A/N Hi, I'm starting this story, ( ok that is obvious...) and I will try to update as often as possible, but I leave no garantees, I have a lot of school and volletball practices that has to come first. I'm starting off in Harry's point od view, because that is what comes most naturly to me, but I will try to change the perspective to many different characters. Please, read and review, it will make my day (:

Chapter 1: The Train and Houses

Platform 93/4 was crowded with people from all over the country, people of all sizes, shapes and appearance stood on the platform. Parents hugging their children goodbye, new Hogwarts students looking nervous but excited, carrying big trunks containing clothes, books and other things they would need during the semester, older students who had been there before, and who were confident in their knowledge. There were a few siblings who were either too old or too young to attend Hogwarts who waved their goodbyes to their older or younger brothers and sisters. Some of the younger siblings cried that they wanted to go to Hogwarts too, and parents comforted them, telling them that they would get their chance in time. There were also some families who did not seem to belong there. They were wearing different clothes, and they kept looking around with awe or fright at the wizards and witches all around them. They were muggles who had a son or daughter at Hogwarts.

Right in the middle in the mess of people stood Harry Potter with his parents James and Lily and his younger siblings Henric and Sarah. He had just turned eleven a couple of weeks earlier, and was eager to start his first year at was screaming at the top of her lungs that she wanted to go to Hogwarts too, and Lily tried to calm her down, saying that it was only one more year, and that she had her twin to play with. Henric on the other side looked wistfully at the Hogwarts express, clearly wishing he was there, but not complaining. He knew that he was too young, and nothing he could say or do would change that fact, so he was resigned to wait.

Beside them stood Neville Longbottom and his grandmother. Neville was one of Harry's friends, and would often come over to their home in Godric's hollow. Neville's parents had been murdered by Lord Voldemort ten years ago, and ever since then he had lived with his grandmother. Neville was famous for being the only one who had ever survived the killing curse, but it was not something he was proud of since he was only a few months old when it happened, and he had no memory of it.

Harry tried not to pity his friend for the loss of his parents, because he knew that it would not be appreciated by the other boy. Instead, he treated Neville as a person, no different from anyone else, for he knew that that is how he would have wanted to be treated if their roles had been reversed.

The train whistle blew, and suddenly, everyone was in a hurry to get on the train. James helped Harry and Neville to carry their heavy trunks on board the train. They said their last goodbyes and then the train started moving, leaving the platform.

"Come on, lets find a compartment to sit in." Harry said, and him and Neville started to walk towards the end of the train, stopping at every compartment to see if they could sit there. Almost everywhere was full, but near the end they found an empty compartment and sat down.

"Do you think you'll miss home?" Neville asked. " Probably a bit, but Hogwarts is supposed to be great, and we will make lots of friends, so I don't know how much time we will have to miss home." Harry answered. "Besides, we'll finally get to learn magic!" he added cheerfully. He had been eager to learn magic ever since he was little and realised that his parents could do all sorts of cool things with a wand. "I guess so." Neville said, clearly not as certain as Harry that they were going to have a good time. "I'm just worried about what people will think of me. They probably expect me to be some kind of hero, but I'm just me." he finished weakly. "Maybe..." Harry started to say, but was interrupted but but a boy poking his head in the compartment. The boy had vivid red hair, bushy eyebrows and an uncertain look about him. His clothes seemed to have been passed down from older siblings and he had dirt on the side of his nose.

"Do you mind if I sit here? Practically everywhere else is full." he said looking at Harry and Neville. "Sure that's no problem." Harry said, looking meaningfully at Neville. "I'm Harry and this is Neville." he added as an afterthought. "I'm Ron... are you two first years too?" the red haired boy asked, seeming to hope for a yes. "Sure." said Neville, comforted by the fact that Ron hadn't recognized him right away.

Ron put his heavy-looking trunk under the seats and took his place beside Harry. The silence seemed to stretch thin as they could her talking and laughing from the other compartments. "So, have you thought a lot about it? What it will be like at Hogwarts I mean?" Harry finally said, to lighten up the mood. "Yeah, of course I have, I mean it's a pretty big thing, right? I have older brothers who attends Hogwarts, and they've told me loads stuff,but I don't know how much I should believe." Ron answered, seemingly happy that someone else had broken the awkward silence first. "They like to joke, and they tease just about everyone" he answered in a rush, looking as if he thought he had said too much."You have older brothers? Cool! I only have a younger brother and sister. They're jealous of me because they have to wait another year before they can go to Hogwarts." Harry said with a smirk. "I don't have any siblings." Neville put in, feeling the need to say something.

