Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Four: Welcome to Hogwarts
Five weeks passed slowly, but finally it was 1 September and it was time for Ellie to go to Hogwarts. Ellie felt butterflies in her stomach when she got up early that morning. Her trunk was all packed and downstairs in the hall, ready to be loaded into the taxi Mrs. Manning had booked to take them to London. Mrs. Manning felt that it would be too awkward to manage the trunk between the two of them on a train.
Ellie had gone up to the attic twice more when she had found the chance (not in the middle of the night however) and hunted about for a possible key to the diary, but although she found a few more chests, she could not find any key. The second time she had been in the attic Mrs. Manning had come looking for her, and scolded her when she saw her coming out of the door leading to the attic stairs. The next time Ellie had managed to slip up to the second landing, she had discovered that Mrs. Manning had locked the door to the attic stairs. Now Ellie would not be able to go up there again. Ellie had never figured out what had caused the screeching sound she had heard up there, but eventually she concluded that it was best to forget about it and chalk it up to her hearing things because she had been over-excited.
Ellie had packed the diary and the letters into her trunk, as well as the photo album (the letters were mostly correspondence between her grandfather and his "dear cousin", Joseph Ramsey, or what looked like business letters. They were not very interesting). She wanted to keep them with her in case Mrs. Manning cleaned out her wardrobe while she was at Hogwarts. Ellie had also packed the photo of her mother from her bedside table.
The taxi was due at the house at eight o'clock. Mrs. Manning said it would take about two hours to drive into London to Kings Cross Station, where the Hogwarts Express was leaving for Hogwarts at eleven, and this would give them plenty of time in case anything happened that might cause a delay. Mrs. Manning appeared downstairs just after seven o'clock and they ate their breakfast together in silence. Just after eight o'clock there was a knock at the door – the taxi was here! Mrs. Manning told off the driver for being late, and then ushered Ellie out the door and into the taxi while the driver hauled the trunk into the boot of the car.
The drive to London was mostly silent. The taxi driver had tried to start up a conversation, but he had received such nasty glares from Mrs. Manning that he gave up. When they finally got to the train station, the driver hopped out and helped Ellie load her trunk onto a trolley and then, after being paid by Mrs. Manning, he gave Ellie a wink and then went back to his car.
There were many people in the train station. Ellie had a difficult time steering the trolley with her heavy trunk. She followed Mrs. Manning, who seemed to know where she was going. Mrs. Manning stopped suddenly, and Ellie almost ran into the back of her. She had to pull the trolley with all her strength to stop it mowing Mrs. Manning over.
"Here we are," Mrs. Manning announced. Ellie looked around. They were standing between platforms nine and ten. Which platform was she supposed to go to, nine or ten?
"Which platform Mrs. Manning?" Ellie asked.
"Platform nine and three-quarters," Mrs. Manning informed her. Ellie looked blankly at her. Platform nine and three what?
Mrs. Manning gestured to the divide between platforms nine and ten. She lowered her voice.
"Through there," she said. Ellie looked blankly at her again. Was she mad?
Mrs. Manning sighed impatiently and, keeping her voice low, explained.
"You have to walk though the divide. You can't be scared or you'll just crash into the wall. Your mother used to run through, said it helped doing it that way."
"Okay," said Ellie frowning, not sure if she really believed what Mrs. Manning had just said.
"Now dear," said Mrs. Manning, smiling sweetly at her, "Do have a good term. And mind you tell Dumbledore if he asks that I take very good care of you."
Ellie nodded and Mrs. Manning patted her on the shoulder.
"Now, off you go," Mrs. Manning told her.
Ellie turned nervously towards the divide, holding her breath. She let out a sigh of relief though when she noticed a boy who looked older than her making his way towards the divide with a trunk like hers. Instead of crashing into it, he disappeared straight through. Well, Mrs. Manning had been right after all. Ellie sprinted as fast as could with her heavy trolley towards the divide. She shut her eyes tightly just before she got to the divide. A part of her expected to crash into the wall, but when she opened her eyes again she was standing on a platform, and there was a red steam train in front of her. A sign said Hogwarts Express. Phew! She had made it.
