I stepped out of the train and into the cold night air. I couldn't see over the crowd of older students, and focused on trying to not lose Wren and Albus.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a gruff voice called. The three of us pushed our way through the crowd of students to the source of the voice.

The voice belonged to the biggest man I've ever seen. His beard and hair looked shaggy and covered most of his face, but he was smiling cheerfully at us.

Albus bounced up and down, waving. "Hagrid!"

"All right there, Albus?"

Albus nodded, then turned to Wren and me. "That's Hagrid. He's really nice." And really intimidating, I added in my head, staring up at the man who was five times my size.

"C'mon, follow me!" Hagrid called, leading us off the platform and down a steep, narrow path. I glanced around at my classmates as we stumbled through the dark, lit only by Hagrid's lantern.

I spotted the Malfoy twins ahead of me, and a bobbing head of ginger hair to my right that I recognized as Rose Weasley. Arthur Longbottom caught me looking at him and waved. The two dark-skinned girls next to me looked identical, so I guessed that the Malfoys weren't the only twins. Another blonde girl right behind smiled at me with a kind of dreamy look. I wondered if she was completely sane.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid told us. "Jus' round this bend here."

Everyone gasped as we rounded the bend. A huge black lake stretched before us, and perched atop a hill at the other side was a huge castle. It had many turrets and towers, and many of the windows were lit up. I stared in awe for a full minute before Wren dragged me over to one of the boats.

Albus, Wren and I clambered into one of the boats followed by the dreamy blonde girl.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted. "Right then - FORWARD!" The boats took off.

At once, the fleet of boats sped off over the lake. Everyone silently stared at the rapidly-nearing castle.

The boats rode through a curtain of ivy, and we were carried along a dark tunnel. Finally, we reached a dock, and we all climbed onto the shore. Hagrid led us up a passageway and out into the open air. We followed him up a flight of steps to the huge front doors.

Waiting in the entrance hall was Professor Longbottom. He smiled at us as Hagrid said, "Firs' years, Professor Longbottom."

"Thank you, Hagrid. First years, this way!"

Professor Longbottom led us through the entrance hall. I could hear hundreds of voices from a doorway that we passed, so the rest of school was already there. Professor Longbottom showed us into a small room off the hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" he said warmly. "The start-of-term banquet will begin in a few minutes, but before you take your seats, you'll be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is very important because while you're here at Hogwarts, your House will be your honorary family. You'll have your classes with your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend your free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each had produced outstanding witches and wizards."

Albus whispered, "All the 'outstanding' witches and wizards from Slytherin are dark wizards."

"That is not true," hissed a girl behind us. I whipped my head around to see Ciara Malfoy glaring at us. Quickly, I turned back toward the professor.

"-will be a credit to whichever House you are sorted into." Professor Longbottom had been speaking the whole time. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Wren grabbed my hand, looking nervous. "What if it doesn't work? And we don't get sorted into any House?"

"We'll be fine, Wren," Albus said. "Bet we all get in Gryffindor. James said that the Sorting Hat has never not worked."

"It's a hat?" Wren asked. Several other kids were listening by now.

"Yeah," Albus said, warming up to his audience. "You sit on a stool in front of everyone, and put it on your head, and it calls out whichever House you're best for!"

"Wait, the hat talks?" Ciara said, scoffing. "Yeah, right. You're just trying to get attention, Potter."

"Just watch and see," he said loftily.

The dreamy girl from the boat piped up, "I believe you. My brothers told me about it."

"If it was a talking hat, my dad would have told us," Ciara said hotly.

"Just shut up!" I yelled. "You'll see if it's a talking hat in a minute! Shut up!"

Professor Longbottom returned a few minutes later and made us get in a line. Albus and Wren were in front of me, and Ciara Malfoy was right behind, which neither of us seemed happy about. We marched out of the chamber and through a pair of large doors into the Great Hall.

Immediately, my jaw dropped. Thousands of candles floated around the huge room, and high above my head was a ceiling that looked like the night sky. It felt like there wasn't a roof. Four long tables of students watched our progress up to the front of the room, where we came to a halt facing the other students in front of the long table where the teachers were sitting. Hundreds of faces stared at us, and the room was completely silent.

Professor Longbottom silently placed a stool in front of us. The legs of it hitting the floor sounded incredibly loud in the quiet. On top of the stool sat an old, patched wizard's hat.

