I promise I'll get to the real plot soon, lol.
***
Kate lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling and not able to fall asleep because she was so nervous. When she finally fell asleep she dreamed of home the way it had been when she was a child, with her parents there and playing with her. She awoke with a gasp, fighting with the covers around her. There was someone there and she almost screamed but then the person said "Hey, Kate, you okay?" and she recognized the voice as Hermione.
"Oh. Hi. Yeah, I'm..." Kate took a deep breath and said, "I'll be fine."
Hermione sat on the corner of the bed. "It sounded like you were dreaming."
"Yeah," Kate pulled her knees up to her chest. "I was dreaming of home. It's the first time in a while."
"Home's pretty far away isn't it? You sound American."
"Yeah, pretty much, my parents grew up in Ireland but I was born in Connecticut and stuff."
Hermione patted her arm, "I know it's scary but we do get breaks, you can go back home."
"No I can't?" Kate shrugged. "My parents died when I was six, I don't really have a home to go back to."
"Oh." Hermione leaned over and hugged her, "Well you can think of us as your friends okay? And friends are kind of like family."
"That's very sweet," Kate said. "Hey, I've never been around wizards before, what's it like?"
"Oh, you're parents are muggles too? I mean, normal people. Not wizards." Hermione grinned conspiriatorally and scooted higher onto the bed. She had pink fuzzy bunny slippers, and Kate smiled when she saw that. Hermione said, "No one in my family's a wizard, it was kind of weird when I got the Hogwarts letter, you know."
"Yeah, I totally didn't even know that wizards existed, let alone wizarding schools. So what's it like?"
"It depends on who you're talking about," Hermione laughed. "Some of the people here are kind of nuts, although mostly those ones are harmless. Stay away from Slytherin people though, they can be mean. You'll know them when you see them, they kind of scream "I'm a slimeball" at you. But a lot of the other people are really nice, it's easy to make friends."
"Yeah I've noticed," Kate smiled at her. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"Um, mostly I spend time in the library," Hermione said. "Hogwarts has the best library, at least in terms of magical stuff, there's everything you'll ever need."
"Cool," Kate said enthusiastically, she liked learning things. "I think I'll have a lot of catching up to do since I got here late. Can you help me?"
"Sure, I'd love to." Hermione grineed, "I'm the perfect person to talk to about, most of the others don't really like doing schoolwork. It's kind of silly, I mean what are they in school for if not to learn?"
"Yeah, totally."
Hermione leaned over and gave her another hug. "You think you can sleep now Kate?"
"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry for keeping you up. I'm fine, thanks for talking to me though."
"Hey, it's not a problem. I'm glad I could help." Hermione smiled and went off to her bed, and Kate laid back in her bed and smiled. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all, she had friends and people seemed nice.
***
Kate lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling and not able to fall asleep because she was so nervous. When she finally fell asleep she dreamed of home the way it had been when she was a child, with her parents there and playing with her. She awoke with a gasp, fighting with the covers around her. There was someone there and she almost screamed but then the person said "Hey, Kate, you okay?" and she recognized the voice as Hermione.
"Oh. Hi. Yeah, I'm..." Kate took a deep breath and said, "I'll be fine."
Hermione sat on the corner of the bed. "It sounded like you were dreaming."
"Yeah," Kate pulled her knees up to her chest. "I was dreaming of home. It's the first time in a while."
"Home's pretty far away isn't it? You sound American."
"Yeah, pretty much, my parents grew up in Ireland but I was born in Connecticut and stuff."
Hermione patted her arm, "I know it's scary but we do get breaks, you can go back home."
"No I can't?" Kate shrugged. "My parents died when I was six, I don't really have a home to go back to."
"Oh." Hermione leaned over and hugged her, "Well you can think of us as your friends okay? And friends are kind of like family."
"That's very sweet," Kate said. "Hey, I've never been around wizards before, what's it like?"
"Oh, you're parents are muggles too? I mean, normal people. Not wizards." Hermione grinned conspiriatorally and scooted higher onto the bed. She had pink fuzzy bunny slippers, and Kate smiled when she saw that. Hermione said, "No one in my family's a wizard, it was kind of weird when I got the Hogwarts letter, you know."
"Yeah, I totally didn't even know that wizards existed, let alone wizarding schools. So what's it like?"
"It depends on who you're talking about," Hermione laughed. "Some of the people here are kind of nuts, although mostly those ones are harmless. Stay away from Slytherin people though, they can be mean. You'll know them when you see them, they kind of scream "I'm a slimeball" at you. But a lot of the other people are really nice, it's easy to make friends."
"Yeah I've noticed," Kate smiled at her. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"Um, mostly I spend time in the library," Hermione said. "Hogwarts has the best library, at least in terms of magical stuff, there's everything you'll ever need."
"Cool," Kate said enthusiastically, she liked learning things. "I think I'll have a lot of catching up to do since I got here late. Can you help me?"
"Sure, I'd love to." Hermione grineed, "I'm the perfect person to talk to about, most of the others don't really like doing schoolwork. It's kind of silly, I mean what are they in school for if not to learn?"
"Yeah, totally."
Hermione leaned over and gave her another hug. "You think you can sleep now Kate?"
"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry for keeping you up. I'm fine, thanks for talking to me though."
"Hey, it's not a problem. I'm glad I could help." Hermione smiled and went off to her bed, and Kate laid back in her bed and smiled. Maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all, she had friends and people seemed nice.
