Thanks for checking out my story! I am having so much fun writing this. Let me know what you think so far. Enjoy!
~JS~
-I own my OC and plot line. Everything else- JK Rowling!-
"Angelina, look!" I yelled in excitement with my face pressed against the window of the Hogwarts express.
In front of me was the largest, most grand castle I'd ever seen. Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So much better than I could have ever imagined. For the first time, I really felt like I was meant to be a part of something. This is where I wanted to be, no doubt about it.
"Wicked." Said the twins together.
The four of us crammed ourselves against the window, dumbfounded by the gorgeous castle in front of us.
"We're here! I can't believe we're here!" Angelina cried. We hugged each other out of excitement, giving the twins the biggest of smiles.
"I bet we'll be in Gryffindor." Angelina stated. "That's where my mom was sorted."
"We know we'll be in Gryffindor." Fred said confidently.
"Everybody in our family is in Gryffindor." George stated.
"I... I hope I will be." I said, the butterflies returning to my stomach.
The crowd of students awaiting to be transported to the castle bustled around anxiously, each one eager to get settled in.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" A gruff voice could be heard saying over all the noise.
"That has got to be the largest man I have ever seen!" Angelina said from in front of me.
"What? Where? OH!" I said, peering around her. Angelina had to be at least a good 6 inches taller than me, thus blocking me from viewing him. "That IS the biggest man I've ever seen! He's calling first years, too. Fred! George! This way!"
"That's Hagrid." George said.
"He's the gamekeeper here, our brothers told us all about him." Fred boasted.
We walked over to where the other first years were gathered. In front of us we could see boats bobbing in a big black lake surrounding one side of the castle. Each boat had a little lantern in front of it, the light reflecting off the dark, mysterious water.
"All righ', three to a boat!" Hagrid shouted.
Angelina and I climbed into a boat with a friendly looking dark haired girl, as the twins climbed into the boat next to us.
"Hello! I'm Alicia Spinnet." The dark haired girl said.
"Angelina Johnson, and this is my friend Bethany Thorne." Angelina introduced us.
"Nice to meet you! I'm waiting for my friend Lee, but I seem to have lost him in the crowd. No, wait, I see him! LEE!" She shouted to a boy with a puzzled look on his face.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Lee said walking into our view. "I was starting to think I'd have to share a boat with that giant man. I couldn't find any empty seats! Mind if I join your boat?" He asked the twins in the boat beside us.
"Not at all." The twins replied, taking an instant liking to Lee.
"This is my friend Lee Jordan." Alicia informed us.
"I..." Lee began, but was interrupted by a jolt of the boats beginning to move.
"They're moving on their own!" I announced.
"Magical." George said from beside us and winked, sending me into a fit of embarrassment.
The journey across the lake was an exciting one at that. The closer we got to the castle, the more the intensity grew. Suspense was thick in the air, as all the first years craned their necks to get a better view and whispered amongst themselves.
After what seemed like a very long time the boats finally made it to the castle and we hopped off the boats one by one as instructed to do by Hagrid.
"Follow me!" He announced in a gruff, yet friendly voice.
We followed Hagrid in an enthusiastic manner as he led us to the big doors of the castle.
"Welcome first years to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" an older, stern looking female witch announced upon our entrance to the castle.
"I am professor McGonagall, leader of the Gryffindor house. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily, sorting each of you into your respected house. The houses are; Gryffindor, house of the noble and the brave at heart. Hufflepuff, house of the hard-working and loyal. Ravenclaw, house of the clever and the wise. And Slytherin, house of the cunning and the ambitious. Each house is just as respectable as the next, and I am sure you will each take a liking to whichever house your fate shall bring."
"Slytherin is evil." Fred whispered to Lee, Angelina, and I.
"How do you know that? She only said they were cunning, not evil." I stated.
"Everybody knows it, it's not as if she can just announce, SLYTHERIN, HOUSE OF THE GITS." George claimed.
My jaw dropped at his language, as Lee and Angelina suppressed their laughter.
"It's true. My mum and dad said the darkest wizards are the ones who get sorted into Slytherin." Alicia chimed in.
"Plus, Slytherin just sounds dark, does it not? Just the name is enough to give me chills." Angelina added.
"I'm telling you... evil!" Fred said slightly too loud.
Suddenly I realized that Professor McGonagall was looking directly at us frowning.
"I would appreciate if you could refrain from making a scene." She said firmly.
Several students around us laughed in our expense.
"Erm, sorry." Fred muttered, embarrassed.
"I've heard about your family." A boy said, turning to the twins. "The name's Miles. Miles Bletchley. My parents say your pa is into muggles."
"That's right." George retorted.
"To each their own, I suppose." Miles sneered.
I wrinkled my eyebrows at him, wondering what his problem was.
"Evil!" Fred whispered into my ear, making me giggle.
"I've got half a mind to whack him on the head." George said disapprovingly, pretending to hit Miles on the head while his back was turned.
I wriggled my way over to Miles and tapped his opposite shoulder. We watched him turn around expectantly and begin scratching his head when no one was there.
Angelina and Alicia giggled into their hands, and Lee let out a laugh quite similar to a dog bark.
"Nice." The twins said approvingly and slapped me on the back.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Our heads snapped up to see Professor McGonagall glaring at us again.
"I hope this is the last time I have to warn you not to speak out of turn, or there will be consequences."
"Sorry." We mumbled.
"Now then, I will lead you all into the Great Hall where the sorting ceremony will begin. Single file, please!"
