A New Generation

The start of a new term. You never fully know what’s gonna happen at the start of the year. Some things you know how it’s gonna go, what classes and professors you're gonna have, roughly how the bypass time is gonna go, you have your friends and dorm mates from previous years, some things stay the same from previous years but some things you don’t know how it’s gonna turn out. What order are your classes gonna be, what parties are gonna take place and who will be throwing them, what new drama and gossip are gonna stir up, if friendships and relationships are gonna last or are new ones gonna form. But this year, this new term Estelle has no idea what’s gonna happen. The only thing she knows is that she is currently on the Hogwarts express in a compartment with Luke, Cosmo, Luna and Clover. She also knows that once she gets to the castle she will be bright to the headmasters office to get her sorted so she doesn't have to stand with all of the first years. But really that’s it. Everything else is just based on stories she has been told about Hogwarts and the fact that it’s a school so it has to have some similarities to her old school. 

The train ride is long. Too long. Estelle has too much time to sit and just think to herself and get lost in her head. She sits and thinks. Thinks about her old life with her old friends, her new life and what it will have to bring. To start a whole new school in her 5th year, it’s not something common. Something has to have happened for it to happen. Everyone knows that no one just does it for the fun of it. It can be for an innocent reason as a move, but it can also be for a reason that you couldn’t or wasn't allowed to stay at your old school which is the case for Estelle. An unfair expulsion is what has led to all of this. Or maybe the expulsion itself wasn't really a hundred percent unfair, she had gotten in a nasty fight with a guy (not the first time) but the fact that only she got expelled was at the very least unfair. And people had agreed and tried to talk with the headmistress but she did not want to listen. Maybe getting on her bad side already from her first year wasn't her brightest idea. But it wasn't her plan, she was just so unfair to everyone and so mean and the worst had struck when she turned out to be a homophobe, something had switched in her and she did not make anything easy for her from that point on. 

But now this was a new beginning. She was not gonna fall back into old habits, or not all of them at least. She was not gonna torment her professors and start a bunch of fights when unnecessary, her dads wish. Which she to tell the truth is a bit hypocritical from what she now has heard about them from their old school friends. They seemed to be just as bad as her so what did they really have to say in the matter, but nonetheless they are apparently the adults and know better according to them. Estelle calls bullshit, but whatever. 

“Come on Estelle, time to get off.” Estelle heard a voice slowly filtering through her ears, Luke's voice. She felt herself coming back to reality having gotten more lost in herself than she thought. 

As she looked out the window again with continuous eyes she saw students starting to filter out of the train leaving for the castle in the distance. She didn’t know what she had been expecting but it was beautiful. The castle, the nature surrounding, everything in it’s harmonie.  

When she was done looking she switched her gaze to the compartment, the others gathering their stuff. She followed suit and got her things gathered and they left for the castle. 

As Estelle was gonna get sorted into her house she made her way to the headmasters office with her entourage. They insisted on coming with her, one to help her find her way, two to see what house she got into and three so if it was either Ravenclaw or Slytherin then she already had people she knew and could sit with and didn’t have to feel too weird and out of place. As much as she might not want to admit it, it was greatly appreciated and she felt more at peace with them here even if she wasn't that close with Luna and Clover she did like to have some people she somewhat knew around her right now. 

“Alright Miss. Rosier, take a seat and we will see what house the sorting hat sorts you into for your last three years here.” Professor Mcgonnagal, who also had joined them in the office, instructed. 

Following the directions she sat at the seat in the middle of the room with everyone around her, looking, waiting, for the sorting hat to make its decision. Estelle knew what she was hopping more for, either Slytherin or Ravenclaw. She had people in her year there she knew, she didn’t have that in the other houses. If she could share a dorm with Luke and Cosmo she would have wanted to be in Slytherin to a hundred percent, but they didn’t allow for students of different genders to shear a dorm, so for that she wanted Ravenclaw, then she could possibly shear with Clover and Luna. But with her parents both being in Slytherin she knew there could be a bigger chance for that, especially with how much alike them she can be sometimes. In the end she doesn't know which she wishes for more as long as it’s one or the other. 

…

The anticipation is high. She can hear the sorting hat saying things but she can’t make out anything. Just waiting for it to say a house. 

All eyes are on her, waiting for the same thing as her but everyone with different thoughts and hopes behind their minds. 

Finally the hat goes silent… Then, there it is. 

“Slytherin!” 

Slytherin, it’s slytherin that comes out of the hat. 

She’s a slytherin. 

She’s in the same house as two of her closest friends in the entire school. A wide grin spreads out on her face, looking over at Luke and Cosmo they mimic the exact same face back. Not long after they are all in a tight group hug, happy to have their new best friend in the same house as them. Things are great, nothing can top this right now. 

“Congratulations Miss. Rosier. I hope you will be happy in Slytherin. After the welcome feast you will be shown to your new dorm by one of the female prefects.” Dumbeldore comes over to the trio. “Now off you all go, you don’t want to be late to the feast.”

“Thank you Headmaster.” Estelle shows her politeness and leaves with the others to find the great hall for the feast. 

