September 1, 1989
Oliver and Dad hoisted Maisie's trunk into the train. Maisie and Mum stood back, each holding a pet: Mum held the cage of Oliver's owl, Wadcock, and Maisie clutched her cat, Joscelind, against her chest. Joscelind did not appreciate being so handled, but Maisie was reluctant to put her in the carrier yet.
"That does it!" said Dad, wiping his brow. "What do you have in there, Mouse, books?"
Maisie scowled. "Don't call me that!" Sometimes her family called her Mouse because she was so small; she didn't even come up to Oliver's shoulder. "And of course I have books, Dad. I'm going to school." She rolled her eyes.
Oliver laughed and ruffled her hair. "Somebody as cheeky as you is bound to wind up in Gryffindor."
"Who says I want to be in Gryffindor?" said Maisie. "Bunch of big show-offs."
"Can't really argue with that," said Oliver with a comical shrug.
The train whistle blew.
"Oh, that's it!" Mum bit her lip. "Time to go. Ollie, you have the lunches? And there's a few Sickles in there for each of you, for the candy cart."
"Thanks, Mum!" Oliver hugged his mother and kissed her cheek. "I'll write you as soon as we're settled and tell you about the Mouse's Sorting!"
Maisie scowled again.
"We'll be proud of you wherever you end up, Maisie," said Mum bracingly.
"Watch out for Slytherin, though," said Dad with a wink. "Snakes eat mice!"
Maisie huffed, but submitted to hugs and kisses from both parents before boarding the train. She slid Joscelind into her cat carrier and securely latched the door. Carrying the pets, she followed Oliver down the aisle of the train until they reached an empty compartment.
"Stay here," said Oliver. "I'm going to find some of my mates, and we'll come back here, yeah? Hold down the fort for us?"
"Sure," said Maisie. Where else was she going to go? She wondered where Lee Jordan was. He was their neighbor, and the only other person Maisie knew starting Hogwarts that year.
Oliver disappeared, and Maisie sat alone in the compartment. She opened both cages and let the pets roam freely. Joscelind put both paws on the windowsill and peered out. Maisie did the same, and saw her parents standing on the platform. When they spotted her, they both waved frantically. Maisie waved back, smiling. She'd miss them. They were nice. She blinked back sudden tears.
"I won't cry," she said firmly. "There's no reason to cry. I'll see them again. And I'm going to Hogwarts!"
"What a coincidence," said an unfamiliar voice. "So are we."
Maisie whirled around. The door to the compartment was open. Two boys her age stood in the opening: identical twins with flaming red hair. Their faces were heavily freckled. One wore a blue jumper, the other a rusty brown jumper, both obviously hand-knitted. The one in the brown jumper had a smudge of dirt on his nose.
"Well, of course," said Maisie loftily, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught crying. "If you're not going to Hogwarts, you're on the wrong train!"
The twins looked at each other, eyes wide.
"Gosh, Fred," said the blue-jumpered one, "you don't suppose we're on the wrong train, are you?"
"I don't know, George," said the brown-jumpered twin. "Was it platform nine and three-quarters, or platform nine and three-eighths?"
Maisie giggled. "Nine and three-eighths is the train to the Dungbomb factory. Everybody knows that."
"Dungbombs, eh?" The brown-jumpered twin-Fred?-raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't mind a trip there myself. Mum wouldn't let us bring any Dungbombs on the train."
"Crying shame, that," said the other twin. "We'd've liked to take some Slytherins down a peg or two." He eyed Maisie suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to be a Slytherin, would you?"
Maisie shrugged. "I might be. I'm a first-year."
"So are we," said the twin in the brown jumper, "but we're almost sure to be in Gryffindor. Our whole family's in Gryffindor: mum, dad, and all our older brothers."
"My older brother's in Gryffindor, too," said Maisie. "Oliver Wood?"
The twins perked up.
"He's on the Qudditch team!" said the twin in the blue jumper. "So's our brother Charlie!"
"Your brother's Charlie Weasley?" said Maisie. "Oliver says he's a bloody good Seeker. He could go professional."
