Wizard Exchange
Camille walked into the train station with her suitcase on a trolley and her instrument on her back. Next to her, Annalisa pushed her trolley through the station looking for the dividers between platforms nine and ten. This year, they and eight other girls from their school would be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry instead of USMA, or United States Magic Academy where witches and wizards from all over the US attended school.
At last they arrived, and found the barrier between platforms nine and ten. "Now we're supposed to do what?" Camille asked.
"Walk through the barrier and onto platform nine and three-quarters," Annalisa said reading from her letter from the school.
"Haven't these people heard of driving their kids to school, or flying in a plane or on a broom, or what about flu powder or apparition? Man I feel like we're being sent back to the Stone Age," Margret said, she had told everyone numerous times that the only reason she had agreed to come was because her parents said it was this or Africa.
"Okay who's going to be the first to walk towards the solid stone wall?" Annalisa asked the group at large.
Bracing herself, Camille said, "I'll do it." she then walked straight at the barrier, braced for the crash she closed her eyes, but when it didn't come she opened her eyes and found herself standing on platform nine and three-quarters.
"This is nice, in a weird sort of old-fashioned way," Annalisa said, appearing next to her. "Let's go find a compartment before they all fill up, then we can put off mixing with the Hogwarts kids for a little longer."
They waited until everyone had gotten through the barrier before setting off towards the train. Halfway back, they spotted an empty compartment and climbed in. They dragged their luggage on and hoisted it up onto the luggage racks before sitting down and pulling out their iPods and cell phones. "Does anyone get service here, I have like, no bars!" asked Margret.
"I don't either. I hope we get some later because I don't know if I can stand not having my cell phone," responded Dana, a small, frail looking girl who despite her looks was one of the toughest girls Camille had ever met.
A whistle sounded from outside and kids jumped onto the train and parents shouted last minute reminders to the respective children. Camille looked out the window which she was
next to and saw a black haired man holding a small girl waving to two boys as they climbed on the train. His hair was jet black and extremely messy, just under his bangs, Camille detected a lightning-bolt scar, and suddenly she knew who she was looking at. "Hey guys look it's that Harry Potter guy, who like killed that Voldemort guy or something," Camille said pointing.
All the girls stood and crowded around the windows. "Hey your right, I didn't know he had kids, well I guess we don't really learn that much about him cause we're from the US and we have our own bad guys to worry about," reasoned Kim.
The train started to move and they pulled out of the station and they all pulled out snacks, books and continued to listen to their iPods and read. Camille looked up and looked out the door and saw kids passing the compartment in black robes. "Anna, do you see what some of the kids are wearing, I'm glad we still get to wear our normal school uniforms," Camille said.
"Well I guess they don't have to worry about blending in with the muggle world as much as we do."
"Still, they look so old fashioned and what is it with getting to school by train, seriously who does that?" Camille insisted.
"Well, I guess they do. Anyway we are supposed to be learning about wizards and their life from other countries. I guess here they wear robes because they are more secluded then we are," Annalisa said flipping the page in her magazine. Camille shook her head and returned to her book.
The day went on and the girls hung out and talked for most of the journey. When the lights came on in the carriage they decided to change into their school uniforms which were knee-length red and black plaid skirt, a white polo, a gray sweater vest with the school crest in the upper left corner, knee high white socks and black flats. They all helped each other do their make-up and were dismayed when they learned they couldn't use their flat irons, instead they all tied their hair up with a school hair tie. Ready they sat back down and waited for the train to arrive at Hogsmeade station.
"It says here that we should go up to school in the carriages and wait outside the great hall for Professor Jennings and she will give us further instructions," Leann said reading from the letter.
"What are we supposed to do with our things?" asked Margret.
"We are to leave them on the platform and they will be brought to our rooms."
The train started to slow and the girls stood up checking their reflections in the black windows and straightening their skirts and shirts. The train stopped and they hoisted their luggage down and climbed off the train. They followed a group of girls who were talking loudly about something called Ravenclaw. They dropped off their luggage and followed the girls to a line of horseless carriages. They all climbed in an empty one and shut the door. It was pretty tight, but they didn't want to be separated. The carriage started to move up the drive towards the castle which was to be their school.
The carriage lurched to a stop in front of the wooden doors that were open to reveal an entry hall massive enough to fit several houses in it. They stepped out of the carriage and smoothed their skirts. They walked in and stood around the oak doors that lead to the great hall as the kids around them called it.
They stood there trying to act natural even though they felt like they had just been thrown under a bright spotlight. Around them people started and nudged their friends to point them out. "Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who feels inconspicuous," Annalisa muttered.
"I think we all feel like that, we kind of stick out like a sore thumb here, I hope this Professor Jennings gets here soon," Camille replied.
No sooner as she finished saying this, did a woman in scarlet robes and a face that looked as though it had been cut from stone swoop down on them. "You must be the girls from USMA, if you wait right here, once everyone is in, and the sorting takes place, Professor Timmons, the Headmaster, will make an announcement that you are here then you will enter, and sit at whatever table pleases you. After the feast, wait here and I will lead you to your dormitory," Professor Jennings said quickly to them.
"Yes ma'am," they replied.
Professor Jennings scooted into the hall and up to the staff table and took a seat next to the middle and on the right. "Oh goody, we get to walk in there and have the whole school stare at us, this isn't nerve racking at all!" Leanne said sarcastically. Leanne was shy and didn't like the spotlight; to her this was pure torture.
"Which table do you think we should sit at?" asked Camille.
"The table with the red banner above it, it matches our school colors the best," Tammy said.
"Definitely, it's also closest to the door," Leanne agreed.
They quieted down as a line of students who looked smaller than the rest entered the hall. They were lead by a man that was at least eight feet tall with a tangled black beard that almost covered his face, though tufts of gray were starting to appear. Another person, a man in gray robes and a round face came out of the Great Hall and greeted the giant man, "Hey Hagrid, thanks, I can take them from here."
"Alright, see you inside Professor Longbottom," Hagrid said and lumbered into the great hall and up to the staff table.
"First years follow me," called Professor Longbottom. "Single file line, let's go. When we get into the great hall, I will call your name, sit on the stool, put the hat on and then whatever house the hat tells you to go to, will be your new home. Your house is your Hogwarts family, when you do well your house gets points, when you misbehave, your houses looses points. At the end of the year feast, the house with the most points will receive the house cup. Oh, I forgot to tell you what the houses are, they are Gryffindor, Huffelpuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Okay, now it's time to go in." With that he turned on his heel and marched into the great hall and up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
Once they reached the front of the hall they stopped and Professor Longbottom placed a stool in front of them and a hat on top of it. Then, so far the weirdest thing that had happened to them was, the hat broke into song. Camille had no idea really what the hat was singing because as if on cue, Margret's cell phone started to ring. Then of course she had to answer, but then again, Camille couldn't even hear what Margret was saying though she did think it was her mom that called because all the other girls turned and started to yell, well not yell exactly, that would be rude, but tell her how rude she was being for talking on the phone. By the time Margret got off the phone and everyone else stopped berating her for having it on in the first place, the students around the hall broke into applause. They had missed the song, rats.
After that, Professor Longbottom started to call students name who would then walk up to the school, try on the hat, then the hat would shout a name of the house, that house would cheer, and the student would go sit at that table. Camille suddenly got the feeling that here, everything was going to be ran way differently than what she was used to.
Hey, this is my first fanfic, please tell me what you think!