Yay, Luka's finally going to Hogwarts! As usual I don't own anything and I'm not getting money from this. I hope you enjoy the following chapter and if you do please review, even if it's just a solitary sentence. Constructive criticism is welcomed but rants about how crap my storytelling is will be spurned.

It was finally the start of term. As Luka staggered through the platform barrier she looked around herself in amazement. The Hogwarts Express was a beautiful amaranth steam locomotive far superior in aesthetics to its modern Muggle counterparts, even if it did appear to be swaying side to side. Poor Luka had yet to recover her equilibrium after side along apparition.

"Well, there she is Luka. It's five to eleven so you'd best get aboard now," quipped Rose cheerily.

"Ok, bye then," replied Luka as Rose gave her a quick hug and Jacob ruffled her hair. They waved their last goodbyes as Luka climbed aboard with Elise's cage and rucksack in hand after her trunk had been loaded onto the train. As Luka entered the carriage corridor she looked back at her foster parents. They were walking away holding hands, the happiest Luka had ever seen them.

After she had gone to the loo to get changed into her school robes the train started its journey. Luka hastened to find somewhere to sit before she ended up having to sit in the corridor. She found it in the fourth compartment she came across. Opening the door Luka found the compartment occupied by what appeared to be two young siblings. A boy and a girl each with curly black hair and blue eyes. That was where the similarities ended though. The girl had her hair in bunches to her elbows and was quite chubby whilst the boy had his hair cropped to shoulder length and he seemed to be taller and skinnier than the girl.

"Um, excuse me, may I join you?" asked Luka shyly.

"Yeah sure. My name's Lucy and this is Peter," replied the girl with equal reserve.

"Is it okay if I let Elise out? It's just that she's never been used to being cooped up," enquired Luka a she pulled out her 'The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One' and wand from her bag before stowing it in the overhead rack.

"Of course, I already let Creampuff out," chirped Lucy. At Luka's look of confusion she moved the side of her robe to reveal a large fluffy cat curled up by her side, "and Peter's let out Siegfried,"

"Who?"

"My toad. He's sitting in my hood," replied Peter quietly. At this Luka glanced behind him to see two bulging yellow eyes looking back at her and she smiled. Due to Peter's trailing hair it looked like Siegfried was the owner of a long black fringe. Elise then swiftly recalled Luka's attention back to her as she stretched her grey speckled wings and ruffled her feathers as she hopped onto Luka's knee. Seeing as the siblings had gone back to staring out the window Luka opened her spellbook and decided to get some practice in before school. She hadn't used magic before and she had no wish to be behind the rest of her year mates. Wingardium leviosa went well until she got over confident and embedded her quill point first in the ceiling. Unfortunately whilst this was amusing Luka was too short to retrieve the quill. Luckily Peter managed to do it for her but shrugged off her thanks. After that the rest of the journey went quickly and they were soon at Hogsmeade station. As Luka exited the train and began to look around her she heard a booming voice.

"Firs' years this way!"

As she approached the voice she saw that it belonged to a huge man with long, shaggy hair and beard. He repeated his call until all of the first years were assembled around him like the satellites of Jupiter. He then introduced himself as Hagrid, gamekeeper and keeper of the keys of Hogwarts before leading the children to a small fleet of rowing boats docked at the shore of what Luka first thought was the sea.

"Take a good look everyone. That's 'Ogwarts, your new 'ome," proclaimed Hagrid gruffly, "and this ere's the Black Lake. Everyone pick a boat and we'll soon 'ave you across,"

As luck would have it Luka ended up sharing her boat with her two travelling companions. They all looked up in awe as they neared the school. Whilst they couldn't see what it looked like due to dark night they could make out its immense size due to the number of brightly lit windows facing them. When the boats made it to the other shore Hagrid ushered them to the entrance hall where they were met by the sight of a stern looking old witch. Once everyone was stood still and silent before her she spoke.

"When you walk through these doors," she paused to indicate the large double doors behind her, "you will be sorted into one of the four houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. For the duration of your stay at Hogwarts your house will be like your family. Yours successes will earn you house points whilst any wrong doing will cause you to lose them. Now since we are ready for you follow me,"

Everyone did so and they entered a magnificent hall. The first years looked around themselves to find that that they were flanked by two long tables on either side occupied by hundreds of elder students. The four houses Luka thought to herself as they came to a stop before a stone dais upon which stood a stool and old hat. Behind these items was the teachers' table but before Luka had a chance to get a good look at the staff the hat broke into song. It announced that it was the Sorting hat and proclaimed the characteristics most prized by each house. Once it had finished despite the calls for an encore from two ginger boys the stern witch spoke again.

"When I call out your name come forward and the Sorting hat will be placed upon your head. When you have been sorted you can then go and sit with your house mates," The old lady then called out the names of students and they shyly approached the Sorting hat. After the hat was placed on their heads it would shout the name of the house to which they belonged. At which point the nervous student would scurry off to the appropriate table. All right, it doesn't seem to difficult, all I have to do is sit down and let the hat do the work thought Luka as Colin Creevey was sorted into Gryffindor. Soon after that Lucy and Peter Elleberry were sorted into Slytherin and Hufflepuff Luka heard what she had been dreading.

"Luka Pearson step forward,"

Ah, which will it be? Find out next time!