American Witch
A/N: Hi! So, the fourth chapter is here! Thanks to thevery few people who have reviewed. Anyway, let's get on with the chapter. You know, I think I might actually finish this story, or at least get pretty far. By the way, sorry if the British people don't sound British. I'm American, rememberAnd even if a lot of people are replaced and Dumbledore isn't replaced at Hogwarts, it's because there has to be SOMEBODY left, if it's only Dumbledore.
By the way, when I said Grade 1 of The Standard Book of Spells in Chapter 3, I meant Grade 2. Sometimes I get confused with my own stories. Sorry. I really should check them over carefully.Disclaimer: Soum, everything from the Harry Potter books belongs to J.K. Rowling, and everything else is mine. Oh, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy belongs to Douglas Adams. Jesus owns the, "Let the little children come to me," quote, because he said it. There. Done. I think I shall try to make these shorter and shorter...
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Chapter 4:Welcome to Hogwarts
6-12-02
I've read all my books by now. I really hope I remember enough to get good grades. That would be phenomenal, since I have such a horrible memory. I'll probably get good grades anyway though, because I always have. Of course, that was in Muggle schoolI hope I'm up to this
It's a new school. I'm going to have to meet a new set of people. Typical. Just after I get used to Small, I have to go to a new school, and it's Hogwarts, of all places. Castle-full of people to get used to!
Speaking of Hogwarts, I just discovered yesterday that my
Hogwarts Express ticket was taped to the list. I hadn't
noticed it before. I'm really glad I finally saw it, because
I wouldn't have wanted to go to Platform 9 3/4 without a
ticket. Who knows if that whole barrier thing would even work
without a ticketYou don't seem to need it for anything
else.
Oh, and I've decided to call my owl Lilac. My owl. Never
thought I'd see myself writing those words.
8-31-02
I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow! I'm going tomorrow! I'm so excited! and kind of nervous tooI've packed all my stuff in my trunk, put Lilac in her cage (finally, I've been letting her fly around all summer), and gotten my ticket. I'm so nervous, yet excited at the same time. Amanda, me, Lilac, Snow (Amanda's cat), and all our parents are going to King's Cross by the Knight Bus tomorrow. Thankfully, the train leaves at 3 PM, so we can do that. We don't have to use the dreaded Floo Powder Well, got to get some sleep now, if I can
9-1-02
I'm on the Hogwarts Express now. We're in the last compartment. I almost forgot to bring this journalI'm too forgetful
Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the barrier. When we got there, I was so scared. Amanda was biting her lip and trembling. She does that when she's really scared. We said a very long goodbye to our parents, and then we faced the barrier resolutely.
"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" I said one last time. Then, Amanda and I ran forward with our carts.
The stone wall was approaching faster and faster. I felt certain I was going to die, but I couldn't stop my feet. It was just like the time when I'd knocked over a player on the other team in basketball because I couldn't stop. All my friends made fun of me, because I'd practically tackled her without meaning to. This time, however, the consequence would have been fatalif the barrier had been solid. To my complete surprise, I passed through the barrier and found myself facing the Hogwarts Express.
Amanda and I slowed ourselves down. The whole train was as reddish-orange as fire. I know it was scarlet or something in the books. Can't explain the change in color. Maybe somebody painted it over?
There were kids leaning out of windows everywhere and standing on the platform. Lilac hooted in response to some other owls, and Amanda had to stop Snow from running to a group of cats. Amanda got some scratches as a victory prize. I patted her on the head.
We walked forward slowly with our trunks. We were nervous, but our trunks were also very heavy, so we couldn't have moved faster even if we wanted to.
We just barely managed to lift our trunks in the baggage compartment, and then we wandered around looking for seats. And here I am, in the last compartment, writing this.
Oh! Byehave something to do
10:30 PM
Somebody came into our compartment when I stopped writing. It was a girl with slightly curly black hair and bluish-green eyes. Even though I was a girl myself, my first thought of her was that she was really pretty. However, she had a kind of mood around her that seemed to say, "This girl's not happy."
"Umhi," the girl said. "Are any of these seats taken?" To my surprise, she had an American accent, not British.
I smiled at her, glad to find somebody else on this train who was an American, and said, "No. You can sit anywhere in here."
"Thanks," the girl said, and sat down. "My name's Elena. What about you? You're American?"
"My name's Kara. We're both American," I answered, gesturing at Amanda.
"Yeah. We're American. My name's Amanda," she said.
"How old are you?" I asked Elena.
"Twelve. I really should have gone to a school a year ago."
"Us too! That's why we got to go to Hogwarts. We were late in showing magic."
