The time had come for everyone to get off the train and make their way to the castle. Minnie and Myrtle exited together and made their way to the boats, as was tradition for the First Years. The day had wandered off leaving a brilliant evening sky above them that reflected off the Black Lake. Minnie looked down at the water and began to feel dizzy, her mind and body disagreeing which way was up. She pulled back and looked to Myrtle. "So, we're sorted into houses next, right?" She had an air of hesitation in her voice.
"Yes, I heard that we have to fight a troll to get to the ceremony. I'll probably get hurt so bad they'll have to take me to St. Mungos and I'll end up never getting sorted." Myrtle said this so matter-of-factly to Minnie that Minnie gasped.
"Oh dear! I don't know the first thing about fighting a troll!" She paused, "what is St. Mungos?" Myrtle looked at Minnie as if she had a third eye.
"It's the hospital, what are you from another country or something?" Myrtle eyed Minnie thinking that she was pulling her leg.
"Um, no, its just that this whole witch business, well, its rather new to me. I only just found out about this school a few weeks ago when Professor Dippet came to my house." Minnie looked back to Myrtle feeling a little embarrassed that she didn't know more of what was happening. Another voice piped up behind her in the boat.
"Oh great, another mud-blood! I had to put up with one of you on the train. They'll let anyone come to Hogwarts now." The boy turned from Minnie and Myrtle and looked out over the now very close grounds. Myrtle quickly piped up.
"How dare you use such an awful word! There is nothing wrong with muggle-born witches and wizards! Nothing!" Myrtle dissolved into tears, which Minnie had quickly learned indicated that the conversation was over. She sat there in an uncomfortable silence and waited for their boat to settle on shore.
Minnie and Myrtle quickly exited the boat and hurried up the pathway and into the school. They were herded by a teacher to the room outside the Great Hall. The teacher smiled warmly to all the students and started explaining what was to be their fates. "As I can see most of you are quite apprehensive to enter the Great Hall let me explain what you will encounter once you walk over the threshold. You will be called in alphabetical order, by myself, and will each sit upon the sorting stool. You will then have the Sorting Hat placed upon your head, and it will decide which house will be your home while you are here at Hogwarts. The houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has an hour glass with corresponding gems, and while you are here, you will earn, and possibly lose points for your house. At the end of the school year, these points will be tallied and one house will come out victorious, winning the House Cup for the year. As of late, the Slytherin house has maintained a firm grasp on the cup. We'll see what transpires as the year plugs on. As I'm usually a man of few words, I will stop my chattering and we shall see what fate each of you faces."
The teacher pushed open the doors to the Great Hall and a flood of chatter flowed out followed by a sudden hush as the occupants saw the new arrivals led up to the front. The teacher then pulled out a scroll and named off each individual, sorting Minnie into Gryffindor and Myrtle into Ravenclaw. The boy who had apparently insulted Minnie was sorted into Slytherin, which as Myrtle had whispered to Minnie, made sense why he was so rude in the first place. As the sorting was finished, the teacher went to sit at the Staff table and the Headmaster, Professor Dippet, stood to welcome everyone to another year at Hogwarts.
"I welcome everyone to another year at Hogwarts, and a fine year it is. Before we commence this feast I would like to note some start of term announcements. As always the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden. Creatures of all types live there and not all of them are friendly. The school rules are posted in each of your common rooms, and your Head of House will go over these rules with you tonight before bed. I know you will have a splendid year this year and without further adieu bon appétit!" Professor Dippet waved his hand and instantly every food ever imaginable was in front of Minnie.
She grinned at all the foods in front of her and turned to her fellow students, following their lead. She began to learn the more important stuff that books didn't tell you. Such as how to get the Potions professor, Professor Slughorn, to give her an A, candied pineapple. Or that the Transfiguration professor, whom was the one doing the sorting, and also head of Gryffindor house, Professor Dumbledore, liked lemon drops. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Merrythought, was a quiet teacher, and brutal on exams. She learned muggles were the non-magic folk, and that some students are pure-blood, meaning all magical families.
Minnie was relieved when the desserts were finally gone, as she was absolutely exhausted, mentally and physically. All this information was more than she could handle, and she loved to learn, so that was saying something. After hearing the explanation of the rules, Minnie set off to her dormitory and found that Adwen was curled up on the foot of her bed. She quickly unpacked what she could and dressed for bed. It seemed a lifetime before she went to bed. The sweet feeling of sleeping on a full stomach mixed with the excitement of being somewhere so fantastic and new had confused her body. She lay awake, petting the sleeping Adwen until she slipped into fantastic dreams of magical beings and adventure.
