Gryffindor Scum, Slytherin Slime by Rei-chan
Before we begin...
This is the story of Anthony and Lauren Sinclair in their first year at Hogwarts. As time goes on they start to take a very different outlook on life. Strange things start happening to them, which changes their lives forever. Will they solve the mysteries appearing now very frequently? Will Anthony ever do well in Potions? Will Lauren have one Charms lesson without storming out? Why did Anthony end up in Gryffindor, and Lauren in Slytherin? Why does Snape treat Lauren better than others? Why do I keep as so many rhetorical questions? If you like Snape, read this!
Legal stuff: Nearly everything in this story is copyright of JK Rowling and WB, but everythng else that isn't is my own creation - don't steal it! Also, a special thanks to the real Anthony and my other best friend Adam- Lucas for being such wonderful inspiration!
Chapter 2: Vincent Divos. The Sinclairs arrive at Kings Cross station and Lauren meets a curious Bulgarian boy who is more than a little strange. Soon they will be getting their first views of Hogwarts!
Platform nine was packed with people, mainly Muggles hurrying and pushing around the Sinclairs. It was quite difficult for them to look inconspicuous. Gabby had beaten them to the station and was patiently perching on a sign that read, "Trains may be delayed." He hooted with relief upon seeing them and fluttered on to Lauren's shoulder, digging his talons in as if to say, "what took you so long?"
Anthony rummaged in his pocket and drew out a crumpled sheet of parchment and read it aloud:
"The Hogwarts Express will leave at eleven am from platform nine and three quarters." He looked at the signs hanging overhead, "platform nine, platform ten." He then laid his eyes on the brick wall between the two platforms; he had sussed it. "Platform nine and three-quarters," he said confidently and darted towards the barrier until his mother pulled him back by the collar.
"Anthony! Our owl is attracting enough Muggle attention without you disappearing through a brick wall!" Ms. Sinclair snapped quietly yet sternly, almost choking Anthony to death. She let her children go through one by one when the attention from the crowds was at its minimum, and then found a point to let herself go through.
Platform nine and three-quarters was a much friendlier sight. Several families were clutching owl cages, cat carriers or tiny boxes concealing a rat or a toad. There were many whining children and shouting parents, the typical sight for the first day of school. Lauren wasn't surprised to see so little people wearing robes, as she knew how difficult it would be getting through London with them on without looking suspicious. She assumed they were going to change on the train, like Anthony and she were going to. At the moment she thought the word 'train,' she saw it. The Hogwarts Express, gleaming a fantastic shade of scarlet in the mid-morning sun. Even the clouds of grey smoke billowing out of the chimney looked vaguely magical. The coat of arms was painted on to one of its shining sides. She remarked upon a great golden lion on a red background for Gryffindor, a black badger on yellow for Hufflepuff, a bronze eagle on blue for Ravenclaw and a creepy silver snake on green for Slytherin.
Lauren noticed she was not the only person examining the train. A boy around her age with short jet-black hair and very dark brown eyes was also giving it a good look-over. He was already wearing his school robes. They matched his hair perfectly. There was a lump sticking up in his robes near his leg that she hoped was his wand. She edged towards him, smiling shyly and plucked out the first conversation-starting word that came in to her head.
"Hi."
"Hi," he replied, giving her a toothy grin.
"You looking forward to going to Hogwarts?" she asked, then wishing she had said something that sounded less pathetic.
"Not really. I wanted to go to Durmstrang, like all my family," he complained, stamping his foot hard on the ground. "But ever since we moved to bloody old England, I have to go to Hogwarts." Lauren looked surprised. This definitely wasn't the kind of answer she was expecting. Examining him a little closer, he didn't look as if he was native to this country.
"So, are you from Bulgaria?" she asked, taking a wild stab in the dark. She was in luck, because it he was in fact from Bulgaria. "You don't sound it!" she added. He nodded.
