As Harry walked into the Great Hall, he immediately noticed the hushed whispers and people glancing around the room looking for something he clearly hadn't heard about. He gave a look of sheer bewilderment to Ron – his red-haired best friend – who simply raided his eyebrows, that undoubtedly meant he'd noticed the atmosphere and was just as bemused by it.

Harry and Ron walked through the house tables, and sat on the benches next to Lee Jordan and Fred Weasley – who were sitting talking together and it was clear they didn't want to be overheard.

"What's all the secrecy about?" Ron asked.

"I dunno, but it seems that we're the last to know, whatever it is, for a change, eh?"

Just at that moment a bushy haired girl with a pretty face came bounding down towards them, "did you hear? Did you hear?" Before they could answer her she carried on, "There's some new students starting here for school this year, and they're in our year! It's so exciting!" Hermione exclaimed with an air of utmost excitement.

"Oh look boys! The junked up little mudblood's got herself all excited about our new peers" Draco Malfoy clapped his hands in mock excitement – "Do you really think students from a school as er… 'specific' as there's will really want to make friends with the likes of you lot? My guess is they'd mush rather befriends more pure wizards." Malfoy looked around at his cronies who all guffawed and squealed as Malfoy sneered towards the Gryfinndors.

"Malfoy do you think you're ugly mug's really going to attract people to you?" Harry asked with a smug smile. Ron pushed Harry around to face Hermione, as Malfoy turned back to his friends after being distinctly knocked off his pedestal.

It was only now that Harry knew something important was happening that he noticed the Great Hall had been decorated extra specially for the night. Hung behind the teacher's table was a giant tapestry of the Hogwarts crest – a lion, a serpent, a badger and an eagle intertwined around the letter 'H'. Floating in mid-air in what seemed to be tiny sparkling Hogwarts crests was the words "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus". The motto of the school Harry cared so much about. His eyes glanced over the house tables, each of the house emblems was hanging from the roof, and the tablecloths were also patterned with the associated house emblems. Thousands of candles were floating a few feet above their heads and they cast an almost romantic glow across the shining gold plates, goblets and cutlery. The enchanted sky was shimmering as the 'northern lights' twinkled across it.

Mesmerised by the colours of the ceiling Harry hardly noticed Ron jabbing him in the side, until he punched him in the shoulder to get his attention. Ron pointed his head to the table of Professors, and Harry immediately saw why. Professor McGonnagall had just rushed in and was now talking to Dumbledore, as she sat down in her chair next to half-giant Hagrid. Dumbledore cleared his throat and the few students who hadn't already noticed he was on his feet, quietened.

"Good evening students and teachers. As I'm sure you will all know by now, we are to be joined by some new student's tonight- six to be precise. They are joining us form another wizarding school on foreign soil. However all six students are British and simply migrated to another country before they reached the Hogwarts enrolment age. Fortunately for us, their parents and headmaster got in contact with me and I gladly accepted their wish to be enrolled here with us. I sincerely hope that my stretch of warm welcome will reach all of the students and teachers here." He looked around the Hall with a hint of a grin, many students returned this to him, "they shall be arriving any time now, and the feast will begin after they have arrived I ask that you be patient and chat amongst yourselves until they have joined us."

Harry, Ron and Hermione talked about their dreadful potion lesson they had to endure earlier that day. Professor Snape – Potions master – had been exceptionally unkind to Harry, which made this lesson no different to any other. Harry and Snape's relationship was one of utter resentment and hatred, where both detested each other more than anything either could describe.

Whilst putting some silverwood into his cauldron Ron had sneezed, he'd given Harry such a scare he knocked his cauldron over and spilled all its contents on the floor. Snape had been so annoyed he'd made Harry clean the insides of all the store cupboards. Where Harry had thought it would be extremely wise and useful to try and remember the names of as many of the potions, oils, powders, essences, tails, claws etc as he could. In case he ever needed to 'borrow' some again. Just like he had in his second year for his, Ron and Hermione's Polyjuice Potion.

