Summer had gone by faster than the sisters had expected. Both Hermione and Elizabeth had spent most of it looking over their new school books. The older sibling had found Transfiguration and History of Magic particularly interesting, whereas the youngest preferred Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts and the concept of Quidditch rather fascinating. Liz would groan when Hermione wanted her to pay more attention when she turned a match into a needle, and the roles would be reversed when Elizabeth went on and on about jinxes and powerful drafts. Although both had taken notes in their books and practiced a few spells, only Ella attempted to brew a few potions. Both had managed to perform the knockback jinx fairly well, which had made Hermione and Elizabeth sore since they used each other as targets instead she was the of a stuffed giraffe or teddy bear. On the very first try, Elizabeth had created a perfect cure for boils; a potion they would learn during the year. Well, according to her books anyway. Liz had an affinity for potion-making, apparently. The younger sister had also become quite attached to her furry friend. Aslan would run across the room to fetch ingredients for Elizabeth when she asked him too. A very smart cat he was. He was also very affectionate when he wasn't busy fetching dried nettles, porcupine quills or sun-bathing on the window sill.
At nine o'clock in the morning on September first, 1991, Hermione had surprisingly been woken up, not by her mother, but by Elizabeth who had already packed her trunk, gotten dressed and woken up her parents to make breakfast. Hermione had questioned her sister's attire, but gave up arguing with her after she Elizabeth threatened to take all her books away. After the two had finished eating around nine thirty, the twins put all their things into the trunk of their parent's car and began their drive to the London Train Station. When they had arrived, the two girls took out the tickets they had received the day Professors Snape and McGonagall had come. It read Platform 9 ¾. But that couldn't be possible could it? That would mean that it's in between platforms nine and ten. Mind you, this is magic we're dealing with. Mr. and Mrs. Granger kissed their children's foreheads, much to Elizabeth's reluctance, and left the two girls in front of the platforms nine and ten.
"What do you suppose we do now?" Hermione asked
"I thought you were the smart one." Elizabeth chuckled
"Very funny, Liz."
The two sisters thought for a bit as to how they were going to get to their platform. They had an hour to waste anyway. Suddenly, Elizabeth got an idea so bizarre it actually might work. After all, they were going to magic school...
"Why don't we just walk through the wall?"
"Are you mad? The platform is 9 ¾, not half." the eldest replied "It's basic math."
"We're witches; I guess we are mad." Elizabeth chuckled dramatically "And I don't think wizards care about math, Mione."
Ella grabbed hold of her cart which held her cat, trunk and other items and faced the wall. Hermione was about to protest, but her sister was already making a run for the wall. What was the worst that could happen? Just inches before Elizabeth hit the wall, Hermione let out a high pitched squeal and covered her eyes. But rather than smashing into a wall of red brick, when Liz hit the wall, she went through and was met with an amazing sight. On the other side of the brick wall sat a magnificent scarlet steam engine marked Hogwarts Express. Puffs of smoke surrounded bundles of people as they walked in, out and around the train. A few seconds later, Elizabeth was joined by her sister who had figured her trick worked.
"Told you we're mad." Liz smiled "But it's brilliant."
"Definitely." Hermione smiled in return
The two girls made their way to the center of the station were a man took their trunks and placed them in a separate compartment underneath the train. A voice was heard yelling "ten minutes", which meant the girls had to get on the train. Elizabeth and Hermione boarded the train and found an empty compartment to sit in. Aslan had come along with Elizabeth; she thought it cruel to leave him alone in there. She placed the cage on one side of the compartment and opened it, letting the blue-eyed cat stretch its legs and walk around. A few minutes later, a whistle sounded and the train began to move. The twins then got the same idea: open your books. Hermione got hold of Hogwarts: A History and began reading it a third time while Ella re-read Magical Drafts and Potions. Somewhere along the way, a boy named Neville came into their compartment complaining about his lost toad, Trevor. Hermione offered to help, whereas the other twin groaned and went back to reading. Elizabeth was absorbed by her book, but was interrupted by Aslan who hissed. The brunette looked up and was met with two heads of bright red hair. They were twin boys.
"Can I help you?" she inquired
"Well, your cat saved you-" the first began
"From a hair disaster." the other finished
"Well, then." Liz turned to her cat "Thank you, Aslan."
The feline meowed and curled up beside her, his head on Elizabeth's lap.