"I was born in Bulgaria but we moved here when I was quite young, so I've grown up speaking like an English person." After filling her in on his short history, he returned to moaning about Durmstrang; it seemed he hadn't quite finished the first time. "It's so unfair! Why couldn't we move back to Bulgaria? I just have to go to Durmstrang!" Lauren pouted. What a whiner, does he always do this when he doesn't get his own way? For no reason at all, the boy made her very angry. She clenched her fists and felt an urge to yell at him.
"What's wrong with Hogwarts? " she snarled, bearing her teeth. "What's so good about stupid Durmstrang?" His expression immediately changed from sulky to apologetic.
"I... I didn't mean to insult you!" he stammered, and then began to explain his reasons for wanting to go to Durmstrang so badly. "You see, my father is an Auror," He looked down at his shoes and scraped them along the platform. "Um, he's not very famous, so I doubt you've heard of him. I want to be an Auror just like him, and--" he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "and Durmstrang is a school of the Dark Arts so I need to know what I am up against." At that moment, something in Lauren's pocket began to shake a little. She barely noticed, as it was nothing more than a slight vibration. She assumed it was just a twitch and ignored it.
"Where are my manners?" he said abruptly, as if he had just noticed his parents standing behind him. He held out his hand, gesturing her to shake it. "I'm Divos, Vincent Divos, and you?"
"Sinclair- well one of them- my brother Anthony starts Hogwarts today as well. I'm Lauren." She accepted his hand and shook it vigorously. Searching for a new conversation topic, she chose houses. "What house do you want to be in? Practically all my family are Gryffindors and I hope I don't break the tradition, especially if I end up in something like Slytherin."
"Well, Gryffindor doesn't sound half bad, but if I had it my way I'd be at Durmstrang." Lauren groaned, but decided to try and relate to him.
"My Uncle went to Durmstrang, but he hasn't been heard from since The Reign of Terror." Vincent began to say something but was cut off by a magically projected voice.
"The train will be leaving in a few minutes. All passengers please board as quickly as possible."
"Well, I better go find my mum before she thinks I've been assassinated. Maybe I'll see you at school?" She waved goodbye to Vincent and watched him hug two people she assumed to be his parents. His father had the same jet- black hair, however his grew down to his waist. His eyes were a handsome chestnut brown, not quite as dark as Vincent's. Vincent had definitely inherited most of his appearance from his father. His mother had peroxide blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. Lauren continued to watch the Divos family until she felt a hand grip her shoulder tightly.
"I thought you'd would have learned your lesson about wandering off by now," her own mother said sternly, pointing her finger at her like it was a gun. Lauren could see Anthony making faces at her behind her mother's back. However Ms. Sinclair's face soon lost the strict expression. "Look, I don't want your last memories of me to nasty ones. I won't see you again until the holidays, so until then behave yourself and work hard." She smiled and hugged them both so tightly she practically squeezed the life out of them. As Lauren was in her mother's arms she heard her whisper, "I'll miss you so much, and please Lauren, stay out of trouble." Her bright blue eyes were now glistened with tears. "I worry for you, I know that Hogwarts is one of the safest places there is, but after what happened today, I still..."
"Mum, mum. Don't get emotional on me now. I'll be fine, 'cos no-one messes with Albus Dumbledore!" Lauren pulled Anthony over so that he was standing next to her. "And believe you me. By the time we come back home we will be wizards that make you proud," as her words progressed, her voice became more enthusiastic, "wizards that uphold the family name, wizards that add to the glory of GRYFFINDOR!" Ms. Sinclair didn't approve of the spectacle her daughter was making, but laughed anyway, drying her eyes on the sleeve of her Muggle-clothes.
"I'm glad to see you haven't lost faith in your own abilities. Send me lots of owls, okay?" She gave them one last kiss as they boarded the train, the train that would take them to a completely different life.
