Snake in the Grass

Dear Miss Lewis,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed further in the envelope is a list detailing the materials and other items you will need to obtain for your first year here..
The term begins on September 1. We will wait for response (be it by an owl or otherwise) until July 31st. If you somehow miss this date, your career at Hogwarts will be postponed for one year.
Let that teach you that deadlines matter.

Yours sincerely,
Deputy Headmistress
Minerva McGonagall

I scan over the letter in excitement; reading it to my mother before she could interrupt with her own enthusiasm.

"Mom....I've been accepted!" I could scarcely believe it myself, but she seemed like she had died, been resurrected, and then died again from the sudden rush of nerves and joy. Though she was still quite alive.

"Congratulations Ava!" My mother exclaims. "You're going to love it there! Oh, yes! Absolutely!"
I nearly roll my eyes at her antics. I mean, I know that moms are supposed to be all excited when their kid succeeds at something and all, but she seemed to be taking it to a point that might need some straitjacketing and a white padded room. Besides, it wasn't like Hogwarts wasn't going to accept me. As far as I heard, they accepted anyone with half a brain as long as they showed some form of magical talent. The only way to get out was to flunk or...misbehave. Neither of which I was too keen on doing.

"Oh, I know I'll love it there, mother. Just like you did. Speaking of... What house did you say you were in, again?" I ask, unable to recall what she had told me the previous day. My memory probably would have served better if she hadn't been scurrying around the house worrying herself to death on whether or not I'd be able to find a decent cauldron for a potions class (Which, now that I thought of it, didn't make sense if she didn't believe I would be accepted in the first place).

She gives me the strangest look, as if I had done something to her owl, or hexed the cat. Again. (Though it had been an accident both times. I wouldn't hurt our cat or other animals on purpose.)

" I was in Ravenclaw, Ava!"

I almost laughed. As annoying as Mother could sometimes be, it was also really endearing. And it helped, knowing that she loved me so much.
"What about...Father?" Though I already knew the answer, it was almost ritualistic to go through both of their school alignments. As if something terrible would happen if I wasn't constantly reminded of my parent's previous warring factions.
Her nose wrinkles and I can tell that she is somewhat bitter about having to bring up the subject. Like usual.

"Your father, well; he was in Gryffindor... and not the most... pleasant... of them.”

“Yes mother, I know.” I sigh, fighting back another eye roll. Ever since I had reached ten years of age, my mother had constantly been telling me how horrid my father had been, highlighting the fact that he was the biggest and most aggressive bully in Gryffindor. Personally, I don't understand how that kind of personality came across to the sorting hat as brave. Bullies aren't brave. They are cowards. Someone of that "character" belonged in Slytherin. At least, from my point of view. But there was no sense in arguing with an enchanted hat.

“What house do you think I will be sorted into mother?” I ask, curiosity sparking in my emerald green eyes. Unlike the other questions, this was the one that I didn't already know by heart.

“I honestly have no idea, baby girl, but whatever house you are sorted into will have gained a bright and talented witch!” My mother replies with a loving smile on her face. My heart stirs, just a bit.

I'm going to miss you.

“Thank-you Mum,” I smile back at her, trying to sooth the pain that I know is buried deep down inside of her. Behind that smile, behind that mask of joy... she doesn't want me to leave, I can feel it.
She wants to keep me where she can protect me; keep me safe. I'm naive, in her eyes. Vulnerable.

But even the most vulnerable of people eventually has to leave the nest, and this is no different.
That's why I don't say anything.
That's why I'm going to go, despite every sympathetic fiber in my being telling me to stay.

"Hogwarts is a safe place," I tell her. "You of all people should know that."

She nods, gladly skipping over the dreaded conversation of fear and daunting worry.
"I know it is," she says. "You're strong. And you always have been."

September 1st...

After double, triple, and quadruple checking that I have everything that I need packed for school, I rush around my room like a headless chicken. The only difference being that I do still have my head attached.

"Ava!" My mother yells from the lounge room. Startled, I nearly crash into the wall nearest my window, narrowly avoiding a situation involving a lot of broken glass and blood.

"Yes mother?" I call back hastily. Even now, the anticipation that I feel keeps me from listening calmly. I find myself fiddling with my fingers, my foot twitching ever-so-slightly.

"Stop fretting," she says. I nearly roll my eyes. " If you forget anything, I will send it to you. You have no need to worry. And whatever you do.... don't forget your wand."