Everything was so different but at the same time no different at all from her old school. The interior was alike with the fact both of them was a castle but the system for everything was quite different. It also seemed like traditions was technically the same but how the carried out was different. 

The group separated as they got into the great hall, Luna and Clover going over to the Ravenclaw table and Luke and Cosmo going to the Slytherin table with Estelle right behind them as she took a look around. Inspecting the different tables. A long each for the four houses. All of them are occupied by happy and enthusiastic students looking forward to a new school year with new adventures. The great hall was what it was named, great and big with high ceilings that are enchanted to look like the sky, majestic magic. 

The three sat down at the long table Luke and Estelle sitting with a view of the rest of the tables and Cosmo with his back to them. Looking around Estelle saw all the old students, no one she knew of course but still she's looking around making mental notes about some of them. A boy a bit away by the Slytherin table with his nose held high looking like he might think his better than everyone around him, a boy by the Hufflepuff table with a smile a smidge wider than his peers next to him but all of them just as happy, a girl by the Ravenclaw table looking like she’s in her second or third year looking lost and sadly a bit lonely, she looks like she doesn't know where her friends are, upon further inspection she sees the girls eyes stuck on something further up the table, a group of girls laughing and hugging, maybe people she wants to be friends with or worse old friends that have decided to abandon her before the school year have even properly started. It’s quite sad, people can go from being best friends to over a summer abandoning one of their own for some time for no real reason. Feeling sad watching the scene she closes her eyes for a second to then adverse her eyes to others. The Gryffindor table, there she finds her other acquaintance through her dads. Nova Potter and Olivie McKinnon with what she guesses are friends here from school. Two of them catch her eyes a bit more, pretty sure they are twins or something scary is happening, two red heads who have a look of mischievousness in their eyes. Looking at the table more in alignment with herself she finds Ella McKinnon, Harvey Evans, Helix Lupin and Leo Potter. The fourtet seems just as close here as at home. Huddled up together but still some communication to the outside as they make some comments to some of their peers. 

As she sits watching she sees one of the quartet's friends say something to them and mildly gesturing to what feels like her specifically but could just be in her direction overall. No, she’s been caught. As Leo and Helix look to where their friend had pointed to she looks eyes with them both. Seeing Helix turn back to his friend answering them she still has her eyes locked with Leo, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upwards he gives her a small wave. Coming back to realisation of where she is and doing, her cheeks turn slightly pink and she turns her head back to Luke and Cosmo. 

What was that?

A weird feeling washing over her. She has never been happier to see someone stepping up to make a speech. 

Headmaster Dumbledor steps up to the podium to make what Luke and Cosmo have described as the same old, boring, tiring speech. 

It’s an okay speech but she understands that if it’s about the same every year it would become repetitive and boring. It seems like it’s the same as every year until right before he's gonna talk about the new first years. “Not only do we have new students this year in the form of our new first years that soon will be getting to their sorting. We also have a new student joining the fifth years.” No! This is not something she wanted. “Estelle Rosier has moved from her old school, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and has been sorted into Slytherin and joins the fifth years there.” All eyes are on her, it’s not even an exaggeration. She feels like she got a spotlight on her and everyone's only focused on her, she doesn't like it. She can be okay with having attention on her, it’s not something she backs away from, as long as she has made everyone look. She doesn't like it when someone just puts it on her. “Please make her feel welcomed and treat her with the same respect you would all your other classmates. Now to the first year's sorting.”

At that most people's attention shifted away from her and back to the front to see the new students get sorted. There were still a few stray eyes on her, she could feel it. But did her best to ignore it and focus on the sorting and her friends. When time came and the sorting was done food appeared on the table and people went at it. Sitting chatting with Luke and Cosmo through the meal she did talk to some other people that came up to her or sat by her. Mostly just pleasantry and people wondering why she had switched schools which she didn’t want to answer. You know with wanting a bit of a new reputation, it’s probably not best to start with telling everyone she got expelled and on top of that the reason why. 

When done with the meal the boys showed her where she would be spending the rest of her three years. They went to the dungeon where the entrance to the Slytherin common room was. They meet the prefect that had been tasked to show her to her dorm and was separated from the boys saying to meet in the common room before breakfast the next day. 

The dorm had four beds in it indicating she was gonna share it with three other girls.

The door to the bathroom opened a girl with dark brown hair stepping out. “Astoria! Perfect. This is your new dorm mate, Estelle Rosier.”

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Astoria Greengrass.” The girl came over to introduce herself. 

“Hi. Estelle Rosier.” She said back. 

“Okay. Now that that’s over with, I will leave you here. If you need anything or have any questions just ask any prefect, teacher or I’m sure you can ask Astoria over here.” Astoria nodded over to them. “Nice meeting you, I will probably see you around.” With that she left the two girls alone in the dorm to unpack and get to know each other. 

“I’m guessing there are two more people staying in this room.” Estelle pointed out the fact that there were two more beds than people in the room at the moment.

