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Chapter 6: The Adventure Begins     “What a rude girl. I don’t like her! She didn’t even let Aether introduce himself or answer any of her q

Chapter 6: The Adventure Begins

“What a rude girl. I don’t like her! She didn’t even let Aether introduce himself or answer any of her questions. I hope I don’t end up in her house.” said Rose with a huff while crossing her arms in annoyance.

“Same here.” Ron muttered slowly.

“Don’t be too hard on her, I’m sure she’s just a little nervous about attending an actual magical school. She did mention she was the first in her family to do so.” I said in defense of the girl, making the others blink at me before slowly nodding their heads at the possibility.

“Anyway, she did bring up an interesting topic. What house do you think you’ll be sorted into?” I said moving the conversation away from Hermione.

“All my family has been in Gryffindor; I don’t know what they’ll say if I’m not. I don’t suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.” Said Ron.

"That’s the house Vol- I mean, You-Know-Who was in?” said Harry before correcting himself when he saw Ron flinch.

“Is there a specific reason why people are afraid of saying his name other than being a dark wizard?” asked Rose with a tilted head.

“Yes.” I said bringing their attention to me.

“You see, Voldemort put a Taboo on his name. A jinx that made it where when people uttered his name it would reveal your location to Voldemort and his supporters. After that his followers or Voldemort himself would arrive at your location and you were tortured to insanity or killed. That’s why the older generation react so negatively to the saying of his name, because it usually meant a death sentence to whoever said it.”

“Please stop saying his name.” Ron pleaded to my side but nodded his head solemnly confirming my words, making Harry widen his eyes in shock.

“That’s horrible!” said Rose, bringing her hand over her mouth in shock. “I can see why everyone is always so jumpy at the saying of his name.”

“Right. However, let’s not talk about that anymore. We were talking about houses, remember? I believe it’s my turn.” I said putting an end to that discussion and back to lighter topics getting a grateful nod from Ron and two reluctant ones from Harry and Rose. Probably curious about any information pertaining to Voldemort.

“A little fun fact about myself is that I was originally meant to attend Beauxbatons so I don’t admittedly know much about Hogwarts’s houses. From what I have read so far however it seems that either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be the best fit for me.”

“You mean there are more magic schools out there other than Hogwarts?” asked Harry in wonder with Rose nodding along with him.

“Yes, there are 6 other major schools that I know about. Ilvermorny in America, Castelobruxo in South America, Beauxbatons in France, Durmstrang in Norway or Sweden, Uagadou in Africa and Mahoutokoro in Japan.” I answered from the top of my head.

“Amazing~ You sure know a lot, Aether.” said Rose with a big smile on her face.

“Thanks.” I gave her a smile at her compliment, making her blush cutely in return as she averted her eyes away from mine.

“Anyways what’s your favorite Quidditch team?” said Ron, changing the conversation seemingly bored with the current one.

“Er – I don’t know any.” Harry said.

With that the topic switched Quidditch with Ron going off on the subject for the next few hours. At some point I got bored on the subject and seeing Rose on the same boat as me I started a conversation with her. I mainly answered the many questions she had about the wizarding world and discussed what type of subjects were offered at Hogwarts.

At one point the subject turned to my time growing up in Spain with me explaining what I remembered from my host’s memories. Mainly about growing up without any friends and spending my childhood alone due to my parents working too much and only seeing them for a bit during the evening.

I even came clean to her and explained to her about the death of said parents not too long ago leaving me with no other relatives.

“So, you live alone then?” asked Rose looking at me with a sad look on her face and glassy eyes.

“No.” I shook my head much to her relief. “I live with my House Elf and other animal friends I’ve made over the years.” I said with a fond smile recalling the many memories we had already made the past few months.

“House Elf? What’s a House Elf?” asked Rose with a confused look on her face.

“Their loyal magical creatures that serve wizards and witches with their own brand of magic like goblins. There are actually a lot of them that work in Hogwarts and are the ones that help make the food for all the students.” I explained having realized I had caught Harry’s attention too with our talk.

“Like a maid?” asked Rose with her head tilted to the side in curiosity.

“Y-

We were interrupted as the compartment door slid open yet again, and like I expected Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle walked in acting like they owned the place.

“Is it true?” asked Malfoy “They are saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So, it’s you, is it?”

I ignored their conversation and instead paid more attention to the reaction of the others as I discreetly got my wand ready knowing this was about to get violent.

“And who are you supposed to be?” I was pulled from my thought’s when I heard Malfoy address me looking almost condescendingly down at me.

“Not that it’s any of your business but if you must know? My name is Aether Cordelia.” I said with disinterest, making him narrow his eyes at me.

“Cordelia? Never heard that name before. Are you a Pureblood?” he asked after pausing for a moment as if in thought.

“Again, I don’t see how that’s any concern of yours but yes, I am.” I said looking at him from the corner of my eye.

