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"Better Be..." Bellatrix Lestrange's Recruitment-Fall 2011!
Yeah, my username is Melinda Warren. So what? I've been in a Harry Potter mood lately.
-- My story begins a way back. My mother went to Beauxbatons, but my dad went to Hogwarts. They actually met while competing against each other in the Triwizard Tournament. ;) So there's always been a healthy competition in my household. I knew that, wherever I wound up, my parents would be very happy for me. For years, I debated between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. One day, I was sure I'd be picking out my powder blue dress and hat; the next, I was more than confident that I'd have to prepare for a sorting. But I decided to let the magical powers-that-be guide me to the right choice. Sometime last winter/spring, I was minding my own business when an owl arrived with a sealed note addressed to me, Bellatrix Lestrange (yes, I am Bellatrix Lestrange. Get over it). The note read, Dear Miss Lestrange, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. [filler lines…you all know what letters of acceptance look like!] Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Headmistress (yes, direct quote from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) So, after years of agonizing over Beauxbatons and Hogwarts, a simple owl made the decision for me (and, for the record, I ultimately received an owl from Beauxbatons, too. I just decided that Hogwarts was more appropriate for me)! I spent all summer preparing-I got a new set of robes at Madame Malkin's, picked up my wand at Ollivander's, and bought a new set of books and supplies at Flourish and Blott's. I practiced flooing to and from Hogwarts every single day, just to make sure I knew what to do! My trunk was packed, my owl was in her cage, and I was all set and ready to board the Hogwarts Express. Of course, there's still the matter of sorting and finding a group. Unfortunately, the Sorting Hat gave up his job after the fall of you-know-who. This means that all new witches get sorted by a mutual selection process. Sure, it's more time-consuming, but there are also more groups and the method is less divisive than the one used by the hat. Hogwarts witches can join one of nine groups. These groups are (in no particular order): Gryffindor Hufflepuff Ravenclaw Slytherin Dumbledore's Army Order of the Phoenix The Marauders Slug Club Deatheaters I have no ties to any of these groups, since my father is male and my mother didn't experience this kind of group setup at Beauxbatons; however, I've chosen to see this as an advantage, since it means that I get to go through my own sorting with zero pressure. In my eyes, each of these truly great organizations (and I really do mean that) could be the one for me. Now, it's just a matter of time until I get sorted! A little about yours truly: I never really saw myself as the entertainment industry's portrayal of a sorority girl. That's not how I dress, not what I do, different from who I am. No one in my family has EVER been Greek, and, shockingly, no one could even point me in the direction of a Greek person! It's really strange, I know…I just love the idea of sisterhood. Besides, I figured I may as well try everything college has to offer-worst case scenario, I hate it and find something else I love. And, of course, I know the entertainment industry isn't a beacon of realism when it comes to teenage soap operas (although my sister, who will be referred to as Narcissa or Cissy, keeps insisting that I HAVE to watch Greek). :) Also, if you figure out the actual location of Hogwarts (I know you're clever muggles), please send me an owl to confirm-and please don't post it on here! If I have a truly great tale to recount, I'll allow you all a visit to my pensieve once recruitment is completely finished. This is somewhat delayed-I'm not exactly sure how much to reveal about the dates of recruitment…just know that I PROMISE not to abandon this story! Now that all of that is out of the way, it's time for me to get sorted! |
OMGG I am LOVING THIS SO FAR!!! Cant wait to read this!
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You are an excellent writer! Good luck to you!
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Ooh, this, I like! Good luck.
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I think this will be my favorite story ever...
Best wishes on your recruitment/ I mean sorting! |
Great start! Can't wait to read more!!
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wow. im in love with this. best of luck to you!
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<3 love!!!!!!
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So looking forward to this! I can't even pick a favorite!
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I <3 Slug Club. They have been overlooked for far too long!
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Thanks everyone! :) I will have some updates VERY soon!
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I have a feeling this will be one of the stories posted in the "favorite rush stories" thread. Good luck! :)
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Weren't you still Bellatrix Black when you were eleven? Maybe witches get married really, really young.
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^Haha...you do have a point! Let's say what my best friend says and call me Rodolphus and Bellatrix's long-lost daughter, which makes me Bellatrix Lestrange. ;)
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So, the story begins a few days before the sorting. Can I just say that it's EXHAUSTING just preparing?