Ellie looked at her watch. It was only half past ten; she was early. There were a few other students there too, getting on to the train. Ellie felt queasy all of a sudden. She had never been on a train alone before. She walked down the platform with her trolley and spied an empty compartment on the train. She attempted to heave her trunk up the steps but it was very heavy. Eventually she was almost in tears from frustration when a big tall boy came over and asked if she needed help. Ellie nodded, in awe of this tall boy. He smiled at her and helped her get the trunk into the compartment. Ellie noticed a shiny badge pinned to his front that said "Head Boy". He smiled at her again and then left.
Ellie heaved a sigh of relief. She was here now; next stop Hogwarts. She sat down in a corner of the compartment, waiting for the train to take off. A while later she saw a head looking through the door. It was the boy from Diagon Alley.
"Hello!" he said. "Remember me?"
Ellie nodded. The boy was now attempting to push his trunk into the compartment. Ellie jumped up to help, and between them, they managed it.
Panting, he flopped down on the seat opposite her.
"My name's Jamie by the way. Your's is Eleanora, right?"
"Right," Ellie said, "but please, call me Ellie."
Jamie laughed. "My real name is James," he said, rolling his eyes and then grinning. Ellie laughed at this.
Jamie knew a lot about Hogwarts. He had no brothers or sisters, but both his parents went there and so did his older cousin and they had all filled him in. He shared his knowledge with Ellie.
"There are four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. My mum was in Ravenclaw and my dad was in Gryffindor. My cousin is in Ravenclaw. I don't mind what house I get into, as long as it's not Slytherin," Jamie said.
"Why, what's wrong with Slytherin?" Ellie asked.
"My cousin Jason says they're a nasty lot. My dad says there's not a single witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin," Jamie said, shuddering.
Ellie didn't like the sound of that. She hoped she wouldn't be put into Slytherin either.
Ellie and James chatted all the way to Hogwarts. By the time they got there, Ellie felt more at ease. She hoped she and Jamie would be put into the same house.
When they got off the train, a big giant of a man called for all the first years to follow him. Ellie and Jamie stuck together. They had to get into boats and row across a lake to get to the school. The first view of the school was both magnificent and scary. It looked huge. How would Ellie ever find her way around it?
A while later and all the first year students stood together in the Entrance Hall of the school. Some were shaking, others laughing and teasing. Ellie and Jamie huddled together. A tall woman in green robes introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and informed them that it was time for them to be sorted into their houses, and called out instructions. They had to follow her into a great hall. There were five tables, four long ones that were lined with students, and a table at the top of the room that older wizards and witches were sitting at, their teachers probably. All eyes turned to look at the tiny first years following Professor McGonagall to the top of the room, just in front of the table with the teachers. Ellie noticed a small four-legged stool standing in front of them with a pointed hat on top. Professor McGonagall informed them that when she called out their names they were to sit on the stool and put the hat on. The hat would decide which house they were to be in.
Professor McGonagall unrolled a long piece of parchment and began reading names. One by one, students stepped forward and tried the hat on. Sometimes the hat would shout out a house straight away, other times it would take a longer time to decide. Every time the hat called out a decision everyone would cheer, but Ellie noticed that when someone was sorted into Slytherin, the cheering was not as loud at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.
"Logan, James!" Professor McGonagall called.
Jamie looked sick for a moment, and then whispered to Ellie," Well, here goes nothing!" He scooted over to the stool and sat down, placing the hat on his head.
Jamie sat like this for about 10 seconds. Ellie could tell he felt very nervous. Suddenly the hat cried out:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table cheered louder than the other tables as Jamie made his way to the table, red-faced. He gave Ellie a quick smile on the way. Ellie watched him go, feeling more nervous than ever. Before she would not have minded which house she got into (as long as it wasn't Slytherin), now she hoped she would get into Gryffindor.
