1 September 1991
“Merlin, your hair looks ridiculous!” Nancy Brown exclaimed, smoothing her hands against Lavender’s head. The friction made Lavender’s curly hair frizz even more, framing her face in a halo of thick brown-blonde hair. Her mother narrowed her eyes and gave Lavender a reproachful look, as if Lavender had somehow willed her hair into disobedience.
“Nothing we can do about it now, I suppose,” her mother said, her mouth pinched at the corners. “At least try to make it look less… wild before the Sorting Ceremony.”
Lavender sighed as she pulled her trunk from the trolley. They’d had this conversation a hundred times before. She’d inherited her father’s thick curls, and her mother never knew what to do with them.
“Of course, Mother,” she assented, self-consciously tucking a wayward lock of hair back into the pink satin of her headband.
Her mother regarded her for a moment, blue eyes piercing. Lavender resisted the urge to fidget with the hem of her jumper.
“I want you to get good grades and stay out of trouble,” she said pointedly, brushing an invisible piece of lint off of Lavender’s collar. “And, remember, when you look your best–”
“You feel your best,” Lavender finished, readjusting her grip on her trunk and glancing over at the train. “I know.”
Her mother pursed her lips. “You better get on the train now. I’ll be here to pick you up for the winter holiday.”
“Yes, Mother.”
The Hogwarts Express was a flurry of activity, students moving in and out of compartments, chattering excitedly. A chocolate frog was leaping across the floor, a boy about Lavender’s age trailing behind it. An older girl was being pulled into her compartment by her friends, laughing loudly and freely. The buzz was electric. Lavender could almost taste it.
A tall redheaded boy with glasses was greeting first years at the luggage rack. The rack was far too high for Lavender to reach, so she let the prefect take her trunk and searched for a compartment.
The first compartment she opened was full of older kids, who told her to get lost. The second compartment was empty, and she considered staying there, but decided against it. There were very few other wizarding children in her neighborhood, and she wanted to meet other kids like her. The third compartment contained a smaller boy with a round face and a girl with the bushiest red hair she had ever seen. They looked about her age.
Lavender straightened her jumper, threw her shoulders back and introduced herself. They told her their names were Neville and Hermione. Neville was wringing his hands together anxiously, and Hermione held a large hard-back book open in her lap.
“Would you mind if I sat with you two?” she asked.
The boy named Neville shrugged, which Lavender decided was a yes. She slid inside the compartment, closing the door behind her, and sat next to Hermione. The train whistled and started forward, starting its journey to Hogwarts. Neville started to look a little green. Lavender inched closer to the compartment door. She did not want to be thrown up on.
“Did you know that Hogwarts was founded in the 10th century?” Hermione asked eagerly, holding up the book in her lap, and Lavender managed to read the title: Hogwarts, A History. “It’s amazing that they’ve been using the same castle and grounds all this time. How do you think it holds up against weather erosion?”
Lavender blinked.
“Do you think anti-erosion charms exist? Or would it be anti-erosion spells? I was reading a book about the difference between charms and spells just a few nights ago, but now I can’t seem to remember.”
Hermione looked at Lavender expectantly, as if Lavender should know exactly what she was talking about. Lavender glanced at Neville for help, but he was too focused on not losing his lunch.
“What’s erosion?” Lavender asked dumbly.
The other girl straightened up, and started reciting what sounded like textbook definitions about rocks and weather and water. This went on for what Lavender estimated to be about ten minutes, though it felt much longer.
“... so you see? The castle should have been destroyed by natural causes years ago.”
Lavender had no idea what she was talking about, but she didn’t want the other girl to know that, so she said, “Oh, well, of course. That makes sense.”
“Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh, that’s right! Spells and–-”
Lavender cut Hermione off before she could continue. She had a feeling that Hermione would happily spend the entire train ride talking about the most dreadfully boring subjects. “Do you know where you want to be sorted?” she asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a more interesting direction.
