Author's Note: Sorry it took me a few days to update but I thought I was going to update just one chapter but this chapter ended up being longer so I'm splitting it up into two chapters. I'm still not done with the next one but I'm going to go back to working on it after updating my other story.
Let me know what you think of this chapter.
The day she left for Hogwarts was at the end of August. Selena had to leave a day early since the flight to London was a long one and she also knew she was going to have a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina and another one in Tampa, Florida before they'd finally head over to London. It would probably take over eighteen hours before she'd finally arrive in London. Selena was looking forward to the flight since she had never been on a plane before let alone been on a plane for that long. She was sure it was going to amazing.
It had been over a month since the trip to New Orleans and Selena had already read all her books. She'd even read some of her books two or three times through. The Gilderoy Lockhart books she hadn't been a big fan of since the guy sounded really into himself in Selena's opinion but she liked the magic history books she had purchased. They taught her so much about the wizarding world as well as a lot about Hogwarts. When she was done with Hogwarts: A History Selena discovered that Hogwarts just had to one of the coolest schools of all time. Between the history of the school as well as the fact that it was a castle, Selena just didn't see how any other school could compare to it. Even Ilvermorny.
Of course, she was very disappointed to see that electronic No-Maj devices didn't work there. That meant she'd probably have to spend several months without her Walkman and they mostly likely didn't have a phone either. She wouldn't hear her family's voices for a long time. Selena figured that she could probably write to them but it wouldn't be the same. Oh, well. This was the wizard way so she figured she'd just have to adjust to their society. It would be difficult, without a doubt, but Selena knew she could learn their ways if she really tried.
During the month since she had first acquired her school materials, Selena had thrown herself into learning everything she could. She studied every book passionately as she tried to learn magic. Nathan told her that it was perfectly alright for her to practice the spells from her school books but after she started attending Hogwarts she wouldn't be allowed to do that anymore. So Selena practiced spells from her book on spells as well as the one on Transfiguration. Surprisingly Selena had even been able to cast a couple spells from the book. She had successfully mastered the wand-lighting charm 'Lumos' as well as the mending charm 'Reparo' much to Belen's astonishment and Sofia's disgust. Selena had managed to practice the mending charm on her old jewelry box with the broken ballerina. To Selena's amazement the music box and ballerina were now completely fixed. She also had to admit that the wand-lighting charm served as an amazing reading light at night. She was currently trying to work on an unlocking charm but that one was a bit harder. Not to mention Transfiguration was incredibly difficult. Selena just figured that the teacher at school could probably help her more than the book could.
Selena had ultimately decided to leave potions for Hogwarts although she had read through the book once and skimmed through another time. She was sure that class would be interesting enough. The only other book Selena had taken great interest in was the books about magical creatures. Another day that Selena marked as one of the greatest days of her life was the day she found out that Unicorns existed. Finding out Unicorns were real was one of the greatest things ever and Selena couldn't wait until she could finally see one. The book said they were more common in Europe and the UK so Selena figured Hogwarts must have at least a couple unicorns. One of her favorite films growing up had been The Last Unicorn and her treasured childhood stuffed animal was her old, raggedy looking unicorn that she creatively named Corn Dog when she was three. It seemed like Corn Dog the stuffed unicorn would be making the trip to Hogwarts with her because she wasn't sure if she could sleep without Corn Dog. As you can see, Selena adored Unicorns and was beyond happy at the news that they were very real.
The morning of her plane departure, Selena had gotten up very early. She hadn't been able to sleep the night before since she had been so excited. Selena couldn't remember being this excited about anything before. Maybe when her father took the family to Six Flags but that had been years ago. Her large dark purple suitcase had been packed since two weeks ago and Selena had taken some things out before adding other things several times. Selena hadn't packed a lot of clothes from home since she would be mostly wearing her school uniform. Wearing a school uniform wasn't unusual for Selena since she had gone to Catholic school. It would be weirder for her if she had to pick out her clothes every single day of the week.
Selena saved herself a lot of room in the suitcase without the addition of many of her regular clothes so she filled the suitcase with the things Hogwarts required. The books took up the most room she noticed. Sadly Selena had to leave out her favorite Goosebumps books in favor of her school books but she prayed that the school had a library that contained fictional books. The only fictional book Selena was taking with her was Heidi, a childhood favorite of hers. Selena stuffed some more personal stuff from home into the suitcase like framed pictures of her family, her stuffed unicorn, the Mexican Serape blanket one of her uncles had brought her from Mexico, and a ceramic figurine of Our Lady of Guadalupe that her grandmother had given her for her last birthday. Not to mention all the snacks she had packed inside her suitcase which she sincerely hoped Customs didn't confiscate because Selena didn't know if she could spend a year without Takis and her favorite candy. She also packed a bottle of Tanjin and a bottle of hot sauce because someone told her the British had some fairly bland food and Selena loved spicy food.
