Haylin, Janaya and Adriel followed the large man and a crowd of other first years to a lake.

Just as Adriel asked:

"How are we going to cross it?"

The large man called across the sea of first years.

"My name is Hagrid! I am the Groundskeeper 'ere at Hogwarts. The school is jus' on the other side of this lake so we will be sailin' these boats," he gestured to a cluster of little row-boats moored at the edge of the lake. "three t' a boat please!" he called as the students all ran to the boats like there was no tomorrow.

Haylin, Janaya and Adriel got into one of the small row-boats together and, just as they were about to set sail, Blayd leapt aboard.

Blayd! Haylin cried silently to her cat. What are you doing here?

I found the toad. Blayd said and it was then that Haylin noticed the small toad clinging to Blayd's back.

Well done Blayd! Haylin smiled. She gently removed the toad from Blayd's back and turned to face it.

"Hello," she said although it sounded like more of a croak to Janaya and Adriel.

"Hello, the toad croaked back.

"What's your name?" Haylin asked. The toad was silent for a while until:

"Trevor," it croaked.

"Well, Trevor, Neville is looking for you and he's very worried about you," Haylin croaked with a kind smile on her face.

"He is?" Trevor croaked, a faint glimmer of surprise behind his eyes. "I thought he hated me, that's why I ran away."

Haylin looked at Trevor with a sad smile on her face.

"Neville doesn't hate you and you should always stay with him or where he tells you to stay because you may get eaten next time a cat finds you…but Blayd won't eat you."

Trevor nodded. Or at least Haylin thought he did.

"Now you stay here until we can get you to Neville," Haylin croaked and put Trevor right next to Blayd.

Haylin looked up at Janaya and Adriel and they both had shocked looks on their faces.

"You didn't tell us you were a Beastspeaker," Adriel said, her voice filled with amazement.

Haylin shrugged. "I didn't think it was relevant," she said and almost fell forward as the boat came to a complete halt. She looked behind her and saw a huge castle. The lights were on in many of the rooms and it just glowed with homeliness.

"Come on firs' years, ou' of the boats and follow me please!" Hagrid called and all the first years hastened to obey.

They followed Hagrid through a large door in the side of the castle and were immediately drenched with water.

Haylin looked above her and saw nothing but she heard a cackling not far away.

"Peeves!" Hagrid yelled angrily but still no one appeared.

"I'll take them from here Hagrid," a voice came from up ahead. The first years looked around Hagrid to see an old woman, with a stern look on her face.

"Follow me please," she said and the first years did as they were told in absolute silence.

After a while they came to a room where the old woman told them to wait while they readied the hall for them.

There were murmurings about what they would have to do to be sorted (for that was what was happening) somebody mentioned troll wrestling.

"Haylin!" Haylin looked around for whoever had called her name and saw Neville running towards her. Without warning he tripped and fell flat on his face and Haylin, Janaya and Adriel ran over to him with Blayd and Trevor following them.

When they reached him, they heard laughing. After they helped Neville to his feet, Draco appeared.

"So who tripped you, fatty?" he said laughing.

Neville didn't answer he had turned a light shade of red.

"Don't be mean, Draco," Haylin said handing Neville his toad.

Instead of laughing and making fun of Neville more, as he had expected he would do, his smile wavered and he walked away.

"form a line and follow me please," the old woman's voice called and all the students did as they were told.

oOoOoOoOo

The first years trailed into the Great Hall and were in awe. The ceiling above them looked exactly like the sky outside. When Haylin realised she was being watched by the older students she walked past she suddenly felt…uneasy isn't right…she felt special.

The first years stopped and gathered at the front of the hall. There, on a stool, was an old hat. It was pointed, like a normal witch's hat, but it was old, ripped and badly patched. It came as a great shock to the first years (many of whom gasped) when the hat opened a rip and began to sing.

Oh you nay not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find,

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your tope hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all

There's nothing hidden in your head

The sorting hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might be in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindor apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and Loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of whit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

you'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm the Thinking Cap!

The whole hall burst into applause as the hit finished his song. The old woman (who they were told was Professor McGonagall) pulled out a large roll of Parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbot, Hannah!"

