The Arendelle Sisters:Return to Hogwarts

The Sorting Ceremony

Chug-chug-chug-screech...

The mighty express rolled to a stop, exhaling steam, almost as if it was out of breath.The little station looked small and vunerable compared to the steel giant that dominated it, thought Elsa, as she watched the station master rush around the platform, hopelessly trying to catch the attention of the driver.

In fact it reminded it of herself, the way she had never been given a chance to make her own choices, the decisions that had always been 'taken care of' by other people.

Not that this was going to be any different though, Elsa sadly told herself , as she joined the trickle of students heading for the doors. She was in for just another set of lies and broken promises.

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After nearly falling onto the train tracks-twice-and almost pulling down a couple of students with her, Elsa found herself standing in the middle of strange platform, unsure, what to do, how to act , where to go.

And there was still no sign of Anna.

Elsa felt tempted to get back on the train and go home. But just as she was exploring this idea in further detail, she heard a male voice with a thick Norwegian accent, calling her to come over.

"Yoohoo! You over there! You are new, jah?" Elsa looked at him in astonishment. How did he know?

She clutched her wand vigourously for reassurance.

Instead of answering, Elsa just gave a short,curt nod before hurrying over to the line of first years, head bent, eyes focused on the floor.She could feel their curious, younger faces watching, asking questions.

Elsa tried ,and failed, to steady her breathing. The last thing she wanted, was to be labelled as an outcast before she'd even started school. As if sensing her discomfort, the strange man called to the students to follow him, and set off down a rocky path leading away from the little station, into the inky black night.

Afterwards, Elsa had no idea how she managed to keep track of the other students around her-all she remembered was stumbling through the knotted grass, often tripping over gnarled roots, weathered with age, until suddenly,the scrags of woodland disappeared, revealing a tiny, untouched beach.

"As this year is a very special anniversary at Hogvarts, jah, vie are taking you on a different journey to  then you vould normally go, so do not be suprised, if it is not like your parents or family have described it to you.My name is Oaken. I am the...how you say...apprentice gamekeeper at Hogvarts." The strange man had reappeared again, his face contorted with a huge smile, which Elsa found entirely too big. "Dis does not happen very often, so think yourself very lucky to...experience." Elsa rolled her eyes, fighting down the urge to point out his incorrect use of grammar.
 

Oaken clicked his fingers, still beaming, and the water began ripple, forming huge, flowing circles,until suddenly, two shadowy shapes rose up to the surface of the lake. Elsa felt her jaw drop.

The two creatures were huge, no, bigger than huge. Flashing, amber eyes shone with a deadly gleam; their colossal,equine bodies shimmered all the colours of the rainbow.

If nature hosted a competition for the most spectacular species-well, these guys would certainly give the contestants a run for their money.

After 5 minutes of stunned silence, Oaken-realising nothing was going to happen soon, at least when the students were concerned-shouted at them to get a move on, if they wanted to get to the Sorting Ceremony on time.
He then demonstrated how to climb onto these huge creatures backs(Elsa was extremely nervous- no-one had said anything about riding seamonsters across a colossal lake), before steering one out into the water.