We followed McGonagall up a flight of stairs and into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was certainly called great for a reason. The ceiling was most definitely the most intriguing aspect of the room. It looked as though there was no ceiling at all, but instead a night sky filled with stars and candles floating just below them. Four long tables took up much of the room, with students filling each table. We made our way down the center of the hall towards the very front, where a single stool sat with an old, wrinkly had on top of it. Behind the stool was another long table where the professors were sitting.
Once all of us had entered the Great Hall, a great old wizard stood up beaming, and put his arms out in a generous manner
"Welcome newcomers, to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! And to our returning students, welcome back! As most of you know, I am headmaster Albus Dumbledore. And to those of you who didn't... now you know." He said with a merry twinkle in his eye. "There is a time for speech making, but this is a time for celebrating a new generation of witches and wizards. So without further ado, let the sorting ceremony begin!"
"I will now read your names in alphabetical order. When you hear your name, please step forward to be sorted. Once sorted, you may go sit at the table belonging to your house."
There was an awkward shift as the hall became silent. I glanced at Angelina nervously. She grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Stacy Abati." McGonagall broke the silence by calling the first name on the list.
A timid girl with flaming red hair walked up the the stool and sat down. The hat was placed upon her head and no more than a few seconds later shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into applause as they welcomed their new member.
"Brock Atkins."
A scrawny boy walked up to the stool, stumbling slightly over the step.
"RAVENCLAW!" The hat screamed, making the boy jump.
Once again, applause and cheers filled the Great Hall.
"Miles Bletchley."
Miles walked up to the stool with a conceited air about him, and sat down.
"SLYTHERIN!" The hat announced nearly straight away.
The Slytherin table began pounding their fists on the table while hooting and hollering.
"Surprise surprise." Fred leaned over and whispered.
The process continued as we waited for each student to become sorted.
"RAVENCLAW!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The whole procedure was beginning to feel a bit monotonous, until finally a familiar name was called.
"Angelina Johnson."
Angelina looked at me with wide eyes and I gave her hand a final squeeze.
She walked up to the stool and sat down slowly. She winced as the hat was placed on her head, and after what seemed like infinity it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
Her face broke into a huge smile as she hopped off the stool and ran to the Gryffindor table.
"Lee Jordan."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Lee smiled at us, and the twins gave him a thumbs up.
And so the ceremony continued on. The closer they got to my name, the more I felt like I was going to be sick. I felt as though my stomach was on fire, and my forehead broke into a sweat. When Professor McGonagall reached the last names beginning with T, I starting becoming very hot. My hands felt clammy, and I swore my eyesight went a little fuzzy.
"Bethany Thorne."
My brain went numb, and I felt myself start walking towards the stool. As I sat down, I felt the hat being placed upon my head.
"Hmm. I see..." A voice inside my head muttered. "Loyal and true, yet smart and ambitious. You are a girl who is not afraid to stand up for herself. Slytherin would suit you well, but with brains like that you would also thrive in Ravenclaw. Although there is a certain courageous air about you that I cannot ignore... it better be... GRYFFINDOR!"
At once a flood of relief washed over me and I smiled at my friends. A bit wobbly, I walked over to the cheering Gryffindor table, and took a seat next to Angelina and Lee. Angelina hugged me and whispered,
"I knew we'd be together!"
"Fred Weasley."
Fred hopped up, and the second the hat touched his head it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"
He winked at his brother and took a seat across from me.
"George Weasley."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"WOOHOO!" Shouted Fred and stood up clapping.
George walked over to Fred and sat next to him, giving him a high five.
As the sorting ceremony came to an end, Dumbledore stood up once again to say a few words.
"Congratulations to all of our first years. I expect everyone to have a safe and enjoyable year at Hogwarts. Now I am sure you are all as anticipant of the feast as I am, but before we eat, let us sing the song of Hogwarts! Everybody pick your favorite tune, and go!"
I looked down at the table where a sheet of paper was in front of me with the words to the Hogwart's school song on it and I began to sing the song to the tune of my favorite song by the Weird Sisters.
'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.'
The twins had chosen an extremely slow funeral march to sing to. By the time everybody had finished, they had half the song left to sing. Dumbledore stood at the front of the Hall smiling, directing them until they finished.
I couldn't contain my laughter and I laughed until tears leaked out the corners of my eyes. Angelina began choking from laughter, which made me laugh even harder as I pounded on her back.
"Thank you everybody. There is no greater magic than music! Now as we are all very hungry, let us eat!" Dumbledore finished and sat down in the center of the Professor's table.
Suddenly the tables became filled with all the food you could imagine. My tongue started watering at all the delicious looking food in front of me.
"This is so good." Fred said with his mouth full of food.
"Here, here!" George said, and the twins gave a toast using chicken drumsticks.
I laughed and took a bite out of my mashed potatoes.
That night after we unpacked and got settled in, Angelina, Alicia, and I met up with the boys in the common room. The common room had quite a homey feeling to it. On one half of the room was a lovely sitting area with big, squashy couches and armchairs, a coffee table, and a fireplace built into the wall. Two staircases were just behind it leading to the dormitories. Gryffindor house colors dawned the room, filling everyone who stepped through with house pride.
Angelina, me, and all of my new friends talked and joked until we were so tired everything seemed to be funny. Once we realized that nearly everyone else had already gone to bed, we decided we should better go as well.
"Good night, M'ladies!" Fred pretended to bow to us as we walked towards the girls' dorms.
"May you have pleasant dreams of sugar and spice." George said, doing the same.
We burst into giggles and (ungracefully) curtsied at the boys before running up the stairs.
That night I fell asleep almost immediately. It had been quite a long day, and I had already come to realize that being around Fred and George Weasley you will never have a dull moment.