Hey everybody sorry for the late update I'll try to post every week from now on. There will be parts of the book in this chapter.
Chapter 2
The heavy oak door swung open at once to reveal a tall stern looking witch with emerald-green robes. The giant who brought us across the lake spoke to the black haired woman.
"The fris' years, Professor McGonagall,"
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them, follow me please," The Professor said while looking at all of us, she then turned around and walked through the doors.
I looked over at my sister Vega and shrug my shoulders. All of us first years followed behind the Professor to come to the entrance hall of the castle. The hall was so huge that it could probably fit about ten thousand people in it, the stone walls that made up the hall had flaming torches that provided light to see, the ceiling of the hall was to high up to make out what it looked like, and a unbelievably amazing marble staircase led to the upper floors.
Professor McGonagall walked us across the flag stones of the entrance hall. The chatter of a hundred voices came from a doorway to our right that must have been the Great Hall my aunt told my sister and cousin about. As we stopped outside an empty chamber the Professor showed us into all of us crowded around each other, and I pulled Vega toward me so we would not get separated from each other.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She said this while looking at a round face boy and the boy who was standing next to Harry who looked like he was trying to rub his nose off.
"I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly," She said this before she left the chamber. I looked over at my sister feeling a bit nervous about what house we will end up in.
"Hey Ve what if we don't get into Gryffindor?" I asked her.
"Really Em, we are nothing but, what is it Professor Snape calls us all the time, oh yes 'useless idiotic Gryffindors so yes Em I believe we will be in with the lions."
"Oh yeah Uncle Snapple will be here teaching us," I exclaimed
"Really I had no idea," The sarcasm rolled off her tongue in waves as she spoke. I rolled my eyes at her as I began to retort but from behind us a scream cut me off. Turning around a sight of twenty slightly transparent ghosts coming out of the wall filled my vision. As they glided across the ground some of the ghosts were babbling about but two seemed like they were in a heated argument.
A fat looking monk spoke to the other ghost that was wearing ruffles and tights, "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"
"We're first years," Vega shouted to the ghost when it looked like no one was going to answer them.
"About to be Sorted, I supposed?" The fat Friar asked. I nodded my head along with some other of the people around me. It looked like the Friar was about to say something when a sharp voice cut him off.
"Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had and one by one the ghost went through the wall.
"Now, form a line, and follow me." Professor McGonagall told us. I got in line behind Harry, with Vega behind me, and started to walk out of the chamber doors and back across the hall to a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. I never thought that the Great hall would be this amazing when I heard stories about it. It was lit by thousands of candles that were floating in midair over the four long house tables. The tables were already set up with golden plates and goblets. At the end of the Great Hall on a dais sat another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led us towards the Professor table were we turned around to face all of the other students. I turned to my right to face my sister when she elbowed me in my side and when I looked at her she was pointing upwards to the ceiling. I looked up and saw a velvety black sky dotted with stars. I knew it was bewitched to look like the night sky as my sister told me when she read Hogwarts: A History.
"Hey Em," Vega whispered into my ear when Professor McGonagall silently placed four-legged stool in front of us. I look over to her raising my eyebrow.
Before she could ask it Professor McGonagall looked over to us to be quite. She then set down an old pointed wizard's hat that was patched and frayed and very much dirty.
"I don't want to put that nasty thing on my head," I whispered to Vega.
"Shut up Gemma," she whispered back to me while rolling her eyes.
I was pulling back my arm so I could elbow her hard in her side, when a rip near the old hats brim opened wide and began to sing:
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (through I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the Sorting Hat finished its song. The hat then bowed to each of the tables and then became quite once again. I wonder if Ve and I will keep doing our silly nicknames for people, like we did at every Christmas party our Uncle and Aunt through every year. I feel a slight nudge on my right side to see my sister giving me a crooked smile, so we are doing the names. I give her back my own crooked smile.
Professor McGonagall now stepped up next to the hat with a long roll of parchment in her hands.
"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted!" She said. "Abbot, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line and put the hat on, which fall down to cover her eyes.
"Hand – me – a – butt." Vega whispered.
While Vega whispered me her nickname in my ear, the hat yelled at "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on our right side let out cheers while some clapped for her. Hannah went and sat down at the Hufflepuff table near the Fat Friar who was waving merrily at her.
"Bones, Susan!"
"Boner," Vega and I whispered at the same time to each other, as the hat yet again yelled out "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Boot, Terry!"
I looked over to Ve to see her shrugging her shoulders and then looked at to me, I to shrug my shoulders.
"RAVENCLAW!" The table second on the left clapped this time for Terry.
"Brocklehurst, Mandy"
"Bratwurst." I whispered to Ve. Mandy went into Ravenclaw as well. "Brown, Lavender" was sorted into Gryffindor, and the table on the far left side cheered loudly and where I could see the Weasley twins catcalling.