"Yeah, that was my situation. I was afraid I was a Squib. I'm a pure-blood. Really glad I got to go here. The Harry Potter books are my favorite books ever! It was such a good source to learn about what I'd be doing in school, and it was really interesting too. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone it wasn't a fiction book."
"They're almost my favorite books, but I like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy better," I said.
"I think it'll be really great to go to Hogwarts, don't you?" Elena seemed to be glowing with happiness. I knew the feeling. I probably was too. I hadn't had a first conversation this long in over a year. I'm a little antisocial, but I do want friends.
"Yeah! Too bad that Harry Potter isn't going here anymore. That'd be fun."
"Yeah"
Elena was the best person to have a conversation with that I'd ever met after Amanda. She turned out to be really nice. Even the unhappy mood about her disappeared .
Amanda, Elena and I talked for the whole train ride. I was surprised we managed to keep up the conversation for that long. Judging by the Harry Potter books, the journey must take hours.
Then, we changed into robes with a flick of our wands five minutes before we got there. I'd learned a spell that taught me to do that. It really surprised me that spells were that easy. I taught Amanda and Elena the spell too.
When the train stopped, I froze in my seat for about five seconds and couldn't move for that period of time. Amanda bit her lip and trembled slightly. When I regained movement in my hand, I patted her head. That seemed to calm her momentary fears. She was quite outgoing and didn't really mind standing up in front of people. Elena just kind of seemed to turn a little bit paler.
"Wonder what it'll be like to stand up in front of a castle-full," I almost whispered.
Elena answered, "I don't really want to think about that."
Apparently, she was just as shy as I was about getting up in front of people. At least, she was as shy about getting up in front of a castle.
"I hope I get put in Ravenclaw," I said. I'd always thought Gryffindor was okay, but I liked Ravenclaw the best. I started winding some of my short hair around my finger nervously.
We walked off the train. "Hey, first years, or late 2nd years! Had a batch of them this year"
We looked toward the source of the yelling and saw a man with long red hair and dragonhide boots.
"Hello, first years. Bill Weasley at your service," he said, grinning.
"Bill Weasley? Ron's brother???" I said.
"What? Oh! Yeah, I amyou're a muggle-born?"
"Yup."
"American, too."
"Yup."
"2nd year."
"Yup." Yup' seemed to be the only word in my head at the time.
"Rightlet's go then!"
We all trudged up the path to the boats, and then, to the castle.
One of the first years came up to us.
"Do you know what the test is? My uncle wouldn't say, but he said it was really hardand none of the muggle-borns will tell me either."
I laughed. "It's just-"
Elena finished for me, but not with the words I was thinking of. "It's just as your uncle said. It's really hard. Won't tell you anything else."
"Why'd you do that?" I said, after the first year had gone away. "It's just an innocent first year who wants to know what the test is. You should've let me tell him the truth."
"Well, yes, but won't it be fun when he sees that all he has to do is put on a hat? And it's part true really, because the hat sounds kind of annoyingwhich is a kind of hardship"
"Aaaaah! I'm just going to go tell him the truth," I said, exasperated. Elena looked threatening. As I'd just learned, she had an unfortunate liking for pranks. "Finepart of the truth. Now, will you not kill me?"
"Fine. But make it very vague."
Suddenly, I saw the bit of humor in it and smiled. "Okay."
I went over to the first year. " Scuse me."
The first year turned around. "Yeah?"
"The test is hardbut not in the way you think."
I left the first year looking very confused.
I told Elena what I'd said and how the first year had looked. She laughed.
"Excellent! You'll be a great at helping me with pranks in no time! This is a great place for pranks! These first years seem to believe almost anything."
We got to the boats, and Elena, Amanda and I got in one of them. I insisted on rowing, so I got that job.
Once we ran into the stone wall while everyone else went through the curtain of ivy and almost poked a hole in the boat. All three of us started laughing. The first years passing through the curtain of ivy stared at us. That shut me up immediately, because I don't like to be stared at, but the other two just kept on laughing.
"Okay," I said, trying to keep the extra spasms of laughter stifled. "Let me get it back on track."
I backed up, then went through the curtain and walked up to the front door.
OkayI'm going to try and go to sleep now, because one of my roommates is yelling at me for keeping a candle burning.
11:15 PM
I failed. I can't sleep. I think I'm too homesick. Otherwise, I would be asleep already. I'm so tired. However, I've never been this far away from home before.Anyway, my roommate's asleep now, so I'm going to keep on writing.
