Hailey Garner was wiping her sweaty palms on her cloak, surprised at how nervous she was.
'It's not my fault. It's my first time at Hogwarts.
It's a bit embarrassing to be reacting the same way as those snotty kids at my age, but anyway, this is a perfectly normal reaction.'
Hailey was exhausted from the long journey that had started at dawn.
She'd spent the days lying still as death in the drafty attic to avoid her father's notice, while at night she'd quietly moved around the house, mapping out the locations of hidden emergency funds and valuables.
Finally, on the morning of September 1st, she got up at 4 AM and with movements as light as a flying squirrel (with a little help from magic, of course), gathered what she needed from around the house and boarded a train to London.
The memories of her previous life (Hailey had decided to call those painfully vivid memories that) were so vivid that the complicated paths and alleys leading to Diagon Alley seemed like straight roads. It was the time when the most diligent shops on the street were starting to open. Hailey headed first to the nearest wand shop.
At "Jess Wood's Fine Wands," while she waved the wands the young male owner handed her, he muttered to himself constantly.
"Choosing our shop, little one, now that's a really wise decision. Everyone chooses Ollivander's shop, just because his family's been making wands for a really long time. But compared to those stuffy old wands— Yes, this is it!"
He exclaimed as he saw the wand Hailey was waving scatter soft silver sparkles.
"It's finally found its owner!"
While he went on about the wand's materials and characteristics, Hailey mentally organized the supplies she needed to buy.
"I just need it to be a wand. How much?"
Cutting off his words, the man made a pouty face and called out 4 galleons. Hailey forced 3 galleons and 11 sickles into his hand and put the wand in her cloak pocket.
"Good deal."
At her words, delivered with fake kindness, the man grumbled but wished her (or more precisely, her wand's) future well.
The list of supplies was packed, but the money in her pocket wasn't that generous.
Hailey counted her remaining money and went around secondhand bookstores and clothing shops, diligently gathering her supplies. Since she didn't have money for a pet, she could save time.
After roughly buying her supplies, the muscles that had been tense from sneaking out of the house started clamoring that they could rest now.
Hailey blinked her sleepy eyes and walked diligently to King's Cross Station. It was quite a distance on short legs, but she couldn't afford to take her time in case she missed the train.
When she finally stood in front of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Hailey relaxed for the first time. She'd finally reached the first gateway to Hogwarts.
She'd never been to Hogwarts, but she'd passed through similar kinds of entrances set up to fool Muggles or some wizards, so Hailey walked with big steps and rushed into the pillar.
And finally, on the other side, she arrived at the still-quiet Hogwarts Express platform. Only after confirming the words "Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock" written on the sign did Hailey lean against a bench installed on the wall.
Maybe Dad noticed.
Even as anxiety whispered, her eyelids were heavy. From what she'd experienced so far, this small body was a pretty annoying one that got sleepy, hurt, and hungry often.
"Hello. Are you a first-year?"
Hailey snapped her eyes open at the hand tapping her shoulder and looked around. The crimson steam engine was puffing out smoke, and wizards in all sorts of cloaks were giving their young children words of advice, worry, and affection. All kinds of animals were crying out and barking, and the sound of heavy trunks being loaded onto the train with thuds echoed heavily like a bass.
Good grief. She'd fallen asleep in all that chaos.
"You're really... fast."
The boy who'd woken her up said, gently shaking the wrist Hailey had grabbed. It had been a reflexive action. Hailey muttered "Oh" awkwardly and returned freedom to the boy's arm.
"I thought you were a first-year."
The boy said, pointing at Hailey's meager trunk.
"I'm a first-year too."
She saw the corners of his mouth lifting in perfect symmetry and his eyes curving softly. It was a bright smile typical of a young child, and at the same time, it had a mature atmosphere that didn't seem like a child.
But Hailey was slightly flustered by the harmless smile she hadn't seen in a very long time.
And in that moment of fluster, Hailey naturally ended up boarding the same compartment as that boy.
Fortunately, not long after, a cheerful girl with black hair joined the compartment and broke the awkward silence, starting a conversation. Hailey leaned against the window and closed her eyes.
"There's no sport more fun than Quidditch!"
"You're totally missing out on life, AJ."
She woke from her light sleep because of voices like screams.
While the redheaded twins got heated introducing the rules of Quidditch and famous teams, the girl called "AJ" sat with a crooked smile, slowly nodding her head.
"I don't think it could be as fun as football. What exactly does that 'Golden Snitch' do anyway?"
At those words, the twins made a fuss like the sky was falling.
"My god, George!"
"Merlin's sake!"
