How To Be A Heartbreaker

FIRST YEAR: MAGIC HAT

After a few hours, the train slowed to a stop. Lucy quickly stood up and opened the compartment door. Everyone in their compartment flooded out the door to try to reach the boats. The next few minutes were extremely chaotic. It was okay because the chaos was where Lily thrived. She shoved past people and ducked under people in intense conversations until she was at the front of the line. She got into a boat with Lucy, who had been the first out the door, Lysander, and a blonde girl. The blonde girl sat in the front of the boat, facing away from the three of them.

"You guys ready for this?" Lucy asked. A smile stretched across her face.

"You're making it seem like we're about to get killed," Lily responded.

"I'm definitely ready," Lysander said.

Lily looked over the side of the boat and saw that the lights on the castle made a beautiful reflection on the water. Her hand touched the water's surface as she watched it cut through the top of one of the tallest towers.

"What are you looking at?" Lysander asked her, also starting to lean over the boat.

"The reflection of Hogwarts in the water is so pretty, don't you think?"

"I guess," He answered. But by that point, they had reached the edge of the lake, so the reflection was all messed up anyway. Students began to stumble off the boats and walk towards the large door in front of them. Lucy led the way through the crowds, and Lily followed close behind her. They had lost Lysander somewhere in the sea of people. Lorcan, Hugo, and Louis went across on a different boat so neither Lucy nor Lily had any idea where they were.

Soon, all the first years gathered in a corridor outside some huge doors. A woman, who Lily had been told was McGonagall, stepped in front of them. She launched into a long speech about Hogwarts and the houses that Lily ignored.

After the speech, the doors opened, and the crowd of 11-year-olds spilled out between two tables. Lily looked in one direction and saw her oldest brother, James, sitting at the Gryffindor table. He was talking with their cousins, Freddie and Roxanne, and a group of people Lily didn't know. He often bragged about the amount of friends he had, but it didn't really count because two were his cousins. Albus was at the Slytherin table on the other side of the room. He sat with their cousin Rose, his best friend Scorpius, a girl Lily suspected was Alice Longbottom, and another girl Lily had never seen before. They seemed to be in intense conversation about something and completely ignored the ceremony happening in front of them.

McGonagall grabbed an old hat off a table and stepped to the front of the room. She cleared her throat, and the room went silent. She read the first name Alberts, Johnathan. After he sat on the chair, McGonagall put the hat on his head. It didn't move for a minute as it seemed lost in thought. After a pause, the hat opened its mouth and said, "Hufflepuff!"

Lily began to zone out. She watched the blonde girl who was on her boat go up and get sorted into Gryffindor. Hugo went to Hufflepuff. He was the only one Lily knew before her own name was called. She shook slightly as she walked up to the hat. A knot formed in her throat. She knew her family wouldn't be mad, but she couldn't help but worry about letting people down. So much of her life revolved around others' approval. Everyone knew her family, and everyone had something to say about them.

She sat down on the seat and felt the hat placed on her head.

"Another potter?" Yes. "What an impressive child you are." Thanks. "Brave yes, but also cunning. You care a lot, don't you?" Yes. "But is it enough to sacrifice your pride? I don't think so." I don't know... "You are worried about your public image." Yes. "Your house matters less to your family than it used to, but you still wish to not let them down." I feel like they will be disappointed with me. "Most of your thoughts are about what other people think of you, but what about what you think of yourself?" I don't know... "You don't know? Can you come up with anything?" I am the prettiest person alive. "Anything other than extremely pretty? No?" I'm energetic, I guess. "Yes, I can see that too. You do have a lot of energy. I have my final and most important question. Your thoughts of yourself are limited. Do you wish to explore them further?" Yes. I will discover myself while at this school or die trying.

"Gryffindor." The hat yelled. Lily smiled and walked to the Gryffindor table. Her brother waved at her. Soon, Lucy joined her in Gryffindor. Lysander and Louis went to Hufflepuff, and Lorcan was put in Ravenclaw.

"I'm so happy I'm in Gryffindor. The hat had no doubt in its mind where I should go." Lucy said proudly.

Lily nodded. She didn't feel like talking about her conversation with the hat. Lily was still thinking about how much she had blanked when it asked her to describe herself. Did she really have nothing to say? The last thing she had thought wouldn't be a lie. She had seven years at this school to find her place outside the media. She would find it.