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"Are you ready for the Cartier sisters to take Hogwarts by storm?" I asked my three younger sisters, as we waited outside of the Great Hall for someone to come and get us to be sorted.

"No, I'm terrified." Elizabeth, the youngest, scoffed fidgeting with her hands.

"Don't be, Eliza! We're going to love it here!"  Angelica, the second youngest, told her with a grin. "I can feel it in my bones!"

"I agree with Angie." Marguerite, who is only a year younger than me, piped in with a bright smile. That smile seemed to be permanently implanted onto her face, because Peggy never not smiled.

"I don't doubt that." Eliza sighed in irritation. "I'm terrified of us walking all the way down that room, with everyone staring at us, as we're individually sorted into a house."

"We'll be fine, Ellie." I told the thirteen year old. "Besides, we'll have cousin Remus to show us the ropes."

"That you will, cousin Jaq!" My sisters and I quickly turned toward the doorway, where our favorite cousin stood with a grin on his face.

"Remus!" I cheered, hurrying to embrace him. The girls and I pulled Remus into a group hug.

"It's wonderful to see you all." He told us, when we released the hug. "Come on, Professor Dumbledore has the sorting hat ready."

The four of us followed Remus into the Great Hall, which was filled with students. All of whom seemed to be too focused on the elderly man at the front, to notice us.

"Ah, yes! Thank you, Mister Lupin, you may be seated." He told our cousin with a kind smile.  He then turned towards the sea of students behind us. "I would like to introduce to you all our new American transfer students from Ilvermony. Please make the Cartier sisters feel welcome."

Professor Dumbledore turned to the woman wearing green robes and said. "Professor McGonagall, if you will?"

McGonagall took out a piece of parchment and started calling our names and class year. "Cartier, Angelica. Fifth year."

Angie looked at me anxiously and I nodded with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. She walked up the steps towards the stool and sat down. A raggedy old wizard's hat was placed on top of her head and the entire room went quiet.

"Hmmm, might as well be...." The hat spoke normally, before shouting. "SLYTHERIN!"

The other students applauded as Professor McGonagall pointed my sister in the direction of her house's table. She looked down at her paper and called. "Cartier, Elizabeth. Third year."

Eliza looked up at me in fear, making me quickly grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She released my hand and sat down on the stool.

"RAVENCLAW!" My youngest sister walked over in the direction of the table that McGonagall told her and sat down.

"Cartier, Marguerite. Sixth year."

Marguerite sat down on the stool with an excited grin in her face. She fumbled with her hands a little as she waited for the hat to tell her what house to go to.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I applauded with everyone else and sent my younger sister a smile as she passed me. Taking a deep breath, I waited for my name to be called by McGonagall.

"Cartier, Jaqueline. Seventh year."

I walked towards the stool, my heart pounding in my chest as I felt the stares of the other students on my back. I made myself visibly relax and slapped on a confident facade. No matter how scared I was, I refused to display it to the school.

I sat down on the stool with a straightened posture and my head high. I kept my expression blank as the hat was placed on my head.

"Ah, finally, the eldest Cartier daughter. Your sisters think very highly of you." It spoke in my head, it's words causing me to raise a brow. "Now, let's see..... kind, very protective. Hmmm... yes, I see courage within you, my child. And a little too much pride. Very loyal, that's always good. And very mischievous, aren't you? I see, I see. Well, I know just where to put you...."

My breath hitched as the sorting hat paused dramatically. The hushed whispers of my peers making me more anxious.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat was taken from my head and I slipped off of the stool. I looked at Professor McGonagall and she pointed towards the table where they were all dressed in red and yellow.

I made eye contact with my cousin and he made room beside him and another boy. Sharing a grateful smile with Remus, I made my way to the table and sat down beside the werewolf.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, Jaqs!" The
chestnut haired boy told me with a grin as he gave me a side hug.

"How exactly do the two of you know each other?" A brunette boy with glasses sitting across from Remus, asked us curiously.

"Oh, right! James, Sirius, Peter. This is my cousin, Jaqueline. Jaqs, these are my friends. Sirius Black , James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew." Rem introduces, pointing out each boy as he says their name.

"It's nice to meet you guys." I told them politely with a smile. "And thank you for helping Remus with his, uh..... furry little problem."

