Pain is slowly filling our lifes [HP]

Start of new era

They walked up in a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

'Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?' the half-giant raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times at the castle door.

Nastia didn't even realise what was happening, she was too lost in her thoughts. When she snaped back to reality the door swung open at once. (Yea, that's 'smooth') A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face. Once Luna realised she was in reality once more she started feeling funny, anxious and shitty. She had a strange and fluttery feeling in her chest. Her mind started racing with millions of thoughts. What will everyone think of her?

'The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall' said the giant.

'Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.'

She pulled the door door wide. The Entrance Hall was really big, that you could think it could easily be half of Nastja's home. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at magnificent marble staircase facing them to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Everyone could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall shoved the first-years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering around nervously.

'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 on 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 rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.'

Her eyes lingered for a moment on the boy who lost his toad's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on ginger's smudged nose.

'I shall return when we are ready for you' said Professor McGonagall 'Please wait quietly.'

She left the chamber. Boy with messy black hair and glasses asked ginger how they sort them into houses.

'Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.'

Everyone started to get anxious. Surely, that couldn't be true? A test? On their first day? There were many muggle borns here that didn't know anything of magical world. 'Did they really believe that?' Nastia could hear bushy hair whisper all the spells she knew. Then something happened which made several people scream. Many people gasped. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Once Nastja saw them she slightly jumped form the sudden appearance. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying:

'Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-'

'My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?'