Welcome to Hogwarts

As the train ground to a stop at the Hogsmead Station, the two boys and girls turned their backs on each other to change into their school clothes. They grabbed their hats, leaving their luggage, and exited the train onto the platform. Alanna stuck close to Harry and his friends, trusting them to get her to the castle without mishap.

The castle itself, Alanna saw, was enormous. Its many windows glowed in the near darkness and the waters of the lake glittered like diamonds on the carved stone turrets. "So that's Hogwarts." She said out loud, reverence in her voice.

"That's Hogwarts." Ron affirmed absently. He was busy searching the platform for Ginny's red hair among the throng of students. He finally caught her eye and waved but she motioned that she was going to stay with her 5th year friends. Ron shrugged. "Looks like it's just us, mates. Let's find an empty carriage."

Hermione led the way to where the horse-less carriages awaited the students at the edge of the station's platform. Harry was used to seeing the thestrals now after Hagrid's lesson last year and his impromptu flight to the Ministry of Magic, but Alanna gave a startled squeak and grabbed onto his arm. Realizing what must have upset her, the boy turned to his new friend. "Can you see them?" He asked, although it was perfectly obvious that she could.

"Yes," said the girl, relaxing her grip now that she saw Harry was not alarmed by the presence of the black, skeletal, horse-like creatures. "But, what are they?"

Harry gave her a condensed version of Hagrid's lecture, explaining that the thestrals were invisible except to those who have seen death. Alanna looked at him, her eyes red again. "I have seen death." She whispered. After that, the ride was quiet. However, the girl had perked back up by the time the carriages reached the front doors and she greeted their thestral with a pat on the neck. The great winged creature bowed its head and touched its nose to her shoulder. Harry recognized it as the one that he had ridden last year and said his hello too before following Ron and Hermione up the stone steps to the great oak front doors.

They had just made it inside past Peeves—who was busy pelting spit wads at a group of second-years—when Professor McGonagall intercepted them. "Miss Barton." She said, addressing Alanna. "I am Professor McGonagall. I will show you to the room where you are to wait with the first years to be Sorted. Please follow me." Alanna shot a furtive glance at her new friends. "Move along there, Mr. Potter." The woman said briskly before whisking her new student away.

"See you later." Said Hermione comfortingly and left for the Great Hall. She, Harry, and Ron seated themselves at the Gryffindor table, settling between Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who scooted over to make room. The rest of the benches were soon filled with eager students, all looking forward to the start of the year feast. The teachers were all seated at the staff table overlooking the four house tables, all except for Professor McGonagall, who was busy arranging the Sorting Hat on a stool. A moment later, the nervous first years stumbled into the hall, among them one semi-composed fifth year. The old witch addressed them , explaining the process of the Sorting Ceremony. When she was done speaking, she stepped back and the hall held its breath while the hat gave a little shake and burst into song.

A hundred years ago or more

The Sorting Hat was made

To put the students into houses was

The task that I was bade.

Sweet Hufflepuff, she chose the kind

Brave Gryffindor, the true

Smart Ravenclaw, the brainy ones

And Slytherin the shrewd.

Altogether they would learn

Their young minds they'd hone,
Though in separate houses they may live

They'd all call Hogwarts home.

Each one chose a beast to bear

The noble name of magic's space

The students then would have to share,

to learn what was their place.

A creature of cool cunning and charm,

Sly Slytherin chose the snake.

He took upon himself the task

Of great wizards for to make.

Valiant Gryffindor favored the lion,

A beast of strength and heart,

With the brave and strong

He would make his start.

Humble Hufflepuff did

The noble badger choose

With the kind and doggéd

She therefore could not lose.

Learnéd Ravenclaw had no question

As to which would be her creature

The eagle's brains and sharpness

Were it's most defining features.

And now, good students, you have heard

A tale of great and noble his'ty

What you shall do with what you know

Is now the biggest myst'ry.

There was a great thunder of applause for the Sorting Hat's song, most the the students standing to show their appreciation. Alanna marveled at how the hat could come up with such clever rhymes and not repeat them year after year. She didn't have much time to guess, however. Professor McGonagall called Alanna's name first and the girl stepped forward to sit on the stool.

"Bit tall for a first year, isn't she?" Dean commented, but Hermione shushed him quickly. Alanna felt the woman place the ratty old hat over her red hair and was surprised to hear a voice in her ear.

"Ah, transfer student, hm? Durmstrang too much for you, eh?" The hat said, sounding rather derisive.

"Yes, sir." Alanna thought, hoping to appeal to the hat's better side by being extra polite. "If you please, I'd like to join my friends in Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor, hm?" Said the hat musingly. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather be in Slytherin? You have all the makings of a very powerful witch and Slytherin will help you on your way." Alanna shook her head, making the hat wobble. "Well, have it your way; you'll be sorry. Students today, imagine them telling the Sorting Hat which House they should be in…" Alanna had a second to wonder what the old hat meant about her being sorry before it shouted "Gryffindor!" for all to hear. The Gryffindors applauded a whistled as she went to her new house table and took a seat next to Harry. She watched as the first years proceeded to be Sorted and clapped with the rest when one came to join the Gryffindor table. Soon all the new students had taken their seats and a very old but energetic looking wizard stood to address the students.

"Welcome," said Dumbledore, spreading his arms impressively to encompass the four house tables before him, "To another exciting year at Hogwarts. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special welcome to Miss Barton, now of Gryffindor, who joins us having spent four years at Durmstrang. We are very glad to have you with us and we hope that you will soon think of Hogwarts as your home." He paused to smile at the girl and Alanna grinned back.