Hermione frowned a moment before answering, “Anywhere, I suppose. I think I’d like Ravenclaw. In Chapter 16 of Hogwarts, A History, they describe Rowena Ravenclaw--that’s the patron of Ravenclaw house--as being studious, creative, and measured. Other notable Ravenclaws include Ignatia Wildsmith, Millicent Bagnold, and Laverne de Montmorency.”
Lavender had the brief mean-spirited thought that not even Ravenclaw would want such an annoying know-it-all. She turned to Neville, who seemed to be adjusting to the train movement (he only looked faintly green now). “What about you, Neville? What house are you hoping for?”
He swallowed thickly. “Both my parents were in Gryffindor, but I reckon I’m not brave enough to get in. Probably end up in Hufflepuff.”
“I’m sure you’re plenty brave, Neville,” Hermione said reassuringly. “Hufflepuff is a fascinating house. Did you know that Newt Scamander--he wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them--was in Hufflepuff when he attended Hogwarts?”
The rest of the train ride went pretty much like that: Lavender attempting to make conversation, Hermione going on tangents, Neville mumbling a sideways comment. By the time the train was approaching Hogwarts, Lavender was much more informed–somewhat against her will–about a number of topics, including the history of the moving staircases at Hogwarts and the properties of shrivelfigs. The beginnings of a headache simmered beneath her temples.
“Look! I can see Hogwarts!” Neville exclaimed, pressing his face against the glass. “It’s right there!”
Hermione peered out the window, a soft gasp escaping her mouth. Lavender craned her neck to see.
Behind a thick layer of trees lay Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its stone turrets pierced clouds in the sky, and when Lavender squinted hard enough, she thought she could see the hoops of the quidditch pitch just beyond. She had seen plenty of pictures of Hogwarts in books, papers, the backdrop of Albus Dumbledore’s chocolate frog card. But this was real. This was where she was going to grow up. This was where she was going to become her own person. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Her eyes caught her reflection in the window and she bit back a sigh. Her hair was still every bit as unruly as it had been on the platform, barely held back by the fabric of her headband.
“I’m headed to the bathroom to change into my robes and fix my hair,” Lavender said, straightening her skirt. She glanced at Hermione, whose hair was even larger and frizzier than Lavender’s. “Would you like to come with me? I could braid your hair, if you like.”
But Hermione wasn’t interested. Her copy of Hogwarts, A History was already open to an image of the castle, her eyes enthusiastically darting between the page and the window.
Lavender bundled her robes underneath her arm and exited the compartment. The hallways were quieter now with all the students tucked away, but she could feel the quiet buzz of anticipation, the low hum of conversation. She slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.
Lavender fiddled with her tie after putting her robes on, not entirely sure how to navigate the knot. Eventually she gave up and grabbed her wand, whispering “Nodus”. Nothing happened the first time, but she tried again until the tie straightened and spun itself into a neat twist around her neck. Lavender smiled to herself, feeling rather accomplished about her small bit of magic. It was a trick her dad used every morning before work.
She pulled a few elastics from her pocket and set about wrangling her hair into a pair of French braids, weaving purple ribbon into the braids. Her fingers were nimble, the muscle memory of hundreds of braids guiding her hands, but still it took Lavender several minutes to finish the plaits. She could hear the complaints from outside the bathroom compartment, but she paid them no mind. Everyone in the school was going to be looking at her when the Sorting Hat sat on her head, so she was going to look perfect. Finished with the braiding, she contemplated whether her hair looked better with or without her pink headband.
Three knocks on the door. “Come on! I’ve had to pee for fifteen minutes!”
Definitely with the headband, Lavender thought, slipping it on over the braids. She gave herself one more once-over, nodding at her reflection before opening the door to a very annoyed line of students.
She shrugged at them. “Hair emergency.”
A brown-haired fifth year glared at her and muttered something rude to his friend about girls and their hair.
Lavender found the compartment empty when she returned. Apparently Neville had lost his toad and Hermione was helping him find it. Having no interest in lost amphibians, Lavender settled into the compartment for the remainder of the ride. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Hogsmeade Station.
