The Slightly Stalking Photographer

⚡️1⚡️- Ravenclaw!

"Ravenclaw!" cried the sorting hat out after two minutes of arguing whether or not she would suit Slytherin or Ravenclaw the best.

Esmeralda jumped off the stool and half walked, half ran towards the Ravenclaw table, her eyes swimming in happy tears.

She sat down beside a blond boy and continued listening eagerly to the sorting.

"Weasley, Ginevra!" Professor McGonagall had her index finger placed on the parchment, tracing her finger through the names.

Ginny was the last one to be sorted and had ended up in Gryffindor, as usual, the Gryffindors applauded, joined by Dumbledore who each time a student was sorted into Gryffindor, clapped eagerly.

Esmeralda could feel a hand gripping a lock of her brown hair, slightly pulling it down as to get her attention. She turned her head around.

"Did you hear?" said a thin boy with light blond hair that was just long enough to almost get into his eyes, his eyebrows were thin and looked naturally slightly furrowed making him look slightly sceptical at all time. "Hear what?" Esmeralda replied, blowing some of her long hair out of her eyes.

The boy leaned in closer. "Harry Potter and Ron Weasley flew to Hogwarts," he continued. "In a car!"

Even if the boy seemed sceptical all the time, he seemed very cheerful and Esmeralda immediately thought that he was good friend material.

"Where would they have gotten a flying car from? As far as I know ..." she trailed off, thinking hard before opening her mouth again. "Cars don't fly ..."

"They can in the Wizarding World!" said the boy a bit too loud. The nearest Ravenclaws turned their heads towards the two. Esmeralda could feel her cheeks go hot as she sank down in her seat.

Realising that nothing interesting had happened, the Ravenclaws continued with what they had previously been doing. "But why did they fly a car to Hogwarts? Wouldn't it be easier to just take the train?"

"Dunno, I suppose Harry Potter's obsessed about fame and wanted to show himself as cooler than us ..." The boy shrugged, stabbed a carrot with his fork and popped it in his mouth.

"I — I don't think he's obsessed about fame ..." Esmeralda said. "I think he just wishes he was the boy, not the boy who lived. At least I wouldn't if I was in his place ..."

The boy chewed his carrot and opened his mouth, "Well, believe what you want, but I trust my father. He's Cornelius Fudge's secretary and he says that Harry Potter is an arrogant, fame-obsessed boy."

Esmeralda pursed her lips and started eating her food; she did not want her first day at Hogwarts to end up with her being annoyed at a boy she barely knew.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Benjamin Deely," said Benjamin, trying his best not to end the already dead conversation. 

"I'm Esmeralda De Casseres," Esmeralda mumbled, still concentrating on her food.

"Wanna be friends —" Benjamin was interrupted by Dumbledore who had cleared his throat loud enough for him to get the attention of every boy, girl and ghost.

"I must once again inform you that the forbidden forest is strictly forbidden to enter and Filch, our caretaker, has told me that you shall not use magic in the halls.

"Now let me introduce our new defence against the dark arts teacher: Gilderoy Lockhart. He has requested for me to give you some information about him ... he is a member of Order of Merlin, Third class, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award, he also was a ... umm ... smart Ravenclaw? Well, give him a warm welcome and please do continue with your meal," said Dumbledore as he sat back down again.