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Chapter 3

We were almost done with our shopping, we just had two more things to get; a wand and an animal. Ron had led us to a shop called Ollivander's wands and inside were boxes upon boxes and an old man standing behind the counter. When the door closed, the man looked at us and said, "Ah, you must be here to get your wands. Now come over here and we'll see which one fits you."

We looked at each other as we walked up to Ollivander as he held out a box to Amanda. "Here, try this one."

When Amanda touched her wand, a glowing wind surrounded her. He then handed one to Rachel, but nothing happened. "Go ahead, give it a wave."

As soon as Rachel waved her wand, boxes flew off the shelves. "Maybe not."

He then handed another one to her and the glow surrounded her as well. "Alright, now your turn miss."

He searched the boxes and handed me this very elegant one. When I held it, nothing happened. I waved it in the manner that Rachel did and the glass vase across the room shattered. I quickly set it down on the desk as Ollivander got another wand. This one was a littler older and the same thing happened when I waved it. He then took out this box and looked at me oddly. He set the box down and I quickly took hold of the wand. The glowing aura surrounded me as it did with Amanda and Rachel. "Very interesting…" he muttered.

"What?" I ask.

"Interesting that this wand chose you. The feathers of the phoenix that reside in this wand gave another feather; the feather of the wand that belonged to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. But I have a feeling that you will do better than he did."

I stared at my three friends and we quickly paid for the wands and headed over to the animal shop where there were owls, cats and frogs. A lovely white owl caught my eye and as soon as I approached her, she cocked her head and cried out. "She likes you," said the shop-keeper.

We each chose our owls and paid the shopkeeper. I got the lovely Snow owl and walked out of the shop. As soon as we stepped outside, I thought of the perfect name for her, "Felix."

Felix agreed with me and the seven of us walked over to the Leaky Cauldron and said goodbye to the wonders of Diagon Alley.

----oOo----

After we had arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, we traveled by floo powder again and arrived back at the Burrow. It was getting late and after we had another marvelous supper, we headed upstairs and into bed. Mrs. Weasley informed us that in two days time, we would be on the train heading to Hogwarts. She also explained that by the time we got back, we would have our own rooms and wouldn't have to share with Ron anymore. Rachel, Amanda and I were relieved by the news and we headed straight to bed. Ron was sound asleep, but I was still awake, lost in thought. Who was this man known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? How come I had a wand that was somehow related to this man's wand? I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice the sun rise and Rachel waking up. "Hey Elliot, did you stay awake all night?"

I didn't answer her. "Elli, are you okay?"

I still didn't answer. "ELLIOT! ARE YOU OKAY!"

I don't know why I didn't answer. Maybe I was still deep in thought. However, I was soon out of that trance when I felt a shoe collide with my head. "OW!" I yelled.

As soon as I screamed, Amanda hurriedly ran in. "What is going on?"

"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" I yelled at Rachel.

Rachel and Amanda looked at me strangely. "Did she just say 'bloody hell'?" asked Amanda.

"She's been spending too much time with Ron," answered Rachel.

"Oh piss off," I shouted as I lay back on my bed and stared at the wall. I could hear Amanda and Rachel laugh as they walked out of the room. I was somewhat surprised that Ron had managed to sleep through my yelling spree. But he soon awoke yelling, "SPIDERS!"

I couldn't help but laugh, but that smile quickly faded when Ron turned to me and asked, "Elliot, are you okay?"

Quickly, I sat up and turned to him. "Why does everyone keep asking me if I'm okay? I'm perfect! I'm bloody brilliant!" I yelled as I stormed out of the room.

I don't know why I yelled at him like that. I think it may have had something to do with all the things that were happening in my life and I was under a lot of stress. When I walked downstairs, I saw Rachel, Amanda, Fred, George and Percy seated at the table. I angrily sat down as Mrs. Weasley set seven plates down on biscuits and gravy. "Wow Elli, you looked pissed. Are you okay?" asked Rachel.

As soon as she asked that, Ron had come down the stairs and sat down. However, I shot an evil glance at Rachel. Everyone looked at me at awe and I didn't know why. I soon figured it out when I saw my fork fly straight at Rachel. Rachel had kicked back the seat just in time to miss her head and stick straight into the wall. Everyone at the table, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who stood in the doorway of the kitchen looked at the fork and then at me. I looked around quickly ran out of the house and out to the fence that led to the open field behind the Burrow. As soon as I hit the fence, I rested my head in my hands and took deep breathes. Did I really just do that? How was it possible? I could feel the stress overwhelming me and the thoughts leaping through my brain. As was so unaware of my surroundings that I didn't even notice Ron had walked up next to me. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said.

I didn't answer him. He didn't say another word and we stood in silence for the longest time. "They sent you out here to make sure I was okay, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah," he laughed.

"Well, I'm fine."

That's when he turned and looked at me. "No you're not. I can see that stress building up on your face."

I couldn't help but smile. Ron was so sweet and caring and charming. I turned and looked at him. "Thanks, I needed that."

"No problem. By the way, did I hear you using a British accent back there in my room? I think Amanda and Rachel are right; you have been spending too much time around here. It's getting to your head."

