-Content warnings for mention of abusive parents=
enjoy:)
The sorting this year took longer than I could ever remember it taking, probably due to the fact that I could feel Malfoy's gaze shooting into my back. I was sat with Luna, Cho, and Cedric at the Ravenclaw table, and Hermione, Ron, and Harry were sat at the Gryffindor table next to us. I tried to tune into the conversation my friends were having, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Malfoy and Harry had said earlier, about the two wildly different boys that had become such large parts of my life in such incredibly different ways.
As the hat called out, "Ravenclaw!" my mind wandered to my own sorting. Five years ago, I was just a scared 1st year, standing with all the other nervous kids waiting to be sorted. I had already met Cho on the train, and I stood next to her as we waited for our names to be called out. I couldn't remember a time I had been more anxious and filled with dread as the long list of students was read. Finally, McGonagall called out, "Elaine Adler!"
I made my way up to the stool, and the hat was placed on my head, the heavy brown fabric dipping low over my eyes.
"Interesting..." it mused. "I see much yearning for knowledge, but I also see much darkness and secrecy in you. You want more than anything to prove you are more than how your parents see you."
"Darkness?" I questioned.
"Mm, yes, darkness, little one. You have led a difficult life. You would be a good fit in Slytherin, with all your ambition and cunning. I see how you used your parent's weaknesses against them."
I didn't know much about Slytherin besides what Cho had said about them on the train earlier that day. Apparently, that was the house every single evil witch or wizard had come from, and that everyone but those in Slytherin viewed it with large amounts of contempt and fear.
"Not Slytherin, please, anything but that." I begged quietly, looking out into the crowd and seeing Cho's anxious face scanning my own.
"You would do incredibly well in Slytherin...their cunning would foster your own...perhaps even help you against your parents..." It thought a moment longer, and my heart was pounding with nerves.
"RAVENCLAW!" The Sorting Hat's loud voice made me jump, and McGonagall took the hat off my head. The Ravenclaw table erupted with applause, and I made my way down the steps to join them, Cho's beaming face shining at me as I sat down.
The sorting finally finished with one more girl being sorted into Slytherin, and with a few very odd words from Dumbledore, the feast was on. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until the warm, fall food popped onto the trays before me. Grabbing ladleful of the pumpkin soup that was in front of me, and some bread and juice, I began eating what was my first real, good meal in months, and though my stomach protested at the first taste of such rich food, I was determined to eat my fair share. The chatting died down slightly as everyone began eating, and I noticed Harry looking up at me from his table. Our eyes met, and I could've sworn that his face turned slightly pink before Ron said something and he turned to talk to him. I smiled down at my food, and Cho noticed and gave me a slight nudge to the side.
"If I didn't know better, I would say that you have a crush on someone," she teased.
My heart had stopped when she noticed, but she hadn't noticed it was Harry, so I let out a small breath. "What can I say? It's been a while." I smiled slightly.
"Yeah, your last crush was--" Cho squealed as I clapped my hand over her mouth.
"Keep it down, will you?" I whispered, glancing over at where Cedric sat on the other side of Cho.
For a very, very brief moment at the beginning of last year, I had thought I had feelings for Cedric, and I had confided in Cho about them. The crush lasted all of a month and a half, before I noticed the longing glances Cho and Cedric threw at each other every single class we had together. Besides, I attributed that little crush to how much time Cedric and I spent together. I realized what I thought was a romantic love was really just a platonic love, and I think that Cedric and I both view each other as siblings, and nothing more.
That's what I had told Cho. I really had realized that I was the last sort of girl Cedric, or anyone could ever want, and I had no interest in getting invested just to get used and left behind like always.
Since then, I hadn't really had anyone who had caught my eye, and our fifth year was also incredibly difficult, seeing as we had to prepare for the O.W.L.s. I wasn't bothered that I didn't have anyone, quite honestly. I'd always been just fine on my own.
Dinner ended, and with extremely full bellies and very tired eyes, we all made our ways to our respective common rooms. I trudged out of the hall with Cho and Hermione, as we had somehow lost the boys. As we filed through the great doors and to the staircases, I noticed Draco's eyes once again following me as I continued walking. I met his gaze, and he didn't seem fazed at all. Instead, he leaned over to Blaise Zabini, pointed a pale, ringed finger at me, and they both began snickering as I walked past. Hermione noticed and shot an angry glare at them before grabbing my arm and pulling me past Malfoy and his goons.
Malfoy had always hated me, but this year it seemed like it was heightened, and I had no idea why. Last year, we had only one class together, as well as exams, so he wasn't able to torment me to his usual level, and I assumed that maybe he'd matured a little bit. I laughed to myself at that ridiculous idea as Cho and I said goodnight to Hermione, and walked to the Ravenclaw dormitory. Cho answered the riddle almost immediately, to no one's surprise, and the door swung open to reveal the familiar, cozy common room full of soft chairs and books and tables. There were a few people milling about, so Cho and I made our way to our shared room with Luna, Padma Patil, and Lisa Turpin. The three of us weren't close with the two other girls in our year, but they were nice enough and we had all gotten along quite well over the years.
Luna was off doing whatever she got up to at night, and Padma and Lisa were already asleep, so Cho and I took off our robes, changed into our pajamas, and I sat on the floor by the edge of her bed as she offered to plait my hair. It was such a small thing, but Cho knew how much it meant to me. My unruly hair, so dark brown it was almost black, had never behaved for me and caused me a lot of frustration, especially my first year at Hogwarts. My mother had never bothered to teach me how to do my hair, and it was quite apparent. Our first night there, I had nearly cried while trying to tame it, and Cho had offered to comb through it and twist it into a plait so that I could sleep with it away from my face. It had become a sort of tradition, even though I could take care of my hair fairly well now, that whenever I was upset she would do my hair and we would talk.
I sat with my back against her bed, and her nimble fingers began to untangle my hair. "I'm sorry about what Malfoy said. You didn't deserve that." Cho said softly.
Shrugging, I began picking at my nails. "It isn't a big deal. He's always been an asshole to me. I shouldn't let it get to me like that." True, but more difficult than I made it sound.
Cho paused for a moment, and then continued. "Is it...true? Y'know, what he called you."
I stiffened, and Cho immediately began to apologize but I stopped her. "Y-yeah, um, yeah it is. Neither of my parents are magic. They don't even know that I go here."
"What do you mean, they have no idea? How could they not know where you are?" Cho asked, her fingers deftly plaiting my thick hair.
"I dunno. They've never asked. I guess they just assume I go to the same boarding school they used to ship me off to every year." Talking about family stuff had always been extremely uncomfortable for me, but maybe it was time I opened up a bit to Cho about it. After all, she was one of my closest friends.
I cleared my throat."My parents are...not the best. They've never really cared much about where I go or what I do, as long as I'm not in their way." I left out what happened when I did get in their way, but I figured Cho wouldn't want to hear something so awful.
Cho finished up my plait, and pulled me up on the bed 'til I was sitting side by side with her. She grabbed my face in both her dainty hands, and looked at me with a fierceness I had never seen from her before. "Your parents do not define you. You are worth so much more than you believe, that they tell you you are worth. You have been such a wonderful friend these past five years. I know that there are some things you aren't telling me," her eyes glanced ever so quickly to the scar on my arm, the faint bruises lining my knees, "and I will never ask you about them. Just know that I love you and that I am always here for you. Okay?"
I swallowed back tears and nodded, not trusting my voice to not break. She smiled at me, then pushed me playfully. "Go get some sleep Adler. We've got a long day tomorrow."