Forsaking Fate

The Sorting

Chapter 6

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, Destiny rose up on her toes to look for Harry in the rush of students that were exiting the train. Seeing her messy haired friend dragging his trunk onto the platform, Destiny squealed loudly and rushed toward him, throwing herself over his trunk and into his arms.

"Harry, you're finally here!" she laughed happily.

Smiling down at her, he replied, "Hi, Des."

"Hey, Harry!" a voice called from behind him, "You're blocking the exit."

"Sorry, Ron," Harry grinned, pulling his belongings and Destiny out of the way. Turning to his parents, he hugged them tightly before waving to his friends to come over. "Mum, Dad, this is Ron and Hermione. They're my best friends."

Frowning, Destiny watched Harry say goodbye to his new friends before following the Potters through the brick wall and out into the Muggle world.

*****

"Harry!" Sirius yelled rushing forward to pick up his Godson in a bear hug as the Potters arrived home. "How are you? How was your first year?"

Smiling happily, Harry returned the hug and began to talk excitedly about all that had happened in the last year. As the conversation continued through dinner, Destiny finally interrupted to say, "Harry, let's go play."

Nodding, the two left the table and hurried to the stairs. Hearing footsteps behind them, Destiny glanced over her shoulder and scowled.

"Go away, Rosaline!" she snapped.

"I want to play too," the little girl replied, pouting.

"Oh, let her come," Harry replied smiling.

Glaring at her, Destiny turned around sharply and marched up the stairs.

"What's with her?" Harry asked, leaning down to whisper the question in Rosaline's ear.

Sneering up at her sisters retreating back, she replied lowly, "Destiny's a brat. She thinks the world revolves around her."

Following her sister up the stairs, Harry just stood there for a few seconds before following.

'That's not how I remember her,' he thought.

*****

As the hot summer days began to pass, Destiny and Harry fell into an easy routine. With Destiny rising early in the morning, she would quickly dress before running over to the Potters' for breakfast.

Just like every morning, Destiny dashed out the door, across the lawn, and up the front steps to the Potters' front door. Knocking twice, she let herself in and headed for the kitchen. Steeping into the sun-filled room, she came to an abrupt halt. At the table sat two people she had last seen at platform 9 ¾.

"Hello Destiny," James murmured, not bothering to look up from his paper at the breakfast table. When she didn't reply, he finally glanced up. "Are you planning to sit down or are you planning to become a permanent door fixture?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Heading for the only open seat, she lowered herself slowly, never taking her eyes from the guests.

"Hi," the red haired boy said happily, "we're Harry's friends from school. You're Destiny, right?"

Suppressing the sudden surge of jealousy she felt at the thought of Harry having other friends, she nodded.

As the conversation picked up, Destiny sat quietly picking at her food.

"So, Destiny," Hermione said, "Are you looking forward to starting school?"

Sighing, she mumbled, "Yes."

"What class do you think will be your favorite?"

Shrugging, Destiny rose to her feet, mumbled something about having to go and quickly left.

*****

The summer passed quickly and soon the Blacks and Potters were walking through Diagon Alley searching for school supplies. Having finally gotten used to Harry's new friends, she trailed behind the chattering group and watched them interact silently.

"Well," Sirius exclaimed, staggering under all of the Blacks' purchases, "that's all of it then."

"Not quite," Julia replied, smiling down at her eldest daughter. "We still have to get Destiny a pet. How about it honey?"

Nodding, she hurried in front of her parents to the building where she would buy her new pet. Pushing the door open, she glanced about the dark interior, taking in the glowing eyes and rustling feathers. Smiling, she walked over to a cage holding a beautiful brown owl and stuck her fingers through the bars to pet it.

"Ow!" she yelped, drawing back her reddened fingers and sticking them into her mouth. "It bit me!"

"That's why the sign says not to put your fingers in the cages," Harry muttered under his breath.

Scowling, Destiny made her way over to look at the other animals. After several more minutes of searching, she finally came to an owl with mean yellow eyes and glossy black feathers. Watching the bird watch her, she finally turned to the waiting shop keeper and asked what kind of owl it was.

"That, little lady, is an eagle owl."

"I want it."

