disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter, any of the characters, settings, books, nothing. That all goes to J.k. Rowling
Sparks Fly
Chapter one, getting to Hogwarts
Kyle's point of view
"Kyle! Kyle! You got a letter!" My little sister Taya yelled while barging into my room.
"alright, thank you Taya!" I yelled a bit annoyed. She smiled at me and placed the letter on my lap.
"well, what are you waiting for? Open it!" she screeched with excitement.
"do you reckon it's my Hogwarts letter?" I asked her with hope.
"yes! Open it Kyle! Or I will!" she laughed and I looked down at the brownish envelope. In emerald green ink this is what is printed on it.
Ms. K. Miller
The room upstairs on the right
1560 S.
3450 W.
I opened the envelope up slowly, making sure I didn't rip anything. I took out the piece of yellow parchment and again in green ink, this is written on it.
Hogwarts School
Of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(order of Merlin, First class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards.)
Dear Ms. Miller
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a lost of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no longer that July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
I remember that so clearly. The time I got my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Only two more days till I get to go to the best school out there!
"Kyle, your mum will have to take you to Diagon Ally to shop." my dad, Stephen Miller, stated.
"why can't you take me?" I asked him a bit disappointed.
"well, I have to get Taya to her friends house then I have to get to work. You know how important my job is."
"okay dad. Bye, love you!" I hollered as he closed the door shut behind him.
"Kyle honey are you ready?" my mum came into the kitchen wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater.
"yes mum." I answered with a smile as I held onto her arm and she apporated us to Diagon Alley.
"alright sweetie what is it you need for Hogwarts?" she asked excitedly.
"erm let me check." I took out the parchment that had all the necessities for Hogwarts.
Uniform
First year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
Course books
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book Of Spells (Grade 1)
By Miranda Goshwak
A History of Magic by Bathida Bagshot
Magical Theory by Phyllida Spore
A beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The dark Forces: A guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other requirement
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystall phials
1 telescope
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS
"lets start with the uniform. All I need is a black pointed hat, protective gloves, and a winter cloak that's black with silver fastenings. The robes, I already have from school." I explained to my mum.
"alright, lets get your supplies."
"bye mum! Bye dad! Bye Taya! I'm going to miss you all so much!" I yelled over all the talking from the train station.
"love you too sweetie! Write to us!" my dad yelled back and I smiled and nodded before grabbing my trunk and boarding the scarlet train. The compartments were all full and I finally found one closer to the back with only two boys in it. I slid the door open and looked at the boys.
"hello, is it alright if I sit here? Every where else is full?" both boys nodded at me and I walked in and slid the door shut behind me.
"I'm Kyle Miller, and you two are?"
"Ron Weasley and that's Harry Potter!" the red haired boy exclaimed happily white pointing to the boy with messy black hair and a lighting bolt scar on his forehead.
"Blimly! Harry potter?" I asked shocked to see him sitting in front of me. He nodded his head slowly and I decided he didn't want to talk about it so I changed the subject.
"are you guys first years too?"
"yeah." Ron answered.
"what house do you think you'll be in?" I asked them both, since they weren't willing to start a conversation.
"oh I dunno. From what I heard, I would most likely be in Hufflepuff." Harry shrugged while looking over at Ron.
"I'm assuming Gryffindor, since my whole family's in that house." Ron proudly answered with a smile.
"that's cool, both of you. My mum was in Ravenclaw and my father was hufflepuff. I'm hoping for Gryffindor though." I told them truthfully.
"Do you guys want to see some magic?" Ron asked with a grin.
"yes!" I yelled happily.
"ok sun-" he got interrupted by the door opening and a girl who was already dressed in her robes walked in. she had really bushy brown hair and large front teeth.
"have any of you seen a toad?" her voice was quite bossy and know it allish.
"oh, are you doing magic?" she asked while staring at Ron's wand.
"-" before he could say anything she cut him off.
"lets see it then." she sat down next to me, across from Ron and Ron looked taken aback.
"er-all right." he cleared his throat and began the spell.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat Yellow." he waved his want at his rat, but nothing happened. Scabbers, hit rat, stayed gray and fast asleep.
"are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simples spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard- I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough-I'm Hermione Granger by the way, and you are?" she said this all so very fast.