Ron glanced at him, and suddenly looked as if his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. "You're him, aren't you?" he exclaimed. "You're Neville Longbottom, the boy who lived!" Neville wanted to shrink through the floor, and all he managed to say was a feeble "Yes". Ron, not noticing that Neville was uncomfortable, asked "Do you have the- the scar?" finishing in a near whisper.

Neville nodded and flipped his hair to the side to reveal his lightning bolt shaped scar in the middle of his forehead. He had gotten it when Voldemort had tried to kill him when he was but an infant. "Wicked!" Ron said. He was just about to say something more when they heard a loud noise from Nevilles trunk.

"Trevor!" Neville exclaimed and immediately moved to take out his toad, and put it in his lap. He had forgotten that it was there until it had announced itself.

After that he grew more confident, as well as comfortable, especially when it became obvious that Ron wasn't going ask to any more questions concerning his fame or his parents. The hours rushed past, and they talked amiably the whole way. When the cart with candy came, it became obvious that Ron didn't have a lot of money, and felt embarrassed by it, but Harry quickly fixed matters by buying enough for all three of them and pleasantly told the others to help themselves to whatever they wanted. Ron had brought sandwiches from home, but they soon lay forgotten on the floor. After a few hours, when they had finished eating the last of the sweets, they decided that it was time to change into their robes, and only a few minutes later, the train glided to a halt. They had arrived at Hogwarts at last.

The platform was abuzz with people getting of the train, and at first Harry, Neville and Ron thought to just follow the older students, who were walking towards some carriages, but then they heard the booming voice belonging to a man so big he could only be Hagrid. "Firs' years to me!" and they went to him instead. "You must be Hagrid." Harry said when they were closer. "Tha's me, and ye're...?" the giant of a man answered. "Harry Potter" Harry answered, having to bend his head almost straight up to meet Hagrids eyes. "A Potter are ye? Who're yer friends?" he asked. "I'm Ron Weasley" said Ron with a smile. "Another Weasley? Suppose I Shoulda' known by the hair."Hagrid answered in his booming voice.

In the short silence that fell afterwards it was clear that Hagrid expected Neville to introduce himself, but he was too shy to do it in the middle of a crowd. "This is Neville." Harry said at last, 'forgetting' the last name on purpose so that people who were around them talking wouldn't hear the name and turn to look.

"Well come along then, ALL FIRS' YEARS FOLLOW ME!" He shouted over the noise of people leaving, talking and laughing all the way. He walked towards a big lake, and they all followed. They quickly noticed the boats that lay on the shore, and understood that they were going to go by boat to the castle they could see on the other side of the lake. The castle looked very imposing as it stood in the distance, dwarfing all buildings they had ever seen by comparison. It was a magnificent silhouette against the pale sky painted a smooth orange colour by the setting sun.

"On'y four to a boat!" Hagrid roared as they started to climb into the boats. Harry, Ron and Neville shared their boat with a girl with brown, curly hair, bushy eyebrows and large front teeth, named Hermione Granger. She quickly pointed out that Ron had dirt on his nose to his great annoyance. All the boats had four people in them except for the boat that only carried Hagrid. Harry supposed that Hagrid probably weighed as much as four of them boats were spelled, so all Hagrid had to do was shout "FORWARD!" and the boats started moving. Harry's first impression of the girl, Hermione, was that she was a little bossy but she seemed to be alright. She told them a number of facts about the castle and the surrounding area referring to a book called 'Hogwarts- a history' that she said they all should read.

Ron sulked the whole way after the episode with the dirt and didn't join in the conversation at all. After a few minutes Hermione exclaimed "Oh my god, you're Neville Longbottom!" to Neville, who was very uncomfortable and tried to slip further back in the boat, even though he was already sitting at the far back of the boat. Harry was almost afraid he might fall into the water if he tried to move further back.

"I've read about you in 'A recent history of Wizards'." Harry, noticing his friend's reaction, quickly changed the subject to quidditch. Neville cast him an appreciative glance and joined the conversation again. Even Ron had a few things to say, it was his favourite sport in the world after all, but Hermione and Neville only talked because it was the polite thing to do. Neither of them had any interest in quidditch, Neville because he was such a poor flier and Hermione because she considered it a waste of time that could be spent reading or such.

After only a few minutes, they were on the other side, staring up at the castle that would be their home for the next seven years. Harry took a deep breath and climbed out of the boat, followed by Ron, Hermione and lastly Neville.

