We all stepped out of the boats, whispering. Hagrid led us up to a massive bridge, that stretched over a large chasm/pit/quarry that circled all the way around the even more massive, and majestic castle that was my new school. Hogwarts.

By the time Hagrid reached the courtyard, at the other end of the bridge, us first years were still only a quarter across the bridge. He paused at the courtyard to wait for us.

We were really far from the bottom of the chasm ... Not a great place for people scared of heights! Time to find classmates who are, and hold them captive here ... and by that I mean levitate them half over the bridge and half over the chasm!

As I gazed up at the school, a flash of recognition flared in my mind. I felt like I had been here before ... but of course I haven't! I mean, I had seen the pictures in Hogwarts: A History, but I felt like I had actually been here ... huh.

"Are you okay, Daisy?" Harry asked. I could see it in his eyes; he had seen what was in my eyes, whatever it was.

"Yeah, of course!" I said brightly.

Terry looked between us. "Do you two have some sort of twin telepathic thing?" 

"Sort of." Harry and I said simultaneously.

Terry and Ron looked at us, wide-eyed.

As soon as Terry's back was turned, I jumped on his back.

"Surprise attack!" I yelled. Terry jumped and flailed around. Harry and Ron laughed.

I jumped off Terry's back, grabbed his arm, and pretended to push him off the side of the bridge. 

He screamed like a girl and I laughed along with Ron and Harry.

I could feel Draco staring at me again. I turned round and looked him in the face.

"What, do you want pushed off the side, Dragon? Would you be able to spread your wings in time before you hit the ground?" I sniggered as everyone else laughed.

Draco went pink and stuttered, "I- I-" 

I turned back around. He'd have to apologise to my brother and Ron before I forgave him.

I caught Amy's eye and grinned. "Race you all to Hagrid!" I yelled.

I started sprinting. I could hear Ron, Terry, Amy, Suzanne, and Shannon's desperate attempts to catch up to us, but they were in vain.

Harry and I got to Hagrid first.

"HA!" I shouted at them.

Terry stuck his tongue out at me like a little kid. Harry grinned at me, sending me a message, 'We're almost identical in our sprinting!' 'Indeed.' I replied. 'Naturally.' We sent simultaneously, and laughed.

"What?" Suzanne asked. 

"It's their twin telepathic powers." Terry said in awe.

"What's the joke?" Amy asked, still grinning.

"Oh, it's an inside joke-" Harry said.

"-That you can't know about." I said smugly.

"Aww." Shannon said.

The others all came up, chattering.

"About time, you lot. What were you waiting for, the world to end?" I asked the crowd at large. 

They all laughed.

I looked at them out of the corner of my eye as we walked across the courtyard. Geez, will Draco Malfoy EVER stop staring at me? It's getting annoying ...

Then I noticed Terry staring at me too. Grr ...

"See something you like, my dear? Or have you noticed something interesting on my face?" I said, reaching my hands up and running them along my face.

"N-no." Terry said.

"God, child, you really have a stuttering problem." I sniggered.

We walked along in companionable silence for a while, Harry, Ron, Terry, and I. 

Then, when we reached the large flight of steps leading to the huge double doors, I pretended to shove Ron down them. He yelled, before realising that I wasn't actually going to push him down them. Ron pretended to push me back, actually accidentally pushing me in the process. I shrieked as I began to fall backwards, but before I actually hit the steps, someone caught me round the waist and set me back on my feet again.

It was Draco.

"Thanks." I said, genuinely. 

"No problem." He said softly. We smiled at each other before I turned to Ron.

"You big klutz." I said. Ron looked sheepish, and rubbed his neck.

"Uh, sorry!" 

I snickered.

Harry shoved him. "Dude, don't mess with my sister! Mess with my twin, you mess with me!" He said jokingly. 

"You okay?" Terry asked me, worriedly. 

I shoved him. "'Course I am, doofus." 

We entered the Entrance Hall. It was gorgeous, and again, huge. There were four hour glasses against one wall, with the upper half filled with emeralds, yellow topazes, sapphires, and rubies. 

A woman came hurrying out of a large hall, that was apparently filled with all the older students. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, deputy Headmistress. In a few minutes, you will enter the Great Hall to be sorted. The houses are Gryffindor, (that is my house, by the way, any new Gryffindors will be under me) Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. You will wait in here until the Sorting starts." 

