Hagrid helped each of the students from the boats one by one. After they were all out, the new girls included, they began to climb the long line of stairs up to the entrance. Kera looked around - the view was beautiful from here. She could only imagine what the view from inside would look like. It seemed that Hogwarts was bigger than their old school, but then again Point Alikan was on an island. "Where are we going?" She turned around suddenly, but a little too fast as she flew to the ground. Elisabeth, Aubrey, Trilby, and Kahvi laughed as they helped her up. She brushed herself off and continued to walk up - all the while getting closer and closer.
Getting inside of Hogwarts, everyone couldn't stop looking around at the place they were going to call home for the next years of their life. "Its beautiful . . ." Hagrid led them up a stairwell, up to an older lady wearing robes which were almost an emerald-green color. "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said as the giant passed through the doors ahead of them. "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, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Her gaze swept over the first years and over to Anien, Elisabeth, Aubrey, Christy, Trilby, Kera, and Kahvi. "Our new students will be sorted after the first years. Now while you're here," she said going back to speaking to the group. "Your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you 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. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily…"
The teacher lead the entire group into the Great Hall, where everyone could feel the excitement of the upcoming feast in the room. Both the first years and the girls could see people from all four houses turn and look at them. The girls, each one could see, got several confused looks from a lot of the older students. Kera spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione towards the far end of the room on one of the House tables - right where they were heading. "Look up," she heard Kahvi say in her ear. Doing so, she saw that . . . there was no ceiling. It was just the night sky. "What if it rains?" "Silly, its not real. Its just an illusion. Bewitched." She could hear Anien stifle a chuckle as if to say 'Duh.' Rolling her eyes, she could see that they were nearing a hat. How on earth was this hat supposed to sort them? She could see that her friends had the same thoughts. All of them, Anien included, jumped back when they saw the hat move. *It's alive!* She thought. *Back home they just put us into houses they best felt would strengthen our talents . . .* They all heard the whole school quiet down as the hat began to sing - a song telling the new students (both first years and the new transfers) about each of the four houses. When it was done, they could still see it moving, waiting to begin the sorting.
"When I call your name, please step up here and take a seat on the stool," the teacher said as she unrolled a scroll. "Laura Abercrombie." A brunette girl stepped up to the stool (which was now empty as the teacher had removed the hat) and sat down. After she had the hat on her head, the spectators could hear it thinking. "Yes . . . Yes . . . Where should I put you? . . . Ah, yes. RAVENCLAW!!!" The people sitting at one of the end tables began to clap and cheer as the girl ran over an joined her new house. The sorting continued through 'Bridget Zambini,' who was made a Slytherin just like her sister Blaise. The only ones left standing were the new transfer students. Christy saw an older man stand up from the teacher's table - in fact, he was right in the middle. He began to address the students - "We have here seven girls from the Point Alikan School for the Magical Arts." At the mention of the full name of the school, the students began to murmur - they had all heard about the attack one way or another and it made them think that any one of them could be next. The man held up his hand, instantly silencing them. "Four of them have one more year to complete while the rest will be here a while longer. While they are here I expect them to be treated just like you treat each other. Anything I hear from the girls otherwise will result in serious punishment to the offender." A smile crept across his face as he sat down, symbolizing the beginning of the next sorting.
This was the moment Harry had been waiting for - the sorting of the new girls. All throughout his past 4 years at Hogwarts, he had never witnessed any sorting of transfer students - the boy had hardly witnessed any sortings anyway! He heard Professor McGonagall announce the first girl's name. "Fifth year Trilby Arundel." One of the girls stepped forward and walked up to the stool. She brushed a strand of her shoulder-length black hair out of her face as she sat down. McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head and he could see that she flinched when it moved. "I see . . . Yes . . . Very interesting . . .GRYFFINDOR!!!" As the hat was lifted off of her head, she ran towards the Gryffindor table and sat down in one of the seats between the older kids and the first years.
"Fifth year . . . Anien Alise Delu." A tall and pretty brunette made her way up to the sorting hat. There was something about her, however - her and her friend who was standing next to her. Eerily, there was a replay of his sorting - when the Sorting Hat was barely upon Draco Malfoy's head and he already knew of the house. The same thing happened here. "SLYTHERIN!!!" The Slytherin table burst into cheers as the girl ran to join him. He could see Draco scooting over to make room for her. She sat down next to him and the boy could see them begin talking. "Sixth year Christy Vallade." Her friend approached the seat and, sitting down, had the hat on her head. "Okay . . . This is easy . . . SLYTHERIN!!!" A smile burst out on her face and her blue-gray eyes lit up as she ran to join her friend.