The largest man Lavender had ever seen was walking up the platform with a lantern above his head, calling for all first years to follow him. He led them to a small pier with dozens of wooden boats, only large enough to fit about five students each. Night had fallen, making the lake look dark and sinister. Lavender shivered at the thought of what would happen if she slipped and fell beneath the murky water.
“In you go, that’s it,” the large man–the groundskeeper Hagrid, as Lavender found out–helped her into one of the boats.
Her boat already had two other students on board, both strikingly similar. Their hair was pulled back in matching braids, their hands folded neatly in their laps. Twins, just a hair shy of identical.
“I love the ribbon in your hair!” one of them said as she sat down on the wooden bench. “Is it from Twilfitt and Tattings? We saw some just like that at Diagon Alley last week.”
Lavender grinned proudly, tossing one of her braids over her shoulder. “My mother ordered a whole set from the Witch Weekly catalogue. I’ve got them in every color.”
“Really?” she exclaimed. “That’s splendid.”
“If we’re in the same house, I could show you the set,” Lavender said eagerly. “The gold ones would look perfect with your hair.”
The other girl’s smile widened. “I’d love that. I’m Parvati, by the way.”
“Lavender.”
Parvati nudged her sister, who was looking out at the castle with a bored expression. Her sister scanned Lavender with disinterest.
“I’m Padma,” she said flatly, and returned her gaze to the horizon.
If Parvati was troubled by her sister’s indifference, she didn’t show it. Lavender and Parvati spent the boat ride talking excitedly about everything they planned to do once at Hogwarts.
“I can’t wait to take Charms. Did you know there’s a spell to make someone dance uncontrollably?”
“I’ve heard that the puddings at the Welcome Feast are made with fairy sugar, and if you eat too much, you start to shimmer.”
“Do you think the Giant Squid is underneath us right now?”
That thought had Lavender wrapping her arms around her shoulders protectively. Parvati laughed as she peered over the side of the boat. She learned that Parvati and Padma were from Marvelsbridge, the wealthy magical counterpart to London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood, and that she had already been to Scotland a number of times to visit Hogsmeade. Much to Lavender’s disbelief, Parvati insisted that Honeydukes best product was their licorice wands. This incited much debate and discussion over which types of sweets were the best. (Lavender argued for sugar quills but Parvati stayed staunch in her defense of licorice wands. Both agreed that acid pops were the worst.) Lavender was so engaged in the conversation that she barely noticed they had gotten off their boats and were making their way up the castle stairs.
Their conversation came to a stop as the group stopped in front of a woman in emerald-green velvet robes and a pointy black hat.
“Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule-breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup--
“Trevor!” the boy Neville from the train gasped, leaping forward to grab what Lavender presumed was his lost toad. Lavender covered her mouth to hide her laugh and glanced at Parvati, who was wide-eyed with what Lavender could only assume was secondhand embarrassment.
The woman spared Neville a single severe look before continuing. “The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily.”
She walked away for a minute, leaving the first-years in the corridor. A blonde boy with far more gel in his hair than necessary spoke up.
“It’s true then,” he said. “What they were saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts.”
Lavender’ eyebrows shot up so high she worried they might get lost in her hair. “Did you know Harry Potter was in our year?” she whispered excitedly to Parvati.
Parvati shook her head and whispered back, “No one’s seen or heard from him in years. There were rumors he might be a squib.”
“Harry Potter? A squib! No way.”
Parvati shrugged.
“This is so cool. We’re going to school with a celebrity,” Lavender said, awed.
Parvati stood on the tips of her toes, trying to see over the crowd. “That’s him there,” she said. “Talking to Draco Malfoy.”
That must be the blonde boy, Lavender thought. She could see him clearly. His arm was extended in front of him, as if for someone to shake. She could only see the messy head of black hair that she assumed belonged to Harry Potter, and whatever he said didn’t make Draco very happy.
