Hi there! I've finally updated so I hope that you will like the second instalment of my 'Future Hogwarts' novel! I have actually updated the first part of the novel- changed words, basically edited it a lot, so please R&R! Thanks!

Gin x

A FIRST VIEW OF HOGWARTS

Not long after that, the train screeched to a halt outside Hogsmeade station. The students stepped off the train and into the cold night air, shivering with the sudden change of temperature.

'Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here please! Come on!"

A huge man was standing over by some tiny wooden boats on the edge of a shimmering lake, waving his arms. Andrea took a step backwards, but Luke laughed and pushed her ahead in the direction of the man. "It's only Hagrid! Go on, all of you!" he said.

Andrea frowned. "You're not coming?"

"Ah, we go on those carriages over there! We'll see you at the sorting!" Luke waved and disappeared into the large crowd that was now making its way towards the coal-black carriages.

Andrea, Beth and Patrick approached Hagrid apprehensively. Andrea's father had told her all about his schooldays, but she wasn't quite expecting this. He had also refused to reveal to her what the Sorting was, only that it had something to do with a hat. Andrea glanced around at the others.

"Er- d'you know what we have to do to be sorted?" she asked. "No-one would tell me."

"Me neither," Patrick said and turned to Beth, who shook her head. "My parents said it was a surprise, sorry!"

Andrea sighed and carried on walking in the direction of the lake. "But what can it have to do with a hat?"

"No idea," came the reply. "Perhaps-"

Patrick stopped speaking suddenly as a tall girl with raven black hair and a smirk bumped into him on purpose.

"You don't know about the sorting?" she sneered. "Oh dear, we are behind, aren't we?"

"Who in the name of Merlin are you?" Beth asked abruptly.

"Not very nice, either, are we? Name of Corner. First name Natalie. Both my parents came here-Michael Corner and Cho Chang, but you won't have heard of them, muggleborn I expect you are, aren't you?" she replied.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you." Andrea drew herself up to her full height-which wasn't very tall.

"Name of Potter. Both my parents came here too, and you just might have heard of them, but I don't know. Heard of Ginny Weasley? Harry Potter? Those names strike a bell?"

"Well, well. Father an auror and mother a famous Quidditch Player. Classy," Natalie commented, smirking. She turned to Beth and Patrick. "Mudbloods?"

"Actually, no." Patrick spoke for the both of them. "Mother's Hermione Granger, Father's Ronald Weasley. Aurors, both of them. So I'm a Weasley. My friend here's also a Weasley. Father named George Weasley, owner and founder of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Her mother is Katie Bell, also a Quidditch player. We're all cousins here. Happy now?"

Natalie looked taken aback, but quickly recovered.

"So you haven't got first names then? No, above you, I think."

"Names are Andrea, Patrick and Elizabeth to you. Good night." Beth replied, and stalked off, with Andrea and Patrick following close behind. They stopped to greet Hagrid with nervous smiles and then boarded one of the boats.

They were just about to leave the bank when Mabs came running up behind them. "You left without me! I was right behind you but then I had to stop," she panted. "Shoelaces!" she explained when she saw their puzzled faces, and blushed. With some help from Patrick and Beth, she boarded the boat and sat down next to Andrea.

The boat pushed off from the side on its own, and the four students squinted into the darkness to catch their first glimpse of the Hogwarts Castle.

"Gosh!" Andrea gasped as one of the tall towers came into view. "It's bigger than I thought it would be-it's-"

"Cool?" supplied Beth helpfully.

"Yes, it's really cool!" came the reply.

Patrick laughed at that. "Oh, you're so original!"

Andrea blushed and Beth grinned sheepishly.

Mabs rolled her eyes. "Ah, but it is cool!" she replied, smiling at Patrick. "Don't you think so?"

This time it was Patrick's turn to go red. "Well-yes, I suppose it is!" he said, in such a surprised voice that they all laughed.

Another boat passed by them and Andrea caught a glimpse of Natalie staring jealously in her direction. Unfortunately, the other girl spotted her before Andrea could look away, and she turned her back deliberately, leaving Andrea feeling very hurt and confused.

Beth had noticed. "Don't worry, she's just jealous," she whispered encouragingly. Andrea smiled weakly and gazed back out over the murky water.

Mabs broke the silence suddenly, by remarking, "This is where your Dad had to swim for that Triwizard Tournament, isn't it? You're so lucky, you know, everyone's going to be so jealous of you!"

Beth glared at her warningly, but Mabs misread the look. "Even Beth's jealous of you, you can see it in her face!"

Beth started to protest, but Patrick suddenly sat up straighter and pointed ahead. "Look, shut up you two, we're nearly there!"

Andrea stood up to have a better look, glad that there was something to distract the others. She couldn't help being annoyed with them-they had no idea what it was like to have to live up to the name of Harry Potter. She knew that everyone would expect her to be the same as him-but what if she wasn't? She could just imagine the sorting-she would do whatever it was with the hat, maybe pull out a name or something, and end up in Slytherin. Everyone would be so disappointed; especially Harry, and Andrea couldn't bear to see her father disappointed in her. She suddenly felt slightly ill with worry and sat down rather quickly, knocking the lantern at the front, which promptly fell overboard.

"Oh no!" Andrea gasped, and put her head in her hands. "The lantern-it's…"

Andrea felt a hand clutch her shoulder and jumped, turning her head to try and see the owner. She soon discovered whose hand it was, as a passing boat lit up Beth's frightened face behind Andrea.

"You're not scared are you, Beth?" she asked, puzzled. She couldn't understand how the old Beth- funny, brave, confident Beth- had been transformed into a frightened mouse.

