1: Hogwarts, the sorting hat
Hogwards is the school for witchcraft and wizardy, and every magical being that is born in the form of a child is allowed to attend this school. A magical quill at Hogwarts detects the birth of magical children and writes their names into a large parchment book. Every year, a teacher checks this book and sends a letter to the children who are turning eleven. Acceptance or refusal of a place at Hogwarts must be posted by 31 July. The letter also contains a list of supplies like spell books, uniform, and other things that the student will need. The prospective student is expected to buy all the necessary materials. Students who cannot afford their supplies can receive financial aid from the school.
Letters to witches and wizards, who may not be aware of their powers and are unfamiliar with the concealed wizarding world, are delivered in person by a member of Hogwarts staff, who then explains to the parents or guardians about magical society, and reassures them regarding this news. They also assist the family in buying supplies and gaining access to Diagon Alley.
Each student is allowed to bring a cat, toad, rat or owl. Along with the acceptance letter, first-year students are sent a list of required equipment which includes a wand, subject books, a standard size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of brass scales, a set of glass or crystal phials, a kit of basic potion ingredients (for Potions), and a telescope (for Astronomy). The Hogwarts uniform consists of plain work robes in black, a plain black hat, a pair of protective gloves, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. Each uniform must contain the wearer's nametag. First years are not allowed a broomstick of their own.
The primary mode of transport to Hogwarts is the Hogwards Express that students take at the start of each school year. Students board the train from the also fictional Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station in London. The train arrives near Hogwarts, some time after nightfall.
From there, first-year students are accompanied by the "Keeper of the Keys, Game and Grounds" (which was Hagrid during the first novel) to small boats, which magically sail across the lake and get them near the entrance of Hogwarts. The older students ride up to the castle in carriages pulled by creatures called Thestrals. When the first-year students initially arrive at the castle, they wait in a small chamber off the entrance hall until the older students have taken their seats, and then enter the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony to determine their House assignments.
The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room. After the Sorting Hat sings a song, each student in turn is seated upon the stool in front of the rest of the student body. The Hat is placed on the student's head, whereupon it examines his or her mind and assigns them to one of the four Houses based on abilities, personality, and preferences. After the Sorting Ceremony, the students and teachers enjoy a feast, prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves. If Dumbledore is feeling cheerful, he will lead the students in singing the school song.
Hogwarts is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. The houses compete throughout the school year, by earning and losing points for various events, for the House Cup (correctly answering a question in class, for example, may earn five or ten points; lateness to class may cost ten points). Each house also has its own Quidditch team that competes for the Quidditch Cup. These two competitions breed rivalries between the houses. Houses at Hogwarts are living and learning communities for their students. Each house is under the authority of one of the Hogwarts staff members. The Heads of the houses, as they are called, are in charge of giving their students important information, dealing with matters of severe punishment, and responding to emergencies in their houses, among other things. Each year, year level groups of every separate house share the same dormitory and classes. The dormitory and common room of a House are, barring rare exceptions, inaccessible to students belonging to other Houses.
That is where it all began, the sorting. Thalia, a girl from the Black blood line, more speficic de Green Grass, waited for her turn. She had blond hair, long but not too long, a bit under her shoulers, usually in a ponytail, but as toda it was loose. She had bright blue eyes, which changed into a light grey, depending on the sunlight. She was quite tall, but not too tall compared with some of the boys in their last year. And on her shoulder she had a beautiful barn owl, it has silver or grey freathers, fading into white, it had been in her family for years, and there was absolutly not reason for her to bring another one. "Are you not nervous?" someone asked.
Thalia looked up and found girl looking up to her, a bitt smaller than her but not too much, first year for sure. She had long dark blond hair pulled into o ponytail behind her shoulder and she had light grey eyes. "Excuse me?"Thalia asked, not sure if it was meant to her. "Are you not nervous? The sortin hat will decide your house, many fear of being into Slytherin" – "Why?"Thalia asked confused. "Because people are fools and relate slytherin to evil, to trouble, but they forget that good and powerful wizards came from that house" – "Was Merlin not of the house Slytherin?" the new girl nodded. "It is not like you to come and lecture me" Thalia scolded her. In truth they knew each other, since a long time. Her mother was close friends with the new freshman, they had basically been raised together.
"Where do you think you will be put in Diantha?" she asked her old friend who shook her shoulders. "Who knows, I have heard stories that the most unlikely people have been put into Gryffindor..." – "What is it with Gryffindor? Seriously, everyone sees them as brave and confident people, they are just these huge troublemakers" Thalia reminded her. "Oh then you are going to Gryffindor" Diantha teased her, but their little chat for interrupted by one of the teacher who called them forth, it was now or never.
Diantha sat down and had hoped fore the worst, secretly she would like to be in Hufflepuff to be more aroun her older cousin who was here, but it was just not her house to be... "Diantha Scarmander Blakesley... I know your kind, five years ago, I sorted your cousin into Hufflepuff, am I right?" – "You sorted both of my cousins, however the oldest one doesnt matter" The sortin hat smirked. "You are clever, ambitious and strong, unlike your cousin which I sorted into Hufflepuff" – "Newt, is different than me, but we do get along" – "Yes, I know now... You could be great, you know, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that" Diantha was suprised at first, but then miled brightly, "Slytherin it is then!" she yelped.
