You walked into platform 9 3/4 for the first time. Your emerald eyes stared
in wonder at the sight before you. Long, flowing hair, the color of wheat
at harvest time twirled around you as you sharply turned your attention
toward the train. You had heard for the first time the sound of the whistle
piercing the good-bye's of parents to their children. You walk briskly
toward the train, trying not to miss it.
After boarding you do a scan of the train, and find all but three of the
compartments full. Two were occupied by groups of three; one of the groups
was three boys. Two of them looked dumb, and rather sluggish, with dark
hair, and the other was almost the opposite. He had silver blond hair,
looked well kept, and was thin, but just as intimidating as the other two.
Another was engaged by a friendlier looking group of people. A young witch
with bushy brown hair, reading a book, a young wizard with fiery red hair,
and another boy who had uncontrollable midnight hair. The third compartment
was completely empty. You opt out of the social scene, and bolt for the
empty compartment. You had a book you wanted to finish, and didn't want to
seem antisocial, so now would be an opportune moment.
The ride goes by uneventfully. When you get to Hogwarts you are a bit
confused. You saw kids your age going to the castle by wagons that seemed
to have no horses, or animals for that matter, moving them. But you also
heard a loud voice telling the first years to move in the opposite
direction.
"Are ye Edmy Rosary?" asked a very large, rather intimidating person from
behind you.
"Yes," you said slowly, not sure whether or not to trust this person.
"Then follow me. By th' way, the name's Hagrid. His tone was reassuring,
and your earlier doubts flew away as you realized this burly stranger meant
you no harm. You followed him onto a boat that was supposed to take you to
Hogwarts. There was never a day better for a boat ride across a lake. The
sun was shining bright, making your skin tingle from the warmth, and there
was a gentle breeze cooling you. The only concerning thing was a large
black spot, clearly visible through the lakes transparent surface.
"It's a giant squid," said a first year boy from behind you interestedly,
answering the question that had been nagging you for the last couple of
minutes. "My name is Joe Griswold," he said, offering his hand.
"Edmy, Edmy Rosary," you answered politely, shaking his hand in greeting.
"Pleasure to meet you, Edmy." You noticed he said your name almost like it
was an afterthought. All thoughts of your newly made acquaintance vanished
from you head as you saw the castle. It was enormous! It was by far the
largest, not to mention the most beautiful building you had ever seen. A
gently sloping, but nonetheless steep, hill seemed to be the reason for the
carriages. There were several delicately balanced, but forceful looking
towers. As you turned your head to the right, you saw the biggest forest
you had ever encountered. 'All the trees must be at least 100 years old,'
you thought in amazement as your boat neared the shore.
After a very short walk, you found yourself face to face with the largest
set of gates you had ever seen. The authority figure at the front of the
group said something about a sorting, but you really couldn't focus. The
paintings were all gorgeous! There were pillars made of expertly carved
wood. They were made with such skill; you thought if you stared at them for
long enough, they might come to life. The gates swung open, and you were
once again caught in a trap of wonder. The ceiling was a perfect recreation
of the sky outside! Something in front of you began to sing, but you
couldn't pry your eyes, or attention, away from the beauty before you.
There was clapping, and while you were in la-la land, you absentmindedly
clapped as well. You only snapped back to attention when you heard your
name called. You started to walk toward the stool with a look of confidence
of your face, but inside your legs were turning to jelly from the
nervousness you felt because of the eyes you knew were following you. You
sit on the stool, and a hat is placed on your head. You are thinking, "I
really want to be in Gryffindor!"