"Seventh year Kahvi Skyweise." One of the girls with shoulder-length brown hair approached the stool. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as the hat was placed on her head. "Yes . . . Okay . . . I see . . . GRYFFINDOR!!!" Once again the Gryffindor table burst out into cheers as Kahvi ran over to join them. He could see Hermione, the newly-named Prefect (as the other one, a seventh-year had to transfer out of Hogwarts at the last minute) smile as she came - out of the years all of them had been there, this was the first sorting of new transfer students they'd seen.
As soon as the girl sat down, Professor McGonagall read aloud the next name. "Seventh year Kera Rosewood." Kera approached the stool and sat down. "Hmm . . ." the Sorting Hat said once on her head. "Difficult . . . You would fare well in two houses . . . But which one? . . . Ah, I know . . . GRYFFINDOR!!!" "YES!!" Harry cheered as Kera ran over to the table and sat down next to him and across from her friends. For some reason, after Kera was sorted the rest of the sorting didn't really matter to him. He heard McGonagall say the last two girls' names. "Seventh year Elisabeth Broomer." "RAVENCLAW!!!" He heard Kera gasp, though - obviously she was expecting them all to stay in one house. "Seventh year Aubrey McPhearson." "RAVENCLAW!!!"
As soon as the girls were situated, the whole school heard McGonagall tap her spoon against her glass. "Your attention, please . . ." Professor Dumbledore stood up as the school quieted. "The students, first years in particular, are reminded that the Dark Forest is out of school boundaries. Please be extremely careful this year - the Dark Lord has not been found and he can be anywhere. Staying near the school will be your safest chance as he cannot get in here himself. Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you once again that the Third Floor Corridor is out of bounds to any and all students.
"Now, I would like to welcome our new arrivals - both students and teachers. Point Alikan girls, I wish you a good coming year. Now, I am sure that you all are wondering who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be. I would like to welcome back Professor Remus Lupin to the staff. Also, as I'm sure some of you have heard, Madame Hooch has taken a few months off due to personal reasons. We needed to find a replacement, and we are honored to welcome back a graduate of Hogwarts, Mr. Oliver Wood, who will be teaching Flying and overseeing the school's Quidditch teams until Madame Hooch's return," at the mention of Oliver's name, Kera perked up and looked towards the teacher's table. There he was, sitting right next to Professor Lupin. He smiled as he gazed in her direction, and the girl scowled. Why didn't he tell her? Did it just slip his mind? "And now, with that said, let the feast begin."
Kera's frustrations slipped quickly away as bunches of food suddenly appeared on the table. She had never seen this much food in her life - and the strange part about it was that even though everyone had begun chowing down, it still seemed to be filled to the brim. She looked down the table and recognized Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting next to each other. "Did you hear that Quidditch tryouts are coming up in a few days?" Her attention turned to the boy who said that, as did her friends' attention. "Quidditch tryouts? Are they for everyone?" The boy turned away from the girl sitting next to him and said, "Even though first years never make the House teams, it is for everyone. I'm George, by the way. George Weasley. This is my girlfriend Reilly McKinna. I'm a Beater on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team with my brother Fred. Reilly here," he said putting his arm around her, "is trying out to be a Chaser. The three girls who were Chasers graduated last year." "What positions are open?" "Well," he said, "Me and Fred are Beaters and Harry's the Seeker. Wood left leaving the Keeper open . . . so the open positions are the three Chasers and the Keeper. Tryouts are going to be held out on the Quidditch field after classes next Wednesday. Tryout!" Kera was happy - tryouts were coming up for Quidditch and her position was open, she had made new friends in the first few minutes she was in her new House . . . what could be better?
~*~*~
Meanwhile, over at the Slytherin table . . .
~*~*~
"My name is Nayru. This is Amelie and Saphyre over here," the girl said poking her friend in the shoulder. Saphyre looked back and nodded to Anien and Christy before turning back to her conversation with Blaise Zambini. "I'm Christy and this is Anien." "We know who you are," Amelie said. "Remember?" "Oh, yeah . . ." "Anyway, has the girl given you too much trouble?" They all looked over to the Gryffindor table and saw the American transfers talking to some of their new classmates. "No. She was quiet." "Good . . . Very good . . ."
Author's note: lol, the italicized parts (if not labeled) are memories from another part of the storyline which are put into the story in random places - you may be seeing a lot of them during the story! Other than that, Laura Abercrombie belongs to herself (yes, she is real - she's a girl at my school) - lol. Anyways, as always, please R & R!!!