"I'm Fred." the one to the left said
"I'm George." the other continued
"And we're the Weasley twins!" they said simultaneously
"Fascinating." Lizzie replied, her eyebrows raised "I'm Elizabeth Granger."
"Nice to meet you, Ellie!" Fred and George chorused
"I can already tell we're going to be the best of friends." Fred smiled cheekily
"Hey, don't leave me out of this!" George complained
"You're just jealous because she thinks I'm more attractive."
"Fred, you two look exactly alike." Elizabeth chuckled
"No we don't!" the two joked "I'm way sexier! No, I am!"
"Boys, boys!" Liz laughed "Calm down."
And so, the majority of the trip went as such. Fred and George would constantly tell Liz to close her eyes, and they'd switch places. Elizabeth would have to guess who was who; she got it right every time. The Weasley twins would then talk about the teachers, the classes, the sorting ceremony, but most of all the sweets they'd eat and the pranks they'd pull off. Liz found the twins fantastic. After a while, the twins left with another student called, Lee Jordan. They'd introduced her and told Ellie that they'd talk to her later because they had an "annoying prat" to prank. Elizabeth then decided to try and find her sister; she had been gone for a while. Finding a toad couldn't possibly be that difficult. Green eyes scanned every compartment until she found her sister sitting in a compartment with two boys. The taller one had flaming red hair, similar to Fred and George's, blue eyes and a long nose. The other, who was a lot shorter, had jet black hair and green eyes similar to Elizabeth's. Liz knocked and entered as Hermione was pointing her wand at one of them.
"I hope you aren't hexing him, Hermione." Elizabeth joked
"No, I'm fixing his glasses." she replied sternly
"Calm down, it was just a joke. No need to get your knickers in a twist."
Hermione concentrated again and chanted Oculus Reparo. Immediately, the boy's glasses were fixed. He removed them amazed and his hair moved, revealing a scar every witch and wizard knew all to well.
"Bloody hell!" Elizabeth gasped, sitting next to her sister "You're Harry Potter!"
"Elizabeth, watch your language." Hermione said angrily
"Yes, mother." Liz replied sarcastically "I'm Elizabeth Granger, and this is my unfortunate sister, Hermione."
"And you are?" Hermione asked, looking over to the red-haired boy while ignoring her sister's last comment
"I'm... Ron Weasley." he replies, his mouth full
"Pleasure..." the older twin says, slightly disgusted "You two better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon."
Hermione gets up and beckons to her sister, who stays with the boys. But before Hermione can leave for good, she turns back and looks at Ron.
"You've got dirt on your nose, did you know? Just there." she says, pointing to a spot on her nose
Ron wipes the dirt off, slightly embarrassed and Hermione leaves, back to the compartment in which the two sisters had arrived. Elizabeth sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"Sorry, about her." she chuckled "She's quite a handful, that one. By the way, I met your brothers, Fred and George earlier."
"Well, I'm sorry about them. They can be a handful as well."
The three of them chuckled and talked for the rest of the trip all while eating obscene amounts of sweets. About an hour later, the train blows its whistle and pulls into an outdoor station. People begin pouring out of the train. Ron, Harry and Elizabeth disembark together and follow a giant man whom Harry called Hagrid. He held a lantern and was calling out for all the first years to follow him on a dark path. Harry seemed to trust him, therefore Elizabeth did as well. Hermione eventually found her sister and her new friends and the four of them got onto the same boat Hagrid had instructed to get on. The foursome sailed quietly across what Hermione had told us was the Black Lake, home of the Giant Squid. What could be seen up ahead had every child in awe. The Hogwarts castle windows and grounds shone brightly in the darkness of the night. It was like the school twinkled like thousands of stars. The boats eventually made it to shore and all the students had to walk a short while to the front doors of the school. There stood Professor McGonagall, in her usual emerald robes and pointed black hat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Minerva began "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you are here, your house will be like your family, your triumphs will earn you house points; any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup."
Suddenly, the boy whom Hermione and Elizabeth had met - Neville - ran up to the front and shouted his toad's name. He crouched down and took him then apologized to Professor McGonagall for interrupting. She gave him a stern look then continued her speech.
"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily."
The older woman then leaves and everyone begins whispering. Just then, a few groans are heard from the back as a boy pushes to the front of the group of young witches and wizards; it's none other than Draco Malfoy.
"Is it true then, what they're saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts?"
