"Firs' years!" yelled a booming voice. "Firs'years!"
Shivering in the cold air of the night, I followed Neville and Hermione towards the voice. When I saw the owner of it, I couldn't help but gasp. In front of us was a man with long black hair and a matching beard. But that's not what had made me gasp – he must have been more than 11 feet tall!
"C'mon, follow me." The man called. "Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
"He's quite big." Hermione giggled, her breath fogging up with every exhale.
"Really?" I laughed. "I couldn't tell!"
We slipped and stumbled after the tall man down a steep, narrow path. He was easily spotted even in the dark; his silhouette at the front of the line was the biggest one.
Beside me, Neville sniffled. We still hadn't been able to spot Trevor before we left. I hugged him gently, receiving a hug back.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." our big line leader called over his shoulder. "Jus' round this bend here."
"Ohhh!" said someone loudly.
The path ended on the edge of a large black lake. In the distance on the tallest mountain was absolutely everything I'd been dreaming of: the castle of Hogwarts, its windows sparkling in the night from the starlight. It looked even better than I would have ever imagined it – and I had definitely done plenty of imaning!
"No more'n four to a boat!"
I started towards one of the boats. Since Neville and Hermione filled one boat, I climbed onto one with three other boys.
"Everyone in?" called the tall man, who had his own boat. "Right then – FORWARD!"
The crowd of small boats moved all at once across the pitch-black water. I smiled at the sandy-haired boy sitting to my left and received a smile in return. Everyone was silent the entire time as we crossed the lake to Hogwarts, surely basking in the castle's glory. I could almost feel the magic radiation off of the bricks and windows.
"Heads down!" the tall man called as the boats in the front reached the cliff. We all obeyed as the boats automatically went through a curtain of ivy and through a dark tunnel that seemed to be going underneath the castle. We stopped when we reached some sort of underground harbor, where we climbed out onto rocks and pebbles. Neville was right at my side right when I got out.
"Oi, you there!" called the tall man, looking at us. He pointed down into one of the boats. "Is this your toad?"
"Trevor!" Neville gasped happily. The tall man handed him Trevor before leading us up a passageway through the rocks.
"Told you he'd come up." I whispered to Neville out of the corner of my mouth. He playfully elbowed me in return.
We finally came out onto damp grass, standing right in the castle's shadow. We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.
"Everyone here?" the tall man asked. "You there, still got yer toad?"
I glanced over at Neville and, in the lamplight, could see him blush slightly.
The tall man rapped three times on the door. It opened at once, revealing a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes. She had a very stern look to her.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." The tall man told her.
"Thank you, Hagrid." The witch replied. "I will take them from here."
We all entered the entrance hall and followed McGonagall across the stone floor. There were voices around us on the other side of the walls; instead of letting us join the other Hogwarts students already here, however, McGonagall led us first years into a small, empty chamber off of the hall. I was squished in by Neville and the sandy-haired boy from the boat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." She announced. "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. Now, form a line and follow me."
I got in line in front of Neville. We, not wanting to know what it would be like if we disobeyed her, followed her out into the crowded and excited Great Hall. The students at the four tables, each of which were labeled by colorful banners up above them, clapped loudly as we emerged. The Gryffindor table was, by far, the loudest, suddenly making me even more nervous. Above, however, was a sight that made me feel at peace; above hundreds of floating candles, it looked like a starry night sky in place of a ceiling.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside." I heard Hermione explain aloud to no one in particular. "I read about it in Hogwarts; A History."
Professor McGonagall put down a stool, and, on top of it, a dirty wizard's hat. I recognized it as the famous Sorting Hat. Near the rim, a rip opened like a mouth, and the Sorting Hat sang its song:
"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."
As the hat sand, I heard snickering come from my right. I glanced over at three boys who were whispering to one another. One had pale blonde hair and gray eyes. He wasn't very bulky compared to the other two. With a small roll of my eyes, I looked away, catching the past part of the Sorting Hat's song.
"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!"
Everyone in the Great Hall burst into thunderous applause. I looked over at Neville, o had a grin as big as mine on his face.
Professor McGonagall stepped back up with a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!"
