Nebula

Filius and her became friends immediately. It was the kind of connection you only get a couple of times in a lifetime. The moment they sat down together in the carriage, they connected. It was a little awkward at first, as neither of them knew what to talk about with the other, but once they said the first word, the others flowed by themselves. 

“Can I ask you something without upsetting you?” She asked him with little time left to reach Hogwarts.

“Yeah, sure.” He answered, and then his face lit up. “But wait! Can we make a promise to each other?” 

She blinked several times, wondering what it could be. She nodded and looked at him expectantly.

“Let's promise each other that no matter what happens, we will always tell each other the truth, no matter how much it bothers us.” It didn't mean much to Minerva at the time, but to Filius it seemed very important.

“Yes, of course. I promise.” Minerva said, smiling. 

“I promise.” He smiled too, he had an affable face, and you could tell from miles away that he was a good person. “So, what did you want to ask me?” 

“Oh! It's a silly thing, though, sorry if it sounds impolite, but I'm really curious.” She found it funny, even, to ask, but she was afraid that it was a serious matter for Filius. “I was wondering, I mean, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, I'm just curious, but.... It just caught my attention, and I don't mean it's a bad thing!” 

“You want to ask me why I'm so short, don't you?” They both burst out laughing. Minerva was so happy that Filius was not angry that she suddenly understood the promise they had made. “I'm a part-goblin, but that doesn't mean I'm any less of a wizard, people tend to underestimate me for that.” 

“I will not underestimate you! You look like you'll be incredible with magic.” She did not quite understand what it meant to be part-goblin, nor did she understand how people could think that it made him any less of a wizard than anyone else. Minerva realised how little she knew about this world, unknown to her until recently, and that it seemed she would never be able to get to know it.  

“You too, Minerva. Could it be that we are going to be the two most powerful wizards at Hogwarts? I think so.” 

“Well, I don't know anything about magic.” She was sincere, because although she had never had a friend before, she thought that friendship was based on sincerity. 

“Really? But… Isn't your mother a witch?” 

Yes, it was. But she hadn't known that until a couple of years ago, when the magic in her could no longer be controlled, and then her mother had explained the truth. 

“Yeah, but my dad's a Muggle. I really didn't know any of this until I was eight years old.” 

“That's insane! You must be a bit lost. If you have any questions, ask me.”

“Do you know something about Hogwarts? Because the only thing I know it's that there are houses or something like that.” 

Then he explained that there were four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. That each of them represented certain values, that many people were afraid to enter in Slytherin because dark wizards had belonged to that house, that Ravenclaw always had the most intelligent and creative people, that Hufflepuff always had the best people, and that Gryffindor had the bravest people. Filius was afraid of getting into Slytherin, but he thought he would get into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Minerva didn't know what to think, she didn't know which one she would fit into, she didn't know if she would fit into any of them at all. 

The train stopped soon after, as did Minerva's heart. She looked at Filius, who seemed to be as nervous as she was, and for a moment she had the impulse to take his hand to reassure him, but she did not. They had only just met, and she already felt as if she had known him all her life, but there was not yet the confidence to hold his hand or give him a hug. Minerva didn't even know if friends could do those things. She hoped they could. How complicated things were. 

She swallowed saliva and the passage down her throat practically hurt. Her hands were sweating. Her senses failed her. At any moment she was going to faint, or that was how she felt. The crowd of people outside the train was similar to the one at the station, and that didn't help. When they both got out, they stood next to a group of people who looked about their own age, all of them talking in a rush. 

“What about our luggage?” She whispered in his ear, trying not to sound too stupid. 

“They take it directly to our bedrooms.” He said seriously, without laughing. “The prefects are supposed to direct us to some boats they prepared for the first years.” 

Minerva didn't know what the hell a prefect was, but whatever it was, two of them kindly directed them to the boats Filius had said. There were far more people starting their first year at Hogwarts than she could ever have imagined. She wondered if any of them were as scared as she was, which she doubted. She did not leave Filius's side for a moment, as if her life depended on it. They got into the boat together with five other people, two boys and three girls who were silent, perhaps because they didn't know how to start a conversation. Minerva watched them, trying to appear discreet, because she was very curious about them. She was very curious about all the people there, really. 

And she was so entranced by people-watching that it wasn't until her friend tapped her on the shoulder that she realised what an incredible sight she had been missing. Hogwarts was huge, unbelievably huge. A castle that seemed to push the boundaries of the real thing, that looked as if it was going to scatter at any moment. Minerva wouldn't believe it was physical until she touched it with her own hands. The lights on it made it even more incredible. It was as if it overshadowed the world, as if it ceased to exist for that castle. She had to hold her breath. 

