After the feast Percy lead the Gryffindors through the corridors, and up the stairs "Gryffindors follow me, don't wander off, this is the most direct route to the Gryffindor common rooms, oh and keep an eye on the staircases, they tend to move, and like to turn students about." As he said this one of the other staircases moved as if to illustrate his point, "keep up please, follow me."

I noticed as we walked along the corridors that the paintings were moving, and appeared to be sentient as they were commenting to each other on the students passing by, "that painting's moving," someone else had evidently seen the paintings move as well. Cue the chorus of comments like, "look at that one," "I think that one fancies you," and "I think that one is of a relative of mine." We eventually stopped in front of a portrait of a fat woman dressed like a Greek women.

"Greetings Fat Lady," Percy said to the portrait

"Password," I realised then that fat lady must disguise the entrance to the common room.

"Caput Draconis," the Fat Lady's portrait swung inwards, "come along, hurry up, Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. Boys' dormitories are upstairs and down to your left, girls the same on your right. You'll find all your belongings have already been brought up." The Gryffindor common room was a pleasant room, containing overstuffed chairs and sofas of all styles from chaise lounges to ottoman to couches, paintings of Griffins, and lions, books stacked everywhere, coffee tables, rugs, and chandeliers. All in all it reminded me a bit of home.

I turned to Percy, "Percy, I have a letter about me needing special arrangements, would I take it to Dumbledore or McGonagall?"

"Dumbledore, he will know what to do."

"Thank, um can you give me directions to Dumbledore's office?"

"Of course," Percy proceeded to give me directions, "although you'll need the password to his office, or just guess it, it's usually sweats."


I followed Percy's directions, and ended up facing two gargoyles, "excuse me, can you tell Professor Dumbledore I need to talk to him?"

"The gargoyles are not sentient Miss Harker," Dumbledore said from behind me, causing me to jump, "although there is a spell to make them move, I can't tell you about it, but it's in the library somewhere, now what did you want to tell me."

"How did you know who I was?"

"I remember teaching your father, and I met your mother during the wizarding war, you look a lot like her."

"I have a letter from my father, explaining my need for a translation charm," I handed him the letter, he broke the seal, and read the letter briefly.

"Are you capable of performing the charm yourself?"

"Yes Professor."

"Very well, I will inform your teachers of the matter. I do have one question, why would a witch brought up by only her British father in America be taught Ancient Greek as her first language?"

I smiled, "Dad is obsessed with Ancient Greece, it was also what my mother wanted, and Dad could never resist what Mom wanted."

"Ah, well run along, lessons start early tomorrow," I turned and walked back to the Gryffindor common room, and found out I was sharing a room with Alice and two girls called Sally Smith (a muggle-born not related to Alice) and Sophie Roper (a half-blooded witch).


I was woken up by Alice at six o'clock, we quickly got ready for school, picked up the timetable from the common room, and walked to breakfast where we met up with Hermione who was explaining the concept of the television to Neville, who was staring at her like she had grown an extra head.

"Morning Neville, morning Hermione, ready for your first day of magic learning, well, not your first Hermione, you've already started, but still, your first official," Alice said as she helped herself to toast, bacon and eggs.

"Yep, do you get this concept of 'TV'?" Neville asked.

"Yeah, we've got one, Dad likes watching the documentary channels, and laughing at the muggles' view of history," I said, "things are different in America, they have enchanted appliances that work around magic, unlike muggle ones which get fried by magic."

"That's cool," Hermione said, "isn't underage magic legal as well? I think I read something about it."

"Yes, as long as the witch or wizard is accompanied by a legal witch or wizard, and the place where the magic is being done is sufficiently warded against muggles seeing the magic being done," Hermione frowned.

"So, basically only people from magical families, or who live with magical families can do magic."

"No, if they can find a qualified wizard there are a few places dotted around America where they can practice, usually VHS shops or RadioShacks, because no-one uses those anymore."

"RadioShack?"

"It's a shop in which is mainly in America used as a front by wizards, some of them are actually shops, you can get a few strange looks if you go into one of those."

"American wizards are strange," Neville said before returning to his breakfast.

"So we have transfigurations with McGonagall first, apparently she is strict but fair, also she is an animagus," upon seeing Alice and Neville's blank stares she sighed, "you know a wizard that can turn into an animal." Alice nodded, whilst Neville blushed and stared at his empty porridge bowl, as if willing it to do something, which he might well have been. Hermione started speaking again, "have you learnt any transfiguration spells yet? I tried to turn a cup into a box, but it didn't work, I got the wand movement was wrong, I tried again last night, and it worked."

"Nope, because that's what class is for," Alice said.

I opened my mouth to talk but was stopped by Alice, who had collapsed into laughter, "what is it?"

"I just remembered your first day at camp."

"Camp?" Hermione asked.

I shot Alice a glare, "yes, me go to a camp, it's a summer camp in America for young magical people, usually under the age of 20, some stay later, but not many."

"Ah, what happened on Janet's first day?"

"I rather embarrassed some bullies."

"How?"

"That's all I'm saying," Hermione stared at Alice in an inquiring way, Alice shook her head.

"I'm not saying anything," Hermione glared at her, Alice started laughing, "I'm more scared of her than anything you could do."

Hermione frowned, then after a while she shrugged and brightened up again, "we'd better hurry up, if we don't we'll be late."

"We've got about twenty minutes, and the classroom is only down that corridor," I pointed out the exit, "I say give it five minutes, it will take five minutes to get there, and that leaves ten minutes for being paranoid, has anyone seen Harry and Ron."

"They were still asleep when we walked past their room five minutes ago," a tall ginger boy said he was sitting next to someone who was almost definitely his twin brother. These two must have been the infamous Fred and George, Ron's older brother, and the school pranksters, the other campers had talked about them, and insisted that they never be introduced to the Stoll brothers for any reason.

The other of the twins started talking, "we probably should have woken them, but it's a long standing tradition to let at least one first year lie in so they get in trouble, bit of a joke really," he looked at his brother and they both smiled, "and we love a joke."

Hermione did not look happy at the idea of letting someone be late on purpose, "I really must insist that we go to transfigurations now, we could be late," I sighed.

"Fine, let's go, don't want to be late for our first lesson," I stand and pick up my books, "coming?" I asked Alice, who finished her toast, cleaned of the crumbs, picked up her books, Neville stood as well, "nice to meet you Fred and George."

They looked confused, "how did you know who we are?" One of them asked.

"You're pranks, several people who I know in America who come here told me about you and your pranks, including one where you made Snape cough feathers for a lesson," the twins looked at each other and smiled.

"We're famous brother, well only amongst Hogwarts people but still, we didn't need to introduce ourselves."

I smile and shook my head, and walked towards the exit, the others followed.