When Winter Comes Early

Riley Blake was not the kind to be nervous. Not at all. In fact, she had a hard time remembering one particular instant that made her feel the slightest amount of anxiety. But as she stood in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she began to feel a pit in her stomach. For the very first time in her life, Riley was nervous.

Draco stood next to her, taking her hand. Though his face held the same confident smirk it held whenever they were in public, Riley knew he had to be just nervous as she was. There was uneasiness in his eyes that caught her off guard and she gripped his hand tighter.

“Ouch”, he muttered under his breath. “Riley, you’re hurting my hand.”

Riley quickly let go, but then took his hand in hers again, gentler this time.

“Sorry”, she whispered back.

With her free hand, she played with the necklace Draco had given her for her birthday over the summer, a snake shaped as a key. Riley knew that Narcissa had probably helped him pick it out, but it was special all the same. It would go perfectly with her Slytherin robes, they had told her. She let her mind wander, thinking back over the summer and how fast it had gone, and then to the train ride that had brought them to Hogwarts and this moment in time. She thought of how ugly that pug faced girl named Pansy was, and of the boy with the scar that intrigued her more than anything. Draco said he wasn’t worth their time, but Riley couldn’t help but wonder…..

Her thoughts were interrupted when her name was called.

“Blake, Riley?”

Riley hesitantly let go of Draco’s hand and gave a weak smile as she made her way through the crowd of students, taking a seat on the stool as the sorting hat was placed on her head. Her heart began to beat violently as all she heard was silence. The hat wasn’t speaking, wasn’t doing anything really. It just sat. This went on for minutes. Students began to grow weary, turning to look at their classmates with questioning glances.

“Difficult, difficult…”, the hat mumbled. “Slytherin… Or Gryffindor?”

Riley closed her eyes. Just decide soon. She heard some of the professors whispering to each other behind her before the sorting hat cleared its throat.

“Gryffindor!”

No one cheered however. They only sat and watched the girl take her seat at the Gryffindor table. She overheard a Ravenclaw student behind her talking to another classmate.

“A Hatstall…”

“What? But those only happen maybe once every fifty years…”

“Five minutes and thirty six seconds she was up there. A Hatstall for sure.”

Riley frowned. She was supposed to be a Slytherin. That’s what she was meant to be, not a Gryffindor. A Gryffindor of all houses! Her eyes met Draco’s across the hall and she saw the questioning look on his face. She simply shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, making a sign for him to meet her outside the hall when the feast was over. How could this happen?

-----

Riley could barely make out the dark outline of a person hiding in the shadows just outside the Great Hall.

“Draco”, she said hesitantly.

He stepped into the light, a grimace on his face.

“Draco, I have no idea why it placed me where it did, but please don’t let this affect our friendship. I don’t think I’ll survive without you by my side.”

Draco smiled.

“I know Riley. I need you just as much as you need me.”

Riley sighed in relief, hugging Draco tightly. They stood for a few more moments before Draco pulled away.

“But you know we can’t act like we normally would alone while we’re in front of others… It’s just not the way things work around here. And I wouldn’t want the other students to hurt you.”

Riley nodded in understanding.

“For a Slytherin to hang out with a Gryffindor would turn the world upside down, wouldn’t it? It would be a mess”, Riley said quietly.

“Yeah, it would.”

They stayed silent for a few more minutes before Draco started laughing quietly to himself.

“What are you laughing about Draco?”

“You’re a Hatstall.”

“I heard someone say that, but I don’t know what that means.”

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“Care to enlighten me?” Riley asked impatiently.

“A Hatstall is a person that takes at least five minutes to be sorted. You were nearing six as I was told. You know, in some places, they might call that an attention hog.”

“You’re one to talk.”

They both laughed. Draco sighed unhappily.

“I had better go. I’ll meet up with you sometime tomorrow, alright?”

“Yeah. I should probably go find my common room. Goodnight Draco.”

“Goodnight Riley. Sweet dreams.”