Mackenzie looked out the window of the Hogwarts express train, she waved bye to her mom and dad standing on the platform. she watched them until they were tiny dots and then she turned to face the inside of the cart and watched her friend Will walk in, his fingers sticky with chocolate from his chocolate frog. In his right hand he held a card from the chocolate frog, he was getting it all dirty with his fingers. "Who did you get?" asked Tara who was sitting across from Mackenzie. Tara had been jealous of Mackenzie in the past, for a lot of reasons, her diamond green eyes, her amazing talent at charms and the fact that William Todrick had a crush on Mackenzie Lester. See Tara Jenkins had the most massive crush on Will, and everybody knew it including Will.

"Got Harry Potter, it's all their giving. I could swear, I have at least 17 of 'em." Will said licking his fingers.

"Oh yeah." Tara agreed. Mackenzie got up and walked to the exit of the cart. "Boring you, are we?" Tara grinned. "I'm going to go get something from the candy trolley." Mackenzie responded blankly and with a backwards glance at Tara, she left. Mackenzie and Tara were in their third year, so was Will. Mackenzie made her way to the back of the train to the candy trolley on her way she was knocked over her feet by a laughing second year, "So sorry." the girl said distractingly, helping Mackenzie up.

"Hi there, I'm Piper Finnigan, any siblings? You look older, what year are you in?" She said very fast.

Mackenzie noticed that her white blonde-hair fell neatly onto her shoulders, and she did everything rather in a hurry. Her round, pink glasses magnified her dark brown eyes so they looked enormous and she had a small oval shaped birthmark directly under her right eye.

"I'm in third year, and a only child" Mackenzie replied stunned. "Oh that's a shame, I have a twin brother named Jonas, he could be a pain, but boy am I glad to have him around, also I have a little brother he's about 4 and 1/2, his name's Daniel, shame cuz it looks like he's going to turn out to be a squib. Were not exactly sure yet but yeah." said Piper taking a huge breath. "Sorry sometimes I forget to breathe." Piper laughed loudly. Mackenzie was starting to see how Piper was, and didn't really like it. Piper scampered off, something about finding Jonas or whatever, one way or another Mackenzie was glad, now she could actually think properly. Mackenzie saw one of her close friends Luna Stray waving at her from the candy trolley. Mackenzie beamed and walked over to her.

"What you getting?" Mackenzie asked checking out the new exploding snappers (bubblegum pieces shaped like pixie fairies that explode in your mouth). "Duh, every flavor bean botts, they're my fav." Luna said Wildly. paying 2 galleons for 5 boxes. Mackenzie paid 4 sickles for 1 box of exploding sappers. Luna and Mackenzie walked to the cart that Will and Tara were in. Tara scooched over so they could sit. As soon as Mackenzie popped one exploding snapper in her mouth she gagged and handed them to Luna who then passed it to Tara, who then gave them to Will. Will popped one in his mouth as well and 5 seconds later gave out a satisfied mmmm. "How can you eat those, they're disgusting." Mackenzie said taking one of Luna's every flavor bean botts. Will shrugged chewing the exploding snapper slowly. Tara grabbed one of them "I think they're quite good." said Tara BEFORE putting it in her mouth because she will agree with Will on just about anything. Mackenzie told them she was going back to the food trolley to get a old fashioned crumpet, something she knew tasted good. When Mackenzie returned to the cart Tara and Luna already had their hogwarts robes on. "You two should change, I think we're going to arrive soon." said Luna as she spit out a flavor bean. "Liver." she whispered and gulped down some of Wills butterbear to wash the taste out. I finished the last bits of my crumpet and grabbed my bag which had my robes inside. I pulled them out and examined the gryffindor logo, the Lion seemed fierce and brave. I pulled them on and dusted it off, cat hair. I must have known my cat Nyla was going to snoop around in my bag. I went to the Pet cart which was 5 carts long, they were all attached. They had recently added it because people had been losing their pets on the train and parents had been complaining it was their fault. After Mackenzie changed she went in to visit Nyla. A parrot whizzed over her head, and a kitten jumped up swatting at the parrott. Mackenzie's father had told her when he went to hogwarts the only pets you could bring were a cat, toad and a owl, that would be horrible Mackenzie thought to herself. She walked around and saw all kind of pets: dogs, birds, hamsters, ferrets, cats, chickens, lizards, you name it, Mackenzie saw it. In the last compartment she spotted Nyla, a slim, shorthaired cat made up of gray and black. Nyla was covered with exotic spots, her eyes fierce, yellow mixed with green. She was fast asleep and curled up in a little ball. Mackenzie softly pet the top of her head and walked back to the cart. At that moment the train stopped and the Conductor's voice came on a loudspeaker. "We have arrived at our final destination, Hogwarts. Please do not forget to take your bags and your pets from the animal compartment. Thank you for riding the Hogwarts Express and we hope you have a wonderful day." The conductor's voice dragged on. Everyone started to get off at once, it was a big crowd. Mackenzie made her way back to the pet carts to fetch Nyla. She found Luna there struggling to catch her ferret Charlie. "Hey Luna, again!" Mackenzie said waving. "Where is Tara?" Mackenzie asked her. "I thought she was with you." said Luna stuffing Charlie into his cage. "We will see her in the great hall." said Will picking up his bags and handing Mackenzie hers. They hopped into the flying carriages that hoisted them high in the air. Before that they heard Hagrid calling to the first years to follow him. Tara spotted Will and Mackenzie and sat down next to them. "I thought you guys left me." she said rather hastily. "There is Ross walking with the first years. Tara said leaning over the carriage before they could answer. "Who?" Asked Luna bewildered. "My younger brother. It's his first year at hogwarts." he's awfully good at magic for a first year you know." She beamed proudly. Just before the carriage was hoisted by a thestral, Dallas jumped into the carriage and smiled at Luna who was seated next to him. Dallas and Luna were close friends, Dallas was a third year like all of them, They were flying in the air and Tara was taking photos with a muggle camera, as she was muggle born. Back about 17 years ago at Hogwarts, muggle borns were made fun of and treated differently than other wizards.

