Sana was a girl with a big personality; she was very talkative and rarely shy or embarrassed so it was completely new for her to be feeling this nervous. Sat on a stool in the giant dining hall, a thousand teenagers watched as a ragged, old talking hat mulled over Sana’s fate. She had always imagined her sorting ceremony as a quick and easy moment of clarification but the actual decision itself wasn’t going at all as planned. It felt like hours before the infamous Sorting Hat made up it’s mind about her.

“Please not Hufflepuff,” she begged silently in her mind, hoping that what she heard about the hat was true and it does in fact take one's preferences into consideration. “I don’t think I’ll look good in yellow.”

“I know…” Sana swore she heard the hat grumble uncomfortably over her ears. She frowned. Before she could properly respond to the surprisingly rude inanimate object, the hat’s raspy voice echoed through the Great Hall with it’s final decision. “Slytherin!”

Sana smiled with relief as she slid off the stool and out of the spotlight. Despite Slytherin’s reputation, she had always thought the house would suit her well— mostly because the other houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry didn’t really seem to fit her personality type at all. She assumed Hufflepuffs were just slow and she figured she wasn’t that dumb. Hufflepuffs were also deeply rooted in kindness to others and while S was an overall nice person, she had no intention of being friends with people she didn’t care for.

When it came to being sorted into Gryffindor, she could just almost see it. She was social and courageous, but she was almost too brave— obnoxiously so, that she was sure she wouldn’t fit in with the others in that house. However she was a different kind of brave. She wouldn’t ever go swimming with sharks or ride a dragon like other Gryffindors probably would but she would star in a school play and talk to crowds if she had to. That being said, she was positive Gryffindor just wasn’t the right place for her.

Now, being sorted into Ravenclaw… let's just say it never crossed her mind or anyone else's. Should she be offended that the Sorting Hat didn’t deem her worthy enough for the most brilliant of houses? Maybe. But she didn’t want to be stuck with a whole bunch of nerds anyway. She came to Hogwarts to learn yes, but she also came to have fun.

The Slytherin tables cheered for their new addition, welcoming Sana with loud claps and the largest of smiles. As Sana approached an empty seat near the end of the long table, she locked eyes with a familiar face. Im Nayeon’s face. Nayeon was a family friend who was a year older. She was a mischievous girl who she remembered to be the daughter of a wealthy work friend of Sana’s father’s. They had only met a few times but Nayeon’s dad made Nayeon promise to look out for Sana when she arrived at school during their company’s dinner party this past summer. Nayeon had looked less than pleased but who could blame her, no one around her age would want to introduce someone younger to their current group of friends. Sana harbored no hard feelings towards the girl and besides, she wanted to be able to make her own friends anyway— not that she would be completely opposed to having older acquaintances. She knew very well that knowing those from an older class always held it’s own advantages. Although she had found Nayeon to be a little intimidating so Sana wasn’t sure what kind of friends the girl surrounded herself with and if she even wanted to meet them.

As soon as she sat down the hat had spoken again, making a fast decision as it sent a girl by the name of Jeongyeon to the Gryffindor table while barely grazing the top of her short hair. Sana couldn’t help but wonder what was so special and outstanding about that girl that the hat didn’t even have to come in contact with her to know where exactly she belonged. Sana wished she could be that strong in her convictions or morals just as that girl was where the Sorting Hat (and people in general) could know anything and everything about her with just a look or a touch. She would have to work on that.

~~~

The rest of the ceremony was long and pretty boring now that Sana had her moment of glory. Plus she was absolutely starving. It took everything in her power not to go back up on the stage and quickly sort the last of the new students herself by random selection. Finally after what was probably an hour, Headmaster Park called up the hat’s last victim. It was a thin girl with brown hair and bangs who was abnormally pretty and mature looking for her age, but Sana didn’t think too much into it yet. The girl looked timid and slightly afraid of the talking hat, hesitating and not really wanting to go near the stool it sat on. She was taking so much time that even the hat began to become impatient.

    "Come on, any day now!”  the hat grumbled loudly resulting in a bit of laughter from the other hungry students watching below. The girl trembled at it’s rumbling voice but sat down anyway, quickly shutting her eyes as she waited anxiously to get this part of the ceremony over with.

    “Wait, psst,” a fellow Slytherin whispered to another kid across the table within Sana’s earshot. “I know that last name…Hirai... That’s the new mudblood girl my father was talking about. Being an administrator of the school board he likes to get a list of all the Muddies entering each semester,” the boy sneered. “The only one in her year. They’re a dying breed.”

The two boys snickered to themselves before eventually switching topics. Sana rolled her eyes. Muggle-born discrimination was so outdated. Why did those s even care? Blood status was a thing of the past Sana assumed so what was the big deal? She did feel slightly bad for the girl though because blood didn’t really matter anymore but the girl would inevitably feel different. What would it be like to be the only Muggle-born in your year?

    “Hufflepuff!” the hat declared resulting in massive boos from the Slytherin side— a reaction that occurred every time a first year didn’t get sorted into their house. The Hufflepuff tables though cheered happily, many of their students kindly getting out of their seats to greet her and shake her hand. Sana somehow felt content at the hat’s decision for the girl. She knew that the girl would be surrounded by friendly faces who probably didn’t know or even care about where she came from. Sana’s eyes lingered for a moment on the new Hufflepuff’s smile. She looked cute when she was happy.

Now finally, the introductory feast could begin.

Sana was so surprised at the amount of food both served at eaten, it was the biggest feast she had ever had in her eleven years of living. The meal consisted of an array many different kinds of meat— from chicken to pork to beef and even lamb, buffalo, and weirdly enough dragon. There was what seemed like hundreds of flavors of soups, pudding, and ice cream which was way more than what Sana knew existed. When the hour was up Sana had eaten three different species of bird, five flavors of cake, two bread rolls, three renditions of a potato (baked, mashed, and fried) and drank at least six glasses of butterbeer. It was like she hadn’t ever eaten in her whole life.

Once everyone was done, the Prefects of Slytherin house ushered her and the other few dozen first years down to the dungeon common room where she would be living for the next seven years. She found the aesthetic of sleeping in the dungeons a little cliche but she didn’t complain.The girl’s dormitory was at the top of a long spiraling staircase which leaned against a giant glass window that eerily exposed what lied at the bottom of the Black Lake. Sana shivered slightly as she walked up the staircase to find her new room when a rather disheveled and grumpy looking mermaid slithered past the glass. Unfortunately it was something she would just have to get used to.

Sana was paired up in a room with three other first year girls. Even though it was nice to meet new people her age, the three girls seemed rather quiet for her taste. Sana was the kind of girl that made friends by being loud and obnoxious so it was kind of awkward when the four girls found nothing to say to each other. Although the uncomfortableness could probably be explained by the exhaustion the first years felt after eating such a big meal, Sana couldn’t help but worry a little that things weren’t going to go as plan for her. Maybe she wouldn’t end up making many friends at all.

Sana ended her long night by crashing asleep on her bed the instant her tired head hit the pillow. She dreamed in peace.

