Chapter 1

"C'mon, Elsa! If you don't hurry up we'll miss the train!" my older brother Draco called from down the hall.

"Coming! I just need to get Topaz in his cage!" I replied quickly. After bribing my barn owl into his cage with a treat, I grabbed my trunk in one hand and Topaz's cage with the other and raced out of my bedroom door. Waiting outside was one of the house elves, Norby. I handed him my things so I wouldn't have to drag them down the stairs, then ran down the hall.

"Elsa, hurry up! The train leaves in twenty minutes, and we don't want to be late!" I heard my mother calling from the entrance hall.

"I'm here!" I announced as I quickly walked down the marble staircase. I knew if I ran, mother would reprimand me. "Sorry I took so long, Topaz just refused to get into his cage."

"Next time, have one of the house elves help you," my father said. "We can't afford to be late - it won't be good for my reputation. Understand?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good. Now, let's be off."

After a quick apparation, we arrived at King's Cross Station, where we headed straight for the pillar between platforms nine and ten. Father and Draco walked through the pillar first - it was the gateway to the Hogwarts Express - and Mother and I followed.

Platform 9 ¾ was just as magical as I had imagined it. The Hogwarts Express was a bright red, and the steam that issued from it made a hissing sound as we walked alongside it. Just before Draco and I boarded, Father pulled us aside.

"Now, remember what I told you - behave, study hard, and don't do anything to ruin the Malfoy reputation. Do you understand?" We both nodded. "Good. Right, Draco, run along while I talk to your sister for a moment." Father waited until Draco had boarded the train, then said, "Now remember what I told you about the diary - give it to one of the Weasley children. I'm counting on you, Elsa. Don't tell anyone where you got it, and don't tell anyone about your powers. If the wrong people find out about them, you would be in grave danger. Keep your gloves on, and only practice with them in the room I told you about. Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good. Now off you go - I've had one of the house elves put your luggage just inside that door. Have a good term, and your mother and I will see you at Christmas."

"Goodbye!"

"Bye, Father!"

Draco and I waved goodbye, then boarded the train. Sure enough, two trunks and two owl cages sat just inside the door. I grabbed my blue trunk and Topaz's cage and turned left down the aisle way. Draco immediately turned the other way, wanting to get as far away from me as possible. I knew this would happen - this was his second year at Hogwarts, after all, and he was bound to ditch me for his friends.

I rolled my eyes, then turned and started looking for an open compartment. Even though we had arrived early, most compartments were full.

Finally, I found one that had only one occupants - a girl with bright red hair. I opened the door and said shyly, "Can I sit here? This is the emptiest compartment I could find." The girl nodded, so I placed Topaz's cage up on the rack, then tried lifting my trunk up. It was quite heavy, and I couldn't get it up. I was just about to sigh in defeat when the girl asked, "Need a hand?"

"Thanks," I said gratefully as she took one end of the trunk. With the extra hands, it was much easier to lift, and together we managed to place it on the rack next to Topaz.

"Thank you," I said again. "I'm Elsa, by the way."

"I'm Ginny," the girl replied.

"Nice to meet you," I said, taking a seat by the window. "Is this your first year?"

"Yes, and I'm so excited!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'm the youngest of seven, and I've been dying to come here since my brother Bill first went. Is this your first year as well?"

"It is!" I said happily. "My brother started last year, and I'm so happy to finally be going too!"

After that, it didn't take long for us to bond. We talked about our favorite Quidditch teams, favorite sweets, and which house we hoped to be sorted into.

"I'm probably going to be a Gryffindor," said Ginny. "All my family has been one. What about you?" I sighed.

"Well, all my family has been in Slytherin… but I don't think I belong in Slytherin. In fact," I said, "I think I'd rather be in any other house than Slytherin - even Hufflepuff! But I think I'll either be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw."

"What's your last name again?" Ginny said slowly. I winced.

"Before I tell you, I want you to know that I'm nothing like my family, so please don't hate me… my last name is… Malfoy."

"You're a Malfoy?!" Ginny gasped.

"Please don't hate me! I don't agree with anything my father says, and I definitely don't hate your family! Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"But - but - my brother has talked all about your brother! He's-"

"A spoiled, pompous brat - I know," I finished. "So… do you hate me?" Ginny hesitated before answering.

"...No, I don't hate you Elsa. Like you said, you wouldn't be here if you hated me or my family, and you've been nothing but kind to me - why should I hate you? In fact, I think we're going to be very good friends." She smiled at me warmly, and in that moment, I knew she was right.

The rest of the train ride was spent getting to know each other, and by the time the train stopped, I felt like I knew Ginny better than I knew my own brother.

The first years were herded down a path by a huge man named Hagrid, who led us to a fleet of boats. We were instructed to climb in - only four to a boat - and so naturally, Ginny and I sat next to each other. The only other person in our boat was a girl named Luna, who we quickly became friends with.

Finally, the boats reached the other side of the lake, and we went underneath the castle and stopped at a small dock. We got out of the boats and followed Hagrid up a staircase and into the main entrance of the castle. Standing there waiting for us was a tall woman dressed in green.

"Well, here's the first years for you, Professor McGonagall. I'll be off to the feast then," said Hagrid, turning and walking away.

"As you heard Hagrid say, my name is Professor McGonagall," said the woman. "Now, before you join your classmates, you must be sorted into your houses. There are four houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. If you follow me, we will go into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses." She turned and walked towards a large set of doors, which she knocked on twice. Immediately, the doors opened, and she walked inside, all the first years following her.

The Great Hall was the largest room I had ever been in. The ceilings were extremely tall, and was enchanted to look like the sky. Four long tables sat next to each other, one for each house, and at the opposite end of the hall was one long table where the rest of the teachers sat.