"...You DID just say that if I forgot it, you would send it to me..."
I hear her chuckle slightly under her breath from the other room, and I smirk lightly myself.

I looked to my oaken beside table, where the wand in question lay - 12 inches, ash, with an "unknown" core.
Though, to be honest, I really didn't know the magical item inside of it.

According to my mother, this wand had been passed down through my family on her side of the family tree. Though part of me really admired the wand and what it stood for, another part wanted me to have my own wand. I wanted to go through the magical experience of having a wand choose me, having that barely-contained excitement at Ollivander's as things flew about and crashed onto the floor. Though this heirloom wasn't entirely unappreciated (it was rather nice, after all).

I suppose the one thing I adore about it is the way it looks - emeralds are circled around the top and bottom of the handle, and elegant inscriptions carved into the wood give it a beyond beautiful and mystical sort of look. As far as hand-me-downs go, it's pretty awesome.

"Don't worry mother, I would never forget it!"

An hour later we saw ourselves on platform 9 and 3/4, the scarlet engine gleaming in the dim light. Waving goodbye to my mother, I board the train. After about 10 minutes of wandering the corridor looking for somewhere to sit, I give up, sliding to the floor and sitting there instead.
"Excuse me, but, are you alright?" A sweet feminine voice asks. I look up and see a girl with bright red hair and bright green eyes smiling down at me.
"Yeah, I guess." I say smiling back at her.
"I'm Lily, you’re more than welcome to come sit with me. Oh, how rude of me, what's your name?" She asks holding out her hand to help me up.
"My names Avalon, but everyone calls me Ava. I prefer it actually." I say.
"That's a really pretty name." She smiles at me. She turns and starts walking towards the front of the train. After a few minutes she stops and opens the door to an empty compartment. Once we sat down, we started talking. I found out that Lily was in her fifth year and was in Gryffindor and she secretly had a crush on James Potter, the Gryffindor seeker.
"Hey Lily? What house do you think I would be in?" I ask, curious as to what she would say.
"I don't know Ava, I hope you are in Gryffindor but whatever house you are put in will have gained a bright young witch." She says brightly.
"Thanks Lily, I - huh?" I hear the door slide open and turn my head. Standing in the doorway was a boy about Lily's age, he had the deepest brown eyes that they looked black, and his hair was a shaggy mop of raven hair.
"Uh, hi Lily," the boy mumbles.
"Oh, hello Sev," she replies in her bright and bubbly voice, "Sev, this is Ava, she's starting this year. Ava, Sevs in Slytherin and he is in the same year as me." He sits down in the seat next to Lily as she introduces us.
"Oh," was all I could manage to say. Ever since he walked in I haven't been able to take my eyes off him. I was staring at his face when he looked up and caught my eyes, I looked away blushing furiously.
"Well, I'm hungry so I'm off to find the lunch lady, do you guys want anything?" She asks.
"Nah I'm good," Sev says. I nod in agreement.
"Alright. I'll be back soon." She says as she gets up and walks away.
Awkward silence fills the compartment for a few minutes until Sev breaks the silence, "So, what's Ava short for?" He asks.
I blush, no one has ever asked me that. They all assume my name is just Ava, not a shortened version of something.
"Um... It's short for Avalon, which is - "
"A mystical Island in Welsh Legend." He interrupts with a smirk on his face.
I giggle, the smile on his face breath taking.
Suddenly the compartment door was flung open and a cheeky voice flows into the room "Already finishing off each other’s sentences are we? Look boys. Snivellus has got a girlfriend." The group of boys snicker at this comment as I look to Sev, his face plastered with rage. Sev stands and draws his wand. He goes to open his mouth but I get there first, my eyes burning with a fury. I jump in between Sev and the boys shouting "Eat slugs!" Aiming my wand at the boy in front. A jet of white light hits the boy and he suddenly starts to puke slugs all over the carpet. The group of boys rush him off to the front of the train, leaving Sev and me alone yet again. I turn around to face Sev and to my surprise, he seems more angry than before.
“Sev...” I say, a little scared.
"You should have let me handle it!" He shouted at me.
I flinched. "I - I - I was only trying to help." I say, holding back tears that burned my eyes.
Sev just gives me a look of disgust and storms out of the compartment just as Lily returns.
"What was all that about?" She asks me.
I burst into tears as I tell her of the events that had just occurred and the only thing she manages to say is, "Oh my..."
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was one of silence.