They landed in front of Hogwarts and the thestral gave an impatient grunt for them to get off. They entered the great hall for the sorting to begin. All the first years lined up looking terrified and so small. "We didn't look like that did we?" Luna whispered to Dallas who then chuckled.

Luna's Ferret escaped and she started running around uncontrollably trying to catch him, her brownish, reddish wavy hair flying everywhere. She ended up sprawled on the floor, her icy, blue eyes dazed. Mackenzie helped her up laughing while Tara put Charlie in his cage. The group saw one of their really close friends Chloe Sparrow seated in a chair next to her grandfather, the headmaster. She spotted them and waved her hand excitedly. Headmaster Sparrow gave her a look out of the corner of his eye and she sat down quietly in her chair and stared at the floor. "She's got it tough." Will pointed out. They all glared at him. "We were all thinking it, I just said it." he said again at this time Tara elbowed him in the ribs. Professor Sparrow stood up and held his hand for silence. Once everyone had settled down he began to speak. "For you first years, Welcome to hogwarts, and for you others Welcome to another year of learning, memories and experiences. This year, as most of you know will be another year where we have the Yule Ball which, if you don't know is a dance in which other people from different wizard academies come to participate in, I would also like to tell you all that we have a new Teacher joining us this year -Proffessor Done Garter- (a tired looking man who was average-highted stood up, his long blonde hair fell neatly onto his shoulders) . If I have mentioned everything now, we will sing the national anthem of hogwarts." Professor Sparrow raised his slim long wand and with a wave of his wand made the lyrics to the national anthem of hogwarts appear and everyone began to sing.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

After the anthem Professor Mcgonagall announced it was time for the sorting to begin. She pulled out the most battered, torn, rusted hat that existed. Suddenly it coughed once ... twice then started to sing a song. The voice of the hat was rough and scratchy, probably from how old it was. The sorting hat sang:

Hello you little, tiny ones

you all look scared and sad

to leave your parents I assume

it's ok you little lads

just put me upon your head

I will suit you just fine

no matter how long it will take

don't worry about the time

there is only four choices

I hope you know them all

each one unique in its own way

I will mention them to the short and tall

here the first is slytherin

Most try to avoid

what they don't see is that it's not bad

though Salazar's been destroyed

Then Hufflepuff comes along

all the loyals are sorted here

Trust me it's not all that bad

It's a house you'll never fear

Ravenclaw for young bright minds

that achieve all their goals

you must be honored if you're sorted here

your heart will have no holes

Gryffindor the brave ones nerve

that stand up to their fears

they don't give up and they'll keep going

no matter what they hear

so don't be scared which one you get

it will suit you best

just place me in your mind and thoughts

it's not a very hard teeesssssttttttt…...

The great hall burst into applause at the sorting hat's song. "There always the best." Tara said clapping loudly and winking at her younger brother Ross who was smiling at her rather weakly. "Now the sorting begins!" Professor Mcgonagall said as she summoned a parchment roll that was sitting on the table beside Chloe. She began reading the first names off and Luna noticed that she read them rather slowly and carefully. Probably in result of having misspoke Jase Axe's last name to ... well you know. "Shonter, Carol she read while a nervous looking first year stepped up and sat down onto the stool. Their friend Aleece Shonter was smiling ear to ear, that was her younger sister about to get sorted. the hat touched her head and after a while yelled "HUFFLEPUFF!" a cheer rose from Aleece sitting at the hufflepuff table hugging her younger sister who was rose in the cheeks. After a few people it was Ross's turn, he was last. "Jenkins, Ross!" Professor Mcgonagall shouted. He stepped up scared and slowly, the hat was put on his head and it covered his eyes. After a short period it had shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Tara looked famished. She was in Ravenclaw and expected Ross to be too, she also believed it was the best house to be put in so when he wasn't sorted into it she quieted down and clapped feebly as he strode to the gryffindor table not daring to look at her. "Welcome." Dallas said patting him on the back. "Now enough of that." chuckled Professor Sparrow "I bet you're all starving by now so dig in." Suddenly gold plates, cutlery and goblets appeared on the tables. In front of them were plates full of chicken, beef, rice, steak, kos-kos, kinki, sausages, turkey, kebabs, turkey, pasta, bread, ham. Any food you name was there right on the plates. Mackenzie, Dallas and Chloe (who had joined them at the gryffindor table after her grandfather had given the speech) started grabbing food and wolfing it down. After everyone finished eating, everything disappeared and was replaced by desserts such as: Ice-cream, pudding, cake, kidney pie, a chocolate fountain with fruit dipped in. After that, everyone was stuffed and ... sleepy. The prefects showed the first years to the common room. Mackenzie, Chloe and Dallas had met up with Tara and Luna who were in Ravenclaw, William (who's in hufflepuff) needed to stay back for an announcement the headmaster needed to give only to their house. "Wonder what it is." said Tara. "We will just ask him." Mackenzie said simply. "You guys excited about the Triwizard Tournament?"

"Not if I'm not allowed to enter." Dallas said, the corners of his mouth facing downwards.

"That rule is pretty stupid." Chloe said thoughtfully.

"Bye guys." Luna said pointing to upstairs where her and Tara's dormitory was. "Bye." Mackenzie said walking with Dallas and Chloe. As soon as Mackenzie and Chloe lay down in their familiar beds from the year before they fell asleep, Chloe so tired, slept with her clothes on.