When we all got to the door, Bill knocked, and the door was swung open by a witch. She was dressed all in turquoise, from her head to her foot, and her clothes were all tarnished with nail polish and nail polish removerNo, not really. That was just a messed up version of part of The Night Before Christmas. What she really looked like was this: She was dressed in black, and she was wearing absolutely no nail polish at all. She was also kind of short. She could have passed for a teenager if she'd looked just a bit younger.
"Hello, Bill. I can take them now," she said, smiling. Her teeth were about as white as snow.
"Wow. She must be obsessed with toothpaste," I whispered to Elena. She giggled silently. "Or maybe obsessed with even eating toothpaste. It's not normal to have teeth that white."
"Maybe it's magic."
"Yeah, quite probable, actually."
We then followed the witch into the castle. The front hall was HUGE. You could fit several elephants in it--stacked up.
We passed the Great Hall and the Hogwarts students, then packed ourselves into a little room down the hall.
The teacher stood at the front of the room, just by the door.
"I am Professor Bradley. I think I will shorten my speech a bit this year, because I have many other things to do besides wasting my time with a crowd of new students.
Wow. Somebody has a big attitude, I thought.
"When you go into the Great Hall in a few minutes, you will be sorted into your houses: Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. I doubt that any of you will be very good students." There were some nervous laughs.
Mean woman. I think she must have been a Slytherin, if she went to Hogwarts. I hope I'm not in any of her classes when I get my schedule tomorrow. I wonder what she teaches.
"Thank you. That is all. When I come to get you, I expect you to be prepared and somewhat decent-looking."
I glared as she went out.
"Wow, is she mean," I said to Amanda and Elena. "I thought welcoming speeches were supposed to be encouraging. None of us will be good students! Ha! I mean, we'll probably be better students than she is a teacher. I sure hope I'm not in any of her classes."
"Yeah," Amanda agreed. "She definitely has an attitude problem.
After about five minutes, Professor Bradley came and got us, and we got into a line. Then we walked into the Great Hall. We were right in front of the High Table, so I couldn't see the teachers. However, I could see plenty of students.
I felt very nervous and out of place. I mean, wouldn't you? I'm tall for my age anyway, and I looked even taller when I had all these younger people by me. I get embarrassed when I'm one of the tallest people in a group. You would be surprised how much difference a year makes. I had a sudden urge to grab my own hair and pull it. Elena's long hair also looked very tempting, just hanging halfway down her back. However, I'm at least a little bit sane, and I didn't follow those urges.
Then, Professor Bradley announced the new group of students, including us. I was trying to find ways to avoid looking at the crowd when Professor Bradley said something that nearly made me collapse on the ground in fear. I have a very severe case of stage fright.
"Among the new students, we have three transfers from the United States in the second year: Amanda Bustamente, Elena Greenweld, and Kara Ramirez. Welcome them to Hogwarts if you see them."
She didn't look at all sincere about it, since that might be a possible way of making us happy, and that went against her nature. She's a mean woman, as I said. I was just holding my head as if I had a headache. Didn't make me happy at all to be mentioned.
Then, thankfully, we started the Sorting. However, I will still shaking from standing up too long and also from nervousness, I guess.
The hat was placed on the chair, and all the muggle-borns stared at it, expecting it to sing. However it merely said, "I wasn't able to think of a song this year, so ha!"
Everyone stared at the Sorting Hat--in disbelief, now.
"Anyway, as some holy guy said, Let the little children come to me' and let's get on with this Sorting! Just put me on, and I'll sort you. And no, I haven't gone insane, I just haven't been able to think of a song, as I said"
Everyone just kept staring at the Sorting Hat for a few seconds. The Sorting Hat must have changed a lot since the Harry Potter days
Then, Professor Bradley cleared her throat and said the first name.
"Bishop, Rachel." A girl with long brown hair stepped out of the line and seated herself on the stool.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the Hat shouted. Rachel went over to the table second from the left.
"Bishop, Ryan."
"HUFFLEPUFF!" I wondered if we were all going to be in Hufflepuff.
"Bracken, Corbin." He was a Gryffindor. I thought with relief that we weren't all going to be in Hufflepuff.
"Bracken, Sidney."
"GRYFFINDOR!" It seemed like the Sorting Hat had a "brother and sister go together" kind of plan.
"Bratton, Lily." Poor Lily,' was my first thought. If she's unpleasant at all this year, people are going to call her Brat because of her last name
However, Lily was in Ravenclaw. She was smart. She ought to know what her last name can do to her. She'll be fine.
Then, there were a few more people sorted. Next, Amanda was up.
"Bustamente, Amanda."
I waited.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" That made sense. Amanda has a really nice and forgiving nature. I'm not half as nice as her.