My group of fellow first-years and I met in the Great Hall to get a basic understanding of how the sorting works; once we went over the basic rules and procedures, we were divided into smaller groups and introduced to our individual prefects (yes, that's my term for rho gammas/rho chis/whatever they're called at various schools. I figured I'd have an easier time keeping Hogwarts private if I used a different name). My prefect, Penelope Clearwater, was really friendly! She took us to the Room of Requirement, where we introduced ourselves to one another and learned some more about the sorting process. In the meantime, I'm really excited/nervous/ready to go! The only thing is that we aren't allowed to use our wands or owls during the process (for obvious reasons-imagine a girl trying to use the Imperius Curse mid-sorting!), so my trusty owl, Lilith*, will be ready and waiting for me when the evening is over. It's time to get sorted! *I chose the name Lilith for two reasons-one, I read it in a fanfic once as the name of the Black sisters' owl; two-it's actually my cell phone's name! |
Love the creativity! Looking forward to an enjoyable read!
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Yes, but since trolls are real people in her world, is that an insult? Are you a trollist?
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Haha, ok, I've taken some liberties with the facts. ;) Let's just say that Bellatrix Lestrange is arguably the coolest name in the HP world, whereas Bellatrix Black just...isn't!
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This is definitely one of the most creative rush threads I've ever seen. Good luck with your sorting!
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LOL awesome theme. However, the only place for Bellatrix Is Slyverin.
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^^^ Sure, if she's only going to consider her legacy chapter. But if she's really going in with an open mind, she needs to look at all of them with fresh eyes. She'd make a great DeathEater (forshadowing?) and would probably be great in the Order of the Phoenix if she just had a different perspective.
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True that. Although I'm starting too pull for Hufflepuff. They are such great finders. (AVPM reference!)
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very well written! Looking forward to reading your story...updates from this evening's activities?
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I feel the legend of Chuck Norris lurking somewhere near this thread, rooting for it in hopes Bellatrix can join him in the GC legendary Hall of Fame...and recruitment for Bellatrix hasn't even started!!
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I'm thrilled that no one has attempted to Avada Kedavra me for putting the brakes on this story (just a little!). Once sorting got underway, I felt a need to experience the process and wait until things were done (or close to it!) to discuss what happened.
After hours of beauty enchantments, transfigurations to make my dress look great, and a little sip of Felix Felicis, I was ready to go! Penelope told us that we could leave our wands with her between houses, so I brought mine along. We met in the potions dungeon and headed out to meet all the other witches! My first house was Dumbledore's Army. Man, I loved it! The girls I met were the friendliest and we all had a ton to talk about. I felt as though I fit in with the vibe of the house. It was an excellent first group, and I really hope to go back! Next, I visited The Marauders. I wasn't as excited about this group. I didn't really like the girls I met. One of them didn't even bother to look at me during the conversation! I felt out of place. The next place I went was Hufflepuff. I absolutely had the best time! My conversations were so genuine and lovely, and I really loved the girls I met. We spoke about several subjects I never seem to get to discuss with anyone (by that, I mean that I rarely find people with whom I share those interests!). I couldn't stop smiling and enjoying myself at this house! Next was Slytherin. The girls I met were interesting, and they seemed to share a lot of my interests, but I wasn't 100% sold. I really did want to go back, though, because they seemed like a cool group. After Slytherin, we headed to the Slug Club. The girls and I chatted about shoes and our close relationships with our biological sisters. I really felt it at this house and could see myself there! We headed on to Order of the Phoenix. My conversations were random and tons of fun! I just didn't see them as potential sisters-but I definitely saw a few of them as future friends! It just didn't seem like "my" kind of place. Next up was Ravenclaw. The girl with whom I spent most of my time spent the entire conversation asking me questions, waiting for my answer, and then using that as a means to discuss her house ad nauseum! But I really enjoyed the other girls I met. We had a lot to talk about! I went from there to Gryffindor. We also had a lot to talk about, but I wasn't as obsessed with this house as my friends were. Either way, the girl and I seemed to have a really good conversation, so I guess that's the most important part. The last house was the Deatheaters. Ok, one girl said, "Bernadette, it was great talking to you!" instead of Bellatrix. That was a little off-putting, but I moved past it when I realized that a) she was probably exhausted and b) she'd met so many girls! I totally get it. I got my wand back and found Lilith at the Owl Post. I immediately owled Cissy to tell her about my day, and I told my mother about my opinions on the houses. I also caught up with two friends, Ginny and Parvati, very briefly. Ginny was having some issues with other circumstances, but Parvati was telling me how much she enjoyed Slytherin. I proceeded to dine in the Great Hall with a bunch of girls who share my prefect. At the appointed time, I went to the dungeons to meet with Penelope. This is the order in which I put the houses: 1. Hufflepuff 1. Slug Club 1. Dumbledore's Army 1. Gryffindor 1. Deatheaters 1. Order of the Phoenix 2. Ravenclaw 3. Slytherin 4. The Marauders I flooed home and decided to get some rest-I knew I'd need it! |
Good luck! This story is a lot of fun!
