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Hermione POV:

“Not on this one either — just where did that toad jump off to...” A girl muttered from where she was standing, just outside a compartment in the corridor, with a slight frown, staring off into nothingness after she had just checked one more compartment to see whether the toad somehow got in there; not surprisingly though, the residents inside were less then hospitable just like the others before; possibly due to her bossy attitude but she didn’t even show the slightest sign of being disturbed by it as was the norm, though that did not mean she didn’t feel hurt as she was good at keeping her emotions to herself.

{You might be wondering, why? Why would a first-year muggle-born girl such as herself would in any way be taking part in helping to search some boy’s pet toad out of random instead of just peacefully minding her own business and continuing her second-through of Hogwarts: A History in her compartment in serenity.

Well, the reason was exactly that — serenity. Her having a strong sense of justice and authority also might have some influence on the matter.

As a longtime loner, she was always aware of the painful reality that she was different from others, so, since that unforgettable day she learned that she was a witch that can do magic and there were other people like her who go to a special school to study said magic, she had been pretty hopeful; why wouldn’t she be? It was only natural for a young girl to be so optimistic about going to a magical school right out of fairytales; but to her, having friends — people who were similar to her — was equally important if not more, because for the longest of times, she had yearned to spend her time with people her age who will accept her not because of her usefulness as a study partner, but because of being just her. Just Hermione.

Her parents were especially supportive of their one and only daughter because they loved her dearly and were quite aware of what she had been through, maybe that’s why they were not that resistant about the prospect of a whole magical world existing right beneath their noses and their little girl leaving them for said world. They knew that she was not normal and would eventually be isolated from the outside world, turning to her books, being a shut-in completely. So it was a godsent for them to learn that there was a place for their daughter to fit in, even if it was a weird sort of place for them, nevertheless it was good enough for the worried parents.

But unfortunately, life was not much like in those bedtime stories that they used to read to their beloved daughter as it seems, she herself could not undo the damage her past had done to her, at least not in the short-term, so here she was once again sadly left to accept that the students here were not that much different from those she really used to didn’t get along back in her old school days, maybe even worse as a couple of students her age completely changed their attitude and hurled insults at her and her parents out of nowhere when they learned both of her parents couldn’t use magic.

It was a completely new form of discrimination she originally didn’t expect to suffer out here. At least before, she was the only one to be discriminated against because of her peculiarities, but now? Even her parents were brought into this? Outrageous!

No matter where she went, nobody her age whether it be a girl or a boy liked to associate themselves with her, either irritated by her attitude or simply intimidated by her intelligence, only acting friendly to use her to meet their own ends... As long as they had something to gain, which mostly was in the department of studies, she was their friend... It seems here, things would not be much different at all...

Her only healthy communication experience, apart from her loving parents, came from the authority figures who she depended on with her life. The bossy attitude and a strong belief in authority she developed because of such an unhealthy childhood certainly didn’t help things as they were.

But she was nothing if not persistent, so even after several attempts she tried in the path to make friends on the train that backfired on her spectacularly, the moment she spotted a worried boy her age looking desperately for a person named ‘Trevor’, she just had to offer her help in searching for the boy’s missing friend which she later learned was actually his pet toad — all for the purpose of being his friend.

Of course, the girl would never admit that she was doing this to gain a friend — no, not even to herself as it was shameful — so to her, it was the right thing to do. It’s not like she goes through all this trouble just so she can make friends, right? She’s just helping a schoolmate in need as a responsible student...}

All of a sudden, a white light seeping through the gaps of the compartment door just ten steps ahead to her right, caught her interest.

“Is that... That’s definitely not normal,” she muttered in excitement as it could only be a very powerful source that could cause such intense light which was originating from behind the door.

“It has to be magic — let’s take a look then,” the precocious girl, the little inquisitor that she was, muttered. As it was her nature, she was extremely curious of the source that the powerful light came from. In the other compartments that she visited, to her delight, she frequently saw magic being used when she visited them. The most memorable one was the exploding snap game that she saw being played among some upperclassmen, notably the red-haired identical twin brothers with a few other people who even invited the girl to join but she naturally refused, saying that she was in the middle of searching the missing toad for a friend.