"Selena, is everything packed?!" She could hear her mother call from downstairs.
"Yes, Mami! I'll be right there!" Selena called back. The dark haired girl quickly zipped up the large suitcase filled with her robes, books, personal items, and other school materials before pulling out the handle and rolling the suitcase away as she began to walk out of her and Belen's room. Before she walked out of the door, she gave the room one last look. Selena stared at her old movie poster of The Little Mermaid which Selena claimed to of outgrown. She was always telling her parents that she was too old for cartoons now every time they told her to take Belen to a movie. Pictures of Gloria Estefan and Madonna that Sofia had ripped out of magazines were also still plastered on the walls since Selena never bothered to take them down. Her sister's toys were scattered across the floor, the toys that had been passed down from Sofia to Selena and the toys that Selena had passed down to Belen. The nightstand that separated their two beds was cluttered with a Beauty and the Beast coin bank, Our Lady of Guadalupe figurine(much like the one in her suitcase), and a butterfly lamp. Selena took note of all of these things so that she could remember her room in case she got homesick at Hogwarts. With one last sweep of the room, Selena walked out of the room with her suitcase in hand.
When she reached the living room on the first floor she noticed her whole family was there to bid her goodbye. Well, everyone except for Sofia, of course. Even Jorge was there, all the way from College Station, to say goodbye to her. Her parents, Belen, Jorge, Rafael, and her grandmother stood there staring at her with teary eyed looks on their faces. Selena herself couldn't help but feel emotional seeing as she was about to leave them for an extensive amount of time. The longest she had ever been away from her family was during a sleepover at her friends house which only lasted for a weekend. Now it was clear that Selena was going to be away from them for a lot longer than a weekend.
"I can't believe you're leaving me, Mija!" Her mother exclaimed, her throat thick with emotion. Selena smiled sadly before walking over to her mother. Her mother immediately embraced her, holding Selena tight as the young girl closed her eyes and melted in her mother's embrace. She was going to miss her mother's warm hugs. Her father embraced her as well, softly patting her on the back.
"It's going to be okay. I'll be home before you know it." Selena told them reassuringly. It was then that Selena pulled away from their embrace to look at her two brothers, one was the eldest of her siblings while the other was the youngest. Jorge smiled at her with a proud look on his face while Rafael just looked at her curiously. Her little brother understood that she was leaving somewhere but he didn't understand that she wouldn't be back for sometime. Rafael was a little too young to understand.
"You'll do great at that school, Lena." Jorge told her comfortingly because he knew how nervous she was. "This time next week you'll have a ton of friends."
"I don't know about that, Jorge." Selena said, an unsure look on her face. She didn't really think she'd be that popular at this new school and mostly because she'd probably stick out like a sore thumb with her American accent and looks. Selena doubted that there were a ton of Latinos attending Hogwarts. Jorge just smirked at her.
"Oh, please! You're an American and everyone loves Americans." He teased her and Selena snorted.
"Somehow I doubt that." Selena told him shortly before smiling kindly at her little brother. Rafael stared at her as she knelt down on the ground to meet his height. "You be good for me, Rafi. Okay?" Selena said quietly and the little boy nodded. She laughed before pressing a chaste kiss against his cheek. The dark haired girl then stood up from her position on the ground and looked at a tearful Belen. The nine year old immediately attacked her older sister with a hug.
"I'll miss you, Lena!" She cried as she held onto Selena. Selena gently patted her on the back as she returned Belen's hug.
"I'll miss you too." She said quietly and that was true. While Selena had a few friends at school, she wasn't as close to any of them as she was to her little sister. Belen was her best friend and it wouldn't be easy being away from her for so long. Selena knew she'd miss the rest of her family but she also knew that she'd miss Belen the most.
"You have to write me every week to tell me about that school of yours. I want to know all about your friends, the spells you learn, and if there's any cute wizard boys there." Belen rambled and Selena pulled away from her with a smile on her face.
"I promise to write you every single week for the entire school year and I'll make sure to tell you if I meet any cute wizards." Selena promised and her sister grinned back at her. She looked away from her younger sister and noticed someone lingering at the doorway of the family room turned bedroom. Sofia leaned against the doorway with an unreadable look on her face as she stared at Selena. Selena looked at her sister hopefully, thinking that this was time where Sofia would put aside any previous bitter feelings and wish her goodbye. However, Selena was severely disappointed when her sister sneered at her before turning back around and disappearing into her bedroom. The smile fell off Selena's face.
No le prestes ninguna atención a tu hermana( Don't pay any attention to your sister)." Her grandmother told her and Selena met the elderly woman's eyes that looked so much like Selena's own brown eyes.
