Impatiently, the girl answered, "Hermione Granger. Now, have you seen a toad around here? Neville Longbottom lost his.."
"No, sorry. Can I help you find it?" Ella volunteered.
"Yes," Hermione sighed with thankfulness. "That would be great. Come with me."
Closing her book, Ella hopped out of her seat.
"You know," Hermione started, "you might want to change into your robes because the train is almost here, and I have no idea how long it will take to find this toad."
"Oh, er, alright." Ella began to pull out her Hogwarts uniform.
"I'll just be waiting out here," Hermione called from outside the compartment.
♢
"So," Hermione started while walking down the rows of compartments after they found the toad, "which Hogwarts House do you hope to be in?"
Why does everyone keep asking that? Ella thought. Why should it matter which one you want to be in?
"Well, I don't really know. I, um, I guess I'd love to be in any of them," Ella told her. "What about you?"
"I would love to be in Gryffindor. Although, if I'm not put in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw would be okay," Hermione eagerly said.
"Ravenclaw would be nice," Ella agreed. She glanced out the window which only showed darkness by now. "D'you reckon we'll reach the castle soon?"
"Oh I hope so! I'm so excited I can't put into words how great of a year this'll be! Before my letter, I hadn't even imagined doing this."
"Do you have any siblings that have already gone to Hogwarts?" Ella asked.
"No. It's just me. And both of my parents are Muggles, so I really didn't even know anything about magic until recently," Hermione explained. Gasping, she questioned Ella, "Have you tried any spells yet?"
"I've tried a few because my parents wanted to know how it works. I mean, I technically wasn't really traced because I hadn't been to Hogwarts yet, so I figured it was okay."
"Oh cool! I bet your parents loved that although you really weren't supposed to do magic in front of your parents," Hermione answered loudly while they passed another compartment. Once they passed it, she whispered, "I tried out a few in front of my parents too."
Smiling, Ella slipped into her compartment. "I guess I better get my belongings together," she said.
"Oh yeah, do you want to grab yours and come to my compartment? We can talk for the few minutes we probably have left," Hermione suggested.
"That would be great!" Ella grinned, looking at Hermione.
♢
"Adara, Marvella!" Minerva McGonagall announced.
Unfortunately, Ella's name was almost the first one called. She nervously yet confidently walked up to the stool and promptly placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
Ooh you're a difficult one! The Sorting Hat exclaimed inside Ella's head.
Ella was confused that the hat could speak inside her head, and why she would be difficult.
chapter one
Start from the beginning