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Thank goodness you returned! Really excited for this "Sorting"!
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This is a really fun thread!
I can't wait to read the rest. |
I woke somewhat early the next morning because I needed to do some work. I read through some more chapters of Hogwarts: A History before my mother and I side-along apparated to Hogwarts. I headed to the dungeons to meet Penelope. I knew that I could attend a maximum of six houses today.
Penelope handed me my schedule. It read: Order of the Phoenix Slytherin For a brief moment, I was disappointed at the loss of Hufflepuff. Nonetheless, I knew that I had two awesome houses to attend! Parvati owled to tell me that she would be visiting Hufflepuff, Order of the Phoenix, Ravenclaw and Slytherin; Ginny did the same to inform me that her schedule consisted of Slytherin and Hufflepuff. My mom and I headed home, where I debriefed Narcissa (who was very excited for me…and also very focused on what she was going to wear that day. The girl has a one-track mind, have no doubt!) and performed the same set of beauty enchantments to get ready. I took another little bit of Felix Felicis for the road and threw some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans* in my bag (which was enchanted to be bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside…so it's kind of a TARDIS bag, too!) and flooed back for some more parties! *=BBEFB is a very real muggle product, manufactured by Jelly Belly. I've had them before. Hint: look at the flavor chart before eating! Rotten Egg is no joke. I headed to Order of the Phoenix first. I must admit, I was somewhat nervous. I decided to make the most of it! It was pretty clear early on that this was not the place for me. I just didn't click with the girls. But whatever! It's still early in the sorting process, and I knew my mind could change at any moment. Between parties, Ginny and I hung out. We had similar experiences at Order of the Phoenix/Hufflepuff: we just didn't quite feel it there. We were both nervous about Slytherin. We talked about meeting up after parties were over and before heading to the dungeons, perhaps to watch a muggle movie about the wizarding world (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I hear muggles love that one!) or just rest a little. I headed off to my party. Slytherin. This is a story about why all young witches about to get sorted should keep an open mind. I had the most amazing time ever. The sorter kept saying things like, "I never thought I'd have this conversation during sorting!" and the like. When the party was over, I felt a little sad that I had to leave! The sorter hugged me and said, "I'm not going to forget this for a LONG time!" Neither would I. As I left, I found Ginny. I said, "you are going to have the best time, ok? Just owl when you're done. I know you'll love it." I gave Ginny a giant hug before heading out. Ginny owled when the party was over. As I predicted, she loved Slytherin! It was then that she asked an interesting question, "Bella, what if we wind up sisters?" I thought about that for a second. Ginny and I had bonded so well from the get-go. Perhaps we could be sisters? We never watched the movie-we were both exhausted and we each had a lot of other work we'd skived off in favor of sorting (and honestly, who doesn't wind up in that situation? Everyone I'd spoken to insisted that, one of these days, Snape was going to collect a potions essay and she would be the only girl without a foot of parchment*). *Did I mention that Penelope and I have a class together? Just throwing that out there. It holds no significance to the story. But I thought it'd be interesting to mention. I went to the dungeons and met with Penelope again. I told her that I owed her a big thank you-after all, I hadn't done half of what she'd done that day. If I was exhausted, I had to imagine how she felt! I told her that my personal choice, were I to be ranking, would be: Slytherin Order of the Phoenix But, alas, I was not ranking. I was simply telling Penelope what a great (albeit exhausting) day I'd had! |
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Cant wait to read more! |
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Ok, I apparated to the set apparition point in the Forbidden Forest. I was lucky enough to have some centaurs around to keep me safe from the spider community. |
this is some genius writing.... keep going please :D
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I am so obsessed with this! Keep going! :)
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That night, I dreamed of invitations to Slytherin and Order of the Phoenix. I got an owl from Ginny relatively early:
