The girls heaved their trunks down the corridor, lurching from side to side as the Hogwarts Express rumbled out of the station. "Oh, why did we wait to board?" Rachel moaned. "The only empty compartments will be at the end." Romulus, swaying back and forth on her shoulder, hooted reproachfully.
Finally they found an empty compartment. Squeezing in, they stowed their trunks and cages on the rack and sat down. It was a nice fit, with room for one or two more people. No sooner had they begun to discuss their new school than the door slid open and a girl floated in.
"Hello," she said in a dreamy voice. "I hope I'm not intruding. Do you mind if I sit?" She did so and pulled a large spell book out of her bag. "My name is Luna. Luna Lovegood."
"Hey, Luna. I'm Shelby Root."
"Hannah Schreiter."
"Katelyn Barcanic."
"Tanya Rogers."
"Sarah Carter."
"And Rachel Hekman!"
"That's nice," Luna said, and disappeared behind her book. She did not emerge again.
After a few minutes of silence, the compartment door slid open again, and a new stepped in. "I hope you don't mind. Everywhere else is full." She sat down between Katelyn and the wall. "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."
"Hi, I'm Rachel Hekman."
"Shelby Root."
"Tanya Rogers."
"Hannah Schreiter."
"Katelyn Barcanic."
"Sarah Carter."
"Hello." Hermione smiled, then immediately began a nonstop stream of facts about Hogwarts. The girls listened intently, fixed on learning everything they could about their new school.
The compartment door slid open again. It was a boy with a round, fearful face and his school robes were already on. "I've…I've lost a toad…"
"What's your name?" Tanya asked kindly.
"Neville L-Longbottom."
"Sure, we'll help you find your toad," Rachel said. "Let us change first, though, okay?"
Neville's face broke into a smile. 'Thanks."
He left and they changed into their school robes. "We'd better hurry," Sarah said. "I think we'll be there soon!"
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"Abbot, Hannah?"
"Hufflepuff!"
Tanya gave Katelyn a quick hug as Professor McGonagall called, "Barcanic, Katelyn!"
Katelyn went and sat nervously on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head. It seemed to think for a moment before calling out, "Gryffindor!"
Smiling so wide she thought her face would burst, Katelyn walked over to the Gryffindor table and Haley, who was waving vigorously.
"Bones, Susan."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Boot, Terry."
"Ravenclaw!"
"Brocklehurst, Mandy?"
"Ravenclaw!"
"Brown,
Lavender."
"Gryffindor!"
"Bulstrode, Millicent."
"Slytherin!"
"Carter, Sarah."
Sarah shakily mounted the platform; back still stinging from the slaps from her friends.
"Ravenclaw!"
The girls cheered as Sarah got up and sat down at the Ravenclaw table.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Finnigan, Seamus."
"Gryffindor!"
"Granger, Hermione."
Rachel gave her a reassuring thumbs-up as Hermione mounted the platform.
"Gryffindor!"
She leapt off the stool and seated herself across from Katelyn and Haley.
"Hekman, Rachel."
Rachel clenched her fists so tightly as she approached the stool that her fingernails bit into her skin. She sat on the stool and McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on her head.
"Hmm…smart…Ravenclaw? Oh, no, wait! Much courage here, too…hmm…well, we'll try…Gryffindor!"
Rachel bounded down the platform to the Gryffindor table and sat down between Hermione and "Finnigan, Seamus." She held up her hand for a high-five from Katelyn, who raised an eyebrow
"Blood."
Rachel blinked and looked at her palm. Spots of blood marked where she had hug in her fingernails. She looked around for a napkin, finally taking one from Seamus. "Thanks," she said, dabbing at her palms.
Several new Gryffindors joined them, including Neville and one Harry Potter, the boy they had met at Diagon Alley. By now they were at "Rogers, Tatiana."
Tanya was sitting under the hat, her pale face peering anxiously at the four House tables. A minute passed, then—
"Gryffindor!"
Katelyn and Rachel cheered the loudest as Tanya sat down next to Haley and across from Seamus, a wide grin on her face.
Next to be Sorted was Shelby, so Rachel and Hermione moved over on the bench to make room for her. Scarcely had the Hat been placed on her head than it screamed,
"Slytherin!"
Katelyn, Tanya, and Rachel all stared in disbelief as Shelby pranced off the platform and went to sit by a blonde boy, "Malfoy, Draco." No sooner had they snapped their mouths shut than none other than Hannah filled the empty space intended for Shelby.
Two more Gryffindors joined them ("Thomas, Dean," and "Weasley, Ronald"), then an old man with a crooked nose and a silvery beard stepped up.
"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! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
Even though it was funny, Rachel had to agree with Harry: their new headmaster seemed a little…odd.
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An hour later, Hannah, Rachel, Tanya and Katelyn were in their beds, feeling full and sleepy. "I can't wait for tomorrow," came Hermione's voice through the darkness. "I worked so hard on learning everything I could…"
"D'you suppose we'll have homework?" Lavender asked.
"Probably," said Hannah.
"Charms sounds fun." Rachel yawned.
"Yeah...whaddaya thin,' Tanya?" Katelyn asked thickly.
Silence.
So one by one they dropped off to sleep, full of food and anticipation.