"We think so," said the twin in the brown jumper, "but Charlie has other interests."
"Dragons, for example."
Maisie gasped. "Oh, I've always wanted to see a dragon!"
"Yeah?" The twins eyed her appraisingly.
"You're not scared?" said the twin in the brown jumper.
"Well, of course, but that's half the fun, isn't it?" said Maisie.
The twins grinned. They traded a brief glance, and seemed to come to an agreement about something. The twin in the brown jumper stuck out his hand.
"I'm Fred Weasley," he said, "and this is my brother, George."
"Charmed, I'm sure," said George.
Maisie took Fred's hand and shook it firmly. "Maisie Wood."
"May we sit?" said George.
"Sure! Close the door behind you," said Maisie. "I'll catch it from my brother if Wadcock gets out."
"Wadcock, eh?" said Fred as he sat down. "After the Puddlemere United Chaser?"
"Yes. And my cat's Joscelind."
"Very nice," said George. "Our baby brother likes the Chudley Cannons. Obviously he has rubbish judgment."
"Obviously," said Maisie.
When Oliver returned a half-hour later with two of his friends, Maisie and the twins were playing Exploding Snap. Joscelind, terrified by the noise, was cowering in her carrier, while Wadcock was perched on the highest luggage rack staring down his beak in disdain.
"What's this, then?" said Oliver, laughing.
"Ollie, this is Fred and George Weasley," said Maisie.
"Oh, Charlie's brothers? I've heard a lot about the two of you," said Oliver.
"All good, I'm sure," said Fred.
"Definitely," said Oliver. "Your affinity for trouble is astounding."
"Oh, great!" One of Oliver's friends rolled his eyes. "More Weasleys!"
"Relax, Ford," said Oliver. "They won't be able to play until next year."
"You play Quidditch?" said Fred with interest.
"I'm a Chaser for Hufflepuff," said Ford. "I've even scored on Wood a couple of times."
"I find that hard to believe," said Maisie boldly.
Ford laughed. "Is this your sister, Oliver? Hope she's not planning to try out for Quidditch; get up a good headwind and she'll blow right off her broom!"
Maisie bristled, but Oliver said, "She's faster than me, Archie. Catches the Snitch more than I do."
The twins glanced at each other, then gave Maisie identical thumbs-up.
"Maisie, you remember my friend Ben," said Oliver, indicating the other boy.
"Yes. Hello," said Maisie. Ben had spent last Easter holidays with their family.
"Hello," said Ben.
"Care to deal us in?" said Archie, sliding into the seat next to Fred.
"Sure thing." Fred gathered up the cards and shuffled them by hand. Maisie had already discovered that the twins had an affinity for what they called "close up magic," which was a popular Muggle pastime that involved sleight-of-hand and misdirection. George had pulled a Knut out of her ear.
The rest of the train ride passed pleasantly. Charlie Weasley did indeed stop by, though he couldn't stay long; as a prefect, he was required to patrol the train and prevent trouble.
"Confiscated some Dungbombs from a couple of Slytherins," said Charlie. Without a word, he lobbed a bulky sack at Fred, who caught it easily. "Haven't reported it."
Fred and George grinned. "Thanks, Charlie!" they said in unison.
"You know it's creepy when you do that, don't you?" said Maisie.
"Of course." They gave her identical eerie grins. "That's why we do it."
When the candy trolley passed them, Oliver treated everyone to Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans using the Sickles Mum had given him. Maisie opened a Newt Scamander card and a Godric Gryffindor, which she traded for George's Rowena Ravenclaw. Fred bit the head off a Chocolate Frog, and they watched it hop blindly around the compartment for a few minutes before he put it out of its misery. Maisie laughed until her sides ached.
Darkness fell, and Charlie stopped by again to say that they should all change into their robes. He showed Maisie where the girl's toilet was, so she could change in privacy. When she returned to the compartment, the boys were all robed, and Joscelind and Wadcock had been returned to their cages.
"Now remember," said Oliver, "when you get off the train-"
"Look for the giant, and he'll take us to the boats." Maisie rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get lost, Ollie."
