Chapter one.
There she stood. Platform nine-three-quarters. It was busy. Crouded. Andy felt her social anxiety rise. Don't show, don't show. Never show your weaknesses. If there was one thing she learned from her parents, then it was to never, ever show your weaknesses.
"Andromeda! Andromeda Black! Come here and say goodbye to your parents." Her mother called from behind. Andy sighed and turned around.
Her mother kissed her on the cheek. Her father patted Andy on the shoulder.
"Goodbye, Andromeda. Take care of yourself, and remember-"
"If I don't get into Slytherin you will disinherit me. I know."
"That was not what i was going to say." Her father said. "I wanted to say, remember to always win a fight and never show emotions. But do also not interupt me. Understood?" He was angry. He always got angry really quick.
She nodded. "Yes dad, sorry."
"Look, Andromeda, there is your sister, Bellatrix." Her mother said goodbye to Bellatrix too and grabbed Narcissa's hand.
"Goodbye Bella! Bye Andy!"
Andy waves at her younger sister and got into the train. Bellatrix had made very clear she wasn't welcome in her compartment, so Andy had to go look for her own.
Finally she came past an empty compartment. Or, almost empty. There was one boy in it. He wore shabby clothes and had wildly ruffled hair.
Andy swallowed. She opened the door.
"Hi, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."
The boy nodded. She smiled.
"Also first year?" She asked.
He nodded again.
"Great, me too. Do you have brothers or sisters at Hogwarts?"
He shook his head.
"Oh. I have. My sister. But probably also a lot second and third cousins or something."
She smiled. He didn't respond, but Andy wasn't going to give up so quickly.
"What's your name?"
He finally spoke. "Ted. Ted Tonks."
Never heard of, she thought.
"Cool! I'm Andro- Andy."
He chuckled. "Your name is AndroAndy?"
Right at that moment a girl with long brown hair came in.
"Hello. Is it OK with you guys if I sit here?"
"Sure, sit down, what's your name?"
"Mondo. Yasmine Mondo."
Ted apparently got over his shyness, because he smiled af her and said:
"I'm Ted Tonks. And this here is AndroAndy." He started chuckling again. Andy noticed he had a very annoying chuckle, high pitched and girlish.
Yasmine Mondo started at Andy in disbelief.
"Your name is AndroAndy? What parent calls their kid AndroAndy?"
Andy winced. She didn't like discussing her parents. She sighed.
"My name is not, I repeat, not AndroAndy."
"What is it, then?"
"Andy. Just Andy."
Ted had still not stopped laughing. Andy tried to start the conversation again, maybe it would silence him.
"Do you have brothers or sisters at Hogwarts? I mean, you're a first year, right?"
Yasmine nodded. "Oh, yeah. Definitely first year. I got an older brother, but he's already left the school two years ago. What about you?"
"A sister, I-"
The door shove open.
"Andromeda! There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. I had to deliver this letter from mother and father. It says that-"
"I'll read it myself, thank you." She snatched the letter away. Bellatrix looked at her in pure and pure disgust.
"Allright, just make sure you read it. And," She sighed dramatically, "if you really can't find anyone better to sit with than these two, you can come and sit with me, you know. Mother and father don't want you to make friends with their sort." She gave Andy a meaningful look and walked away.
Yasmine stared at the door first, and then at Andy. "I suppose that's your sister? What does she mean, their sort?"
Ted said nothing, so Yasmine went on. "I can go away if your family doesn't want you to hang out with me, you know! But for the record, I am a pureblood."
"I'm not."
Both Yasmine and Andy stared at Ted.
"You're a- you're a halfblood?" Yasmine asked slowly, like she was approaching a possibly dangerous animal. Ted looked at her, a bit confused, but then nodded.
"My parents are not magical, if that's what you mean." He said.
Yasmine opened her mouth to say something, but apparantly changed her mind and closed it.
"It's- There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a muggleborn." Andy said determined.
