"Longbottom, Neve!"

I nervously stumbled forward towards the stool, cramming Trevor deep into my pocket as I did so.

Before I reached it, however, I accidentally tripped and fell flat on my face in front of the whole school.

The room erupted into ecstatic laughter and I just wanted the ground to swallow me up so I could die.

Professor McGonagall eventually got everyone to quieten down and I continued my humiliating journey, shakily placing the terrifying looking hat onto my head.

"Hmm," a small voice spoke in my ear. "Definitely Hufflepuff qualities here."

No, no, no! I thought desperately. It's got to be Gryffindor.

"Well, I must say, I'm surprised," the small voice responded. "I'm struggling to find anything in your head that matches what is required of a Gryffindor."

In the end, when I shared my fear that my gran would turn up at the school with a pair fabric scissors if the Sorting Hat didn't place me in Gryffindor, it quickly made up its mind.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Relief flooded me, and I jumped up, running as quickly as I could towards the Gryffindor table before the hat could change its mind.

I was confused by the fresh wave of laughter rising up all around me as everyone started gleefully pointing at me. For a fleeting second I had the horrific fear that maybe I had forgotten to put any clothes on.

Turns out, in my haste to get to the Gryffindors, I'd forgotten to take off the hat.

Red faced, I jogged back amid further gales of laughter to give it to 'MacDougal, Morag', who had been waiting patiently at the stool.

Finally seating myself down amongst my fellow Gryffindors, next to Hermione, I continued to watch the Sorting, relief flooding me that the worst was over.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

I narrowed my eyes as the unpleasant boy from the train earlier swaggered forward. He would swagger, I thought, hating this boy so much already.

It was no surprise to me when he was Sorted into Slytherin. Gran always said there wasn't a witch or wizard who had gone bad that wasn't in Slytherin.

I shall make sure to be avoiding this Draco Malfoy at all costs. I could already tell that boys like him preyed on girls like me.

I felt a little thrill of excitement as Harry Potter got Sorted into Gryffindor too. I crossed my fingers under the table that he would come and sit in the empty chair on my other side.

However, he did not, instead taking a seat on the opposite side of the table where he was later joined by that Ron Weasley.

There was a lot of Weasley's, I discovered. So much red hair. All boys, the whole lot of them.

"I'm half and half," a funny little boy said in a squeaky Irish voice. "Dad's a Muggle, Mam's a witch. She didn't tell him 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

"What about you, Neve?"

I looked up in a panic. That Ron Weasley was looking at me expectantly. I realised that I was being involved in a conversation and I tried to ignore the nervous flutter in my chest. I quickly delved my hand into my pocket to give Trevor a little squeeze for courage.

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," I said quietly, trying not to feel nervous at all the Gryffindor eyes on me. "My family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My great-uncle Algie pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned. It wasn't until I was eight when he dropped me from an upstairs window and my magic came out, saving me. He bought me my Trevor to say sorry."

"Your Trevor?" Ron said frowning, his face slightly aghast at my story.

Carefully, I pulled the toad out of my pocket, presenting it to the table.

"Oh, your toad." Ron grinned as everyone else recoiled back slightly when Trevor gave a loud croak.

"Ugh, do you mind?" A disgusted voice drawled from the table directly behind me. "Some of us are still eating."

I found myself flushing instantly as I turned to see that Draco boy sneering right at me, his grey eyes flashing in revulsion as they darted down to the fat toad in my hands.

"Ew!" The pug faced girl to his right screeched, dropping her fork in horror as she did so. "Get that ugly thing away from me!"

"He- he's not ugly," I trembled, hurt flooding me that anyone could say such a thing about my Trevor. "He's beautiful!"

"LONGBOTTOM WANTS TO MARRY A WARTY OLD TOAD!" She cackled as Draco sniggered into his drink beside her.

"Good one, Pansy," he muttered gleefully, his grey eyes glinting maliciously at my horrified expression as the whole Slytherin table pointed and laughed at me.

Tearfully, I placed Trevor safely back in my pocket, turning my back on the mean Slytherin table.

"Don't listen to them," Hermione whispered kindly in my ear as I wiped a tear from my cheek. "I think it's lovely that even toads can find love."

I had to endure the rest of the meal hearing the Slytherins singing different versions of the Frog Song at my back, mostly led by Draco Malfoy, followed by lots of cruel sniggering.

By the time dinner was over and we were finally settling into our new dormitories, I was already planning my letter to owl to Gran, begging her to let me come home.

I hated it here and I hated the Slytherins.

Especially that Draco Malfoy boy.

*****