Introductions
Dorcas was definitely not the first in her family to attend Hogwarts. There was a long line of Meadowes at the school- well at least on one side. Her mother had explained a few years ago that it was easier to take her name, because it was known around the wizarding world. Dorcas thought it rather feminist, using the woman’s last name, and it wasn’t as if her father had any objections. After all, his was much more boring, Johnson or something. She hadn’t quite understood why it would be such an issue at the time, but figured it might give her an advantage with the professors to be a legacy.
She stood beside her mother at Kings Cross Station, who had just an inch over her father, hoping she'd get her genes when it came to height. They were just a bit early, but Dorcas liked to be prepared, so she didn't mind one bit.
Dorcas announced to her parents, “I’d better get going.”
“You have plenty of time, Cas, let us say a proper goodbye,” June, her mother, pleaded.
“I wasn’t planning on stepping onto that train without a proper hug, mum.”
“Of course you weren’t,” her dad chimed in.
She stood in front of her father first and gave him a brief but sincere hug. Then her mum, who demanded a longer one.
“I’ll be good, get good marks, stay out of trouble,” she promised her parents.
June gave her eyes a quick roll, “Of course you will, we were never worried. We’ll just miss you so, so much.”
A smile appeared on Dorcas' face.
“And don’t forget Circe! Still haven’t got any idea why you named her that,” her dad added.
Dorcas glanced over at the cat she’d gotten just a few weeks ago, “I read it in a muggle book, about Greeks. They haven’t got any idea that witches are real, so they call it mythology. She was one of the greats apparently.”
Her father’s grin widened, “Ok now, go along.”
“Love you!”
“Love you too Cas!”
It wasn’t hard to find an empty carriage this early, so she took one not far from the back of the train. If Dorcas had thought about luggage, she would have asked her father for help. She almost had a heart attack when a girl's voice rang through the carriage.
“Hello, Marlene Mckinnon, you?”
She didn't actually have a heart attack, but she did drop her luggage.
“Sorry! That wasn’t my fault was it?” the girl asked.
“Well, it sort of was but no worries,” Dorcas replied.
“Here, let me help,” Marlene suggested as she easily lifted the luggage up.
“Thanks.”
“No problem, that’s just the kind of chivalrous things we Gryffindors do.”
“Oh, I assumed you were a first year as well.”
“I am, just absolutely sure I’ll be in Gryffindor,” Marlene corrected.
“And how do you suppose that?”
Taking a seat Marlene replied, “Well I’m strong, cool, brave, basically the definition of Gryffindor.”
“Hmm,” Dorcas mumbled, sitting down and setting Circe down as well.
“What? Got a problem with Gryffindors?"
“No, just deciding that you’re definitely going to be a Gryffindor.”
“Now that we have me covered,” Marlene said, “what house are you aiming for?”
“I’d quite like to be a Ravenclaw actually.”
“Hmm,” Marlene hummed.
“What? Got a problem with Ravenclaws?” Dorcas contended.
“Nope, just decided that you do seem rather Ravenclawy. Shame we couldn’t be in the same house though.”
"Who knows? Maybe. Besides, Ravenclawy isn’t an adjective.”
“Definitely Ravenclaw.”
This got a laugh out of Dorcas. It was interrupted by yet another girl walking in. She seemed to be a polar opposite to this Marlene girl. She had curly, black hair rather than the blonde of Marlene’s, which can only contain a slight curl. Her face as well was quite a bit darker than Marlene’s pale one, but not as her own is. Where Marlene had a bit of height to her, the other girl was quite short. Nonetheless, she introduced herself.
“Is it alright if I join you?”
“Course. Marlene, Mckinnon, you?”
“Mary Macdonald,” the other replied with a smile, “And you?”
“Me? Oh, Dorcas, Dorcas Meadowes.”
“That must be one of the prettiest I’ve heard,” Mary added.
“While slightly offended, I admit I might just agree,” Marlene proffessed.
With a slight blush Dorcas responded to the pair, “Thanks.”