"Bulstrode, Millicent!"
"Bull face Millipede," Ve whispered to me, as the hat called out "SLYTHERIN!" the table between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff clapped politely when the hat called out their house. "Crabbe, Vincent" one of our cousins bodyguard, our as my sister and I known him as Crabbes, went into Slytherin as well. I felt eyes on my so I turned around to look up at the Professors table to see a man with oily shoulder length hair and onyx eyes glaring down his hooked nose at me. I just raised my eyebrows at him as to say what; he just kept his glare on me while bringing his left pointer finger to his lips and his right pointer finger in front of him while making a circling motion. I glared back at him and turned around, leaning into my sister so my mouth could be by her ear.
"Uncle Sev just indicated that we needed to be quiet," I whispered. She turned around to look at the swallow faced man.
"I don't care, do you," she asked me while turning back around.
"No." I whispered back smiling widely.
"Finnigan, Seamus!"
"Seamen?" I whispered to Ve. She just laughed and whispered back to me "Finish again," to finish his whole name.
The hat took a while for him to call out what house he would belong to until finally it called out "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Goyle, Gregory!" Was called out after a boy named Anthony Goldstein, my sister and I have already given him a nickname as well because he was our cousin's second bodyguard as he likes to call Crabbes and Gargoyle, he was sorted into Slytherin as well as Crabbe
"Granger, Hermione!"
When her name was called the bushy haired girl almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat onto her head.
"There are too many names that rhyme with her name," Vega told me and I agreed with her, we could call her hormones or that muggle drug heroine.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted out.
"Lestrange, Gemma!" Professor McGonagall called my name; I walked up to stool feeling nervous about what the hat will say. As Professor McGonagall was putting on the hat I saw Vega give me a smile then I saw black.
"Hmm," said a voice in my ear. "You have plenty of loyalty to be placed in Hufflepuff but not one to be just and patient was you, no. You do have a thirst to prove yourself. There's talent for a sliver tongue, now that's interesting. Oh, I see you have courage as well. You would do well in Slytherin but I do believe you would also do well in GRYFFINDOR!"
When the hat yelled out Gryffindor I let out a breath I didn't even I was holding. I look up first when I pulled the hat off my head to my Uncle and gave him a cheeky grin, then got up and ran over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to the Granger girl while waving to my sister whose name was just called to be sorted. When Vega sat down on the stool I crossed my fingers and I hoped she would be sorted into Gryffindor as well. After what seemed like hours but really a minute or two but the hat finally yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!" she too turned around when got off the stool and waved to Uncle Sev, then processed to ran to where I was sitting with my arms open to give her a hug. She sat down heavily on bench and quickly gave me hug then turned back to Professor McGonagall who just called out the next name.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
"More like Dicko Mouthful," Vega said while I had a sneer on my face while the hat yelled out Slytherin before it even touched his head.
Vega and I sat quietly listening to names being called out, there were four names that were called out before Professor McGonagall called out the one name everybody was waiting to hear.
"Potter, Harry!"
Students around me turned to their left or right to whisper to their neighbors. As Harry made his way up to the stool I pushed Vega in a joking manner while laughing silently.
"Oh Merlin Pooter," I gasped when I had a break in my laughing. Vega was leaning heavily on me from laughing so hard. When the hat Yelled out Gryffindor my sister and I jumped up with the other Gryffindors clapping and yelling "We got Potter ! We got Potter!" Harry walked over to our table and sat across from us. He gave us a shy smile than turned to his left to sit. The last five students walked up to the stool to be sorted. There were two Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff, one Ravenclaw, and one Slytherin left. The boy who looked like the Weasley twins was one of the last five students sorted into Gryffindor; after he was sorted he went and sat down next to Harry. When all the first years have been sorted and seated and Professor McGonagall had taken the stool away a wizard who was tall and thin with long sliver hair and beard stood up from his gold like throne and smiled at everyone with his arms opened wide.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!
"Thank you!"
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered for the old wizard who was looking at all the Student through his moon shaped glasses.
"So that Professor Dumbledore, I wonder what he are going to nickname him. Are we going to nickname him?" I asked my sister who just gave me a smile and a laugh.
"Merlin Em we don't even have to nickname him, his last name says it all," she said.
"It does?" I asked her.
"Come on Dumbledore…Dumb-Old-Door," she told me as she rolled her eyes. I was going to reply back to her but just then the golden plates that lined the long tables were piled with tons of food. While putting some mashed potatoes on my plate the ghost with ruffles and tights came floating over to where Harry was sitting.
"That does look good," he said sadly while watching all the students around him eating their food.
"Yeah it is pretty good," I told him
"But we are pretty sad that you can't have any of this divine food," Vega said with a sad smirk on her face. He gave my sister and me a dirty look and turned around to float away but was stopped.
