Looking down at my checklist, I checked off the last two empty boxes and smiled at myself.
"Maisey, let's go! You're going to be late!" Lupin yelled.
"Coming!" I shouted and ran down the stairs to my trunk. "I'm so excited! I finally get to go to Hogwarts, ahh."
"Remember, stay safe and—"
" 'Always keep my head on straight', 'don't talk back'—"
" 'And most importantly, have fun'," we chorused.
"You're such a smart girl, just like your mother," he said sadly.
Whenever Lupin spoke about me or I tried to bring up my parents, he always got really sad. I couldn't quite understand why he never spoke about them; I haven't a clue what they actually looked like except that I am the exact replication of my mother with the exception of my father's eyes.
Stuffing my wand into my long sleeves, Lupin and I drove to King's Cross where the secret train to Hogwarts was at. My eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the place, it was a regular muggle station.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?" I said, softly, looking around at all the muggles in funny clothes and with small briefcases.
"Yup, just past the Platform nine should be nine and three-quarters."
"If you stay so," I muttered.
The more we walked, the more I began to believe Lupin was stalling me. The platforms were spread far apart and we were barely at the fifth one when I looked up at the time; it was nearly fifteen to eleven. Pushing my trolley harder, I started to run with only fifteen minutes to spare.
Finally, Lupin and I raced through the platform to see a large scarlet train. People walked around in clothes similar to mine, but others walked around in black robes with the Hogwarts symbol on it. I gaped at all the people who had trolleys just like mine, filled with large trunks and owl cages— I didn't have an owl.
The whistle of the train blew loud and long letting out more steam.
"Well, this is goodbye," Lupin said.
"You promise to write me, right?" I turned to him.
"Of course, I wouldn't dream of forgetting," he smiled down on me.
"I'm going to miss you," I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on for dear life. I felt a kiss on the crown of my head and knew I had to let go of him. He was the only family I had left and would miss him dearly.
Reluctantly, I walked onto the train, dragging along my heavy trunk. All the compartments were full of people, some young, some older, but there were no empty ones. Anxiety started to work its way into my brain as the train started to move.
Looking through one of the cabin windows, I saw a girl with bushy brown hair talking with a round-faced boy. They looked nice. I knocked on the compartment door and slowly slid it opened.
"Hi, can I sit here please?" my voice soft and shaky. I tried not to seem shy, but it wasn't really working.
"Are you a first year as well?" the girl spoke up.
"Yes," I said softly.
"You can come sit with us," the boy beamed.
Pushing the door wider, I placed my trunk in the luggage slot as I sat down. The both of them spoke about how excited and nervous they were about our first year while I just listened intently. I learned that the girl's name was Hermione Granger and the boy's was Neville Longbottom.
As the train had carried us out of London, I grew to get a little more comfortable with them but still felt terrified. Now we were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. We were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
"May I please have three chocolate frogs and three pumpkin pastries please," I ordered kindly. The Sweets Lady and I exchanged the money for the candies and she left.
"What's a chocolate frog?" Hermione's mouth hung slightly opened at the sight of the frog. She must be a muggleborn witch.
"It's not an actual chocolate frog," I laughed softly. "It's just a frog-shaped candy with a collectors card it in; my favorite candy! Have one— and a pumpkin pastry."
I offered one packet to each of them. Hermione reluctantly took it while Neville gave me a large smile and happily ate it. The three of us got Dumbledore cards and I sighed; it was my fourth one.
As Neville got up to throw it into the trash chute, his toad jumped out of his hand and out the ajar door.
"Trevor!" Neville shouted. "Help me find him please!"
Hermione sighed dramatically and dragged me out of the compartment to help look for Neville's frog. After ten minutes, there was still no sign of Trevor.
Knocking on one of the doors, Hermione slid it open to reveal a raven-haired boy and a redheaded one.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," Hermione said abrasively.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," the redhead rolled his eyes.
Peering over Hermione's shoulder, I saw the redhead boy with his wand out and a large grey rat in his hands.