The game looked dangerous, if not stupid to her; but it was still refreshing to watch as she still was new to the whole concept of magic also, she loved discovering new things — that was the reason why she decided to investigate the source in the first place, without even a moment’s hesitation. What could possibly go wrong? Her bushy hair flowed around her heart-shaped face in harmony as she skittered for the door, anticipation boiling inside. In her mind there were countless possible scenes she was expecting to find as she brazenly slided the door open to the compartment which had it’s curtain closed, never did she imagine to see a messy jet-black haired boy who should not be that far from her age, who too was wearing his Hogwarts uniform, with the most brilliant green eyes she has ever laid eyes on looking at her in bewilderment.

For a brief moment, she could have sworn that the boy’s eyes flashed in a brilliant emerald hue, but quickly discarded it as just her imagination.

Funnily enough, neither her search for Trevor nor the light magic now concerned her. In those chocolate brown eyes, there reflected only the twin green orbs originating from the boy.

Seconds passed, her eyes were still glued to the emerald orbs that were apparently the eyes of this intriguing boy, despite the dirty round old thing he was wearing on his face which made a poor excuse for a glasses, the sheer magesty could not be withheld from within those eyes... She was so lost in them, to the point of even losing the track of time as she just could not take her eyes off of what she was presented. When she did come to her senses, she realized what she was doing and internally berated herself for her manners in front of the boy.

She really was disturbed by her reaction to the boy, so she asked in her haughty persona as she flicked her chocolate brown hair.

“Were you the one who made that flash of light? I think it came from here...”

As if cat got his tongue, the boy just continued to stare at her with what looked to be bewilderment.

Getting no reply, she was feeling slightly irritated as she observed the boy from head to toe. She could tell he was skinny even with the school robes he was wearing, without the tie, she noted.

He was a little on the feminine side too. If not for the short messy black hair and round old spectacles which surprisingly suited him, she could have easily mistaken him for a girl. He had a very white complexion which suggested that either it was genetic inheritance or that he rarely was out in the sunlight. The amblem on his school robe revealed that he was yet to be sorted to a house, which meant that he was a first year just like her.

Then she spotted the source of the light which was the main reason for her being here right now. The wand in his tightly gripped right hand that was resting on his knees — on the tip of it was but a faint ball of white light, having only the slightest traces of it’s previous brilliance.

“It is the Lumos charm, right? I’ve read about it in Standart Book of Spells, chapter 3.” She said giving a momentary glance at the boy; than looking back at his wand, remembering everything that has to do with the charm. It was easy to cast but difficult to control. She already tried some of the first-year spells which she learned theoretically for the past month in her compartment, most of them worked out just fine including Lumos, but her’s was incomparable to the boy’s, even if his spell lasted for a few seconds, nevertheless it was — frustrating...

“You’re a first year.” Yet she was impressed as well.

The boy gulped, then asked with obvious curiosity.

“Yes, it’s in fact my very first year at Hogwarts. How did you know?”

His voice was easy to ears, she noted.

She rolled her eyes at the boy’s stupidity as she said in a slightly arrogant manner, “Oh that’s great, me too. As it should be obvious from my robes,” she indicated haughtily the amblem on her chest, she could tell he was clueless so she went on, “the Hogwarts amblem means you haven’t got a house yet. I’ve read about it in Hogwarts, a History that there are four houses with their own amblems, with each being represented by a specific color and an animal. Gryffindor values bravery and chivalry, Hufflepuff; comradery and loyalty, Ravenclaw; wisdom and intelligence and Slytherin; cunning and ambition. Before the sorting ceremony, all of the first-year students are required to have the Hogwarts amblem and a black tie which by the way I see you haven’t even bothered to wear one, but the instant they get sorted, their robes then transform to fit with their respective houses’.”

She said in a single breath. At this point she was lost in her own world as she inhaled a deep breath and went on, beaming.

“Isn’t it just — fascinating? When you get sorted, you will be selected to be a part of one of the four houses which have their own common rooms and dormitories. Though I do not know how the sorting is done as it strangely wasn’t mentioned in Hogwarts: A History or the other books that I’ve bought for light reading,” Then she sombered up a little and went on her speech while looking through the window.

“I think it should involve the headmaster and the professors as a jury or some kind of magical artifact that decides which house you are better suited in, yet here I am just speculating...”

As she was about to go on talking, suddenly a hearty laughter interrupted her speech and thus irritated, she glared at the source.

She normally just ignored the derision and ridicule from other people but coming from this boy, somehow it really got on her nerve, not to mention that it hurt. And here she was being magnanimous, trying to help this clueless boy understand some important aspects of their school. Hmph! The nerve of him...