The hat twitched. Then a rip near the brim opened like a mouth and the hat began to sing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ciara's mouth drop open.

"I may be old an ugly,
But don't judge me by my looks.
The things I know, they could
Really fill a thousand books.

You want to know where you belong?
Then you can come to me!
I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
As you can plainly see!

I'll see all that you hold dear,
And gauge how you react.
To put you in the perfect House
Is my favorite task!

Perhaps you'll be in Gryffindor,
Where the students are quite brave.
They value daring, nerve, and chivalry,
And bravery they crave!

Or maybe you'll be in Hufflepuff,
For they are loyal and true.
Patient and hardworking,
Perhaps this sounds like you?

Perhaps you'll reside in Ravenclaw,
Where those who value learning,
Wit and wisdom and creativity
Find their passion burning.

Finally, there's Slytherin!
Perhaps you belong there.
Those with cunning and with pride
Find a home in Slytherin's lair.

To find out where you do belong
Is a simple task, just start!
Just put me on and you will see
Which House deserves your heart!

All of the students burst into applause and the hat bowed to each table, then became still again, almost like nothing had happened.

"See?" I whispered to Ciara, "Albus was right." She frowned at me but didn't say anything.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and be sorted," Professor Longbottom called. "Ashton, Caleb!"

A black-haired boy stumbled toward the stool, put on the hat (which fell right over his eyes) and sat down. Barely a moment passed before the hat screeched, "RAVENCLAW!"

A very relieved-looking Caleb sat down at the Ravenclaw table to thunderous applause from his housemates.

"Bones, Trilia."

"SLYTHERIN," the hat shouted, and Trilia ran over to the Slyhtherin table.

"Brown, Iris!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Castel, Luke," went to Gryffindor, too. "Dopley, Harriet," was a Hufflepuff, and "Eaton, Jackson," was a Ravenclaw.

The line shrunk as students tried on the hat and scampered off to join their house. Wren looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack, and I probably wasn't much better.

Finally, "Lewis, Astra!"

I stepped forward and dropped the hat on my head.

"Hmm," a small voice said. I almost fell off the stool before I realized it was the hat. "Difficult," it said. "Plenty of courage. Very cunning. Good mind, too, and talent. Where shall we put you?"

I sat frozen, thinking one thought over and over, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, I don't want to be with the Malfoys.

"Not Slytherin? Are you sure? You could be great. No? Well, if you're sure. Better be GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word was shouted to the whole hall. I slipped off the stool and ran to the cheering Gryffindor table, slipping into the seat next to Iris Brown. She smiled at me, then turned her attention back to the Sorting.

Arthur got sorted into Hufflepuff, and he did a little victory dance on the way to his table. One of the twin girls I'd seen earlier, "Macmillian, Lacy," was sent to Gryffindor, and her twin, "Macmillian, Leah," became a Hufflepuff.

"Malfoy, Ciara."

Surprisingly, the hat took a full two minutes on her. Finally, it opened its crease and shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"

It took an even longer time on Scorpius, but finally decided on "SLYTHERIN," as well.

"Parkinson, Reya," became a Ravenclaw, then Professor Longbottom called, "Potter, Albus!"

Albus slowly walked up to the stool. I could see him muttering something, and I had a feeling I knew what he was saying, too. The hat didn't take long on him, however. "GRYFFINDOR!"

James's cheers were the loudest, and he thumped his brother on the back as Albus sat down next to us. "Thank goodness that's over."

We both whipped our heads around as the next name was called. "Predatel, Wren."

Wren was visibly shaking as she walked to the stool. Professor Longbottom had to help her onto it. To make things worse, the hat took longer than it had on anyone else. Finally, though, it called, "GRYFFINDOR!" Wren walked over slowly and sank into the seat between Albus and me. I heard the people around me muttering about how Wren was almost a hatstall, whatever that was.

Slowly the line dwindled to almost nothing. The weird, dreamy blonde girl, "Scamander, Luna," was put in Ravenclaw. At last, it was just Rose Weasley and one other girl. "Waylin, Marie," was sent to Ravenclaw, then Rose walked up to take the hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it yelled the moment the hat touched her head. Albus groaned, but that was covered up by the cheers from the rest of our table. Wren was finally looking less sick.

An older woman in the middle of the table stood up. "Welcome!" she called. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" She flicked her wand, and immediately, the golden plates on the tables that had been empty a moment ago were filled with food.

