I was eleven when I discovered I was a witch. It was the same year as Harry Potter discovered he was a wizard, but apparently, he was more important. Not that I wanted the amount of attention he got.
I discovered it on a Saturday morning, when my mother arrived from the supermarket with the mail on her hands. She said there was mail for me, which was a rare thing, so I excitedly read the letter she handed me.
I thought it was a joke. I told my mum it wasn't funny, but she didn't know what I was talking about, so I handed her the letter. She was also surprised. The truth is someone should have taught those wizards how to communicate such an unbelievable thing to muggles. So we didn't believe what it said and we decided to ignore it. A week after that, I received another copy of the letter, and my mum and I didn't know what to do. Since what it said seemed impossible and we assumed it was a prank, we decided to write back. Maybe that way the prankers would get scared and would stop. Except they weren't prankers and they replied a week later.
So, after almost a month of receiving and writing letters, I accepted who I was and went to London with my mum to buy all the equipment. All of it was a mess.
First of all, the currency. My mum and I just kept thinking that these people, however magical, were old-fashioned. Where were the credit cards? Where where the cash points? We found it amazing that they thought themselves superior.
Second of all, their perception of danger (we'll talk more of this when we get to the first day of school). I'll give you a clue: they don't have one.
So, at the end of the day, we found ourselves in the only two shops that seemed normal: the bookshop and the wand shop, which was called Ollivander's (although what they sold was new to us, the shop seemed quite normal and harmless).
At the bookshop, there was a blonde boy who looked exactly the same as his father, who was right next to him. We stared at each other, but the look of superiority they gave us stopped us from having a conversation with them.
Then, at Ollivander's, I had the most fun I had ever had. An old, kind man approached my mum and me and started giving me different wands until I found the one.
"It is a very special wand, that one of yours", he said, "So you must be very special as well."
I had never been called special, so I instantly felt happy and proud. I smiled at him and thanked him. As I was leaving the door, the kind man gave me a strange look I couldn't decipher.
Some weeks later, the big day arrived. There's no need to talk about how hard it was to get to the right platform because Harry Potter has said it way too many times already. But yeah, I had trouble as well. When I finally got on the train, I couldn't find where to sit, so I stood in the middle of the aisle for quite some time. It was after about thirty minutes that I saw the blonde kid leave one of the compartments with two big boys, so I got in once they were far enough for me to be unseen by them. I sat in one of the seats and I looked through the window. After some minutes, the three boys came back. They all seemed angry for some reason. I heard the blonde one mumble Harry Potter's name.
"Hey, this was our compartment", the blonde boy said.
"Well, it was empty when I arrived. And there are still empty seats for the three of you", I replied.
The blonde boy didn't seem very happy, but still, he sat down. His two friends imitated him.
"I know that wasn't the best way to start off in a new school. Sorry", I began to say, "I'm Diane".
"We don't care, mudblood", said the blonde boy.
I didn't know what that meant, but it was obvious that it wasn't anything good. I didn't know how to reply, so I just stared at him with a surprised look on my face.
"What? You're offended? It's just who you are."
"I don't know what that means, but I'm sure it's something insulting. I don't know how you stupid wizards are taught to treat people, but apparently, it's the wrong way. I just tried to start a conversation and be nice. I didn't insult you in any way, so you have no right to insult me. For some reason I don't understand, you believe you're better than me, but the fact that you behave like that only makes you worse."
The three of them were surprised that I replied. The blonde boy seemed scared at first, but then, he smiled.
"You see, boys? That's why her people shouldn't be here. They don't know how to behave".
I felt offended in so many ways, but I just pretended it didn't hurt.
"My people? What does that even mean? And you're the one who's a stuck-up snob anyway."
The blonde boy kept smiling.
"Your people, mudblood. The ones whose parents aren't wizards. You all shouldn't be here."
I wanted to cry, but I wasn't going to make him be satisfied like that. Instead, I fought back.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know that you, Mr Snob, didn't want me to be here. How could I dare to even be breathing the same air as you?"
Now, he did seem angry.
"Don't you know who I am, mudblood? I am Draco Malfoy and my father will hear about this!"
Instead of apologising or just leaving, I started laughing.
"Of course you would have a posh name. Please, talk to your father and tell him to give you a normal name".
The two other boys gasped. They looked at me with horror in their faces and left. Draco turned around, angry at his friends and then turned back to me.
"I hope I never see you again. You're probably a Hufflepuff, anyway", he said. He smiled again, but it was obvious he wasn't happy.
Not long after that, we arrived to our destiny. As soon as the train stopped, Draco stood up and left.
"It was a pleasure, Dragon", I said.
"It's Draco, mudblood."
"Well, it's what it means. And my name is Diane."
So, after we got to the school by boat and had a little tour, we went to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. Professor McGonagall started calling students in alphabetical order. I just kept thinking I hated my surname, since I knew I probably was the person who'd be called out right after The Great Harry Potter. And I was.
"Pound, Diane", I heard Professor McGonagall say.
My knees were shaking and it was a miracle that I didn't trip. The Sorting Hat wasn't sure of which house I belonged in.
"You're ambitious, interesting...", it started saying, "but you're also intelligent. And right. You're also very brave, girl. Oh, you don't believe you are? Don't worry, darling, you are. Okay, let me see... Slytherin and Hufflepuff seem like the right choice, but I'm not sure. Mmmm..."
Something you must know about me is I hate being the centre of attention and I can be quite impatient, so I just said:
"C'mon... Hurry up already. I've been sitting here for quite some time."
When the Hat heard this, the doubt was gone.
"Slytherin!", it shouted. And the room was suddenly silent.
I went to the Slytherin table as I heard people whispering. Everyone kept pretending that all the seats were taken, so I had to go back to the beginning of the table, were Draco Malfoy was. Despite the fact that he hated me, he didn't stop me from sitting opposite him, which surprised me.
Professor Dumbledore told us about the many dangers of Hogwarts and its surroundings. I just kept thinking that no sane person would let children go there, but there we were.
After the Sorting Ceremony, Professor Snape showed us our Common Room and told us about the rules. When he finished talking, he called my name. My heart was racing out of fear.
"Miss Pound, as you may know, you're the first one of your...kind who has ever been in Slytherin. However, that doesn't make you special, so don't expect me to treat you any different."
I instantly shook my head.
"I wouldn't want you to, sir. I've always been repelled by any kind of favoritism. It makes me feel unworthy. So I'll do my best, sir. I wouldn't like to disappoint you."
Snape was astonished. He just nodded and left, as if I had impressed him. Not that I wanted to. I actually feared him and wanted him to leave as soon as possible.
So there I was, in a house were everyone seemed to hate "my kind", where I would be for many years. What at first had seemed like a blessing, now looked more like a curse.