"Oh, honey, you don't want that owl. That's a mean owl that's meant to be trained to hunt, not carry letters. A little girl like you needs a nice friendly owl," the shop keeper replied as if talking to an incompetent child.

"No, I want this one."

"Honey," Julia said, "I don't want to get you anything dangerous. Besides, it would take a lot of work to train this bird. Why don't you pick a different one?"

"You said I could have any one I want. I want this one!"

"Just let her have the bird," Sirius snapped, knowing full and well that his daughter would never pick another one.

Nodding, the shop keeper took the caged owl and gave it to Julia.

After paying, Destiny happily followed her parents' home and dragged her new pet to her room.

"Hi," Destiny whispered in awe, "My name's Destiny. I'm going to call you Midnight, is that alright?"

Receiving only a stare, Destiny slowly opened the cage and stepped back. Immediately the owl stepped out and flew up to perch on the top of the mirror on the dresser. After waiting several minutes for it to come back down, she shrugged and began getting ready for bed.

*****

Wide eyed, Destiny looked around at the surrounding chaos that covered the platform of 9 ¾. September 1^st had finally arrived and with it, Destiny's first year at Hogwarts. Swallowing nervously, she followed Harry onto the train after a quick goodbye to her parents.

Sitting down in the compartment next to Hermione, she silently watched as the three friends exchanged stories about their summers.

"...So then," Ron exclaimed, waving his arms about enthusiastically, "I went-"

As the door to the compartment slid open, Ron broke off his story. Standing there was a boy around Harry's age, with blond hair that was plastered to his head and large grey eyes. Recognizing him, Destiny glanced at the other occupants to see their reactions. On each face was a look of utter disgust and hate.

"Well," the boy drawled, "it seems you've gained another unfortunate member to your little club." Turning his piercing eyes on her, he smirked. "You do realize what hanging around this riff-raff will do to your reputation, don't you?"

"Leave her alone!" Harry snarled, stepping in front of her.

"Protecting your little girlfriend, Potter?"

"Unless you want to become decoration for the corridor, leave," Harry growled, reaching for his wand.

"Do you think I'm scared of you?" the blond whispered dangerously.

"Grow up both of you," Destiny interrupted calmly.

Feeling the train come to a halt, she rose and marched past before anyone could reply. Stepping off the train, Destiny walked into the chaos on the platform and headed for the booming voice calling to the first years. Once the first years had been gathered and settled into the boats, she glanced back for her friends and watched the retreating forms of the horseless carriages.

Turning back around, she came face to face with a smiling girl with straight red hair and a face full of freckles.

"Hi," the girl chirped, "I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Destiny Black," she replied.

"You're Harry's friend, right?"

"Yes, I am. You related to Ron?"

"Yup. What house do you want to go into?"

"Does it really matter? The hat's going to put us wherever it wants to."

"I guess..." the girl's confused reply came, obviously having no idea how to they were going to be sorted.

As Hogwarts came into view, a chorus of gasps came from the first years and Destiny smiled up at the castle that was to be her home for the next seven years.

*****

"...Make yourselves presentable. The sorting will begin in several minutes."

As Professor McGonagall walked out of the hall, the students began to buzz excitedly. Tuning them out, Destiny waited for the Transfiguration teacher to return. When she did and the students began to follow her into the Great Hall, Destiny swallowed convulsively.

Standing in line with the other first years, Destiny glanced at the enchanted ceiling before returning her attention to where McGonagall was placing a three legged stool and a ratty old hat. As the hat burst into song, she began to shift nervously, eager to be sorted and be away from the prying eyes of the school.

Finally, the song ended and McGonagall began calling names. Adams, Tia was the first student sorted and after a few seconds was placed in Gryffindor.

Black, Destiny was called next and nervously she climbed onto the chair and let the hat fall over her eyes.

"Hm, well now. Plenty of courage, I see. Very loyal and possessive... You're smart, yes; one day you may even be called brilliant. Oh my, and ambitious. You will go far in life if you use all of these qualities."

'Where do I belong?' she thought to the hat.

"That, child, is what you wish for most, isn't it? A place to belong to; a home where you won't be different. Where you wish to go though is not the place where you will ever truly belong.

"Just put me where I can be myself,' she thought.

"Then let it be SLYTHERIN!"