Lauren wanted to find where Vincent was sitting, but Anthony had his mind set on other things. He wanted a compartment to themselves so that he didn't have to give away any more of his precious chocolate. As they passed down the train Anthony charged in front while Lauren kept an eye out for Vincent. One compartment was occupied by a group of boys playing Exploding Snap. They had entered at the critical moment of the game and were surprised by a loud bang, and they next thing they knew they were showered in a downpour of cards. The boys did say that they were sorry but their childish grins showed they didn't mean it. Anthony laughed but Lauren held her head high and shoved Anthony towards the entrance next compartment.
Anthony slid the door open but almost immediately slammed it shut again, as several high-pitched screams wailed from the other side. Anthony's face was as red as a Phoenix.
"Some girls were changing in to their robes!" He blushed. "Why don't you go and join them? I'll stay here with the lads and get mine on." For once, Anthony had a good idea. Lauren walked in to the compartment quickly reassuring the girls that she was also female. She crouched down behind a seat out of their view and began taking off her clothes. She carefully placed her wand on the table above her so that it wouldn't get lost. An anorexic-thin girl with immaculate hair leaned over and peered at Lauren's wand. Its red eyes winked menacingly in the light.
"Eww, a snake!" she cringed, her voice shrill and very irritating.
"Yeah, that's like totally gross!" another added, raising a plucked eyebrow. Just what I need, Lauren thought, a carriage full of airheads.
"Excuse me Little Miss Shallow, it's not a snake. You might find that it is a oriental Leviathan," she said matter-of-factly. She grabbed the wand from under their noses and shoved in to her bag along with her Muggle clothes.
"Fine, then it's a big, wet snake then, there's like so much difference," She sniped, turning to her group of cronies who automatically agreed with her. Lauren had seen that type of girl a million times before: more make-up than brains. She a right mind to leave some terrible Curse on them, but soon remembered that she didn't know any. Except for one…
She returned to the previous carriage to find Anthony, also dressed in his school robes, swapping Chocolate Frog cards with a thin, sickly looking boy with scraggy hair. Anthony beckoned her over and she sat between them.
"Hullo! I'm Andrew Finnigan! Are you Anthony's sister? You don't look much like him." Lauren got the idea that Andrew must twitter on like this all the time. He never seemed to shut up, and didn't have many friends as a result of this. "Will you be my friend?" He continued, "Anthony said he would." Anthony gave her a disgusted look that said, "It's a lie! I said no such thing!" Lauren forced a smile at Andrew and nodded understandingly to Anthony, They were both glad to see Andrew dash off to bother the blonde- haired girl opposite them. Lauren gazed out of the window at the countryside and white dots of sheep whizzing past.
"Hey Ant, I met a Bulgarian kid earlier on. Said his dad's an Auror," she said idly.
"Really?" Anthony was a big fan of Dark wizard catchers. He had been ever their father had been by a Death Eater, as this was very common at the time. "What's his dad's name?" he asked, eager to find out more.
"It'll be something Divos, I think," Lauren said lazily, the sight of grass and livestock boring her out of her mind.
"Balithow Divos? He's sent a few to Azkaban, but he's nothing special," he said, as if it was something he talked about every day.
"Then how do you know about him if he's just 'nothing special?' " She stressed. The long journey was making her irritable.
"I read about him in Amazing Aurors You Ought to Know About." That was currently Anthony's favourite book. Even though he had read it five times over, you hardly ever saw him without his nose buried in it. He was obsessed with anything about Aurors, but Lauren couldn't complain. She had the same sort of fascination with Potions, and already owned Magical Drafts and Potions long before she needed it for Hogwarts.
"We'll most likely see Vince again at Hogwarts, so I'm sure you'll get the chance to get his autograph." Lauren said, sneering at him. Anthony opened his mouth ready for a witty comeback but was interrupted by the trolley lady. Anthony bought some more chocolate with a few Knuts and handed a bar to Lauren as if he was calling a truce.