She was just about to retort when the boy who was just now shamelessly laughing at her stopped his misdeed at once and apologised, with a charming smirk, she took note — irritated...

“I’m sorry, it’s just that you have been speaking for a few minutes now and I still don’t know your name,” then he indicated the seat opposite to him, “Why don’t you sit down, and let’s properly introduce ourselves?”

The girl was as dumbfounded as she was irritated, She berated herself for getting distracted by him and making a fool out of herself. She was completely red in the face as she quickly sat down. Wanting to quickly salvage the situation in her favor, she crossed her legs as she always does when she subconsciously feels the need to protect herself.

”I’m Hermione Granger, you are?” She asked in her imperious manner with that bossy tone of voice.

”I’m Harry Potter.”

As the boy completed his sentence, announcing his name, the name she least expected to hear coming from him; she unconsciously quickly uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, the previous awkwardness completely fading away, her eyes automatically went to the boy’s forehead where she could barely make out the fine traces of the infamous lightning bolt scar just above his right eyebrow only a single living boy should possess. The-Boy-Who-Lived...

“Are you really?” stated Hermione, shock barely muted from her voice as she must have completely missed it, the scar. Her pride was damaged. Why didn’t she see it? She was really good at noticing such things, so why? The only answer to these questions that appeared in her mind was that, she should have noticed it, if not for her distraction... Only if his eyes weren’t so...

She then looked back into his eyes, the ones at fault that were responsible for her distraction... She just couldn’t get angry with those orbs around. At the boy’s affirmative nod, she sighed as she toned down most of her enthusiasm in unexpectedly meeting a celebrity from her voice as she cleared her throat and said, her eyes half-closed...

“I know all about you, of course—I got a few extra books for background reading, and you’re in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. ”

“Books? About me?” He asked as he sat straighter, directing his full attention to the girl.

She could tell that he was seriously underinformed from their previous conversation, but not to this degree.

“Goodness, didn’t you know? I’d have found out everything I could if it was me.” She said incredulously, leaning forward, tilting her head a little to the right while looking at him, involuntarily holding her breath and clasping her hands together and was about to open her mouth but at the last moment, left it at that. She considered in her momentary hesitation whether it would be okay to ask him about his tragic past as she was really curious about this strange boy... But that would be really insensitive of her. How would she like it if somebody she just met asked her out of nowhere about her dead parents and how her life till now was...

So despite her curiosity, she managed to hold it in and leaned back in her seat.

The boy calmly shook his head, and as if sensing her dilemma, he said;

“Well, even though I have this mark,” he lifted his forelocks with his right hand and while avoiding her gaze, traced the scar with his little finger on his forehead, “I’m just a normal boy who learned that he was able to do magic only about a month ago and before that, I was living a normal life with my muggle relatives, without any knowledge that there was even a magical school existing in Britain let alone the existence of magic.”

She let out a gasp.

“What? That’s impossible! Though I do know that you have been living with your relatives who can’t use magic as was mentioned in Modern Magical History, they should have at least known about magic as they were related to your parents. The magical laws allows this!

The boy just continued looking at her eyes.

She gasped again, holding her hands to her mouth, understanding dawning to her as she stated quietly, “They didn’t tell you the full story, did they?”

The boy only nodded his head once in confirmation.

“So, you learned all of that — I mean, what happened to...” She was genuinely sorry for the famous young wizard.

“Yes, just recently.” His voice was neutral, she noted.

“Oh, right.” Not knowing what to say, the young witch could only drop her head and bask in the awkward atmosphere she herself created by her own hands. Just how stupid can she get?

But then, something in her periphery view, the peculiar book which was resting on the boy’s lap which she only now noticed, presented her with a life boat that could save her from her predicament.

“Oh, were you reading? It certainly doesn’t seem to be a book that has to do with our curriculum. What book is it, can I see?” The girl asked, overjoyed that the boy too was not unfamiliar with reading.

Somehow, she was beginning to see him as a much closer existence with the way things were going between them. She was obviously trying to cheer the boy up by changing the subject as a consequence of this.

The boy gently smiled at her then handed the book over as the girl took it in her hands, she let out a slight gasp as she stared first at the boy then at the book in shock and wonder.

“It’s so smooth to the touch, I could just read it all day!” She exclaimed.

The boy gave a brief laugh in affirmation.

She then read the letters on the cover, “Basic Magicure? Theresa Woodman? Theresa... Woodman?” She looked away from the book in her hand and began squinting her eyes in contemplation, staring into nothingness while slowly nodding her head as she knew she was on to something.

