Chapter Two
A whistle sounded. Afraid to open my eyes, I thought, oh, no, I missed the bus. But when I did open my eyes, I found that it didn't matter.
I was lying on a cobblestone walk under a sign that said, "Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 ¾."
"Aw, jeez," I moaned, looking up at the sign. I looked around at everything else. There were probably thousands of kids in groups surrounding this huge silver and red train engine that said on the front: Hogwarts Express. All of a sudden, a cart ran out of the wall next to me. I screamed. Slowly, I stood up, my knees shaking. I gazed at the trunks around me. They all said, "Ann Victor" on them, including my address. My REAL address back in Fairfield, Connecticut. Weird.
"Excuse me, do you need help with your luggage?" a voice came from behind. I spun around. It was Sara. She grinned at me.
"Oh, thank God," I said, gasping with relief, "I thought I would have to do this one alone."
"Nope," she said. "This is just like in Avonlea."
"Wait, you remember that?"
"I do now. Remember we're in your fantasy again. So I remember."
"Oh. Ok." I started to believe NOTHING would surprise me after this, NOTHING.
"Come on, I've already got my stuff on board and Mell's waiting in our seats."
"Mell's here too?"
"Of course."
"Yes!"
We grabbed my trunks, wondering what on Earth could be in them and dragged them to the train steps. It took a while before we heaved them up the steps and put them in the luggage cart. Finally, we collapsed into our compartment with Mell.
"Hey, I just bought all the candy they could possibly have on this train, so we won't go hungry."
My stomach growled.
"Bless you, Mell," I said, before diving into the pile on the seat. I took a seat across from Mell and stared out the window. This was even stranger than being in Avonlea. I had never been over seas before in the first place and second, this was an entirely-well--different place. Some students were in long billowing robes and pointed hats, some carrying owl cages. There were cats of every color you could imagine, prowling around on the ground. Then I thought of something.
"What year are we in?"
"Hmm?" Sara looked at me, munching on a Chocolate Frog.
"I mean, we're fourteen, but it would be impossible for us to be in fourth year at Hogwarts."
"Maybe we know more than we think we do." Mell swallowed.
"Well, why don't we just see when we get there."
After a while, the train began to move. I watched out the window again and saw a red-haired lady and what seemed to be her daughter waving frantically at the train. They were smiling and yelling out good-byes. I smiled; I wonder who they could be?
It was rather cool in the train. I wrapped my sweatshirt around me more tightly. I looked down at my clothes and realized they were the same as when I was in Fairfield.
"Aren't we supposed to change clothes, like we did in Avonlea?"
"No, thank God," Mell said, "At least here they have real clothing."
I laughed.
About a half-hour later, the compartment door opened and Mike walked in.
"It's about time," Sara looked at him.
"Sorry, I got lost," he said, twiddling his thumbs.
"How do you get lost on a train?"
"Well, it's different on a wizard train."
"Sara, you knew he was here?"
"Yeah, everyone who went to Avonlea will be here."
We finished off the candy in the next hour, due to Mike who had been starving. We had fun eating the Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. This time, everyone had read the book and we knew how everything went. I tasted the corner of a light brown one.
"Hey, I got lucky this time. It's chocolate." I popped it into my mouth and tasted the creamy chocolate running down my throat. It was so good. Mell coughed.
"I didn't get lucky. Ear wax."
There was a round of 'eeww's.' Sara got liver and Mike got grass. Mell tasted again and got caramel.
"All right!"
Finally, after about three hours, the train started to pull to a stop. Our bags magically appeared at our door, so we were able to pull on our uniforms. Yes, uniforms. I was so excited as I pulled on a Hogwarts skirt, a Hogwarts vest, a Hogwarts robe, and a Hogwarts cloak for cold weather. It was raining steadily when we got out. We knew our trunks were being taken upstairs by someone else. Then I heard a familiar voice.
"First years! First years this way!" Hagrid yelled. He looked the same as in the movie. I grabbed Sara and Mell's hands and dragged them over. Hagrid had a list in his hands.
"Excuse me," I asked, "Is there a Ann, Sara, Mell and a Mike on that list?"
He looked.
"Why, yes, there is, come on now you four."
We followed down a slippery path of grass and mud. It was too dark a night to see anything, save the lantern that Hagrid carried. We slid through the rain to a dock where a dozen or so boats were docked.
"Four to a boat, only four to a boat!" we heard Hagrid's rough voice. The four of us took a boat.