Before they knew it, the train had pulled up to the station and Lauren and Anthony were lost in a sea of students, ranging from first-years that were just their size to gigantic seventh years. They found themselves separated, both of them as desperate as everyone else to get their first view of Hogwarts. Lauren thought that a good Curse might clear a spot like this, but the fact that it was completely unethical didn't cross her mind. She then decided that the best way to get through the crowds was to stick out her elbows and charge. She barged past a group of second years and almost knocked them over. She responded to their angry shouts by looking back and sticking out her tongue, but forgot to look where she was going, and crashed straight in to someone. However this person definitely did not over- balance. He was about the size of two fully-grown men put together, so his mighty bulk just absorbed the blow. Although he appeared terrifying, the smile he beamed at her made him look as gentle as a kitten.
"Whoa, where's the fire? Yer ought to be more careful; yer might've hurt yerself. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures and Groundskeeper at Hogwarts." He held out a massive hand and Lauren shook it unsurely.
"I'm Lauren Sinclair, a first -year and now I really must find my brother." She began to edge away slowly but he clasped a great hand on her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.
"Tha' reminds meh, I've gotta do something." He cupped his mouth with his other hand and yelled. His voice boomed over the racket made by all the students. "Firs'-years over here! Firs'-years over here!" He repeated this until a congregation of people had gathered around him. He waited until it looked just about the right size to be all the first years and lead them down a dark and winding path. Everyone had difficultly keeping up with his gigantic strides. In no time at all they arrived at a vast lake. The water was just starting to get choppy as a storm brewed in the distance. Hagrid waited for any stragglers to catch up then turned to them to speak.
"Now I'll be taking yer up to the castle in my boats. No more than four in a boat." He gestured to a small fleet of wooden vessels floating on the rippling waters ahead of them. It was then Lauren caught her first glimpse of Hogwarts. It was like the breathtaking castle out of fairy tales she was told when she was young. As first flakes of snow began to fall on to its many towers and turrets, she fell in love with it. Lauren tore her eyes of the castle to notice Anthony stood next her.
"It's great, isn't it? I can't believe we're actually here!" he piped. The brother and sister both gazed at the Scottish castle with great admiration. Anthony continued, his voice more calm. "I can't believe we're finally here. Together."
Enjoying it so far? You ain't seen nothing yet!
~Rei
Before we begin...
This is the story of Anthony and Lauren Sinclair in their first year at Hogwarts. As time goes on they start to take a very different outlook on life. Strange things start happening to them, which changes their lives forever. Will they solve the mysteries appearing now very frequently? Will Anthony ever do well in Potions? Will Lauren have one Charms lesson without storming out? Why did Anthony end up in Gryffindor, and Lauren in Slytherin? Why does Snape treat Lauren better than others? Why do I keep as so many rhetorical questions? If you like Snape, read this!
Legal stuff: Nearly everything in this story is copyright of JK Rowling and WB, but everythng else that isn't is my own creation - don't steal it! Also, a special thanks to the real Anthony and my other best friend Adam- Lucas for being such wonderful inspiration!
Chapter 2: Vincent Divos. The Sinclairs arrive at Kings Cross station and Lauren meets a curious Bulgarian boy who is more than a little strange. Soon they will be getting their first views of Hogwarts!
Platform nine was packed with people, mainly Muggles hurrying and pushing around the Sinclairs. It was quite difficult for them to look inconspicuous. Gabby had beaten them to the station and was patiently perching on a sign that read, "Trains may be delayed." He hooted with relief upon seeing them and fluttered on to Lauren's shoulder, digging his talons in as if to say, "what took you so long?"
Anthony rummaged in his pocket and drew out a crumpled sheet of parchment and read it aloud:
"The Hogwarts Express will leave at eleven am from platform nine and three quarters." He looked at the signs hanging overhead, "platform nine, platform ten." He then laid his eyes on the brick wall between the two platforms; he had sussed it. "Platform nine and three-quarters," he said confidently and darted towards the barrier until his mother pulled him back by the collar.
"Anthony! Our owl is attracting enough Muggle attention without you disappearing through a brick wall!" Ms. Sinclair snapped quietly yet sternly, almost choking Anthony to death. She let her children go through one by one when the attention from the crowds was at its minimum, and then found a point to let herself go through.
