07 Arriving At Hogwarts

A few minutes later the compartment door slides open again. The round faces boy was back,
but this time he has a girl with him. She has very bushy brown hair.
‘Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,’ she says. She sounded rather bossy. You turn back to her to say you haven’t, but a thought crosses your mind. Should you go with them to help find the toad?
You decide that you should go and help find the Toad.
‘No we haven’t seen a toad, but I can come and help find him’ you say. The toadless boy looks at you and is about to say something when the bushy haired girl says.
‘Oh thanks. This is Neville, I am Hermione, and you are?’. You give them your name and say.
‘I see you have your robes on already’.
‘Yes, I am really excited to go. I’ve learnt all our set books off by heart, I just hope it will be
enough’.
As you move to the next compartment, you get a little bit worried that maybe you should have read more than just Fantastic Beasts.

‘Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one’ Hermione says through the next compartment door.
You look in through the door and it’s the young ginger haired boy and the spectacled boy you saw in Diagon Alley.
‘We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,’ says the ginger haired boy.
Hermione introduces you all and before they can respond with their name, she spots the ginger haired boys wand.
‘Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.’ she says. There is a rat on his lap and he has his wand out. Hermione takes a seat while Neville and you stand in the corridor looking through the open door.
‘Er – all right.’
He cleared his throat.
‘Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.’
He waves his wand, but nothing happened.
‘Are you sure that’s a real spell?’ said the girl. ‘Well, it’s not very good, is it? 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 learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?’
Everyone is somewhat stunned at the speed she can talk.
‘I’m Ron Weasley,’ Ron mutters.
‘Harry Potter,’ says Harry.
‘Are you really?’ says 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?’ says Harry, feeling dazed.
‘Goodness, didn’t you know, I’d have found out everything I could if it was me,’ said Hermione.
‘Do either of you know what house you’ll be in? I’ve been asking around and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one, 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.’ She then stands up and exits past you, grabbing Neville on the way. You stand there in silence for a bit. Produce a feeble wave and follow them. Why is this Harry Potter so special?

As you work your way up the train you meet a few new students. In carriage F you meet Susan Bones who’s mum works in the Ministry of Magic as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You realise you have a lot to learn.
Another girl by the name of Millicent Bulstrode was in carriage E. She looked like a nasty piece of work, she was big and brutish too.
‘No! I haven’t seen a stupid Toad. Who would want one anyway!’ She said to Neville. He looked pretty upset.
Just then Draco with two burly boys push past you and head into the compartment. You, Neville and Hermione were eager to move on anyway after that experience with Millicent.
In carriage D you stop for a while to see Lee Jordans giant Tarantula. Lee is a lot of fun and full of energy, unfortunately so is the spider. Fred and George say hello to you again.
You head into carriage C which is where Neville started from. In his compartment you meet Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Isobel MacDougal. Hermione says she is going to speak with the driver and leaves.
‘Still not found your toad Neville?’ Says Seamus in an Irish accent.
‘No, I can’t find Trevor anywhere.’ Neville says dejected.

After a couple of minutes Hermione comes in and turns to you.
‘Come on! We are nearly at Hogwarts and you haven’t got your robes on! We need to head back to our carriage and our stuff.’
Moving down the train was getting difficult at this point as students were getting excited and running up and down the corridors.
Just as you enter carriage G you both hear a horrible yell. Draco and the who burly boys burst out of Harry and Ron’s compartment. One of the burly boys was holding a bloody finger.
‘What has been going on?’ says Hermione, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron was picking up Scabbers the rat by his tail.
Harry was saying how he met Draco before in Diagon Alley. You explain how you briefly met him and his father there too.
‘We must have been there on the same day.’ You say. ‘His father seems a very nasty man. They seem to think they are better than everyone else.’
‘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. ‘Can we help you with something?’
‘You’d better hurry up and put your robes on, I’ve just been up the front to ask the driver and he says we’re nearly there. 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?’
‘All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,’ said Hermione in a sniffy voice. ‘And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?’
Ron glared at her as she left dragging you with her.
You say goodbye to Hermione as you go back into the compartment with Lavender and the others as all your stuff is there.
Just as you put on your long black robes a voice echo’s 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.’
You watch out of the compartment window as people start to gather in the corridor. You think it’s best to stay seated until the train stops rather than just being rammed together.

As the train slows down you look out of the windows. It’s pitch black until a small platform slides into view. It’s lit by old style gas lanterns and the limited light doesn’t go far.
You leave the train and place your first step onto the platform, felling much like the first person on the moon in a strange new world. The fresh ice cold air against your face suddenly wakes you up from a long day of travelling.
Then a lamp comes bobbing over the heads of the students and you spot Hagrid from Diagon Alley: ‘Firs’-years! Firs’-years over here!’ Hagrid’s big hairy face beams over the sea of heads.
‘C’mon, follow me – any more firs’-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’-years follow me!’
Somehow his smile has a way of comforting you at this nerve wracking time.

Everyone is having trouble in the dark following this bobbing lamp down a steep narrow path. All you can hear is the sound of shoes walking and slipping on whatever surface you are walking on. Everyone is quiet, wondering where you are all going.
‘Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,’ Hagrid called over his shoulder, ‘jus’ round this bend here.’
Suddenly from nothing came a very spectacular something.
The crowd of students gave a collective gasp as the path opened to a spectacular black lake. As your eyes start to piece it all together you spot a high mountain silhouetted against the last embers of twilight. Atop of that mountain is a vast castle with many towers and turrets. It’s many windows sparling in the distance.
‘No more’n four to a boat!’ Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. You look back and fourth between the castle in the distance and the little boats.
No one said anything but you shout ‘Do we have to row all that way?’.
‘Jus you wait’ said Hagrid. ‘You’ll love this’.

Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione head to a boat and others start to group up.
Who do you want to buddy up with?