“Yes, Viola Richmond and Imogen Stetton. They should be here soon but they wanted to go to the library to pick up some books before coming here for the night.” Astoria told her who more they would be sharing with. Picking up books already, some high achievers possibly. 

“Cool. So what bed is mine?” She asked, thinking they probably have the same one each year or at least one in a space they most want. 

“Technically you can take whichever since they haven’t come here to claim one yet. But they usually want those two over on that side.” She pointed to the two beds on the right side of the room. So with that she went over to the one on the left that hadn't been occupied by Astoria already. It was the bed closest to both the bathroom door and the door out of the dorm. She understands why that was the one left but Estelle has no problem with that. It’s nice being the closest to the door, she got a tendency to come and go at strange times and with being closest to the door there is less of a chance to disturb anyone. 

The room was left in a nice silence as both girls unpack the things they want up in the dorm instead of laying in the trunk. 

It feels weird for Estelle to be sharing a space with new people for the first time since she was eleven, plus then it was all new people for everyone in the scenario, this time she was the only new one. 

Astoria got done before Estelle with her packing up, sitting down on her bed she crossed her legs so she could sit facing in Estelles direction. “So, Estelle. Why did you switch schools?”

Estelle froze up for a second. She had expected the question, of course. She would have been curious as well. But still the question made her hold her breath and wish she wasn't there. She didn’t want to be known as the girl that got there because her old school had kicked her out, she also didn’t want to get some type of reputation for the things she had done to lead to the events. She had come to the conclusion that she was not gonna tell people the real reason behind her switch. Instead she was gonna blame it on her parents decision to move and they wanted her to go to the school in the same region. 

“Well my dads wanted to move back to England and thought it would be good for me to go here since it’s in the same region now instead of going back to France for the terms, and they think it’s fun that I go to the same school as they did.” Estelle explained when the shock of the question had left her. She looked over to Astoria fast to see if it looked like she had bought it. And it did.

“Ahh, understandable.” She nodded to Estelles relife. If she bought it then she has no doubt everybody else will as well. It’s not totally unrealistic for a reason. “France ehh. So you can speak french?” 

“Yeah. It’s one of my first languages, so.” She gave her a sheepish smile. 

“Wait one of? What other languages do you speak?” She leaned forward with curiosity. 

“As a first language I speak fren-” She was going to start listing off as the door flung open with two people behind it with a bunch of books. Letting them self in they walk over to one bed each dropping their books down. Guessing this is the other dorm mates, other wise Estelle will be very confused. 

“Imogen, Viola. Got the whole library there?” Astoria asked with a grin on her face.

“Of course not. We wouldn’t be allowed to borrow all of them and even if we did they wouldn’t all fit in this dorm.” Imogen responded in a duh tone looking over to Astoria, a small smile playing on her lips. 

“Of course, those reasons would be the only problem.” She says, shaking her head to her friend. “Anyway, if you two are done with your books for now I would like to introduce you to our new dorm mate, Estelle Rosier.” 

“Hi.” She gave them a small smile with a little wave over to them.

“Oh hello, lovely to meet you. I was wondering if you would be in our dorm since we are the only ones with an extra bed. Love your hair by the way.” Imogen gave her a big open smile. 

“Hey. Don’t mind her, she doesn't always know when to shut up.” Viola lifted a corner of her mouth in a smirk, when a pillow came flying in her face. “Hey!” She flinged her head in the direction of Iogen where the pillow had come from. 

“What?! You can’t tell me you did not have it coming.” She said in her defence. 

“Really you two. Already? And is this really what you’re gonna make your first impression?” Astoria sat on her bed shaking her head in disbelief of her friend's action.

“Well kinda late to change the first impression part.” Estelle said with a smirk going back to her things. 

“Ooo, she got a bit of an attitude?” All of their eyes darted over to her.  “I like it.” This comment from Imogen made her look up to them with a smile. She could have a bit of an attitude sometimes, she was glad if she was around people that could handle it. 

“Back to what we were talking about before these two disturbed us. What languages do you speak?” Astoria turned back fully to her curiously, the two others now also looking at her. 

“Right. I speak English, French and German as a first language. Then I also know Swedish, Norwegian and Danish pretty well since I had a lot of friends from there in my old school. Then I also know some Spanish, Portuguese and Italian also from the fact that many people spoke it at Beauxbatons Academy.” She listed off the different languages. She knew it was more languages than most people knew, but she didn’t really think anything of it, she was just good at picking things up. Plus as they say, the more languages you know the easier it is to learn a new one. But the three girls seemed more than impressed. 

“Seriously?” Viola asked from her place leaning on her bed post.

“Mhm.” She nodded. 

“Wow, that’s impressive.” They all let out impressed sounds to the new information.

“Thanks.” Estelle responded in a quiet voice looking down with a small blush creeping up on her cheeks. She doesn't do well with compliments of any kind. She isn't used to them so it makes her a bit awkward instead. 

The night went on with the four girls getting to know one another and getting their thing in place and organised. In the end Estelle felt more comfortable than she thought she was gonna feel at the beginning of the day. She felt lucky to be in a dorm with three girls that seemed nice and she could see herself becoming friends with.