ONE
Witchcraft and wizardry
I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own any part of the Chamber of Secrets. This has no plot, is really silly and is basically just about what would happen if I went to Hogwarts. But I like it. And Ginny needed a friend, I had to come.
***
Miss S. Wellington
112 Baker Street
London
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Wellington,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
My name is Serena Wellington. Before I got this letter, I had no idea there was such a thing as magic. I might have hoped there was, but my parents are both scientists, and magic just isn't mentioned a lot in our house. I'd read fairy tales, but they were just, well, fairy tales. This was a letter. It had to have come from somewhere. And in with this letter and the list of supplies was a note explaining, for people who had never heard of it before, where the Leaky Cauldron was and how to get to Platform 9¾. I don't remember much of the following weeks; I spent a lot of it reading parts of A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. As it turned out, this was a good idea. I didn't learn much in the class.
I finally found myself sitting in the Hogwarts Express, next to a second year named Susan Bones. After we had introduced ourselves, she said, "This is your first year, isn't it? How much do you know about Hogwarts?"
"I'd never heard of it until my letter came, but I've read a little about it," I replied.
"Do you know about the four houses? Any idea which one you'll be in?"
"I've just read the names, so I have no idea how to tell which one I'll go to. Can you tell me about them?"
She explained them all, and made them all sound pretty good. She was not partial, and I couldn't tell which one was hers.
"I think I may belong in Ravenclaw," I said. "My parents are both very smart in their own nonmagical world, and I am like them in that way. But I kind of liked the sound of Hufflepuff too."
"Really?" she exclaimed. "I'm in Hufflepuff, but most people think it's the absolute worst. We never win anything, they say, we are never recognized. But I like being in Hufflepuff. They're a lot of really great people."
"Well, I hope I am just and loyal and all those things you said. But I guess we'll see soon. Can you tell me some more about Hogwarts?"
"Sure!" she said. "It's in this huge, old, beautiful castle, with a forest and a lake outside of it. My favorite class is Herbology; we have that with Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff house. She's nice, when she's not in one of her grumpy moods. She's a great teacher and she knows so much about the magical properties of plants..."
We got off the train, and I said goodbye to Susan as the first years were called to the shore of the lake. I rode across in a little boat with a quiet girl named Ginny Weasley, and two boys who were already in rapt conversation with each other. I got Ginny to tell me about the sorting ceremony.
"My older brothers Fred and George used to tell us rubbish about wrestling trolls and hanging by your ears while reciting the alphabet backwards, but when Ron came to Hogwarts last year, he let me in on the truth. You just have to try on a hat, and it yells out what house you're most suited to. It's nothing frightening, and I'm sure to be in Gryffindor like all my brothers. You can never tell, though. Ron says there are twin sisters in his year who are in different houses. What about you?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I thought I was a sure bet for Ravenclaw, but I might be in Hufflepuff. I don't really know that much about the houses, though, because I didn't know I was a witch before this year."
"Oh, your parents are Muggles?" she said. "What's that like?"
"Muggles? What's that mean?"
"Oh! Yes! You wouldn't know that, would you? How funny. Muggles are non-magical people. My dad studies them, but he still gets very confused about some things."
Then we saw the castle. It had loomed right over us as we talked. It was a beautiful towering mass of glowing windows. We got out of the boats and walked across the wide green lawn. Through the huge wooden doors, and through a high entrance hall, into the great hall with its floating candles. I wondered if that could be done with modern science; invisible supports, or something. But they bobbed up and down. Oh dear! This is really magic, isn't it? I thought.
Then the hat started singing.
For centuries I've sat right here.
Ten thousand children have gone by.
For all of them I've known the place.
I'll always know; I cannot lie.
A Hufflepuff will always be
A loyal and a steadfast friend.
In every task they'll do their share;
Injustice they will seek to mend.
Determined is a Slytherin
To gain the goal for which they've fought.
Ambition drives them to their goal.
When others hesitate, they'll not.
The wisdom of a Ravenclaw
Is known to those in every land.
The ones I choose for this fair house
Solve every puzzle that's at hand.
And those who're bound for Gryffindor:
From danger they will never swerve.
Their noble deeds will gain them praise
Through daring act and steady nerve.
One by one, we came to the front of the room to try on that grubby hat. Ginny and I were two of the last in alphabetical order, so we held each other's hands and watched as Colin Creevey joined Gryffindor, Moira Peterson went to Hufflepuff, and Ivy Parkinson joined Slytherin. Finally it was Ginny's turn. Her brothers waved at her from the Gryffindor table; I could tell because they had bright red hair. But there were only three of them. Where was this Ron Weasley, a year ahead of us?
