Soon, it was the first of September, time to leave for Hogwarts.
"Hurry up Izzy, we've got to be there in ten minutes" Mia called up the stairs
"I'm coming, I'm coming" she called back. One minute later she showed up in the entrance hall.
"Do you have everything? Your books, your clothes, your toot--"
"Yes mom!" Izzy answered "Can we go now?"
"Wait for your dad. He's finishing packing" Mia told her
"I still don't understand one thing" Izzy started "We live like one mile away from Hogwarts. Why do I have to go to Kings' Cross that is miles away and then come back?"
"It is a tradition Izzy. You'll meet new people in the train and see your friends again"
"I'm here!" Sirius said, coming into the room with his youngest children holding his hands and sit them on the couch next to their new house elf "Winky, we'll be back in half an hour. Thank you for watching them."
"It is Winky's pleasure Master Sirius" she answered
"Mia, where is the floo powder?" he asked his wife
"Inside that pot next to the fireplace, honey" Mia told him "Izzy, you go first, we'll be right after you"
Izzy nodded, took some of the powder and disappeared in the middle of the flames.
The platform was full. New students, old students, parents and the station workers.
"Wow" she said
"Amazing, isn't it?" Sirius said when he arrived "I had the same reaction when I first came here. I'll take your trunk to the train"
"Okay" she agreed
"Impressed?" Mia asked her
"It is better than I imagined" Izzy answered smiling
"Mia, dear" Molly Weasley appeared suddenly along with Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny "We've been looking for you. Oh, hello Izzy"
"Hello Auntie Molly"
"We just got here" Mia explained "Have you seen Liz?"
"Yes, she is next to the entrance of the platform, talking to Kingsley" Molly told her "She said she would meet us in a while"
Some minutes later, little after Sirius and Arthur joined them, Liz showed up.
"Hey, I heard you were talking to the Minister. Hi Evie" Mia said
"Hi Mia" Evie said before kissing her godmother in the cheek
"Yeah, I was talking to Kingsley. We're good friends" Elizabeth answered her best-friend
"Good friends, you say" Mia pulled Liz to a corner "Seriously, how dumb do you think I am? I know that look. You're dating him!"
"Okay, I admit" Liz said "I was going to tell you latter. We are trying to hide our relationship for a while. So the reporters stay away from us. Only Evie and Molly know. Don't give me that look. Molly keeps her when we o out"
"Fine. Looks like I'll be the First Lady's best friend"
"Oh, shut up" Liz told her "And please don't tell anyone"
"My lips are sealed" Mia assured her
Meanwhile, George had showed up in the platform to say goodbye to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Izzy, who followed him to another room.
"Fred asked me to give you a message" he told them
"What message?" Ginny asked
"He said and I quote: 'Make as many pranks as you can, we'll sponsor you'"
"Count me in!" Izzy said
"We were not expecting other thing from you Izzykins!" George declared "We wouldn't have hired you for that part-time in the store if you were a goody two shoes. After all, you're a half-marauder!"
"I expect you'll hire me again next summer!" Izzy demanded
"Of course we will! You are our best employee, no offence to Varity. That idea you had to prank Lee… I thought I would choke with all that laughing!"
"Well, you can also count me in" Ginny said
"Me too!" The others, including Hermione, answered.
"Good! Owl me when you need products, and don't forget to take pictures!" he ordered them.
Some minutes later, a station worker told them the train was leaving in five minutes.
"Mum" Izzy called "The train is about to leave. I have to go"
"See you in school honey" Mia said while she hugged her daughter
"See you tonight dad" Izzy told her father, who hugged her as well
"Enjoy your ride" he answered her
---
A while later Izzy was looking for a compartment along with Luna and Neville (who had decided to repeat his seventh year). Harry and Ginny were Head Boy and Head Girl and Ron and Hermione were prefects, so they had to go to the prefects compartment. Evie decided she needed to meet people of her own age.
"This one is empty" Luna said.
They settled in the compartment and started talking about their vacations. Sooner than they expected, it was night and the castle could be seen in the horizon.
It looks even more beautiful at night Izzy thought
"We should go dress our uniforms" Neville said "I'm going to the bathroom, You can dress in here"
"Thanks Neville" Izzy and Luna said.
When they were both dressed, Luna asked "Are you excited to start school?"
"Hell yeah!" Izzy answered
Fifteen minutes later, Neville had already joined them, fully dressed in his uniform and the train was starting to stop.
"Izzy, Luna, Neville!" Ginny called running to them along with Harry "Did you have a nice ride? I'm sorry we couldn't join you, but Lenny Burke from Slytherin decided to make a duel with Justin Finch-Fletchley. It took us an hour to separate them. Hermione had to stun Burke, he was throwing curses everywhere. Then we had to make a written report about the incident and send it to professor McGonagall. She sent them a Howler!"
"I can't believe we lost it!" Izzy said
"Justin was winning, I assume" Neville declared
"Of course he was!" Harry told them "But we had to separate them or McGonagall would kill us"
"We've got to go" Ginny said "The headmistress wants to see them. Dennis Creevy witnessed the whole incident. He says Burke started it. Ron and Hermione are going to take him there as well, so Justin won't get detention. See you in the feast!"