"That was Headmistress McGonagall," James told me as he loaded his plate with roast beef.

At last, when we had eaten our fill, the food disappeared and Professor McGonagall stood up. "I have a few announcements before you go to your dormitories," she said, her voice ringing through the silent hall. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors."

"No one ever pays attention to that," James whispered.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch." She paused, let the excited whispers die down, then continued, "Now, goodnight! Don't be caught in the halls after curfew!"

A tall brunette girl with a prefect badge who James called Jaycee Bell stood up from our table and told the first years to follow her. She wound her way out of the Great Hall, up a marble staircase, and through several corridors and up flights of steps. Finally, we stopped at a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink dress.

"Password?" she asked, and I started. The painting was talking. Only one other boy seemed alarmed by this, Luke Castel.

"Alarte Ascendare," Jaycee said firmly, and the painting swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. We crawled through and found ourselves in the Gryffindor common room.

Jaycee led the first year girls to our dormitory, and I promptly fell asleep.

~~~~

The next morning, Wren woke me up by slapping me in the face with my own pillow. Lacy Macmillian and Iris Brown were standing behind her, giggling. Rose was already gone.

"Wake up, sleepyhead, unless you don't want breakfast," Wren said, then whacked me again for good measure.

I sat up and tried to wrench my pillow out of her hands, but she jumped backward, out of my reach. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Just be warned: I'm not a morning person." Lacy and Iris giggled again, then ran out the door and down the stairs, leaving Wren and me alone.

I threw on some clothes and followed Wren out to the common room. Albus and James were sitting with a red-headed girl (another Weasley? How many were there?) who I think as a second year.

"Hi, I'm Roxanne," she said merrily when we walked up. "Albus and James's cousin."

"Wren Predatel and Astra Lewis," James said, pointing to each of us in turn.

"Nice to meet you. Wish I could stay and talk, but I really should get downstairs. I think Kenzie is waiting for me." With that, she hopped up and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Don't you have friends?" I asked James, when he didn't follow.

"That's not very nice, Astra," he said. "Really, I thought you'd be the good kid of this group."

I raised my eyebrows. "Me? Really? If anyone is, it's Wren. And I didn't mean it like that, I just thought you'd have your own friends and wouldn't want to hang out with us."

James shrugged. "I'm actually the only Gryffindor second year who's a boy, besides Marcus Dillingham and Colin Creevey, and everyone knows they think I'm annoying. Lots of Hufflepuffs last year. I mostly hung out with Fred and Louis last year, but now I'll crash your party."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Wren said sympathetically.

"Sorry? Why?" James laughed. "Everyone except my roommates love me!"

"Especially Mackenzie Walker," Albus said, wiggling his eyebrows.

James immediately flushed. "What? No! How would you even know that?"

"You talk in your sleep," Albus said, shrugging.

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, can we go get breakfast? I'm starving."

James led us down to the Great Hall, muttering about "stupid brothers" and "stupid Kenzie" and "stupid sleep."

As we sat down, a loud fluttering noise caught my attention. I looked up to see a great flock of owls flying through the windows. The owls flew around the room, found who they were looking for, and settled down in front of that person. Albus got a letter from his mom and Lily, which he was careful to hide before James saw. I don't think James would have said anything, though, because he was busy hiding his own letter from their mom.

As we ate, Professor Potter walked around passing out our schedules. "He's the head of our house," Albus whispered importantly.

"We have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first," Wren said. "That's taught by Professor Longbottom. Then transfiguration with Ravenclaw. Professor Patil teaches that. Then double potions with the Slytherins."

"Oh, wow, I feel sorry for you guys," James cut in. "Professor Sulcan teaches that, and he's awful. Hates Gryffindor. Loves Slytherin."

I glanced at Albus, and he was looking back at me. That teacher sounded bad, but what was worse was two hours of class with Ciara and Scorpius Malfoy.

~~~~

If you're wondering why the Sorting Hat's song was so bad, that's because I wrote it myself. Sorry if you expected better, poetry isn't really my thing, and lyrics are way over my head.

Anyway, do you guys want to know which children have parents who went to Hogwarts while the Harry Potter series was going on? I can have an author's note about that if you'd like, but I won't waste my time if you'd rather I didn't do that and you'd like to figure it all out for yourself.

Vote please, and comment!

~Ellie