They were lead to a great gate, and through two massive double doors into the castle proper. Hagrid continued, with the first years close behind, through corridors with paintings on the walls. Many of the painting's occupants waved and happily welcomed them to Hogwarts, but some seemed to think that mare first years were too far below them to be worthy of their notice, let alone first years who hadn't even had their first lesson in magic yet. There were suits of armor, reflecting the dim light from the various magical candles and torches, standing tall and proud as if they were waiting for a command to defend the castle. There were staircases so large that Harry reasoned at least half his house must be able to fit in them and then some.

At the top of one of those staircases, the unlucky people who were walking last got a nasty surprise when ghosts came floating up the stairs. They were a gray colour, as if they were a black and white version of the people they had been. Harry knew of course that the ghosts were harmless, but some of the muggleborns squealed and pressed to the walls hoping to escape notice. One of the ghosts said "We should give him a second chance, forgive and forget, that is the way to maintain civilisation." to one of the other ghosts, who didn't seem to agree with that statement. "And how many chances have we already given him? He will not change, I say we must make him leave the school. If he cannot abide by the rules, which he has proven time and time again, then he cannot be allowed to stay." the second ghost answered in what was obviously an old british dialect. They continued to argue as they came closer to the group of people, as if they did not realise they were there.

A strange cat caught Harry's attention as it glided up the stairs to stand in front of the group. Suddenly, the cat turned into a severe-looking witch with iron gray hair tied up in a tight, precise knot in her neck. She had glasses that matched the markings the cat had had around the eyes exactly. Harry knew at once that she must be an animagus, a witch who can turn into a specific animal at will. Harry was quite familiar with animagi since his father and two of his father's best friends were animagi themselves. "Listen up everyone!" the animagus said with a tone of authority. Harry immediately knew that he did not want to cross this woman, she seemed capable of giving out any punishment to those who needed to learn the rules. However, she also struck Harry as someone who would listen and judge fairly.

"I am professor Mcgonagall, and I will be your transfiguration teacher" she said and Harry thought that he should have guessed as much considering that becoming an animagus was advanced transfiguration."You are soon going to enter the great hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor" Harry and Neville looked at each other and silently promised that they would both end up in Gryffindor, just like their fathers. "Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While you are at Hogwarts, your house will be your family. Your triumphs will earn your house points. Any rule breaking will result in you losing points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will get the house cup. I sincerely hope that each of you will be an asset to your house." Mcgonagall said, starting to unroll a piece of parchment that she had kept in a pocket in her flowing, black robes.

Hagrid opened the gigantic doors, and they went through into the great hall. All of the older students had already taken their seats at their respective house tables. The first years were lead forward between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables until they stood at the edge of the platform where the staff table was located. On the platform, there was a single chair with an old looking, brown hat on top. Behind him, Harry heard Hermione whispering to the girl beside her "the roof is magical, it shows the weather as it is outside, I read it in 'Hogwarts a history'."

Harry looked up for the first time and saw that the roof did indeed look like the weather outside, or at least what it had looked like a few minutes ago before he had entered the castle. Mcgonagall called for their attention again and Harry reluctantly complied and tore his eyes away from the wonders of the room to instead look at her. "When I call your name, you will walk up to the chair and place the sorting hat on your head. It will then decide which house you belong in." "All we have to do is put on that hat?" Ron said with a tone of relief and annoyance at the same time. "I'm going to kill Fred, he was going on about fighting a troll..." he trailed off as Mcgonagall began reading from her list of names. Harry was only half paying attention as he looked around the room, knowing that 'Potter' would be way down on the list.

o

"Granger, Hermione!" Mcgonagall called and Hermione started walking up to the sorting hat. She had never been so nervous in her entire life as when she placed the hat on her head, the entire school looking at her, wanting to know where she belonged. What if she didn't fit in anywhere, just like in her muggle school? What if she just got sorted into a house because she had to be somewhere? She could imagine what the hat would say, Oh, you are a strange one, you don't fit anywhere! I will have to place you in Hufflepuff because I haven't placed anyone there yet..."

Instead, the words she heard were"Ah, a great mind I see, a lot of courage too, you could do well in both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. However, I think you will find more people like you in RAVENCLAW!" only the last word was shouted so everyone could hear. She happily bounced off her seat and took off the sorting hat as the Ravenclaws erupted in applause. The hat had said that she would do both Ravenclaw and Gryffindor! Maybe, she could finally find good friends here, in the house where everyone was supposed to be brainy and study a lot. Maybe she had finally found the place where she belonged.