Ginny went and tried on the hat, and it quickly yelled, GRYFFINDOR! A smile lit her face, and she ran to join her brothers. I was the only one left. I looked to the Hufflepuff table, and Susan smiled at me. I heard my name, and I sat down to try on the hat. I heard a rough, whispery voice in my ear. "Well, now. Well, now. What a wonderful mind. But that is just the beginning. You're certainly noble, and you can be brave, too; You're not bad at deceiving when it suits your aims; But where do you really belong? I think... (and the voice filled the room) HUFFLEPUFF!"
I jumped off the stool, and went and hugged Susan. "You were right," she said. "That's wonderful!"
The headmaster, Dumbledore, said a few words (Umbra! Twitter! Cornice! Inkling! Stint!), and suddenly the golden plates were filled with food. I spread Marmite thickly on my baked potatoes, and only collected a few funny looks. It was the mustard on my salad that finally made those around me comment, "Is that really good?" I just grinned and enjoyed my meal. I was starting to feel at home in Hufflepuff.
Moira was sitting next to me, and she told me about her family, and how they had always been wizards. Her father was a magical historian, doing research into ways to restore knowledge of the past that was thought to be lost forever. He had done extensive research on their family tree, and the way magical traits move through a family. "For example, my particular line has always had an uncle who was destined to die violently and mysteriously, but escape at the last second, only to trip over his toes and fall off a cliff the next Thursday. It's fascinating stuff, really."
Afterwards we were led to our common room. Up two flights of stairs, and down a long corridor, through a secret door behind a tapestry, we came to a little round wooden door, with a bronze knocker shaped like a pig. The prefect knocked, and the pig came to life and said, "Password?"
The prefect answered, "Melon balls," and chuckled. The door opened wide, and we entered the most beautiful room I had ever seen. It had six sides, and the three opposite the door had large windows looking out on the lake. The walls and vaulted ceiling were the same golden stone as many of the rooms in the castle. Next to the door was a big, cozy fireplace. And everywhere, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, standing on the floor, and even floating in midair, were delicate wrought iron lamp holders, with oil lamps and candles burning in them. The prefect, Douglas Perkin, pointed out the archways in the other two walls, either side of the fireplace. "On the left, the hallway leads to girls' dormitories, and on the right, boys'. All of your trunks are in the appropriate rooms."
I went and met my new roommates. Moira Peterson had the bed next to mine. I got into bed happy and excited, almost too excited to sleep. I was going to learn magic! Learn to fly, and to use my wand. The words, "Scientifically impossible," no longer meant anything to me. I was a witch! But even better, I had so many new friends!
Witchcraft and wizardry
I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own any part of the Chamber of Secrets. This has no plot, is really silly and is basically just about what would happen if I went to Hogwarts. But I like it. And Ginny needed a friend, I had to come.
***
Miss S. Wellington
112 Baker Street
London
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Miss Wellington,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
My name is Serena Wellington. Before I got this letter, I had no idea there was such a thing as magic. I might have hoped there was, but my parents are both scientists, and magic just isn't mentioned a lot in our house. I'd read fairy tales, but they were just, well, fairy tales. This was a letter. It had to have come from somewhere. And in with this letter and the list of supplies was a note explaining, for people who had never heard of it before, where the Leaky Cauldron was and how to get to Platform 9¾. I don't remember much of the following weeks; I spent a lot of it reading parts of A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. As it turned out, this was a good idea. I didn't learn much in the class.
I finally found myself sitting in the Hogwarts Express, next to a second year named Susan Bones. After we had introduced ourselves, she said, "This is your first year, isn't it? How much do you know about Hogwarts?"
"I'd never heard of it until my letter came, but I've read a little about it," I replied.
"Do you know about the four houses? Any idea which one you'll be in?"
"I've just read the names, so I have no idea how to tell which one I'll go to. Can you tell me about them?"
She explained them all, and made them all sound pretty good. She was not partial, and I couldn't tell which one was hers.
"I think I may belong in Ravenclaw," I said. "My parents are both very smart in their own nonmagical world, and I am like them in that way. But I kind of liked the sound of Hufflepuff too."
"Really?" she exclaimed. "I'm in Hufflepuff, but most people think it's the absolute worst. We never win anything, they say, we are never recognized. But I like being in Hufflepuff. They're a lot of really great people."
"Well, I hope I am just and loyal and all those things you said. But I guess we'll see soon. Can you tell me some more about Hogwarts?"
"Sure!" she said. "It's in this huge, old, beautiful castle, with a forest and a lake outside of it. My favorite class is Herbology; we have that with Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff house. She's nice, when she's not in one of her grumpy moods. She's a great teacher and she knows so much about the magical properties of plants..."
We got off the train, and I said goodbye to Susan as the first years were called to the shore of the lake. I rode across in a little boat with a quiet girl named Ginny Weasley, and two boys who were already in rapt conversation with each other. I got Ginny to tell me about the sorting ceremony.
