A/N: So ya had a bad day… lalalalala…ya sing a sad song just to turn it around…. Sorry for the wait, but my grandparents were in town for two weeks.
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Lily grinned. THREE friends. She had made THREE friends, and they hadn't even gotten to school yet!
The boats pulled up gracefully to a stretch of emerald-green grass. The four girls hopped out of their boat and looked around. A huge, magnificent castle stood before them. It was by far the largest building Lily had ever seen, and she had visited the Queen's castle on a field trip last year. Why, the door itself must have been twenty feet tall!
The tall man (Hagrid? Was that his name?) straightened up and knocked twice on the large wooden door. The first years waited with baited breath. The door creaked open, and a very strict-looking woman beckoned them inside. The first-years looked around hesitantly, none wanting to be the first to follow.
Lily and Sabrine shared nervous glances. They looked at the door again.
"Well, go on!" Hagrid said, confused.
James Potter and Sirius Black stepped forward, grinning. They turned to the crowd and bowed dramatically before disappearing through the door. Jessi shook her head and ran after them, and the rest of the group slowly headed towards the entrance.
The inside of the castle was, if it was even possible, more astonishing than the outside. Suits of armor, paintings, and candles decorated the walls, and the paintings seemed to be moving. Lily gasped when a young girl in a painting curtsied.
Danica smiled. "All wizard paintings move, Lily."
Lily nodded. "Anything else I should know about?"
Danica opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the arrival of-a ghost?
A silvery man floated through the wall and glared at the children.
"Ickle firsties!" He cackled.
The woman who had opened the door emerged from the hallway and threw a stern look at the ghost.
"Peeves, I'm warning you!" She said.
The ghost laughed madly and sailed away, upside down.
Danica looked at Lily, who was gazing dumbfounded at the wall he had disappeared through.
"Ghosts." She said simply.
The woman clapped her hands, and the kids fell silent.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress. In just a few moments, you will be sorted into your House. Your House will be like your family while you are at this school. Now please, follow me." She strolled through a set of grand double doors, and once again, Sirius and James were the first to follow.
"Figures." Jessi muttered in Lily's ear. "Sirius and my brother being first."
Danica turned and looked at her. "He's your brother?" she asked.
Jessi nodded. "Yeah, why?"
Danica smiled. "He's kinda cute."
Jessi gagged.
The first years stopped at the front of the room. All eyes were upon a large, wrinkled hat sitting on a stool at the front. The hat opened along a seam in the bottom and began to sing:
(A/N: This may be VERY bad…)
About a hundred years ago,
Before you walked this land,
Lived four people of great skill,
Who vowed together stand
All four together made the vow
To help the children few
Who showed the signs of magic great
And teach them what they knew
But Alas! the founders four
Just could not decide
The children who the four should teach
And their magic confide
First, Ravenclaw, the beautiful,
Of intelligence immense,
Wanted only to accept
The few with brains intense
Next, Hufflepuff, the fair and loyal,
With intentions good and true
Vowed to welcome anyone
Who magic did pursue
Third, Gryffindor, the battle knight,
Whose bravery was cheered,
Wanted only children who
With courage would appear
Last, Slytherin, the skiving beast,
Whose heritage was pure,
Wanted only children whose
Bloodlines were secure
Now Slytherin could not compromise,
He wanted only children pure,
So the other founders three
Became very unsure
They told him that he could not stay
If he remained so blind
And Slytherin, the odd one out,
Found himself in a bind
He left the school, but not before,
Vowing to return,
And at last, invoking his revenge
Upon their spurn
So the school prospered and grew,
With Slytherin no more,
And the founders three,
Thought no more of founder four
But, I beg of you, beware!
Of Slytherin's arrival
And the heir of Gryffindor,
Must fear for his survival
So stand together!
And fear not, for love can conquer evil
And help each other through these times
Else bend to fear primeval
The hat grew silent, and everybody exchanged looks. The teachers even seemed confused, until Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.
"Er-first years, we will now begin the Sorting. When I call your name, you are to come up to this stool and place the hat on your head. The hat will then sort you into your respective house. Now-Adams, Laura!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Black, Narcissa!" A tall, pale, dark-haired beauty strutted to the front. Lily heard someone snort behind her, and turned to see Sirius Black. He was glaring at the girl angrily.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Black, Sirius!"
Sirius walked slowly to the front and slipped the hat on. He sat for five whole minutes before-
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily heard cries of outrage from the Slytherin table, and saw James and Jessi give Sirius thumbs-up.
A few more people were sorted before Lily's name was called.
"Well, dear, you do have a certain aura of immense intelligence, definitely Ravenclaw, but you also have the mark of loyalty, Hufflepuff, maybe? No, neither of those, you're not a Slytherin, so-
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lily grinned, hopped off the stool, and ran to the red-and-gold clad table, sitting across from Sirius.
She watched the rest of the Sorting in a blur. She clapped and cheered when Danica, Jessi, James, and two boys named Remus and Peter got sorted into Gryffindor.
Danica grinned. "Sabrine better get into Gryffindor, too!"
Finally, Professor McGonagall called out: "Vibbard, Sabrine!"
The blonde stepped up to the stool and put the hat on nervously. Danica, Lily, and Jessi waited silently.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat screeched.
"What!" Danica yelled.
Sabrine bit her lip and fought back tears as she walked over to the Ravenclaw table. Lily gave her an apologetic smile, and she tried to grin back.
Dumbledore stood. "Now, with the sorting over, I have a few words: Zing, Glopsky, Merckle, Plop. Enjoy the feast!"
Lily frowned. "What?" she asked.
Danica shrugged, her mouth already full of food. Lily glanced around and noticed the plates had filled themselves. She grinned. "I could get used to this!"
After an hour of ravenous eating, Dumbledore stood once more.
"Prefects! Please show the first years to the dormitories!"
Immediately, a tall, brunette Gryffindor stood. "First year Gryffindors, follow me!"
Lily, Danica, Jessi, Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter stood and followed the girl.
Sabrine walked up to Lily and Danica. "I can't believe this!" She muttered.
Danica hugged her. "It's Ok, Sab, we'll find a way to hang out with you."
Sabrine smiled faintly and followed the Ravenclaw prefect.
As the Gryffindors followed the brown-haired girl, Lily found herself wondering how she would EVER remember where the dorms were. They must have traveled up four flights of stairs already, and some of the staircases MOVED!
Finally, the girl stopped in front of a painting of a woman in a frilly pink dress.
"Bumbling Boggart." The prefect stated.
The woman in the painting nodded, and swung to the side, revealing a narrow passageway. The group walked through into a grand red-and-gold room.
"Girls, up the stairs and to the right, boys, up and to the left." The prefect turned to face the first years. "Your luggage has already been brought up for you. If you have any problems with your dorms please let me know. And," She smiled. "I strongly advise the boys to NOT go into the girls dormitories."
A group of fourth years that had been lounging around the common room giggled at this.
The first years scrambled to their rooms. Lily, Danica, and Jessi each jumped onto a bed.
"I get the window!" Lily yelled.
"I get the other window!" Jessi laughed.
"Yeah? Well, I get the one next to the bathroom!" Danica said in a fake-prissy voice.
Jessi stopped laughing. "Wait." She said. "There's FOUR beds."
Just then, a sullen-looking blonde walked in. "Great." She said. "Just great."
She strutted to the untaken bed, flopped down, and pulled the curtains shut.
Danica raised her eyebrows, and Jessi and Lily shrugged. They went to bed that night, ready for anything Hogwarts would throw at them.
A/N: Good? Bad? Amazingly awesome? Whatever it is, REVIEW!