I sat rather awkwardly at the Gryffindor table. I wasn't a first year but it was my first year here at Hogwarts. My Name is Catalina O'Malley. I was born and raised in Dublin until I left to be trained as a witch at Beauxbaton's School of Witchcraft and wizardry. My mum who had gone to Hogwarts finally got around to transferring me and my brother here. Dumbledore had saved us the trouble of a Sorting and let us have a private before the feast started. So now we were sitting at the Gryffindor table.
After sitting there silently this small girl with buck teeth and bushy hair leaned over and said, "Hi! I'm Hermione Granger, and you are?" She finished her sentence all on one breath.
"My name is Catalina O'Malley." I told her, and my strong Irish brogue crept through. "My friends call me Cat though. Oh and this is my brother, Danny." He smiled at her and she blushed. Even though he was only 15 my brother already looked like a man and usually had this effect on girls.
"So are you from Ireland?" She seemed like the inquisitive type. Danny looked at me playfully.
"O' course we are lass!" Danny said his Irish accent dominant. I roared with laughter.
"Watch out for this one Hermione he's a mischievous one!" I said nudging him playfully. He laughed and nudged me right back.
"I could say the same about you!" He retorted. Suddenly a boy leaned over towards where we were we sitting.
"Say, it sounds you're having a right laugh! What's going on down there?" The boy had red hair, freckles and blue eyes that held a playful gleam.
"Oh nothing." I responded looking innocent. Then to my surprise another boy that looked exactly like the first boy leaned and replied,
"Unlikely, from that laughter I'd say not." He grinned at me and I grinned right back. "I'm George and this is my brother Fred." Then Hermione decided to say something.
"Oh! So you're Ronald's brothers." She stated.
"Why yes we are. I take it you've had the pleasure of meeting our brother?" Fred said teasingly. Hermione harrumphed. And everyone laughed. "So, what's your name? I don't remember seeing you around here before." I smiled at him,
"My name's Catalina. My brother and I just transferred from Beuxbatons." Danny sighed; he hadn't really liked it at Beauxbatons.
"So you're in our year?" He asked me.
"Yes I am." I replied. He grinned again.
"Well then I guess we'll be seeing each other around." I rolled my eyes slightly.
"I suppose so." I replied with a knowing look at Danny. He smirked in my direction.
Then suddenly Dumbledore stood up and I realized that all the students had been sorted.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber, Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" Then, as soon as the words left his lips food appeared on the tables. We all immediately began filling our plates. Throughout the meal we talked and laughed at Fred and George's stupid jokes and listened to my brother tell stories about Ireland and France. Mostly Hermione and I talked about lessons.. She was very intelligent and when talking about academics she sounded as if she swallowed a textbook.
Once the dinner course had disappeared from the table and dessert appeared talk turned to quidditch. Danny and I supported Ireland 100%. Although Fred and George supported them too they also supported the Chudley Cannons, AKA the worse team to ever fly on broomsticks. So we got into this whole debate about teams. Then suddenly the hall fell silent.
Dumbledore began his welcome back speech.
"Ahem-just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First year students should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He turned his piercing blue gaze on the Gryffindor table and sought out Fred and George. They looked slightly sheepish.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridor.
Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
After that Dumbledore led everyone in singing the school song. Everyone sang on different pitches, which to my ear sounded horrible. Until at last the Weasley Twins were left singing by themselves to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore then dismissed everyone to bed and the Hall turned into organized chaos. Prefects yelled, children yammered and benches scraped across the stone floor. I stood still for a moment, trying to catch my bearings.
"C'mon Cat. You won't go anywhere standing there like a statue." George said in my ear. I jumped about a foot in the air and yet they remained right next to me. Soon they were steering me along corridors even through a hidden passages until we arrived at a portrait of an older woman wearing a silk pink dress. "Caput Draconis." The two boys said together.
"You may enter." The lady in the portrait said as she swung open. We walked into a large circular room filled with overstuffed arm chairs and tables for doing work. There was a fire burning in the fireplace. Two winding staircases led off on opposite sides of the room.
"Ok so that's the way to the boy's dormitories and that's the staircase that leads to the girl's dormitories." Fred said. George quickly added,
"Katie Bell could show you around. Katie! Hey, Katie!" George called across the room. A tall, blonde girl who looked to be my age walked over.
"Whaddya want, Weasley?" She asked looking bored.
"Hey Katie. This is Catalina she's new. Could ya show her around?" Fred asked. She looked at me and smiled.
"Alright sure. C'mon Cat. Let's head up to the dormitory." She beckoned to me. I stood up and waved at Fred and George, then followed Katie. We walked up the staircase on the left side of the common room. She stopped at the door marked, Third Years.
She opened the door and inside was of thirteen year old girls talking and laughing. They all stopped when they saw me and Katie. "Alright everyone, this is Catalina she-" I cut her off,
"Cat." I said. "I like to be called Cat." I looked at Katie, who looked bemused. "Sorry." She laughed and continued,
"Sorry Cat. She just transferred from Beauxbatons." She said. The girls all looked rather impressed. They began to talk to each other and me until Katie interrupted. "Oi! You lot, settle down! Let her settle in and then you can talk to her." She looked at me, "Ok your things are over there and that's your bed. G'night Cat." She smiled at me and then turned to her bed and changed in to her pajamas.
I walked over to my bed and opened my trunk. I quickly changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth. I climbed into bed, thoroughly exhausted by the day's events. I closed my eyes and fell asleep my thoughts still running a marathon in my head.