"𝚂𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝."

𝕂𝕚𝕨𝕚 - ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕊𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖𝕤

"Not a chance Harold I'm ready,"

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

"My name is Professor McGonagall. Head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration Teacher," the teacher said kindly but sternly. 

"Nice to meet you," Y/N smiled. 

"Follow me," the kind woman called walking towards the castle along with the crowd. 

Y/N couldn't fully make out the exterior of her new school given the cloudy dark night, but she was excited to see the inside nonetheless.

"Firs' years this way!" she heard a deep voice call. She noticed a quite large man directing kids younger than her wearing plain black robes in a separate direction from the other students. She noticed his kind eyes and the way he engaged in a quick conversation with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

 As she approached the giant oak front doors she was astounded by the scene. 

The entrance hall was lit with flaming torches and there were extravagant marble staircases leading up to the higher floors. Students with blue, green, yellow, and red ties with matching colored inner robes were piling into the great hall chatting with their friends and housemates.

"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both," Professor McGonagall's firm voice called pulling Y/N out of her thoughts as she admired the interior. She stuck close to the teacher as she waited for the students to walk over.

Despite the Professor's call for only two of the Gryffindors, the trio cautiously walked up to their teacher.

"There's no need to look so worried—I just want a word," she voiced. "Move along there, Weasley."

Ron looked down at his shoes as he joined the rest of the students getting ready for the sorting ceremony. 

"Professor Lupin sent an owl saying that you two were taken ill on the train," the Professor explained looking at Y/N and Harry. 

Just then a woman wearing a white hat and red and white robes walked up to them. She appeared to be a nurse given her clothing.

"Oh it's you, is it?" she stated noticing Harry. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

"A dementor Poppy," she clarified. Then she acknowledged Y/N and said, "they both passed out."

Just then the nurse grabbed Harry's head, pulled up his hair, and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. 

"Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered. She then grabbed Y/N's head tilting it back and engaged in the same gestures on her forehead. 

"These two won't be the last to collapse," she continued. "Yes. There both clammy the effects can harm those who are quite delicate-" 

"I'm not delicate," Y/N and Harry stated crossly at the same time.

"Of course you're are not," Professor McGonagall smiled. 

"Professor I can assure you we're both fine," Y/N defended. Harry nodded in agreement, not wanting everyone to make a big fuss. He also didn't want to give Draco Malfoy anything to tease him about. 

"Well they should each have chocolate, at the very least." the nurse protested. 

"We've each had some," Harry started impatiently.

"Professor Lupin gave it to us," Y/N added sharing the same impatience as Harry.

"Nice to finally have a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies," she said approvingly.

"Are you sure you two are all right?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yes," Harry said growing more impatient and embarrassed by the second.

"Very well. Harry head into the Hall. Y/N wait over there so we can get you sorted before the first years, I need to have a quick word with Miss Granger about her schedule," Professor McGonagall instructed. 

Y/N and Harry both walked away so they were out of earshot of the professor and Hermione. 

"Are you nervous?" Harry asked Y/N.

"Not a chance Harold I'm ready," she smiled. 

"Harold?" 

"Is that not your name?" Y/N asked tilting her head quizzically. 

Harry let out a laugh, "It's Harry."

"Oh good," Y/N said laughing. "No one under fifty should have that name."

"What if that was my name?" Harry asked pretending to be offended. 

"Fine," Y/N said crossing her arms and smirking. "I'll call you Harold then."

"I didn't mean I wanted you to call me that," Harry said laughing. 

"Too late," Y/N said. "Your branded Harold for life."

Harry rolled his eyes playfully relaxing at the newfound nickname and the comforting laughs that escaped Y/N's lips. 

"Well, good luck," he smiled placing a hand on her arm.

His face began to heat up as he pulled his hand away and rubbed the back of his neck. He gave her an awkward smile and then walked into the great hall.

He took a seat next to Ron trying his best to ignore the stares of others. Had everyone already heard about him fainting on the train? 

"Ah Yes," Professor McGonagall said walking up to Y/N. "Granger move along," she gestured to Hermione. "Ok Y/N come with me to the front," she directed. 

Y/N followed the professor into the Great Hall. Although everyone was seated there were still lively conversations going on. Once in a while, Y/N would catch the eyes of a few students. Malfoy was scowling her as she passed the Slytherin table, meanwhile, Blaise gave her a wink. 

"Quiet down everyone." A man boomed. He had long silver hair and was wearing, half-moon spectacles. Although looking very old Y/N also saw much life in him. 

She assumed he was the Headmaster. Professor Dumbledore. She had heard a great deal about him from her parents and cousin.

She stood off to the side of the pair trying her best not to be embarrassed by the pack of eyes looking between her and the 2 teachers. 

"Now before we have our new first years sorted, I would like to introduce you all to a new student." Professor McGonagall started.

As murmurs of voices returned between the tables and the aged man boomed again, "Quiet!" and the voices subsided. 