~~~

The next morning was practically just as busy as the day before, but it was to be expected, after all it was the first proper day of school. She had awoken to find two of her roommates still knocked out, while the other one was sitting up intertwined in her bedsheets, letting out a huge yawn. Sana couldn’t help but laugh.

    “Still tired right? I guess that’s just what happens when you go to bed with a full stomach,” Sana smiled, sliding out from in between her covers. The yawning girl in the bed didn’t hesitate to throw her a nasty look.

   “Ew,” she frowned, pulling her dirty blonde hair into a ponytail, her eyebrows scrunched together. “You actually ate all of that? You know you won’t be thin forever.”

Sana nodded awkwardly, surprised. She didn’t know how to respond. What eleven year old would be concerned about watching what they ate? This was the first time Sana was fully away from her parents so it was like heaven being able to eat and do whatever she wanted without having to listen to their rules and opinions. She assumed other students her age would feel the same way too. Apparently that wasn’t the case.

    “I mean I hadn’t eaten all day,” she lied quickly through her teeth before gathering her new uniform off the bedside table and hurrying herself out of the dormitory and into a bathroom down the hall before she could hear what else the other girl had to say. Closing the door behind her, Sana leaned against it for a moment to find some sort of inner peace just as a giant wave of anxiety began to wash over her. The nervous knot tightening in her stomach wouldn’t relent and almost stopped her from breathing all together. This was a feeling she wasn’t used to and she wasn’t entirely sure why it was happening. Sana thought coming to Hogwarts would be a fun and freeing experience so why did it already feel so constricting?

It’s barely been twelve hours, she thought to herself as she forced her lungs to steady her shaky breaths. You just have a lot to learn.

Sana brought herself closer to the stone sink in front of her and gazed into the mirror above it. She observed her body closely as she took off her pajamas, her eyes following every line, curve, and patch of skin her figure had to offer. She searched curiously for any irregularities last night’s dinner could have caused her, but she hardly noticed anything. She was still as bony as ever— so much so that she was wondering how she didn’t just simply snap like a twig whenever she bent over. Sana’s eyes lingered over every protruding joint carefully… slowly. Am I thin enough?

Bang bang bang!

Sana jumped at the sound of someone pounding on the bathroom door.

    “I’ll be right out!”

As fast as Sana could she pulled on her grey skirt and sweater vest, tying her forest green tie tightly around her neck. She looked prim and proper, ready for her first day. Before she left though, she checked herself out in the mirror one last time, her hands wandering the wooly fabric bunched around her stomach and squeezed.

Bang bang bang!

    “I’m done, I’m done!”

Sana yanked the door open only to bump into a figure hovering unnecessarily close in the doorway.

    “Sorry,” Sana muttered to the floor trying to skim past whoever it was so she could look at her schedule and find her first class. As was about to turn the corner a cold hand snapped tightly around her wrist. “Hmm—?”