"My older brothers Fred and George used to tell us rubbish about wrestling trolls and hanging by your ears while reciting the alphabet backwards, but when Ron came to Hogwarts last year, he let me in on the truth. You just have to try on a hat, and it yells out what house you're most suited to. It's nothing frightening, and I'm sure to be in Gryffindor like all my brothers. You can never tell, though. Ron says there are twin sisters in his year who are in different houses. What about you?"
"Well, I'm not sure. I thought I was a sure bet for Ravenclaw, but I might be in Hufflepuff. I don't really know that much about the houses, though, because I didn't know I was a witch before this year."
"Oh, your parents are Muggles?" she said. "What's that like?"
"Muggles? What's that mean?"
"Oh! Yes! You wouldn't know that, would you? How funny. Muggles are non-magical people. My dad studies them, but he still gets very confused about some things."
Then we saw the castle. It had loomed right over us as we talked. It was a beautiful towering mass of glowing windows. We got out of the boats and walked across the wide green lawn. Through the huge wooden doors, and through a high entrance hall, into the great hall with its floating candles. I wondered if that could be done with modern science; invisible supports, or something. But they bobbed up and down. Oh dear! This is really magic, isn't it? I thought.
Then the hat started singing.
For centuries I've sat right here.
Ten thousand children have gone by.
For all of them I've known the place.
I'll always know; I cannot lie.
A Hufflepuff will always be
A loyal and a steadfast friend.
In every task they'll do their share;
Injustice they will seek to mend.
Determined is a Slytherin
To gain the goal for which they've fought.
Ambition drives them to their goal.
When others hesitate, they'll not.
The wisdom of a Ravenclaw
Is known to those in every land.
The ones I choose for this fair house
Solve every puzzle that's at hand.
And those who're bound for Gryffindor:
From danger they will never swerve.
Their noble deeds will gain them praise
Through daring act and steady nerve.
One by one, we came to the front of the room to try on that grubby hat. Ginny and I were two of the last in alphabetical order, so we held each other's hands and watched as Colin Creevey joined Gryffindor, Moira Peterson went to Hufflepuff, and Ivy Parkinson joined Slytherin. Finally it was Ginny's turn. Her brothers waved at her from the Gryffindor table; I could tell because they had bright red hair. But there were only three of them. Where was this Ron Weasley, a year ahead of us?
Ginny went and tried on the hat, and it quickly yelled, GRYFFINDOR! A smile lit her face, and she ran to join her brothers. I was the only one left. I looked to the Hufflepuff table, and Susan smiled at me. I heard my name, and I sat down to try on the hat. I heard a rough, whispery voice in my ear. "Well, now. Well, now. What a wonderful mind. But that is just the beginning. You're certainly noble, and you can be brave, too; You're not bad at deceiving when it suits your aims; But where do you really belong? I think... (and the voice filled the room) HUFFLEPUFF!"
I jumped off the stool, and went and hugged Susan. "You were right," she said. "That's wonderful!"
The headmaster, Dumbledore, said a few words (Umbra! Twitter! Cornice! Inkling! Stint!), and suddenly the golden plates were filled with food. I spread Marmite thickly on my baked potatoes, and only collected a few funny looks. It was the mustard on my salad that finally made those around me comment, "Is that really good?" I just grinned and enjoyed my meal. I was starting to feel at home in Hufflepuff.
Moira was sitting next to me, and she told me about her family, and how they had always been wizards. Her father was a magical historian, doing research into ways to restore knowledge of the past that was thought to be lost forever. He had done extensive research on their family tree, and the way magical traits move through a family. "For example, my particular line has always had an uncle who was destined to die violently and mysteriously, but escape at the last second, only to trip over his toes and fall off a cliff the next Thursday. It's fascinating stuff, really."
Afterwards we were led to our common room. Up two flights of stairs, and down a long corridor, through a secret door behind a tapestry, we came to a little round wooden door, with a bronze knocker shaped like a pig. The prefect knocked, and the pig came to life and said, "Password?"
The prefect answered, "Melon balls," and chuckled. The door opened wide, and we entered the most beautiful room I had ever seen. It had six sides, and the three opposite the door had large windows looking out on the lake. The walls and vaulted ceiling were the same golden stone as many of the rooms in the castle. Next to the door was a big, cozy fireplace. And everywhere, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, standing on the floor, and even floating in midair, were delicate wrought iron lamp holders, with oil lamps and candles burning in them. The prefect, Douglas Perkin, pointed out the archways in the other two walls, either side of the fireplace. "On the left, the hallway leads to girls' dormitories, and on the right, boys'. All of your trunks are in the appropriate rooms."
I went and met my new roommates. Moira Peterson had the bed next to mine. I got into bed happy and excited, almost too excited to sleep. I was going to learn magic! Learn to fly, and to use my wand. The words, "Scientifically impossible," no longer meant anything to me. I was a witch! But even better, I had so many new friends!