Harry Potter was sitting in his Uncle Vernon's car on the way to King Cross
Station. His snowy owl, Hedwig, was sitting in her cage, on Harry's lap.
Next to him was his fat cousin, Dudley, who took up two of the three back
seats of the car. Uncle Vernon, was driving the car and next to him, skinny
and long-necked Aunt Petunia. They were all sitting in silence, waiting for
the ride to be over. Harry was staring out the window. He was very happy
because at the train station his train, the Hogwarts Express, was going to
take him away from his aunt, uncle, and cousin. They didn't like any bit of
Harry, from his old sneakers to his untidy, black hair. They didn't like
Harry just because of that. They didn't like him because Harry Potter was a
wizard.
He got a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he was eleven, and this was his fifth year. Harry sighed as they passed a field where cows where grazing. Harry, although small and skinny for his age, had grown a couple of inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been- stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his round glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.
Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled. . .
After fourteen years of trying to rise again, Voldemort had returned to his body. Last year, Harry had escaped from him for the third time. He was actually lucky that he had reached his fifteenth birthday.
The car suddenly screeched to a stop. Harry got out of the car and took his trunk out of the trunk of the car. He put the trunk and Hedwig's cage onto a trolley Uncle Vernon had gotten for him. "Goodbye," Harry said. "Goodbye," came the gruff reply. Harry pushed the trolley toward the station, looking for his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Ron had flaming red hair and lots of freckles. He had five older brothers and a younger sister. His family was pureblood (they were all wizards). Hermione, on the other hand, was an only child and her parents were muggles (people who had no wizard blood in them). She had bushy, brown hair that reached her shoulders. She was a clever witch that read a lot.
He reached the barrier that separated platforms nine and ten. The secret to getting onto his platform, nine and three-quarters, was to slip through the wall between platforms nine and ten. But, you had to do it quickly and casually, so that no muggles would see you. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, nobody. He slipped through the wall slowly. As he arrived onto the platform, the scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express, came into view. Suddenly, he spied Ron and his younger sister, Ginny, and his mother. "Ron!" he yelled. Ron turned to the call of his name and saw that it was Harry. "Harry!" he exclaimed. Harry walked over to the Weasleys and greeted them politely. "How are you Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "it's a shame you couldn't come over our house over the summer but Dumbledore insisted that you stayed at your aunt and uncle's house." Harry had been looking forward to staying at the Weasleys' house. "That's okay, I survived," he replied. "Hermione is saving us a compartment in the train," Ron said. Harry said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and walked off with Ron and Ginny. Ginny found one of her friends and went off with her. Harry and Ron reached the compartment where Hermione was sitting petting her cat, Crookshanks.
"Hi, Hermione," Harry said to Hermione. Hermione looked up and saw Harry. "Hello, Harry," she replied. "So, what's up?" Harry asked, and Ron and Hermione started to talk about their summer vacations until the plump witch pushing a cart full of sweets. "Anything off the trolley?" she asked kindly. Harry bought the three of them some chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, pumpkin pasties, and more sweets to eat on the trip. When they finished eating they changed into their robes. The train screeched to a stop and they left the compartment. "Firs' years over here!" yelled a familiar booming voice. It was Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Hagrid was two times the size of a normal man. He had a tangle of black hair and beard, and was also the Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
They reached the horseless carriages and rode in them all the way to the castle. They climbed up the stairs and entered through the gigantic oak front doors. The great hall was very noisy when Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in. They sat down at the Gryffindor table where all their friends were sitting, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown. They chatted away about their summer vacations. They didn't notice, though, that there was an empty seat, where the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was supposed to sit and there were extra seats too. They talked until Professor McGonagall, the stern transfiguration teacher, walked in with a bunch of nervous-looking first years. Professor McGonagall placed the ragged Sorting Hat on a three-legged stool while it sang its annual song.