“Witch... Bewitch... 18th century... Sleep... Oh! Of course! Theresa Woodman! She was the 18th century witch who founded the Bewitched Sleep spell! I’ve read about her in the History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot! She was also among the very few who revolutionized the Wizarding World with her discoveries in poison-cure potions!”

She then immediatly started browsing the pages in delight, forgetting that she was in the presence of a celebrity altogether.

Then, after a few minutes, a very soft murmur of ”Hermione,” got her attention as she looked back at the boy. He was slightly whiter than she first saw, she took note. What’s more, for a moment she thought she saw him in pain but quickly let go of that notion as just a misperception in her part.

Just because that was the first time he used her name while addressing her, she was taken off guard as a consequence. For some reason, this boy was really good at destabilizing her.

“Yes?” She asked with that bossy voice, giving her full attention to the boy as she again found herself mystified by his eyes, but this time with more restraint.

The boy hesitated for a few seconds while avoiding looking at her as his facial expression changed multiple times, from amazement to confusion, from confusion to panic, from panic to resignation and lastly, from resignation to resolve as he then answered.

“Sorry, I just had the strongest urge to say your name,” He apologized as a figure of speech, then continued. “It’s a lovely name, Hermione... I like it, it suits you.” The boy said looking at her with a hint of a smile on his features.

“Do you mean that?”

She inquired with a slight squint of her eyes, sceptical and a bit curious about what the emerald green eyed boy would have to say. She strongly felt that there was something very different about the boy. Though she could not quite put her fingers on it yet...

“Of course, I’ve never been more serious in my life.” The boy stated as a matter of factly to the bewilderment of the girl.

“Oh... Ummm... Really?” asked the girl. Usually she would have to suffer criticism or derision from her contemporaries; the very few times she was complimented, she could obviously tell that they were insincere; but for the very first time in her life, she was complimented by a boy — and he seemed sincere... That never happened before...

”Yeah,” the boy smiled weekly as he went on, “it suits a cute girl like you.”

She was red in the face, flushed from the words the boy just kind of spitted out out of nowhere, then suddenly becoming too shy to even sit around him any longer so, even to the extent of avoiding his eyes, she self admonishingly said,

“Oh, right — I-I’ve got to get back to searching... A boy named Neville lost his pet toad so...”

It was way too fast, the way she spoke, as she just remembered her reason for not being in her compartment. She then gave the book back over to it’s owner who calmly put it in his bag as she avoided looking at the boy and got up from her seat. She was just about to exit the compartment but she stopped and turned around to look at the boy who was watching her in a peculiar way she couldn’t describe. She hesitated for a brief moment but then came to a decision as she immediatly got closer to him and pulled out her wand and pointed it between his eyes.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

As it was an unexpected move, the boy was left speechless, watching in confusion as the girl cried out,

“Occulus Reparo!”

Something resembling a small piece of sticker, a pair of them, instantaneously came out from the boy’s glasses with a faint cracking sound and turned into a white vapour on the tip of her wand that slowly evaporated, the boy just stared at the wand, his mouth wide open.

The boy, shaking his head sighed good naturedly, feeling nostalgic as he took off his glasses and examined it, then wore it again as he could only utter just a single word, giving off a tired smile,

“Thanks.”

Not really taking any heed to the abnormality in his voice, she nodded while throwing nothing more than a cursory glance at the boy and than exited the most nerve-wrecking compartment she’d ever visited, but not before quickly sliding the door behind her closed without even looking back, if she had, she definitely would have seen ‘the-boy-who-lived’ voicelessly screaming in pain and than finally, laying completely limp on his seat, unconscious.

Even though she may not show it, she now firmly believed that she may have just found her very first friend at last. But if only she knew that their friendship would never come to pass... 

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Harry POV:

I was rudely woken up by a terrible headache in the middle of a very strange dream I was having... When I opened my eyes, I could tell that I had fallen asleep, my head resting against a window, and through it, I could see the sunset painting the vast oceans of moving trees, the farmlands and the mountains in the distance in an angry crimson red.

“Huee? Is it already — morning?” I murmured softly right after yawning wearily with half-lidded eyes. As I took in my surroundings; I strongly felt the need to screw up my eyes and rub them — with both my index fingers — slightly lifting up my glasses for better access, making sure whether all that I’m seeing right now is part of the dream or not.

