When we arrived at Hogwarts, my heart began to race. The castle was absolutely enormous. Any new student was bound to get lost in it. "W-where do I go?" I asked Hermione, beginning to panic.
"Well, since it's your first year, you'll get on that boat over there and it will take you across the Black Lake to the castle. Then you'll go to the sorting ceremony."
"Sorting ceremony?"
"Come on, Hermione!" Ron called for her, impatiently.
"I'll see you at dinner." Hermione smiled apologetically.
Fuck.
"Fay!" A familiar voice called. It was Hagrid. "There yeh are! How was yeh're trip?" Because I was asleep for most of the ride, I didn't really know the answer to that question. Although, I did have a nice snuggle with Harry Potter.
"Oh, yeah, it was good."
"Good, good. Come on over ter the boat. All first years ter the boats!" Hagrid called. He helped me into one of the small boats with the other new students, and I sat awkwardly in between two prepubescent giggling girls around the age of eleven. Hagrid, who was the gamekeeper, climbed on board a boat of his own, and then, all by itself, the boats began to sail over to the castle. All of us, being first year students, were gobsmacked, giving each other looks of astonishment. A smile crept across my face. It was certain; I loved school already.
When the boat docked, we were sent to this 'sorting ceremony' that Hermione had mentioned. I was the eldest one there, but being average size at 5'4", I didn't stand out too much. I began to listen in on conversations the little kids were having. I didn't make out much besides the four repeated terms 'Ravenclaw', 'Slytherin', 'Gryffindor', and 'Hufflepuff'. I turned my attention to the front of the room where an old, battered, brown witch's hat was being placed on students' heads. It would announce one of the strange terms aloud, there would be an applause, the student would sit at their new house table, and then the next child was called up.
The hat sorted hundreds of kids before it was my turn, due to my last name being at the very end of the alphabet. I was slowly falling asleep, but the loud announcement of my name woke me right back up. "Fay Woodcroft!" The headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, called out. My heart began to pound as all eyes landed on me, and as I walked to the front of the room, my legs began to feel like noodles. I gave the sorting hat a good look over. Growing impatient, Professor McGonagall placed a hand on my shoulder and sat me down on the stool, and the hat was placed on my head.
"Hm…ambitious, clever, powerful, very resourceful, but also creative, witty, and original…" The hat thought deeply, and I thought I was going to be sick. "Seems it would be best to place this one in Slytherin…but…" The nervousness I felt with all those eyes on me and the intensity of waiting for the hat's decision grew worse with every second. "I shall go with…Ravenclaw!" It finally announced, and the table that sat a sea of students dressed in blue and silver applauded. Having no idea what that word meant, I slowly got up and made my way over to them.
A few more kids were sorted after me, and then the professors and the student body enjoyed a feast. I can't remember ever eating as much as I did on that night. When the ceremony ended and everyone was leaving the Great Hall, I looked around for anyone I knew. While searching, I caught a professor staring at me. He was tall and pale, with short greasy black hair, probably in his thirties. He had an eerie and somber look about him. He watched me like a hungry tiger. Pretending I was looking at something else, I turned back and left the Great Hall with everyone else.
The different houses followed their prefects to their dorms, and I strayed in the back of the Ravenclaw group, sheepishly. My eyes were fixed on the house ghosts flying about, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. Inevitably, I bumped into someone. "Hey, watch it, mudblood!" A tall boy with blonde hair grimaced at me, a gang of fellow students at his side. He was wearing the Slytherin colours.
"S-sorry."
"S-SORRY!" He mimicked me. His friends laughed as they walked away. "Filthy mudblood…" I heard him spit in disgust.
Mudblood? What language are these people speaking?
"That's your bed there." My roommates were fellow Ravenclaws Cho Chang, Padma Patil, and Luna Lovegood, who all congratulated me on joining the "best house in Hogwarts". Considering it was rather late and it had been a long day, we all just collapsed onto our four-poster beds and drifted off to sleep. There'd be other times for getting acquainted, I supposed.