Chapter 2: The Arrival at Hogwarts
The sun was just starting to set, and Rose stood up.
"Well, I think we should all change out of our muggle clothes and into our school robes." Rose stated and everyone else nodded. "I'll take Alison into a separate room and you two boys can change in here." Rose grabbed Alison's arm and led her out of the room.
Zach shut the door. "I think she's probably right." He stated. Albus nodded to show that he agreed. They pulled the curtains that were above the window of the door closed and started getting changed.
The sun was completely down, and night had fallen. The train came to a stop, and Albus felt himself stumble into Zach. Alison and Rose, who had rejoined them after getting changed, laughed.
"Sorry." He muttered.
Outside their compartment, Albus could hear voices. An older girl with blonde hair and a blue crest with a picture of a raven on her robe opened the door.
"Victoire!" Albus said, as he gave his cousin a hug. Victoire's sleek, straight, blonde hair was pinned into a twist at the nape of her neck. Her bright blue eyes were sparkling from the dull light as she entered into the compartment.
"Hey Albus! How was the train ride?" Victoire stepped back to give them space. Rose waved at Victoire as she and Alison walked past them to get out of the train.
"It was fun!" Albus also noticed that next to her House crest was another crest. This crest was silver and had the four animals of each House, in the center was a black letter 'H'. "What's that crest?" He asked her.
"This one?" She pointed at the silver crest. Albus nodded. "I made Head Girl for this year!" She beamed.
Zach stayed silent as Albus was talking with this older girl. He didn't know who this was, but Albus obviously did. He stepped out into the hall and then he was suddenly pushed along by a swarm of kids.
"Zach!" Albus called, as he too stepped into the dangerous hallway.
Zach was pushed out of the door of the train and onto the pavement ground. He felt around his lip and saw blood on his finger. He had somehow cut his lip. He saw Albus's feet next to him. He tried to get up, but fell back down again.
"Wha' happened to 'im?" Asked a gruff voice. Zach turned his head and saw a giant pair of feet.
"I think maybe he sprained his ankle when he was pushed off the train…" Albus said.
"'e got pushed off the train?"
"I guess so. That's probably why he's on the ground with a sprained ankle and a cut lip."
Zach was lifted up by the strong, big arms of the giant, and he finally saw this man for the first time.
"Do you think he's alright Hagrid?"
"Yea' I think so…. Although, he looks familiar. Do I know you from anywhere?" The man named Hagrid asked.
Zach was scared of this man. "U-umm, my father is Professor Longbottom."
Hagrid made a face of recognition. "Oh! Now I remember you!" Zach made a face at Albus to get Hagrid to put him down. Albus nodded.
"Okay, Hagrid. I'll support Zach until we get to the boats." Albus said, and Hagrid set him down. Albus took Zach's arm and put it around his shoulder.
"All firs' years, follow me!" Hagrid shouted over the crowd. The first years squeezed their way through the crowd. They started to walk towards the Black Lake. Coming towards them on the surface were the boats that would be taking them across.
"'K everyone!" Hagrid shouted over top of the hundred some odd first years. "Here are the boats tha'll be takin' us across the lake. Groups o' four in each boa'."
Albus and Zach got into a boat, and then were joined by Rose and Alison. They all smiled at each other. Alison gasped.
"What happened Zach?" Alison asked as she studied his cut lip. She looked down and saw that his ankle was bandaged up.
"I got pushed off the train." Zach shrugged.
Alison gasped again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so." He said, and this time she let out a sigh of relief.
"Look!" Said someone in boat a couple of boats ahead of them. Everyone looked up, and saw the large towers of the castle poking up above a forest. A lot of people gasped in amazement. The boats reached the shore of the lake, and everyone started taking turns getting out .
"Let's make a pact." Said Albus, as their turn came to get out of the boats. Everyone gave him a look of strong concentration. "Let's promise each other that no matter what House we end up in, we'll still be friends." Everyone nodded.
"As long as no one ends up in Slytherin." Rose muttered under her breath. Alison sniggered, but didn't say anything. Albus was afraid of possibly being in Slytherin. He had heard from his father that both Harry and his father James had been told by the hat that they would do well in Slytherin.
They followed the rest of the first years and made their way up to the front doors of Hogwarts. There was an elderly woman standing on the front steps in front of the closed doors. All the first years made a semi circle around the elder woman, and Hagrid made his way around the side of the school. Albus assumed that he was going to another door. The woman cleared her throat. All the first years turned their faces to look at her.
"Good evening, I am Professor McGonagall. I will teach you Transfiguration in your next seven years here at the school." Her voice wavered for a moment. "In a minute, you will follow me into a room on the right side of the hall. This room is called Great Hall, and where you will eat breakfast, lunch, and supper. During the day, post will come in by owl." She took a breath. "You will sit on a stool at the front of the Hall, and put on the Sorting Hat. You will be sorted into a House. Whilst here, the House you are sorted into will act as a family, and you will have all your classes together. Any rule breaking will lose you House points, and any good behaviour worthy of rewarding will earn you points. The start of term feast will begin after a speech from the Headmistress." She took another breath here. "You will receive your timetables tomorrow at breakfast which starts at seven in the morning."
Everybody started murmuring noises of approval. Albus made a noise too. Everyone was glad her long winded speech was over. She opened the doors and everyone followed her in. At that moment the bright light poured over every person in the crowd and they started to file into the large hallway. Each person took a turn to gasp in amazement. "Wow…" Albus could hear a lot of people say, as they were led to another pair of large oak doors.
"Please wait here, while I make final arrangements for the Sorting." And with that, she sneaked through a small crack between the doors and quickly closed them.
"That was an extremely dull, and long-winded speech…" Came a long drawling voice. Every head in the corridor turned to look at Scorpius. Scorpius sniggered and his gang stepped out of the group.
"Oh hey Potter, and Weasley." Scorpius said.
"Leave us alone." Albus said with less courage than he felt.
"Aw… Look at little Potter. Trying to be a hero just like his daddy." The black haired girl said.
The girl pointed to the blonde haired girl. "This is Cassie, and this," she said pointing to the boy, "is Timothy, my brother." That would be why they look alike, Albus thought to himself. "My name," said the girl, "is Delilah." Scorpius snorted. "Like your name is any better! Mr. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!" Scorpius turned the brightest shade of red, and everyone else got scared of the girl. "My mother told me all about your father. You should have seen her face when she saw him at the train station. Almost looked like she was going to bite his head off. Then she saw you and Mrs. Malfoy. She got so furious that she actually took someone's hat off, and ripped it to shreds." Everyone gasped except for the members of the gang. Scorpius had started laughing.
Rose stepped up, and bluntly asked, "Who are your parents?"
Delilah smiled greedily. "My mum is Pansy Parkinson, and my father is Gregory Goyle." Scorpius made a disgusted face. "Yes, Malfoy. My parents were friends of your parents. In fact my mother, and your father dated while they went to school here." Everyone gasped again.
