AN: Glad you're back!

The ride in to the castle was probably the most breathtaking thing I had ever experienced. That was saying something, because I had been in Vermont, on Mount Washington, as the leaves were changing for the year.

Once we finally arrived at the castle, we walked into a large entrance hall. The size of the staircase was immense, as were the door leading into, what I could only assume was the great hall. I only got a moment's glimpse into the hall before we were ushered into a room to the side, but from what I saw it was immense, and rather loud, since it was filled with the older students. Once we were in the smaller room off the hall (It wasn't that small, since it had to fit around forty of us), a stern looking witch greeted us. She had black hair with flecks of grey pulled back into a bun, and looked at us like she was only waiting for us to misbehave.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher, and head of Gryffindor house. You will be joining your fellow classmates in a moment after the sorting. It has been brought to my attention that a rumor has gone around that to determine your houses you will be given a test on your magical skills and abilities. This is not true, and no such method is used in sorting. I will be back to retrieve you when we are ready."

I had not heard this rumor of testing our magical abilities, and wasn't aware that my classmates had been worried. Had I heard it, I would have tried to dispel it, knowing how we actually were sorted from my mother. Judging by the snickering coming from two black haired boys, I could tell where the idea originated.

"How old are you too?" I hissed under my breath, giving them a glare. I did not have enough time to say more, or hear their response. The professor came back in to gather us at that moment. I stood up straight, and followed the girl in front of me into the hall.

"As I call your name, please have a seat on the stool here. I will place the hat on your head. Once you are sorted, move directly to your house table." McGonagall announced to us, while a ruddy looking man ran up and placed a hat and stool next to her. Suddenly, and I do mean suddenly, the hat (Which was almost as ruddy looking as the man), started to sing.

"How many of you children

Have passed under my brim

Thinking, planning, waiting

Criticizing my trim

I'm not that fancy looking

But I sure am bright

The things I see in your head

Could give anyone a fright

Some are bold, others loyal

Some are smart, others sly

Which are you? Where do you fit?

Which House will make you fly?

A Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff

Ravenclaw or Slytherin?

Either way, what you learn here,

Will surely help you win.

Now enough of talk

It's time to start, sorting all of you

This is only the beginning, just the start

I know things you'll wish you knew."

"It sang. The bloody hat sang!" Sirius said behind me. James and I nodded in response, mouths hanging open. Remus had appeared next to us as we filed in (We had lost him on the boats), and laughed a bit.

"You didn't know? The hat always sings a song before the sorting." I believe that he was about to tell us more, but McGonagall shot a look our way, and started calling out names.

"Abott, Samule." As the boy went and sat on the stool, the entire hall turned towards him and waited in anticipation. The hat took little time on Samule, and he was declared a Ravenclaw rather quickly. The scrawny boy made his way over to the clapping table quickly.

"Black, Sirius." Professor McGonagall called out. James clapped Sirius on the back, and I whispered good luck in his ear. For a boy with so much confidence on the train, he seemed awfully nervous going up to that hat. He was pale, and looked as if he was dreading it with every fiber of his being. The sorting hat took a considerably longer amount of time deciding where to sort Sirius than it did the Abott boy.

"Gryffindor!" The hat roared to the hall after a few tense minutes. A rather weak hand of applause came from the table sporting red and gold ties. The sorting continued, sending students off to their houses. The girl from the compartment earlier, Lily Evans, was sorted into Gryffindor. I saw Severus Snape's face fall when her house was called out. I crossed my fingers for them, the seemed really close, that he would end up with her too.

In short order Remus and James both ended up in Gryffindor along with Sirius. An interesting looking pair of twins was sorted into Hufflepuff, along with a few others. The list was dwindling down to a few, and the crow surrounding me had dropped down to two others. All my hoping for Severus and Lily was wasted though, as he was sorted as he predicted earlier on the train, into Slytherin. I watched two boys (who would be getting a lecture about it later, if I had any say in the matter, especially as I hadn't gotten a chance to finish earlier) at the Gryffindor table snicker, as the red-head next to them became rather glum.

"Tallo, Nicole." With that I walked up to the stood and pulled the hat on my head. The thing was so large that it fell over my eyes. Although I couldn't see anything, suddenly a voice sounded.

"Tallo… Tallo… Tallo…? No, I don't know that name. Muggle born then?" The hat asked me. This I had been expecting.

"No. Half blood. My mother went here, Patricia Quinn. Can we get on with the sorting then?" I questioned in my head, worried I would be awkwardly sitting on the stool for a long time.

"Impatient aren't we, American too? I do remember a Quinn family coming through here, for many years actually, though they were Irish. Ravenclaw's mostly. We'll see then, won't we?"

"Gryffindor!" The hat yelled out. I smiled, my friends were all there. I pulled the hat off my head, stood up and placed it on the stool. I skipped over to where James, Remus, Sirius, Lily, and the other new first years were sitting. I placed myself between James and Sirius, sitting across from the other two. As I sat, I raised both of my hands, and knocked the two of them upside the head.

"What was that for?" James hissed.

"Being a jerk." I replied shortly, "Now watch the last girl."

Vasil, Xylina joined us at the Gryffindor table. Out of the 43 (exactly, I counted as we were being sorted), nine were Gryffindors; we had five girls, and four boys total. I looked around at the group that I hoped would form my family here. Marline McKinnon, Lily Evans, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Xylina Vasil, Hanna Jones, Peter Pettigrew, and myself. It was an interesting group, and it would be an interesting seven years.