Then, we went on throught the C people--and the D people.and the E peopleThis was getting pretty boring, as you might guessthe F peopleand the G people! The fact that Elena would be up soon was my first thought. I started listening again.
"Gibbins, Colby." Strange first name.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Gilmore, Geoffrey." Another strange first name.
"GRYFFINDOR!" He'll probably get teased.
"Goode, Anne."
"RAVENCLAW!" Yay for her.
A few more namesand then Elena.
"Greenweld, Elena."
"RAVENCLAW!" I cheered very hard at that statement, happy that one of us so far was in Ravenclaw.
Then, the rest of the G peoplethe H people and so on to Q. I was ready to collapse in just a few minutes by then. Then, they called my name.
"Ramirez, Kara," Professor Bradley said.
I looked around. All the students looked like they were yearning to start eating. I thought I'd better hurry up for them, so I went over to the Sorting Hat, put it on my head, and sat down.
Almost at once, I heard this little voice in my head.
Where are you to go? it said. Not Slytherin, you don't really want much power, you like to stay where you are
Yes, you're right about that, I thought.
Maybe Hufflepuff, you're very soft-hearted
Gryffindor's just not for you, somehow
You have a good mindRavenclaw would be nice
So, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?
I thought about this. Amanda was in Hufflepuff and Elena was in Ravenclaw. No matter which way I went, I'd have a friend there. It was a tough choice. I'd known Amanda longer, but I wanted to be in Ravenclaw so much.
Ravenclaw, I finally decided. I thought that the house I wanted and a friend was better than a well-known friend and a house I didn't want.
All right thenthe Sorting Hat said
"RAVENCLAW!"
I took off the hat and walked to the Ravenclaw table while the other Ravenclaws cheered. I sat right next to Elena. We high-fived each other.
The Sorting Hat finished sorting, and then Albus Dumbledore stood up. Let's just say he looked exactly like all the descriptions of him anywhere, because I'm tired and want to try and get to sleep soon.
I got ready to listen intently.
Dumbledore said, "I have some announcements for the new school year. As always, second years who are interested in being on the Quidditch team can go to the tryouts in October. There will be more information about the tryouts in the future."
"Why didn't I remember to get a broom?" I said to Elena.
"Um, you don't know how to fly?" she offered.
"Oh yeah."
"You can get one and I'll try and teach you."
"Thanks."
Dumbledore continued. "The Forbidden Forest is off limitsagain, as always. No more announcements, except my favorite kind of Muggle sweet: a lemon drop." I should try that method of ending a speech sometime. I love being weird. That would be a way to end a speech among people as crazy as I am. The feast appeared and we ate, and ate---and ate. My stomach was nearly dragging me down by the time the feast was over.
Then, a prefect took us to the Ravenclaw's common room. It was on the fifth floor behind a painting. When we got there, there was a horse in the painting, contentedly munching grass. A slim woman entered the painting to stand by the horse, apparently hers, and ask the password.
"Knowledge golden," the prefect said. The painting made a clicking sound. The prefect pushed it aside, and everyone climbed through a hole in the wall to the Ravenclaw common room.
There were blue walls, couches, chairs, and a blue carpet. The Ravenclaw color. Also my favorite color. Lucky me. The tables were wooden and were just regular brown. Thank God, because blue tables would be going completely overboard. After looking at the common room, I went up the winding staircase on the left with the rest of the girls. There are two towers, apparently, where the dormitories are.
There are six other girls in the second year dorm with me: Elena, Adair, Adela, Andrea, Stacey, and Kira. Adair and Adela are sisters. Adela's adopted, which makes since. She looks nothing like her sister. Adela has blond hair and blue eyes. Adair has brown hair and brown eyes. They all seem pretty nice so far. Well, except Adair is the one who told me to get rid of the candle. Of course, that also something any sane person would do when they were trying to sleep. She's probably not that mean.
I don't know who the boys are yet. I guess I'll know tomorrow.
Well, good night. I'm so tired I could just fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
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So, was that good? Maybe so, maybe not is my point of view. It all depends on what your review says, so please, read and review! Yes, I proofread this, so if it still has something wrong with it, feel free to review, point out my mistakes, call me a blockhead, and say that my sight is failing. ^_^
The Sorting Hat didn't sing because a)I couldn't think of a song, and b)The Sorting Hat didn't want to. He said that he thought it was a stupid tradition. He said he'd quit his job in my story if I made him sing...so I didn't. ^_^
I'm going to try and post the next chapter pretty soon. I bet this chapter was even longer than Chapter 3. That's why it took longer than the others. Let me checkyup, it's longer. 26 KB. Chapter 3 was 16 KB.
Bye! Review!
-Hermione2