"Later!" Harry waved.
Izzy looked around and saw Evie leaving the train along with a black boy who seemed to be a first year as well. She waved them and they waved back before following Hagrid to the boats.
"Let's find a carriage" Luna suggested
"Yeah, lets do that" Izzy agreed, Neville simply nodded.
Izzy was amazed when she found by Luna that Thestrals were tethered to the carriages. She had, thankfully, never seen one.
Soon they reached the entrance of the castle. This was the first time Izzy entered that school as a student. She was one step away of accomplishing her dream.
---
Mia was putting the things in order in the residence she would live for the next few months. In the time she attended to Hogwarts, it used to be an abandoned tower. However Minerva McGonagall had it remodelled for her and her family. There were three floors: In the first there was a cosy living room and a small kitchen, in the second there was a bathroom and two rooms – the bigger was the twins' bedroom and the smaller was kind of a study – and in the third it was the master bedroom (which was connected to another bathroom).
Mandy and Alex must be luckiest kids on earth Mia thought I'd kill to grow up in Hogwarts.
The twins were having dinner with Winky in the kitchens, their new house-elf and Sirius had already left to the great hall. She looked at the clock, it was almost seven o' clock. Time to the feast.
Five minutes later she was in the Great Hall, joining her husband in the Staff table.
"I thought you'd miss the sorting" Sirius told her.
"No way!" she answered.
The students started to fill enter the Hall and fill the tables. Izzy waved them from the Gryffindor table. She was sit next to Ginny. They waved back to her.
Professor Sinistra, the new deputy headmistress came into the room accompanied by the first years. The sorting had started.
"Abbey, Hugh"
"HUFFLEPUFF"
"Brennan, Jack"
"RAVENCLAW"
"Brennan, Lisa"
"SLYTHERIN"
Martha Coleman and Glenn DeLuca were sorted to Ravenclaw and Eric Flint was sorted to Slytherin.
"Gray, Lucas"
"GRYFFINDOR"
The first Gryffindor had been sorted.
"Harper, Evangeline"
Evie looked extremely nervous.
"GRYFFINDOR"
"Jenkins, Camille"
"HUFFLEPUFF"
"Keynes, Theresa"
"GRYFFINDOR"
The sorting continued until Abraham Xavier was sorted to Slytherin.
Evie was lively chatting with her fellow colleagues.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" The headmistress started "I hope the new students have a good time in this school and the old ones keep working! There is time for long speeches later. Now, tuck in"
---
"RON! Will you ever demonstrate a correct behaviour while your eating?" Hermione shouted at Ron, who looked like he hadn't ate in days. He prepared to answer her but she interrupted before ha could even start "And don't you dare talk with your month full!"
"I thought he was only like this at home" Izzy commented to Ginny.
"I wish" she answered
"Hi" the girl tall black girl who was sitting right next to her said "I don't think I've seen you in Hogwarts before"
"I was transferred this year" Izzy answered "I'm Isabelle Black, but everyone calls me Izzy"
"I'm Monica Gray. I'm in sixth year" she said.
"Me too. Looks like we're going to share dorms!" Izzy stated.
"Great! I'm sick of sharing it only with Romilda Vane, she's mental" Monica said
"She's the one who used to stalk Harry, isn't she?" Izzy asked
"You know Harry Potter?" Monica asked
"Yeah, he's my god brother. You're not obsessed with him, are you?"
"Nah, I'm not a fan of platonic love stories" Monica answered.
Suddenly, a blonde haired boy sit right in front of them.
"Derek! Where have you been?" Monica asked the boy.
"In the hospital wing. I fell and twisted my ankle" then, he noticed Izzy "I don't think we met before"
"Oh, this is Izzy Black. She was transferred this year. Izzy, this is my best-friend Derek McDonald" Monica explained.
"Nice to meet you" he said
"You too" Izzy said back.
"Attention everyone" The headmistress requested "I'd like to present our new teachers: Sirius Black, Amelia Davies-Black, Valera Gray and Ned Remington. They occupy respectively the DADA, Transfiguration, Muggle studies and Potions positions. Let's welcome them"
Suddenly everyone was clapping.
"Any chance you're related to the DADA and Transfiguration teachers?" Derek asked
"They are my parents" Izzy answered
"The Muggle studies teacher is my aunt" Monica explained "She's mine and my brother's guardian. Our parents were killed by death eaters two years ago"
"I'm sorry" Izzy told her
"It's okay. They died fighting. They wouldn't have wanted it other way" Monica said
---
After the feast, they joined Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna in the Entrance Hall. Harry and Ginny were in head duties so they would meet them in the common room later.
"Congregations Evie! You're in Gryffindor" Izzy told her when she met the blonde girl.
"Thanks! This are Tess Keynes and Lucas Gray, they are in my year!" Evie presented
"Gray?" Izzy asked
"Yeah" Monica answered from behind her "He's my little brother" she turned to him "See? I told you you'd be in my house."
"Thank Merlin!" he answered
"Maybe we should go to the common room" Hermione suggested "It is getting late and tomorrow we have classes"
And they went. Life will be a lot different here Izzy thought when she saw that she was surrounded by friends.