Minerva never wanted the little journey to end. But it ended almost as soon as it had begun. And in the blink of an eye, she found herself descending and entering the castle that was indeed real. Her feet were touching it, her eyes were seeing the walls, she was marvelling at the unreal beauty of that place as mysterious as it was poetic. She had never understood art until that moment. When her father took her to see paintings, to see statues, she didn't feel anything. But Hogwarts turned her stomach, Hogwarts made her feel like a poet writing a verse for the first time.

They were led into a large room that Filius said was called The Great Hall, which had four long tables full of students and full of food, and another large table that was higher than the others at which were the teachers and the headmaster, whom Minerva had so far only seen in a magical newspaper she had once picked up from her mother, called Armando Dippet. He was smiling, as if to welcome them, and Minerva smiled back as if he was going to notice her. All the other students looked at them, as if they were the predators and they were the prey. 

The headmaster stood up, and The Great Hall went quiet. Everyone seemed to have a deep respect for him.

“Welcome, welcome back to Hogwarts for another year. I can see the excitement on your faces, the happiness of returning, or simply of tasting the exquisite food once again.” Some people laughed, others just smiled. Minerva did neither because of nerves. “As always, our beloved Sorting Hat will proceed to do the house selection so that the frightened new first years can sit back and enjoy the feast with the people who will be like their new family.” He spoke slowly, with an impassive calmness.

When they brought out the Sorting Hat, Minerva didn't expect it to start singing. Her eyes widened as if she couldn't quite believe it, for the idea of a hat singing, and indeed singing much better than she did, seemed inconceivable to her. The students seemed to be enjoying themselves, having fun with the song, but their age group seemed terrified.

Armando Dippet took out a parchment, and began to call out names. The ceremony was simple: he called them, they approached, they were assigned a house, the students applauded, and the person went happily to their house table. It seemed easy, almost mechanical. There was no loss, but she still felt she was going to make a complete fool of herself. She had to calm down. She needed to calm down.

“Poppy Pomfrey!” The Headmaster called, and a girl walked over to the stool and sat down on it. Minerva could see from where she stood how she trembled, but she could also see her angelic face, her fair, fine complexion, like something out of a fairy tale. She really did look like a princess. He hadn't even put the hat on his head when he shouted out. “Gryffindor!” And the Great Hall erupted in applause.

The next two girls were also assigned to Gryffindor, their names were Rolanda Hooch and Augusta Longbottom, and they seemed very happy, and they also seemed to be friends. They had the kind of connection that she and Filius had developed in such a short time. 

“Filius Flitwick!” Minerva glanced at him as he made his way to the stool. He looked so confident, so brave and determined, that she felt proud of him. If only they were assigned to the same house, because then she would have someone she knew. The hat took a few seconds, but then, without hesitation, said- “Ravenclaw!” 

He looked at her, and she smiled at him. She remembered what he had said to her on the train, and she was happy for him. Would she be smart enough to be assigned to Ravenclaw? She didn't knew, she doubted it.  

There were only a few first-year students left to be assigned a house, and she was among the last. Three more people were called before she heard her name.

“Minerva McGonagall.” Although she was incredibly nervous, she stopped shaking at that moment. She had to face it, because it would be one of the only small things she would have to deal with for the rest of her life. You are not a coward. She made her way to the stool and as she sat down, she felt the weight of the stares of everyone in the Great Hall on her. She closed her eyes, imagining herself somewhere else. Then she heard the hat's voice. “You have an interesting mind, uh? You don't stand still for a second, and you know how to use it.” Were the others listening to what the hat was saying or was it just in her head? When the other people had sat down, she hadn't heard anything. “Oh! But you are also brave, you are not afraid to stand up to people. You have a fierce loyalty in you for people, and you believe in people.” She opened her eyes, and saw that people had turned their gaze from her to the headmaster. There was a general murmur that she was unable to hear. How long had she been sitting there? It seemed like it had been about three or four minutes. With the others it hadn't taken that long. “You could be in Gryffindor, but you could also be in Ravenclaw, Minerva.”

“Ravenclaw.” She thought. “Ravenclaw, I want to be with Filius.”

“Really? Do you really have as brave a soul as I have seen, or is it just my imagination?” The hat shouted, she felt insulted.

“I am brave!” She thought again, grimacing. Who did that hat think it was? “I'm brave, but that doesn't mean I want to be alone.”

“Then you are not that brave.”

“I am! I am brave! Who the hell do you think you are to decide whether I am or not?!” She didn't usually talk like that. In fact, she had never spoken that way to anyone, and she knew the word because she'd heard her father use it once.

“That's what I wanted to hear.” The hat told her, and then screamed- “Gryffindor!” 

When she opened her eyes and became aware of everything, she realised that no one was clapping. They were just looking at her. That made her uncomfortable, why weren't they clapping? She looked at the headmaster, searching for an answer.

"My dear students, what you have just witnessed is a very special case. Minerva McGonagall it's an example of Hatstall. This happens when the Sorting Hat takes more than five minutes to decide which house to assign someone to.” He cleared his throat, and she, who was looking at him, saw him look back at her. “Minerva, could you please tell us the two houses the Sorting Hat had doubts about?”