"Next!" The sorting hat yelled, it was now Thalia´s turn, from Diantha´s grin she could reveal that it must have been something good, she bet it was Slytherin, unexpected. "Hello Mister Sorting Hat" – "I will do that talking today, Miss Thalia Keen Greengrass, oh related to the Black, this is quite interesting" Thalia knew where this was going. "Judging me from where I come from" – "It is most obvious where you are going, pureblood, amibitious, you keep things to yourself, I can see a strong leadership from you, and that friend of yours mind need some help, it is rarely to see me putting a halfblood into Slyhterin" – "Then why-" – "That is for me to know, Slytherin it is!" The Sorting hat anounced. He sure like to talk, after the time he took with herself and Diantha.
"So you never guess what I am!" Diantha yelled excited. "Slytherin" – "I AM- wait, what? How did you know?" – "Your smirk gave it away and the sorting hat kind of asked me to babysit you" – "OH HE DID NOT!" - "Yes he did" she walked away to get to their home room teacher. "Isn´t our home room teacher your family?" Thalia nodded. "It must be a great great great far away relate cousin, or something" Diantha was confused at this point. But got along with it. He had long black hair, quite wavy and a long moustache. Diantha kept on trying to compare him with Thalia, but she was blond for Merlin´s sake, what was wrong with their house, they were not at least similiar!
"Diantha, please stop doing what you are doing" Thalia ordered. "I am doing nothing!" Thalia sighed, this was just day one of their long seven years together. "How did we end up in the same house" Thalia argued with herself. "Oh I need to find Newt!" Diantha said excited but got dragged along with Thalia to meet their home teacher. "Oh look what we got here" he said, his tone was not rude or mean in any way, but both of them knew he was going to give them a hard time. "You must be Diantha Scarmander, ain´t that right?" she nodded. "And you are Thalia GreenGrass, I must say, our blood being related, I have never heard of your of your family" he said coldly. "That is fine" Thalia answered, this man was a whole new definition to trouble. "Your robe can be found over there, rules will be spoken in the Slytherin Dunguon at seven, and until then you have the time to unpack your things.
They both nodded, not wanting to say anything, this man was ruthless, and the last thing they needed was trouble on their first day. "That man is going to give us trouble, trust me" Diantha warned. Speaking of trouble, Thalia looked around and her face got this weird worried expression. "What is it?" Diantha tried to get out of her. "Tell me!" she raised her voice. "Where is your cat?!" Thalia asked worried, also by now raising her voice. "What do you mean where is my- Hey Funky! Where are you?!" – "Funky?!" Thalia asked worried. "What?! I thought it fit him!"
By now Thalia wanted to scream at this point, this whole day has become lunatic. First she was sorted at Slytherin that at first she had no problems with but now she had second thoughts. She met her old childhood friend who caused the most trouble in her life, her home room teacher was a pain and now this cat called Funky dissapeared, and they had to find him until seven. "Then what are we waiting for?!" Thalia pulled Dianth´s wrist and walked their way out of the great hall. "Where are we going?!" she asked while pulling herself through her new Slytherin robe. "To find Funky, you know what will happen if you appear at that meeting at seven without Funky? You might get trouble at day 1!" – "Well that is true, but we do not even know Hogwards that well, where can we find him?"
That was a good question, where could a persian cat be? The two girls knew it was forbidden to run through the halls, but they tried to speed walk until they found a clue, however unlike a clue, they did found something. "Newt?!" Diantha said excited. A Ginger boy looked at her with a couple of books in his hands, it was clear to her that he was going to study some creature as he had always done. "Diantha? I-I ehm, what are you doing here?" – "I am in a Slytherin Robe, what does it looks like? So how is my favorite cousin!" she said ironic to her older cousin. "O-Ofcourse, I was not expecting you this year, I must have been trapped in time" – "You clearly have, you did not change at all, well maybe your height, but that is about it" Newt was a natural ginger, tall boy in his fifth year, he was Diantha´s cousin from the Scarmander family, a very odd boy.
"Ehm should I be worried? You barely call me cousin unless you need something of me" Newt said worried. "Oh do not be silly Newt!" she slapped him on his shoulder. "I am so glad to see you here!"
"Oh hello there ehm-" – "Thalia, we met once or twice before Newton Scarmander" – "I believe we did" Diantha got ignored by her cousin, as expected, and somehow wished that Thalia would let go of this formality, it was uncomfortable, especially for her cousin. "Do not mind her, she is just annoyed that she was sorted into Slytherin" – "I am not!" she yelled in protest but this was in vain. "I am looking for my cat!" – "You have a cat?" Newt asked suprised. "YES, he is called Funky" – "Interesting name" Newt complimented. "I believe so too!" Thalia was sure that these two were related.
"We have to find it before seven, or else Mister Black will not be amused" Thalia added. "Sirius Black the second is your home room teacher?" both nodded. "Eh, well, lets search for that cat shall we?" The two girls nodded and followed Newt.