Just as the Hall was submerged in a heavy air filled with gossiping conversation, the doors swung open. Every head in the Great Hall turned to watch the schools caretaker walk in – Argus Filch. He walked into the Hall and up towards the teacher's table, caressing the stomach of his cat, Mrs Norris. It wasn't until Harry noticed Hermione still looking in the direction of the doors that he became aware of the six, nervous looking teenagers standing in the doorway.

Dumbledore stood up and gestured the students towards him. Every face followed the newcomers as they walked between the tables. Looking around the hall bewitched by its decorations. Professor McGonnagall rushed forward and placed a stool in front of Dumbledore and surprisingly placed the sorting hat. Harry realised that if the new students were staying they'd have to be put into houses.

Harry watched the students enquiringly; there were two girls and four boys. McGonnagall was explaining something to them, most likely what they were supposed to do with the hat, as they all had a face of bemusement and curiosity.

"Beaton, Victoria" McGonnagall called. All eyes fell upon a girl with shiny, wavy hair sprawled down her back. As she turned and sat at the stool, the huge hat was placed on her head, and she smiled down at he the other girl who returned it. She was very pretty with hazel eyes, and looked thoroughly exultant as she moved to sit down at the table full of Gryfinndors – where she had been sorted. She mouthed something to the other girl, who howled with laughter and then immediately Lee Jordan fell into conversation with her.

Then a tall, lanky boy with untidy hair stepped forward when "Buchan, Kristofer" was called. The hat had barely touched his head before it shouted 'Hufflepuff!' All the Hufflepuff's stood up and clapped and cheered to welcome Kristofer to the table, he gave a small wave of appreciation and silence fell once more. Liam McKenzie was then put into Ravenclaw. He was very good looking with blonde, spiky hair and bright blue eyes and it seemed he was very sporty, as his muscles were visible through his robes.

"Morgan, Josephine" shouted McGonnagall. Nobody moved forward. A girl with auburn, curly hair was in silent giggles with a short, chubby boy next to her. Suddenly an immensely tall boy behind the pair, tapped Josephine on the shoulder and told her, her name was being called. She stumbled forward and reached a tight-lipped McGonnagall who merely pointed at the stool. Harry thought this girl looked kind of ungainly and a little ditzy, and was positive she'd be sorted into Hufflepuff. It took the hat a while with this newcomer, a few minutes past before the hat shouted "Gryfinndor!" Harry clapped and cheered with the rest of his housemates, he'd had been proven wrong and learned that first impressions can be misleading. He noticed Victoria Beaton was smiling widely, and was screaming as Josephine ran up to her and took a seat next to her after they exchanged a hug. The pair clearly were good friends as they chatted totally unaware that Wulfric Salamander has just been made a Slytherin. Victoria introduced her to Lee, and the Weasley twins, and they all shook hands and smiled politely before immersing in chuckles and banter.

Harry turned his eyes back to the unexpected sorting just as a tidy and 'proper' looking boy became a Slytherin and followed Draco Malfoys gestures and sat between him and Pansy Parkinson.

Dumbledore stood up and everyone became silent and watched him with eager anticipation. "Well, that's that! I know that after a hard days learning and a long days travelling, you must all be hungry so I will keep this short – dig in!" Students giggled as the empty platters before them became magically full of glorious food, and their goblets with different flavours of liquids.

As everyone was told it was time to go to bed, Josephine and Victoria walked up the enchanted staircase with Lee and the twins, talking each step in two. A few minutes later Harry and his friends gave the password to the Fat Lady and she swung open obligingly, they scrambled through the entrance to find it full with laughter. Victoria was sitting in a chair next to the crackling fire, and Josephine was sitting on the arm, both seemed to be the centre of attention as they talked of there old school. "-Yeah, it was twinned with bloody Durmstrang of all schools! Up to their eyes in Dark Arts they are! I'm not surprised that Kevin and Wulfric were put in Slytherin, eh Toria?"

