Chapter 1
James, Penny and Jake watched as the looming castle grew bigger as the train grew closer to it. The solid stone walls looked as if they could hold anything in or keep anything out. Above the main part of the castle there were a number of stone turrets and towers, each with pointed wood roof and windows circulating around the towers. "It's magnificent." whispered Penny in awe. "Wow" said Jake, in the tiniest voice possible. James was absolutely speechless with wonder.
Then the train stopped.
The little group was shaken back to reality by the bump of the train stopping. They quickly dashed down the isle of the trolley with the rest of the excited students. As they jumped out the door, a booming voice shouted, "FIRS' YEARS, THIS WAY! FIRS' YEARS!" Hagrid rounded the corner swinging a lantern in his giant hand. "James!" he shouted over the chatter of the other students as all the first year students gathered around Hagrid. Hagrid wrapped James in a rib-crushing hug, knocking the wind out of James. "Hi, Hagrid." said James breathlessly after Hagrid had set him down. "An' yeh' mus' be Penny McMillan, Ernie and Hannah's girl, righ'? Yeh' look jus' like them! I remember seeing ye' a' James' birthday parties!" giving Penny a bear hug, too. "Good ter see yeh!" "Nice to see you to Hagrid." Said Penny, leaning on James for support until she got her breath back.
"Now, who migh' this be? Asked Hagrid, looking at Jake. Jake had been trying not to be noticed by Hagrid. He seemed friendly enough, but he sure looked scary. 12-feet-tall, with a mane of busy black hair, and beard of the same kind. He had on a great, fury coat that covered his whole body down to his ankles where you could see his shoes mad out of the hide of some animal or another. As Jake looked him up and down, he noticed his eyes, which were about the only thing you could see on his face besides his nose, which was rather pudgy. His eyes were great and black and had a merry twinkle in them, which made Jake less afraid of him. But James still answered for him, after seeing that his friend was a little bit awestruck by Hagrid.
"This is Jake, Hagrid. Penny and I met him on the train ride here." Said James, giving Jake a side-long glance. Penny shoved his shoulder to get him to stop staring. Hagrid didn't seem to notice and lead the first year students to the lake where there were small rowboats waiting. "Three to a boat, please!" yelled Hagrid as the students clamored into the boats. James, Jake and Penny grabbed the nearest one and got in. "O.K., everyone in? Good, let's ge' goin'." Said Hagrid tapping the front of his row boat and started leading the other ones across the lake. As James' boat started, it gave a small lurch, and Penny quickly grabbed James' arm in fright. " It's all right, Penny." Said James calmly, though he was shaking, too.
The small boats passed underneath a bridges that lead across the lake and over to Hogwarts castle. They watched as the other students went into the castle over the bridge on carriages pulled by nothing. Standing next to the loading dock was a witch with tall pointed green hat and wearing a long green robe with a black shimmering dress and a silver belt underneath. She had on horn-rimmed glasses and a stern look and had her steel gray hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her foot was tapping, like she was waiting impatiently for someone. When she saw the boats coming, she stopped tapping her foot, and waited for the boats to pull up.
When the boats landed, she said in a loud, clear voice, "I am Professor McGonagall. I am the head of Gryffindor House and your transfiguration teacher. I will lead you all to the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. The houses are, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. All are very honorable and are fine houses. None are better than the others. When you go into the Hall you will stand in a group at the front of the hall and you will be called up, one by one, to be sorted. You will then go and sit with your house at the designated table. Your headmaster, Professor Barney Steinwright, will then say a few words and we will have dinner. The Headmaster will explain from there. Now, follow me." She then turned on her heel and started walking very fast through the corridors.
When they got to a couple of huge wooden doors, Professor McGonagall stopped and turned to face the, now out breath, students. "Wait here. When these doors open, go through, up to the front of the Hall." She then walked through the doors and into what could only be assumed to be the Great Hall.
" Blimey, did you catch a word of what she said during that first little speech?" asked Jake. " No, not one word of it." Said James, " But I think that she was here when my mum and dad were in school." " Wow, she must be pretty old, huh James?" asked Penny. As soon as she said James, whispers broke out amongst the students outside the Hall. One brave first-year came up and said " S-ss-o, your dad is Harry Potter?" " Yeah, I guess?" said James, looking over his shoulder at Penny and Jake, both whom looked strangely guilty. "Wha-?" asked James, but he was cut off by the screechy opening of the doors of the Great Hall.
The students all turned to face the anxious faces off the older students. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th,5th,6th, and 7th year students all watched as the new students filed into the Great Hall. James looked up at the ceiling and saw the starry sky. Next to him, Penny explained, " the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside". As the students stopped at the front of the room, they saw Professor McGonagall standing there, holding a scroll in one hand and a tattered old hat in the other. She set the hat down on the stool next to her and it suddenly grew eyes and a mouth. That was not the strangest part though, because then the hat started to sing:
"It is time once again, the sorting time
To sort the first years out
In song and in rhyme
But this year I have a story to tell
Some of you and your parents
Know it quite well
This is a story in which none of you lived
This is the story
About the Boy Who Lived
Seventeen years, twice over, a boy was born
Into a strange world
One that was ruled by the Dark Lord
Most people feared and obeyed
But some stood out
With their cunning and brave
When this boy was only one
The Dark Lord paid a visit
To this young son
He killed both his parents, but he couldn't
You see
Kill the young boy, named Harry
Protect by his mother's love
The Dark Lord was in defeat
For thirteen years
Until the two once again meet
The next year, began the rebellion
With the boy and his friends
He defeated the Dark Lord once again
But his godfather met his end
In Harry's sixth year, he returned to Hogwarts
His favorite place
Only learn from and lose Albus Dumbledore
Who is a memory which no one can erase
Year 7 arrives, but Harry doesn't return
To the place that he loved so much
He has to defeat the Dark Lord
He with only his knowledge as a crutch
Harry goes with two best friends
Hermione and Ron
To look for the vile horcruxes
The search goes on and on
With only four of seven horcruxes found
Harry returns to Hogwarts grounds
And waits for the war to begin
And to dispose of the horcruxes, including him
With the help of all his friends
Harry is triumphant in the end
Lord voldemort has died and is gone
But Harry still lives on
Seventeen years it has been
And Harry's blood is here again
But this time in the form of his son
The son of Harry Potter, the champion
So let us let the sorting begin
For now the school year is in
I see destiny that is great
And that will play a part in fate
Now let the sorting, BEGIN"