Hey thanks for all the reviews on this chapter- they really helped me!! Anyways I tried to fix it up and make it more original. Hope you like.
"Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way! Follow me!" the booming, friendly voice of Rubeus Hagrid echoed through the air. We stepped off the train and into the pouring rain. Amber and I crouched over and rushed toward the line of carriages pulled by invisible horses. At least, they were invisible to me. Some others were not as lucky. We found an empty carriage and clambered in, followed by Alicia, Katie, and Angelina. Our trunks would be brought to our dormitories later.
"Hi Amber." the round, nervous face of Neville Longbottom appeared outside our carriage, dripping wet and all alone. "Could I ride with you? Everywhere else is full," he blushed.
"Sure Neville," Amber grinned. I smiled encouragingly at him. I know it sounds mean, but it was still a mystery to me how he got in to Gryffindor. He climbed in awkwardly, and I couldn't help but notice that his eyes lingered on Amber quite a bit. I held back the impulse to laugh. Poor Neville. I wondered if he really thought he had a chance with her.
As we entered the Great Hall, and got out of the driving rain, a warm feeling of welcome swept over me. This grand castle was like a second home to me. I would probably have more happy memories here than anywhere in the world. As squelched across the floor to the Gryffindor table, I caught a glimpse of Emma at the Ravenclaw table. She was chatting with another prefect and twirling her blonde hair idly. I took a seat next to Amber and Katie. Alicia and Angelina sat across from us, along with Seamus, Dean, and Tibby. I scanned the table for Harry, but he was nowhere to be found. I sighed quietly.
"Excuse me," I felt a hand on my shoulder. Not daring to believe it, I turned around slowly. Sure enough, I was staring into the gorgeous green eyes of the one and only Harry Potter. "Are those seats taken?"
"No," I said, barely breathing.
"Thanks." He grinned and slid in beside me. Hermione and Ron sat on his other side.
"Any time," I replied shyly. But he had already turned away to talk to Ron. I bit my lip, and turned to face Amber and Katie.
"Man, when's the food gonna get here," I complained, staring longingly at my empty golden plate. The words had just slipped out of my mouth, when the tall wooden doors of the Great Hall swung open, and silence fell. Professor McGonagall led a long line of first years up towards the front of the Hall, and arranged them in a line facing us. Drenched from their rainy ride across the lake, they were shivering- from being wet and cold, and undoubtedly from being extremely nervous. A few especially timid students shrank back in fear as Filch hobbled up towards them and slammed down a three-legged stool before placing a filthy, tattered hat on top of it. For a moment, there was complete silence, as the first years cast worried confused looks among themselves. Then a long tear near the brim of the hat burst open like a mouth, and it broke into it's song.
When it had finished, the hall burst into applause, and Professor McGonagall unrolled a large scroll and began to call off names of the first years. One by one, they sat on the stool, with the huge hat on their tiny heads, worried, panicked looks on most of their faces. And one by one, they were sorted and dashed off to the appropriate tables. At long last, the line of first years had disapeared among the four tables, and it was time for the feast!
Harry's deep voice cheered loudly with the rest of the crowd, and I smiled to myself as the empty dishes filled magically before our eyes. Mashed potatoes, steak, chicken, and turkey, fresh veggies and plump fruits, various kinds of deserts ranging from chocolate cupcakes to strawberry shortcake. It truly was a feast. I grabbed the nearest dish, and started filling my plate with all my favorite foods.
"So Kelly, you're going out for chaser again, right?" Angelina asked. "Of course!" I agreed. "Katie, Alicia? "She gestured to the two others.
"You know it!" Katie cheered.
"May the best three win," I grinned at them. Alicia and I had been fighting over the third chaser position for years, and I had finally made it last year. I hoped to get another year in, but if she won her spot back, I would have to settle with team manager.
"So Amber," I turned towards her, ripping off a piece of a chicken wing with my teeth. "You joining the chess club again this year?" I tried to keep any note of sarcasm out of my voice.
"Hey, chess is cool, okay? Ron did it last year, and so did Tibby, no matter how much she denies it!"
"Oh, yes. Very cool." I tried to keep myself from laughing, and the result was a loud and obnoxious snort esccaping from my nose.
"Nice," Amber giggled, causing Seamus to laugh loudly, causing Ron to join in, and soon our whole end of the table was laughing at me, even Hermione.
"Shut up," I moaned, my cheeks flushing slightly. As I turned away, I found myself facing Harry, and I couldn't help notice that he wasn't laughing. Smiling maybe, but not in a mean way. I grinned at him before turning back to my chicken.
When all the plates had been scraped clean and the students were full and happy, Albus Dumbledore got to his feet once more. The buzz of chatter filling the hall ceased almost immediately so that only the howling wind and pounding rain could be heard.