Yasmine looked at Andy like she had totally forgotten she was there too. She looked like she was going to insult her again, so Andy quickly said:
"Maybe my famliy thinks different then I do, but why does it matter? You're a pureblood too, dont you have anyone in your family who thinks purebloods are better then mudbl- I mean muggleborns?" '
"Yes, I have, but-" Yasmine shook her head. "I am sorry. I won't judge anymore. Now, what's in the letter?"
Andy decided to forgive Yasmine, and as she saw that even Ted was looking very curious at the letter, she opened it.
Dear Andromeda,
Your father and I hope you are enjoying your day in the Hogwarts Express. We hope you have made some nice, good friends. Your sister Bellatrix was hopefully so kind to give you this letter, and maybe she already told you what I wrote in it. If she did not tell you, then please read this carefully. As you know, your whole family has been in Slytherin. Therefore, it would be highly disappointing if you weren't in the Slytherin House. Please be so kind to make your father and me proud.
See you at Christmas,
Druella Black
"What does it say? Read it out loud!" Yasmine said impatient, and Ted sat on the edge of the couch, eager to know it. Andy swallowed hard.
"It- It basically says that I- that I must be sorted into Slytherin. Or they- my parents- will disinherit me."
Yasmine's mouth fell open. Ted looked uncomfortable and while trying not to make any eyecontact with the two girls, he said:
"What's Slytherin?"
"Oh- Sorry, I forgot you're a muggleborn." Andy quickly said. "At Hogwarts, there are different houses. At the beginning of the year, all the first years get sorted into one of them."
"In which house you get depends on what character traits you have, or value most." Yasmine added. "There are four different houses. Gryffindor for the bravest, Ravenclaw for the smartest, Hufflepuff for the kindest, and Slytherin, for-"
"-Slytherins are known for being ambitious, cunning and resourceful. But they're also always purebloods, and," Andy said, "a lot evel wizards were in Slytherin. Almost every dark wizard, actually."
Ted said nothing, he just stared at Andy like she was dangerous. She wanted to say something about it, but the door slid open again.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
They ate, and Yasmine and Andy got the giggles because Ted didn't want to eat the chocolate frogs ("It's alive!"), and Yasmine seemed to forget about Bellatrix' words. Finally the train began to lose speed. It was dark outside, but thank goodness not raining, Andy thought.
"First years! This way!" A huge man stood on the platform, apparantly waiting for them, the first years. The older students all went another way, but the first years were led to the lake. Little boats were waiting for them. Andy, Ted, Yasmine, and another girl all went in the same boat. Andy and Yasmine were talking, Ted was staring at the Hogwarts castle, mouth wide open. The girl looked a little left out, and was staring jealousy at a different boat, where apparantly her friends were. The boats rowed themselves.
"What house do you want to be sorted in?' Andy adressed the girl, trying to involve her in the conversation, after Yasmine had told she prefered Ravenclaw.
"I want to be a Gryffindor, just like my parents."
"So your parents were also magical?" Ted joined the conversation too.
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing. Is everyone here a pureblood?"
"Nope. I'm not even a pureblood. My mom is a muggleborn."
Andy realized the now she was no longer part of the conversation. She turned to Yasmine, but before she could, she felt something wet and slimy grab her arm. Yasmine screamed. She, Ted and the girl stared at something behind Andy, shocked.
In the mean time, The slimy tentacles of the giant squid, Andy realized, slowly pulled her back, out of the boat and into the water. She shrieked as her body touched the water. Soon only her head was sticking out of the surface. She heard Hagrid yell something in the distance. She was going to drown here, now. Her head was also underwater now, and as the squid pulled her further away from the surface she felt all the oxygen leave her body. Gasping for breath, she slowly lost her consciousness.
"Albus..."
"No, Poppy. I am not going to discuss this any further."
"But-"
"I said no! Poppy, the squid has never attacked anyone before. This was an accident, I say."