A girl with blonde pigtails put the hat on, letting is fall over her eyes, and sat.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" it yelled after a moment's pause. The Hufflepuff table applauded as Hannah went to sit.
"Bones, Susan!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Boot, Terry!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
The second table from the left applauded this time.
After another Ravenclaw, the first Gryffindor was a girl named Lavender Brown. Though the Gryffindor table was just as thunderous as I imagined it to be, I could hear two distinct voices among them all; it was, no doubt, Fred and George, who were practically standing on their seats. After Lavender, the first Slytherin was Millicent Bullstrode.
"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The next Gryffindor was Fay Dunbar. Then it was Seamus Finnigan, the sandy-haired boy to my right. Then came Hermione – someone groaned when this happened. And, eventually as the list went on—
"Longbottom, Leonora!"
"I love you, Leo!" Neville whispered to me. "Best of luck!"
I smiled nervously and crossed over to the stool. My stomach was coiled around itself rather tightly, feeling more and more like lead with each step I took towards Professor McGonagall. As I sat on the stool, the hat went over my eyes with one fell swoop, and I heard a voice.
"Longbottom, eh ... maybe not one by blood, but without a doubt one by truth. Mm, there are many places you could be in. Longbottoms are notorious for having plenty of different traits, and you are no exception, young lady! You are quite smart, so you'd do well in Ravenclaw ... especially kind-hearted, just like a Hufflepuff ... cunning, like a Slytherin ... yes, it is a hard decision, yet ... but I can clearly see where your true, fated potential lies—"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
I grinned with relief and excitement as the Gryffindor table broke out into another round of thunderous applause. Behind me, I could hear Neville whooping. I took off the hat and crossed over excitedly to the table. A smiling pair of twins offered the seat beside them, which I took happily.
"Welcome to Gryffindor!" said a red-headed boy with a prefect's badge on.
"Oh, come on, Perce!" George called. It was quite impossible to know which was which, but I had a very good feeling that this was George talking. "Really, you need to give it more feeling!" he grabbed my shoulder. "Welcome to the rest of your life, Leo!"
"Longbottom, Neville!"
My celebration was quickly snuffed out. I whipped my head back to the front of the Great Hall as all relief quickly drained from me. The Great Hall quickly quieted as Neville tripped his way up to the stool. When the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, it took an excruciating long while to decide where he would go. With my fingers crossed in my lap, my heart pounded; I couldn't help but worry over whether or not he'd make it into Gryffindor. Would I have to spend the next seven years without my brother on my side?
But, finally, it yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" and I cheered loudly alongside the other students at the table. He ran off, still wearing the hat, and had to walk back to hand it over to 'MacDougal, Morag'. Many people in the Great Hall laughed at him. Luckily I didn't hear any laughter coming from Fred or George behind me. Neville came and sat in front of me, blushing.
"Told you you'd be in Gryffindor." I whispered to him. He made a small smile.
"Malfoy, Draco!"
The disruptive pale blonde cockily stepped up to the stool. Not even a second after the hat touched his head did it scream. "SLYTHERIN!"
"How surprising." Neville whispered sarcastically. He must have noticed them during the song, too.
"Yes, I wonder what would have ever gotten him in Slytherin." I chuckled lowly. "That name sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
"Son of Lucius Malfoy." One of the twins whispered behind me. "I think he was a Death Eater when You-Know-Who was alive. Now he works at the Ministry."
A few more people went up to the stool. The next Gryffindor was Parvati Patil, the twin of Padma Patil, who was put in Ravenclaw before her.
Then, suddenly, it was Harry Potter. Whispers broke out all over the Great Hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"We spoke to him first." I heard one of the twins say to someone behind us. "Just before we left Platform 9 and ¾."
"Yeah, right." Someone laughed.
I just stared up at the boy. He looked so young; it was definitely hard to imagine that he was the cause of the worlds darkest wizards downfall. Harry put the Sorting Hat on his head. Everyone sat in tense silence as we waited for the hate to call which house he'd be in. my ears almost burst when the hat yelled "GRYFFINDOR!" I cheered along with everyone else as the grinning Harry stepped down and walked to the table. Percy Weasley shook his hand as Fred and George chanted. "We got Potter, we got Potter!" behind me.
"Thomas, Dean!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Turpin, Lisa!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Weasley, Ron!"