Looking at the others silently I could see all of them now looking angry, especially Ron and Rose who had their hands balled into fists.

“Leave him alone, you bully! What does it matter if Aether is a Pureblood or not? He’s still a wizard, isn’t he?” Rose exclaimed in anger as she stood up to her feet with an angry frown on her cute face.

“I’d be careful if I were you Potter.” Malfoy said with a sneer. “Unless you’re a bit politer you’ll go the same way as your parents. They didn’t know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and this foreigner and it’ll rub off on you.”

Harry and Ron stood up abruptly joining the already red in the face Rose who looked a second away from slapping or punching the little ferret.

“Say that again.” exclaimed Harry with his nostrils flaring in anger.

“Oh, you’re going to fight us, are you?” Malfoy said with a sneer not looking afraid in the slightest.

Having enough of the entitled little shit I stood up as well and pointed my wand at Malfoy and his two stooges. 

“Ventus!” The last thing they saw was the tip of my wand in their face before a somewhat strong spiraling gust of wind hit them head on strong enough to push them out the door.

“Colloportus!” I muttered quietly and watched as the compartment door shut close before us.

I then watched in amusement as the trio got up after tripping on their own feet before trying to open the door again to no success. After failing a few times, they finally left with angry scowls on their face and I finally turned to the others who were laughing in amusement at the sight.

“That should teach that ferret looking jerk. He had no right saying what he did.” I said quietly, laying my hand gently on Rose’s shoulder in part to show support and to disguise how tired I felt with the use of such a spell since I hadn’t mastered it quite yet and it was quite taxing to use.

“That was brilliant mate.” said Ron with a big smile on his face as he patted my shoulder once.

“Whatever house I end up in, I hope it’s not the one he joins.” said Harry quietly with Rose agreeing with a nod of her head.

With the trouble gone for now we returned back to our seats. Rose then looked at me with a smile on her face.

“Thanks for taking care of them Aether.” said Rose before a blush grew on her face. “And thanks for standing up for us.”

“You have nothing to thank me for. Bullies like him only back off if you stand up to them.” I said with a shake of my head. “Besides I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we’ll have to deal with that jerk.”

We didn’t receive any more visitors after that thankfully and we spent the rest of the trip talking animatedly before taking turns to change into our school robes 30 minutes before we arrived. Then we finally felt the train slowing down and looking out the window I saw a small station not far ahead.

Half an hour later we finally got off the train and were currently following Hagrid down to the docks with our only light being Hagrid’s lantern in front of us. Not too far into our descent I felt someone grab the back of my sleeve making me look in their direction.

I was treated to the sight of Rose looking to the side with an embarrassed blush on her face. Smiling at the girl I didn’t say anything and instead pulled out my wand casting another spell.

“Lumos!” The tip of my wand lit up with a bright white light illuminating the path ahead of us. I saw a couple of others throwing appreciative glances my way at now having another light lighting their way.

Minutes later we finally made it to the docks and saw it.

Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, with windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many towers and turrets.

Hogwarts. The place where I would be spending the next seven years was finally within sight.

I heard a bunch of gasps all around me as everyone stopped and just stared at the beauty in front of us. Hearing Hagrid yell pulled everyone out of our starstruck look and we headed to the small boats down by the lake. I helped Rose get on the boat, getting a blush from her and then we all sat down and went back to looking at the castle in the distance.

When everyone was settled in, the boats started moving by way of magic. There was not much talking as we traversed the Black Lake, everyone still mesmerized by the castle up ahead.

Then after a few minutes we finally made it to the underground harbour hidden underneath some ivy and disembarked. In front of us was a lift that was much bigger on the inside and we all clamored inside before riding up.

We came out into the courtyard before going up some stairs and crowded around the huge, oak front door. After making sure we were all there Hagrid knocked on the castle door before it was immediately swung open and McGonagall came into view.

Thanks to my Universal Calibration perk instead of looking like she was in her 50s, she now looked in her early twenties.

Only one thought came to my mind seeing a young McGonagall.

‘Those are some nice titties.’ I thought, unashamedly staring at them missing anything she had said for the past few minutes as we silently followed her along.

I only came to when she abruptly left, snapping me out of my thoughts. Looking around it seems I had missed her whole introductory speech as everyone was now looking nervous at the incoming sorting ceremony.

“How exactly do they sort us into houses?” I heard Rose, who had gone back to holding my sleeve again, ask me in a nervous voice as she pulled my sleeve.

“Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.” said Ron before I could respond.

I saw Harry swallow in fear and Rose tighten her grip on my sleeve at his response but before they could further panic, I decided to ease their worries.

“It’s alright.” I said with a calming smile as I gently grabbed ahold of Rose’s hand and gave it a small soft squeeze startling her a bit but thankfully, she didn’t let go of my hand.