"I swear if you watch even one Quidditch match, you won't be able to say that."
"Right. I've heard Dad talk about 'foot-ball' too, and it's nothing compared to Quidditch."
"Right, Diggory?"
One of the twins looked at the boy who'd woken Hailey and asked. He'd been watching the back-and-forth between "AJ" and the twins with interest the whole time. He opened his mouth carefully.
"Well, I like Quidditch quite a bit too, but... I've never seen 'football' so I can't really say."
At his middle-ground response, the twins grumbled in unison, then started pestering Hailey, who had closed her eyes again.
"What do you think?"
"Yeah. What do you think?"
"And what's your name?"
"You're a first-year, right?"
It was just as gentle drowsiness was about to soothe Hailey, so she acted as if she couldn't hear those words. Then the twins moved over next to Hailey and started shaking her while firing questions at her. She could feel "AJ" grumbling as she moved to the opposite seat.
"I,"
Hailey slowly opened her eyes and pulled out the wand she'd put in her inner pocket.
"Think I'd like you to shut your mouths. So I can sleep."
At those words, silence fell in the compartment. Hailey put away her wand and tried to enjoy a moment of rest again. But the twins didn't let her.
"You know how to use magic?"
"That's awesome!"
"What magic did you learn? You learned it at home, right?"
"Show us!"
"What did you say your name was?"
It seemed like they weren't going to leave her alone until they got proper answers. Hailey gritted her teeth and opened her eyes. Anyway, she had to live at Hogwarts for seven years.
"Hailey Garner. First-year."
"I'm George Weasley."
"I'm Fred Weasley,"
"We're twins, as you can see."
"We're twins, as you can see."
The twins, who spoke simultaneously like theater lines, looked at each other and laughed briefly, then pointed at the two people in conversation across from them.
"That lady there is 'Angelina Johnson,' we call her AJ."
"And that gentleman next to her is 'Cedric Diggory.'"
Angelina raised her hand once, and Cedric showed his usual gentle smile.
After that, Hailey fought the urge to wave her wand at the twins and accompanied the four of them all the way to the Hogwarts gates.
Finally, when it was time to follow the professor (called "McGonagall"), the twins shut their mouths.
And ridiculously, Hailey noticed that both her palms were sweaty.
'It's not my fault. It's my first time at Hogwarts...'
Hailey muttered the excuse to no one in particular as she listened to Professor McGonagall's explanation about the Sorting. She glanced around and noticed the children had scared faces. Even Cedric Diggory, who'd seemed relaxed the whole time, looked clearly nervous.
Well, these kids are only eleven, so obviously.
That thought deflated her a bit and her tension scattered.
There was a small commotion when one of the first-years scared everyone by saying the method for determining houses was a test of courage, the first-years buzzed for a moment, and then screamed at the ghosts that appeared shortly after, but they were soon able to line up and enter the Great Hall under Professor McGonagall's guidance.
The Great Hall was more beautiful than any space Hailey had ever seen.
Hailey had never been in such a large, bright, old-fashioned, and (in a good way) imposing space, so she was flustered but tried to act composed.
The Great Hall of Hogwarts that she'd secretly imagined all this time. She was standing there right now.
Professor McGonagall stood on the platform holding a long parchment scroll.
"When I call your name, you will come forward, put on the hat, sit in the chair, and be sorted into your house."
She took a breath and called out.
"Abbott, Dylan!"
She'd heard about the houses.
The purest Slytherin,
The cleverest Ravenclaw,
The most terrible Gryffindor,
And Hufflepuff.
It was an evaluation she'd heard through the mouths of Death Eaters, so the house Hailey should go to was clear.
To graduate quietly without getting involved in any trouble, she needed to live in the house farthest from Death Eaters, meaning farthest from Slytherin.
Not Slytherin, of course, but not Gryffindor either. Slytherins were always excessively interested in Gryffindor.
"Diggory, Cedric!"
At the name that had become familiar from the twins' chanting throughout the journey to Hogwarts, she reflexively looked up and saw the hat deliberating. Diggory's face was buried in the large hat so it wasn't clearly visible, but his expression looked very calm compared to the pondering hat.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Right, Hufflepuff.
She needed to go to Hufflepuff.
At the hat's final shout, Diggory took off the hat with a smooth smile, and loud cheers and applause erupted from the table on the far right.
Diggory's mouth seemed to twist a bit as he briefly lowered his head to put the hat down on the chair, but after one blink, he was smiling brightly.
Well, not my problem.
Hailey thought carelessly as she waited her turn.
"Garner, Hailey!"
At the name finally called, Hailey slowly walked forward, pressed the hat onto her head, and sat in the chair.