The students slowly began gathering around the Professor until eventually all of them were present. Professor McGonagall looked down at the time again. "Good. All of you please follow me. The train will be leaving in about an hour or so." She turned down a street adjacent to the staircase from which they entered Diagon Alley. The students all followed with their packages piled up, cages and bags of books on top. Soon, they heard the sound of a train whistle. McGonagall stopped. "This is where I shall leave you. I must return to Hogwarts for the ceremony tonight. Continue straight to the train station. The Hogwarts Express leaves from Platform 9 ¾. It will be leaving fairly soon." With that, the Professor disappeared, leaving behind the group of students.
The crowd continued walking until they reached the train station's third platform. As expected, there was no sign of a Platform 9 ¾. Many people in the group muttered words of "Now what?" or "What are we supposed to do?" Several others looked at each other and then to a lone wall resting between the platforms. They knew what had to be done, but was it true in their own lives as well as what they had once read? Crissy and Jen stepped forward first with their carts. Jen positioned herself in front of Crissy, who was in front of Kaela. She figured that if any of them were going to crash into a wall, she'd rather look like an idiot than let anyone else take the fall.
She took in a deep breath and braced herself. Clutching the cart tightly, she began to run toward the bricks ahead of her. Though she was tempted to pull back, she kept nearing the bricks until suddenly…
She went through them.
Shortly after, Crissy and Kaela followed and they all started at the magnificent train before them. Students of Hogwarts were bustling about getting their belongings onto the train as they climbed aboard themselves. It was a great mass of red and black steel, puffs of smoke slowly rising from the front. The three of them handed off their carts to the men working the train, grabbed a single set of robes, and boarded the train.
The interior was made up of a long hallway lined with sliding doors leading into compartments. As they walked, they noticed friends laughing and talking among themselves in each compartment. Toward the back of the train, they found one that was empty. Walking in, they set their robes down as Crissy slid the door closed.
They sat down on the cushiony seats, slightly sinking in, as they leaned back and finally gave their tired feet a chance to rest. Crissy stared at the window as she said in an exhausted voice, "Man what a day…Should we change into our robes?" Before any of them could move, the door slid open and a tall boy of about eighteen stood before them. His skin was tanned beneath strands of jet black hair. His crystal blue eyes met Jen's, and she found herself unable to pull away from them. He had the build of a football player, muscular arms lying beside a strong chest. His voice was slightly deep with an accent of a sort on it. "I'm sorry; I was just looking for my friends. Though I guess we'll all be friends soon." He flashed a brilliant smile at them and turned away, sliding the door shut behind him. Jen stared at the place where the boy had just been until Kaela sharply elbowed her in the side, erupting with, "What were you staring at?" Crissy looked from the window to Kaela. "Come on Kaela, he was hot. Who wouldn't stare at him?" Jen looked back at the door, a look of confusion spread throughout her face. "No he just…Looked familiar…That's all…" Kaela let out a small "Hmph" as they all began getting changed into their school robes.
The rest of the ride was quiet as the darkness of night fell around the train. Once it stopped, a flood of students poured out onto the platform. Several older men and women stood around with lanterns, guiding the students down paths winding through the forest. When they reached the end of the forest, a vast lake was before them. Several boats had already launched, making their way toward a shape in the distance. A large castle lied on the other side, lights flickering in hundreds of tiny windows. The immense building was placed atop a hill, allowing its lights to dance like stars reflected in the water. Crissy, Jen, and Kaela boarded a boat as it left the dock with no paddles to move it. They stared at the great castle as they neared it, its bricks and arches now coming into view. The towers of the castle seemed to reach the sky as they stared at them from the ground beneath them. All of the students began walking toward the entrance to the castle, where they were halted by a large door. Once all of the students gathered outside of the door, it opened slowly, and Professor McGonagall appeared robed in a deep green color. She looked outward to speak to all students in her crisp voice.
"You will now be led into the Great Hall. All of you will stand in the center. Please do not push or shove. You will each get your turn."
The Professor opened the large door as she and the students entered. The Great Hall was enormous. It was lined with tables large enough to seat each student comfortably. The ceiling, bewitched to look like the sky, displayed brilliant stars floating over the candles hovering above the heads of those walking below. At the front of the room, a table full of adults rested behind a stool with a small, crooked hat on it. The chair in the center of the table was empty, the one next to it now filled by McGonagall. The students all gathered in the center of the hall, gazing at the fascinating sights surrounding them. With a great thud, the doors leading into the Great Hall were closed, and silence fell among the students. A thin woman now stepped up and stood in front of the empty chair at the table. She had long locks of hair colored a light brown which fell smoothly over her shoulders draped in a brilliant robe of red and gold. Her skin was smooth and pale, her eyes twinkling as she smiled at the students. The voice from her throat was melodious and soothing as she announced, "Welcome students, to Hogwarts! I am your headmistress, Hermione Weasley. Now then, we will start the sorting ceremony. As you are sorted, please take a seat at the table designated for your house. These houses will soon become your family, and you must do your best to bring them honor! You see, at the end of the year, the house cup will be awarded to the house with the most points. That being said, let the ceremony begin!"