Much Ado About Houses

It wasn't even the first day at Hogwarts and Cassie was already stepping a toe out of line. She had punched a boy in her first compartment, hexed a girl in her second and then she got herself sorted with what her mother would call "unsavoury characters". She had pretty much done half of the things on her mother's list of Things Not to Do at When You're at Hogwarts. But since when has Cassandra Grayson ever done what her mother has ever asked of her?

April and Lucifer were talking- or rather, Lucifer was talking and April was staring at him in that impassive and blank way of hers- about Houses while pulling on their black outer robes over their clothes. Lucifer was rambling on about how his parents didn't care what House he was in, and he had previously managed to coax out of April that she had hoped to be in Slytherin. As he fastened his robes more securely, Lucifer stopped his chattering about the pros and cons of Hufflepuff (he seemed to be favoring the cons over the pros), and turned to Cassie in an abrupt movement and fixed her with a stare.

"What about you, Miss Cassandra? Which House would you like to be in?" Cassie hadn't put much thought into it. Her father had been in Gryffindor, her mother in Ravenclaw. They never really had any expectations for her as far as Houses were concerned. She gave a non-commital shrug and said, "Never really thought 'bout it 'til now."

Lucifer had a look on his face that showed that he somewhat agreed with her, before turning back to April and picking up where he left off. "So, anyways, about them Hufflepuffs-" Cassie shot April a look mixed between pity and amusement and April gave her a small smile in return. Picking up her cat carrier with a sleeping Nigel inside, she followed Lucifer out the compartment door with April following after her.

It was a warm night and all the first years followed this man who some older children called 'Hagrid'. They all clambered into boats, four to each one. Cassie, April and Lucifer were accompanied by a loud-mouthed Scottish boy. She was on the verge of shoving the boy out of the boat when they caught sight of Hogwarts. It was amazing and easily the most enchanting thing Cassie had ever seen. This would be her home.