As I again opened my eyes, what I saw remained the same and after that; no matter how many times I blinked... 

“It’s cold... What is this place?” I shuddered as my senses started to kick in.

I then lifted my head up from the cool surface of the glass,

I crossed my arms tightly in an effort to warm my body. When I looked at the scenery outside, and added to that the sound of the locomotive engine, I knew exactly what I was on.

“Am I on a train? But why? Where is it going? When did... But how did I even get here?” For some reason, my voice was coming louder than usual, but I ignored it in favor of the million other things that felt... Just dead wrong...

It was so confusing.

[The last thing I remember was me lying down on the floor in the middle of the night, making a wish — before blowing the ‘candles’ on my delicious looking ‘birthday cake’. After that, everything sort of — blacked out.]

My head was full of unanswered questions, and the likely answers to any to them were probably all bad news. Well, apart from my wish coming true that is, but that doesn’t seem to be the case as the feeling of uneasiness, as well as the strange sensation of this type of coldness wasn’t included in any part of my wish, not to mention the headache...

“Why can’t I remember?”

What was more disconcerting was that, it didn’t feel like I was just now ‘celebrating’ my birthday on that small island in the old shack... Rather it somehow felt much longer than just a few days...

“Does it perhaps have anything to do with the drea...”

“Ouch! My head!”

A piercing pain shot through my skull as I held onto my head with my hands, my face cringing.

“What’s happening?” I said, more like whined in pain.

Trying to remember anything about why I’m here was perhaps the primary cause for the headache. But despite the pain, I stubbornly tried to remember it.

[The dream? What was it about again?]

The more time passed and the more I tried to remember, the more I was forgetting...

[I dreamt of a man telling me that I’m a wizard]

“Ugh!” I grimaced, holding my head.

[And that my parents didn’t die in a car crash, but some evil wizard who started a war murdered them instead, but he couldn’t do anything to me, so I became famous. I also remember looking for some books for school from a list — and a bag?]

Trying to ignore the pain, I turned my head to my left to see the small leather bag right next to me. It seemed ordinary but I had the inkling feeling that there was something more to it as it highly resembled the bag I bought in my dream. When I clutched it in my hands,

[It’s light...] I thought, feeling a little disappointed — but when I opened it and held it so that the sunlight could easily illuminate the inside, I could only come to the inevitable conclusion that...

“Wow! Magic!” My enthusiastic cry filled the room.

“There’s even a birdcage for crying out loud!” Seeing a large rectangular room where there were about a dozen or so books which were stacked together and a bird cage just in the corner! I tried shaking the bag to see whether the contents inside would be affected in any way, but the whole structure was perfectly stable, along with it’s contents... In my childish mind, there was no way that it could be anything but magic; that, I was absolutely sure about.

“This means that not only am I not an ‘insane freak’ as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon used to repeatedly spit out so vehemently when strange things happened around me, but also the dream I woke from now was not entirely my imagination at all! So that means my parents were not drunkards at all! Although I do not have the slightest idea what’s happening, if it helps me get away from the Dursleys, then all is well! The farther away from them, the better!”

Despite my apparent discomfort, I was overflowing with excitement, but a simple question raising in my head and it’s not so obvious implications were more than enough to confuse the hell out of me, dampening my spirits.

[Did I just used the word ‘vehemently’?]

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An hour later...

A rough, muted male voice echoed through the train,

“We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.”

“I guess there’s no need to take you with me then...” I spoke out — now with a tie on — staring at the bag which was on my lap.

Even though it was quite light and occupied a small space, I could see no reason to not leave it behind.

I was in the compartment sitting on my seat and reading some books to further understand my position.

As underage witches and wizards, all of us were required to bring a wand; as wands were essential for our survival, being the catalyst to use magic all over the world throughout the ages, according to the school book that I’m now reading.

So it was definitely not pleasant when I was unable to find my wand, not surprisingly I panicked, but thankfully, I managed to think of searching my pockets from early on and found my wand without any drama...

“It’s still cold...” No matter how much I try to warm myself up, the coldness just doesn’t go away... Not to mention the headaches and the jumbled sounds and voices around me that doesn’t disappoint in ruining my day.

Though I was slowly getting used to this peculiar feeling around me, I couldn’t say that it was actually pleasant. I have a feeling that it should have something to do with this train... I can feel it — I hope it gets better out there...”