"I know, they are two twisted little boys," she said smiling "Evil buggers! Can't trust either of them, I bet they're going to be in all our classes too, huh? I mean Kristofer and Liam are all right! Bit dull, but haven't got a nasty bone in their bodies I wouldn't think." Harry had never heard an accent like it and was extremely curious as to where Victoria was from, she was clearly Scottish but she sounded nothing like McGonnagall or Oliver Wood.

"It was Tealeaky School of Magic and Enchantments- Tealeaky for goodness sake! What in the name of God in 'Tealeaky'?" Everybody laughed along with Josephine and Victoria, as Josephine then carried on discrediting her previous school.

Harry happily sat listening with everyone else and was duly interested in what the girl's last school was like. Hermione was in deep conversation with Victoria and Josephine was sitting talking to Fred, George and Ron. She excused herself and walked over to the windowsill where she sat, resting her chin on her knees, and leaning her head on the cool glass. Harry thought she must be tired after days travelling, a huge feast and all these questions. He simply sat watching her for a while. He was unaware of all the Gryfinndors around him talking excitedly about Tealeaky and the girls. Harry overheard George tell Lee he thought Victoria was 'hot' and Lee agreeing, he had to suppress a giggle as to not look like he had been eavesdropping on the pair. He cast a fleeting look over at Josephine again, and noticed a solitary tear trickle down her cheek. Curiosity overcame him and after watching her cry silently for a minute or two, he walked over to her.

Harry put his hand on her shoulder to draw her attention and asked, "You OK?" She turned her head quickly and immediately wiped her cheek and rubber the tear line away.

"Me? Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just ignore me!" She tried to brush off the awkwardness with a nervous laugh. Harry chuckled along with her but didn't seem to have found anything funny.

"I'm Harry by the way, Harry Potter"

"Nice to meet you Harry, I'm Josephine."

"I heard you're name being called at the sorting. So… are you and Victoria close?"

"Toria? Of yeah, she's my best friend I love her to pieces like!"

"She seems a nice person, Lee and the twins seem to have taken a liking to her anyway!" Josephine laughed and told Harry that 'Toria was a lucky girl then, he laughed back. "You see that red haired boy sitting over at that table dozing against a pile of books? That's Ron, he's my best friend, I think you were talking to him earlier. And Hermione (he pointed at the rug in front of the fire where a girl was sitting reading looking completely stressed) she's a really good friend of mine too. Are you missing people from Tealeaky?"

"Not really, they're all dark, dark wizards, into bad things over there. There's a really heavy emphasis on Dark Arts lessons; we got them every day I think they want to brain wash us all into following You-Know-Who. But I ain't that stupid, that's the reason most of our parents wanted us to move back home."

"Sounds bad?"

"It was, I hated every minute I had to spend over there! Only good thing was the exchange trips, were students from Durmstrang came and I got to meet this really famous guy, Viktor Krum, you heard of him? I still write to him, really nice guy, looks a little dull but once you get to know him you cant help but love him!"

"I've met him, I saw him at the World Cup too! He was here for the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year! Him and Hermione became really close." Harry explained. He found it easy to talk to this girl; they had lots in common it seemed. They talked of Quidditch and Harry couldn't wait to tell Ron he'd found him a fellow Chudley Cannon's supporter.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to go to bed, I'm bloody knackered!" Most people were in their beds by this time, it must have been late Harry thought he bid her good night as she walked up the stairs. "Sweet dreams Harry!" she said as she waved and then disappeared up the spiral staircase. As Harry walked up to his dormitory he wandered where the two new girls would be sleeping as the dormitories were only built for five beds not seven. Harry fell asleep almost instantly feeling that he and his housemates had made a good impression on the new students, and that he'd made two new friends.