(Next Chapter :))

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Hogwarts at last!

"Firs Years!..Firs Years! Over here!" Hagrid called from the docks by the platform, holding a giant lantern in his hand. A large boarhound sat at his feet watching all the first years dismount the train.

Harry grinned when he saw them. "Lucy look! It's Hagrid!" He pointed over the sea of heads to the giant.

Lucy smiled. Finally...a familiar face.

"Firs Years!..Firs Years here!..Hullo there Harry!..Lucy!" Hagrid smiled widely when he noticed the Twins.

Harry smiled back. "Hi Hagrid!" Lucy followed his lead. "Hello Hagrid. It's good to see you!" She turned to eye the longboats that were waiting by the dock. A few first years were already boarding some of the boats.

Lucy turned towards Hagrid excitedly. "Are we going to take the boats?" Hagrid winked back at her. "All aboard Firs Years!"

...

The Longboats took them all the way across the large black lake that the castle, (which Harry and Lucy cleverly guessed was Hogwarts) overlooked.

Lucy was entranced by everything she saw as sat in the self propelled moving rowboat, right in between Harry and Ron.

From the large tree that seemed to be waving at all the new students to the long shape she saw in the lake that Ron was sure was the leg of the Giant Squid that lived in the lake.

Finally the boats docked at the opposite shore and Harry and Lucy helped each other out before gathering with the other First Years.

A woman with dark greying hair and emerald green robes met them at the large heavy looking doors that led into the castle. Harry's first thought upon seeing her was that she was not a woman to be crossed. Lucy felt the same.

"Your attention please!" The woman called briskly for attention. "In just a few moments you will walk through these doors into the Great Hall where a grand feast awaits you." Several members of the first year class became instantly excited at this annoucement.

"However, before you may partake of the feast you must first be sorted into your houses. For while you are here, your house will be like your family. You will eat together, take class together and sleep together in the same dormitory." The firm looking old woman continued unfazed by the first years' excitement.

Lucy figured that was probably because she's had to give the same speech to all the first years that came through Hogwarts.

"Now as you know there are four houses here at Hogwarts and they are so named, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Any triumphs during your time here will gain you points for your house while any rule breaking will lose you points."

Harry and Lucy exchanged glances at that. They both made up their minds to do everything humanly possible not to be the ones to lose their house too many points.

"And at the end of the year, the House Cup will be awarded to the House earning the most amount of points." The old woman smiled at this.

Lucy grabbed Harry by the wrist. The House Cup! She thought to him excitedly. Wouldn't it be grand if they won their very first House Cup in their first year at Hogwarts?

Harry nodded that he thought so too.

"Now the Sorting Ceremony will take place in just a few minutes. I will return for you later when the Headmaster says we are ready. In the mean time though, you'd best prepare yourselves for the worst." The old woman smiled before turning and disappearing through the large doors.

For a moment no one spoke.

"So it's true then!" A young outspoken boy's voice suddenly rang throughout the entrance hall. "What they've been saying on the train!...Harry and Lucy Potter have come to Hogwarts!"

The Twins turned at the voice. Lucy gasped when the speaker revealed himself. It was the same pale faced platinum haired boy from Madam Malkins whom the Twins met while they were getting fitted for their robes.

"This is Crabbe!...Goyle." The paled faced boy introduced his two new friends. "And I'm Malfoy!...Draco Malfoy." He smiled at the twins.

Lucy heard Ron snort from behind her.

"Think my name's funny do you?" Draco suddenly turned, narrowing his eyes at the Potters' new red headed friend. "Well no need to tell me yours. Red hair and a hand me down robe?...You must be a Weasley." He smiled, though this smile was not nearly as friendly as the one he gave the Potters.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not funny." She said softly speaking to the boy for the first time since their first encounter at Diagon Alley.

Draco merely sneered at her. "Isn't it?..." He fixed her with an mocking gaze. "Well you two had best be careful now. You don't want to start making friends with the wrong sort." He nodded at Ron then offered his hand. "I can help you with that."

Lucy looked at the hand with distaste. Harry looked like he wanted to spit on it. "I think we can tell the wrong sort for ourselves thank you very much." He said coldly.

The smile on Malfoy's face fell just as the old woman in green robes returned and sternly sent him back into his place.

"All right everyone!" She looked out at rest of the first years. "We are ready for you."

...