She watched as the two conversed for the rest of the ride, mustering up the courage to add a comment every now and then. It wasn't that she wasn’t interested in the various topics they talked about, it just took her a bit to formulate a proper response and by then the chance had passed. Besides, if you didn’t talk much, there wasn’t much to regret later- other than not talking. They didn’t seem bored of her though, as they readily boarded a boat with her when the time came, just as the large man, who went by Hagrid, asked of them. She’d heard from her parents that it was a quite marvelous experience, to see Hogwarts in all its glory for the first time. But honestly, she was preoccupied with worrying about the possibility of tipping.
“Sit down!” Dorcas chided Marlene.
Mary chuckled, “Look, you’re already in trouble and we haven’t even made it inside yet.”
“Sorry,” Dorcas added, “just don’t want the boat to tip.”
“No, you’re right. My hair looks horrid wet,” Marlene conceded.
“Shame, mine looks great, might just tip the boat myself,” Mary chimed in.
They all laughed at this, and no one stood for the rest of their short ride to dry land. They quickly arrived at the great hall where they were to be sorted. A sort of jumbled line formed. A couple of kids were called, but she was busy with her new friends. It wasn’t until Sirius Black was called that she perked up.
“Oh great,” Dorcas sighed, “We have a Black in our year.”
“What’s your issue with Blacks?” Mary asked.
“Long story short, they’re a bunch of blood supremacists,” Marlene replied.
"Blood supremacists?”
“They believe a bunch of bollocks about pure blooded wizards, wizards whose families can be traced back to the beginning and haven’t been polluted, as they’d say, by muggles, being stronger and better or whatever other rubbish,” Dorcas explained.
“Muggles?”
“Just means non-magical,” Marlene decided to add to the explanation.
Mary sighs as well, “Then it seems your response was duly earned.”
“Gryffindor,” the hat shouted out after a tense couple of minutes.
The boy, Sirius, looked pale in the face as he made his way to the Gryffindor table. An army of glares came from the Slytherin table, but he got his applause anyways. A stout redhead girl, Lily Evans, also was chosen for Gryffindor. Then, a sickly boy by the name of Remus Lupin.
"Good luck,” Dorcas and Marlene said almost in unison.
Mary smiled back as she walked towards the hat. It took not more than half a minute to decide on Gryffindor. Marlene took less than ten seconds seated before a “Gryffindor” rang out in the hall. Dorcas walked up to the hat, heavily aware of the eyes that were on her. It took a couple minutes of the dusty thing screeching in her ears about her potential in Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor until she finally thought about the possibility of giving up her new friends. The hat called out Gryffindor seconds later. While she’d dreamt of Ravenclaw tower for months, friends weren’t such an easy thing for Dorcas to come by, and she figured if she’d found a few who’d tolerate her, it wouldn’t be very smart to throw that away. She finally took a seat next to Mary and Marlene.
Marlene is the first that congratulated her, “Seems I judged you wrong!”
Mary smiled, “We’re glad to have you.”
From across the table the only other first year girl said, “Congrats! I’m Lily, Lily Evans.”
Dorcas replied, “Dorcas, Dorcas Meadowes. Nice to meet you,” with a grin.
Any tension left the group of girls as they chatted about the upcoming term. A couple more kids: Peter Pettigrew, a round blonde boy, and James Potter, a chipper dark-skinned boy with seemingly untamable hair joined the table with more rounds of applause. The food appeared shortly thereafter and there’s no time for talking.
Mary yawned, “I’m stuffed.”
“Me too,” Dorcas added.
Just in time a boy that looks to be around 15 asked them to follow him to the dorms. It’s quite the trek up to Gryffindor Tower. When they got there the prefect explained they’d need to use the password, which was nobilissimus, to get in. They passed through the portrait of the fat lady into the common room. She made a note to ask what her real name is, it seemed quite rude to just call someone lady. The common room was decked out with red and gold, it seemed quite comforting, but not quite to Dorcas’ taste, she never much liked those colors. Nevertheless, it looked like the perfect spot to curl up and read a book.
“It’s perfect!” Marlene exclaimed.
Dorcas, Mary, and Lily glanced at each other and unanimously decided to lead the previously tired girl up to their dorm. Dorcas took the bed furthest away from the windows. Lily took the one across from her, which was closest to the bathroom, and Mary and Marlene took the two in the middle. Dorcas let Circe crawl into bed with her and Mary shut off the light after they'd all decided to unpack in the morning.
“Night,” Mary said as she tucked herself under her covers.
And a chorus of “Nights,” rang out after her.