"I don't want to leave on bad terms, Abuela." Selena told her grandmother in English. It was always like this with them. Her grandmother would speak to her in Spanish and Selena would answer her back in English. It wasn't like Selena couldn't speak Spanish but this was just an old habit when talking to her grandmother.
"Tu hermana necesita superarla. Ella tiene que empezar a preocuparse por lo que está haciendo. No es lo que estás hacienda( Your sister needs to get over herself. She needs to start worrying about what she's doing. Not what you're doing)." Selena's grandmother continued to say and Selena realized that she was right even though she didn't necessarily like her answer. The dark haired girl sighed.
"I know, Abuela. I just hate that she's angry at me." Selena said softly and her grandmother gave her an apologetic look.
"Su enojo no es algo que puedas arreglar. No, ella tiene que hacer eso por sí misma. Tu trabajo es enfocarte en la escuela(Her anger isn't something you can fix. No, she has to do that all on her own. Your job is to focus on school)." Her grandmother said sternly and Selena nodded.
"I understand." Selena said quietly.
"Don't worry about your sister, Selena. By the time you get back, she'll have forgotten all this pettiness." Her mother added, trying to back up her grandmother's advice. "Just do what Abuela says and focus on your schoolwork."
"Okay, Mami." Selena told her, deciding to just agree with them rather than argue about Sofia.
"I think it's probably best if we leave now. The flight takes off in a couple of hours." A tall man with a cowboy hat announced, making everyone remember the fact that he was in the room with them. His name was Matthew Fielding and he was a Magical Congress worker sent there to escort Selena to London. Nathan probably would've escorted her there but she knew he was busy at Ilvermorny since school was about to start there as well. It seemed that a few Magic Congress workers were sent to various No-Maj-Borns homes so they could escort them to their school of choice. Selena knew that one of the No-Maj-Borns, that was on the waiting list for Ilvermorny like her, was currently being escorted to France while another one was being escorted to the wizarding school in Japan. Matthew, a Magical Congress worker from a division in Austin, was there to escort Selena to London where she'd be leaving for Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express. The MACUSA was paying for all expenses for Selena's trip to Hogwarts and sent Matthew to make sure she got to Platform 9 ¾ safely. They decided that it was best for Selena to fly there by plane, the No-Maj way, since any other wizarding form of travel would probably be too overwhelming.
"Okay." Selena said sadly and her family immediately rushed forward to give her one last hug goodbye. She relaxed in their embrace, taking in the sight of them one last time. It would be a long time before she'd see them again, after all. After a couple minutes, she pulled away from them and they heard a honk from outside. It was the airport cab that Matthew had set up. Without another word, her brother took her suitcase and started to lug it out of the house. Her family followed her and Matthew outside as they approached the cab. She had her coat in her arms with her because she knew it was going to be a lot colder than San Antonio when they arrived in London. Her Walkman was tucked away in one of her coat pockets along with a few cassette tapes because she knew it was going to be a long flight. Jorge placed her large suitcase in the trunk of her car as Matthew held the backdoor open for her. Selena took one last look at her very emotional looking family before getting inside the car. Matthew closed the door before walking to the other side of the car to get in.
She stared out the window at her family, smiling and waving at them through the window. Selena could feel the tears streaming down her face as she looked at them and especially when she saw her mother crying into her father's chest. It was then that Selena allowed herself to look away and her eyes rested upon the window of her sister's bedroom. The curtains were drawn back and she could see Sofia staring back at her with the same unreadable expression on her face as before. Selena smiled at her and pressed her hand against the window, hoping to get one last goodbye from her older sister. The fifteen year old then glared at Selena before closing the curtains harshly and the smile fell off Selena's face. Her hand slide back down from the window and she looked down at her lap. She was starting to get the feeling that Sofia might not be able to get over this...that Sofia might never get over this. The car began to pull away before Selena could think any more on this and she glanced back up when she saw Belen giggling as the car pulled away. The silly little nine year old ran alongside the car and even chased the car down the street as it began to gain speed. Selena turned around and laughed at her little sister as the girl ran down the street after them, waving at Belen as the car continued to go. It took a few seconds before the car made a turn, disappearing down a street and her sister vanished from sight. Selena turned back around in her seat, a new smile on her face as the thought of her bitter sister left her mind and the thought of her silly and ridiculous other sister stayed with her. Yes, Selena was going to miss her family more than anything but she was also very excited to go to Hogwarts. She had a good feeling that Hogwarts was going to change her life forever and not even Sofia was going to destroy her happiness.