Lavender had heard of the Malfoy family from her parents. Her mom was always talking about how gorgeous and stylish Narcissa Malfoy was. She never wore the same robes twice.
“Looks like that didn’t go well,” Parvati whispered to Lavender. “Just as well, Draco Malfoy is a menace.”
“Parvati!” Padma whisper-scolded from Parvati’s other side. Parvati just rolled her eyes.
“He is, Padma, and you and I both know it.”
Lavender briefly wondered how the two sisters knew someone like Draco Malfoy well enough to comment on his personality. The Malfoys may not have Harry Potter-level fame, but they were still basically wizarding royalty.
The group of first-years was ushered through a massive set of wooden doors into the Great Hall. Lavender suddenly felt a spark of anxiety about her sorting. Her father had been in Ravenclaw, and her mother in Slytherin. But she wasn’t very smart, or very ambitious. Would they be disappointed if she ended up in Gryffindor? Or Hufflepuff?
The woman from before started listing names. Hermione from the train ended up in Gryffindor. (This surprised Lavender, who had pegged Hermione as a Ravenclaw through-and-through). Draco Malfoy unsurprisingly went to Slytherin. A girl named Marietta went to Ravenclaw. Ron Weasley to Gryffindor. Susan Bones to Hufflepuff. The hat took forever on Harry Potter, but eventually he went to Gryffindor as well.
Lavender’s hands were sweating by the time her name was called. She wiped her palms on her robes and pushed to the front to sit on the stool.
The brim of the hat fell over the top of her eyes. She jumped a little at how loud the voice of the Sorting Hat was inside her head.
“Lavender Brown, eh? Where should I put you? Might as well be… Gryffindor!”
The Gryffindor table stood and cheered for her, and Lavender couldn’t help the broad smile that stretched across her face as she took her seat next to Hermione. She tried not to stare at Harry Potter sitting across from her.
“Padma Patil!” the woman called out.
Lavender tore her eyes away from the Gryffindor table, interested to see where Padma ended up.
Padma sat on the stool, her facecarefully neutral. Barely a second passed before the hat announced, “Ravenclaw!”
Lavender felt a little put out. She really liked Parvati, and twins almost always ended up in the same house. Maybe they’d still have a few classes together.
Parvati was the last to be sorted, and the students were already starting to stop paying attention, eager for the feast to begin. Lavender kept her eyes on Parvati, holding out hope that the hat might put her new friend in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw.
“Gryffindor!”
Lavender gasped and burst into applause, immediately getting to her feet to cheer with the other Gryffindors. Parvati seemed a little dazed, her gaze finding her sister sat at the Ravenclaw table. They seemed to have a silent interaction that Lavender couldn’t understand. Padma was the first to break eye contact, and Parvati approached the Gryffindor table with an unreadable expression.
Lavender gestured for Parvati to sit next to her, sliding over on the bench to make room. “I’m so glad we’re in the same house!” she exclaimed. “We’ll probably be roommates!”
But Parvati still wore that troubled expression. She smiled weakly at Lavender. “Yeah.”
Lavender didn’t know what to do with that. “You’ll see your sister plenty, you know,” Lavender tried to reassure her. “There’s really not that many students in our year. And we all have to take the same classes this year.”
“Of course,” Parvati said, shaking her head a little. “You’re right.”
Lavender bumped her shoulder. “One of the things you’ll get to know about me is that I’m always right.”
Parvati raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”
“It is,” Lavender said. “Some even say I’m psychic. That’s how good I am.”
Parvati’s face cracked open into a wide grin. Lavender decided she’d do just about anything to see that smile every day. Parvati picked up a roll from the center of the table and tossed it at Lavender. “Think fast!”
Lavender barely had time to catch the roll, her eyelashes fluttering as she clasped her two hands over top of it.
Parvati laughed. “Didn’t see that one coming, huh? So much for your psychic wisdom.”
Lavender took a bite of the roll.
“I think we’re going to be great friends.”