She didn't really want to. Speaking in front of everyone wasn't particularly exciting for her. But she remembered the Hat's words, and the embarrassment went away.

“Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.” She said in a loud and clear tone, but her voice slipped.

“And why did the Hat choose to assign you to Gryffindor?” 

“Well, we might have started fighting. I don't know if it makes sense, but he provoked me and I fell for that provocation and well, now I'm in Gryffindor.” 

Armando Dippet didn't say another word, he just smiled. Then the Great Hall applauded as it had done with the others, and she, with her heart in her throat, went to sit with those of her house.

“I think that's the first time that ever happened.” It was a boy who spoke to her. He had light brown hair and a kind face. "It was weird, but amazing. You just made history." 

"I don't think it's that big a deal, but thank you. I had a hard time up there." She let out a laugh, and the boy smiled at her.

“My name is Lyall Lupin, by the way.” He introduced himself, offering her his hand. “I'm in the third year.” 

“You know my name, so.” She shook his hand. “It's a pleasure.” 

"If you need anything, you know who I am. I have contacts who could be helpful for any kind of situation.” He smirked, she did too. 

“Sounds scary.” 

The feast passed quickly. She just ate in silence, laughing at some of the witticisms she heard her companions say. She didn't feel as out of place as she thought she would, and though she still felt a little sad that she and Filius hadn't been in the same house, a feeling of warmth came over her chest. 

At some point, the food disappeared from the table, and although no one seemed surprised, she was. Still, she didn't say so. She was beginning to realise that sometimes it was better to remain silent than to speak. A boy and a girl who must have been much older than her, and claimed to be the prefects, began to direct them towards something they called Common Room.

They stopped in front of a portrait, after crossing a flight of stairs that kept moving and on which she almost fell.

"This is the portrait of the Fat Lady, you have to tell her a password, which is constantly changing, to cross over and enter to the Common Room. The passwords will be posted on the board of the Common Room." The boy who was talking sounded tired or bored - Minerva couldn't work out which one.

"Oh, and your luggage is already in your rooms. I will escort the girls to their rooms, and he will escort the boys. So girls, please, follow me.”

Before entering the Common Room, they said the password, which was Chocolate Pudding, and when they passed through the painting, Minerva was amazed. The Common Room was quite a large, cosy room that really felt like home. It had a fireplace and several armchairs and sofas, tables and fluffy rugs that looked very comfortable. She was already beginning to think about how many hours she would spend in that place.

As the perfect one had said before, the girls escorted her up a flight of stairs leading to the bedrooms. Minerva waited patiently, curious to know what they would be like, until at last it was her turn. She had been placed with three other girls, and all three of them she recognised from the selection process. Augusta Longbottom and Rolanda Hooch, who she suspected were already friends, and to her surprise, Poppy Pomfrey, the girl with the angelic face she had seen earlier. Once they were alone, they each went to the bed they had been assigned to (they knew this because their boots were placed in front of each bed), and began to open it to take things out. The silence was not uncomfortable, but Rolanda, who seemed like a person who always spoke her mind, broke it.

"I was thinking that since we have to share a room for the next seven years, we could start by introducing ourselves." They all agreed, so before even putting on their pyjamas, they made a circle in the middle of the room. “I'll start. My name is Rolanda Hooch, but my friends call me Landa or Ro, so you can call me that way.”

“I'm Augusta Longbottom.” The other girl spoke, looking at all of them, one by one, as if she were analysing them. “But I hate my name, it's horrible. So please, call me Auggie or something less awful.” 

“I'm Poppy Pomfrey. I don't have a nickname, so you can call me Poppy". She let out a slight laugh. The other three girls gave her a smile. Poppy had sympathy for every part of herself.

“It's my turn, I guess.” Minerva began to say, and instead of looking at them, she decided to look at a specific point. It was easier for her to introduce herself that way. “My name's Minerva McGonagall, but my beloved ones always have called me Minnie.” 

“We are not people that you love, so that means we can't call you Minnie?” Poppy asked, politely.

“No! I mean, you can call me Minnie, it's more beautiful than Minerva, anyway. It's just that… Until today I didn't have any friends, I don't know how I should act.” Again, she told the truth. Would she be like that with everyone? Would she always tell everyone how pathetic she was? The words slipped out of her mouth.

“Just be yourself.” Rolanda told her, and from then on she would always use that advice.“For example, with what you have just said you are being yourself, so consider me your friend.” 

“I think we are going to be good friends, all of us.” Augusta said, and the four girls agreed. 

Minerva would remember that first night at Hogwarts forever. She would always remember the first time she saw them, what she thought of each of them, how different they were, and how she thought they would laugh at her and they didn't. She would always remember that first night at Hogwarts. She would always remember, and back then, she knew it.