The castle

When the train pulled into the station, we heard a voice over the loudspeakers saying:

"Please do not leave any rubbish on the train, please take any purchased sweets with you and please leave all luggage on the train, it shall be taken up to the castle seperately. Thank you."

So we put all our rubbish in the bin and quickly got off the train. We were trading our chocolate frog cards when we heard a voice saying

"Firs' years, firs' years over 'ere please!"
We instantly knew that it was the half-giant Games-Keeper Hagrid, who had told Harry Potter 14 years ago, that he was a wizard. We rushed up to meet him. The first years all followed him to the lake where the little fleet of boats were waiting for us. We clambered in; Tash, Laurie and I all shared a boat with another girl called Sam, who was looking so excited that she might burst. We saw that Luella, Zofka and Petunia were all in a boat together.

"Hi, I'm Sam. I'm really excited to come here. I'm a muggle-born. Who're you guys?" She was talking very quickly, she was so excited.

"I'm Laurie, pleased to meet you. I'm a pureblood, but don't hold it against me, I hate the prejudice surrounding blood-purity."

"I'm Annie, I'm a muggle-born too. Nice to meet you, I hope we'll all have fun together this year."

"And I'm Tash. I'm a half-blood. We're gonna have lots of fun us four, but a word to the wise: Don't ever feed me sugary stuff, or I may go crazy..."

"Like you did on the train?"

"Yeah, she was sooo hyper after two chocolate frogs, that we had to tie her to the seat, using a charm that Annie knew."

Sam laughed at this, she laughed so hard, that the boat started to rock when we were half way over the lake, then Tash joined in too! The boat was tossing and turning and Laurie wasn't helping. In trying to keep her balance, she flailed her arms everywhere, she caught me on the back of my head and I toppled into the water!!! It was absolutely freezing! Hagrid stopped the fleet to help me get back in. I saw most of the other first years looking sympathetic, but one group of girls were laughing. Yes, need I say more? Luella and the Luella-ettes, found it hilarious that I had fallen in!
"Did you see her face? She looked so stupid!!!"
"I'm glad that I'm not the sap who fell in!"
"Vell done to zat girl wat pooshed her een. I just sorry zat it vas not me!"
They were absolutely paralysed with laughter.

We soon got to the castle and went into the entrance hall. I was still sopping wet. Hagrid gave me a towel to dry myself off. He then left us to go get the teacher who was to bring us into the Great Hall.
Whilst we were waiting, I slipped out my bag of Fever fudge from Weaseleys' Wizard Wheezes, and dropped one on the floor by Zofka, she picked it up immediately and ate it greedily. It had an almost instantaneous effect. She had great big boils all over her face! Luella supected that it was me who dropped the sweet.

"Give her the antidote sweet right now!"
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about. But I do wonder who gave Zofka that sweet."
"Oh don't play coi with her, Bolt! I saw it was you!"
"Well you should keep your long nose out of this, Pig!

Luella rounded on me, she then forced her hand into my pocket and pulled out my skiving snackbox. She got the antidote and dropped the whole box on the floor. Tash and Laurie helped me to pick it all up. No sooner than we had put the skiving snackbox into my pocket, the Proffessor turned up. It was the old Herbology teacher, Proffessor Sprout.

"Welcome to Hogwarts first years. In a few minutes, we will be going into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony. You will each be sorted into a house. The houses are: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Is that all clear? Yes? Well, let's go then."