Chapter 4: A Diary Entry
(From the diary of Hermione Granger)
Monday, 2 September 1991
I arrived at Hogwarts School last night, after a long train journey. On the train I met a few different people, including Harry Potter (the "Boy Who Lived"), and three other boys called Neville, Ron and Draco. When we got to Hogwarts we were all sorted into our houses by a magic hat. I knew about the houses from "Hogwarts, a History", and had decided that I wanted to be in Gryffindor House or Ravenclaw House. However, the magic hat looked at what I was thinking, and said my ambition was my strongest quality, and it put me into Slytherin House, which is where the ambitious people go. I was a bit upset about this, because Slytherin House has a very bad reputation, but I've been thinking about it, and I think it must be just that people who aren't ambitious are nervous about people who are. So, one of the things I shall have to do is change this view: I suppose I am ambitious, but I don't think I'm a bad person.
After all the first years were sorted into our houses, we had a huge feast. It was delicious. There were three kinds of ice-cream! I was careful not to eat too many sweet things so as not to damage my teeth. After the feast we all went to our own houses, and the prefects gave a speech about how we should all work hard and always polish our shoes and brush our hair and generally present a good image of our house. Then we went to bed.
I share a dormitory with four other girls: Daphne Greengrass, Olivia Runcorn, Tracey Davis and Sophia-Amalia Roper (but she said to call her Sophie). They all seem very polite, and we have a nice room. Everyone has their own huge four-poster bed with curtains! Also we each have a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. Slytherin House is in the lowest level of the castle, and we have to go up three staircases just to get to the Great Hall.
I don't know the names of all the first year boys yet, but I do know three: Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. I met Draco on the train, and he was very rude to me and to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. He was rude to me again during the feast, and so was Gregory Goyle. I think Vincent Crabbe wanted to be rude too, but he is so inarticulate he can only speak in grunts! I think Daphne also doesn't like people from non-wizarding families, but she is so polite and formal it's impossible to tell for sure. I am the first person from a non-wizarding family to be sorted into Slytherin for eighteen years, the Sorting Hat said, so I have to be sure to make a good impression.
Anyway, it's nearly time to get up. My bed is next to Tracey Davis', and I just heard her alarm clock. We have to get dressed and assemble in the house common room before breakfast, so we can meet our housemaster, Professor Snape. Olivia Roper's sister, who is a third year, told Olivia that he's very strict and hates it when people are late or lazy, so we will all have to be on time and work hard.