Chapter 6
~Regina~
The rest of the train trip, Regina was quietly reading sometimes having a short conversation with any of the boys, mostly Potter. But other than that, it was a peaceful journey. When everybody started to change in their uniforms, Regina decided to find a place elsewhere to dress. Since she had absolutely no desire to dress in front of a couple of 12-year-old boys. She grabbed her uniform, put it in her shoulder bag and informed them she’d be back in a minute.
Regina made her way through the train, searching for an empty compartment, closed off space or a bathroom. When she found an empty compartment when she opened the door and moved to walk inside, a girl came walking towards her.
“Hello.” The girl said with a sweet smile. Regina turned to take a better look at her, the girl had white-blond hair and pale silver eyes much like her own. She wore a long dark blue/purple skirt, a baby blue cardigan with a white blouse with underneath. She also had a neckless dangling from her neck and small earrings both decorated with sunflower chains. She had a sweet smile on her face, and had a friendly open expression.
“Hello.” Regina answered hesitantly, while trying to make her expression more welcoming. “Is this your compartment? I can find another place. I was just looking for a place to change into my uniform.”
“No, no, don’t worry. I was looking for something similar, but it seems that almost all the compartments are occupied. My bad.” She said in a soft voice, moving to turn around. “I’ll find somewhere else, bye stranger.”
Before Regina thought it through, she called after the girl. “Wait,” The girl did and turned back to look at her. “I was just looking for a compartment without any boys, you’re not a boy.” ~Way to state the obvious, you moron.~ “So if you need to dress, your welcome to share, if you don’t have a problem with that.”
The girl smiled, “Really, thank you. That would be great.” and walked the last remaining steps towards Regina. “I’m Pandora, Pandora Lovegood.” She extended her hand for Regina to shake, she did.
“I’m Regina Black, pleasure to meet you.” She responded, opened the compartment door and moved inside with Lovegood right behind her.
“So which year are you in?” The other girl asked after a moment of silence.
“I’m a first year.” She answered tentatively.
“Me too, I so curious to the school. I hope it’s just as beautiful as my parents claimed it to be.”
The finished dressing in silence, when they were both done, they walked out of the compartment and turned to each other.
“It was lovely to meet you Lovegood.”
The other girl let out a giggle. “Please call me Pandora. Can I call you Regina?” She nodded. “Great! Even though we just met, I can already tell that I like you.” To which Regina raised an eyebrow. “You have a very nice energy around you and I would certainly like seeing you again. See you at the sorting, bye!” With that she turned on her heal and walked away. Regina stared at the strange girl for a moment, before turning around and walking towards the compartment her brother and his friends occupied.
When the train arrives at Hogwarts Sirius, his friends and Regina make their way out of the train. The ground keeper of Hogwarts calls all the first years towards him and Regina says goodbye to Sirius and the other Gryffindor’s. She quickly makes her way over to the group of first years. They make their way over to the lake; everybody is put into groups for the traditional boat trip across the lake.
Regina was put into a boat with two boys across from her. On the left side was a boy with dark-blond hair, blue eyes, and light skin. On the right side was a boy with brown hair, brown eyes and slightly tanned skin.
“Hi,” the left boy started. “I’m Evan Rosier.” Switching his gaze from Regina to the other boy and back.
“Barty Crouch Jr.” The right boy said in response, Rosier nodded in response. Then as if on que the turned their gazes towards Regina.
“Regina Black,” She answered the unspoken question in their eyes “pleasant to meet you.”
The tree of them got into a nice conversation and Regina found she quite liked their presence. After ten minutes the three of them got comfortable with each other and started joking around, which was something she’d only ever done with her brother, so it was a pleasant surprise. Before the three eleven-year-olds knew it they had already arrived and made their way to the stairs where a professor was waiting for them to give them the introduction.
When professor McGonagall was finished with the introduction, the doors behind her open to the great hall. Where four long tables where decorated to each of the house colors. With rows of students being seated to. The group of first years began to move and Regina with the two boys from the boat trip beside her also began to move.
The group walked directly between the middle two tables.
On the middle-left side of the hall was the green-silver table of house Slytherin, where Regina’s cousins, Andromeda in her last year of Hogwarts and Narcissa sixth year, one year beneath her. Her eldest cousin Bellatrix had already left Hogwarts a view years ago. Her cousins were looking at her smiles on their faces, she smiled back. Andy and Cissy were her favorite, though she was closest to Cissy. She didn’t hate Bella, she didn’t even dislike her, it was just that she was a bit intense sometimes and Regina didn’t always feel like dealing with that.