"Just making sure. I'll take the cat. She won't like where you're going."
With that slightly ominous warning, Maisie and the twins stepped off the train into a light rain. The platform was crammed with black-robed students. Most of them were making for the line of horseless carriages gleaming in the wet twilight, but the other first-years milled around in confusion.
"Lee!" Maisie spotted her friend and waved. Lee Jordan ducked through the crowd and stood next to her. Water dripped from the ends of his dreadlocks.
"Hi, Maisie!" Lee grinned. "Sorry I missed you on the train."
"It's no problem," said Maisie. "It's a big train. Lee Jordan, this is Fred and George Weasley. They're first-years, too."
"Excellent!" said Lee. "Nice to meet you both. I'll figure out which is which, I'm sure."
"I'm George," said Fred.
"No, he's not," said Maisie.
A loud bass voice cut through the mayhem: "Firs' years over here! Firs' years with me!"
"That's Hagrid!" said Fred. "Let's go!" He grabbed Maisie's wrist and pulled her away. Maisie grabbed blindly behind her and managed to seize George's hand, who grabbed Lee's. As a chain, they made their way through the crowd.
Hagrid was, as advertised, gigantic. He was surrounded by a clump of first years, giving him the impression of a hen sitting on her eggs. When he saw Fred and George's red hair, he grinned and said:
"More Weasleys! Jus' what the doctor ordered!"
"Getting a bit tired of hearing that," Fred muttered.
"Stick close to me," Hagrid said. "Dock's just down here. No more than four to a boat, and avoid puttin' your hands in the water. Giant squid likes to grab kids sometimes."
"Four to a boat," said George. "Shall we?"
They clambered aboard one of the small boats tied at the dock. When all the first years were aboard, the ropes untied themselves, slithering back into the boats and coiling neatly, and the boats pulled away as if propelled.
Despite Hagrid's warnings, Maisie couldn't resist reaching over the side of the boat to touch the water. It was icy-cold and pitch-black. Maisie shrieked and pulled her hand back.
"What? What is it?" The boys crowded around her.
"I thought I felt the giant squid!" said Maisie.
"Really?" All three peered eagerly over the edge of the boat. Maisie stood behind them and gave each a whack on the back—not hard enough to push them overboard, but enough to scare them.
To her deep gratification, all three boys yelled. Lee almost did fall into the water, but Fred and George pulled him back. All three rounded on Maisie, who was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.
"Why you-you," Fred sputtered.
"Tricky little minx!" George chortled.
"I-got-you-" Maisie said, gasping for air. "You should've seen-your faces-"
"I reckon Lee screamed like a girl," said Fred.
"Did not!" said Lee, his voice rising in pitch. "That was you, Fred!"
"All righ' over there?" Hagrid's voice boomed across the water.
"Fine, thanks!" Maisie shouted. "The boys got scared of the squid!"
"Did not!" they yelled.
The other first years laughed. The sound made Maisie feel warm despite the chill in the air.
"Wouldn't matter if we fell in, though," George said. "Reckon I'm soaked anyway, with this rain."
Hogwarts castle was somewhere in front of them, but Maisie could hardly see it in the fog. She only got an impression of size, and a few glowing windows were visible. Minutes later, their boats bumped the dock on the other side, and the shivering first-years scrambled out of their boats and followed Hagrid up the stairs as fast as their short, numb legs would carry them.
The front door of the castle was everything Maisie thought a castle door should be: wide and imposing, tall and iron-studded. Hagrid knocked on the door with an immense fist, and it made an impressive sound.
The door swung open, and a tall, thin witch in bottle-green robes stepped out.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she said. "I'll take them from here."
Hagrid nodded respectfully. "Good luck, you lot!"
"Inside, please, quickly," said the witch. "You all look frozen. Quickly! This way, please. Don't worry about dripping on the rug. Stick together, now. All the way in, please!" The door shut behind them with a loud thud.
"Hold still, and I will dry you off." The witch waved her wand in a complicated serious of flips and twists, and said, "Evaporatis." A fine mist rose from everyone's clothes and dissipated into the air, leaving them mostly dry. The first years exchanged impressed glances.