They landed in London around eighteen or so hours later. Matthew was a good companion to have on such a trip since he was apparently a No-Maj-Born just like her so he could relate to her on that level. He was a man in his mid-thirties but she detected that he was from a different part of Texas, given his very thick Southern drawl. Selena didn't have that same southern drawl even though she always liked the distinctly Texan accent. After grabbing her large suitcase from the baggage claim, Matthew hailed what he called a Knight Bus. He informed her that it was a British invention of the Wizarding world that hadn't yet been brought to America. Selena was kind of glad because she thought she was going to be sick after the ride on that thing. It was worse than any roller-coaster ride at Six Flags. Selena didn't even have a chance to look at any of the buildings outside the window since the Knight Bus drove so fast. She wasn't sure if she was ever going to ride on that thing again. Wizards and Witches sure had a weird idea for what transportation was supposed to be like.
When they arrived at King's Cross Station, it was crowded with people which made Selena a little wary seeing as how she was supposed to board some kind of train to a magical castle. How could a magical train remain hidden in a place like this? Selena and Matthew arrived at the station about a half an hour early. He had suggested that she buy a sandwich at the airport since it was going to be a fairly long train ride but Selena refused. Whenever she was nervous or excited, she lost her appetite. She was sure she wouldn't be hungry for a very long time.
"Are you sure there's a Platform Nine and Three Quarters? Is this some kind of mistake?" Selena questioned but Matthew just shook his head. She was pushing the cart she had put her suitcase on as they went through the train station.
"The wizarding world never does anything by normal standards. Trust me...there's definitely a Platform Nine and Three Quarters." Matthew reassured her. He was currently looking down at a piece of paper while occasionally looking up around the train station. It was then that he paused and Selena looked up at the platform signs. They were currently between platforms nine and ten but she still didn't see a sign that read Platform 9 ¾. Oh, no. What if they had the wrong train station? What if it wasn't Kings Cross but some other train station in London? She hated to think that they'd completely gotten the information wrong which would cause her to miss the train. What if she never made it to Hogwarts and she had to fly back home to Texas?
"I guess this is it." Matthew said although he sounded a bit unsure. Selena gave him a confused look as he seemed to be staring at an empty wall between the two platforms.
"What?" She asked in confusion and he pointed at the wall.
"According to the memo my boss sent me, we're supposed to walk through that wall to get to Platform Nine and Three Quarters." Matthew informed her and Selena glared at him. She didn't like people messing with her like that when she was already so nervous.
"That's not funny, Matthew." Selena said but he just shook his head.
"I'm being serious, Selena. My memo says that running through that wall will get us to where we need to do. A platform for a train that goes to a magical school isn't going to be in plain sight now, is it?" He said and he actually made sense. Selena supposed that the platform really wouldn't be visible to No-Majs. Selena still didn't like the idea of running full force at a wall.
"I'm going to be really mad if you're messing with me." Selena told him seriously as she eventually relented. Matthew just smiled in amusement at her.
"I promise I'm being serious." He said before continuing. "You go first and then I'll follow." Selena was suddenly very nervous again as she bit her bottom lip.
"What if I run into the wall and nothing happens? What if I hit my head so hard I get a severe concussion? What if I break my nose or knock out my teeth?" She rambled and Matthew gave her an odd look.
"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much, kid?" He asked her and Selena blushed.
"Maybe." She admitted and the older man chuckled before turning serious again. He nodded for her to get closer to the wall and she reluctantly did. Selena fearfully looked back at her fellow Texan, still not completely sure what to do.
"So I just ran at the wall?" Selena asked him.
"Yes. Don't think too much about it either." Matthew informed her and Selena nodded. Matthew looked around to make sure there was no one that would see her before deciding the coast was clear. "Okay, you're good. I'll be right behind you."
Selena nodded again before closing her eyes. She really couldn't believe she was actually going to run into the wall. This seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Without giving the situation another thought Selena ran full force towards the wall while pushing her cart. She expected to feel pain as she inevitably hit the wall before falling to the ground but she felt no such thing. Selena ran and stopped the second she felt cold air hit her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before opening her eyes. To her amazement and shock, she was no longer where she had been a second ago. Selena was in a completely different area that looked even more packed than the other platforms had been. She started moving a little because she figured Matthew or someone else was likely to hit her if she just stood there like an idiot.
The dark haired girl looked around in wonder as she spotted all the families crowding the platform. Kids her age and older rushed around as they hurried to get their luggage on board the vintage looking train. Selena spotted owls in cages as well as parents suddenly appearing then disappearing just like that. She supposed that was what Matthew meant when he had said that wizards had their own ways of travel. Selena wondered when she'd learn to just appear and disappear into thin air like that. The thought intrigued her.