Harry look! Lucy was in awe as she followed the rest of the first years behind Harry in a rigid single file line into the castle.

It was just like the castles she read about in some of Aunt Petunia's books with rusty cheerily lit chandeliers lighting their path.

Harry was in awe too, though he was more anxious about the Sorting Ceremony than anything else.

Finally they entered the Great Hall which was a large room filled with rows upon rows of long tables each filled with a bunch of older students all happily awaiting the feast.

Lucy felt her ears turn pink with embarrassment and excitement as they all began to clap for the first years. She looked up to see that instead of ceiling the dark night sky was overlooking the hall glittering with stars and a half crescent moon.

"It's enchanted!" Lucy heard Hermione say from next to her. "Dumbledore charmed the ceiling to look like the sky. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." She smiled obviously pleased with her knowledge.

While most of the other students rolled their eyes at this show of brain, Lucy smiled back at her. "Is it really? I was almost positive it was the sky." She looked up at the ceiling again as they got near the front of the room where the Teachers it seemed sat at a separate table overlooking the students.

Hermione shook her head. "Oh no. It's all magic. Haven't you ever read Hogwarts, A History? I have a copy of it in my trunk. I could lend it to you if you'd like." She looked hopeful. Lucy's smile widened. "I'd like that."

"Quiet please!" An old man sitting at the center of the table stood then to quiet the room. Lucy figured he was probably Albus Dumbledore, the wizard Hagrid talked about.

"Welcome again, to yet another year at Hogwarts. Before we begin with the feast, our caretaker Mr. Filch would like for me to remind you that the Dark Forest remains off limits to all students as is the third floor corridor of the castle."

Lucy reached forward and tugged on the sleeve of Harry's robes. That must be Dumbledore! The Headmaster Hagrid told us about! Harry nodded his head.

"And now!..Without further ado the Sorting of the First Years!" Dumbledore seated himself and the old woman took her place at the center of the room with an old pointed hat in one hand and a high stool in the other.

"When I call your names, come sit upon the stool and wait to be sorted by the Sorting Hat." She instructed before pulling an old roll of parchment from her robes. She let it roll out until it hit the floor.

"So that's it then!" Ron exclaimed in disgust. "I'm gonna kill Fred! He was going on about wrestling a troll!" Lucy snorted at that and glanced over her shoulder where Ron's brothers were sitting.

The Twins caught her staring and one of them winked causing her to quickly avert her gaze. The blush was inevitable though.

"Hannah Abbott!" The old woman called out the first name on the list. Harry and Lucy turned as a nervous young girl with pretty red hair came timidly to sit on the high stool.

The elderly woman put the old hat over her head as she settled herself in. "Ah!..." The hat suddenly twitched. "Hufflepuff!"

A loud cheer came from the table full of students were wearing black and yellow neckties. Lucy stared at them curiously as Hannah hopped off the stool to be welcomed by her new House.

That was the house that Malfoy didn't want to be in.

"Susan Bones!" The Professor continued, reading off her list.

"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted when the old woman placed it's mouth over sweet little Susan's head.

A second cheer this time coming from the table with all the red and gold neckties. Lucy blushed slightly when she saw the Red Headed brothers, including the Twins who had helped them on the train sitting at that table.

She glanced at Ron and wondered whether he would be sorted into Gryffindor like his brothers as well.

The sorting continued. A boy was placed into Ravenclaw. Another girl into Hufflepuff and third into Gryffindor.

"Hermione Granger!" Lucy turned towards her new soon to be friend. "Good luck." She whispered though Hermione didn't hear her. She was too busy murmuring something inaudibly to herself.

"Gryffindor!" The Hat pronounced once it had been fitted over the bushy haired girls' head and Hermione hopped off the stool with a wide grin as her new house accepted her admist cheers. Lucy clapped alongside the Gryffindors for her.

"Draco Malfoy!" The Sorting continued. Lucy and Harry stiffened as the familiar blonde head made his way smirking to the high stool. This time the hat had barely touched the crown of his head when it cried out, "Slytherin!"

Lucy turned when the table full of cheering students in green and silver ties jumped up to claim their newest acquisition. Ron leaned over to whisper loudly in Harry's ear.

"That's not good! There's not a wizard or witch alive who hasn't gone bad in Slytherin!" Harry frowned and Lucy glanced uneasily at Draco. He seemed happy to be in the house of his choice and there seemed nothing wrong with the kids in group.

