A New Home

"Gryffindor!" the hat bellowed. Hermione, Ron, and Harry motioned for me to sit at their table. I heaved a sigh of relief and yanked the hat off my head, handing it to Professor McGonagall.

"Richardson, Emma!" McGonagall's shout permeated the room. She grinned as the strolled over to the stool, so unlike Gregory Adamson. The hat was placed on her head, and the hat began to hunch over, as though thinking hard. Soon after, he shouted out;

"Gryffindor!" I was exhilarated. Emma, Ron, Hermione, Harry sigh, and me. Life is just about perfect.

Emma caught up to me as we walked over to our table.

"Oh my god! I have never been so happy in my life! Except for when Will kissed me behind my desk in Potions last..." I started tuning her out at this point. She and her boy stories. In last year alone she had, what, 11 boyfriends? Pathetic. I suppose I haven't got much to boast about though. Never been noticed by anyone, of any sex.

I sat down between Harry and Ron, and Emma sat between Hermione and Ron. A tall, bearded old man stood up. I suppose he's the headmaster.

"That's our headmaster, Professor Dumbledore." He leaned over and whispered softly in my ear. Ah, I will savor the warmth of his hot breath on my cheek. I whispered back

"Okay. Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's great." I'm sure that Dumbledore said more, all of which I missed. I was to busy examining the rest of our table. A pretty, exotic looking girl with plaits in her hair was talking to a girl with golden blonde hair and brown eyes. A black boy and a grinning, freckle-dusted boy who clearly descended from an Irish family kept shooting glances at Emma and I.

"That's Parvati and Lavender gossiping over there. And those two boys are Dean and Seamus." Harry said in a low voice.

"Oh. That's nice." I said. Suddenly, the tables were piled with food! Chicken, ham, beef, pork, turkey, and even tofu for vegetarians like me. Vegetables of every sort, bread, pasta, rice, and so many other things. I actually sighed out loud.

After everyone had almost stuffed themselves, the food magically vanished and was replaced by another mouth-watering array. This time it was ice cream, treacle, pudding, cake, cookies, pies, crisps, as far as the eye could see. I heaped my plate with my favorites and continued chowing.

"Did they feed you at Durmstrang? You act like you haven't eaten in months!" Harry smiled.

"I dunno. I guess all of the excitement has whetted my appetite." I flashed my one-in-a-lifetime smile. After we had finished, the five of us trooped up a marble staircase to a portrait of heavy-set lady in a pink silk dress.

"Amalgamate." Ron said importantly. The portrait swung open and we entered the common room. A fire was crackling merrily in the hearth, lighting the room with a friendly glow. Hermione directed me up a staircase and into the girls dormitories. I plopped myself into a scarlet four-poster bed with velvet hangings, and fell asleep.