"Slytherin!" I owled back my congratulations and flooed to check on my invites. Sure enough, there it was: Slytherin! Though I never got to see Ginny that day, she and I owled excitement back and forth. She went to Slytherin and had a great time! I was still performing various fun enchantments when I received an owl from Parvati: "Hufflepuff and Slytherin :)" The idea that the three of us could be sisters hadn't quite hit me, but I realized that it was a distinct possibility and decided that we would have a ton of fun. :) Anyway, I rocked out to the newest Weird Sisters song, checked out the Daily Prophet to see the scores of the most recent Hollyhead Harpies game (they defeated Puddlemere United. Go Harpies!), and thumbed through a copy of the Quibbler Cissy'd bought on a recent Diagon Alley trip. Oh, my, do I need a trip to Diagon Alley! I need a few more books at Flourish and Blott's. Ooh, and here's another story: apparently, all houses have something called a water heater. This is a muggle invention and I'm not exactly sure why my parents have one (when they could just as easily have a spell to do the work for them, right?). Well, this "water heater" broke. Lovely indeed. As soon as it was fixed, the muggle healer left, but my father discovered that his shower was running uncontrollably. No spells could stop the onslaught of water! For a second, I was sure that Peeves the Poltergeist had managed to apparate along during my side-along apparition and created an uncontrollable mess. Either way, it was an unnecessary mess and I feel for all of the muggles who have these kinds of fun situations on a more frequent basis! Alas, it came time to floo to Slytherin. I was nervous, all right. If yesterday opened my eyes, today sealed it for me. This is where I'd fit best. Wow. It was such a relief to have such a great time! We talked about things we had in common-it almost seems as though there were too many exciting "OMG!" moments to list! I was ecstatic when I left that party. I was actually the last witch to get to the portkey! I told Penelope how excited I was, and she joked that she had a "sixth sense" to figure out when i was coming (she and I really get along so well!). I told her that I couldn't wait until the next day. And then I hopped a Nimbus 2001…to Grimmauld Place. Yes, we were going to go visit with my Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga, not to mention Sirius and Regulus and a variety of other cousins at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.* *This is part of the story because, well, it basically happened. My mom was having 15+ relatives over for brunch the morning of pref. And, of course, they were going to be at a shared "family" home, not my actual residence. |
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So excited for the rest of the story :) |
Sorry about the Slytherin font!
I arrived at Grimmauld Place at a very late hour-too tired to even really talk about Hogwarts. All of my cousins wanted to hear everything; I talked for a little bit before heading upstairs to the room Cissy and I share when we visit Grimmauld Place. We went to bed relatively quickly. I had to be up very early the next morning, especially since I had a long flight ahead of me! I was up very early the next morning. I'd had an idea for a really cool beauty enchantment I'd seen other people do, but never really tried on myself! I managed to levitate my things out quietly, since I didn't want to wake Narcissa. When I began to set up, I laid out the books of beauty enchantments (they're the best!) and, of course, my robes. How can I describe this particular robe? When I bought it at Madame Malkin's, she said it was brand new and one of those things she was so excited to get. It was a one-shouldered, peachy-pink robe. I didn't think it would match with my unusually light skin and jet-black curls, but it did. It gave me the look of someone going to a fancy tea. Anyway, I'm working on one of my more basic beauty enchantments (specifically, the "whip-out-my-Temptu-and-spray-my-face-with-foundation" charm) when my mother walked in and announced that an owl was pecking at the kitchen window. I headed over to see what the owl had in store, when I took a slow step back-this was Penelope's owl. Penelope's note was sincere and apologetic. I definitely had a moment of sadness when I realized that I wouldn't get to attend the last round of the sorting. And the idea that those robes were going straight back into my trunk? Equally disappointing. At least I'd get to see some of my relatives. Parvati and Ginny were invited back to Slytherin only, and they both received invitations to join the house. I am very happy for both of them! I know they're having a great time, and I'm happy that they found something so right for them. The story still isn't over yet, though! Because on Monday, I was walking around the seventh floor saying, "I need to find a group of young witches to spend my time with," when, as though it was magic (this is Hogwarts, it probably was!)… A door to the outside of the building appeared. When I opened the door, I found a ton of girls talking, giggling, and enjoying Chocolate Frogs. Two thoughts came ti my mind: one, hey, I just discovered the Room of Requirement! Ten points for me! Two-umm, who were they? They seemed totally awesome. Turns out, they were the Daughters of the Knights of Walpurgis. And, umm, I had the best time with them. Really! I loved how naturally conversations flowed, how much fun we had using our wands (they knew some pretty cool enchantments, and I was able to transfigure some really cool stuff), and how laid-back this was! So, I'm not done-yet. Stay tuned for more on my experience with the Daughters of the Knights of Walpurgis! |
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