Students begin to whisper. Elizabeth rolls her eyes. He doesn't need or want all this attention; he's just a boy.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle." the young Malfoy says, nodding his head towards two large boys behind him "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron snickers when he says his name. Elizabeth elbows him in the arm, to which Ron gives her a confused look.
"Think my name is funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Red hair, hand-me-down robes? Must be a Weasley." Draco says snidely "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. I can help you with that."
Draco extends his hand for Harry to shake, but he refuses. Elizabeth snickers, and, unfortunately, the young Malfoy hears her. Oops...
"And you... You didn't tell me you had a sister."
"I didn't think it was necessary." she shrugged
"It wasn't. What is necessary, is that you tell me you both are a bunch of filthy mudbloods."
Hermione and Ron gasped. Harry seemed confused to the term, him never being acquainted with wizard profanity. Elizabeth on the other hand, kept her smile; she didn't want Malfoy to gain the satisfaction of hurting her feelings. So instead of acting hurt like her sister, Liz merely shrugged it off.
"I don't care what you call me, Malfoy."
"Well, as long as I can call your sister a mudblood-"
"Look, you can call me whatever the hell you like," Elizabeth began, her tone dangerously low "but if you so much as stand, look or breathe in my sister's direction... I will end you."
Draco and his two lackeys laughed loudly.
"Oh really?" he taunted "What are you going to do?"
"What am I going to do?" Elizabeth smirked "I'm going to take your wand and shove it so far up your arse you'll be trying to shit it for months."
Hermione, Ron and Harry tried not to laugh as Malfoy's face turned beet red. Liz crossed her arms and smirked in victory before turning around and ignoring the blonde. The four kids were saved from an earful by Professor McGonagall who came back outside and told the students they were ready for the sorting ceremony. She lead the students through two large oak doors and into what Hermione said was the Great Hall. Hundreds of kids were seated at four long tables; a coloured flag hanging above each. To the far left was the Slytherin table, decorated with green and silver. Next to them were the yellow and black Hufflepuffs. To the immediate right, was the red and gold banner of Gryffindor and finally, Ravenclaw table with their blue and bronze. All the students were lead to the front of the hall and were in awe at the ceiling. Hundreds of candles floated above their heads and above them, a ceiling bewitched to look like the night sky. It was truly a beautiful sight. As she passed the tables, Elizabeth spotted Fred and George Weasley at the Gryffindor table. The twins smiled encouragingly at her as she kept walking to the front, alongside the other students. When she reached the front, Professor McGonagall rose and began speaking, but Elizabeth paid little attention; she was looking at all the teachers seated at the high table. Hagrid, the keeper of the keys, sat at the far right. Teachers she didn't recognize sat in between him and the Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Beside him was the seat where the sharp featured Professor McGonagall sat and again, there were a few more teachers beside her. The spot at the far left was occupied by the potion master, Severus Snape. To his left, and Elizabeth's right, sat a professor who dared to don a purple turban on his head. Her gaze on him lasted to long; the professor turned to face her. Her eyebrows furrowed; something was odd about this man, and it wasn't the turban. Luckily, Hermione, who was standing nervously beside her, shook Liz out of her uneasy eye-contact with the professor. She looked in front of her and saw that Dumbledore, whose beard was almost as long as his purple robes, stood and began talking.
"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce." he began in a soft tone "The first years please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you."
A most painful death? Sounds cheerful... Hogwarts sure is an interesting place and, so far, it seems very dangerous unless you follow the rules; which Elizabeth doesn't do very often.
"When I call your name, you will come forth." Minerva began "I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Abbot, Hannah."
A girl walks up to the stool sitting in front of the high table. The professor places the hat on her head and a few seconds later, it yells "Hufflepuff!" Several names later, Elizabeth tenses.
"Granger, Elizabeth."
Just before she walks up to the stool, Liz hears a familiar voice whisper the word mudblood. Draco Malfoy, of course. And she thought he seemed like a nice boy at Florean Fortescue's... Elizabeth got a reassuring smile from Ron, Harry and her sister as she went up and sat on the rickety stool.
"Hmmm... Elizabeth Granger." the hat said as it landed on her head "You're a difficult one..."
"Am I, really?"
"Indeed you are... You're a brilliant young witch. I could make this easy and put you in Ravenclaw-"
"No. Anything but Ravenclaw." Liz insisted
"I thought so..." the hat chuckled "You would then do well in either Slytherin or Gryffindor..."
"Just pick one already." Elizabeth said loudly
Students chuckled.
"Well then... Definitely-"