"What's your name?" Harry asked the ghost.
"My name kind sir is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
"Hey I know who you are!" the younger red-head said suddenly. "You're Nearly Headless Nick, the Giffindors ghost. My brothers told me about you."
"Nearly Headless? Hey can you be nearly headless?" the brushy haired Hermione Granger asked."
"Like this," he said irritably while grabbing his left ear and pulled. His whole head fell open from his neck but stopped as if it was on a pair of hinges. It looked like someone had tried to behead him but was unable to crop his head clean off before Sir Nicholas had died. He snapped his head back onto his shoulders and floated off in a huff. As I watched him float away I heard someone call my last name.
"Hey are two really the Lestrange twins?" Someone asked us from down the table on our left.
"Yea but we are nothing like our family, right sis." I said turning to Ve who was glaring at the kid who had made her stop her eating so she could answer the kid's question.
"Yes we are nothing like them but I'll start acting like my mother if you don't let me finish eating my food before you start asking stupid questions." She said this in a quiet whisper to everyone at the table who was staring at them, after Vega said this everyone turned back to their friend or food.
When everyone was done eating the golden plates that still hold some food disappeared and was replaced with tons of different deserts. There was every flavor of ice cream you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jell-O, and rice pudding. As I was serving myself some apple pie I glanced up for a second to see Harry clap his hand on his forehead. I looked back down at plate so I could put whip cream on my apple pie. After everybody was done eating their sweets the sirens call of sleep swept over us. Albus Dumbledore got to his feet again.
"Ahem – just a few more words now that we all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-terms notices to give you.
"Frist years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes moved over to look at the Weasley twins, who had mischievous grins on their faces.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
Quidditch trails will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their Houses team should contact Madam Hooch.
And finally, I must tell you that this year; the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." He said giving everybody a stern look over his half-moon glasses. Some students gave a short laugh while most just kept looking up at the Headmaster. I look over my sister with a raised eyebrow. All she gave me back was a short shrug of her shoulders.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. I looked up at Uncle Snape to see him and rest of the Professors give a murderous look over at the Headmaster. Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which raised high above the tables and twisted itself into words.
"Everyone picked their favorite tune, and off we go," said Dumbledore.
And the school starts to sing:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Weather we be old and blad
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 bites of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do our best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Vega and I were laughing so hard after the song had finish let we had to lean on each other so we would go tippling onto the floor.
"Ah, music," Dumbledore said giving everyone a warm smile. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot."
Veg and I were stilling giggling slightly when another red-head with horn rimmed glasses called out "Frist years follow me please."
All of the first year Gryffindors got up slowly and followed the boy through the chattering crowds of the Great Hall. I put my hand in Ve's so we could stay close to each other. As I was looking around the people in the portraits whisper and point at all of us as we passed their fames. The boy who was leading us brought us through doors that were hidden behind sliding panes and hanging tapestries. We climbed more staircases then I could count, we walked to an end of a corridor where hung a large portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said
"Caput Draconis," the boy told the fat lady and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. I dragged Vega through the hole with everybody else. We all found ourselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room that was decorated in gold's and scarlet's and squashy armchairs.
"My name is Percy Weasley, I am one of Gryffindors prefects. If you need any help you can come to me or can go to the other prefect Emily Taylor. In the morning our Head of House Professor McGonagall well hand you, your timetables. Now for you first week here I would suggest you try to memorize where your classes as quickly as you can so you will not get lost. Gryffindor is a proud House so be respectful to your peers. Now classes start at 9am so please finish in Great Hall before that time. Now the boy's dormitory is to the left and the girls are to the right."
He waved his hands signaling to move, the girls and boys spilt up to go through their own separate dormitory doors. Vega and I went through the door with three other girls and up a spiral staircase to a door that had a sign on it that read:
FRIST YEAR'S
BROWN, LAVENDER
GRANGER, HERMIONE
LESTRANGE, GEMMA
LESTRANGE, VEGA
PATIL, PARVATI
Granger was the one who pushed the door to walk into a round room with five dark wood four poster beds, with blood red curtains hanging down from the canopy of the beds and at the end of each of the beds were trunks. I looked around to see who had what bed; Granger had the bed to far left, while Brown and Patil were in middle. Vega and I had the last two beds on the right. I walked over to the far right bed where my trunk sat and opened my trunk to get out my pajamas. Everybody was quiet while we all changed into our sleep clothes. When I was finished changing I walked to my bed where the bed covers were scarlet red with the Gryffindor lion on it. I pulled back my covers and slid in. As I got comfy I turned my head to look at my sister who had her head turned to me with her left arm sticking out. I reached out with my right hand to grab onto hers and smiled at her. We both fall asleep holding onto each other hand and never letting go.