Harry looked at Ron and I confused and sighed in relief when he noticed neither one us knew what the girl was talking about.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," said Harry, and before I could even introduce myself, she but it.
"are you really? I know all about you, of course- I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of The Dark Arts and Great Wizarding, Events of the Twentieth Century."
"am I?" asked Harry, looking dazed.
"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have out everything I could if it was me. Do any of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad….anyway we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You three had better change you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.
"whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it." groaned Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "stupid spell, George gave it to me, but he knew it was a dud."
"well the tips of Scabbers' whiskers look lighter." I pointed out, trying to make him feel better.
He chuckled again and I laughed for a moment. Then I realized the chuddly Cannons icon on his trunk.
"you like the Chuddly cannons too? There my favorite!" I squealed to him and Harry looked at me onfused.
"their a quid ditch team." Ron answered but Harry still look confused.
Ron explained to him what quid ditch was and Harry seemed to like the sport. But, once again, Ron was interrupted by the compartment door opening. This time though, it wasn't Hermione or the toadless boy. Instead, three boys walked in.
"is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" the pale boy in the middle of the two larger boys asked.
"yes," answered Harry, who was looking at the two big guys next to the pale boy. They looked like body guards.
"oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking at. "and my names Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"think my name's funny do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
He turned his attention to me. "though, I don't know who you are?"
"well you'll find out tonight, wont you?" I asked him.
He just ignored me and turned back to Harry. "you'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's but Harry didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry said coldly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a bit pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter." he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same was as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hand around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." both Harry and Ron stood up at his comments. I remained sitting, not wanting to start a fight.
"say that again." Ron said, his face as red as his hair.
"oh, your going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"unless you get out now." stated Harry, more bravely than he should have, since Crabbe and Goyle were bigger than the three of them put together.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys? We've eaten all our food, and you still seem to have some." he motioned to the pile of candy that Harry had bought for us to share.
Goyle reached toward the chocolate frogs next to Ron, and Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
Scabbers, the rat, was hanging of his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle, Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had came in.
"what has been going on?" she asked, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.
"I think he's been knocked out!" Ron said to Harry and I. he looked closer at Scabbers. "no, I don't believe it, he's gone back to sleep!"
I look over at the gray rat and sure enough, there he was, sleeping.
"have you met Malfoy before?" I asked Harry curious.
Harry explained to us about his meeting with him in Diagon Alley.
"I've heard of his family." Ron darkly stated. "they were some of the first to come back to our side after you-know-who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to over to the Dark side." he turned to Hermione after he said that. "can we help you with something?" he asked clearly annoyed.
"you'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says were nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" she exclaimed.
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us!" I defended, while Ron scowled at her.
"all right, I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." she said in a sniffy voice. "and you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"
Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. I looked at it too. It was getting dark. I could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did not seem to be slowing down.
Ron and Harry took off their jackets and pulled out their long black robes. I as well, took out mine. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken by the school separately."
I glanced over at Ron and Harry, they both looked nervous.
"don't worry guys, everything will go okay." I stated trying to lighten the mood.
Harry just shrugged and we all took the remaining sweats and placed them in our pockets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. I shivered in the cold night air, and rubbed the my shoulders from the cold.
A lamp came bobbling over the heads of us students, and a loud voice said.
"Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here! All right there, Harry?" this really, really, giant man looked at Harry and smiled at him. I'm assuming they know each other.
"C'mon follow me, any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!" slipping and stumbling, we all followed the bushy, big man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of then that I thought there must be thick tress here. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept loosing his toad, sniffed once or twice.
"yeh'll get firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." the giant man called over his shoulder. "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened and suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, it's window sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"no more'n four to a boat!" the hair man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. The three of us followed into our boat and we still had an empty spot. Hermione came to our boat and helped herself in. Ron seemed to not be happy about this.
"Everyone in?" the giant man shouted, who had a boat to himself. "right then- FORWARD!"
And the fleet of the little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled the hairy giant as the first boats reached the cliffs, they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a black tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" asked the giant man, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" Cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowed around the huge, oak front door.
"everyone's here? You there, still got your toad?" Neville nodded to him and the man raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the door.
The door swung open at once. A tall, black haired witch in emerald green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and my first thoughts was that this was not someone to cross.
"the firs' years. Professor McGonagall." said the big man.
"thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could fit my whole house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
We all followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. I could hear hundreds of voices from a door way to the right, the rest of the school must already be here, but professor McGonagall showed us first years into a small, empty, chamber off the hall. They crowed in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.
"welcome to Hogwarts," said professor McGonagall. "the star of tem banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free tine in your house common room.
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has it's own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will loose house points. At the end of the year, the hosue with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
The sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you al smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatted his hair.
"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." Professor McGonagall left the champed.
"how exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked Ron and I.
"some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was just joking."
I laughed at that. "I hope that's not what's happening." he laughed as well.
I looked around the room nervously. Everyone else looked just as nervous I felt. I stared at the door, dreading for the moment when professor McGonagall would come in. then something happened that made me jump about a foot in the air, several people me screamed. I turned around and widen my eyes at what I saw. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the black wall. Pearly white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"
"my dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know he's not really even a ghost, I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.
"new students!" said the the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "about to be sorted, I suppose?"
A few people nodded mutely.
"hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."
"move along now, the sorting ceremony's about to star." said a sharp stern voice.
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.
"now, form a line, and follow me." Professor McGonagall told us.
I got into the line with Harry in front of me, and Ron behind me. We walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
I have never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands of and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led us up here, so that we came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teaches behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at us looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candle light. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, I looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. I heard Hermione whisper, "it's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I about it in Hogwarts, a History."
It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on the Heavens.
I quickly looked down again as professor McGonagall silently placed a four legged stool in front of us first years. On top of the stool she out a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Make they had to try to get a rabbit out of it? That seemed the sort of thing.
I look around, noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, I stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was a complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing a song. When the hat finished it's song, the whole hall burst into applause. It bowed to each of the four tables then became quite still again.
"so we've just got to try on that hat!" I whispered to Ron and Harry.
"I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Ron whispered back and Harry smiled weakly.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll or parchment.
"when I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." she paused and looked down at the parchment. "Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause-
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Huffleoff table.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW"
The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.
"Brocklehurst, Many" went into to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a slytherin.
"Finch-Fletchley Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Sometimes, I noticed that the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while decide. "Finnigian, Seamus." the sandy haired boy in front of Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned at his.
I zoned out a bit at the names after that. What if I don't get called? What if I'm not supposed to be here? What if they can't sort me because I'm to weird? These thoughts came running around in my head, never leaving. I finally got back to reality and listened to professor McGonagall.
"Malfoy, Draco." he swaggered forward and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Malfoy went to join his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.
"Miller, Kyle!" I froze when she called my name. I didn't move, Ron pushed me forward and whispered "good luck" to me. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and sat on the stool. I gently placed the hat on my head.
"ahh what a unique girl. Hmm, very interesting. You could be in any one of these houses. You have good wit, are extremely loyal and kind, have your sly moments, and are noble. Where to put you? Not Ravenclaw, you would exceed better elsewhere, not Hufflepuff, doesn't suit you, so that leaves Slytherin or Gryffindor." the hat paused for what seemed like eternity. He finally had an answer.
"GRYFFINOR!" I sighed in relief when he called that and I happily walked over to the cheering table. I sat next to Seamus and he smiled at me.
There weren't many people left now though. Both Harry and Ron got into Gryffindor.
"blimley I'm glad I got sorted in this house! The only bad thing is her!" Ron whispered to me while pointing to Hermione who was talking to Neville.
"she's not that bad, Ron. Just a little smart." I told him.
"a little?" he snorted.
"okay maybe a know it all, but that's just how she is. And maybe a bit annoying."
"a bit?"
I laughed at him and Harry joined me. We spent our meal laughing and telling and telling jokes. I haven't had this much fun in a while. After Dumbledore's speech all the Gryffindor first years followed Percy Weasley, Ron's older brother. I wasn't paying attention on where we were walking. My attention was on Harry, who was telling Ron and I about muggle things.
At the end of a corridor hung a portrait of a very fat women in a pink silk dress.
"password?" she asked.
"Caput Draconis." Percy said. And the portrait swing forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. We all scrambled through it, and found ourselves in the Gryffindor Common room, a cozy, round room full of squishy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through one door to our dormitory, and the boys to another. At the top of the spiral staircase, they were obviously in one of the towers. They found their beds at last. Five four posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, we all pulled on our pajamas and went to bed.