"Oh really?" I said with the smallest hint of a British accent.

Ron nodded and suddenly, I jumped at him, but he was too quick. We laughed and I chased him around the large yard. I haven't had that much fun since I was a five year old in the orphanage. We continued to chase each other around until finally, I lunged at him and we rolled in the dirt until I finally pinned him to the ground. Then, we heard someone clear their throat. We both looked up and saw everybody standing there looking at us. I quickly got off of him and Ron stood up, and we both chuckled. "Alright you two, you had best get out of those clothes and get washed up. We have some packing to do," laughed Mr. Weasley.

We both ran inside as everybody except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley laughed at us. And when we ascended the stairs, there was a feeling I had never felt; love.

----oOo----

Finally, it was the day we had all been waiting for. It was the day we went to the train station to get on the train for Hogwarts. Amanda, Rachel and I didn't know what to expect, so we decided not to dwell and relax. The train station was amazing. There were trains among trains and platforms among platforms. We were looking for Platform 9 ¾. But as we reached Platform 9, it led straight to 10, no 9 ¾. "Where's the platform?" I asked.

"It's right there," said Mrs. Weasley, pointing to the brick pillar.

"Uh, that's a wall," explained Rachel.

"Here, Percy, you show them," ordered Mrs. Weasley.

Suddenly, Percy took his trolley and ran straight at the pillar. Suddenly, he disappeared into the pillar. "How did he do that?" asked Amanda.

"Like this," said Fred as he pushed Rachel into the pillar and she disappeared.

"Excuse me, but how do you get onto the platform?" asked a boy completely unfamiliar to us.

Mrs. Weasley began to explain it to him when Fred and George pushed me and Ron into the pillar together. I closed my eyes just waiting to hit the wall, but when I opened my eyes, I saw a black-scarlet train and children running onto the train. Rachel stood there laughing at us. "It's not what it looks like," I said.

"Yeah, right," she laughed as Fred, George, and Amanda appeared. "Come on, we had better get our luggage onto the train," said Percy as he led us to the luggage compartment and helped us load our luggage in.

As we boarded the train, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny said good-bye and the train moved forward. "Now let's see," said Ron as he tried to find an empty compartment.

But all of them were taken, except for one that just had the boy from earlier sitting in it. "Excuse, but do you mind? All of the other ones are full?" asked Ron.

"No, go ahead," said the boy.

I walked in and sat next to the window as Ron ran in and sat next to me. Rachel and Laura laughed as they sat next to the boy. "I'm Elliot Croft," I introduced myself.

"I'm Amanda Janine."

"Rachel Sinclair."

"The name's Ron. Ron Weasley."

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," introduced the boy.

Amanda, Rachel and I smiled as Ron looked dumbfounded. "What?" I asked.

"You're Harry Potter?"

"Who's he?" I asked.

Harry gave me a Thank-God look. "He's the only person known to have survived an attack by You-Know-Who."

"Who the bloody hell is You-Know-Who?" I shouted.

"His name is Voldemort," explained Harry.

As Harry said his name, Ron shuddered. I looked at Rachel and Amanda and nodded. Then, we turned to Ron and repeated, "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort…"

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" shouted Ron as we all laughed, including Harry.

As we talked, the trolley came by and asked if we were hungry. I was kind of, but I wasn't sure what to get. That's when Harry took out a pocket full of money and said, "We'll take the lot."

So instead of not getting anything, we got everything! And man was the food delicious. There were sweets, pastries, you name it! I could really get use to this stuff. As they all talked, I held my box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and stared out the window. We passed mountains and valleys, rivers and lakes and the beauty of nature. It was amazing. "Elliot," said Amanda.

I turned and looked at her. "Are you okay?"

How many times were they going to ask me that? It was seriously getting annoying. So, I picked up a bean and threw it at Amanda. It landed in her mouth and she quickly swallowed it. "EW! VOMIT!"

Everyone in the compartment laughed as Amanda began to gag. That's when the door opened and a girl looked in. "Excuse me, but have you seen a toad come in here? A boy named Neville's lost it."

"Oh no, not another girl!" shouted Ron when I quickly jabbed him in the side. "I mean…why don't you come in and sit down."

The girl smiled and sat next to Amanda. "I'm Hermione Granger."

We each introduced ourselves and when she heard Harry's name, she had the same face as Ron did. We got to know each other and Hermione and I had so much in common. But it was getting late and she had to go. "You had best change into your robes. I'll see you later," she said as she ran out.

Before she turned away, she turned to Ron and said, "You have dirt on your nose, did you know? Just there."

Ron rubbed the spot where there was a small patch of dirt. Giving a shrug, Harry and Ron took their robes and went to the nearest bathroom to allow us some privacy to change. After the boys came back, we came to a sudden stop in front of a huge castle and then Hagrid's blowing voice called out, "Firs' years off the train firs'. Only firs' years!"

When we got off, he saw us and smiled. "Why hello girls. You've been doing good, I see. Oh, hello Harry," he greeted Harry.

