Soon came the day for Amy to depart. With one last kiss good-by to each of
her parents (she had said all other good-by's the night before), she walked
her trolley through the wall between platforms Nine and Ten. Amazed as she
was that it actually worked, she kept walking. It was already 10:45, and
she didn't want to be any later.
After depositing her belongings at the back of the train, Amy boarded. In her quest for an empty compartment, she nearly tripped over a huge lump on the floor.
"Ouch!" The lump exclaimed. It took Amy a moment to realize that this lump was a person.
"Whoops!" Amy exclaimed, nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice you there."
"It's alright. Would you like to sit with me? Everywhere else is pretty much full, but we can probably find somewhere halfway vacant to sit."
"Alright," said Amy, following. The other girl smiled.
"By the way, I'm Claudia. What's your name?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm Amy. Um, Claudia, (Amy giggled) would your last name happen to be... Lestrat?"
Claudia turned around and began walking backwards. "Yeah. And yes, I know what you're talking about. I seem to get that a lot. Why? Have you read- -"
She was stopped abruptly when she bumped into someone. Or, to be more precise, three someone's.
Realizing who one of them was, Amy asked, "What in the world are you doing here, Draco?"
The blonde boy looked up from his spot on the ground and scoffed. "It's you, is it? My, we're not having very many good encounters with people this morning, are we, Crabbe? Goyle?" Both of the big guys behind him shook their heads no.
"Oh boy, you brought your cronies, too? And I was looking forward to this year," Amy replied.
That's when Draco got angry. "Well, I guess I should have known when I saw your traitor of a father and the whore he calls his wife at the station, huh? By Merlin," he said, as he was standing up, "You would think that they would have stopped at the first four, wouldn't you? How-- "
But his statement was interrupted when Amy punched him square in the nose."Don't you talk about my family in that way ever again!" She shouted. Then, grabbing Claudia by the arm, she went into the now empty compartment that the three boys had previously inhabited.
Once they had sat down, Claudia stared at Amy in surprise. "I didn't think you would be capable of doing that when I first looked at you!" Amy smiled.
"I didn't think I would do it, either. But then, I seem to be surprising myself a lot lately. Anyway. I think you were about to ask me whether I've read the Vampire Chronicles? Well, no. But I did see 'Interview of a Vampire', and I really liked it." So, for the rest of the ride the two girls had a long discussion of vampires and other magical creatures.
~
After a while, the train slowed down, and eventually halted. Then there came a loud voice from the front that called out "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"
Claudia and Amy both stood up and went out, along with a handful of other kids. Amy thought she recognized the big man, but shrugged it off and followed the line. The group was taken to a big lake, where they were told to get in a bunch of boats. Since they were the last two to get there, Amy and Claudia didn't have to share with anyone else.
Then the man called out "Forward!" and the boats all obeyed. Before too long, the students all got their first look at Hogwarts. After a collective gasp from everyone, many voices cried out things like, "It's huge!"
When they got to the shore and everyone had gotten off, they were all escorted into a room, where they were told by a stern old woman to stay and tidy themselves up.
About ten minutes later, the same woman came back and introduced herself as Professor McGonagall.
"Now children, you are about to be sorted. The four Houses into which you will be sorted are Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The origins of each house are all honorable, and you should not be ashamed, no matter which House you are put in. You will all line up in a single file, and we will walk into the Great Hall. Once we are in there, you will each try on the Sorting Hat, which will decide where you go. You will then take your seat at your House table and wait for the Sorting to finish. Do you all understand? (she waited for everyone to nod) Good. Follow me, please."
So everyone followed the old woman into a huge room filled with tons of people and four extremely large tables. Over each table hung a banner; Amy supposed that they were the symbols for each house.
A stool was brought out, and an old, ratty, worn out hat placed on top of it. Once everyone had been still for a few moments, it broke into a song:
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your bead The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real true friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!
After that, Professor McGonagall took out a list. "Blake, Amy!" was the first name she called.
Nervously, Amy stepped up and sat down on the stool. She set the Hat on her head.
Suddenly, she could hear a voice:
"Well, well, well. Choices, choices."
"What do you mean, Mr. Hat?" Amy thought.
"You have a wonderful mind, you work hard, you're brave, and you're very, very ambitious. You could go in any of these Houses. So you get a choice: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor?"
"Well... since I have a choice, I think I'll go to Slytherin."
"Alright then. You will go to SLYTHERIN!"
The last word the hat shouted out loud, and Amy went to the table that was cheering. She then sat and waited for "Lestrat, Claudia", who joined her in Slytherin. Her cheeriness at having a friend in her House ended, however, when Draco joined his goons in Slytherin. "Oh great," she thought, watching him sit down.
Then, a moment later, after the Sorting was finished, with a very large amount of applause when Harry Potter got Sorted, for some strange reason. A very old man whom she recognized from Hogwarts, a History as Headmaster Dumbledore rose to speak.
"Welcome to a new year, students. As a reminder to all the first years. you are to stay away from the Forbidden Forest at all times, and there is no wandering the castle after 10:00 PM. Also, there is no fighting, physical or by magic, in the corridors. And a new rule, everyone is to stay away from the third-story corridor who does not wish to die a slow and painful death." Then the old man sat down, waved his wand, and food suddenly appeared on the platters in front of them.
Amy and Claudia ate until they were stuffed, and both were glad when the prefects got up and led the students to their dorms. The Slytherin dormitories were located in the dungeons behind a suit of Armour. Inside, there was a common room filled with rugs, chairs and sofas of greens and silvers. There was a large fire roaring in a stone fireplace that made the room strangely welcoming.