We'll be able to do that someday! Maisie thought.
The witch nodded briskly. "Right. Heaven forbid any of you should spend your first week at Hogwarts abed with a chill. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. In a few short minutes, you will enter the Great Hall through those doors, and you will be Sorted into your Houses. There are four: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. During your time at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You will live in House dormitories and attend classes with your housemates. The Houses compete annually in the House Cup, points for which can be awarded or deducted based on accomplishments or misbehavior.
"I think that is all. If you'll follow me, please, two by two."
As she stalked away, the first years hurriedly sorted themselves into lines and followed. Maisie walked next to Lee and immediately behind the twins.
The door to the Great Hall opened magically, and the first years gasped as one. It wasn't the size of the hall that impressed them, nor the four long tables running down the center, the crowd of students at those tables, the glittering dishes, nor the size of the fireplaces. It was the ceiling overhead that caught their attention, because it reflected the sky outside—though considerably less cloudy.
"Wow," said Lee. "Wonder how they did that?"
"Dunno," said Maisie, resolving to find out.
At the front of the room, on a raised dais that put their heads well above the students', sat Hogwarts's professors. Maisie recognized Albus Dumbledore from his Chocolate Frog card. Immediately in front of the teachers, on an innocuous stool, sat a battered-looking pointed hat.
Professor McGonagall ushered the first years into a semi-circle around the hand and produced a scroll from inside her robes. "When I call your name, step up to the stool and put on the Sorting Hat," she said.
"That's it?" said Maisie. "Put on a hat?"
"Evidently," said Lee with a shrug.
"Charlie never said!" said Fred indignantly. "I always thought it was some kind of test."
"That git," George muttered.
There was no further time to comment, for McGonagall called the first name: "Bailey, Philippa!"
A girl even smaller than Maisie, with a mass of blond ringlets, stepped timidly to the stool. She placed the Hat on her head, and it immediately slipped down over her ears.
The Hall was silent. Maisie could sense the entire school's anticipation.
After only a minute or two, the hat spoke. A tear near the brim opened up, and a deep, gravelly voice proclaimed: "Hufflepuff!"
One of the tables erupted into cheers as tiny Philippa Bailey removed the Hat and went to join them, smiling from ear to ear.
The next girl, Deirdre Barry, was put into Ravenclaw. They wouldn't get to Wood, Margaret for a while. Maisie relaxed slightly; at least she wouldn't have to take a test in front of the entire school.
When Lee's name was called, he started. Maisie nudged him. "Go on!" she said.
Lee's Sorting was very quick; the Hat put him in Gryffindor. The twins clapped especially loudly.
The group of first-years dwindled. At last it was only Maisie and the twins. Fred was Sorted into Gryffindor, and George followed. Then it was Maisie's turn. She was glad; she hated being the only one for everyone to stare at.
Maisie sat straight on the stool and settled the Hat firmly on her head. After a moment, the gravelly voice spoke-not aloud, but in her head.
"I remember your brother, and both of your parents…Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, both good Houses, though of course there's no such thing as a bad house at Hogwarts You could do well in either of those…but there's something else here, hmm, hmm…you're fierce, aren't you? Fierce in your loves, fierce in your hates…loyalty, that's there, and a sense of justice, quite admirable, yes…hmmm…I think it had better be HUFFLEPUFF!"
The last word was shouted aloud to the Hall. The Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped.
Professor McGonagall removed the hat from Maisie's head. "Go take a seat, please, Ms. Wood."
Maisie hurried off the platform, almost tripping in her haste, and joined the other first-year Hufflepuffs at their table.
When the cheering for all first-years subsided, Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and raised his hands for silence. The Hall quieted immediately.
"Welcome, old friends and new!" said Dumbledore. "There is a time for long speeches, but this is not it. I suspect you are all hungrier than I am. Tuck in!"
The moment he finished speaking, the food appeared on the tables. Maisie gaped at the variety: pies, roasts, trifles, puddings, biscuits, and a number of drinks. She tucked in with gusto.