We rowed across the lake and reached a long set of stairs. The group climbed up, breathlessly, as the rain beat down on our heads. Eventually, we reached the top and Hagrid pulled open the door.
"Here's the first years, Professor McGonagall," he said.
I peered through people, eventually jumping up and down to see the professor. A tall woman with dark hair and hawk-like eyes stood at the doorway. We were brought inside to the warm castle.
"Finally." Sara whispered, rubbing her hands together.
We entered into the cavernous entrance hall. There was the grand staircase and the big doors to the Great Hall. But we were led into a smaller room off the big one. It was round with several torches lighting it. Professor McGonagall faced us.
"Now, in a few moments you will go into the Great Hall to be sorted into your houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Try to neaten yourselves up a bit, please. I will come back for you in a minute." And she left.
We stood around rather nervously. I stared around at the other students, praying.
"Yes!" I hissed, under my breath. I saw the back of a kid's head. He had a black disheveled hair and was rather skinny and short. He was talking to another back of a kid's head with red hair, who was taller and gangly. Wow, he was almost as tall as Mike and that was saying something. I told this to Sara and Mell and they peered over to the two boys.
"Yup, that's definitely them," Sara bent over to us.
"How can you tell?"
"Well, it's kind of obvious when they just turned around and you can see his scar plain as day."
I jumped up and looked. Yeah, it was Harry. I got all excited and started jumping up and down. I wonder if I'm still fourteen or if I dropped a few years when I got here.
Then all a sudden, about six ghosts appeared from the wall. Several students screamed, as well as Mike, who clutched my shoulder. I gasped, then glared at Mike, who was white in the face. I grinned sarcastically at him.
"Whatever is the matter, Mike, you look as if you've just seen a ghost."
"Shut up."
The ghosts passed without a word to us, speaking among themselves about Peeves of course. Then one of them, probably the Fat Friar, noticed us first years.
"Ah, are you the first years?" Some of us nodded.
"Well, I hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My old house you know." He grinned at us jovially.
"He's so cute!" I whispered to Sara. She nodded, smiling at the little old man. Then the ghosts disappeared through the opposite wall.
After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall came back.
"And now," she said, "it is time for the sorting."
A whistle sounded. Afraid to open my eyes, I thought, oh, no, I missed the bus. But when I did open my eyes, I found that it didn't matter.
I was lying on a cobblestone walk under a sign that said, "Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 ¾."
"Aw, jeez," I moaned, looking up at the sign. I looked around at everything else. There were probably thousands of kids in groups surrounding this huge silver and red train engine that said on the front: Hogwarts Express. All of a sudden, a cart ran out of the wall next to me. I screamed. Slowly, I stood up, my knees shaking. I gazed at the trunks around me. They all said, "Ann Victor" on them, including my address. My REAL address back in Fairfield, Connecticut. Weird.
"Excuse me, do you need help with your luggage?" a voice came from behind. I spun around. It was Sara. She grinned at me.
"Oh, thank God," I said, gasping with relief, "I thought I would have to do this one alone."
"Nope," she said. "This is just like in Avonlea."
"Wait, you remember that?"
"I do now. Remember we're in your fantasy again. So I remember."
"Oh. Ok." I started to believe NOTHING would surprise me after this, NOTHING.
"Come on, I've already got my stuff on board and Mell's waiting in our seats."
"Mell's here too?"
"Of course."
"Yes!"
We grabbed my trunks, wondering what on Earth could be in them and dragged them to the train steps. It took a while before we heaved them up the steps and put them in the luggage cart. Finally, we collapsed into our compartment with Mell.
"Hey, I just bought all the candy they could possibly have on this train, so we won't go hungry."
My stomach growled.
"Bless you, Mell," I said, before diving into the pile on the seat. I took a seat across from Mell and stared out the window. This was even stranger than being in Avonlea. I had never been over seas before in the first place and second, this was an entirely-well--different place. Some students were in long billowing robes and pointed hats, some carrying owl cages. There were cats of every color you could imagine, prowling around on the ground. Then I thought of something.
"What year are we in?"
"Hmm?" Sara looked at me, munching on a Chocolate Frog.
"I mean, we're fourteen, but it would be impossible for us to be in fourth year at Hogwarts."
"Maybe we know more than we think we do." Mell swallowed.
"Well, why don't we just see when we get there."
