A/N: This is the second chapter… still new at this, so please tell me how good or bad I'm doing. Thanx!
Yogie16 Thanx for reviewing. That was one of my better ideas,no?
Chapter 2: This Definitely Beats Home
The two figures slowly walked into the Great Hall, laden with several overstuffed travel bags. They were escorted by a tall old man with a silvery beard and twinkling eyes. The older of the two strangers was tall, though not as tall as the man who walked beside him. His sandy brown hair and brown eyes contrasted to the sunlight blond hair and deep blue eyes of the girl who walked beside him.
The old man waited a moment, then quietly said" Welcome to Hogwarts. I am, as you know, Dumbledore, the headmaster of this school. I hope to assist you in any way I can. Are you both all right?"
The strangers stared around with amazed eyes, taking it in with silent excitement. They appeared young, no older than many of the students who would begin to fill the silent hall, in several days.
The older of the two, a young man of 16, gave a start and said" Oh! Sorry sir Ummm… I think that me and Sarah", he gestured to the girl next to him, "will be okay."
Sarah smiled, "Thank you again, sir. This is going to be the coolest school year we've ever had! Don't you think so, Chris?"
The other youth answered as he pulled off the hood of his sweatshirt, "I sure hope so, because I'm missing a lot of stuff back home for this!"
Dumbledore stood still for a few more moments before glancing at a strange watch on his thin wrist. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to see to some things. I will send Filch along to take your bags to the guest wing. Goodnight."
"See ya professor!" the two new students said.
After he had walked off, Chris started studying the room more closely.
"Geez, what have we gotten ourselves into? I mean look, here we are, in England of all places! I still can't get over the crazy accent that they've got. It's not anything like what we hear in America!" Chris exclaimed
"I know what you mean," said Sarah, who had dropped her bags unceremoniously on the floor and was now gazing up at the star-flecked ceiling. It rose up, and up, mirroring the endless heavens perfectly. The dark night sky twinkled, and Sarah's eye's were filled with wonder. "Who would have thought that all this would have happened to us?"
Chris threw a wry glance her way. "Really? For a while I've been thinking that maybe, just maybe it had something to do with me being some crazy psychic and you being a psycho. But ya' never know, I could be wrong."
Sarah walked over and smacked Chris over the head, saying "You're not crazy and I'm NOT psycho! I'm quite sane, thank you very much."
Chris ruefully rubbed his head and retreated. He turned and came face to face with a grumpy man. Chris let out a yelp of surprise, as almost any who found themselves facing a bad tempered, bony man with thin, stringy hair would.
"I'm Filch, the caretaker at Hogwarts." He said in a moody voice. Something slinked around Chris's ankles. He looked down, to find a cat's luminescent eyes peering into his own chocolate ones. The cat had matted, tangled fur, and as it stared, Chris felt the cat knew exactly what he was thinking, Eww! What is that?
"Nice cat."Sarah commented. She scooped down and crooned softly to the fierce cat. Sarah, get a grip! Chris thought. It seemed the hardest thing to do for Sarah when they left to come to Hogwarts was leaving behind their pets, a dog and a cat.
"That's Mrs. Norris." The scrubby man laughed meanly when the cat hissed at Sarah and clawed her hand.
"Geez! Watch it! Hold your temper, cat!" Mrs. Norris peered at her. A dribble of blood leaked from the three scratches the cat had inflicted on her.
These your bags?" Filch demanded testily.
"Yeah they are. Ummmm… do you know where we're staying, by any chance?"
"Of course" Filch growled, and he started off. The two stared at each other before rushing to catch up.
"Hey! What about our bags? Are you just going to leave them there?" Chris paced quickly to keep up as he asked.
"Yes. They'll be taken care of." They followed Filch up passageways, down staircases, through two hidden doors, and one portrait, and finally stopped in front of a large door. Chris suspected that Filch had lead them around in circles purposely just to get them lost.
"The password is 'Litt'l Red Riding Hood,' and with that, he was gone, his vicious cat trailing behind him.
Sarah looked at Chris, her eyebrows raised, and he shrugged. The door they were facing was large and oaken. No ornaments adorned the door, including a doorknob. "Little Red Riding Hood" stated Chris clearly. On the top of the door, a curly letter 'H ' appeared, as if an invisible hand had written it. The door swung inward, and Chris and Sarah were met by an amazing sight.
Sarah squealed and took a dive onto the inviting blue and gold couch. She sank deeply into it, giving Chris the impression the furniture ate her up. As his sister bounced about the room, Chris took everything in quietly. A roaring fireplace was set back against one wall. Three couches formed a half-circle around the fire. A thick, plush rug seemed to grow from the floor.
"This definitely beats home!" Chris finally let out, and he waltzed into the room.
Sarah called him over to two doors.
The right door had an engraved 'L', while the left an 'M'. In front of the appropriate door (L for Lady, M for Men) the siblings found their bags. Chris nodded appreciatively,
"Nice service!"
Chris and Sarah gripped their bags, and cautiously opened the doors. Identical bedrooms lay beyond the doors. Sarah walked into her room. Wow, was the only thing that came to mind. The room was large, and one whole wall was a window looking out across the lake. Wispy curtains answered her question of how she would have any privacy. There was a big bureau, for holding clothes, and a desk complete with a quill and ink. The canopy bed was placed in a corner. At a right angle to the door Sarah had currently walked through, was another door. This one revealed a marble bathroom. A jacuzzi sized tub with many faucets was at ground level in the center of the room. A shower stall stood in the corner. On the right, a golden-marble sink was surrounded by a three sided mirror. Opposite that, was a bathroom stall, a full-body mirror covering the outside of one wall.
Sarah met an equally dazed Chris outside his door. "G'night…don't let the bed bugs bite." And with that, they crawled into their beds.
