"It definitely does," Siobhan replied, smiling nervously. Mostly because if it didn't she [i]knew[/i] where she would be going – Gryffindor – and she couldn't risk losing her brother's affection, even if he promised he would still treat her the same no matter what house she was in. She knew that Alistair wanted her in Slytherin, and that was all that mattered to her. "I have no doubt you'll get into Slytherin, Kyle."

Yet her dad hadn't been worried that his daughter would become one, despite his own hatred of Slytherin. He'd been surprised (enough so to send a Howler!) when Alistair had been Sorted and she remembered him sitting down and composing the red letter by the fire. It was as if he knew she was to go into the house of lions, Siobhan thought scathingly. It was the reason her heavy heart rested like a lead weight in the bottom of her stomach, churning anxiously.

"My dad said that dragon-keeping's a Gryffindor's profession," she said eventually, picking at the hem of her robes. "What if I [i]do[/i] end up there? Can we still be friends? Or... at least sit together in classes?"

The train began to slow, if only slightly. Alistair's voice echoed in through the open door, "Firsties, leave your trunks and everything else on the train; you'll find them in your dormitories once you've been Sorted!"