However it was unsettling like Ron said. You-Know-Who came from Slytherin and so did all of his followers as Hagrid said.

"Harry Potter!" Lucy became jarred from her thoughts when she heard the kindly old professor calling her brother's name. A stir rose up around the room when Harry slowly and awkwardly started to make his way to the front of the room.

"The Harry Potter?..."

"Do you suppose that's his sister standing behind him?"

"Potter, did it say?"

"You think it's really him?"

"Course it is! Who else?"

Lucy came to stand next to Ron as Harry climbed up on the high stool in front of the room. The whispering died out as the Professor put the Sorting Hat on Harry's head.

"Hmm..." The Hat twitched as it settled on Harry's crown. "Difficult yes..very difficult. Plenty of courage I see. Not a bad mind either." Lucy snickered at that.

Anyone who knew the Potters knew that Lucy was more the brains of the two, but Harry wasn't dumb by long shot. She sobered herself and waited anxiously by Ron's side as the hat continued its' mutterings.

"There's talent!...Oh my goodness yes! And a thirst to prove yourself...but where to put you?" Lucy tensed. Not Slytherin...Not Slytherin.

"Not Slytherin...Not Slytherin." Harry chanted softly aloud in time to Lucy's thoughts.

"Not Slytherin you say?" The Hat sounded amused. "Are you sure? You could be great you know. It's all here in your head...And Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness! No doubt about that! No?..." Harry and Lucy fervently shook their heads.

"Well if you're sure then..." The Hat seemed to sigh. "Better be...Gryffindor!" Lucy jumped up and down with glee as Harry opened his eyes. He was so shocked at the results that old woman professor had to gently nudge him off the stool in order to finish sorting the rest of the first year students.

Harry exchanged glances with Lucy as he hurried to join his new house table. Good luck! Lucy nodded. Thank you.

"Lucy Potter!"

Lucy felt a deep blush rise in her cheeks as the murmuring picked up, only this time it was her name floating in and out of her ears.

She quickly climbed up on the stool and patiently waited to be sorted, secretly hoping to be sorted in Gryffindor with Harry.

"Ah!..Yes!...The other Potter! You're quite the difficult case as well I see! But in a different way!...An excellent mind I see, but courage there is too. And talent!...Now where to put you?" The Hat purred.

Lucy tightened her jaw. Gryffindor!..Let it be Gryffindor! She chanted mutely.

"Well I guess there's nothing for it!...Gryffindor!" The Hat cried out, amidst fresh cheers and applause.

Lucy hopped off the stool eagerly at the pronouncement. Happy to have been placed in the same house as her brother and Hermione like she wished, she hurried to go join her new Housemates.

"Hey Lucy! Over here!" Harry quickly motioned her to an empty seat next to him. Lucy eagerly claimed the spot.

A boy with brown hair and freckles in the seat next to her turned to smile at her revealing the toad he was holding clutched in his hands.

"Hello! My name's Neville. Neville Longbottom! Tell me are you really Lucy Potter? You must be if that's Harry!" He bubbled excitedly.

Lucy took on a light red tint in her cheeks and shrugged. "I guess so. You must be the Neville who lost his toad on the train." She smiled whispering as the Sorting Hat sorted the last few students left on the list.

Neville's blush rivaled her own. "Er..yes. I suppose I am." He smiled sheepishly. Lucy smiled back and glanced at the amphibian croaking quietly in its owner's hands. "Well..I'm glad you found him, Neville." She said genuinely before turning to face the front of the room.

Ron suddenly squeezed his way in between Hermione and a boy with dark skin directly across from Harry.

"Bloody Hell!..That was nerve wracking. I almost thought I wasn't going to make Gryffindor!" He exclaimed.

Harry chuckled lightly at that. "I'm sure you were all right, Ron. When do you suppose the feast begins?" He wondered just as Dumbledore stood from his seat.

The woman in green robes moved the hat and the stool out of sight.

"Before we begin the banquet, I would like to say a few words." Dumbledore smiled. "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Everyone in the room began to clap and cheer at this though the Twins didn't know whether they should laugh or not.

However the Headmaster's odd choice of words were quickly put out of their minds when the trays and platters in front of them filled with an assortment of good foods.

