I smiled. I had just seen Jake King, my best friend at Hogwarts. I made my way over to him and saw that he was with a pair of younger girls. These must be his sisters. He had been describing them to me since first year when I let him copy my History of Magic homework and he became my best friend. The only thing I didn't know about them was their names. "Hi!" I said cheerfully. Jake smiled at me, and I knew that was his unspoken way of saying, "!" He bowed and artfully waved his hand toward the girls, who happened to look exactly alike.
"Presenting, the King twins, Musik and Joy!!" Jake bellowed loud enough that the entire King's Cross station could hear him. Even the Muggles, who thought we were weird anyway, thought Jake was weirder. "Musik has a "k" at the end" squeaked the twins at the same time! Jake shook his head. "No wait, that can't be right. That one," he pointed to a twin, "is Musik, or is it Joy? Raise your hand if you're Musik!" Neither of them raised their hands. "Aargh," cried Jake, " WAIT! Musik laughs whenever I say…PUDDING!" Only one of the twins laughed. "Or maybe Joy laughs. God! Twins are so confusing! Especially identical ones!" Musik and Joy giggled.
We all went through the barrier at platform 9 ¾. The whistle blew and that meant we had to get on the train. Jake and I had received letters in the mail explaining that we were prefects and giving us our badges. I, being the idiot I am, lost my badge before school started so Jake sent his over to me and my Mum did a duplication spell and I sent one back to Jake. Thank god the badges didn't have a name engraved on them. Apparently there was a third prefect. I couldn't believe it. Dumbledore always chose two. But for Gryffindor, he had chosen me, Jake King and that old sissy, Percy Weasley.
Nobody really liked Percy. He was always boasting about how perfect he was. He had even scored a nickname, Perfect Percy. But the funny thing about Percy is that he'd been held back in 4th year because he was too young. So we had to get into the prefect's carriage. We said goodbye to Musik and Joy and told them that we would visit their compartment. The prefect's carriage was very luxurious. The seats were made out of fine leather. Perfect Percy was sitting in a leather seat, his nose in a book called Prefects of Hogwarts: A New Beginning: A Simple Guide to Being the Best Prefect You Can Be. Perfect Percy, at it again.
"I see you didn't sign up for the Prefect newsOwl from the Power Control department at the Ministry," snorted Percy, "You would have received this extremely helpful guide and would be reading it on the train. You would also have gotten the history pamphlet on famous pre—" Jake groaned loudly. "Just shut up Percy!" Percy stared at Jake angrily. Jake and Percy hated each other all because of Quidditch tryouts and how Jake made the team as a Beater and Percy didn't. Apparently, Percy thought that because we had forgotten to sign up for some stupid newsOwl, he was even with Jake.
The ride to Hogwarts is always fun. But being a prefect and riding to Hogwarts was the best. The prefect's carriage was toward the front so the lady with the trolley came to us first. Jake and I bought Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum and two ice-cold pumpkin juices. And we got a prefect discount. Percy asked for a napkin to use as a bookmark. What a weirdo.
While we were snacking on our food we remembered that we had promised Musik and Joy that we would visit them. We told Percy we were going to patrol the train and Percy was very enthusiastic. "Great! I thought you weren't taking this seriously! Actually, I was going to tell Dumbledore how inconsiderate you were but now that you are acting like a prefect! GO FOR IT!" As soon as we got out we laughed. Percy Weasley was the biggest ninny we had met at Hogwarts. We walked around a little, half-patrolling and half-looking for Musik and Joy. We found them in a compartment with three other people. "Jake!" squeaked the twins at the same time. This really creeps me out. "Hey!" says Jake to his sisters. "Are you going to introduce your friends?" I ask.
Musik, or Joy (I'm not sure which) frowns and says "Oh well then. This," she points to an Asian girl sitting next to her, "is Cho Chang. This," she points to a girl with reddish brownish hair, "is Marietta Edgecombe. And he," she gestured to a boy with dreadlocks, 'he's Lee Jordan." Jake and I waved to everyone. Everyone waved back. "So you guys are all first years?" I ask casually to strike up conversation. "Yup!" they all say.
We hang out in their compartment for half an hour and then we realize that Percy might get suspicious. We leave quickly and a little rudely. We quickly make our way back to the carriage. Percy's still there, still hooked in his book. "Ah," Percy says when we arrive, "I see you're back. I'll go and patrol then shall I?" and he picks up his book and takes it with him to leave. We laugh all the way and then finally, we're there.
You don't even need to look out the window to know that you're there. You feel this magical chilly feeling when you get anywhere near the castle. Just to clarify, we do look out the window and Hogwarts Castle smiles down at us. The train stops and we take carriages pulled by thestrals. Thestrals are creatures that you can only see if you've witnessed death.
Jake and I witnessed Jinx Speck choke last year. We can now see the thestrals. They pull us toward the castle. We're in a carriage with Cedric Diggory, a handsome Hufflepuff.
Once we reach the castle, Professor Binns, looking even whiter (he's a ghost) told Jake and I to come forward. He led us to the first years. "These," he said in an extremely hoarse voice, "are the Gryffindor prefects. Jack and Mila. They will wait with you and answer any quick questions." Binns floated through the large door into the Great Hall. "Er, hi," we say awkwardly, "I'm not Mila, and he's not Jack. My name is Mint and his name is Jake. Professor Binns messes names up a lot so, yeah, you might want to know that if he says, 'Jenkins! Answer me!' and your name is Jones and there is no Jenkins in the class, he's probably talking to you." There was a small scatter of chuckles, but the laughter didn't reach their nervous eyes.
I leaned against the door. It was a bad time to do so because just then, Professor McGonagall opened it and I almost fell on top of her. She gave us a once over and then said, " Thank you, Miss Ackerman, Mr. King, you may go. We leave and go out into the Great Hall. The Sorting Hat is perched on a stool. I smile at it. It smiles back. My sorting was the weirdest sorting ever.
I was first to be sorted, but it took half an hour to sort me. The hat was on my head for so long that the teachers were considering ripping it off my head and giving me a written personality quiz. Right when McGonagall tried to take it off, it screamed, "Mint Ackerman! GRYFFINDOR!" and I sat down, pleased. The first years all get sorted. "KING, MUSIK" cries McGonagall. Both of the twins come up. They whisper something in McGonagall's ear. For the first time ever, McGonagall smiles. "May I correct myself? KING, MUSIK and JOY!" Jake gasps. "I swear, the only time they're not together is when they go to the bathroom." I snigger. "GRYFFINDOR!" screams the hat. Musik and Joy skip over to the table, wave to us and watch excitedly.