Chloe Cullen - A Harry Potter and Twilight Crossover

Chapter 4: Hogwarts

I'm so nervous. I don't think I've been this nervous for anything in my life. I was excited at first, especially when I went with my parents to Diagon Alley and got my books and wand. My parents got a hotel room in London and I was binge reading all of my textbooks and finished them all and, of course, that means I memorized them all. I would also spend hours admiring my wand, which Ollivander said is pretty unique because of the combination of wood, core, and length. It's seventeen inches long, which Ollivander said is a long wand length and lengths that long usually are best suited for those with a physical difference, which he said makes sense because of my vampire parents. The wood is Red Oak - making the wand a red color - and Ollivander said that means that the owner has an unusually fast reaction time and it's great for duelling and transfiguration. Lastly, the core is Horned Serpent Horn which is a powerful core and vibrates when a snake language called Parseltongue is being spoken and it even warns of danger by emitting a low musical tone.

Now that I'm on the train without my parents, I'm starting to get really nervous. The only thing that's keeping me from panicking is the company I have in the form of my red and white owl Maple, which my mom got me as an early twelfth birthday present. Other than that, I have a compartment to myself on the Hogwarts Express. My parents dropped me off with 10 minutes to spare and I'd bet my life that they are still waiting outside for the train to leave. When the train has two minutes left before it leaves, my compartment door opens. Standing in the doorway is a kid with dark skin and dreadlocks. Along with his luggage, he has a cage with a tarantula in it. "Mind if I join you, everywhere else is full" he says. "Sure" I say and he walks in and gets settled.

"I've never seen you 'round here before. First year?" he asks, and I nod. "I'm Lee Jordan. Gryffindor third year. Who're you?" he asks. "Chloe Cullen" I say with a fake smile. I'm too nervous to give a real smile. Before he can say anything more, two more people open the compartment door, and they both look identical. Tall with flaming red hair, pale skin and lots of freckles. "Hey Lee. Who's this?" one of them asks, looking at me." "This is Chloe Cullen. First year" Lee says, and gestures to me, I wave and the two boys sit beside Lee. "I'm Fred Weasley and this is my brother George. We're third years to" he says and then he turns to Lee. "You know what would be really cool?" Fred asks. "Yeah?" Lee asks. "Put an engorgement Charm on the spider and set it loose. See what happens" Fred says. A wicked smile crosses Lee's face and he opens the spider's cage and puts it in his hand. He taps the spider and says "Engorgio" and the spider grows to twice its original size. Fred eyes me, analyzing my reaction. Seeing that I'm not scared of spiders nor objecting to what they're doing, he says "I can tell we're going to get on great." I smile and eagerly watch what they're up to.

For the entire train ride, we talk and I watch them enjoy the reaction from the spider. I learn that there's a kid named Harry Potter on the train. Apparently he's a really big deal. When they see that I'm confused over why they care so much, this prompts a conversation about who he is and why he's famous. I'll have to read more about this later. I defend my ignorance by saying that my parents aren't a wizard and a witch. Then, I learn a little bit more about them. Before I know it, it's time to get into our Hogwarts robes. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." A voice echoes. My nervousness returns and my stomach turns into knots. "You'll be fine" Fred says, seeing my slightly green complexion. "When you get to the school, you'll get to Hogwarts with the other first years. Then there's the sorting ceremony to decide what house you're going to be in. No big deal" he says. I smile lightly. Easy for him to say. He went through it already.

We all step off the train once it stops and we walk onto a tiny, dark platform. The cold helps ease my nausea. Then, a lamp comes bobbing above everyone. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a gruff voice says. I, along with the other first years, make my way over there. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" All of the students - apart from me, of course - are slipping and stumbling as we follow the giant man down a steep, narrow path. It's very dark and I only have a slim advantage in eyesight over the other students. I can see thick trees on either side of the path. Everyone seems so nervous that nobody speaks. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the big man calls. "Jus' round this bend here."