The Snake Pit || Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 2: The Sorting

Daphne nudged Octavia awake with little kindness. Octavia grumbled rudely and swore at her in return, ignoring the lingering eyes of her new classmates.

'Don't give me that attitude missy, you can't walk into Hogwarts wearing muggle clothes,' she huffed at her shaking her finger. Octavia stuck her tongue out in response before reaching for her trunk and slipping her new uniform out of it. She held it in a bundle sadly, she was no snob but a downgrade was a downgrade. Daphne grinned at her.

'Chin up, lovely, let the world she those beautiful legs' she shimmied at her suggestively.

'Pfft,' she breathed embarrassed, suddenly conscious of the tight space. Daphne tugged at her arm towards the door where Pansy waited. A stern voice with a hint of worry stopped them. The girls turned back.

'Daphne, take your wands,' Theodore stood up and held them out to them and Octavia finally got a look at him. He towered over them, but honestly that didn't mean much in the company they kept, his eyes were a dark grey, and brown wavy hair fell over his brow. His hint of worry was momentarily sweet until Octavia remembered the conversation the compartment had earlier.

She grasped the familiar handle of her wand and took it gently. It was silver fir with a veela hair for the core, it was warm to the touch. She held it under her bundle of a uniform and they left the compartment, a soft click of the door behind them and a draw of a curtain. Pansy led the way with Octavia between the two Slytherin girls she felt wary but safe in their stead.

Entering a singular bathroom, they slipped into their uniforms quietly before checking themselves over in the mirror. A button up shirt with a black tie, a knee length grey skirt, grey socks under black converse and a black robe to cover it. Octavia pulled her dark hair into a ponytail and fussed with small framing pieces. Daphne and Pansy were giggling together, painting eyeliner on and dark mascara. Finished getting ready, she waited.

'Ok, not to be a terrible person but I am not letting you walk out of here like that,' Pansy smiled apologetically. Octavia frowned and looked down at herself.

Pansy swept over and Daphne followed and they began tugging at her, hiking her skirt up to mid-thigh, opening the buttons of her shirt and loosening her tie. She tried to protest but they shooshed her without care. She already had light makeup on so they weren't concerned with that, except brushing more lip gloss and fresh mascara. They stood back to look at her appreciatively. And she took stock of their mayhem. With her skirt higher and shirt open she looked trendy, she looked like she was one of them, and she liked that a lot. The familiarity of a friendship blooming, Octavia grinned.

'Proud of yourselves?' she joked grinning.

'Definitely,' they responded in unison and they all fell into each other laughing. Pulling themselves apart they left the bathroom and let themselves back in, the curtain up, allowing them to see the boys all in uniform. A nervous chatter for the beginning of a new year rang out in the small compartment. Squeezing back to their seats Octavia watched out the darkening window.

'How far away are we?' she asked Daphne.

'Probably 20 minutes at most,' she smiled. A polite knock at the door turned her away.

'Oh, here we go,' Draco grumbled and they all looked up.

Behind window in the door, stood a short curly haired witch. Octavia recognised her instantly. She was pretty with brown eyes and a nervous smile on her mouth. She opened the door with a small greeting, a shiny badge on her chest, Head Girl.

'Hi, I'm Hermione Granger, Head Girl, I'm looking for-' she looked down at a list, '-Lorenzo Berkshire, Octavia Lemaire and Mattheo R-' her breath hitched in surprise, '-uh Riddle'. She looked back up and frowned. The three of them responded, Lorenzo with a smile and wave similarly to Octavia and a slight shift in weight and grunt by Mattheo.