On the middle-right side of the hall was the red-gold table of house Gryffindor, Sirius’ house. Regina saw her brother sitting with his friends and a view other second-year student’s. Just like her cousins Sirius was smiling at her and just like before she smiled back, before turning back to the other first-years.
The group was walking in the direction of a large table where all the professors were seated and in the middle the headmaster of Hogwarts. Before this table stood a stool, with an old hat on it. Professor McGonagall stopped next to the stool and beckoned the first-years to gather before her.
“When I call out your name, you will come forward and sit on this stool. Where I will place this hat on top of your head and you will be sorted in to your houses.” McGonagall spoke into the room and started calling out names. Besides Barty and Evan, plus of course the girl Pandora whom he’d met on the train, no one seemed familiar.
“Bartemius Crouch Jr.” Professor McGonagall called out.
Beside Regina, Barty shifted on his feet. “Well, that’s me.” He whispered and started walking towards the stool.
He sat down and the hat was placed op on his head. It was silent for a view moments before the hat screamed, “SLYTHERIN!” and the hat was torn off his head. After Barty had taken his seat and was welcomed by the Slytherins, “Evan Rosier.” was called out. Just like by all the other students the hat was placed on Evan’s head, and after a view moments called out; “SLYTHERIN!” Regina watched as Evan took a spot opposite to Barty and was also welcomed by the other Slytherins.
A view other students were called out before, “Regina Black.” She took a deep breath and started walking towards McGonagall. Regina sat down, the stool a bit to high so her feet barely touched the ground. She had a moment to look in to the hall, to look at her cousins, her brother and his friends. All with a small smile at their face and curiosity to what the hat would call out. Before the gigantic hat covered her vision.
‘Hmm, let’s see.’ A low voice spoke into her mind. ‘Let’s see. Well, you’ve got a brain, that’s for certain.’
Regina just waited, not really knowing how to react, if she was supposed to. Did you just wait till it sorted you or did you have a whole mind to mind conversation.
‘Both are possible.’ The voice in her head reacted. ‘If you have a preference, now would be the time to let me know. Once your sorted there’s no going back.’
Her mother had said Slytherin, though Sirius probably wouldn’t like that much.
‘This isn’t about your mother or your brother. This is about, in which house you belong the best.’ The hat interrupted her thoughts. ‘This is about in which house you can grow, can learn. Which house you will be able to call your home.’
Regina considered that, Sirius had always been her home, she’d never known anything else. But Barty and Evan, she could see herself become friends with them. She was ambitious, resourceful and determent.
‘And clever.’ The hat chimed in.
Regina could see herself as a Slytherin, though a Gryffindor? She doubted it. A Ravenclaw possibly, but other than that, not really.
‘Ravenclaw is certainly a possibility, but you have way more in you than just a brain. Your ambition is too big for Ravenclaw.’
Alright, I think I know it then, she thought.
‘I do too.’ The low voice in her head said. “SLYTHERIN!” The same voice now echoed through the room. The hat was torn off of her head and Regina walked towards the green-silver table of Slytherin and took a seat next to Barty and opposite to Evan. They both grinned at her.
“Looks like were stuck with each other.” Evan said.
Barty nodded in response. “Let’s make an alliance.”
“Let’s call it anything but ‘an alliance’” Regina deadpanned, to which Evan snorted.
“Then what do you propose, Black” Barty retorted.
“there’s this wonderful word called; friends.” Evan stated dryly.
“Alright, sounds reasonable.” Regina said, as if making a business-deal. “Though, there is one thing we need to discuss.” She said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Barty and Evan turned to her, faint curiosity in their eyes. “Bartemius?” She asked with a smirk, to which Barty groaned and Evan snickered.
“Hey, can you three shut up?” A second-year asked, annoyed. The three quickly quieted down and focused back to the sorting. In the corner of her eye, Regina spotted her brother. She noted intense look he gave her, though she didn’t know what to make of it. So decided to deal with that later in the week.
“Pandora Lovegood” McGonagall called out and Regina’s was immediately back to the sorting. The blonde girl sat on the stool and the hat was placed on top of her head. After a view moments of silence, the hat called out, “RAVENCLAW!” and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t slightly disappointed. Though she hadn’t had a deep conversation with the girl, she’d seemed nice and had said something similar about Regina… sort of.
When the sorting was over Regina, Barty and Evan enjoyed their first Hogwarts feast. The three of them talked, laughed and bickered all night long. She’d made her first friends, who weren’t related to her. That she knew off, and she was happy with her choice.
~Yeah, I think I’m able to call this, them my home pretty soon.~