The girls went down to their dorm and found their things waiting for them. There were only two other girls who agreed to move beds so that they could all sleep beside each other. Then they all changed and went to bed.
Amy was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
After depositing her belongings at the back of the train, Amy boarded. In her quest for an empty compartment, she nearly tripped over a huge lump on the floor.
"Ouch!" The lump exclaimed. It took Amy a moment to realize that this lump was a person.
"Whoops!" Amy exclaimed, nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice you there."
"It's alright. Would you like to sit with me? Everywhere else is pretty much full, but we can probably find somewhere halfway vacant to sit."
"Alright," said Amy, following. The other girl smiled.
"By the way, I'm Claudia. What's your name?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm Amy. Um, Claudia, (Amy giggled) would your last name happen to be... Lestrat?"
Claudia turned around and began walking backwards. "Yeah. And yes, I know what you're talking about. I seem to get that a lot. Why? Have you read- -"
She was stopped abruptly when she bumped into someone. Or, to be more precise, three someone's.
Realizing who one of them was, Amy asked, "What in the world are you doing here, Draco?"
The blonde boy looked up from his spot on the ground and scoffed. "It's you, is it? My, we're not having very many good encounters with people this morning, are we, Crabbe? Goyle?" Both of the big guys behind him shook their heads no.
"Oh boy, you brought your cronies, too? And I was looking forward to this year," Amy replied.
That's when Draco got angry. "Well, I guess I should have known when I saw your traitor of a father and the whore he calls his wife at the station, huh? By Merlin," he said, as he was standing up, "You would think that they would have stopped at the first four, wouldn't you? How-- "
But his statement was interrupted when Amy punched him square in the nose."Don't you talk about my family in that way ever again!" She shouted. Then, grabbing Claudia by the arm, she went into the now empty compartment that the three boys had previously inhabited.
Once they had sat down, Claudia stared at Amy in surprise. "I didn't think you would be capable of doing that when I first looked at you!" Amy smiled.
"I didn't think I would do it, either. But then, I seem to be surprising myself a lot lately. Anyway. I think you were about to ask me whether I've read the Vampire Chronicles? Well, no. But I did see 'Interview of a Vampire', and I really liked it." So, for the rest of the ride the two girls had a long discussion of vampires and other magical creatures.
~
After a while, the train slowed down, and eventually halted. Then there came a loud voice from the front that called out "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"
Claudia and Amy both stood up and went out, along with a handful of other kids. Amy thought she recognized the big man, but shrugged it off and followed the line. The group was taken to a big lake, where they were told to get in a bunch of boats. Since they were the last two to get there, Amy and Claudia didn't have to share with anyone else.
Then the man called out "Forward!" and the boats all obeyed. Before too long, the students all got their first look at Hogwarts. After a collective gasp from everyone, many voices cried out things like, "It's huge!"
When they got to the shore and everyone had gotten off, they were all escorted into a room, where they were told by a stern old woman to stay and tidy themselves up.
About ten minutes later, the same woman came back and introduced herself as Professor McGonagall.
"Now children, you are about to be sorted. The four Houses into which you will be sorted are Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The origins of each house are all honorable, and you should not be ashamed, no matter which House you are put in. You will all line up in a single file, and we will walk into the Great Hall. Once we are in there, you will each try on the Sorting Hat, which will decide where you go. You will then take your seat at your House table and wait for the Sorting to finish. Do you all understand? (she waited for everyone to nod) Good. Follow me, please."
So everyone followed the old woman into a huge room filled with tons of people and four extremely large tables. Over each table hung a banner; Amy supposed that they were the symbols for each house.
A stool was brought out, and an old, ratty, worn out hat placed on top of it. Once everyone had been still for a few moments, it broke into a song:
Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your bead The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real true friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!
After that, Professor McGonagall took out a list. "Blake, Amy!" was the first name she called.
Nervously, Amy stepped up and sat down on the stool. She set the Hat on her head.
Suddenly, she could hear a voice:
"Well, well, well. Choices, choices."
"What do you mean, Mr. Hat?" Amy thought.
"You have a wonderful mind, you work hard, you're brave, and you're very, very ambitious. You could go in any of these Houses. So you get a choice: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor?"
"Well... since I have a choice, I think I'll go to Slytherin."
"Alright then. You will go to SLYTHERIN!"
The last word the hat shouted out loud, and Amy went to the table that was cheering. She then sat and waited for "Lestrat, Claudia", who joined her in Slytherin. Her cheeriness at having a friend in her House ended, however, when Draco joined his goons in Slytherin. "Oh great," she thought, watching him sit down.
Then, a moment later, after the Sorting was finished, with a very large amount of applause when Harry Potter got Sorted, for some strange reason. A very old man whom she recognized from Hogwarts, a History as Headmaster Dumbledore rose to speak.
"Welcome to a new year, students. As a reminder to all the first years. you are to stay away from the Forbidden Forest at all times, and there is no wandering the castle after 10:00 PM. Also, there is no fighting, physical or by magic, in the corridors. And a new rule, everyone is to stay away from the third-story corridor who does not wish to die a slow and painful death." Then the old man sat down, waved his wand, and food suddenly appeared on the platters in front of them.
Amy and Claudia ate until they were stuffed, and both were glad when the prefects got up and led the students to their dorms. The Slytherin dormitories were located in the dungeons behind a suit of Armour. Inside, there was a common room filled with rugs, chairs and sofas of greens and silvers. There was a large fire roaring in a stone fireplace that made the room strangely welcoming.
The girls went down to their dorm and found their things waiting for them. There were only two other girls who agreed to move beds so that they could all sleep beside each other. Then they all changed and went to bed.
Amy was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