    “Hey, you,” Said a dry but strangely familiar voice. Sana looked up to see Nayeon smirking her way, her grip unfailing to let go just yet. Sana was a little surprised to see her, she sort of figured that Nayeon’s word to her father about keeping an eye on her was just fluff and a way to get him off her back. She never really expected to come in contact with her so soon or have an actual conversation in the first few weeks.

 “Hi,” Sana replied shortly, her greeting cracking in due to the smallest bit of intimidation that just Nayeon’s mere presence had given her. Sana had met the girl on a few other occasions but could never seem to shake the uneasy feeling that came along when standing in the same room as her. She couldn’t quite make out what the specific attribute was that shook her to her very core about this girl, but a lot of little things stood out that made her uncomfortable. The first was how cold her hands and body temperature seemed to be-- her icy fingers presently gripping onto Sana’s wrist almost like they were frozen together. The room never failed to drop in climate whenever Nayeon was around. The second thing that made Sana uneasy was the permanent smirk stretched across Nayeon’s lips as if she always knew something about her that no one else knew. She looked like she was constantly plotting something or thinking of ways that she could get under one’s skin. Judging others seemed like a talent of hers. Last but certainly not least, her obvious beauty threatened Sana. Nayeon had the darkest hair but the lightest skin-- it was an unreal and ethereal sort of contrast and the difference made her stand out in the most breathtaking way. She also had this smile— this wide, white, devilish smile.

     “I thought I’d be seeing you around,” Nayeon replied, suddenly frowning as her eyes gave Sana a once over, her free hand reaching out and grabbing the edge of Sana’s grey cardigan. “What the hell are you wearing?”

Sana raised her eyebrows and looked down at her clothes.

     “What do you mean?” she asked, her hands nervously pulling her cardigan out of Nayeon’s sharp grip. “I’m wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Isn’t that the point of uniforms? They all you know… have to look the same.”

Nayeon immediately let out a snort and tugged Sana forcefully back into the bathroom, locking the door behind them. She then proceeded to make a clicking noise with her tongue as she shook her head and deeply examined Sana once more, ripping the cardigan off of Sana’s shoulders.

      “It’s like you’re trying not to get noticed.” Nayeon told her critically, a snide laugh softly passing between her lips. Sana stood in front of Nayeon slightly shocked at the girl’s abruptness. She bent over to retrieve her cardigan that now lay on the tiled floor but Nayeon kicked it away from her reach.

      “Again, we are wearing the exact same thing.”

Nayeon tilted her chin up as she admired her reflection in the mirror fixing the collar on her shirt.

     “And yet somehow,” she sighed through pursed lips “I look hot and you look… well… not.”

Sana frowned, finding herself in front of the mirror yet again. Her confidence was in a never-ending downward spiral this morning it seemed. She became unable to respond, her insecurities stifling her little voice, but Nayeon didn’t seem to mind as her hands found Sana’s body again. She roughly pulled Sana closer by the hem of her sweater vest and began a makeover of sorts. She ed the collar of Sana’s shirt underneath her vest just enough to show an inkling of her prepubescent chest and loosened her emerald tie so that it hung slack and free.

    “How could you even breathe…” Nayeon muttered but Sana still said nothing. Next Nayeon’s fingers found the waistline of Sana’s grey skirt, the proximity and unrestrained touching making Sana’s heart stutter and dry.

     “What are you doing?” She croaked as Nayeon’s hands grazed against her abdomen.

    “Pulling up your skirt. Trust me it’ll look so much better.”

When Nayeon was done adjusting her whole outfit, Sana had gotten a chance to get a clear look at her new appearance. It was a drastic difference. With her skirt wrapped tightly around her belly button instead of below her hips and her new loose fitting top, she looked years older. She looked just like Nayeon.

    “Are we allowed to wear our uniform like this?” Sana had asked innocently but Nayeon ignored her, reaching into her purse to pull out a tube of lipstick.

    “And the final touches…”

Nayeon pushed a knuckle to Sana’s lips to part them as she took off the cap and applied a lush pink color along Sana's mouth.

    “Perfect,” she smirked, capping the lipstick and leaning back to take in and admire her work. Her eyes scanned Sana once again, but this time a spark of pleasure flashed across her irises. “Now you almost look as good as me."

Sana simply nodded, unable to find the right words. Up until this point Sana had never realized the importance of dressing this way, but now all she knew was that it gave her an overwhelming amount of confidence. She puckered her pink lips in the mirror, a big smile stretching across her face. She looked really good.

    “Go,” Nayeon smirked, bending over to pick up Sana’s cardigan off the bathroom floor before tossing it in the garbage. “You don’t want to be late. You need to make a good impression.”

    “Thank you…” Sana grinned, bursting out of the bathroom with a skip in her step despite the sudden feeling of cold air high against her newly exposed thighs.

    “Hey,” Nayeon called after her. “Take this. I think it’s your color.”

Nayeon tossed her the tube of lipstick, Sana catching it with both hands. She nodded quickly and turned grasping onto the golden tube like a lifeline. She smiled to herself. Maybe school wouldn’t be so bad after all. In fact, maybe it would be even better than she’d expected.