"Wait, she knows?" James asked with wide eyes.

"Of course, I know." I chuckled with a smirk. "I'm his favorite cousin."

This earned me an eye roll from Rem and making me grin at him, before answering seriously. "Actually, it's because I was the one who found him after the sadistic bastard attacked and bolted."

"Makes sense." Sirius commented, eyeing me up and down with a flirty smirk. I scoffed with distain, knowing that I'd found the fuckboy.

Of course, Remus had told me about Sirius' flirty tendencies, as he had told me about all of his friends. So, I shouldn't have been nearly as surprised as I was.

"Rem, you mentioned four more people in your letters. Where's Lenora, Timothée, Olivia, and Lily? I want to meet the other girls that put fear into the hearts of you four." I chuckled, recalling the letters where Remus had described the fiery tempered redheads, the filterless brunette, and hilarious brunette boy.

"Lily is in the library, tutoring a third year in Potions. Nora and Tim are feeding her creatures real quick." At first I was confused by Remus' words, thinking that the last part was an innuendo.

"Wait, I thought she and James where dating? Why would she be–?" I started asking in confusion with a furrowed brow, before being cut off by Remus' laughter.

"Jaqueline, not like that!" Remus chuckled as he and the boys laughed. "Nora is a Scamander. Remember? You've met her a few times while you were visiting."

"Right...." I trailed, vaguely remembering her dropping off Rem's potions, when we were growing up. I then let out a chuckle and joked with a shrug. "This is exactly why I'm not in Ravenclaw."

"Thank Godric Gryffindor, for that." The long haired boy across from me stated with a smirk.

"Sod off, Padfoot! She's too good for you!" My cousin warned, sending Sirius an eye roll.

"Who's too good for Sirius?" A vaguely familiar strawberry blonde asked taking a seat next to James.

"Jaqueline is." James chuckled, pecking the girl's cheek.

"Remus' cousin? Isn't she coming today?" She asked, not noticing my presence.

"Yup. That she is, Red." I said with a grin, making myself known to the girl.

"And you're her! This is her?" The girl asked me excitedly, before turning and asking my cousin the last bit.

"I are her, sister." I joked with a nod and a laugh.

"Fantastic to finally meet you, Jaqueline!" She told me with a grin. "Remus has told us so much about you and your sisters."

"Who's sisters?" Another voice asked from behind me. I turned around and saw another redhead with a confused smile on her face.

"Lily, this is Remus' cousin, Jaqueline." Nora told the girl as she sat next to me. "Jaqueline, this is Lily Evans."

"Pleasure." She said shaking my hand. I returned the gesture and replied. "Back at you."

"So this is the famous Jaqueline?" A curly haired brunette boy asked as he joined us, before he turned to Nora saying. "Thanks for ditching me with the Graphorns! Between them and the Mooncalves, I barely managed to get out of the case without being smothered!"

"And this drama queen is the ever so charming Timothée Lafayette." Nora laughed as the boy in question sat on the other side of Lily.

"Whatever Scamander has told you about me is either a lie or grossly exaggerated." He told me, causing a chuckle to escape my lips.

"Noted."

"So, Jaqueline?" Sirius asked with a charming smile, making me slightly wary. "What's it like in America?"

"Well, I suppose it depends on what state you're in." I admitted, still slightly surprised that the long haired boy didn't make a flirty comment. "My sisters and I are from Santa Monica, California. It's absolutely beautiful there! Sunny all the time, right by the beach, and everything is right there!"

"It sounds wonderful." Nora stated with a small smile. Lily nodded in agreement and said. "Like a dream."

"Yeah, I mean minus all of the mugging, gang bangers, annoying seagulls, hellish heat, and sharks." I chuckled jokingly.

"Sounds like a cheerful place." James sarcastically joked.

"Right!" I replied just as jokingly.

"Well, it must be a wonderful place if it gave us you." Sirius added with a small smile adorning his lips.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not?" I admitted, eyeing him skeptically with a tilt of my head to one side.

"You'll figure it out, Love." He told me teasingly with a coy wink, before getting up and leaving. My brown eyes followed his retreating figure as he sauntered right out of the Great Hall. My mind reeled at the boy's mysterious and odd behavior, as I quietly muttered to myself.

"How curious."

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