"There you are." Matthew said from behind her as he caught up to her. He curiously looked around the platform and Selena guessed he probably had never been there before. The wizard then looked back down at her. "You're all set then? You have everything?" Selena looked down at herself to double check and she was fairly sure that she had everything she needed for Hogwarts. Her suitcase and her coat were really everything she needed. Selena was also glad that she put on her coat because it was beyond freezing in London. One thing she had definitely not considered when she agreed to go to school here was the weather.
"Yeah, I've got everything." Selena confirmed and Matthew nodded in satisfaction.
"Good." He said shortly before continuing. "You go find a compartment on the train before it fills up, okay? I'll go call your parents from inside the station and tell them you made it to the train safely." Selena smiled at him.
"Thank you, Matthew...thank you for everything." She told him and he smiled at her in return before shrugging.
"Don't mention it, kid." He told her. "And good luck with Hogwarts. You'll do great there." An excited look came across her face when he mentioned Hogwarts. In all the worry over whether or not she was going to make it to the platform, she had almost forgotten why she was there in the first place. Hogwarts.
"Goodbye." She told him one last time and he nodded, telling her the same. Selena then took her suitcase off the cart before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. She didn't bother looking back in all her excitement and giddiness. She couldn't believe she was finally going on the train to the castle she had been dreaming about for the past few months. The small girl worked her way through the crowds of people, walking by and silently observing all the compartments on the train that were filled with kids waving at their parents from the windows. She probably needed to find an empty compartment because she wanted to avoid the awkwardness of asking someone if she could sit in their compartment. Selena feared that someone would be mean and tell her no. She finally reached the back of the train when she noticed that there was an empty compartment. The Latina then looked down at her suitcase before glancing at the steps of the train. Wow...she hadn't ever considered this part. How on earth was she going to get her suitcase, which was weighed down with books, onto the train? She knew someone as small as her would never manage to lift it up the steps. Just when Selena thought that this was probably going to prevent her from getting on the train, a voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Do you need help with that?" A British accented voice said from behind her and Selena immediately turned around to see a very tall and handsome boy standing there. She figured that he must've been quite a bit older than her. He was probably closer to Sofia's age. Selena blushed shyly before nodding furiously.
"If it's not too much to ask. This suitcase probably weights more than I do." The boy raised an eyebrow as he gave her a very amused look. He then grabbed her suitcase and lifted it onto the train although even the much stronger and older looking boy seemed to have a small amount of trouble with it. The boy then proceeded to pull it up the steps. Selena smiled in relief when he finally got it all the way onto the train before following him up the steps.
"Thank you." She said softly and he just smiled.
"Not a problem. I guess Hogwarts really has assigned us a lot of books this year." He said jokingly although Selena knew that statement couldn't be any truer. Her old Catholic school didn't assign half the amount of books Hogwarts did...not that she was complaining. The boy then held his hand out for her to shake and Selena stared at it for a second. Well, the kids here in the UK certainly were more formal than she was used to. Maybe this guy was from one of those old wizarding families Nathan had mentioned. She always imagined those old wizarding families to be all prim and proper. "I'm Cedric by the way." Selena shook his hand briefly before letting go as she politely smiled at the handsome boy.
"I'm Selena." She told him and he gave her a curious look.
"You're an American." He stated although it almost seemed like a question. "I don't think I've ever met an American at Hogwarts." Selena suddenly felt nervous at his curious look. She didn't know if it was because he was incredibly good looking or if it was because she had only just gotten on the train and she already stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Yeah...the school back home filled up so they decided to send me here instead." Selena hastily explained. She didn't really want to go into it at the moment. Not because she was embarrassed or anything but because she knew she didn't have long before she'd have to find a compartment. Cedric nodded.
"I'm sure we'll all be very welcoming." Cedric told her reassuringly. "I'm guessing you're a first year then?" Selena nodded.
"Yeah." She said shyly and Cedric smiled at her.
"Well, I'm a fourth year so if you ever need anything, like help finding a class or something, just ask." He told her before giving her a small grin. "Here's to hoping you get into Hufflepuff. See you around, Selena." The older boy then turned around and walked in the opposite direction, probably to go sit with his friends. Selena was a bit disappointed that he hadn't asked her to go sit with him but he probably didn't want an eleven year old girl tagging along...as nice as he seemed. Selena thought that maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all. The first person she met was very polite and kind to her so she figured that maybe a lot of the kids that went to Hogwarts were like that.