"Now, a few start of term announcements before you all get to the feast. Please note that the Forbidden Forest remains so; a few of our more adventurous students would do well to remember this."—Harry, Ron, and Hermione could feel his eyes settle momentarily on them.—"The list of banned items resides in its usual place in Mr. Filch's office; I ask that all prefects peruse it at their leisure. Now, tuck in. I believe the house-elves outdid themselves this year." He sat amid a smattering of applause and a moment later the food appeared.

Alanna immediately helped herself to the chicken salad and Ron passed her a few slices of bread before taking some for himself. Harry fought Seamus for the last of the drumsticks and finally Seamus gave up when he sprouted whiskers. Hermione magicked them away without even looking up from pouring herself some pumpkin juice. Alanna admired the way that everyone in Gryffindor seemed to know each other's movements and react accordingly. It was just like how a house should act: like a family.

After all the students had gotten their fill of the feast, the dishes cleared themselves and dessert appeared among the plates. Harry went immediately for the treacle tart, which was his favourite, and persuaded Alanna to try some. As she munched on the treacle that Harry had put on her plate, Alanna shifted on the bench to look up at the staff table. She recognized Professor McGonagall, the strict old witch who had shown her to the first year waiting room. Dumbledore was easy to spot, sitting on a comfortable-looking, throne-like chair in the middle of the staff table. She caught his eye and he winked at her cheerfully.

On the other side of Professor McGonagall, glaring down at a pair of students who were snogging at the end of the Ravenclaw table, was a tall man in black robes. He was lean and lanky with pale skin like carved alabaster. His narrow eyes, hooked nose, and inky-black hair all served to make him look somewhat like an angry hawk and Alanna was strangely drawn to him like a curious fish swimming into the crocodile's mouth.

The man's frown increased as the Ravenclaw couple became more involved and he finally drew his wand and pointed it under the table. Alanna saw him mutter a spell and the next moment the students broke apart with startled yelps—it seemed that the pitcher of pumpkin juice near them had tipped over and spilt into their laps. The pale man smirked vindictively and went back to his mulled cider.

Alanna snickered under her breath, admiring the teacher's reaction to the public display of flirting. She turned to Harry and poked his shoulder to get his attention. "Who is that teacher next to Professor McGonagall?" She asked, pointing to the dark-clad stranger. Harry glanced back over his shoulder and sneered. "That's Snape. Potions Master." He said shortly. The girl blinked in surprise at the suddenly dark tone of his voice.

Hermione chimed in, leaning around Ron, whose ears turned red at her proximity. "Professor Snape is the Head of Slytherin. He's very-er-strict and favors his own house in lessons."

Harry coughed savagely. "He's a bitter, spiteful git."

Alanna decided it was best not to continue that conversation and listened instead to Hermione, who was naming all the teachers for her benefit.

Finally, the golden dishes vanished and Dumbledore bade them all good-night. There was a great sound of the scraping of wood and the groans of over-full students as they exited the Great Hall. Hermione went to get the password from a Gryffindor prefect and met Ron, Harry, and Alanna as they ascended the Grand Staircase, caught in among a tide of prefects and first-years. Ron led them to a tapestry of the Lady and the Unicorn and revealed a secret passage that turned out to be a short-cut to Gryffindor Tower, thereby skirting the crowds. (Alanna filed this important bit of information away for later use.)

"Andromeda." Hermione said to the portrait of a very fat lady. The portrait swung forward and they entered the common room. Too tired to sit around and talk, the four split up, climbing opposite side of the tower staircases. Alanna was pleased to see that her trunk and Fitzy's cage had already been brought up and placed at the foot of a new four-poster bed.

"Oh, look," said Hermione, sounding impressed, "They must have enchanted the tower to fit in the extra bed. That was a powerful bit of magic!" Alanna nodded musingly; she had thought that the room looked bigger than the actual tower should allow.

The dormitory door opened and the other two occupants joined them, still chattering about the feast. "Oh, hello." Said Lavender Brown, stopping short when she saw the new girl.

"You're the transfer, right?" Asked her friend, Paravti Patil.

"That's me. I'm Alanna Barton. Nice to meet you." A small squeak came from the covered cage and Alanna started, looking guilty.

"What was that?" Parvati asked worriedly.

"It's my—er—pet." Alanna explained, thinking that this new girl did not look much like she'd tolerate a bat in her room. "I'll just let him out, then." She went over and eased back the scarf covering Fitzy's cage.

"That's not an owl." Lavender pointed out, staring over at the little Pipistrelle, who was climbing on the bars—a clear indication that her wanted out.

"He's a bat." Hermione informed her defensively, "And I think he's very nice. Dumbledore said he's allowed."

The other girls looked taken aback. "All right, then." Said Parvati with some misgiving. She went over to her bed and started to change out of her robes and into her dressing gown. Lavender followed, giving the bat one last look of distaste.

Alanna let the little bat out and he climbed eagerly onto her hand. "Would you like to hold him?" she asked, offering Fitzy to Hermione.

"Oh, er, ok." Said the other girl. Clearly, sticking up for the bat and actually touching him were two different things. Alanna held out her hand and Fitzy transferred himself to Hermione's palm. He looked up at her, tiny nose quivering, and then her proceeded to climb up her arm, his wing-claws scrabbling on the sleeves of her robes. He ducked under her bushy hair and settled into the hood. Hermione laughed at his antics and hunched her shoulders, feeling the tickle of his fur on the back of her neck.

"He likes you." Alanna commented fondly. Anyone that had Fitzy's approval was alright by her. "Well, you can't stay in here tonight. Go get your dinner." The girl carefully extricated the Pipistrelle from her new friend's hair and let him out of the window. After that, the girls readied themselves fore bed and Alanna was more than happy to twitch the curtains of her four-poster closed and lie back under the blankets.