"If he doesn't become Gryffindor, I'm going up there and stabbing him." One of the twins whispered behind me as their younger brother walked over to the stool.
"If he becomes Slytherin, off with his head." The other added.
"What if he doesn't get anything?" I giggled. "Maybe he's supposed to go to another school."
"Out the window." Both of them told me.
As they finished their sentence, "GRYFFINDOR!" was heard throughout the Great Hall. The table cheered as the red-headed boy came over to the table.
"Well done, Ron." Praised Percy. "Excellent."
"Zabini, Blaise!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
And finally, all of the first years were now at their house tables. At the High Table in the front, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood.
"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. I cheered along with the rest of the students in the Great Hall.
"Is he ... a bit mad?" I heard Harry asked Percy.
"Mad?" said Percy. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?"
I looked down at the table, grabbed some steak, and placed it on my golden plate in front of me. I also grabbed carrots and potatoes with that before starting to eat. It was outstanding.
"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service." said the ghost sitting beside Harry. I hadn't been listening to what he had been saying before since I was too indulged in my food. "Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron on the other side of Percy. "My brothers told me about you – you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy—" Nick began.
"Nearly Headless?" Hermione interrupted with a frown. "How can you be nearly headless?"
"Like this." He said irritably. He grabbed his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder, receiving a mixture of excited ooo's and disgusted eww's. Whoever had attempted to behead him hadn't done it completely! Nick flipped his head back onto his neck and coughed with embarrassment. "So – new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."
At the Slytherin table, sitting by a grumpy Malfoy, was a ghost covered in silver speckles of blood.
"How did he get covered in blood?" askes Seamus.
"I've never asked." replied Nick with a shrug.
We continued to eat. When I finished my steak, I looked back up at Harry. "So, Harry, how's the life of a wizard going for you?"
"Brilliant." He said after swallowing his big bite of pork chops. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Oh, it's Leonora—"
"Leo for short." Fred and George cut in.
I whipped my head to them. "That's my line!"
"Payback!" they said in unison once again.
The food then disappeared, being replaced by desserts. Harry's eyes were as wide as the golden saucers throughout the table. I grabbed rice pudding and cookies 'n' cream ice cream and started on that as everyone started talking about families.
"I'm half-and-half." explained Seamus. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."
"What about you, Neville?" asked Ron.
"Well, my gran brought me and my sister up, and she's a witch." Neville explained excitedly. "But the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came around for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidently let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased; gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."
I couldn't contain my smile. That was one of Neville's favorite stories to tell, not to mention one of my personal favorite memories. Not the fact that he got dropped out of the window, though – that had been terrifying for everyone.
"And you, Leo?" Dean asked from the other side of Seamus. Many eyes turned to me. A good amount of those glanced between my bright hair and Neville's dark head.
"I don't know much about my family, other than they decided to leave me on a bench." I told them, continuing to nonchalantly eat my ice cream in between sentences. "All I really know is that I'm definitely a witch. I think I showed magic when I was five or six. One of our cousins ended up finding me sleeping on the roof of my house one morning. But yea, Neville's – our – gran found me when I was just a newborn in Diagon Alley, about two months before Nev was born. Someone had bewitched a pile of snow and left me on a bench. She went around asking if someone knew where my parents were, but after that didn't work, she just took me home and raised me as her own. I've been living with her and Neville ever since. They're the greatest family I could ever ask for."
Neville nudged me. I nudged him back. Beside me, the twins nudged their cups towards me as a salute, making me laugh. Then, the dessert disappeared after a couple of minutes, and Dumbledore stood once again to speak with everyone. This time, though, it was fully formulated sentences.
"First years should not 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 eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins behind me. I turned and smirked at them; they just feigned shock.
"We would never." They whispered as Dumbledore continued with his speech.
"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 house teams 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."
A few laughed, but it was short-lived. I looked at Neville with a confused wince; he just look terrified at the thought of it.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" cried Dumbledore. He gave his wand a small flick, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"
Everybody finished the song at different times. At least, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. I had to hold onto Neville to not fall forward from holding in my laughter as Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand. When they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest. I whooped as they bowed.
"Ah, music." Dumbledore said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"