"So!" said Dumbledore, smiling around at them. "Now that we are all fed and watered I must ask for your attention. It is my sad duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
"What!" I cried out in shock.
"That's rubbish!" Harry screamed from beside me. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia showed similar forms of distress. Alicia was wide eyed, Katie's jaw had dropped, and a look of pure fury was crossing Angelina's face. Cries of outrage and confusion echoed across the hall. Dumbledore pressed on, his booming voice drowning out the crowd.
"This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much time and energy from us all. But I am sure you will enjoy it immensely."
"Yeah right! Nothing is better than Quidditch," Angelina muttered fiercely.
"I have great pleasure in announcing that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
A/N: This part is just Dumbledore explaining the tournament, so if you already know all about it you can feel free to skip over it. :)
"Allow me to explain. The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between three schools. Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. A champion is selected from each school and the three champions compete in three magical tasks. The students wishing to compete from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be arriving in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at the Halloween feast. A very special judge will decide which student will win Triwizard cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand galleons of personal prize money. This judge is known as the Goblet of Fire."
He went on to explain other rules, such as the age limit of seventeen, which caused quite an uproar. When he had finished discussing the other parts of his start-of-the-year-speech, it was time to go to our common rooms.
A/N: Okay, back to the story..."Well now, it is late. And I know how you all wish to be ready for your classes tomorrow morning. So off to bed..."
But before we could obey, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall swung open with a loud bang. A man stood in the doorway, leaning against a long stick, and wrapped in a black traveling cloak. Every head in the Great Hall turned to face this mysterious stranger. He lowered his hood, shook out a long mane of dark gray hair, and began to walk up towards the teachers table. A dull clunk echoed through the Hall as he walked. He reached the end of the table, turned right, and limped heavily towards Dumbledore. A flash of lightning crossed the ceiling and Alicia gasped. The lightning had lit up the man's face, and it was a ghastly sight. Every inch of skin seemed to be scarred. The mouth was a twisted gash, and a large chunk of his nose was missing. But it was the man's eyes that made him so frightening. One of them was small, dark and beady, but the other was large, round, and a bright blue color. The blue eye was moving constantly, without blinking, and was rolling in every direction. Then, suddenly, it rolled right over, pointing into the back of the man's head so all we could see was whiteness. I shuddered.
The stranger reached Dumbledore and stretched out a mangled hand. Dumbledore shook it, muttering words no one could hear. Dumbledore nodded and gestured the man to the empty seat on his right. The stranger sat down heavily, shook his hair out of his face, and began to eat his sausages.
"Allow me to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore announced brightly into the shocked silence. "Professor Moody." A few hands clapped hesitantly together, but the sound stopped fairly quickly. Everyone seemed to shocked by Moody's bizzare appearence to do more than stare at him.
"Moody?" I whispered to Amber. "Mad Eye Moody? That crazy guy?"
Amber shrugged.
"Must be," Harry answered, leaning in close to me. I shivered slightly.
"Right then. As I said, off to bed."
Noise erupted through the room as a mob of students swarmed towards the double doors out of the hall. Amber linked arms with me and Angelina came up along side us.
"Well, I turn seventeen in October. I think I'm going to enter the tournament," she smiled uncertainly at us.
"Good luck," I said whole-heartedly. "You deserve to win. I hope you do."
"Hear, hear," Amber agreed.
"Thanks you guys," she said, breaking into a broad smile.
"So what do you think of Moody teaching here?" I asked.
"Dunno." said Amber. "He seems a bit strange but I heard he's a great auror."
We made our way up a few staircases and down the hall to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was hidden behind a painting of a Fat Lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she asked, in a heavy accent.
"Balderdash," said Tibby, bursting out of nowhere. "A prefect told me."
"Oh and where have you been?" I asked her, jokingly.
"Probably off snogging Dean," Angelina teased her. Tibby flushed as the painting swung open to reveal a hole in the wall. We all climbed through and found ourselves in the common room. A crackling fire danced merrily, casting a cheerful glow on the squishy armchairs and couches.
We walked across the room to the staircase to the girl's dormitory and climbed slowly up it, veering off to our seperate hallways. Tibby pushed open our door to reveal a spacious room with six beds and six dressers all in a row. There were three large windows, cheery red walls, and our trunks had all been placed at the ends of our beds. Hermione lay curled up in the bed farthest from the door, reading some sort of book. Lavender was already fast asleep on the opposite end. We claimed the four middle beds and started to change into our pajamas. I changed into my flannel pajamas and slid underneath the giant down comforter. I let out a small contented sigh as the layers of soft linens hugged me like an old friend. It was perfect, just lying here, listening to the driving rain echoing distantly against the great walls of Hogwarts. As the warmth of the bed soaked into every inch of my weary body, I closed my eyes and fell quickly asleep.
Hope you liked or maybe you didn't but either way please please please review!