated confidently. "Alright, but just letting you know, you might get nauseous; but it will subside fairly quickly." she assured me. "Ok." I responded with a nervous smile.
I grabbed her hand and took a deep breath in.
"Apparatus!" my mother announced with a flick of her wand. A loud crack sounded, and everything went hazy. Everything began to move around me, flashing colors blinding me. I felt dizzy and nauseous as the odd sensation of falling took control of my body. I seemed to be in a paralyzed trance, with no escape.
CRACK
I fell to the floor, my arms instinctively protecting my head. My trunk was on it's side right next to me, looking like it was about to burst open from the sudden force. I groaned and looked up to see my mother staring down at me, seeming to be perfectly fine.
How did she do that so effortlessly?
"Come on, lets go." she asserted, practically yanking me off of the cold floor. We walked over past platform after platform and I looked down at my ticket.
Platform 9 Ÿ
9 Ÿ? How is that possible?
I kept my mouth shut and continued to follow my mom. She had to know what she was doing.
After several minutes of walking she came to a halt in front of a tan brick wall.
"Now, you have to run towards that wall in order to get to the train, Allison." my mom instructed.
My eyes widened at the thought, and I had to keep myself steady to prevent my knees from buckling. I already felt extremely nauseous, and wanted to puke on the wall rather than run through it.
"What? How is that supposed to work? I'll break my nose!" I exclaimed while lightly brushing my fingers against my nose.
My mother tucked one of my loose strands of hair behind my ear.
"Just trust me," she reassured, "now, you better go fast or you'll miss the train."
Right as I was about to go, she capturd me in a warm embrace. "Love you, Allie. You'll do great things at Hogwarts" my mom whispered into my hair.
"Love you too, mom." I smiled as I broke away from the hug.
With my heart racing and my stomach queasy, I started jogging towards the wall, slowly building up pace. My brain was telling me to stop but my body kept pushing me forward.
You have to keep going.
I braced myself for impact, and tightly shut my eyes, expecting the worst. A few moments later I opened my eyes, suprised that my face wasn't bashed in.
My eyes widened as I saw all of the people around me, saying their last goodbyes to their loved ones. The overall excitement of it all was overwhelming; but in the best way possible.
I glanced to the side to see large train with the words "Hogwarts Express" in large bold letters on the front of it. Steam emitted from the top of the black pipe and students were hopping on board, waving and hollering.
I walked towards the train and stepped into one of the many doors on the side, a look of condfidence spreading across my face and enveloping all of my features.
When I fully enetered the train, everything seemed to be silent, for the exception of the quiet chatting of the pupils. I took a deep breath, and began to carefully make my way down the red carpeted aisle. Worry began to seep in to my previously calm exterior as I noticed full room after full room. My pace sped up, my feet quickly patting against the floor.
"This is what happens when you're late Allison..." I scolded quietly.
I hadn't even realised that I made it to the end of the exceptionally large train until I almost hit my face on a door. My eyes widened and I brushed off my skirt, a deep sigh soon following.
I looked to my right and my eyes fixated on the golden handle of the door, leading to a seemingly silent cabin. I looked into the window and saw only one person sitting on one of the cushioned benches.
It was a boy with mousy brown hair that fell just above his eyes; seeming to be around my age, 17 at most. He was dressed in black and yellow school robes with a golden badger patch and a pin right next to it saying "Prefect". In his hands was a large dark green book with silver lettering on it, and he was reading it intently.
I opened the door and the boy immediately averted his gaze towards me, a kind smile on his face.
"Do you mind if I join you?" I asked shyly. "Of course not, come sit, I'm sure all of the other carts are full." the boy responded softly.
I placed my trunk in the overhead compartament and sat directly across from him.
"My name is Cedric by the way. Cedric Diggory." he said with a warm smile. "What's your name, gorgeous?"
"I'm Allison." I replied, astounded by how forward he was being. Now that I had gotten closer to him, I noticed that he was very handsome. He had grey eyes, and silky hair that perfectly framed his chiseled face.
"What brings you to Hogwarts Allison? If you don't mind me asking. People usually don't transfer in their later years." Cedric inquired his eyes never leaving mine.
"Well, I used to go to Ilvermorny but I found the work quite...easy. Every year I had gotten a letter asking if I wanted to apply, but it usually just ended up in the trash. This year, I decided to accept their request and attend." I explained with a shrug.
"Well, that's quite...interesting." he chuckled.
As the ride continued, we chatted for some time, becoming very quick friends. Mostly, we talked about the school. Cedric made it very clear that he was more than happy to answer any questions that I had about it, considering that he was a prefect.
"Snape is our potions teacher -- quite a nasty man he is. He tends to favor Slytherins and always deducts points from other houses for the smallest mistakes." Cedric babbled, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
"I'm really not excited to go to his class, he just sounds like an overall grump." I added. "And besides; I know I would be in any other house except Slytherin. I just don't think that it fits me. Since you said they tend to be cunning and ambitious, whereas I'm the opposite of that. I mean I have goals and ambitions, but I wouldn't put others below me to get there." I commented.