Platform nine and three-quarters was a much friendlier sight. Several families were clutching owl cages, cat carriers or tiny boxes concealing a rat or a toad. There were many whining children and shouting parents, the typical sight for the first day of school. Lauren wasn't surprised to see so little people wearing robes, as she knew how difficult it would be getting through London with them on without looking suspicious. She assumed they were going to change on the train, like Anthony and she were going to. At the moment she thought the word 'train,' she saw it. The Hogwarts Express, gleaming a fantastic shade of scarlet in the mid-morning sun. Even the clouds of grey smoke billowing out of the chimney looked vaguely magical. The coat of arms was painted on to one of its shining sides. She remarked upon a great golden lion on a red background for Gryffindor, a black badger on yellow for Hufflepuff, a bronze eagle on blue for Ravenclaw and a creepy silver snake on green for Slytherin.
Lauren noticed she was not the only person examining the train. A boy around her age with short jet-black hair and very dark brown eyes was also giving it a good look-over. He was already wearing his school robes. They matched his hair perfectly. There was a lump sticking up in his robes near his leg that she hoped was his wand. She edged towards him, smiling shyly and plucked out the first conversation-starting word that came in to her head.
"Hi."
"Hi," he replied, giving her a toothy grin.
"You looking forward to going to Hogwarts?" she asked, then wishing she had said something that sounded less pathetic.
"Not really. I wanted to go to Durmstrang, like all my family," he complained, stamping his foot hard on the ground. "But ever since we moved to bloody old England, I have to go to Hogwarts." Lauren looked surprised. This definitely wasn't the kind of answer she was expecting. Examining him a little closer, he didn't look as if he was native to this country.
"So, are you from Bulgaria?" she asked, taking a wild stab in the dark. She was in luck, because it he was in fact from Bulgaria. "You don't sound it!" she added. He nodded.
"I was born in Bulgaria but we moved here when I was quite young, so I've grown up speaking like an English person." After filling her in on his short history, he returned to moaning about Durmstrang; it seemed he hadn't quite finished the first time. "It's so unfair! Why couldn't we move back to Bulgaria? I just have to go to Durmstrang!" Lauren pouted. What a whiner, does he always do this when he doesn't get his own way? For no reason at all, the boy made her very angry. She clenched her fists and felt an urge to yell at him.
"What's wrong with Hogwarts? " she snarled, bearing her teeth. "What's so good about stupid Durmstrang?" His expression immediately changed from sulky to apologetic.
"I... I didn't mean to insult you!" he stammered, and then began to explain his reasons for wanting to go to Durmstrang so badly. "You see, my father is an Auror," He looked down at his shoes and scraped them along the platform. "Um, he's not very famous, so I doubt you've heard of him. I want to be an Auror just like him, and--" he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "and Durmstrang is a school of the Dark Arts so I need to know what I am up against." At that moment, something in Lauren's pocket began to shake a little. She barely noticed, as it was nothing more than a slight vibration. She assumed it was just a twitch and ignored it.
"Where are my manners?" he said abruptly, as if he had just noticed his parents standing behind him. He held out his hand, gesturing her to shake it. "I'm Divos, Vincent Divos, and you?"
"Sinclair- well one of them- my brother Anthony starts Hogwarts today as well. I'm Lauren." She accepted his hand and shook it vigorously. Searching for a new conversation topic, she chose houses. "What house do you want to be in? Practically all my family are Gryffindors and I hope I don't break the tradition, especially if I end up in something like Slytherin."
"Well, Gryffindor doesn't sound half bad, but if I had it my way I'd be at Durmstrang." Lauren groaned, but decided to try and relate to him.
"My Uncle went to Durmstrang, but he hasn't been heard from since The Reign of Terror." Vincent began to say something but was cut off by a magically projected voice.
"The train will be leaving in a few minutes. All passengers please board as quickly as possible."