When the song was over, everybody clapped and cheered and Professor McGonagall started to announce names to come up and be sorted. "Bunch, Abraham," she called and a small boy with blonde hair and blue eyes came up and was announced as a Ravenclaw. "Bunch, Sarah," and a girl that looked exactly like Abraham came up and was sorted into Hufflepuff. It went on and on until "Zachs, Jessica," was sorted into Slytherin. Then, when every first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up. "I have an announcement to make," he said slowly.
He got a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he was eleven, and this was his fifth year. Harry sighed as they passed a field where cows where grazing. Harry, although small and skinny for his age, had grown a couple of inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been- stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his round glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning.
Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled. . .
After fourteen years of trying to rise again, Voldemort had returned to his body. Last year, Harry had escaped from him for the third time. He was actually lucky that he had reached his fifteenth birthday.
The car suddenly screeched to a stop. Harry got out of the car and took his trunk out of the trunk of the car. He put the trunk and Hedwig's cage onto a trolley Uncle Vernon had gotten for him. "Goodbye," Harry said. "Goodbye," came the gruff reply. Harry pushed the trolley toward the station, looking for his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Ron had flaming red hair and lots of freckles. He had five older brothers and a younger sister. His family was pureblood (they were all wizards). Hermione, on the other hand, was an only child and her parents were muggles (people who had no wizard blood in them). She had bushy, brown hair that reached her shoulders. She was a clever witch that read a lot.
He reached the barrier that separated platforms nine and ten. The secret to getting onto his platform, nine and three-quarters, was to slip through the wall between platforms nine and ten. But, you had to do it quickly and casually, so that no muggles would see you. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, nobody. He slipped through the wall slowly. As he arrived onto the platform, the scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express, came into view. Suddenly, he spied Ron and his younger sister, Ginny, and his mother. "Ron!" he yelled. Ron turned to the call of his name and saw that it was Harry. "Harry!" he exclaimed. Harry walked over to the Weasleys and greeted them politely. "How are you Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "it's a shame you couldn't come over our house over the summer but Dumbledore insisted that you stayed at your aunt and uncle's house." Harry had been looking forward to staying at the Weasleys' house. "That's okay, I survived," he replied. "Hermione is saving us a compartment in the train," Ron said. Harry said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and walked off with Ron and Ginny. Ginny found one of her friends and went off with her. Harry and Ron reached the compartment where Hermione was sitting petting her cat, Crookshanks.
"Hi, Hermione," Harry said to Hermione. Hermione looked up and saw Harry. "Hello, Harry," she replied. "So, what's up?" Harry asked, and Ron and Hermione started to talk about their summer vacations until the plump witch pushing a cart full of sweets. "Anything off the trolley?" she asked kindly. Harry bought the three of them some chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, pumpkin pasties, and more sweets to eat on the trip. When they finished eating they changed into their robes. The train screeched to a stop and they left the compartment. "Firs' years over here!" yelled a familiar booming voice. It was Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Hagrid was two times the size of a normal man. He had a tangle of black hair and beard, and was also the Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
They reached the horseless carriages and rode in them all the way to the castle. They climbed up the stairs and entered through the gigantic oak front doors. The great hall was very noisy when Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in. They sat down at the Gryffindor table where all their friends were sitting, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, and Lavender Brown. They chatted away about their summer vacations. They didn't notice, though, that there was an empty seat, where the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was supposed to sit and there were extra seats too. They talked until Professor McGonagall, the stern transfiguration teacher, walked in with a bunch of nervous-looking first years. Professor McGonagall placed the ragged Sorting Hat on a three-legged stool while it sang its annual song.
When the song was over, everybody clapped and cheered and Professor McGonagall started to announce names to come up and be sorted. "Bunch, Abraham," she called and a small boy with blonde hair and blue eyes came up and was announced as a Ravenclaw. "Bunch, Sarah," and a girl that looked exactly like Abraham came up and was sorted into Hufflepuff. It went on and on until "Zachs, Jessica," was sorted into Slytherin. Then, when every first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up. "I have an announcement to make," he said slowly.