She decided that it wouldn't do her any good to just stand there all day so she immediately started heading down the train car, trying to find a compartment. Most of them seemed full with kids who were obviously already good friends. Selena knew better than to walk into those compartments. Only if she wanted to be the unwelcomed and awkward outsider. Selena finally reached the back of the train, containing one of the last compartments. Unfortunately, it wasn't empty although there didn't seem to be that many people inside it. Selena spotted three people inside the compartment. There was a somewhat chubby looking boy sitting next to a bushy haired girl while a pale redheaded girl sat across from them. Selena supposed that she shouldn't refer to girl as pale since everyone here was probably that pale anyways. The eleven year old chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she tried to work up the courage to speak. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted to do when she first set out to look for a compartment. What if they sneered at her like Sofia and told her to go away? What if they shut the compartment door in her face? Well...it was either this or going into one of those compartments filled with giggling best friends. The small girl decided to push her fears and worries aside and speak up. Selena hesitantly knocked on the doorway of the compartment and all the kids in the compartment looked up.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" Selena asked politely but also a bit shyly. "All the other compartments are full so I don't know where else to sit." Selena half expected one of them to tell her to go but fortunately none of them did such a thing. The bushy haired girl smiled kindly at her, beckoning her to come inside the compartment.
"Of course. There's plenty of room in here." The girl told her and Selena smiled in thanks before hurrying in. Selena quickly deposited her suitcase next to all the other luggage in the compartment and decided to take the seat next to the redheaded girl that was near the window.
"Thanks for that." Selena said gratefully. "I was so worried I wouldn't find a compartment." The girl and boy across from her just smiled in understanding and Selena wondered if they were the same age or maybe a little older than her. Probably older. They seemed perfectly at ease while the girl beside her seemed very nervous and fidgety. Selena supposed the redheaded girl might've been her age and she looked as nervous as Selena felt.
"Don't mention it." The girl told her politely. "I'm Hermione Granger by the way." Selena had never heard a name quite like that before and found that she liked the name. It sounded very pretty.
"Selena Almendarez." She introduced.
"This is Neville and that's Ginny sitting next to you." Hermione told her. The boy named Neville smiled at her before giving her a nod while Ginny quietly uttered a 'Hi' before looking down at her lap. "Neville and I are second years this year while Ginny's about to start her first year. I'm guessing you're a first year too?" Hermione inquired and Selena blushed. She didn't think there would ever be a day that she would pass as anything older than what she was. Usually Selena could pass as the same age as Belen but obviously Hermione knew that Selena just had to be a first year. There wasn't anything lower at Hogwarts. It seemed that tall height wasn't in Selena's genetics and it was even more obvious because Selena had always been one of the smallest girls in her class since she started school.
"Yes. I'm very nervous as I'm sure you can tell." Selena admitted and Hermione smiled softly.
"You're not the only one. Ginny's nervous too." Hermione said and Ginny flushed a very bright shade of pink. Selena was suddenly grateful for her dark skin because if she was as pale as Ginny, Selena would probably be pink half the time. "I was nervous my first year too but I'm sure you and Ginny will be just fine." Selena nodded as she smiled gratefully at Hermione for the girl's kind advice. She didn't have time to respond to Hermione when the redheaded girl sitting beside her, Ginny, spoke up quietly.
"Are you American?" Ginny asked very quietly and Selena was starting to think that she was probably going to be answering that question many times over the next few days. Selena swallowed nervously before nodding. Hermione and Neville didn't look exactly surprised to hear this. Selena supposed they were just being polite by not asking although Selena didn't see why. Maybe it was a British thing. She had always heard that British people were super polite after all.
"Yes. I'm from Texas." Selena answered. "So you can imagine it's really cold for me right now. Before I left Texas it was in the nineties. Good thing I brought my coat." Selena added the last part cheerfully but noticed the curious look on Hermione's face. Something was obviously bothering the bushy haired girl.
"If you're an American then why are you going to Hogwarts? I don't mean any offense but I'm just curious. Why not go to the American wizarding school...Ilvermorny, correct?" Hermione inquired and Selena felt nervous as all the attention fell on her. She didn't really like a lot of attention. She preferred keeping to herself but she didn't want to be a loner either. Selena wanted to have friends and maybe this was her chance.
"There was a huge mix-up at Ilvermorny unfortunately and they couldn't take any more students because the school got overcrowded. Something about 1981 being the year that a lot of No-Maj-Borns were born so some of us weren't able to attend...not until they solve the issue anyways." Selena explained briefly and Neville gave Selena a confused look.
"No-Maj-Borns?" Neville questioned and Selena nodded.
"Yeah, No-Majs as in non-magical people." Selena explained and Neville's eyes widened in realization.
"Weird. We call them Muggles here." He told her and Selena thought that was kind of weird. Muggles? Well...that sounded a little better than No-Majs. No-Majs or No-Maj-Borns were kind of mouthfuls to say after all.