"Oh," I breathed in awe, "are you doing magic?"
"Let's see it, then," Hermione nodded.
She pulled me into the room and sat down. I took a seat next to her as the two boys watched us with surprise.
"Er— all right," he cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
He waved his wand, but nothing happened. The rat stayed gray and fast asleep.
"Uh, I don't think that's a real spell," I frowned at them.
"Well, if it is, it's not very good, is it?" Hermione scoffed. "I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard—I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough— I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."
The two boys looked at each other in shock with their mouth slightly opened.
"Hermione! You're overwhelming them," I whispered harshly and turned to smile at them. "I'm Maisey Howell."
"I'm Ron Weasley," the redhead muttered.
"Harry Potter," the other boy said.
"Holy cricket, you're Harry Potter?" My eyes widened slightly.
"Are you really?" said Hermione. "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."
"Am I?" breathed Harry.
"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione.
"Do you know what house you'll be in?" I changed the subject as Harry looked more and more uncomfortable. "My godfather told me that my entire family were Gryffindors, I hope I get in."
Before either of them could start talking Hermione butted in, "I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
Hermione stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of their compartment. As we left, I heard the murmur of people talking about Harry Potter being on the train. Down the cart, I saw a white-haired boy walking down the corridor with two robust guys behind him.
Not even a few minutes later, a cry came from the compartment we had just left and the three boys were running the other way. Hermione and I ran over to the commotion.
"What has been going on?" I gasped quietly, looking at all the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up a rat by its tail.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at the rat. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep—"
"You've met Malfoy before?" Harry asked.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione and me, who still stood at the doorway. "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there," Hermione said hotly. "You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"
"Sorry about that, we only came in here because I heard screaming and such," I apologized. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"
Ron narrowed his eyes at me and my heart sank, I didn't want to make enemies before I even got to Hogwarts. I sighed and pulled Hermione out of the room and towards our own.
"You should get your robes on, too!" Hermione lectured me.
In our compartment, I took off my sweater and changed into my long black robe. It was a little long on me, even the smallest size dragged on the floor a little bit.
A 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."
My stomach lurched with nerves. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. I shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and I heard a loud gruff voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Looking around, I tried to find Harry in the crowd but no luck.
"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me! Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the large man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
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.
"No more'n four to a boat!" he called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. I finally spotted Harry and Ron in the crowd and grabbed Hermione with me as I followed them into their boat. "Everyone in? Right then— FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. Getting off the boats, we walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and I instantly knew she was not someone to cross.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," he said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide and I just gaped at the beautiful entrance hall. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
We followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor and move to a small, empty chamber off the hall. It was pretty crowded and I could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right.
"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 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 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 front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting to get sorted.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told all of the first years, "and follow me."
We walked out of the small chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. 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 there, so that we came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. 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.
"Look," Hermione whispered, "its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."
Looking up at the ceiling, I saw the beautiful velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. I quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of us. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat and it began to sing a song about the four houses and their attributes.
I prayed for Gryffindor, the only thing that I had left of my family that Lupin actually told me about.
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. 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.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. I 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 left exploded with cheers.
"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was my imagination, after all I'd heard about Slytherin, but I thought they looked like an unpleasant lot. Lupin warned me about the Slytherin House and the stories behind it, especially a guy he went to school with.
Professor McGonagall continued to call names as the Sorting Hat continued to shout Houses and then I heard,
"Granger, Hermione!"
Hermione ran from my side and jumped onto the stool, jamming the hat eagerly on her head.
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. I clapped.
"Howell, Maisey!"
My heart sank and I made my way to the stool, Hermione handed me the hat as I passed her. I placed the hat on my head and gave a little prayer.
"Ahh," a small voice said in my ear, "very peculiar. I sense a lot in you. Quite timid are you, but courageous yet smart. Kind yet devious when need be. But such a great pull towards Slytherin, you'd do well there. Where shall I put you?"