I looked out the window only to see nothing but the far-stretching darkness apart from the many dim stars that were constantly fizzling out of existence at one moment and then as if to quickly prove that it was still there and ticking, coming right back the next moment as the sun had already set, leaving only the yearning to it’s once loving embrace.

”It’s pretty dark —  makes me wonder...” There was absolutely no sign of civilization even though we were about to arrive to our destination.

[Maybe it seems dark outside because of the light inside the compartment keeping my pupils constricted by exciting the parasympathetic nerves which contract the sphincter pupil muscles located just behind my cornea inside my iris, limiting the amount of photons entering my eyes exponentially which leads me to not miss .]

“Ha? It’s happening again... Just where are all these information coming from? I don’t ever remember learning anything that has to do with the human eye, let alone learning what a photon is... Did I perhaps study too much nonesense in the duration of my ‘lost time’.”

I snorted self-mockingly,

[There’s no way that it’s that simple.]

Lost Time. This was the phrase I decided to use to describe the phenomenon of me not remembering what happened since the midnight back in the shack. I have yet to learn how many days have passed since then, but I have a feeling that it should not be any longer than a month...

I sighed as I wondered aimlessly in my head...

[Somehow, all of that I’ve been experiencing, all of that I’ve been through, including the dream... Everything seems so — tiring... I’m tired of being confused, having questions that have no answer... I just — don’t want to think anymore... I’m tired... I want to go to bed and rest — like never before...]

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. I then stood up from my seat, hardly finding any will to even take another step, my only driving force was the prospect of living in a new home away from the Dursleys...

I exited my lonely compartment leaving my bag only to see throngs of students pushing their way toward the door.

I waited a few minutes in a corner of the corridor for the train to be empty enough for my relatively comfortable exit. A man’s voice was audible as he shouted,

“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!”

[That voice... Familiar...]

I then got off the train to a dimly lit tiny dark platform with the last of the passengers. As I looked around for the owner of the voice who was calling for the first years, a giant man who vaguely resembled the one in my dream spotted me from twenty meters ahead and came closer as he asked.

“Harry? Everythin’ alrigh’?” The bearded man asked under his beard.

”?” I tilted my neck a little to the right as I looked at him in confusion, as if to ask;

[Do we know each other?]

Nevertheless, I improvised as I gave a slight smile at the beaming giant. He nodded, then thankfully got back to his business.

[Thank god...] I let out a relieved sigh.

"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

There were about twenty four of us first-years... Slipping and stumbling, we followed the giant man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of us that there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much, probably uneasiness was the cause...

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The giant called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a collective impressed voices of, "Oooooh!" from the kids, apart from a single boy, who was busily thinking about other things.

[Why does it get colder the more we get closer...]

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

When I could look at it and gazed at it I did, I was not just impressed, but completely humbled by it’s silhouette, there’s also something about it that made me mystified.

[Wow... It’s big — not just that, there’s something more...]

"No more'n four to a boat!" The man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.

I gawked at the castle as the students just went along with what the giant said and got on their respective boats.

“This is it...” This was my home now... And by the looks of it, it was magical... Literally.

I then got on a random boat that seemed to be the closest one that had only three students on it. As I sat down on the only empty seat, I noticed a brown haired girl staring at me from the periphery of my view. When I looked back at her, she immediately avoided her eyes, turning her head away and starting a conversation with the anxious-looking boy next to her.

[Weird...] I shrugged it off as I closed my eyes.

"Everyone in?" shouted the increasingly annoying giant, who had a boat to himself. "Right then — FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats magically moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Half way through, everyone was silent to the point of it being eerie as they were staring up at the great castle overhead, including the annoying girl I’m on a boat with, who just couldn’t shut up about speaking about her books.

Hogwarts...It towered over us as if we were a bunch of ants who could be squashed at any given moment... 

As we continued our ride, I sighed heavily, noticing the peculiar feeling which resembled that of the coldness in the train change... 

[It’s getting colder and... I just can’t identify this feeling... It’s uncomfortable...] 

My face was scrunched up as I was about to cry. 

[Mom... Dad... Why! Why am I the only one being affected? Nobody seems to mind it, this feeling... Am I the only one feeling it then? Should I be happy about it?] 

I eventually calmed down, thinking about a life without the Dursleys which not surprisingly did wonders as we sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which the ‘school’ stood.

"Heads down!" yelled the giant man as the first boats reached the cliff; they all pointlessly bent their heads and so did I as the little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. We were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle, until we reached a kind of underground harbor, where we clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" The giant man called out when he was in the middle of checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried the anxious boy who was in the same boat with us.