Turkey brown and bubbling on the edges. Potatoes cooked to a white creamy perfection and jello. Bread Pudding Jello served with the just right amount of powdered sugar on top.

Lucy felt her mouth water and she wondered what she ought to try first. Suddenly a turkey leg was placed on her plate.

"Hungry Lovey?" It was one of the Red Head Twins sitting on the other side of Hermione. His brown eyes twinkled as he smiled.

Lucy tried hard to fight the blush. "Uh...thank you." She nodded her head timidly and reached for the turkey leg. Harry snickered at her.

Lucy blushed. Shut up! She glared at Harry.

"Name's George." The Twin said with a laughing smile as he watched Lucy take a drink from the glass set in front of her. Lucy swallowed the sweet sugary liquid before putting the cup back down on the table.

"I know." The Twin looked at her surprised. "You do?" Lucy wondered why he looked so surprised.

"Well yeah I mean...you and your brother helped us on the train. I can't really forget about that." She shrugged averting her eyes.

George smiled slightly at that. "oh..well...I guess I'm just not used to people knowing me and Fred apart. Usually people get us mixed up all the time. It's fun though! Especially with Mum." He leaned on the table with his elbow out. "You should see her face."

Lucy snorted and looked up carefully to meet his eye briefly. "I suppose it is. Harry and I are not identical, but we used to play tricks on our cousin Dudley all the time since I could imitate Harry's voice really well."

George sniggered at that. "No kidding Love! You're going to have to show me that some time." He smirked.

Lucy blushed and shrugged at him.

"Oi! Don't be hogging her all to yourself now George! Let the rest of us get a chance to talk to the famous Lucy Potter!" A boy with his hair in dreadlocks suddenly pushed his way between George and Lucy. "Lee Jordan! At your service Madam!" He offered his hand.

Lucy smiled slightly and obligingly shook his hand. "Lucy." She glanced over at George and thought that he looked a bit annoyed, but she couldn't tell for sure because the look vanished in a second and he became quickly involved in conversation with his brother .

Harry nudged her in the ribs. Hey! He seems really into you. Maybe you two ought to go out. He teased.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. Oh shut it already! She said trying to sound firm. Besides he was only talking to me because I'm Lucy Potter! Like everyone else around her?

She poked her fork through her dinner as a girl with long curly blonde hair shyly asked Harry to sign her copy of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.

Lee Jordan remained in his spot though, asking Lucy question after question, barely giving her time to enjoy the feast.

Harry suddenly pointed a finger at the front of the room where all the teachers sat enjoying their meal. "Say Percy?...Who's that sitting with Professor Quirrell in the front?"

The oldest Weasley brother looked up to see where Harry was pointing at. "Oh!..That's Professor Snape, the Potions Master, but everyone knows it's the Dark Arts class he wants. He's been after Quirrell's job for years."

Lucy frowned at that. "Really?"

"Yeah," Percy nodded his head. "Professor Snape is also Head of Slytherin House. That makes him very prejudice against other houses. Especially Gryffindor."

Harry and Lucy exchanged nervous glances at that. "He's...prejudiced?" Lucy frowned and glanced up towards the teachers' table where Professor Quirrell sat next to a man with greasy, black, chin-length hair.

He had a horrible scowl on his face and a long hooked nose. Lucy swallowed. He certainly didn't look very pleasant to be around.

Suddenly his eyes flickered towards her and Harry and as their eyes met, Lucy felt a tiny pin-prickle of pain ripple through her scar.

"Ow!" She cringed and put her hand over her forehead. Harry looked over at her with concern. "Lucy?..Are you all right?"

Lucy nodded her head. "I'm fine." She picked up her spoon from the table and poked it through her raspberry cream pudding. Harry started to frown at her when a bell rang and Dumbledore stood from his seat again.

"And now..Prefects, if you would please...lead your houses down into the dormitories for the rest of the night! Goodnight all!" Percy stood from next to Harry.

"All right everyone! Let's go!" He spoke in a pompous tone of voice that Lucy and Harry got the feeling was the way he always talked to people. "Quickly now! Come on!"

The Twins hurried to get into line with the other Gryffindor students.

"Psst! Hey Potters!" Fred whispered loudly from his spot in line at the Twins. Harry and Lucy glanced warily at him. "What?" asked Harry curiously.

Fred shrugged as his Twin, George winked at them. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Mates."

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