She went to sit next to an older student, who clapped her on the shoulder and welcomed her to Ravenclaw. Only a few names later, Neville's name was called. He looked just as nervous as she had been when she was up there, but this time, everyone's full attention was on the platform. There was a sudden hush and then a fountain of whispers as everyone craned their necks for a better view, trying to confirm if it was the Neville Longbottom, the boy who lived. Neville had the hat on only for a moment, surely much shorter a time than she had had it on, and then the hat bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" and the table furthest away from Hermione's table burst into thundering applause and general cheering, much higher than for anyone else. She heard two redheaded boys who were so similar that they had to be twins shouting "We got Longbottom! We got Longbottom!" at the top of their lungs.

She was happy for Neville, it was obvious that he had gotten the house he wanted. He jumped from his seat and forgot to take off the sorting hat, so he had to go and put it back in it's chair to general laughter. Well, Hermione thought, they'll either think him stupid or funny, but neither is probably true. He must have been twice as nervous as I was when I walked up there, at least no one knows my name.

o

Harry watched Neville be sorted into Gryffindor, clapping eagerly for his friend. He was happy that Neville got what he wanted, maybe that would make him stop doubting himself so much in the future. He was a bit sad that Hermione wasn't in Gryffindor, she seemed like a really nice person, but interhouse friendships were usually few and not very strong nor long lasting, or at least that was the impression he had gotten from his father and Sirius. His mother had tried to be friends with Snape, even though they were in different houses, but that hadn't worked out in the end.

A few names later, Harry's name was called and he went up on the platform and put on the sorting hat. He was only a bit nervous, he was sure that he would get into Gryffindor, so he could afford to smile. He heard the hat's voice in his head "Ah, a lot of courage I see, and a thirst to prove yourself. Not a bad mind either, you could do well in many houses. It better be SLYTHERIN!" Harry froze and looked around, confused. Had the hat just said that he was in Slytherin? How could that be possible? Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he rose and went to sit at the cheering table with the green ornaments. He sat dazed in a chair and stared forward on nothing in particular. He was in Slytherin, he was in Slytherin! What had he done wrong? How could he not have been sorted into Gryffindor? He had been so sure, and then the sorting hat had begun by calling him brave...

Suddenly, everyone went quiet as Dumbledore rose to hold his speech. Harry was awakened from his deep thinking by the headmaster's clear voice resounding in the great hall. "To all first years: welcome to Hogwarts, and to all older students, welcome back! I shall not delay your meal any further, so I will say only this: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Dumbledore sat down again and food appeared on the tables. The older students begun eating right away, but some of the first years were startled by the sudden variety of food standing before their eyes. Harry, realising how hungry he was after only eating candy for lunch, dug in on the boiled potatoes and grilled chicken. "That is one of the weirdest things I've ever heard someone say. Is Dumbledore entirely sane?" asked a blond first year who sat next to Harry, her name had been somewhere in the beginning, but Harry could not remember what it was. David perhaps? She had blue, narrow eyes and a big nose. Her thin lips were smiling, and that seemed to be har natural expression. "Well, no one can be too sure, Dumbledore has always been on the odd side, but my parents think that he is brilliant." Harry answered her, trying to force a smile. By the girl's expression, it came out more as a grimace or a sneer. "I'm Harry, by the way, Harry Potter." he added, hoping to redeem himself somewhat in her eyes. If he was going to be in Slytherin, and he saw no way out of it now, then he had to wake some Slytherin friends. This girl didn't seem like such a bad choice. "I'm Tracey Davis." the girl answered politely.

Once they had eaten as much as they could, Dumbledore rose again to speak. " I hope you enjoyed the feast. I would like to welcome our newest addition to the staff, professor Quirrell! He is going to teach you defence against the dark arts. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch has reminded me to inform you that it is forbidden to perform magic in the corridors. Our new students ought to know that the forbidden forest is just that: forbidden! Some of our older students ought to remember it too." he said with a twinkle in his eyes, looking at the Gryffindor table. "I would also like to tell you that the corridor on the third floor to the right is off limits to anyone who does not wish to die a painful death." he paused as if in thought, and whispers could be heard throughout the great hall. What was it that was so deadly and sekret that Dumbledore wouldn't even tell them what it was? "It's late, you should be in bed. Tut, tut." and with those final words, Dumbledore finished his speech and went back to the staff table. The students started buzzing again as everyone left their places and started walk towards the common rooms. "First years, follow me!" an older Slytherin, presumably a prefect, said in a clear voice, easily cutting through the noise of all the people leaving. Harry and Tracey got up and followed along with the rest of the first years. Harry had gotten to know Tracey a bit more during the feast, he had scarcely said two words to anyone else. He had found her to be a polite and happy girl, and he thought that he could be friends with her.

A/N So, the first chapter... was it good? Please, tell me (=

By the way, all the characters are real, though some may not be mensioned in the books. (I've done my homework...)