[So he was worried about his toad...] I thought, as I gazed at him.

The boy still had a considerable amount of baby fat on his face, holding out his hands in bliss.

[Toad?] Something about it seemed familiar to me... 

Then we clambered up a passageway in the rock after the giant’s lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the imposing castle.

We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

The feeling was getting more intense as we got closer, I gritted my teeth, enduring the strange tickling sensation that I was assaulted with.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

The giant raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there imperiously. She had a very stern face and my first thought was that this woman was not someone to cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said the man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." The woman said so in a Scottish accent.

[So his name was Hagrid...]

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it, yet still have enough space for a wide garden. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing us led to the upper floors.

We followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. I tried to endure and if possible, ignore the increasing intensity of the assault...

[Wait, isn’t this a school of magic. Than this place should be boiling with magic...? If that’s so, what if I have the ability to feel magic? If so, than what about the train? Maybe they used magic there too...

“Hmmm...”

[I wonder if I should tell anybody about it? Maybe they can help, especially a doctor...]

[No... Something inside tells me that would be a very bad idea... Then should I just — endure?]

As I was in the middle of something important, I was interrupted by the stern voice of the professor. The students were standing rather close together, peering about nervously in a small, empty chamber.  

"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 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 rulebreaking 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."

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the toad boy’s cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on the red headed boy’s smudged nose. I nervously tried to flatten my hair, but it was futile...

"I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly," said Professor McGonagall.

She then left the chamber. I swallowed.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" I asked the red headed boy next to me.

"Some sort of test, I think. My brother Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

My heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But I didn't know any magic yet — what on earth would I have to do? I was too engrossed in what I was feeling that I hadn't expected something like this the moment we arrived.

[I should have read more...]

I looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except the annoying girl, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. I tried hard not to listen to her as I closed my eyes and concentrated only on the here and now.

[I’m going to get through this! I have to! Or else, the alternative is going back to them... No! Not when I discovered where my parents used to be... They too must have walked these halls... I will not disappoint them!]

The most I had ever been nervous was when I‘d had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that I‘d somehow changed the color of my teacher's wig. That doesn’t even come closer to the nervousness that I’m feeling right now. 

As I was busy thinking about motivating stuff, something happened that made me jump about a foot in the air — a few students behind me screamed out of nowhere...

“Ou! My ears!” My voice was lost in the frenzy that was now happening.

"What the—?" The red-haired boy gasped, so did the people around us. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "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 really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. Even ghosts were scared of her...

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though my legs had turned to lead, I got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with the red-haired boy right next to me. We then walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

I had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led us first years up here, so that we came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind us. The hundreds of faces staring at us looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, I looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

I then heard the annoying girl whisper , "It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

I quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a black pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn't have let it in the house.

“Maybe we had to try and get a rabbit out of it,” I thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing — noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, I stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat 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 Hufflepuffis 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 (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" The red-head whispered to me. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

I smiled weakly.

[Yes, that’s much better... Trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but why not trying it on without everyone watching?]

The hat seemed to be asking rather alot; I didn't feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment.

[If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for me.] I grimaced.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat as her amblem and tie transformed and now had the color yellow in them.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far right exploded with cheers; I could see the similarly red-headed twin brothers catcalling. 

[They’re probably related... Maybe one of them is Fred?]

I then turned back to watching the ‘sorting’  and waited my turn to come.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" as she became a Slytherin, the atmosphere of the room changed.

[Perhaps it‘s just my imagination...]

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sometimes, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus," the sandy-haired boy who was in front of me in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat as the one in my right groaned.

A horrible thought suddenly struck me, as horrible thoughts always do when you're very nervous.

[What if I’m not chosen at all? What if I just sat there with the hat over my eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off my head and said there had obviously been a mistake and I‘d better get back on the train?]

I shivered at the thought.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now. "Moon" "Nott" "Parkinson" then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil" then "Perks, Sally-Anne" and then, at last — "Potter, Harry!"

I stepped forward, suddenly many whispers broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. I ignored all of them, even the ones that were not meant to be heard by me as I was concentrating on something else.

"Potter, did she say? The Harry Potter?" 

After I sat down on the stool, the last thing I saw before the hat dropped over my eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at me. Next second it was the darkness of the hat that I was looking at, awaiting for the big moment...