"Yes, he's actually Ron's best friend, to my surprise."
I turn my head towards her, a confused look glazing my face.
"Ron is my older brother." She explains.
"Oh."
"Not counting George, Fred, Percy, Bill, or Charlie."
I stare at her.
"And I thought one brother was a pain." I giggle.
She grimaces.
"Well, I can be the sister you never had."
She sighs in relief. "Thank you so much."
"No problem." I smile and squint in the darkness.
"First years this way!" A man calls through the night.
"Who's that?"
"He's the gatekeeper, Hagrid. Ron says he's very nice."
I nod and follow his voice.
"Just stay away from his cooking," she whispers.
I giggle until we reach the shoreline.
"Get in the boat 'ere," Hagrid directs.
Ginny and I climb into the boat with a bunch of other first years. Our boat slices across the inky lake, the water rippling like glass melted by dragon fire.
The castle towers over the lake, looking very impressive.
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"Blimey," I gasp.
"It's beautiful," Ginny smiles.
We walk into the Great Hall and I gasp.
There's candles floating everywhere, providing light to the entire hall. Four long house tables stretch across the length of the room. The ceiling is enchanted, showing the velvety black night sky. Pinpoints of white light twinkle throughout.
I grasp Ginny's hand. "We're finally here. Hogwarts," I whisper to Ginny.
We finally walk to the end of the Great Hall and I bite my lip. People are looking at the first years but it feels like everyone's staring at me. I see Ced and he flashes me a thumbs up. My tension eases slightly so I bring myself to face the staff table. An old man with a long silver beard stands up.
The chatter stops.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. After Harry Potter successfully saved the Philosopher's Stone last year, I'm hoping this year will be a little bit quieter."
"Oh, Cedric told me a bit about that." I whisper to Ginny.
"It was mad. You-know-who took over the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