"So you're a Muggle-born then?" Hermione asked and Selena wondered if that was a bad thing or something. The bushy haired girl saw the unsure look on Selena's face and widened her eyes. "Oh no! I don't mean anything by that...I'm a Muggle-born too, you 's why I'm so curious." Selena's eyes widened in surprise at Hermione's confession. Nathan had mentioned there would be plenty of No-Maj-Borns at Hogwarts so she wouldn't feel out of place but she didn't think she'd meet one so soon. She immediately felt a bit better about Hogwarts now after what Hermione just told her. If one of the first people she had met was a No-Maj-Born then there just had to be way more in the castle.
"Yes, my parents are No-Majs. We were all really shocked when this guy came to our house with the letter. Nathan...he's the potions professor at Ilvermorny. My parents didn't really believe him at first until he showed them some magic." Selena explained as the others listened to her curiously. "Even so...my parents weren't really that surprised about magic or anything."
"Why not?" Hermione asked curiously and Selena shrugged.
"My family's really superstitious...especially the Mexican side." Selena told her and Hermione nodded although she still didn't really understand completely what Selena meant about that.
"My parents were surprised as well but it took them a while get used to the idea but when they did, they couldn't have been any prouder." Hermione replied and Selena nodded.
"Well, most of my family thinks it's really cool even though my family's very Catholic. My sister isn't a huge fan of magic as it would turn out and my great grandmother thinks I'm evil but she thinks everyone's evil." Selena said the last part jokingly and the others laughed. She was secretly glad that she had made them laugh because this meant progress. This meant that she could be on the road to making some friends and these people seemed nice enough.
"Anyways..." Selena trailed off before looking at Neville and Ginny. "What about you guys? Are you No-Maj-Borns too?" Neville could tell the No-Maj-Born term was definitely something he'd have to be getting used to. It was still very weird to him. He then shook his head at Selena.
"No. My family's Pureblood as far as I'm aware although my Gran thinks there might've been a Muggle-born in the family one or two hundred years ago." Neville blushed and widened his eyes as if something suddenly occurred to him. Selena was curious about the expression on his face. "Not that it's a bad thing or anything, having a Muggle-born in the family. Gran says she's known plenty of powerful witches and wizards that were Muggle-borns. Hermione is the top of our class too. Gran also says blood status doesn't mean anything since there's so much inbreeding in those fanatical Pureblood families that a lot of those Purebloods are only born with half a brain...well, that's what Gran always tells me at least." Selena raised an eyebrow at his last comment and decided that maybe that was some kind of wizard joke. Inbreeding? Selena didn't really believe anyone would ever do that knowingly. That was either Medieval or very trailer park trash of them. The dark haired girl decided to pass it off as a joke as she focused her attention back on Hermione.
"So you did well in school even through you weren't raised in this kind of world?" Selena inquired and Hermione nodded.
"Well, I read all my required books a couple times through and also bought a couple extra books for some light reading which ended up helping me in the end but I noticed a lot of other students from wizarding families weren't really far ahead when it came to magic." Hermione told her and Selena let out a sigh of relief. So she probably wouldn't be too far behind. Hermione was a No-Maj-Born like her yet she was the top of her class. That was really amazing considering that a couple years ago she probably hadn't even known she was a witch. It was then that Ginny spoke up again from beside her.
"I'm from a Pureblood family and my mum never taught us anything about magic. Mostly just some basic math, reading, and writing." Ginny told her reassuringly. "She decided to let Hogwarts teach us everything else." Selena found that she felt even better after listening to Ginny. Ginny was a Pureblooded witch and she probably didn't know any more than Selena did. She guessed that she would be more than alright. Well, that took loads of pressure off her shoulders.
"And here I was frantically studying every single book from front to back. I think I spent more than half the summer studying." Selena said, feeling a bit silly for going to such extremes.
"Well, it's a good thing you studied as much as you did because it'll definitely pay off in the end. You could be the top of your class too." Hermione told her in an almost lofty tone. Selena figured that this girl had to be one of the types that always raised her hand in class which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just that Selena was the type to know the answer but never raise her hand. She had a thirst for knowledge but she was more comfortable learning something new than showing off how much she knew. Selena hated bringing attention to herself.
It was then that Selena noticed that the train had already taken off. She was probably too caught up in the conversation to have paid any attention to the train finally taking off. Her jaw nearly dropped from the vast amounts of green she saw outside the window. The others in the compartment watched the Latina in amusement as she stared out the window with wide eyes. It was so incredibly beautiful.
"It's so green." Selena finally managed to say as she stared at the endless amount of green outside her window.
"That's right...you're from Texas, aren't you? It must be very hot there." Hermione said as she recollected what Selena had said earlier.
"Yeah, you can't really have a yard of green grass unless you buy turf. Everything's all dried up and yellow." Selena said as she continued to stare out the window in wonder. "Don't get me wrong. I love it there but I've never seen anything as green as this. I'm also hoping that living here will give me the chance to see snow." Ginny looked at the dark haired girl in surprise.
