"What are they?" I breathed, watching a magnificent black horse pull a carriage up to us. It was thin, skin and bones, but beautiful- magical.

"There's nothing there, Jenny" Hermione said worriedly, glancing between the horse and me.

"It's beautiful," I reached out to touch it, flinching when it snorted out a short burst of air before relaxing under my fingertips. I ran my finger along its back. The most magical part was that they had wings. They looked almost reptilian.

"Let's just get onto the carriage," Hermione said hurriedly. I tore myself from the beautiful reptilian creature and climbed onto the carriage. I noticed they were acting rather strangely, shifting glances between one another.

"I'm not crazy," I stated, hoping it was true. Then again, so much has happened to me that the idea of this all being a dream was not at all out of reach. It was like this the entire ride: awkward conversations that only lasted until I spoke.

Soon after walking into the magnificent castle, I felt a sharp impact and suddenly I was soaking wet.

"Peeves!" Ron cursed angrily, waving his arms to rid himself of the water.

"Where did this water come from?" I asked, holding my arms out as if I were a scarecrow.

"Peeves, the annoying poltergeist. He's always doing things like this," Hermione groaned.

We squished our way to the Great Hall, and I was astounded. There didn't seem to be a ceiling, only floating candles and a wide-open sky. As I studied it, I could see the faint stone designs, confirming that it was only magic. Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed for one of the tables to sit. I followed, but felt suddenly awkward.

"Um, can I sit here?" I asked, shifting my feet.

"Of course, but you haven't been sorted yet," Hermione replied.

"Sorted?" I asked.

"At Hogwarts we have four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The Sorting Hat sorts you based on your personality, past, and character"

"And what are the houses for? You're all Gryff-" I stopped when the room went silent.

"Silence! We will now begin the Sorthing," Dumbledore, the headmaster, announced. He caught my eye and winked before stepping back. A woman in a pointed hat stood at the front of the hall, an old hat held in her hand. She set it on a stool and it began to speak.

"A thousand years or more ago,

When I was newly sewn,

There lived four wizards of renown,

Whose names are still well known:

Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,

Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,

Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,

Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.

They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,

They hatched a daring plan

To educate young sorcerers

Thus Hogwarts School began.

Now each of these four founders

Formed their own house, for each

Did value different virtues

In the ones they had to teach.

By Gryffindor, the bravest were

Prized far beyond the rest;

For Ravenclaw, the cleverest

Would always be the best;

For Hufflepuff, hard workers were

Most worthy of admission;

And power-hungry Slytherin

Loved those of great ambition.

While still alive they did divide

Their favourites from the throng,

Yet how to pick the worthy ones

When they were dead and gone?

'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,

He whipped me off his head

The founders put some brains in me

So I could choose instead!

Now slip me snug about your ears,

I've never yet been wrong,

I'll have a look inside your mind

And tell where you belong!"

"This year we have a new student, a fourth year: Jennifer Bennett," she announced, a scroll in one hand, the hat in the other.

"Go," Hermione whispered harshly, "go!" I scrambled to my feet and approached the stool, anxious to experience the sorting. I glanced at Dumbledore nervously, his blue eyes sparkling through his half-moon glasses. I hope I'm in Gryffindor…

"Gryffindor?" the sorting hat's words startled me. You can read minds. It was sort of a question, but sounded like a statement. "I can see every thought, every memory, every question, and- every answer"

"You know who my father is?" I whispered.

"Oh yes, I sorted him myself!" My father was a wizard… I thought admirably. "He still is, a great wizard. You shall be to, but I presume you will want to follow your own path, yes?" he didn't wait for an answer- he knew. "GRYFFINDOR!"

The room filled with cheers, as a grin spread across my face. I walked down to where they sat and took my rightful place beside them. I felt empowered and accepted for once in my life. I had friends.

All of the awkwardness from earlier eased away once I had been sorted into Gryffindor, and I was relieved, but I felt a tad uneasy. Did I only get sorted into Gryffindor because I asked? And father, the hat said he was a great wizard. Maybe being at Hogwarts will help me to find him. We watched as the first years got sorted, and I gathered from comments by the sorting hat that Slytherin was for the cunning and dark, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the witty, and Gryffindor for the brave and true.

Dumbledore stood before the great crowd of students. He had a long beard and hair, dressed in lavender robes, and walked with an air of youth. I noticed he wasn't hunched over or sluggish- he didn't seem too old to me.

"SILENCE!" his voice rang over the chattering hall and all went silent before the second syllable. "Well now that we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Tri-Wizard Tournament. The Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school a single student is selected to compete. Now let me be clear. If chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say, these contest are not for the faint-hearted," he said in a serious tone, "But more of that later. Please welcome the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy, with their headmistress, Madame Maxine!"

The great doors opened and in scurried beautiful girls in silky blue dresses. Everyone's heads turned to watch the girls as they sighed, reeling in the hearts of every boy in the room. Butterflies released from their fingertips and the girls were entranced. The boys' gaze followed them as they walked past, and I watched as one of them did cartwheels and tricks.

"And now, our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their high master, Igor Karkaroff"

A series of older boys in fur robes walked in brandishing bo staffs. They twirled them around periodically, sending sparks as they hit the ground. They had the same affect on the girls as the Beauxbaton girls had on the Hogwarts boys. They were handsome and strong, but I remembered something I overheard in the train. Draco had said it was a school for the Dark Arts. Did that mean they were evil? Bad wizards?

"Blimey! It's Victor Krum!" Ron exclaimed as one final boy walked in. It's Krum, the Quidditch player! Flames encircled them as they reached the front of the room.

They sat down and joined us for dinner as it appeared on the tables. I noticed Victor Krum sat down at the Slytherin table, while the others scattered to various tables.

"Whoa!" I gaped, the food steaming and delectable. There were all sorts of food, even vegetarian selections. I plopped a spoonful of mashed potatoes, green salad, and fruit onto my plate. I ate my filling, wanting desperately to roll to my room and sleep for the rest of the day.

Then Dumbledore made another announcement. "The annual Quidditch Cup will not take place this year-" interrupting his speech, a gnarled grumpy looking man stomped into the room, one eye replaced by a large swiveling mechanical eye. Dumbledore introduced him as Mad-eye Moody, out new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. I stared as gossip whispered around me.

"He was a dark-wizard catcher. Half the cells in Azkaban are full thanks to him. He's supposed to be mad as a hatter, though, these days," Ron explained.

He looks rather… mean. No, I concluded, just fuddy-duddy. Dumbledore continued, "because of high death tolls in the past, the Tri-wizard Tournament will only be open to those above age 17-" this time, he was cut off by a round of boos from the students. "SILENCE!" Dumbledore's roar hushed the crowd instantly, and I felt a sense of respect for him. He walked over to a tall box, using his wand to make it melt into a goblet containing a blue flame.

"The Goblet of Fire. Anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament must merely write their name on a piece of parchment and throw it in the flame before this hour on Thursday night. But do not do so lightly, because if chosen, there is no turning back. From this moment, the Twi-Wizard Tournament has begun!"