"Since I know you won't be a Slytherin, your life will be a living hell in his class. He assigns so many tests." he explained.
"I'm a Hufflepuff," he beamed proudly, "and I think it's one of the best houses to be in. We tend to be underestimated, and made fun of actually. We're seen as the weakest of the houses. Someday I want to bring pride to my house, you know. I don't want us to be seen as babies anymore." Cedric continued.
"That's undertstandable. It's annoying when nobody takes you seriously." I agreed, averting my vision to the view outside of the moving train soon after.
It was stunning; evergreen trees were scattered near a large grey lake as the train went over a stone bridge. A large black outline of a castle was visible in the distance, a thick fog surrounding it.
"Ooh, we're almost there!" I squealed. Cedric laughed at my actions. "I know this is your first year and all, but when it's your sixth year riding it's not as exciting."
I nodded in agreement, and continued to giggle excitedly.
"You might want to get changed, we'll be there soon." Cedric suggested.
"I should probably go do that." I replied cooly, picking up the small grocery bag that my mom had given me to put my school clothes in.
About 20 minutes after I was done changing, the train came to a halt. I stood up from where I was sitting an stood on my tiptoes in an attempt to get my trunk, but it was no use. Cedric had already grabbed his bag, and noticied my struggle. "Hey, let me help you." he smiled, picking my trunk up and handing it to me.
"Thank you." I mumbled as I headed out of the compartament, a light blush on my cheeks. I walked towards the exit of the train and stepped off of the ledge, trying my best not to trip.
I was told to go with the first years in my acceptance letter, but I wasn't too excited by that. I understood that it was for me to learn more about Hogwarts, but it would just slow me down; and be embarassing for that matter.
As I made my way over to the cluster of third years I looked back to see Cedric with an encouraging smile.
"I'll see you at dinner." he mouthed to me. I nodded my head, and continued on.
I wasn't the tallest person ever, but I still towered over the children. They all stared at me, doe eyed and innocent like young kids do, and I forced an awkward smile back at them.
Perfect start to the year.
"All right first years, come along." a very tall man announced. He had a long scruffy beard with frizzy hair, and he stood at an astounding eight feet tall. He wore a kind and jolly smile on his face, and when he spoke he had a thick south west english accent.
He soon spotted me in the sea of children and stomped over to me.
"Are you really a first year, or is this just your first year here?" he asked, bending down so he could talk to me. "I'm starting my 6th year. This is my first year here." I informed him with a toothy grin.
"Oh, well, welcome to Hogwarts!" he exclaimed.
"I'm Hagrid, the gamekeeper, and I teach care of magical creatures."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Allison."
"Well, nice to meet you too, Allison. But we better get you moving along across the lake." he insisted.
After finally making it to the castle, a teacher with a black dress, circular glasses, and frizzy grey hair started speaking. For most of her speech I was zoning out, but I started listening closely when she mentioned the sorting.
"Now, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." she asserted. "I am professor McGonagall, the head teacher of Gryffindor." she said with a quick smile.
McGonagall looked at me and flashed me a sympathic smile almost as to apologize for making me go with the first years. I shot a reasurring smile back, to let her know that I was fine.
McGonagall lead the children and I inside, and we stood in a long line. It was official I'm; the sorting ceremony had begun.
The ceremony felt like it took forever, as names continued to be called as proffessor McGonagall listed them off of the long parchment. My eyes nervously darted around the room as I trudged forward in line.
I could see that Cedric was zoning out, he was staring mindlessly at the table. He had told me that he'd seen this ceremony so many times, and the only reason he didn't skip it was because he was a prefect, and had to show the kids around after ceremony and feast.
"Allison Johnson!"
I must have been zoning out as well, because I thought I was having a near heart attack when my name was called.
Cedric's attention went over to me as I slowly and steadily walked towards the stool.
I was nervous to say the least, as would anyone who was put into my situation. I felt hundreds of eyes burning into the back of my head and my breathing sped up, my face growing hot.
I saw a dark brown hat, pointed at the top, which was faded from many years of use. When I sat down on the stool, the hat was placed directly on my head.
The hat began to speak, and I was startled, unaware that this hat could talk. "Allison... what a wonderful name...wonderful, wonderful. Ahhh, very bright I see. Maybe I should put you in Ravenclaw....no, no. I see kindness, patience, and loyalty. Voluntary effort and commitment. I say, Hufflepuff!" the hat boomed.
The Hufflepuff table started clapping and cheering as I walked towards the table. With bright eyes and a beaming smile across his face, Cedric congratulated me. "Welcome to Hufflepuff, Allison." he whispered into my ear.
The ceremony seemed to be passing by quickly, and the thought of my old friends passed my mind. Though I missed my old friends, I felt so lucky to have made a new one.
Cedric Diggory.
Me and Cedric laughed and talked throughout the remainder of the ceremony, until the dining hall silenced for Dumbledore's speech.