Disclaimer: Thank you, J.K. Rowling. I wish I were you.
"How much longer until we reach Hogwarts?" Adele asked no one in particular. The compartment had been silent for a few minutes now.
"About half an hour or so," Hermione answered, glancing at her watch. "Oh! I should probably go get Crookshanks. Luna said she would watch him while I was at the prefect's meeting." She hurriedly left the compartment and started heading up the train.
"Crookshanks?" Adele asked. Harry thought he could detect a slightly nervous note in her voice.
"Yeah, Hermione's bloody cat," Ron said. "He's completely bonkers."
Adele paled noticeably. She had known that there would be owls, cats, and toads at Hogwarts, but she didn't think she would meet any of them so soon. Harry watched with interest as Adele's face tightened. She looked scared.
After a few minutes, Hermione returned with an enormous ginger cat in her arms. The second they entered the compartment, Crookshanks launched out of Hermione's arms into Adele's lap. He started purring contentedly as Adele scratched his ears. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at her.
"What?" Adele said defensively. "Animals like me."
There was a silence until Hermione cleared her throat and laughed nervously. "I've never seen Crookshanks take to anyone like that before except —." At that point Harry threw Hermione a warning glance. She was about to say Sirius.
"Except who?" Adele asked.
"Just my godfather," Harry said guardedly.
Adele could tell there was more to the story but decided not to press for details. She doubted this man had the same powers as she did.
They were distracted as the train came to a halt.
"Ooh, we're here!" Hermione exclaimed. "Ron, come on! We have to direct the first years."
"Yeah, yeah," Ron said disinterestedly. "Wouldn't want them getting lost, now would we?"
Hermione, pulling Ron, rushed out of the compartment and onto the platform. Adele followed Harry at a slower pace as he left his trunk on the train and made his way to the platform.
"I guess I go with the new students, then?" Adele squeaked, her statement turning into a question because of her nervousness.
"Don't worry about the Sorting," Harry advised. "It will be over before you know it. We will be waiting for you at the Gryffindor table."
Adele instantly felt better. Harry thought they were going to be in the same House, at least. Harry squeezed her hand for good luck as they separated. Adele made her way over to an absolutely enormous man who was shouting, "Firs' years over here!" As she was directed to a fleet of boats that she assumed would cross the lake to the castle, she heard the man shout, "All righ' Harry?"
"Yeah Hagrid!" Harry answered with a grin and a wave.
Adele found herself sitting in a boat with three eleven year olds, two boys and a girl. They all looked nervous, and the boys were staring at her with wide eyes. The girl looked more like she was glaring.
"Um, hi," Adele said as the boats glided across the lake. "I'm Adele. Are you going to be first years?"
"Yeah," one of the boys said. "I'm William and this is Ethan and Claire. What year are you in?"
"Sixth," was the reply.
They all fell silent. In fact, no one said a word until Hagrid yelled, "Heads down!" as they approached a curtain of ivy that covered an opening in the cliff upon which Hogwarts stood. They all ducked, Adele the most, and they found themselves being carried through a dark tunnel into an underground harbor. The first years and Adele exited the boat and were taken to what Adele thought was an entrance hall in the castle. There, they were greeted by a stern-looking witch with her hair pulled tightly back in a bun.
"Hello, and welcome to Hogwarts," the witch said in a crisp voice. "I am Professor McGonagall. In just a moment, you will be sorted into one of four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin…"
Adele tuned Professor McGonagall out as she said the same things Hermione had already explained on the train. Adele looked around the hall. It was huge, with a flagged stone floor and torches lighting the walls. She saw paintings with their occupants whispering to each other, which was no surprise, because she had had them at her old school. Then, Ethan poked her in the back. Adele started and then saw that they were following Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall. Adele got in the back of the line and was the last person to enter the Great Hall.
It was a huge room, with four long tables running down the room and candles floating above them. There was a fifth table across the front of the room, which Adele saw seated the professors. Her eyes met the gaze of an old wizard with a long white beard and piercing blue eyes. 'Professor Dumbledore,' she thought automatically. He had sent her the Hogwarts letter after the debacle at her old school. He winked at her and Adele smiled. As they made their way to the front of the room, Adele saw that the entire male population was staring at her. She didn't think of it as flattery. She was a head and shoulders taller than all the other first years. Why wouldn't they stare?
Hermione, sitting at the Gryffindor table, saw all the boys staring at Adele as well. She rolled her eyes as some of the smaller ones half stood up for a better look. 'Oh, honestly!' Hermione thought. 'You would think they had never seen a girl before!'
Hermione watched Adele and saw that she was looking around the hall with a slightly overwhelmed look in her eye. She remembered her first year at Hogwarts, entering the Great Hall and seeing how huge and blatantly magical it was, with the enchanted ceiling and ghosts dotting the room.
Adele was so mesmerized by the room that she started again when the students burst into thunderous applause. While she had been studying some of the people in the Hall, a dirty, old, patched hat had been singing. Yes, singing.
Professor McGonagall came to stand beside the hat and unrolled a long parchment. "When I call your name, put on the hat and sit down on the stool to be sorted," she said.
"Avery, Ethan!"
Ethan, who was standing in front of her, stumbled to the stool. He put on the Sorting Hat and sat down. A couple seconds later, a rip near the brim opened and the hat yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"
The second table to the left burst into applause. Ethan tripped dazedly over and sat down next to two older students.
"Bartlett, Jayme!" A small girl with a blonde ponytail left the line.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The list went on and on. Adele got extremely nervous as Professor McGonagall passed her name alphabetically. She guessed that she would be called last, because she was the only student not going into first year. Her guess turned out to be correct.
At long last, her name was called.
"Evans, Adele!"
She slowly made her way to the stool. At the Gryffindor table, she saw Harry sitting with Ron and Hermione. He was giving her a confused look and Hermione was whispering in his ear. Adele sat down and pulled the Sorting Hat over her head.
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