When we reached the front of the hall, Professor McGonagall stopped and said, "Now, when I call your name, you will come forward and sit on this stool - " She pointed to the three legged stool behind her "and place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you are sorted, please find a seat at your house table."

After the first few were sorted, we realized that the sorting went in alphabetical order by last name, meaning that Ginny would most likely be last, and that Luna and I would be towards the end of the sorting.

Even still, it wasn't long before Luna was called up. Ginny and I watched in anticipation, wondering what house she would be in. It didn't take long before the hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!" and Luna walked away towards the Ravenclaw table. I looked at Ginny, disappointed. She too looked glum, but before I could whisper something to her, Professor McGonagall called, "Malfoy, Elsa!"

Immediately, my heart started beating faster, as if it was training for a marathon. I managed to make my legs carry me forwards, even though they felt like jelly underneath me. I sat down on the stool, and just before the hat was put on my head, I saw Ginny give me an encouraging smile.

The hat was so large that it covered my eyes so I couldn't see anyone, which I found quite comforting.

"I wondered when you would come to Hogwarts," a small voice said in my head. I jumped, surprised. Are you the Sorting Hat? I thought.

"Yes, that I am," the hat replied. "Now, as I was saying – I'm surprised you're here at Hogwarts, you know." Why are you surprised? I replied, confused.

"I see... so you don't know, do you Miss Silverwood?" Silverwood? My last name is Malfoy...

"Is it really? Tell me, have you ever wondered where your powers came from?" I don't know what you're talking about... aren't you supposed to be sorting me? And how do you know about my powers? I had already been sitting on the stool for at least two minutes, and I could hear whispering from outside the darkness.

"Yes, yes... you are right, my child. Never mind what I said. Now where to put you..." Mr. Sorting Hat sir... if it matters, I really don't want to be in Slytherin. I'd go into any house as long as it meant I wouldn't be sorted there, I pleaded. I knew that if I was sorted anywhere else, Father would be furious, but I knew I didn't belong there.

"Yes, your opinions do matter, and luckily for you, I wasn't considering putting you there. No, you'd do far better in... GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word, and the hat was pulled off of my head. The room was silent with shock as I stood and walked towards the Gryffindor table.

Then someone started clapping. As I sat down next to one of the other first year Gryffindors I saw that most of the teachers were clapping, along with some Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and a few Gryffindors.

As the pity clapping ended and the next name was called, I glanced over at the Slytherin table, searching for Draco. I found him almost immediately – his glare wasn't hard to find. His eyebrows were narrowed as he drew a finger across his neck, but his green eyes seemed to have pity in them... I dismissed this as a trick of the light though. My brother hadn't ever really cared that much for me, so why would he feel sorry for me?

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard Ginny's name called. I watched as the hat was placed on her head, and only a few seconds later, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the moment the hat was off of her head, she practically ran towards the table and plopped down in the seat across from me, grinning from ear to ear.

After that, the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave a quick speech, and then the feast began. As we ate, Ginny and I got to know our fellow female first years, since we would be sharing a dormitory. Other than Ginny and I, there were three other girls who had been sorted into Gryffindor: Chiara, a sweet girl with dark brown hair, Noelle, a mischievous girl who Ginny said reminded her of her twin brothers, and Sophia, a blonde haired girl who was one of the rare popular-but-nice girls. Once they had gotten over the shock that I had been sorted into Gryffindor (and after Ginny reassured them that I was extremely nice) the five of us soon became friends, and by the time the feast was over, I had never felt happier.

Percy Weasley, Ginny's older brother, led the first years up to Gryffindor tower, as he was a prefect. The common room of our house was quite cozy, with red armchairs and sofas scattered around the room, along with a few desks and chairs. A roaring fire was in the large fireplace, making the room a perfect temperature. There were two staircases in the room: the one on the left, Percy said, led to the boys dormitories, and the one on the right led to the girls dormitories. Ginny, Chiara, Noelle, Sophia and I ran up the staircase on the right, passing door after door until we reached the one at the top which had a sign on it saying: First Year Dormitory: Ginny Weasley, Chiara Johnson, Sophia Copper, Elsa Malfoy, and Noelle Caster.

The inside of the room was much bigger than I expected. There were five small alcoves, one for each of us, complete with a four poster bed, a nightstand, a desk, a window with a small seat, and a built in closet. Each alcove also had a red curtain in front of it, so if we wanted privacy, we could easily draw the curtain. In the middle of the room was a heater, which had a small rack where we could lay wet clothes if needed. On the right side of the room was a door that led to the bathroom, which had two separate rooms. The first room had five small showers inside, and the second had five stalls and five sinks.

"This dormitory is better than my room at home!" Ginny exclaimed, picking the alcove next to mine. I had chosen the one just to the left of the door. Obviously, Ginny was on my right, then Noelle, Chiara, and Sophia. Our trunks had been set in the middle of the room along with our pets, and we quickly grabbed them and started unpacking. We left all of our curtains open and chatted away while we organized and decorated our mini living spaces. It didn't take too long, and soon all my clothes were hung neatly, my schoolbooks, quills, bottles of ink, and the rest of my supplies were on my desk, Topaz was perched on the chair, and my trunk was stored underneath my bed.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted," said Sophia.

"Me too," Chiara agreed while the rest of us nodded. Ten minutes later, we were in bed with our curtains drawn. I had opened my window so Topaz could fly in and out, and as I lay in bed thinking about all that had happened that day, I remembered the diary. I just can't give Ginny that diary, I thought. She's so nice – and knowing Father, that diary could be enchanted to hurt her or something! No... I think I'll just keep it. Maybe I can use it myself... Not too long after that, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about my new friends and, hopefully, a wonderful school year.