“From what I heard you just have to sit on a stool and they put a magical hat on your head. The hat decides what house you should go to based on your core values. The brave and chivalrous for Gryffindor, ambitious and cunning for Slytherin, knowledge and wit for Ravenclaw and finally hard work and loyalty for Hufflepuff.” I finished explaining softly and realized that everyone was now paying close attention to me.

“How do you know that?” asked Hermione suspiciously.

I looked at the girl who seemed a little put off at not knowing something that important. To my side I felt Rose squeeze my hand a little tighter and looking at her from the corner of my eye I saw she was staring at Hermione in mild annoyance.

Seems Hermione had not made a very good impression on Rose since their meeting.

“Heard about it from an older student when I was on my way to the washroom. They were laughing and joking about their own reactions when they were sorted.” I lied with a straight face while shrugging my shoulders once.

Seeing as my response sounded logical, she let the matter drop and turned away from us. In fact, everyone was now looking much more relaxed now that they knew what awaited them behind the doors.

“I don’t like her.” I heard Rose mutter softly to herself before looking back at me with a smile. “Hehehe based on what you just said then Ravenclaw is definitely a perfect fit for you Aether. You're very knowledgeable about a lot of things and you’re really smart.”

“I think so too.” said Harry, looking less tense now with a nod. Ron to his side was muttering silently to himself about murdering Fred.

“Thank you Rose.” I said finally letting go of her hand and patting her head once getting her to flush a bit.

“I have one more piece of advice before we go in.” I whispered making sure that only Rose, Harry and Ron heard me. When I saw them get closer to make sure nobody else overheard us, I continued.

“The hat takes our choice into account. So, say for example the hat wants to place you in a house you don’t like, if you’re really against it the hat won’t place you there.” I whispered.

“Thank goodness.” said Harry and Ron in relief.

“Since it’s very unlikely that we all get sorted into the same house let’s make a promise here and now. That we will continue to remain friends even if we don’t share a dorm.” I said with a smile while holding out my hand in the middle of our little circle.

“It’s a promise.” said Rose, being the first to follow up with a radiant smile on her face as she put her hand on top of mine.

“Sounds good to me.” said Harry, joining in.

“Me too.” said Ron.

Sudden shouts of shock brought us out of our heartfelt pledge of friendship making us look at the commotion.

The Hogwarts ghosts could be seen arguing about Peeves again as they floated closer to us. When they finally saw us, they stopped their discussion and talked a bit to the students with only a few having the courage to answer back.

When they looked in our direction, I saw something unexpected happen as they all suddenly froze and stared at me curiously. They just floated there, not taking their eyes off me for a bit before they shook their heads and continued along.

“Uh, that was weird right? And was it just me or were they all staring at you Aether?” asked Rose with a confused look in her eyes as she turned to me.

“No, I saw it as well. That was definitely weird.” I agreed with her but not telling her the real reason they were.

‘They probably instinctually sensed my connection to Death with my new Heritage. Thankfully they didn’t react negatively to my presence or at least not yet.’

“Move along now.” said McGonagall, having returned. “The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start. Now, form a line.”

Even after my words from earlier a lot of the others couldn’t help but look nervous again as the time had finally come to be sorted. We silently trailed along the professor as she led us into the Great Hall where the other students were already sitting down with their respective houses.

Looking around me I took in the enchanted ceiling with the thousands of candles floating there and thought they oddly fitted.

We finally came to a stop and turned to face the other students as McGonagall set down an old stool along with the Sorting Hat in it. When everyone saw it, they seemed to relax slightly as my words were proven true for them.

The hat then started to sing and I once again ignored it in favor of looking around the hall seeing if I recognized anyone without the use of my Analyze skill that I got from Satou. The Weasleys were easy to spot with their bright red hair and so was Tonks with her bright pink one. Looking behind me I also recognized most of the professors sitting down except for a few.

Feeling eyes on me I turned to my side and came face to face with another pair of blue eyes framed by beautiful long blonde hair that came down to the middle of her back. Blinking once I shook off my slight shock at seeing the prettiest girl in my entire life.

I have no doubt that Rose, Hermione and Ginny will grow into beautiful girls with time and the effects of the binding but what I was seeing right now was all natural, the reason for my momentary lapse in thought.

Luckily everything passed in less than a second with my Stress Defense saving me from looking like a lovestruck fool. I gave the girl a friendly smile who could be none other than Daphne Greengrass and was pleased when she turned her head away from me with a small blush barely noticeable on her cheeks.

‘Love Spot (Eyes) for the win again.’ I thought in amusement.

Moments later the song ended and the hall erupted in cheers before the sorting finally began. We all waited silently as one by one we were each sorted into our respective houses with no changes differing from canon thus far.

All too soon I was called to the front after Millicent Bulstrode was sorted into Slytherin.

“Cordelia, Aether!”