Chapter 3 – The Nordic Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The ship sailed into a dark cave and the lights in the cabins began to shine as it was dark. Susie tried to look out, but she couldn't see anything, but then she thought it began to get lighter and then the ship past a torch on the cave wall, then another and another.

"Cool," Trym said when he saw the torches. It was a magnificent sight; the water reflected the torches' light so the cave almost looked like a green shimmering room. Then the ship arrived to the dock.

"We've now arrived to the Isle of Amon, all students are asked to go off board, your belongings will be brought up to the castle" said the female voice. Everyone began to go out on deck and off board.

"First years! First Years," a tall man said. His complexion was dark and didn't look like a Scandinavian, "follow me please." All the first years followed the man through a tunnel and up in the cold wind. Susie soon felt like she was going around inside a freezer, she hadn't put her cloak on, which she regretted terribly. Then they saw the school as they came around a big cliff, it was a castle, but not like any castle, Susie had ever seen.

"Wow!" she heard Trym say behind her. And she thought the same, it wasn't just a castle it was a castle made of ice. The castle shimmered in the light from the moon and the torches there were placed around the school grounds. It was a pretty good walk and the closer they got the more impressive the castle was. It was bigger than any of the castles, Susie had seen, she had thought Amalienborg Castle was big, when she had visited Copenhagen with her parents, but this one was five times as big. There were five towers one on each corner and then one sticking up in the middle.

The first year students and the man arrived to the castle and they walked through the big ice doors into a magnificent hall, where torches were lit. Susie had thought it would be cold inside the castle, but it was pretty warm inside. The man stopped and turned around to look at all the pupils.

"Welcome to the Nordic Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this is where you'll be going for the next seven years. In a moment we'll be going into the Ice Hall where you'll be sorted into your houses. Please wait here for a moment," the man said and went through a door to the right. When the man was gone, everyone began to whisper to each other.

"How can it be, it's so warm in here when the castle is made of ice," Susie heard a boy ask.

"You don't think we are going to do something special for this sorting, like a test or something," she heard another say. Then they heard a slight cough. The man was back.

"Okay, follow me," the man said. They went towards another ice door and before they had reached it, it opened. The Great Hall was even more beautiful the hall was. It was bigger and there were five large tables. First were the four house tables and at the other end was the teacher's table. Susie felt a little uncomfortable with all the students at the tables looking at them. Susie looked up and for a second she thought it had suddenly been day, but it couldn't be. Then she heard someone say that the ceiling was bewitched so it always looked like it was sunny as it in the winter would be very dark most of the time. Over each of the house tables was each house banner waving and over the teacher's table was the school banner waving.

"Please line up here," said the man when they had reached a small podium between the student's tables and the teacher's table. Then a door opened on their right and in came an old man with a hat, but not any hat, Susie had seen before, the hat had horns, she almost began to laugh, it looked so strange. It was a mix between a Viking helmet and a witch's hat.

"When your name is mentioned, please stand up on the podium and I'll put this hat on your head, it will then sort you to into one of the four houses, which is Arctos, Cygneus, Cetus or Lupinus," said the man. Susie was in shock, she was going to get that hat on, she would look ridiculous with that on, she looked around and she wasn't the only one who had thought the same thing. She just hoped she wouldn't be the first to go up there, but unfortunately she was.

"Susie Blue!" the man said. Susie felt like she was about to disappear through the floor, she walked slowly up to the podium where the man was standing. When she looked up, he gave her a little smile and then he put on the hat. At first nothing happened, but then she could hear a voice in her ear.

"Okay, this is interesting, well there is only one place for you," the voice said and then she heard the name Arctos yelled out. The table to the far right began to clap and she walked down to the table of the Arctos. She was met with a lot of happy faces who said welcome when she came and sat down. She sat down next to a girl, Susie gave the girl a smile, but the girl just nodded and turned her head to look up at the podium. Several first years then followed, a girl named Sydney Dancock was sorted into the house of the Cetus, before long Christina had to go up, she looked like she was facing death, but soon after the hat yelled Arctos and she came down and sat next to Susie. Next was Anna, she was sorted to Cygneus. After Anna was another girl, Nita Lumi, Susie thought she didn't look like a first year, the girl looked very fragile. She sat on the stool for some time before she was sorted to Arctos. Susie heard a boy further down the table, say yes, and then she heard some of the students laugh. The boy who hadn't said much on the trip to the school, Jan, was sorted to the House of Cygneus. Then a couple of other students were sorted before it was Abelone's turn, she had to sit there for more than five minutes before the hat yelled Cetus, then it was Colette's turn and she was soon sorted to Arctos. After the last pupils had been sorted, a plum man stood up. He coughed a little to get the students to be quiet, but not until a strict looking woman to his right had yelled, there was quiet.

"Thank you Edel. Welcome to a new year here at the Academy and welcome to the new students as well. Before we eat, there are a couple of messengers. First years have to remember that the Isle of Agrona is forbidden and this goes for the rest of the students as well. If you wish to sign up for Quidditch please tell your Head of House, everyone can sign up except from first years. This is all and now we eat," the man said and sat down again. Then suddenly the tables were filled with food, Susie hadn't seen anything like this. There was mashed potatoes, and further down the table was what looked like a sheep's head, there were meat balls, steaks and many other dishes. When they all had finished they were ordered to bed. The first years had to follow their house prefect.

The castle was huge, Susie felt like they were walking forever before they reached a painting of a great big polar bear, it looked up when they came walking. The prefect said the password which was 'Icecube', behind the painting was a big hole. The common room was great; there was tapestry on the walls in blue and white colours. The big blue armchairs looked so soft.

"This is the North tower, your common room; up the stairs are your dormitories. Boys on the left and girls on the right," said the prefect, "the Head of House is Professor Spottedhorse, oh and I better say, don't be afraid of the ghosts they are usually very friendly, the house ghost is William the Wild, don't' let the name fool you, he's the sweetest thing, anyway it's time for you to go to bed, so goodnight everyone and welcome to the Academy." Then they were off to bed, they were only four girls, Susie, Colette, Christina and Nita.

"This is some place," Susie said when they were getting ready for bed.

"Yeah, my brother has told me a lot about it, I've only seen a picture of it, but I hadn't expected it would be this big," said Colette.

"Oh you have a brother who goes here as well?" Christina asked.

"Yeah, Joonatan, he's second year, Arctos as well," Colette said and put on her pyjamas.

"It's Nita right? I'm Susie," Susie said and tried to make eye contact with Nita, but she seemed very busy with putting her clothes away. Then the girl looked up.

"Yeah it's Nita." The two other girls introduced themselves as well.

"Where're you from? I'm from Denmark, so is Christina and Colette is from Finland," Susie said.

"I'm from Finland myself," Nita said and went to bed.

"Well I'm off to bed as well, after all we have our first lessons tomorrow," said Colette and turned in as well. Susie went up to Christina who was about to get into bed as well.

"What do you think is wrong with Nita, she's not that talkative," Susie said.

"Oh, she's probably missing her parents or something, which reminds me, I have to remember to write to mine tomorrow," Christina said and got into bed. Then they all said goodnight, but Susie had a hard time falling asleep, so many impressions flew around in her head, but it didn't go long before she slowly closed her eyes and dreamed about ice castles and doors that wouldn't open.