Are You Joking?

♡ CHAPTER TWO ♡

♪ Love can change the world in a moment
But what do I know? ♪
~ Ed Sheeran
'What Do I Know?'

Vanessa

Exiting the Express is chaotic as always, and it's a while before we're out of the train. The platform is a madhouse, and somehow I manage to spot I manage to spot Posie through the hustle and bustles.
"One moment," I mutter to Draco, squeezing his hand once before dropping it and walking toward my little sister, who stands over with Hagrid and several other first-year children. The group of them are all either buzzing with excitement or pale with nerves.

"Nessa!" Posie exclaims, rushing over to me and jumping up, wrapping her arms and legs around me in a clingy bear hug.
"Hey, Po! How was the train? Did you find some friends to sit with?" I ask, grinning at her.
"It was fine. I sat by myself but when the Trolley Witch came around, I bought a pumpkin pasty and she told me all about how she makes them." She's smiling, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes.
"That's great, Po," I smile slightly, unsure what to say.
"I read the WHOLE book of A History of Magic."
"But you've read that before!"
"Only three times, Ness. Besides, I've run out of books to read!" She giggles.
"Well, then I guess you'll just have to borrow some from the huge library at Hogwarts!" Posie's eyes go wide.

"Evening, Hagrid," I nod at the half-giant.
"Oh, hello Vanessa!" He bellows, grinning. "Right, Posie. time ter go."

"Vanessa?" Posie looks up at me with her round, green eyes, identical to mine. My smile falters. She never calls me Vanessa. " What happens... well, what if I'm not in Gryffindor? With you and Lee? And Mum and Dad were both Gryffindors, and even Grammy and-"

"Hey, hey, shhh." Her breathing has become rapid, and her hands are shaking. "Just breathe, okay?" I crouch down to be on her level and wrap my arms around her, rubbing her back in circles. I pull away from her and stare straight into her emerald eyes.

"If you're not put in Gryffindor, it means you'd be better suited somewhere else, and that is perfectly okay. Whatever house you're in will love you for who you are, and so will I, okay? And Lee, and Mum, and Dad, Grammy and Pops too."

"Thanks, Nessa," she sighs once more, her breathing returning to normal.
"Always, Posie," I grin, "now, off you go!" I tuck a stray hair behind her ear, and she skips off to join Hagrid and the other first year students.

By now the platform has calmed down considerably, and I'm able to squish into a carriage with Padma and Parvati Patil, Hannah Abott, Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan and Michael Corner. I sit awkwardly with my hands in my lap, I'm not really friends with anyone in the carriage and no one else makes any effort at small talk. I pick absent-mindedly at my cuticles and try to keep my breathing as quiet as possible, considering how already awkward this ride is. I can hear Susans heavy breathing in my ear and it's driving me crazy. I consider myself a judge-y person.

After the drive to the castle (which felt like it went on for hours) I walk into the great hall, my brand-new robes swishing around my feet.

"Vanessa!" Draco shouts loudly across the room. Several people's heads flick around to stare at him, but he doesn't seem to mind. He waves me over, smiling. He only ever smiles like that around me. I walk over, returning his smile. "Hey, baby. I tried to wait for you," he says, "before, on the platform, but I got swept up in the crowd."

"Yeah, I went to see Posie. She was nervous." I explain. "No thanks to you, I had to sit with a bunch of Hufflepuffs on the way here!" I joke, laughing.

"Whoops," he smirks. I spot Mei Ravenclaw table, who waves me over from our usual spot.

"Got to go, see you later!" I peck Draco on the cheek and skip over to Mei. I take my seat next to her at Ravenclaw table, which is definitely not allowed, but we do it every day.

I hear the huge, heavy, great hall doors bang open and my head flicks around to where I see McGonagall leading the frightened-looking first years to the top of the hall. The buzz in the hall fades away as the first-year students line up in front of the staff table. Professor McGonagall places the stool on the floor, before placing the old, tattered Sorting Hat on top. The hat trembles, and the whole hall waits with bated breath before the hat bursts into song.

"In times of old when I was new,

and Hogwarts barely started,

the founders of our noble school,

thought never to be parted.

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

to make the world's best magic school,

and pass along their learning..."

I don't listen to the rest of the song, because my attention is stolen by a woman. An extremely odd woman, seated at the staff table. She wears a fluffy cardigan over her robes in a sickly shade of pink, she's incredibly stubby and squat looking, her hair is mousy brown and adorned with a horrible looking Alice band. Her smile is so sweet and fake-looking that its nauseating. Her eyes travel the room before landing directly on me. Her sickly smile widens to an even sicklier grin. I look away.

The sorting hat finishes its song, and a smattering of applause ripples through the room, accompanied by worried whispers and muttering.

"What was that about?" I ask Mei, nudging her with my elbow.

"Wait, you weren't listening to... any of that?" She's shocked. "It said some kind of warning. I'm not entirely sure what about, it was pretty cryptic. It didn't sound too cheery, though."

My attention shifts once more to the platform at the top of the room, where McGonagall has just called the first child's name to be sorted. The shy boy shuffles to the stool before sitting down, and the sorting hat barely touches his head before shouting, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table of students in yellow and black bursts into applause as the first year- who is now grinning from ear to ear- joins them at their table.

"Daniels, Georgina." McGonagall's crisp voice announces, and Georgina walks confidently up to the stool, head held high. she sits on the stool, and folds one leg over the other before placing her hands in her lap. Her jet-black hair is tied tightly into an elaborate fishtail braid. She's incredibly poised for an eleven-year-old. When the sorting hat is placed on her head, it announces that Georgina Daniels is now a member of Gryffindor house.

"Fredricks, Sean," Mcgonagall's voice calls the next student up to the stool, this boy trembling and slightly green. The sorting hat makes its decision, and Sean stumbles off the platform to the table of cheering Hufflepuffs.

"Howard, Evangeline," Becomes a Ravenclaw and then "Bishop, Douglas," proudly joins his new house as a Slytherin.

"Jordan, Posie." My trembling sister stumbles toward the stool and sits down before McGonagall places the hat on her head. The hall is silent. I can see the mouth of the hat moving but can't at all hear what its saying. It's been a while, at least 45 seconds, though it feels like more. I'm expecting a Ravenclaw, or maybe Hufflepuff. Another 15 seconds pass before the hat bellows across the hall. What it says shocks me. At first I don't believe my ears.
"What did it say?" I say, looking at Mei for confirmation that I don't really need.
"It said Slytherin," She repeats.

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Hi !!

How did you like the chapter? I was thinking a lot about where I was going to place Posie, and I think I've come up with a decent side plot.
Please let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo ♥︎