Name after name was called and soon Ellie was standing by herself, the last first year left to be sorted. The person before her, Emily Welch, was sorted into "RAVENCLAW!", and now it was her turn. She felt incredibly nervous. Since she was the last person left, she felt that everyone in the entire hall must have been looking at her. Professor McGonagall called her name.
"Winterbourne, Eleanora!"
Hundreds of eyes were on Ellie at this moment, but one pair of eyes in particular was watching her more intently than any other.
Professor Severus Snape never paid much attention to sorting ceremonies, unless someone was sorted into Slytherin. As the head of Slytherin House, he took no interest in the students who got into other houses. They would be annoying him soon enough no doubt in his Potions class. Hearing the name "Winterbourne" being called out in Professor McGonagall's crisp voice however, grabbed his attention immediately. He sat up straight and stared at the scared looking girl walking towards the sorting hat. She was too far away to deduce if there was likeness, he concluded, but the name "Winterbourne" was so striking that he could not dismiss it. Snape watched the girl put on the hat with interest, half hoping the girl would be sorted into his own house.
Ellie put the hat on head, and heard a tiny voice in her ear.
"Hmm, yes, very interesting. Where to put you, where to put you? A sharp mind, good brains – plenty of courage. Hmm, a fierce sense of justice, oh my yes. Very interesting. So, where shall I put you?"
"Not Slytherin, please not Slytherin!" Ellie thought.
The hat seemed to read her thoughts.
"Not Slytherin? You could do well in Slytherin you know," the hat told her.
"Please not Slytherin!" Ellie pleaded.
"Hmm, you could do well in Ravenclaw too or Hufflepuff. Yes, indeed you could! How interesting!"
Ellie felt her stomach lurch. The hat was going to put her in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. At least it wasn't Slytherin, but it would mean she wouldn't be in Jamie's house.
The other students were watching Ellie being sorted with interest. No other first year had taken so long. Jamie had his fingers crossed that Ellie would be sorted into Gryffindor. Snape meanwhile was very interested at the length of time it was taking to sort Miss Winterbourne.
"Well, there's only one thing for it you know," said the hat in Ellie's ear. Ellie shut her eyes. Here it comes. Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff…
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat screamed to the entire hall.
Ellie opened her eyes suddenly, stunned but absolutely delighted. The students cheered and Jamie jumped off his seat and began clapping wildly as Ellie ran over to him, grinning madly. Jamie clapped his arm around her shoulder, eagerly introducing her to the other first year Gryffindors. Older Gryffindors patted her on the back and shouted cheery welcomes to her. Ellie recognised the kind boy with the "Head Boy" badge from the train as be leaned across the table and gave her a hearty handshake.
Snape winced as the hat announced Ellie was to be in Gryffindor. He wasn't fond of any house besides his own but Gryffindor was the worst of the lot.
After a huge feast, Ellie and Jamie followed the Head Boy (whose name was John Martin) to the Gryffindor common room. Ellie noticed in delight that the figures in the paintings on the wall moved like the pictures in her photo album, and they also talked too! The entrance to the common room was behind a painting of a fat woman, to whom they had to give a password to gain admittance. Ellie committed the password John told them (periwinkle) to memory.
When Ellie went to bed that night, she felt like she was floating on air. She had already made a friend in Jamie, and everyone else in Gryffindor seemed really nice too. She also remembered the patch from her mother's robes. Her mother had been a Gryffindor too! Ellie could not wait for the start of lessons the next day, when she could finally try out magic for real.
While Ellie contented herself with these pleasant thoughts, in another part of the castle Severus Snape was sitting down contemplating Ellie and her history. Who was she? The Winterbournes had once been a fine family, but their numbers had dwindled greatly, and as far as he knew, only one particular branch bearing the name "Winterbourne" was still in existence. Was this Eleanora Winterbourne related to this Winterbourne family, or was it merely a coincidence that she happened to share the name of one of the oldest wizarding families in Great Britain? He would have to find out somehow. Tomorrow morning his first lesson was Potions with first year Slytherins and Gryffindors. He would have to pay close attention to Miss Eleanora Winterbourne.