"She is a bright young transfer student from Ilvermorny. For those of you who don't know what that is it is the Wizarding School in America," Professor McGonagall continued. 

"Y/N Sinclair-" she started again before being interrupted by isolated cheers from two tall twin redheads. Y/N put her head in her hands to hide her smile at George and Fred's antics. 

"Anyways," Professor McGonagall started up again shooting an intense glare at the twins, "There are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your triumphs will earn you house points while your rule-breaking will cost you." 

Y/N could hear snickers coming from Fred and George at the mention of following rules. 

"At the end of the year, the house with the most points are awarded the House Cup, a great honor. The sorting hat will be placed upon your head and will shout out your most compatible house. Now without further ado....Y/N, why don't you take a seat?" 

The teacher smiled kindly gesturing towards a stool.

Y/N took the direction in full stride sitting down neatly on the chair. She ignored every pair of unknown eyes on her and decided to look at the familiar faces that she had met on the train. Just then an old tattered hat was placed upon her head startling her.

"Ah yes...very determined...Gryffindor qualities, Interesting." Y/N heard a voice state. She furrowed her brow to where the voice was coming from. She quickly realized it was coming from the hat atop her head. 

Magic could still surprise her occasionally. 

At Ilvermorny one by one each student would stand in the middle of a stone floor on top of the symbol of a Gordian Knot. Then you would wait for the carvings to react and that would signify what house you were placed in.

There were no hats that would whisper in your ear everything it saw in your head. Well, this is awkward. Y/N thought trying to contain her thoughts wondering if the sorting hat saw everything. 

"However you are ambitious...sticks up for others.......a natural-born leader.....hmmm...not afraid to speak your mind. Gryffindor or Slytherin?" The sorting hat continued. 

Y/N started to grow impatient. How the fuck could a tattered hat know exactly what she is. 

"Why is it taking you 5-7 business days to decide," Y/N quietly hissed at the hat. 

As if the Sorting Hat was offended it shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The majority of the Slytherin table started clapping along excitedly with a few of her Gryffindor ones while other houses politely clapped. 

"That's rubbish!" Y/N heard the twins shout but they gave her a cheesy smile. 

She got off the seat and with a wave of Professor McGonagall's wand Y/N was now dressed in perfectly fitting green robes and tie.

"You may take a seat with your new house." Professor McGonagall gestured. 

Y/N made her way over to the table but her smile immediately dropped when she saw the only empty seat was next to Malfoy. This is the last thing I need right now. She thought. She had earned a scowl from Draco who was now in a worse mood than Y/N was now in his house.

The sorting ceremony started as Y/N took the seat on the right of the Slytherin boy, across from Blaise. 

"Oh great here you are again," Draco snarled as Y/N smiled at Blaise. 

"What you're not happy to see me blondie?" she smiled. 

"Whatever," Draco said feasting his eyes on the back of Harry's head finding someone new to torture. 

As Y/N was becoming introduced with a few of her fellow Slytherins around her she heard Draco's voice from the left of her. 

"Pssttt. Potter. Potter!" Draco had started. Harry turned his head already annoyed with the familiar aggravating voice. The only thing that he enjoyed about being away from Hogwarts over the summer was the break from Malfoy's comments.

"Is it true you fainted?" He continued as his friend on the left of him sighed loudly bringing a hand to his forehead. "I mean you actually fainted?"

"Shove off Malfoy." Ron shot back pushing Harry's shoulder to face back to the table while Hermione scowled.

"Merlin, you find a way to piss everyone off don't you?" Y/N asked Draco who was smirking at the surrounding Gryffindors. 

"Why don't you mind your own business, Sinclair?" He insulted.

"I'm sorry, it is my business when you annoy random people for no reason and act like a complete ass." Y/N clarified. "You also shouldn't be talking, I heard about you screaming for your mummy and daddy when the lights went out." Y/N quickly began to realize the only way to get under Draco's skin was to best him at comebacks. 

She used the fact about Draco freaking out on the train, that she had got from the twins, to annoy him.

She earned scowls from Crabbe, Goyle, and a girl at the Slytherin table but surrounding Gryffindors and Slytherins chuckled. 

"Your lying! She's lying!" He hissed.

"It's ok Draco," she smiled sweetly touching her hand to his shoulder and annoying him by using his informal name. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Shifting uncomfortably at all the amused stares he blurted out, "My father will hear about this!"

What kind of insult was that!?  Y/N thought but she smiled as he turned back to his friends with his cheeks pink. 

Harry's eyes lingered at the back of the new Slytherin's head. He was impressed at Y/N's antics and even more impressed at the way she made Malfoy back down. 

"Mate you got to stop doing that." Ron laughed as Harry quickly turned his gaze back to his friends. 

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Harry questioned. 

Ron gave him a look implying he didn't believe him.

"Just watch the sorting ceremony," Harry instructed gazing at the first years but he was barely listening. 

─── ∙ ~☾~ ∙ ───

𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟑: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