Chapter Text
“Potter, Harry,”
Professor McGonagall’s voice rang clearly above the chatter as ‘Perks Sally-Anne’ hopped off the stool and towards the Slytherin table.
The whole room was overrun with curious whispers. Hazel Potter squeezed her twin brother’s arm reassuringly as he walked out towards the three legged stool. Hazel shuffled anxiously from foot to foot as Harry and the sorting hat began discussing his house quietly.
She looked around at the hall and thought about how strange everything looked in the magical world, the teachers at the back table were all dressed in robes like in the fantasy books she read in primary school.
Hazel had always been a fast reader, she had finished the whole library at her school in year 5. That wasn’t much of an achievement as the library only had 73 books in total. She wondered just how different this world would be from the normal - no muggle - world, she must remember to call it the muggle world here.
Her mind wandered back to a month earlier. The day when Hagrid broke down the door of the rickety house her uncle had dragged them to. He had explained all about magic. He won Harry over instantly but Hazel took a bit more convincing.
“You look just like your Mum ‘azel-you got ‘er ‘air and ‘er eyes” Hagrid had declared.
Hazel hadn’t known how to respond, how did you respond to someone saying you looked like your dead mum, was that a compliment? Hazel had no clue.
“GRYFFINDOR!” the hat cried out after a long time.
The red table began to cheer as the ginger twins- was wheezy their name? Hazel had met on the platform began to chant, “WE GOT POTTER!”
Eventually once the noise had died down “Potter, Hazel,” was called.
The room began to whisper again.
“Another one?” she heard a boy in yellow say
“I didn’t know there were two,” replied his friend.
Hazel cautiously sat on the battered stool as she felt the tattered, old hat being placed on her head, in an instant she heard a small voice in her mind say, “Another Potter eh?”
“Interesting,” The hat continued, “Two Gryffindor parents and your brother, but you are different. You are loyal and good, like a Hufflepuff yet cunning, like a Slytherin,” the magical hat paused to think.
“Gryffindor, please, Gryffindor like Harry!” she pleaded, “I just want to be with my brother, please!”
The hat pondered her pleads for a painful time, which felt like hours but was probably only minutes, before bellowing, “SLYTHERIN!”
Hazel moved cautiously towards the green table and sat down next to a girl with long brown hair and a face that could neither be described as pretty or ugly, whom introduced herself as Pansy Parkinson.
She was eventually introduced to Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, Sally-Anne Perks and Daphne Greengrass. Who all (except for Malfoy) seemed relatively nice.
Crabbe and Goyle seemed a bit stupid but kind. Hazel was shocked when food just appeared on the table with a Pop! Her cheeks flushed when she realised that no one else had flinched at the magic.
Her new friends asked her about her brother and childhood, she was perfectly happy to talk about life in the muggle world to them as they were all ‘purebloods’ so had no clue. They seemed shocked that she was raised by her muggle aunt and uncle. Hazel made a mental note to ask them why that was an issue some other time.
After the massive meal, an ancient man with a long white beard and small half-moon spectacles stood up and began speaking to the school.
“Is that Gandalf?” Hazel asked Pansy.
Hazel had really enjoyed the Lord of the Rings series in school. In fact she had finished them in just five weeks, much to the surprise of her teacher. Hazel went to the school library at least once a week and took at least three books in primary school and she was very excited to do the same now.
“Who is Gandalf?” Pansy questioned, pulling Hazel out of her daydream. “That’s Dumbledore, he’s the headmaster.”
“Oh…” Hazel blushed again, of course the Lord of the Rings weren’t real stories, and no one who was brought up in the magical world knew them. This made Hazel feel extremely alone, “But at least I have Harry…” She thought.
The first year Slytherins were lead to the dungeons after the feast by their prefects, who all seemed completely bored by the group of eleven year olds they were to be leading. Hazel was shocked at the sheer length of the walk down to the Slytherin common room. The group walked for what felt like hours to the tired, young girl until they got to a painting in the middle of the dungeon.
“This is the entrance to the common room, the password will change regularly, do not forget it or you will be sleeping out here,” drawled a tall dark boy with a gruesome smirk and red acne all over his face.
“The password for now is Sanctisanguis and don’t forget it,” continued a girl with a long black French braid and a few freckles on her nose. She appeared kinder than the boy.
The two prefects lead the first years into the common room. It was green with silver accents. There was a roaring fire surrounded by forest coloured sofas. A large grand piano was placed in the far corner surrounded by old looking bookcases. Hazel couldn’t believe her eyes, there was a whole wall full of windows looking out to the dark lake they had crossed with Hagrid, the groundskeeper.
The room was beautiful. So beautiful that Hazel didn’t notice the dark man standing to the side until he cleared his throat and spoke.
“I am Professor Snape, I am your head of house, I also teach potions. In Slytherin house we all stick together, if you have any issues you either come to one of your prefects or, in extreme situations me. Now, girl’s dormitories left and boys on then right,” Snape motioned for the group to split here.
Hazel followed the other girls upstairs and into their shared dorm. The room was also green with the same silver accents but with only smaller windows this time. The beds were four poster, the covers were green and had silver patterns on them. Hazel and the girls got ready for bed quickly in the bathroom.
The bathroom was covered in white tiles, there were two shower cubicles and three toilet ones. The five girls would be sharing a living space for their whole school careers. Somehow this fact didn’t scare Hazel in the slightest as she nodded off in her warm bed under covers she would never have to share with her brother.