"You've never seen snow?" Ginny asked and Selena looked away from the window to meet her eyes.
"No...I mean, I think the last time it snowed was when I was a baby but I don't remember it." Selena told her truthfully and Hermione smiled at her.
"Well, you'll be seeing plenty of snow when the holidays come around." Hermione replied and Selena returned her smile.
"I'm looking forward to it." Selena said and she was being honest. She couldn't wait until she'd finally see some snow. Selena wanted to do everything she ever saw people do in Christmas movies. She wanted to make snowballs, snow forts, snow angels, and she was going to build a snowman even if it was the last thing she ever did. She just wished that she had bought a camera before she left so she could take some pictures when it snowed. Selena was sure Belen would want to see pictures of the snow.
"I wonder where Harry and Ron are." Hermione said suddenly, snapping Selena from her thoughts. "They should be here by now. The train's been moving for twenty minutes."
"Maybe they found a different compartment." Neville suggested and Hermione frowned.
"I don't know. They promised to meet me on the train." Hermione told Neville and Selena wondered who Harry and Ron were. Probably just some friends of theirs, Selena assumed. "You don't think something's happened to them, do you?"
"They were right behind us when we went through the wall." Ginny told her and Hermione sighed.
"Are they friends of yours?" Selena questioned although she kind of figured they were by the sound of it. Hermione nodded.
"Harry and Ron have been my friends since first year." She informed her. "It's just that they promised to meet me on the train but I still haven't seen them."
"Ron's my brother and Harry is actually Harry Potter...as in The Harry Potter." Ginny couldn't help but add, blushing as she mentioned Harry Potter. Selena's eyes widened in surprise because she had read about Harry Potter in one of the books she had bought at the bookshop in Laveau Square. He was quite important and famous in the wizarding world although obviously more of a big deal in England than in America. Selena still thought it was pretty cool defeating a powerful dark wizard when you were only a baby. How many people can say that about themselves? Well...one and his name was Harry Potter. Not to mention it was remarkable surviving a killing curse because killing curses were obviously pretty definite.
"Oh, I've read about him. Yes, Greatest Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century had a whole chapter dedicated to him." Selena recalled as she remembered some of the reading she had done. "I never imagined he'd be attending Hogwarts but I guess it makes sense. He's very young after all."
"As famous as Harry is, just try and treat him like anyone else. He doesn't really favor being treated like a celebrity. He's a really nice person." Hermione told her politely as she gave Ginny a pointed look. The redhead turned almost as red as her hair before looking down at her lap again. Selena just nodded.
"Of course. I can imagine it would be difficult talking about that. It's probably a tough subject." Selena said sympathetically and Hermione smiled gratefully, glad that Selena wasn't going to make a big deal out of this.
"What house do you think you want to be sorted into?" Ginny asked suddenly as she changed the subject. After being nearly called out by Hermione, it seemed like she wanted to talk about anything other than Harry Potter for the moment. "My entire family's been sorted into Gryffindor so I think it's likely I'll be sorted there too. I can't imagine being sorted into a house like Slytherin. My parents probably wouldn't know what to do with me. Besides...Hermione, Harry, and Neville are all in Gryffindor too." Selena was a little envious of Ginny for having a wizarding family because it must make it so easy when it came to the sorting since her entire family had been in Gryffindor. Selena had, of course, read all about the different houses at Hogwarts. There was Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Hogwarts: A History didn't really talk about how the sorting went down but it talked enough about all the houses for Selena to have an idea about how everything worked. There had to be some kind of personality test that determined who got into which house. Probably nothing too stressful.
"I mean, I don't think I'll get into Slytherin. From what I've read it sounds like a lot of people from old wizarding families get into that house and I don't think I'm very cunning or overly ambitious." Selena said as thought of all this from a logical stand point. "Gryffindor sounds like a really good house to get into but I don't think I'm very brave either. I'm guessing I'll either end up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. It doesn't really matter where I go...I'm just happy to be going here, after all. My father hadn't been comfortable with letting me go to school in a foreign country so I'm just glad he finally let me come here."
"Well, that's a very good way to look at it." Hermione told her and she immediately thought this girl was destined for Hufflepuff. She seemed very kind which struck her as odd since the common stereotype for Americans were that they were very rude and loud but Selena seemed very nice and soft spoken. "I'm sure you'll do just fine at the sorting. Same with Ginny."
Selena really hoped that Hermione was right although she was more worried about her classes than anything else. The sorting wasn't really what had her worried since she knew she would be okay with any house she got sorted into. It was how well she'd do in school that really bothered her. Selena just hoped that she would succeed. Learning about magic was all she wanted to do even though she hadn't known about magic a few months ago. A lot could change in a few months.