Thundergirl

Chapter 12: the great hall

VERSION #1
Hagrid leaves me at the doors of the Grand Hall and mumbles some explanation 'Er, I'll leave yer here with teh other students, yet brother and folks. I have to do something yeh know, assignment from sir Dumbledore. I will join teh feast after. ' The giant rushes away. Inside the Great Hall hundreds of students are chattering and laughing indistinctly. While looking at the four tables packed with students, I realise I'm not wearing the Hogwarts robes yet. My plain black robes have to do. I spot my brother in the crowd, who appears to be doing impressions while making all kinds of faces, causing the students near him to laugh. As I approach him he sees me and grins. He orders Grabbe and Goyle to move to make space for me. 'Did you have a nice date with hairy Hagrid , sister?' I give him an elbow 'O, do shut up. Wait, is that a tiny hair I'm spotting on your chin?!' While mocking each other for some more time, I eat a piece of weird purple cake, which surprisingly tastes good, and sandwiches from a plate that keeps refilling itself. Suddenly an unnatural loud voice blurts through the room, paining my ears. Professor Dumbledore is standing behind a lecture table which is decorated with a bronze Phoenix. Other professors are sitting behind him in large chairs, five of them I recognise including Hagrid, who simply....can't be missed.
'Welcome back to Hogwarts!' Professor Dumbledore spreads his arms as a wecoming sign and then gives a little speech. Suddenly his tone chances. 'This year we will be holding the Triwizard Chapion Tournament here at Hogwarts! Brave witches and wizards will compete against each other to win eternal glory. A student can submit by putting their name in the cup.' He waves his hand and a large cup appears. Everyone gasps at the sight of it. 'Now welcome our guests!' The doors swipe open. My eyes widen when I see them.
***

OR THIS VERSION:
I can feel my mind slipping away from the present and embracing my memories.
In Lumamontes the Great Hall also had four tables: Ignis (fire), aqua (water), caeli (air) and terra
(earth). There would be different food on each table, related to the different elements. Every table had it's own element spirit, which represented the mood of the students from that house. Those spirits would challenge each other, causing incredible battles during our meals. Sometimes element spirits would form an alliance and defeat another spirit.
Little sparks of fire would be flowing through the air, erupting in brilliant shapes of fireworks. Strange forms of water would try to catch those sparks and dove them. Little seeds tried to reach our table to grow and fill our table with enormous flowers and a smell of forest trees. Our air could blow those seeds away and ruin the flowers in a tornado, but could also spread fresh seeds all over the great Hall. Fire could burn the flowers to Ashes, but could also give them light like a sun. Water could as well ruin them, but also feed them.
When all the element spirits bonded together it was extraordinary. Students from different houses would often mix together. Our houses were like our family, but we could have great friends, but also great enimies amongst students, gifted with other elements. In that way we were just like the elements in nature.

The fights at Hogwarts, were fought in an utterly different way; in a more sneaky way. It was forbidden here to cast spells at other students outside of class (to use magic as a weapon). At Lumamontes we would be encouraged to use our magic and explore the limits of our elements. Of course there would be consequences if a student really got hurt by another. Still, I recognised the same fights here.
'Ophelia, what do you think? You agree right?'
I'm swayed out of my daydreaming by the crispy voice of a rather huge slytherin girl, named Pensy Parkinson.
'Don't you agree that Hermione's hair looks like a bird nest? '
'I wonder what lives in it.'
,Draco gniffles.
Through Pensy 's huge hairdo I glance at the gryffindor table. A girl with fluffy brown curls with a serious look on her face, is deep in conversation with a red haired boy, who seems to turn slightly red in the face, and a boy with messy dark hair with an intelligent look on his smooth face, except....for a peculair scar, which is half covered by his round glasses.
The golden trio. Suddenly a hand waves before my face, blurring my view. 'Hel-looo earth to Ophelia' I flince my eyes and discover the hand belongs to an impatient Pensy Parkinson, who looks a bit funny with her huge hair and reddend face. I silently laugh in my head: If anyone's hair looks like a bird nest it's hers.
Her face is turning redder every second she awaits my answer and, to my great annoyance, some if the other slytherins are still looking at me full expectations. Being tired of them gazing at me, I open my mouth and spurt out my thoughts.
'Actually Prensy, plensy, whatever you're called, I think her curls suit her rather well. Maybe you should ask her for some styling tips. You could certainly use some.'
Only after slipping my toungh, I realise the impact of my words. I'm supposed to be the best slytherin there is, instead I'm complementing a gryffindor, a slytherin's enemy. Stunned and angry faces point at me. Draco's pale face drops with my words. Grabbe and Goyle gape at me with their mouths wide open, like fishes. The air feels so oppressing, I decide I can't bear it any longer. A sixth year rolls her eyes at me and whispers something to her neighbour. As I stand up and walk away, feeling their eyes all over me, I can just hear Draco's spotting voice asking the girl if "she's looking for brains back there". When the slytherins begin to laugh at this, I've already slipped through the huge doors.