After a while, the train began to move. I watched out the window again and saw a red-haired lady and what seemed to be her daughter waving frantically at the train. They were smiling and yelling out good-byes. I smiled; I wonder who they could be?
It was rather cool in the train. I wrapped my sweatshirt around me more tightly. I looked down at my clothes and realized they were the same as when I was in Fairfield.
"Aren't we supposed to change clothes, like we did in Avonlea?"
"No, thank God," Mell said, "At least here they have real clothing."
I laughed.
About a half-hour later, the compartment door opened and Mike walked in.
"It's about time," Sara looked at him.
"Sorry, I got lost," he said, twiddling his thumbs.
"How do you get lost on a train?"
"Well, it's different on a wizard train."
"Sara, you knew he was here?"
"Yeah, everyone who went to Avonlea will be here."
We finished off the candy in the next hour, due to Mike who had been starving. We had fun eating the Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. This time, everyone had read the book and we knew how everything went. I tasted the corner of a light brown one.
"Hey, I got lucky this time. It's chocolate." I popped it into my mouth and tasted the creamy chocolate running down my throat. It was so good. Mell coughed.
"I didn't get lucky. Ear wax."
There was a round of 'eeww's.' Sara got liver and Mike got grass. Mell tasted again and got caramel.
"All right!"
Finally, after about three hours, the train started to pull to a stop. Our bags magically appeared at our door, so we were able to pull on our uniforms. Yes, uniforms. I was so excited as I pulled on a Hogwarts skirt, a Hogwarts vest, a Hogwarts robe, and a Hogwarts cloak for cold weather. It was raining steadily when we got out. We knew our trunks were being taken upstairs by someone else. Then I heard a familiar voice.
"First years! First years this way!" Hagrid yelled. He looked the same as in the movie. I grabbed Sara and Mell's hands and dragged them over. Hagrid had a list in his hands.
"Excuse me," I asked, "Is there a Ann, Sara, Mell and a Mike on that list?"
He looked.
"Why, yes, there is, come on now you four."
We followed down a slippery path of grass and mud. It was too dark a night to see anything, save the lantern that Hagrid carried. We slid through the rain to a dock where a dozen or so boats were docked.
"Four to a boat, only four to a boat!" we heard Hagrid's rough voice. The four of us took a boat.
We rowed across the lake and reached a long set of stairs. The group climbed up, breathlessly, as the rain beat down on our heads. Eventually, we reached the top and Hagrid pulled open the door.
"Here's the first years, Professor McGonagall," he said.
I peered through people, eventually jumping up and down to see the professor. A tall woman with dark hair and hawk-like eyes stood at the doorway. We were brought inside to the warm castle.
"Finally." Sara whispered, rubbing her hands together.
We entered into the cavernous entrance hall. There was the grand staircase and the big doors to the Great Hall. But we were led into a smaller room off the big one. It was round with several torches lighting it. Professor McGonagall faced us.
"Now, in a few moments you will go into the Great Hall to be sorted into your houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Try to neaten yourselves up a bit, please. I will come back for you in a minute." And she left.
We stood around rather nervously. I stared around at the other students, praying.
"Yes!" I hissed, under my breath. I saw the back of a kid's head. He had a black disheveled hair and was rather skinny and short. He was talking to another back of a kid's head with red hair, who was taller and gangly. Wow, he was almost as tall as Mike and that was saying something. I told this to Sara and Mell and they peered over to the two boys.
"Yup, that's definitely them," Sara bent over to us.
"How can you tell?"
"Well, it's kind of obvious when they just turned around and you can see his scar plain as day."
I jumped up and looked. Yeah, it was Harry. I got all excited and started jumping up and down. I wonder if I'm still fourteen or if I dropped a few years when I got here.
Then all a sudden, about six ghosts appeared from the wall. Several students screamed, as well as Mike, who clutched my shoulder. I gasped, then glared at Mike, who was white in the face. I grinned sarcastically at him.
"Whatever is the matter, Mike, you look as if you've just seen a ghost."
"Shut up."
The ghosts passed without a word to us, speaking among themselves about Peeves of course. Then one of them, probably the Fat Friar, noticed us first years.
"Ah, are you the first years?" Some of us nodded.
"Well, I hope to see you in Hufflepuff. My old house you know." He grinned at us jovially.
"He's so cute!" I whispered to Sara. She nodded, smiling at the little old man. Then the ghosts disappeared through the opposite wall.
After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall came back.
"And now," she said, "it is time for the sorting."