Thanks so much! Your comments always make me grin at the pc... which makes my mum wonder. Anyway, I'm leaving for Italy this Wednesday for 10 days. I'll miss you guys! In case I can't come online tomorrow, I'm telling you now. Thanks for all your support and the comments!

Chapter 25

In the distance, just at the other end of the lake, stood a magnificent castle glistening with torches. Each window glowed orange and the moonlight shone a path across the lake that seem to lead right to the castle.

As I stared enchanted at the castle, someone looped an arm around my right and pulled me forwards. I pulled it away from his arm. It was Remus. He didn't seem to have noticed much.

"Beautiful isn't it?" He said as more of a statement than a question. He led me through the crowd of chattering students towards the other end of the station where black horseless carriages stood.

"We're taking the carriages to the school," Remus explained and we were shortly joined by James, Peter and Sirius. "The first years get to take the boats..."

The five of us settled in one carriage and as soon as Sirius had shut the door, the carriage started moving, pulled by what or whom I didn't know. We were moving steadily along a dirt path by the side of the lake and the spectacular castle loomed nearer and nearer. The crescent moon shone bright in the sky, bathing the castle with silver moonlight, casting a magical glow upon it.

And before I knew it, the carriage halted and all of us got out into the piercing cold night sky. I wrapped my robe tightly around me as we hurried into the building through two large oak doors.

I felt a surge of delicate warmth the second we stepped into the castle. The marble floor reflected a bit of the ceiling, which was really high. A large chandelier of candles hung above us, glittering. A grand marble staircase led the way upstairs.

The first row of students ventured up the staircase, and the rest followed. I followed closely with the boys and we approached large double doors that opened welcomingly into a huge magnificently decorated hall with four tables and another table where the teachers were already seated.

"Reine McKinnon?" Called a firm elderly voice. I turned to the source of the voice and spotted a tall, thin woman in a witch's hat.

I raised my hand slightly and she nodded towards me with a small beckon of her hand. I squeezed through the crowd, after waving a rushed goodbye to the guys and headed towards the woman.

"Miss McKinnon, my name is Professor McGonagall," she introduced herself. She held a thick roll of parchment in one hand. "You will be having your sorting together with the first years, please follow me..."

My heart suddenly started beating hard against my chest. I could barely control the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach which grew after each step I took. Professor McGonagall told me to wait aside, while the rest of the school entered the Great Hall and separated into their house tables. Another group of short nervous-looking first years toddled up the stairs, silent as the grave.

Professor McGonagall began explaining about house points, the sorting and the house cup. She then went into the Great Hall, came out a while later and she beckoned all of them including me in with her.

I felt so awkward standing amid the short first years, aware that almost every pair of eyes were fixed upon us. The hall was deathly quiet except for our footsteps. I glanced up and saw, through the hundreds of floating candles, the sky outside, churning ominously.

I stopped just before a stool where an old tattered hat sat. Suddenly, a tear opened up like a mouth and the sorting hat began to sing a song.

[A/N: Sorry, not to good with poems]

When the sorting hat finished its song, the whole hall burst into applause and whistles.

"Reine McKinnon," called Professor McGonagall in a loud, clear voice and I stepped forward towards the stool. When I turned around to face the hall, every single eye was staring straight at me. Some students were whispering to their neighbours, but I was too nervous to bother.

Professor McGonagall placed the hat gently on my head and I heard a voice echoing in my head.

"Ah," said the hat. "Hmm... You're complicated, y'know... difficult... maybe," the hat paused. "No, no, what about..."

And desperately I thought hard, Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor?" Asked the hat, almost amused. "Are you sure? Possible. But, I see something in you... deep inside... yes... I think," and his last word burst into the whole hall, echoing against the thick walls.

"SLYTHERIN!"