On the train, the twins were busy trying to find an empty compartment. No such luck. Almost every single one was filled. At last, they found two seats near the back of the train.

"I think they're first years too." Sophia said to Vieara in Bulgarian. Vieara nodded and took a seat next to a pretty white-blond girl.

"Foreigners!" The girl whispered loudly, so that everyone within two meters could hear.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Vieara asked in perfect English, without the slightest hint of accent. She stood back up and mentally made a note to thank her mother for speaking to them in English half of the time.

The blond girl stood up too. "I am Adrianne Malfoy and don't you dare give me attitude!" Her icy blue eyes flashed dangerously. If Vieara lived in England and knew of the Malfoys, there was a slim chance that she might have sat down. But she didn't know. And she wasn't frightened, or impressed, or whatever this girl wanted her to be.

"So what? And I am Sophia Ivanova." Sophia jumped in, glaring just as dangerously at the stranger as her sister.

"And I'm supposed to care because . . ." Vieara said at the same time, in a bored voice. If she could do one thing properly, it was annoy people. She seemed to know everyone's buttons (and wasn't afraid to push them) as soon as she met a person.

Adrianne was surprised not to have her name recognized. These foreigners sure are stupid, she thought, they don't know who they're messing with.

"Why, my second year brother is right next door."

"So you're saying, basically, that you can't even fight your own battles. Not that I consider this a battle. " Sophia retorted. Vieara might be the schemer, but Sophia was quicker on the comebacks.

Adrianne was expected a variety of responses but that wasn't one of them. She stared at the twins, who were now gathering their luggage and preparing to move it to the next cart, openmouthed. At that precise moment Draco Malfoy walked in from the other door.
Vieara turned, seeing that he looked like a male copy of Adrianne. "You better teach your sister manners. She doesn't seem to know how to greet foreigners. Or fight her own battles either!"

The older Malfoy was as surprised as the younger one, and didn't think of a reply until the twins were well into the next compartment.

The twins finally found two empty seats in a compartment with . . . another pair of identical twins! Older boys.

"Hi!" The girls said in unison.

The redheaded boys looked up from the piece of paper they were scribbling on to catch sight of the other pair of twins.

"Wow cool. You're twins too. I'm George Weasley, and this is my brother Fred." One of them said, grinning widely.

"Hey! You forgot to introduce me! I'm their sister Ginny. Are you in your first year too?"

"Hi. I'm Sophia Ivanova and . . ."

"I'm Vieara Ivanova. And it's our . . ."

" first year at Hogwarts too!"

"Hey what have you got there? Are you trying to improve the Fillbister Firecrackers? You should try adding a Dung Bomb at the end. It spreads the smell twice as far." Vieara took a seat next to Fred and pulled both objects out to demonstrate.

Fred looked at George and said in an exaggerated disappointed tone. "I believe we are no longer Hogwarts' only twin terrorists."

A few hours later, the train arrived at Hogwarts. The two pairs of twins separated unwillingly. They had planned to improve mischief aiding charms and potions to their personal use. Vieara was the one talking to Fred and George. Sophia talked mostly to Ginny. Once in a while, however, she would stick her head into the other conversation and offer improvements.

"Wow!" Vieara whispered, awestruck, her eyes wide at the sight of the enormous castle.

"Firs' ears this way!" A huge man yelled and pointed to the rows of boats. Vieara and Sophia sat in one of the boats. A black haired girl sat across from them. Next to her sat a boy with tanned skin and sun bleached blond hair.

"Hullo!" They said.

"Hullo," The twins greeted them. "I'm Sophia and this is my sister Vieara."

"I'm Leah. But call me Lee, okay?"

"I'm Kellen."

"Which House do you want to be in?" Kellen asked. "I want to be in Gryffindor!"
"Ravenclaw or Gryffindor." Lee said.
"Houses?" The twins asked in unison.
"You don't know about the Houses?" Kellen gaped at them.
They shrugged. "We're from Bulgaria. We don't know much about Hogwarts."

By the time Kellen had explained the concept of the Houses, they'd arrived at the huge wooden doors. They were then led into a huge room with a ceiling identical to the sky outside.
"This is the Great Hall." Kellen whispered.
A very severe looking teacher placed an old hat on a three legged stool. "Aster, Calliope."
A very frightened pigtailed girl stepped forward. She slowly sat on the stool and pulled the hat on. It almost instantly shouted:
"GRYFFINDOR!" One of the tables applauded wildly.
"Aucoder, Christopher."
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Black, Sophia."
"Not again, they got my name wrong again!" Sophia muttered, stepping up to the stool. She carefully placed the frayed hat on her head, and instantly heard a squeaky voice.
"Hum … smart, hardworking, talented. Ravenclaw might be good for you. Ah, but I put both of your parents in Gryffindor." Sophia gasped. Her mom had gone to school here too? "I think you'll do good there too, so I guess it will be . . .
GRYFFINDOR!"
"Black, Vieara."
Vieara was already sitting on the stool and had placed the hat on her head. You better put me in with my sister or I'll cut you up in pieces!

"Not too friendly, I see! Fiercely proud, smart, mischievous. You are a little copy of your father. Just as stubborn, at least. But yes, it will suit you fine that . . .
GRYFFINDOR!"
"Creevey, Colin."
Another Gryffindor.
Vieara's eyes were quite wide when she sat between Fred and Sophia. "It said I'm a smaller copy of our father!" she whispered to her sister.
Sophia answered, " It said that both of our parents were in Gryffindor!"
"Hey, I thought you last name was Ivanova!" Fred interrupted.
"It is." Sophia confirmed absentmindedly. "They made a mistake. Again!"
She looked at the hat which now sat on Adrianne Malfoy's head. It barely touched her head before it announced her a Slytherin.

"Mersion, Leah."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Morris, Kellen."

The girls saw Lee hand the hat over to Kellen.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The twins cheered with the rest of the Gryffindors. Kellen saw them and sat down across from Vieara. He had a wide toothy smile on his face and his chest stuck out proudly.

"It barely touched my head when it said that I should be in Gryffindor. Actually, it said, the only place that suits you is . . . and then it shouted Gryffindor."

Meanwhile, the hat had just announced Ginny Weasley a Gryffindor too. She sat next to Kellen, across from Sophia. She sighed with relief. "Thank goodness I'm in Gryffindor. My whole family has been in here!" Fred and George congratulated all of the new first years heartily, but were interrupted by Professor Dumbledore.

The twins stared at the old man, not hearing a word he said. He looked delicate with age, his long white hair reaching past his waist, but his eyes . . . There was something about his eyes. They sparkled. So this was the great wizard Albus Dumbledore.

He finished his speech, waved his hand and suddenly the tables were set and piled high with delicacies. Everyone dug in eagerly and the conversation died instantly.

Almost an hour later, the prefects lead their houses into the dormitories. Sophia and Vieara stumbled and yawned their way through the portrait hole.

"Remember the password. Higgleboo." The twins giggled at the password and tried to tuck it into a corner of their tired minds as they stumbled up to the girls' dorms. They changed into pajamas with eyelids half closed and tumbled into their beds.

I have to go to Dumbledore and correct our names . . .

It was Sophia's last thought before sleep had settled within her body completely.