Madame Pomfrey sighed, and turned to Andy.
"Ah, miss Black, you're awake."
Andy had only just opened her eyes, and the light was bright here.
"Where am I? What happened?"
Madame Pomfrey didn't answer. She cast a diagnostic over Andy and nodded.
"You may go. You still have to be sorted, after all."
Andy walked away, but on her way to the door she was hold back by Dumbledore.
"Andromeda," He started, "what happened earlier was very tragic, of course."
"I nearly died, thank you." She had absolutely no reason not to be rude. She wasn't at home, and after all, she did nearly die.
"Please be so kind not to discuss this case any further with your classmates, miss Black." Ah, her last name was used again. "The squid will not be removed from the schoolgrounds. It belongs here. Your parents are already notified of this incident. You may no go to the Great Hall, where you will be sorted."
He pointed at two big wooden doors, and as Andy walked towards them, they opened. Everyone was sitting on their tables, a few glancing at her. Dumbledore walked behind her, and he gave professor Mcgonagall a pointed look. She stood up, and immidiately everyone was silenced.
"The sorting of Andromeda Black." Professor Mcgonagall announced. Nobody said something. Andy sat down on the stool and professor Mcgonagall placed the sortinghat on her head. A little voice in her head started speaking.
"Well, I must say I was wondering when I'd get to sort you when you didn't show up at the ceremony."
"I was kidnapped by the giant squid." Andy thought dryly. How do you think something in a dry way?
"Interesting... Now let's get to sorting. I see a lot of Slytherin, but-"
That reminded her of something. "Please! Please put me in Slytherin! My parents-"
"I've never had any student interrupting me, I must say, they're most of the time very nervous about the whole sorting-thing. But it's probably very Slytherin-like, not being nervous or, well, just being cheeky. I know who your parents are, ofcourse. Sorted them myself. Well, if you really want to be sorted into Slytherin, that's alright. Just know you would've done great in Ravenclaw as well."
Apparantly he was convinced, because he shouted, "SLYTHERIN" And the hall filled with applause. A few people called some rather rude words, but Andy had been prepared for that for her entire life.
She hurried to the Slytherin table and sat next to her sister, who looked very pleased and pissed at the same time.
"Where were you!?" She hissed, as everyone started to eat.
"I was- Um, the giant squid grabbed me. I almost drowned."
Bellatrix raised her eyebrows. "Can't enter a school without causing some drama, huh?" She smiled. "A real Black, I must say."
Andy snickered. She did not always like Bella, but they were sisters after all.
After dinner they were led to the Slytherin common room, in the dungeons. Her family had ofcourse told her what to expect of it, but she never really imagined what it would look like. When they entered, she was deeply impressed. It was under the lake, seeing the greenish light. It was chilly. The prefect showed them their room, where Andy saw her trunk next to a bed. She walked towards the bed, she expected it to be hers, and sat down. Two other girls also sat on their bed, the other two were in the bathroom.
"You're the girl who fell in the lake, right?" A girl with brownish hair -like milk chocolate- asked.
"Actually, I was pulled into it. By the squid." Andy replied.
The other girl -with the strawberry-blonde hair- gaped at her.
"Your name is Andromeda Black, right?"
"Yeah, but please call me Andy. Andromeda is such a long name."
"We'll do, Andy." The girl smiled. "My name is Fiona Hamnond, and that is Eloise. Eloise Wright."
The other two girls came in. They were giggling. Once they saw Andy, their smile dropped.
"You're a Black," One of them stated.
"Correct, but I also have a first name, you know." She said sarcastically. Fiona and Eloise laughed. The other girls didn't.
"What are your names?" Andy asked, trying to be nice. She did not want a fight at the right start of the year.
"Nothing of your bussiness. Leave me alone."
"I- What?"
"Leave. Me. Alone!" The girl snapped. Andy wanted to answer something rude, but Fiona gave her a look that would silence anyone.