Hardwired Differently Finished

Made by Suzanne Byrd

Tory opened her eyes wide with agreement as Aldor replied to her. She had only just met him, but they seemed to have such similar ideas and thoughts and opinions that she already felt like she knew him inside and out.

Which was strange, as Tory didn’t really connect with people that often. Her brain worked more like after I know you for 5 months I’ll tell you what my favorite color is.. It wasn’t that she was “quiet” or “shy”, she could be perfectly loud and clear if she wanted to be, as shown just minutes ago, but it was more she just didn’t trust people at first. Tory didn’t really have trust issues of any kind, no scenario throughout her life would have resulted in that, but it was more just her personality not to trust people at first. In this situation, though, it was close to opposite.

“Yeah, I guess so...” She paused, racking her brain for something handy to say. “And as somebody very wise once said, ‘Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.’ Frankly, I believe that to be quite true, don’t you? It’s a quote by Albus Dumbledore, the wizard who wrote The Tales of Beedle the Bard...” She silenced herself for a second after that, just thinking about everything. I mean, there was so much to think about! Aldor, Hogwarts, this very train, the sheep and cows they were passing, and the billions and billions of people out there.

It was something she thought about quite often, Tory. About people. About how somewhere in China they were drinking tea and waking up when she was just heading to bed, and how somewhere in the world there was war and people didn’t know when they went to sleep if they’d be alive or dead by sunrise. There were small people, tall people, sad people, and happy people. Insane people in the cells of Azkaban (who, like Aldor and Tory had just talked about, were probably just misunderstood), and simple Muggles driving their- what were they called?

Tory’s train of thought had just stopped moving, because she had very irritatingly forgotten what the muggles drove. She knew, she had read it somewhere, it was just stuck somewhere in her mind. “What is it that the muggles drive...is it cals- no, no. It’s cores? Not that either..carles?” She said mistakenly aloud, and quickly threw her hands over her mouth.

Ugh, you idiot! Now you look like a maniac- She scolded herself, frantically covering it up with “I uh...oops- sorry I-”. But not like it mattered, what had been said could not be undone.

@Aldor Humbleglow

Made by Suzanne Byrd

"Yes! A car! Excuse my randomness, by the way. I just blurted it by mistake, not thinking." Tory exclaimed in relief. She hated being stuck on something in her mind, as she was constantly getting new ideas and learning new things, and it just roughly stopped the flow. For example, if she wanted to know what something was called, but had forgotten, she would be stuck on it for ages until she finally could keep the flow of thoughts going.

She then thought back to what we had said ("You mean a car? Yeah we- I mean, they, the muggles drive it-"), and looked at his seemingly uncomfortable expression, and put the pieces together easily. Ah..he must be muggle-born... She thought, and smiled warmly to comfort him.

Tory decided to change the topic quickly, knowing their were still many blood-status prejudice wizards out there and not wanting Aldor to think she was one of them. "Er- anyways, where do you come from, Aldor?" She asked, slightly missing her own home again, the cozy cottage in the countryside of England, very near Bath, and her little black cat, Jammy, who she had spent every day with since she was 2. Tory knew that homes had nothing to do with what they were just talking about, but Tory wasn't exactly thrilled to be leaving her home, and deep, dark conversations weren't exactly the kind of thing that lightened the mood.

@Aldor Humbleglow

Made by Suzanne Byrd

"That's cool, I've never met anybody from Ireland before!" Tory said in reply to Aldor. She wouldn't have guessed he was from Ireland at the beginning, but now she could clearly see the green island in his face. Plus, to Tory, anybody who was ginger was classified as Irish at first glance. He had seemed (so far) unusually joyful as he had spoken, which just made one thought pop into Tory's head: He must really love his aunt.

The mystery behind not every speaking of his own parents in this conversation was lingering in the back of Tory's mind, but wasn't something she cared strongly or at all about, she hadn't talked about either of her parentsparent at all, had she? "I've lived in England my entire life, which is quite boring if you ask me..." She added, replying to her own question.

A few minutes of silence passed, and Tory just gazed out the window at the sheep and cattle and green grass hills. Finally, eventually, she asked another question, this one not quite as happy, but deeper, sadder to some. But maybe not to Aldor, she'd just have to wait to find out.

"Hey, Aldor? Are you excited for Hogwarts?" She said, her head in the clouds but her feet on the train.

@Aldor Humbleglow

Made by Suzanne Byrd

“I mean, if I ever found you there I guess it wouldn't be so bad, oh, I-'' Tory’s cheeks turned beet red as her new friend said this, but she concealed it easily by coolly saying “Thank you?” There was indeed a slight tone of unsureness as she said that, but it was undetectable, because if there was one thing Tory was good, it was covering herself and lying.

Not exactly a skill to be proud of, but it came in handy in situations like these when you needed to hide your true feelings shining under. “What house do you think you’ll be sorted into?” She followed up her other question. Truthfully, she had no idea what house she would be sorted into, her mum’s side was from France, and so everybody had been going to Beauxbatons for ages, and that wasn’t much help when you were trying to figure out what house you’d be sorted into.

Her deceased father’s side, on the other hand, had always been in either Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Like her grandmother Moriah, for instance, she had been a Slytherin, but Tory’s grandpa had Ravenclaw. Tory knew her uncle, father’s brother, had also been a Slytherin, but he was dead now to, so it was no use trying to owl him about it. The young girl could see herself clearly as a Ravenclaw, as she had always loved reading and learning, and a Slytherin because she was quite ambitious. Maybe a Hufflepuff because she was friendly? But a Gryffindor, she had no traits like a Gryffindor. None at all, and due to that, if she got sorted into it, she’d be very surprised.

@Aldor Humbleglow

Made by Suzanne Byrd

''Well- my aunt was a Ravenclaw, which makes me want to be there too, but to be honest any house would be fine, it is not like I wish to stand out as Gryffindor or a Slytherin, I am not really searching for fame or anyhting like that, I wish to learn, not to be the best or stand out as a great student, I just learn because I actually find it fun and wonderful-'' Tory’s eyes widened with agreement as Aldor said this.

She had similarly never cared or wanted to be the best, just be her personal best. Back at home, she was always trying to beat her records of how fast she could run to the lake and back, or how many laps she could do of the garden on a blazing July day without collapsing onto the soft, summery grass. If she only did 5 laps, then next time, she’d push herself to get 6. And so on, until she was sure that it was physically impossible to do anymore.

It had been the same for books as well when she had been little (if you read 4 chapters tonight, tomorrow you have to read 5) except as she had been getting older, Tory had enjoyed reading as a pastime more and more, so it came easily to her to just read more than she had the night before and wasn’t as much of a ''challenge'' anymore. ''That’s interesting, Ravenclaw, huh..'' She quickly said as a response to Aldor, not wanting it to seem as though she were ignoring him or anything.

Again, she wasn’t much of a people person. The 11 year old was quite happy though. If anything, she expected to be a Ravenclaw or Slytherin, and maybe, just maybe, if they got lucky, Aldor and her would be sorted into the same house once they arrived. But that wasn’t a concern of Tory’s right now. Right now, she was worrying more about finding some money for the lady with the cart of treats that had just showed up.

@Aldor Humbleglow