"Well, I better go find my mum before she thinks I've been assassinated. Maybe I'll see you at school?" She waved goodbye to Vincent and watched him hug two people she assumed to be his parents. His father had the same jet- black hair, however his grew down to his waist. His eyes were a handsome chestnut brown, not quite as dark as Vincent's. Vincent had definitely inherited most of his appearance from his father. His mother had peroxide blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. Lauren continued to watch the Divos family until she felt a hand grip her shoulder tightly.
"I thought you'd would have learned your lesson about wandering off by now," her own mother said sternly, pointing her finger at her like it was a gun. Lauren could see Anthony making faces at her behind her mother's back. However Ms. Sinclair's face soon lost the strict expression. "Look, I don't want your last memories of me to nasty ones. I won't see you again until the holidays, so until then behave yourself and work hard." She smiled and hugged them both so tightly she practically squeezed the life out of them. As Lauren was in her mother's arms she heard her whisper, "I'll miss you so much, and please Lauren, stay out of trouble." Her bright blue eyes were now glistened with tears. "I worry for you, I know that Hogwarts is one of the safest places there is, but after what happened today, I still..."
"Mum, mum. Don't get emotional on me now. I'll be fine, 'cos no-one messes with Albus Dumbledore!" Lauren pulled Anthony over so that he was standing next to her. "And believe you me. By the time we come back home we will be wizards that make you proud," as her words progressed, her voice became more enthusiastic, "wizards that uphold the family name, wizards that add to the glory of GRYFFINDOR!" Ms. Sinclair didn't approve of the spectacle her daughter was making, but laughed anyway, drying her eyes on the sleeve of her Muggle-clothes.
"I'm glad to see you haven't lost faith in your own abilities. Send me lots of owls, okay?" She gave them one last kiss as they boarded the train, the train that would take them to a completely different life.
Lauren wanted to find where Vincent was sitting, but Anthony had his mind set on other things. He wanted a compartment to themselves so that he didn't have to give away any more of his precious chocolate. As they passed down the train Anthony charged in front while Lauren kept an eye out for Vincent. One compartment was occupied by a group of boys playing Exploding Snap. They had entered at the critical moment of the game and were surprised by a loud bang, and they next thing they knew they were showered in a downpour of cards. The boys did say that they were sorry but their childish grins showed they didn't mean it. Anthony laughed but Lauren held her head high and shoved Anthony towards the entrance next compartment.
Anthony slid the door open but almost immediately slammed it shut again, as several high-pitched screams wailed from the other side. Anthony's face was as red as a Phoenix.
"Some girls were changing in to their robes!" He blushed. "Why don't you go and join them? I'll stay here with the lads and get mine on." For once, Anthony had a good idea. Lauren walked in to the compartment quickly reassuring the girls that she was also female. She crouched down behind a seat out of their view and began taking off her clothes. She carefully placed her wand on the table above her so that it wouldn't get lost. An anorexic-thin girl with immaculate hair leaned over and peered at Lauren's wand. Its red eyes winked menacingly in the light.
"Eww, a snake!" she cringed, her voice shrill and very irritating.
"Yeah, that's like totally gross!" another added, raising a plucked eyebrow. Just what I need, Lauren thought, a carriage full of airheads.
"Excuse me Little Miss Shallow, it's not a snake. You might find that it is a oriental Leviathan," she said matter-of-factly. She grabbed the wand from under their noses and shoved in to her bag along with her Muggle clothes.
"Fine, then it's a big, wet snake then, there's like so much difference," She sniped, turning to her group of cronies who automatically agreed with her. Lauren had seen that type of girl a million times before: more make-up than brains. She a right mind to leave some terrible Curse on them, but soon remembered that she didn't know any. Except for one…
She returned to the previous carriage to find Anthony, also dressed in his school robes, swapping Chocolate Frog cards with a thin, sickly looking boy with scraggy hair. Anthony beckoned her over and she sat between them.
