MATILDA CADDEL experienced the best summer of her life when she was eleven years old. Nothing exceptionally special had actually occurred that summer; she had spent the majority of her time traveling across Europe with her family and going to places that she held no particular interest in. No, it wasn't the actual vacation that had turned the summer into the best one. It was the fact that come next term, she would be starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Coming from a long line of pureblood witches and wizards, Matilda had already known all about the school, and she had dreamed endlessly of the time when she would finally be able to join her older brother and study there. Being the middle child, Matilda often felt somewhat overlooked in her family - though neither of her siblings actually got that much attention from her parents. But she supposed that Hogwarts would be different - she would get to make her own friends and have her own life.
Her parents had of course rambled on about how things would go once she started at school. They had instructed her on what lessons to pay most attention to, and most of all, they had spoken about the house that she would be sorted into.
The vast majority of the Caddel family members had been sorted into the house of Salazar Slytherin - where those of ambition and determination resided. It was no surprise that seeing as her parents and brother were all Slytherins, the expectation was for Matilda to follow the same path.
She didn't worry her head much about the house, though. Matilda supposed that they would automatically place her into Slytherin and that would be it. Whenever her parents spoke of things such as the house and the importance of fraternizing with people like them, Matilda simply brushed them off, her young ears too carefree to pay any attention to the insulting words.
Matilda had been escorted to Diagon Alley by her older brother, Hugo a week before she was set to start at the school. They had gotten all the books and equipment she required - all top-of-the-line and brand new. The most exciting stop had been Ollivanders, the small store in the middle of the crowded alley where Matilda had gotten her trusty wand.
She still remembered going in there vividly.
Her finger had pointed at a pretty-looking wand right as she entered the shop, with her brother having to pull her away from it and lead her to the counter.
"The wand chooses the witch, Ms.Caddel - not the other way around," was what the old shopkeeper had told her seriously.
He had given her a number of powerful wands to try at first - already sensing the expectation her parents had for her as he had been the one to give her family all of their first wands. But one by one, the wands had backfired and left Matilda feeling sorry for all the damage she was causing to his shop.
She had seen the hesitation in Ollivanders face as he reached for a wand that was placed high up on the shelves, his fingers lingering in the air for a moment. He had finally grabbed and taken it over to Matilda after a few more moments - a light ash wood wand with unicorn hair core. It was simple looking, with a few carvings on the top of the wand that caught Matilda's eye.
"Just to settle my curiosity-" Ollivander had mumbled. "Give it a whirl."
But a while wasn't necessary, because the moment Matilda picked up the wand, light radiated from around her, blowing her hair and casting a golden glow on her face. She looked at the wand with wide eyes before placing it carefully back into the box.
"Interesting," the shopkeeper had said to himself.
When Matilda asked him why he found her connection with the wand so riveting and curious, he had leaned closer to her, his voice just above a whisper so only she could hear. "You'll soon find that some families produce a large number of dark witches and wizards-" his eyes had glanced at an unsuspecting Hugo as he looked around the shop. "It is interesting that the expectation I had for you was completely off, Ms.Caddel."
She had found that odd, and being ever so curious for more information - especially when the initial answer had been so lacking, Matilda inquired about her wand and what it meant. "The combination of unicorn hair and ash-wood was unexpected because it shows great potential for goodness and loyalty - most of all, it shows that you will not be easily swayed into dark intentions. I'm sure you'll do great things with this wand, Ms.Caddel."
Her brother had asked her what had taken so long when she finally stumbled towards him with a new wand in hand - but Matilda, who spared one last glance at Ollivander, simply shrugged her shoulders and pushed him out of the shop.
The trip to Diagon Alley had left her with questions about her family and what sort of dark intentions Ollivander had been talking about - because he couldn't possibly be talking about death eaters, could he? After all, the famous Harry Potter had gotten rid of that problem years ago.
The final stop had been a pet shop, where Hugo had relented and allowed Matilda to purchase a tiny black kitten with the prettiest green eyes and white spots over its fur. The older brother had encouraged her to pick an owl so that she could use it for correspondence, but Matilda simply shrugged and told him that he could lend her his own if she ever needed it.
Five minutes after that, the cat had been named - Aster.
When Hugo questioned why Matilda looked at him as though he was foolish and replied with a simple; "it means star in greek."
The day had finally come for Matilda to go to Hogwarts, and she could barely contain her excitement as she sat in one of the many compartments of the Hogwarts express after having bid a dry goodbye to her parents and a tearful one to her younger sister.
Running through platform 9¾ had proved to be a very good rush for her, but not as amazing as the view of the Hogwarts Express with the knowledge that she would finally be able to board it.
Upon arriving at the castle, Matilda had kept to herself, her eyes much too focused on the beautiful castle to stray. She had, of course, heard all about Hogwarts from her family, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the gleaming castle that towered over the lake, perched high atop a stone mountain.
She and her new classmates had all received a short welcome by a woman named Professor McGonagall and they were off into the great hall. A warm feeling was present in Matilda's heart as she glanced around the large dining area, her lips curved into the largest smile.
The thing that had caught her attention the most was the ceiling - or at least, the illusion of it. Stars were present atop the ceiling, making it look as though Matilda was staring up into the telescope and seeing the farthest parts of the universe.
She soon saw the Sorting Hat as it sang a little song about all of the houses, and her eyes glanced to her brother, who was seated at the Slytherin table when the house was mentioned in the song.
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
Her palms got sweaty when her name was finally called, and she quickly sat down on the small stool that was set in front of everyone. Matilda glanced up at her brother one last time, and then the weight of the hat was felt above her head as it was placed there.
"Ah! Another Caddel- I see, I see," the hat had spoken to her as she sat there, silently waiting to be placed in Slytherin so she could move and sit with her brother. "There is definitely some of your family traits in you - ambition is certainly there. Oh - but a ready mind and wit set you apart."
It felt as though all eyes were on her - which to be truthful, they were. Matilda was tapping her foot as she heard the mumblings of the old hat. "Very interesting- I know where to put you."
A smile came onto her face.
"Ravenclaw!"
The smile was gone, and Matilda had glanced shakily at her brother, who looked just as confused as she did. The claps sounded across the room, and she finally urged herself out of the stool and towards the Ravenclaw table - her new house. And for the first time in her life, Matilda was actually worried - and most of all, she was surprised at how scared she suddenly became of her parents.
Things were going to change.
Those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind.
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