A pink faced girl with blond hair ran up to the stool and put the hat on her head, which promptly fell down to her eyes. After a short moment, the hat called:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right cheered as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.

The next name on the list was "Bones, Susan." Who was sorted into Hufflepuff also. Then "Boot, Terry," and "Brocklehurst, Mandy," were sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Brown, Lavender," became the first new Gryffindor and "Bullstrode, Millicent" became the first new Slytherin.

Haylin stopped listening properly but cheered when Hermione was sorted into Gryffindor. Janaya (who's last name is LaMorte) was sorted into Slytherin and gleefully she ran to the Slytherin table and sat down saving two seats next to her in case Adriel or Haylin joined her.

Neville was sorted into Gryffindor and ran down to the table, taking the hat with him and had to run all the way back to give the hat to "MacDougal, Morag.

Draco's name was called next and just as the Hat grazed his head it called "SLYTHERIN!" and he ran to join his two friends who had been sorted there before him.

Suddenly Haylin found herself wishing she was in Slytherin. She told herself it was because Janaya was there and she enjoyed being friends with her but she knew it was because of Draco.

When Harry's name was called people all over the hall began whispering. Haylin wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying but she could tell it made Harry nervous and she laughed cruelly inside her head.

What's wrong with me today? She asked herself.

Not long after Harry had been sorted into Gryffindor, Haylin's name was called.

"Riddle, Haylin!" Professor McGonagall called and confidently, Haylin walked up to the stool and put the hat on her head.

What everybody but Draco had failed to notice was that Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, had opened his eyes widely for a moment after hearing her name. Draco saw a flicker of panic in them before he had regained his composure.

"You are very confusing," said a small voice to Haylin. "I don't know where to put you. You're Ravenclaw material with these brains of yours, you're good for Hufflepuff with a heart like yours, Gryffindor would suit you fine with courage like yours and Slytherin seems to be calling to you with power like yours."

Slytherin. Please Slytherin. Haylin found herself thinking as loudly as she could.

"Slytherin?" the small voice asked. "Alright then…SLYTHERIN!" the hat shouted and Haylin ran to join Janaya and found herself sitting opposite Draco.

Ron was sorted into Gryffindor and Adriel and Blaise Zabini were the last to be sorted and they were both sorted into Slytherin.

The Headmaster then stood up, smiling at each of the new students (although he seemed to exclude Haylin from this).

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" he sat back down and everybody cheered.

Haylin looked to either side of her. She was sitting in between Janaya and Adriel. They smiled at her and then looked at the table. Their mouths fell open. Haylin too looked at the table and her mouth fell open also. The table was suddenly laden with delicious foods. She piled her plat high and gobbled as much as she could. She could hear Janaya and Adriel were doing the same.

When they had finished, the plates cleared and were replaced by bowls and plates of all sorts of different puddings.

Haylin did not have the stomach room for pudding and neither, it seemed, did Draco. Draco was busy scrawling a letter to someone.

"Who are you writing to?" she asked. Draco looked up.

"My father," he said and looked back down at the letter to see what he had written.

Dear Father,

There is a girl here who has been sorted into my house (Slytherin) and normally there would be nothing wrong with this but something happened. When her name was called (her name is Haylin Riddle) Dumbledore freaked out. Well not freaked out per say but it was as much freaking out as what Dumbledore would do.

I was wondering if you knew why she is so…frightening to Dumbledore?

Yours truly,

Draco.

He rolled up the parchment before Haylin could read it and stuffed it into his pocket. A boy at the other end of the table suddenly stood up and called to the first years to follow him.

Everybody at the table immediately stood up but the first years were the ones who waited for the tall one to lead them.

After twenty minutes of walking, seemingly, aimlessly, the first years found themselves in a dungeon and not only a dungeon, a dead end.

"Vox sceptrum totus," the older boy said and suddenly the wall opened up to reveal a warm room. The first years ran into the room and stood by the fire.

"alright listen up," the older boy said. "Girls' dorms up those stairs to the right and Boys' dorms up those stairs to the left. Have fun." And he left them in the common room to sort themselves out.

Haylin followed Janaya and Adriel upstairs and into their dorm and found her luggage already by a bed. She smiled.

This is going to be a good year. She thought to herself.