A gasp from the group surrounding me took me away from my day-dreaming, and I saw platters filled with delicious looking and smelling food. Apparently I had missed a couple words from Headmaster Dumbledore (Shame, I found out later that they were Agliff, and Epirot). As we dug in to the great feast in front of us I saw James and Sirius giving each other looks around my back. I tried to ignore them, and make conversation with Xylina and Lily.

"So, no, the general population in New Jersey does not say 'New Joi-sei'. Remus what is your issue?" I broke off what I was telling the girls, in an attempt to find out why Remus was flapping around like a wild man. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get the words out a plate of mashed potatoes went flying into his face from the right of me. In the moment it took me to process it, a yell rang out.

"FOOD FIGHT!" And another platter of food went flying across the room. Apparently someone at another table thought it was a good idea to retaliate, and thusly food ended up flying across the room like it was on a broomstick.

I managed to duck under the table quickly, and avoided getting hit my much. There were a few bits of potato stuck in my hair, but I got away cleaner than Lily (Who had a piece of ham, with mustard, matted into her red locks) and Remus, who had both joined me under the table. I looked up to the head table, to see what the professors thought of the activity. Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling, and he was laughing, while pulling some chips out of his long white beard. McGonagall and the other teachers (I wasn't sure of their names yet) did not look nearly as pleased. Some were going rather red in the face.

"Enough!" Professor Dumbledore called out across the hall, laughing. The food all froze in mid-air, then clattered to the ground. "Tergeo! All right, while that was a good bit of fun, now I believe it is time for a brief desert, then off to bed. Although I normally make announcements after the meal is complete, as I have your attention now…"

The spell that Dumbledore called out seemed to tidy the hall in a moment. All the food that had been stuck to the walls, and to the students, had been wiped away. The many of us who had taken refuge under the long tables climbed out from underneath, hesitantly though, afraid that more food was going to come flying towards us at any moment.

"The forbidden forest is of course, off limits. We have a new addition to the grounds this year, a rare tree, called a Whomping Willow. To attempt to get near the tree would be dangerous for any student, so I advise that you avoid doing so. If you are looking for a nice tree to sit under, I believe there are a few nice oaks near to the lake. If you have any interest in whomping willow trees, our Herbology teacher, Professor Stumpet, would be happy to answer them during your regular classes. Now enjoy your desert, and I bid you pleasant evening. Welcome to the new school year."

The rest of dinner was rather uneventful after that. Shortly we first years were following a prefect up to the dormitories. I was currently ignoring James and Sirius, who had both managed to not get in trouble for the food fight, although they tried to speak to me. Finally I gave in, and started to speak to them again, though grudgingly.

Later that evening after the sorting I was sitting in the common room reading. Since the term always started on September first, no matter what day of the week, we had no classes tomorrow, as it was Sunday. That being said, I was taking full advantage of the warm room, with its comfy red chairs, for as long as I pleased.

A ruckus that I was beginning to associate with James and Sirius took me away from my book. I glanced at the portrait hole to see what they could be up to, but they were already up and walking towards me. I looked back down to the story, but by the time I found my place, the boy's were in front of me. Since they had been causing such a scene entering the room, nearly all eyes were on us, sadly. I didn't need to be the focus of attention as a first year.

"Hey, Nicole. What was the phrase you said you knew in Slovak earlier? You were walking away down the train, so I didn't catch it." Sirius asked a gleam in his eye that I had yet to recognize.

"I don't see why you two have this strange obsession with this little bit I know. I bet if you searched the school, you could find someone who speaks the language fluently." I looked back at the book longingly for a moment, but then directed my attention back to the boys. "Daj mi pusu."

Suddenly Sirius leaned towards me and kissed me full on the lips. It took me a second to register what he had just done, but once it clicked I pulled away quickly.

"I'll kill you!" I yelled, as if we hadn't already had the attention of the room. Lily, who had been sitting on the next chair over, ignoring the shenanigans, had apparently looked up amid the kiss. The look on my face must have been enough to send James and Sirius running. The whipped back to the portrait hole, and I was hot on their tail. Once we were outside, I saw that Remus had been waiting for them.

"I told you not to do it!" Remus scolded the black haired boys as they ran. I stopped chasing them once we got to the landing of the staircase.

"You are a dead man Sirius. Those words won't be for you again!" I screeched, but at that point, the whole escapade had become almost comical. It was my own fault to tell the truth, so I started giggling. I turned back towards the common room, hoping to actually get back to my book now. Once I sat down through, Lily practically jumped on me.

"What in god's good name was that?"

"Sirius being a git." I replied, sighing unhappily. I'd never get back to my book. "He asked me to say something specific in Slovak, and he had already figured out what it meant. So he did what I said."

"What did you say to him?" The redhead next to me demanded.

"Daj mi pusu. It means 'give me a kiss'. My uncle taught it to me when I was a baby. It's the only substantial sentence I know. I didn't think Sirius would do that though. I guess I should have known, judging by the way he acted at the feast." I shrugged, finally deciding that bed was a good idea. Lily looked more furious than anything else.

"You are going to let him get away with it?" She questioned me. I nodded.

"Nothing to be done about it. Coming to bed?" She sighed, and picked up her things, following me up to bed. If this day was a picture of what the rest of my time at this school would be like, I was going to have a very interesting seven years.

AN: Hey all! Welcome back, you should be rather happy, it's a fast update, which is a blessing in and of itself. Umm Not much to say about this chapter. If you have any questions ask in a review or PM. Oh, I wanted to say, when I wrote out how to pronounce those slovack words earlier, that may not be the only way to say them. I'm kindof weak with my slovak, but the way I wrote them out is the way I was taught to say them.

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