Strawgoh: The American Hogwarts

Chapter Three

Maddie Craddock had no problem whatsoever getting to Strawgoh, being that she spent the summer with her grandfather there. She become accustomed to the food (which is great), the professors, dormitory living, and much more. She was loving Strawgoh life, but hadn’t been sorted yet, due to the fact the rest of the first years would not arrive till September first.

Oliver Hockney stood at the wall between platforms nine and ten, confused on how to get on the Strawgoh Express. He saw several other kids, wizarding ones (Ben, Easton, and Joseph), and followed them into the middle of Platform Nine and Three Quarters. He followed them as they ran into the wall, expecting to hit it, but instead he went through it.

“What?” asked Oliver.

“Welcome to Platform Nine and Three Quarters,” said a man with a long white beard.

Oliver was shocked to see Grace again. They boarded the Strawgoh Express together, and sat with several other students, named Laurel, Lottie, Easton, and Ben. How they fit in the compartment, I do not know.

“Well,” said Ben, “this is great. What house do you think you’re going get?”

“Gryffindor,” Lottie and Laurel shouted in unison.

“Are you guys like twins or something?” asked Easton.

“Cousins, not twins,” told Laurel.

“I’m getting Gryffindor for sure. So’s Easton,” Ben announced.

“I don’t know,” Grace said. “I’m a Dirtblood or whatever.”

“Dirtblood?” Laurel snorted. “I’m pretty sure you mean Mudblood. Muggle parents, I’m guessing?”
“If by Muggle parents you mean not-wizard parents, then yeah,” responded Grace.

“What about you, Oliver?” Easton asked.

“Umm… I’m pretty smart, so I’m hoping Ravenclaw,” Oliver said. “But I know Muggle smarts are different than Wizarding smarts, but I think I could pull it off with a lot of studying.”
“Ambitious much?” asked Ben. “Dude, studying is overrated. I’d stick with Hufflepuff if I were you.”

“Eh, I don’t care.” Oliver shrugged. “My dad wanted me to ‘live on my mother’s legacy’ so here I am. My sister Alice totally disagreed, and I hoped that this place didn’t exist. Well, I’m on this train now, so I guess no stopping?”

“Uh, no shiz, Olly,” Easton laughed.

“Oliver. It’s Oliver,” he said.

“Well, Charlotte, how about you? Any ideas about what house you are going to be in?” asked Easton, intrigued into the almost equally quiet girl.

“Lottie, please. And I already said, Gryffindor. My parents had it and so does my brother (he’s a prefect and the captain of the quidditch team and got an O on all of his owls; my parents are quite proud of him). If I’m not a Gryffindor, I’ll be disappointed!”

A prefect opened up the door to the compartment. “Thirty minutes till we reach Strawsmeade Station. Put your robes on, first years!”

“Charlie?” asked Lottie.

“Little sister!” the blond haired boy exclaimed, a humongous smile on his face. “These are your friends, I suppose. Introduce me, Lottie!”

Lottie smiled. “Everybody, this is my big brother, Charlie. This is Easton,” she pointed to the brown haired boy, “Ben,” she pointed to the smiling redheaded Ben, “Oliver,” Oliver waved, “Grace,” Grace was rapidly tapping the screen of her iPhone, “and of course, you know Laurel!”

Charlie came into the compartment to hug Laurel, ruffling her blondish brown hair. Her blue eyes crinkled when she saw tall, happy sixth year Charlie.

Charlie was upset to see the Muggle parented girl. “Ah, ah, ah!” laughed Charlie, yanking Grace’s phone out of her hand. “Grace True, I believe?” he asked in his vaguely British accent (Lottie’s parents had moved to America after they heard about Laurel’s parents’ accident).

Grace frowned. “Yeah, brilliant,” she mocked. “Um, I kinda need that to talk to my friends and parents. It’s my phone.”

“Ah, a tellyphone!” smiled Charlie. “Muggle contraptions are just so fascinating. But I’m sorry, Miss True. You will have to write to your parents. Our owls are extremely speedy and get your message delivered in an hour to a day, depending on where they live.”

“A DAY?” shouted Grace. “MY PHONE CAN SEND A TEXT IN A SECOND!”

“Mudbloods,” laughed Ben. Laurel shot him a bad look.

Meanwhile, Alex and Joseph were in a compartment by themselves. Charlie had stopped by earlier, a smile on his face, telling them to put on their robes. The two boys slipped into their robes and continued on their extremely boring conversation.

“So, Alexander, what House do you think you’ll be in?” asked Joseph.

“Um, maybe Gryffindor, but I’m a pureblood, so perhaps Slytherin. I’m quite stupid so no to Ravenclaw and not just a boring, regular Hufflepuff. What about you?” Alex responded.

“Well, um, probably Gryffindor. My sister’s been telling me that she’ll beat up the Sorting Hat if he puts me in Slytherin or something,” laughed Joseph. “You see, at school, everybody expected me to be mean because you know,” he gestured to his muscular body, “and now I want to change that. I was mean because they thought I should be mean. I hate it. I truly hate it. I want to change. So this is a chance for me start over. Asher knows I have potential, but so many don’t think I do. I really, really want to change. Sorry for getting all gushy on you.”

“It’s OK. My big sister Pia cries to me about boys all of the time,” laughed Alex. “She says, ‘Why can’t I understand them? Why do they do rash things? Why are they so mean? How can I make them like me? Why did they say now? I’m an awful person. I’m ugly, aren’t I?’ She’s a bit crazy, but I love her. I hope I’m in Gryffindor like her!”

“Of course,” reassured Joseph. “Houses are pretty much hereditary, you know. You’ll most definitely be in Gryffindor. And if I’m not, the Sorting Hat will change it thanks to my tough and not really buff sister.” He laughed.

Maddie sat with her grandfather in front of the Sorting Hat. Her eyes kept darting around the Great Hall and always paused on the Sorting Hat.

“Grandfather, I really want to know what House I am in before everybody else,” she said.

“Madella Craddock, please wait till the rest of first years arrive. And all of the other years, as well, darling,” Craddock said with a smile on his face. His watery blue eyes sparkled in the candle light. Strawgoh was definitely the place to be.