Harry waved and I looked at him. I then turned at looked at Hagrid who quickly turned and walked away. "Okay, follow me."

Hagrid led us to a series of boats and we each got into one and sailed off towards the castle. The castle was huge and had a very safe feeling about it. It was something you would imagine in a fairy tale, but only…it was real. We had arrived at the docks and Hagrid led us up the flight of stairs and into the castle. The inside looked just as big as the outside and yet again, Hagrid led us up a flight of stairs again to an old woman. "Hello. I'm Professor McGonagall. You will be entering the Great Hall soon and there, you will be sorted into your houses. But before we enter, I am going to go inform Professor Dumbledore of your arrival."

She disappeared through the doors and as I watched her leave, a blonde boy obscured my vision and looked at Rachel. "Why, hello beautiful. I'm Malfoy. Why are you hanging with these losers?"

"Excuse me, but these are my friends," said Rachel as she turned away. That's when Malfoy caught my attention. "Double double toile and trouble. There's two magnificent beauties. Why don't you come hang with my group, I'm sure we would be better company than them," said Malfoy.

I could see Ron's face growing redder and his face growing flustered. "Looks like someone has a little crush on you already."

Ron's redness soon disappeared as Malfoy turned back to me. "What do you say?"

"I say, piss off. I think I know a good friend when I see one."

Malfoy looked at me with anger. "You're gonna wish you never said that."

And then, he disappeared as Professor McGonagall appeared. "If you would follow me."

She opened the doors to reveal a large hall filled with students and teachers. Floating candles were high in the ceiling and the ceiling looked like the night sky. It was amazing. We walked between two tables and up to a chair were a dirty old hat sat on the stool. The old man who sat in the middle stood up and waved his hand. "Students, welcome to another year at Hogwarts. If you don't know me already, I'm Professor Dumbledore. As you know, we have many first years to sort out, so we shall begin the sorting."

"When I call your name, please come up front and sit on the stool. Hermione Granger."

Hermione slowly walked up in front of us all and sat on the stool as Professor McGonagall set the hat down on her head. Suddenly, the hat came to life. "Hmm…interesting. Ah…I say…GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table cheered with victory as Hermione went to sit with them. There, I saw Percy and the twins already sitting. "Amanda Janine."

Amanda walked up and sat down on the stool. "Ah…lovely…I know just where to put you…GRYFFINDOR!"

Yet again, the table cheered as Amanda went to sit with them. "Draco Malfoy."

I couldn't help but laugh at his first name. Who would name their son Draco? The hat barely touched his head when he shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table cheered as Malfoy joined them. "Harry Potter."

Everyone grew very silent as Harry approached the stool. The hat took his dear time with Harry, but finally shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

They all clapped with joy as Harry joined the table. They went through more students, and the hat put them in other houses such as Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. "Rachel Sinclair."

Yet again, the hall grew very quiet as it did with Harry. We looked at each other as Rachel walked up to the stool. An ugly looking man leaned forward as if he was very interested. "Hmmmm…now this is strange. There is a good aura around you, but yet…there is still some of the darkness from your father…hmmm…GRYFFINDOR!"

Rachel walked away in triumph as the ugly man sat back down. "Ronald Weasley."

Ron walked up the stool and when the hat touched his red hair, he screamed out, "HA! Another Weasley. I know just what to do with you…GRYFFINDOR!"

All my friends now belonged in Gryffindor. No pressure, huh? "Elliot Croft."

The room grew very silent again as I walked up the stool. When the hat touched my head, it began to speak. "Hmmmm…interesting…very interesting. You seem to have the same problem as dear Mr. Potter. You have bravery, cleverness, loyalty, and trouble. But, where to put you? Well, I'm going to have to say…GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone cheered as I ran down the stairs and sat with all of my friends. Finally, the sorting was done and Dumbledore stood up. "Now then, it is best we go over the rules. First, there will be no wandering the halls after night. Two, the restricted section in the library is for sixth and seventh years only. Third, no one is to travel in the 3rd corridor unless they want to witness an ultimate punishment. Anyone caught breaking these rules will lose points for their houses and receive a detention. Now, let the feast begin!"

Suddenly, food appeared on the empty platters. It was a feast fit for a king. "I love magic," I said as we dug into our meals and stuffed our faces.

Finally, the feast was over and we were led up to the Gryffindor common room. When we got the door, we saw a picture of a fat lady. "Password?"

"Carpet Draconus."

The painting swung open and we all filed in. "Now then, this is the Gryffindor Common Room. Gentlemen, your quarters are up the stairs to you left. Girls, to your right. You will find that your trunks are already set at your beds. We begin classes tomorrow, so get some rest," informed Percy.

After saying goodnight to Ron and Harry, we followed Hermione up and saw the girl's quarters already filled with out stuff. I found my trunk laying on top of the bed farthest from the door and Felix sitting comfortably in her cage. After we got changed, we each said goodnight to one another and went to sleep, except for me. This place was amazing and I couldn't figure out how Rachel and Amanda could fall asleep. It was so magical! I knew that this was going to be the best times of our life starting now.

TBC…

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