I fiddled with my fingers and prayed for Gryffindor once more.
"Gryffindor? You'd certainly excel in Slytherin or even Ravenclaw and possibly be Head Girl! But so be it— GRYFFINDOR!"
The hat shouted the last word to the entire hall. I took off the hat and shakily made my way towards the Gryffindor Table. A redheaded boy with a large badge that read Prefect smiled at me and gestured for me to sit. I took the empty spot next to Hermione who flashed me a large toothy smile and squeezed my forearm.
Professor McGonagall called more names and the Hat sorted more people, including the white-hair boy named Draco Malfoy who ended up in Slytherin.
"Potter, Harry!"
As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.
"Potter, did she say?"
"The Harry Potter?"
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted and I clapped wildly along with the rest of the table.
He sat across from me and gave me a weak smile as people around him clapped him on the back and continued to cheer.
Finally, there were only three students left to sort, one of them being Ron.
"Weasley, Ron!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The entire table burst out in cheers and clapping as Ron took his spot next to Harry.
"Well done, Ron, excellent," said the Prefect, who looked very much like Ron.
Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see us all there.
"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!"
I giggled and clapped along with the rest of the Hall. Suddenly the dishes in front of us were now piled with food. I had never seen so many things I'd liked to eat on one table: Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and peppermint humbugs.
"That does look good," said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.
"Can't you—?"
"I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."
"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you— you're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —" the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted,
"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"
Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if the little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.
"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased with the stunned looks on our faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "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."
"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.
"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
I didn't listen to anything else they said as I continued to eat my meal and chat with Hermione and Percy Weasley, the Prefect, until someone addressed me.
"I'm sorry, repeat that?" I turned my attention to Seamus.
"I said what are you?" he repeated.
"A girl?"
"'No," Ron laughed. "Are you muggleborn, half-and-half, pureblood?"
"Oh! Uh, I don't know. I live with my godfather and he's never told me anything about my parents besides the fact that I'm a witch. They died when I was a baby," I frowned.
"I'm sorry," Harry looked up from his desserts, "so did mine."
I nodded, but didn't respond. It wasn't propper table talk to speak about dead parents and how they died— especially Harry's.
"Ow!" I hissed and reached up to the scar on my collarbone. Harry turned and looked at me with a weird look as his hand was clapped over his forehead.
Rubbing the sore spot on my collarbone, confusion flowed in my head, it had never hurt before. Why would a scar hurt?
"You alright?" Hermione asked from next to me.
"Yeah, I just felt like a pinch on my collarbone," I mumbled.
"Lemme see," said Hermione and pulled down the collar of my robe to see the z-shaped scar. "How'd you get that? Are you okay?"
Before I could respond, Harry spoke to Percy, "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"
"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to — everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."
I looked up to where Harry was looking and saw a hooked nose teacher sitting next to a guy in a large turban. Lupin told me all about Professor Snape, they had gone to school together and were not friends in the slightest.
At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.
"Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note 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 twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, who sat next to me: Fred and George Weasley.
"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 trials 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."
My eyes widened in shock as to what the headmaster had said. Looking around the table, I saw Percy giving a Dumbledore a frown.
"And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"
The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. With sleepy eyes, I looked around at the portraits of people along with corridors and followed Percy as he led us through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. We climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging our feet, and I was just wondering how much farther we had to go when we came to a sudden halt.
At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.
"Password?" she said.
"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. We all scrambled through it and found ourselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.
Percy directed the girls through the right door to our dormitories and the boys through another door. At the top of a spiral staircase — we were obviously in one of the towers — I found my beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Our trunks had already been brought up.
Hermione took the bed next to mine and slipped on her pajamas. The other three girls, Lavender Brown, Pavarti Patil, and Fay Dunbar, took their own beds and went to sleep.
"I reckon it'll be a good day year yeah?" Hermione whispered to me.
"I sure hope so," I whispered back and turned off the candle next to me.