"A little. No, a lot. I hate the dark!" came the surprising reply, and Andrea put an arm around her friend.

"It's alright, Hagrid's coming over." Patrick's voice cut through the darkness.

And indeed he was. Hagrid's boat, rather larger than the rest, was hurtling through the water towards them at full speed, creaking and groaning ominously.

"Wha's goin' on?" a gruff voice said close to Beth's ear. "Who's in th' boat?"

"It's Patrick Weasley, with Elizabeth, Mirabel and also Andrea Potter. Our light's gone out. Could you…er, relight it for us?"

Hagrid nodded, put a finger to his lips and drew out a frilly pink umbrella from under his coat. He took out another lantern from in his pocket, tapped it once, and a small flame appeared, growing steadily bigger until it filled the lantern.

"Don' see much poin' in not givin' this boat a little 'elp, seein' as yer way be'ind ev'ryone else…" Hagrid added, and after quickly checking to see that nobody was looking, he pointed the umbrella at the boat, which started to move a little faster than before.

Andrea smiled gratefully as the boat sped off, leaving Hagrid behind them to creak his way to the bank ahead of them.

The front of the boat hit the muddy bank of the lake with surprising force, and the students disembarked, relieved that the journey was over. However beautiful the view had been, they were all pleased to get off the tiny rocking boat, as it was not just Andrea who had ended up feeling queasy, especially after the speeding spell from Hagrid. As soon as the last person's foot left the boat, it sped off in the direction of the boathouse somewhere around the back of the castle.

Glad of the dry land now under her feet, Andrea looked back out over the lake, where other little boats could be seen, each with a lamp carried by a student. The effect was amazing, and the reflections in the lake made it look like a scene from a storybook.

On the other side of Andrea, the huge dark castle loomed up out of the ground, making the trees look tiny against it. There was a light in every window, and the great hall looked warm and inviting with the light from the many candles and fires inside spilling out over the grounds.

The pupils waited until Hagrid and the other students had joined them, before turning in the direction of the castle and letting the crowd lead them into the brightly lit hallway, where a tall, very elderly teacher, who the cousins assumed must be Professor McGonagall, was already waiting for them. Delicious smells of spices wafted through the door of the great hall, and Beth grinned at Andrea, who managed a smile back. The smell of the spices had roused a thought in Andrea's mind, and excitedly, she told Beth exactly where the kitchens were in the castle and how to reach them. Little did she know that Professor McGonagall was listening with interest.

"So you tickle the pear, see, and it giggles, and then you-" Andrea broke off under McGonagall's hawk like gaze.

"I'll tell you later," she muttered and fell silent. McGonagall beckoned to her and, taking advantage of the chatter around them, said quietly, "You'd be Andrea Potter, I suppose?"

"Ye- Yes, I am," Andrea replied, surprised. The thought crossed her mind that McGonagall had heard her, but disappeared when McGonagall continued.

"Say hello to your father from me when you next see him or write to him. Good student, he was, but always one for trouble. Mind you don't go the same way, now!"

Andrea laughed uncertainly. "Of course I won't, Professor."

McGonagall turned away, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Beth grinned again, and McGonagall spoke.

"Good evening, students. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Head of Hogwarts and also Gryffindor Head.

In a moment, you will be entering the Great Hall to be sorted. If you would please wait here in an orderly line, two abreast, I will call you when we are ready." Professor McGonagall opened a side door into the hall and disappeared, leaving the students to form the line behind her. Unfortunately, this was not happening.

A commotion had broken out at the front of the entrance hall in the form of a small, very bedraggled owl that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.

"Hey, isn't that your owl, Patrick?" Andrea exclaimed as the ball of mangy fluff fluttered around their heads.

Patrick took one look at the owl and blanched. "Yes, he is mine," he whispered urgently. "I need to get him back now!"

"Merlin, how did he get out of his cage?" Beth whispered back, staring at the little owl with a horrified awe. "He's not bewitched is he?"

"No!" Patrick started to laugh. "He was in my pocket! I never put him in a cage, it's cruel."

Mabs nodded. "I agree, I'd never keep an owl in a cage. Of course, I only have a toad. He was my father's."

His hand slipped into his pocket and he came out with a half-eaten owl treat that had been forgotten with the arrival of the chocolates on the train. The owl spotted the treat almost immediately, and flew gratefully down into Patrick's hand to nibble on the piece of dried mouse.

"Well, he definitely has a nose- or should I say beak- for treats!" laughed Beth, and the other three first years groaned.

Andrea took a quick look around at the other first years while Patrick, Mabs and Beth were talking. Her eyes fell on Natalie Corner talking to a tall, pale boy with dark hair and intense blue eyes. They were standing near to the boy who Luke and Andrea had shared a carriage with, but he only looked vaguely interested in what they had to say.

There were other first years huddling in small groups, some whispering and others loudly boasting about past experiences. Andrea rolled her eyes at these last few, and turned back to her friends, just as Professor McGonagall came hurrying back through the great wooden doors that lead into the hall, her face like thunder.

"I thought I told you to form a line!" she shouted at the crowd, but nobody took the slightest bit of notice except for Andrea, Beth, Mabs and Patrick who were standing in a line right in front of her.

Professor McGonagall tried again. "SILENCE!" she roared as loudly as she could, shocking everyone. The noise immediately dropped and the pupils fell quiet.

"That's better! Now, form an orderly line please," the Professor commanded.

The pupils formed a rather wobbly line behind Andrea, Beth, Patrick and Mirabel, and, after trying her best to make the pupils orderly, Professor McGonagall sighed and once again addressed the first years.

"Right. That seems to be as orderly as we're going to get the line. Follow me please, and no talking!"