Trapped; Draco Malfoy

T W O

Except for the twins, I haven't seen any of my other siblings. (Neither have I seen any other family members for that matter) I might hadn't realized it yet, but I cannot wait until I see them. Unfortunately, that has to wait for a little bit longer. 

An elderly woman walks up to us. She introduces herself as Professor McGonagall. I have to say goodbye to my brothers and come with her, but not before I give the twins another big hug.

"Don't worry too much about the sorting ceremony. Everything will be fine. You're a Weasley for a reason," I hear Fred whisper.

Surprised, I follow the professor. The sorting ceremony. I hadn't even thought about it yet. I don't even know much about it, just that you are assigned to a group and that you have different sleeping areas. I never really bothered to be interested in the groups. All I know is that Fred and George are in the red group, given their clothing.

We arrive at a large office somewhere high up in the school. The walls are lined with bookcases containing, as far as I can see, the oldest books. A large window illuminates the space but is helped by the many candles scattered around.

A tall, thin man sits behind the desk. Part of his face, like his upper body, is hidden under a long gray beard. But despite that, a friendly smile is clearly visible. "Welcome, Miss Josephine. How nice to welcome the last Weasley of this generation to Hogwarts. I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore."

I give him a nod and sit on the seat he points to.

"I think you will really enjoy yourself at this school. I received a letter from Madam Maxime. She has already told us a lot about you."

My heart skips a beat. Great, I was already afraid of that ... Even Hogwarts cannot be a new start for me. They already know who I am. What I can...

Professor McGonagall points out to the headmaster that it is time for dinner. Shortly afterward I leave with the professor on my way to the Great Hall.

During our trip through the school, I look around in amazement. Perhaps my first impression of the school was influenced by my sudden arrival. The school is absolutely beautiful, not to say fairytale magical.

There are no people in the corridors besides Professor McGonagall and myself. Yet everything around us seems to be alive. From talking paintings to moving stairs, it seems like nothing stands still in this place.

We arrive at a huge door. On the other side of the door, I hear the chatter of many voices. I get a weird feeling in my stomach. So far I have only seen 6 people in this school. But once we walk through this door, I will have to face the entire school at once. 

Professor McGonagall notices my nervousness. When I look her way, she gives me an encouraging nod. I laugh a little nervously, but then my gaze is fixed in front of me again.

The voices stop. the door opens. 

The Great Hall is enormous. The high walls reach to the ceiling. The space is lit up by thousands of candles that magically float above my head in the air. What makes everything even more beautiful is the star-studded ceiling above the candles. It makes me question the realness of the ceiling. It wouldn't surprise me to learn this is just the night sky. My mouth just doesn't open with surprise.

My gaze moves across the tables that fill the room, and all the students sitting at them. On every table sit students in black ropes, yet every table has different colored accents. Green, Blue, Red, Yellow. The difference between the colors is clearly visible. Yet the facial expressions are the same at all tables; curious, amazed by my unexpected appearance. 

With great speed, Professor McGonagall begins to walk between the tables to the other side of the room. I see Professor Dumbledore sitting at a long table. I wonder how he got here so quickly. We were just sitting in his office... How did he get here before we did? Besides professor Dumbledore, the table is filled with, what I assume, are the other teachers.

"Before we begin with our diner, we will first witness a short sorting Ceremony of a new student."

I can feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on me. Looks that follow me from one side of the room to the other. I am requested to sit on the wooden chair. They follow my every move.

While I sit there, in that chair, I have the time to take another look around the room. I slowly let my gaze slide over all the tables to see if there are familiar faces among them. It doesn't take long before I find my brothers sitting at the Gryffindor table. George gives me an encouraging smile, while Fred whispers something in the ear of the red-haired boy next to him. I suspect it's my brother, Ron, but I can't say for sure because of the distance. A girl sits next to the boys. She too is blessed with a red-colored hairstyle. She has her hand over her mouth, and I think I can see that she is crying. Ginny ...

It takes a lot of effort to take my eyes off my siblings. Yet my gaze is drawn to the green table. Slytherin. The girl in the ponytail glares at me. Without taking her eyes off me, she whispers something in the ear of the boy next to her, which makes him grin widely. The blond boy is also with them. He is the only one in the entire room whose gaze isn't focused on me. He is too busy looking at his plate. 

The Sorting Hat is placed on my head.

"Well, you will look at that. Another Weasley", the hat speaks. The students break out into a loud whisper, but the students are motioned to silence by the headmaster. In the meantime, the Sorting Hat continues uninterrupted. "Sorting you will be quite a challenge, that's for sure. You have a lot of guts, you're not afraid to bite back, and will not back away from a challenge. Nevertheless, you also have great dedication. You work hard and act with justice. Your wish for knowledge should certainly not go unmentioned. A problem will not easily go unsolved for you. Your ingenuity will work it away. In addition, I notice that you attach great value to your ambitions. You are self-preserved and don't let yourself be silenced quickly. Very difficult... And no preference, I see "

The Sorting Hat goes on mumbling to no one in particular. I wonder if it always takes so long to sort someone into a house? If they have to do this to all freshmen every year, they will be busy for a long time.

No preference, the Sorting Hat said. After finding out I was going to attend school at Hogwarts, I have given the sorting ceremony some thoughts. I decided that, despite the little knowledge I have about Hogwarts, I would not think about the houses I would be sorted in. I don't even know what the houses stand for, only that all of my family has been sorted into Gryffindor so far. I probably won't be an excepti-

"Slytherin!"

Silence.

Every sound in the room disappears. Eyes widen in surprise. It feels like no one dares to move. Slowly the hat is lifted off my head. I carefully take a look behind me, at Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. They look at each other with quite some shock on their faces. 

Slytherin? The group of blondie and ponytail?

It seems to take a while before the world starts moving again. Slowly but surely the Slytherin table starts to clap, louder and louder. I get up from the chair and walk over to the table, where I am greeted by a few students. I am offered a place at the table, where I sit in silence.

I, Josephine Weasley, a Slytherin?

Am I really the first Weasley not to be placed in Gryffindor? 

Professor Dumbledore speaks up again, although I have no idea what he says. It sounds like I'm underwater. All voices are not coming in. They are just faint sounds in the distance.

I slowly look over my shoulder. My gaze falls on the twins, who are busy talking to the group around them. Every now and then someone from the group looks my way and then turns their eyes away as quickly as possible.

What the Hell is going on?