"Hullo! I'm Andrew Finnigan! Are you Anthony's sister? You don't look much like him." Lauren got the idea that Andrew must twitter on like this all the time. He never seemed to shut up, and didn't have many friends as a result of this. "Will you be my friend?" He continued, "Anthony said he would." Anthony gave her a disgusted look that said, "It's a lie! I said no such thing!" Lauren forced a smile at Andrew and nodded understandingly to Anthony, They were both glad to see Andrew dash off to bother the blonde- haired girl opposite them. Lauren gazed out of the window at the countryside and white dots of sheep whizzing past.
"Hey Ant, I met a Bulgarian kid earlier on. Said his dad's an Auror," she said idly.
"Really?" Anthony was a big fan of Dark wizard catchers. He had been ever their father had been by a Death Eater, as this was very common at the time. "What's his dad's name?" he asked, eager to find out more.
"It'll be something Divos, I think," Lauren said lazily, the sight of grass and livestock boring her out of her mind.
"Balithow Divos? He's sent a few to Azkaban, but he's nothing special," he said, as if it was something he talked about every day.
"Then how do you know about him if he's just 'nothing special?' " She stressed. The long journey was making her irritable.
"I read about him in Amazing Aurors You Ought to Know About." That was currently Anthony's favourite book. Even though he had read it five times over, you hardly ever saw him without his nose buried in it. He was obsessed with anything about Aurors, but Lauren couldn't complain. She had the same sort of fascination with Potions, and already owned Magical Drafts and Potions long before she needed it for Hogwarts.
"We'll most likely see Vince again at Hogwarts, so I'm sure you'll get the chance to get his autograph." Lauren said, sneering at him. Anthony opened his mouth ready for a witty comeback but was interrupted by the trolley lady. Anthony bought some more chocolate with a few Knuts and handed a bar to Lauren as if he was calling a truce.
Before they knew it, the train had pulled up to the station and Lauren and Anthony were lost in a sea of students, ranging from first-years that were just their size to gigantic seventh years. They found themselves separated, both of them as desperate as everyone else to get their first view of Hogwarts. Lauren thought that a good Curse might clear a spot like this, but the fact that it was completely unethical didn't cross her mind. She then decided that the best way to get through the crowds was to stick out her elbows and charge. She barged past a group of second years and almost knocked them over. She responded to their angry shouts by looking back and sticking out her tongue, but forgot to look where she was going, and crashed straight in to someone. However this person definitely did not over- balance. He was about the size of two fully-grown men put together, so his mighty bulk just absorbed the blow. Although he appeared terrifying, the smile he beamed at her made him look as gentle as a kitten.
"Whoa, where's the fire? Yer ought to be more careful; yer might've hurt yerself. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures and Groundskeeper at Hogwarts." He held out a massive hand and Lauren shook it unsurely.
"I'm Lauren Sinclair, a first -year and now I really must find my brother." She began to edge away slowly but he clasped a great hand on her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks.
"Tha' reminds meh, I've gotta do something." He cupped his mouth with his other hand and yelled. His voice boomed over the racket made by all the students. "Firs'-years over here! Firs'-years over here!" He repeated this until a congregation of people had gathered around him. He waited until it looked just about the right size to be all the first years and lead them down a dark and winding path. Everyone had difficultly keeping up with his gigantic strides. In no time at all they arrived at a vast lake. The water was just starting to get choppy as a storm brewed in the distance. Hagrid waited for any stragglers to catch up then turned to them to speak.
"Now I'll be taking yer up to the castle in my boats. No more than four in a boat." He gestured to a small fleet of wooden vessels floating on the rippling waters ahead of them. It was then Lauren caught her first glimpse of Hogwarts. It was like the breathtaking castle out of fairy tales she was told when she was young. As first flakes of snow began to fall on to its many towers and turrets, she fell in love with it. Lauren tore her eyes of the castle to notice Anthony stood next her.
"It's great, isn't it? I can't believe we're actually here!" he piped. The brother and sister both gazed at the Scottish castle with great admiration. Anthony continued, his voice more calm. "I can't believe we're finally here. Together."
Enjoying it so far? You ain't seen nothing yet!
~Rei