She hustled us into a small side chamber.

"At Hogwarts, points will be awarded to your house if you do good, points will be taken if you do bad. You will be honoured by your house if you earn a lot of points, shunned if you lose a lot. Here, at Hogwarts, your house is your family. Don't forget that." Professor McGonagall hurried out of the room.

We all immediately started whispering amongst ourselves.

"What house do you want to get into?" Amy asked me in whispers.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!" I said, pretending to hold up a sword. 

"I'm for Slytherin, obviously. I'm just too sly and sneaky!" Shannon laughed.

"Well, my mother has a bet on that I'm getting into Hufflepuff, my father that I'm getting into Ravenclaw." Suzanne said. "Mum says that I'm more of a good friend and hardworking than smart-" she winced, "but she says that that's better, those are more important qualities. Dad says that I'm clever without needing to work hard." She laughed.

"Really? Because my grandma has a bet against my uncle that I'm getting into Ravenclaw!" Amy said.

"What do you think the Sorting IS?" Harry asked me. 

"I dunno." I replied.

"Fred said some sort of test. He said it hurts a lot ..." Ron said.

"What?!" I spluttered.

Terry looked alarmed.

But before we could say anything else, Professor McGonagall came back.

"Form a line, please." She said.

We all scurried to get into line. I was behind Terry, and behind me was Draco Malfoy, to my displeasure. 

We all walked into the Great Hall. Everyone at the four different tables was staring at us. 

Professor McGonagall lead us up the middle of two tables, and, at the front, placed an old hat on top of a stool.

"When your name is called, you will put on the Sorting Hat, and it will tell you what House you are to be Sorted into." She said.

"I'm going to kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll." Ron grumbled.

Professor McGonagall unrolled a large scroll of parchment.

"Abbot, Hannah!" She called.

A girl with blond hair stumbled up to the stool and put on the Hat.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" It shouted.

"Bones, Susan!" 

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Boot, Terry!" 

Terry suddenly took my hand and squeezed it. "Good luck." He said quietly.

"You too!" I blurted. He grinned and headed up to the stool.

Was it just me, or did I feel sparks when he grabbed my hand?

"RAVENCLAW!" 

I clapped and cheered along with the rest of the crowd. Yay for Terry!

"Brown, Lavender!" Oh, there goes Lavender!

"GRYFFINDOR!" 

I clapped and cheered again.

"Corner, Michael!"

I held my breath.

"RAVENCLAW!" 

Yay, all my friends were getting into the houses they wanted!

The next names I paid attention to were:

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Finnigan, Seamus!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Goldstein, Anthony!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Granger, Hermione!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Then,

"Longbottom, Neville!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Neville ran off to the Gryffindor table with the Hat still on! He had to jog back and give it to the next person in line.

"Macmillan, Ernie!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Malfoy, Draco!"

I watched Draco swagger up to the stool. He put the Hat on, and it paused for a moment, before shouting, "SLYTHERIN!"

No surprises there.

"Malfoy, Felix!" 

Wait, what, there's another Malfoy? But how could they be twins? They must be cousins, because they look nothing alike, apart from the noses! But this guy's dark brown hair flopped as he walked - it wasn't necessarily in a fringe, it was in more of a wave - but it still, somehow, managed to flop.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Patil, Padma!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Patil, Parvati!" 

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Potter, Daisy!"

Immediately whispers started up all over the hall.

"POTTER, did she say?"

"THE Daisy Potter?"

This was it. Time to be sorted...

"Good luck!" Harry and Ron whispered.

Amy, Suzanne, and Shannon winked at me.

Terry did the thumbs-up from over at the Ravenclaw table.

I swaggered up to the stool, just like my bleach blondie friend. I sent a playful grin round at the students, who were all craning round to get a look at me. Then I dropped the Hat on my head. It completely covered my eyes.

"Hmm ... plenty of courage, I see ... a lot of talent, oh my goodness, yes. Not a bad mind, either. A keen interest for proving yourself, now that's interesting ... you don't like being called a coward, pathetic, weak, or anything of the sort, do you, that's also interesting, very interesting ... a very good ability for pranking, and there's a lot of nobility and greatness there, too. You're selfless and very, very brave ... but what's that? There's something else here ... something VERY dark indeed ..." The Hat said.

I shivered. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean the pain I caused all those people, including Uncle Vernon? The presence I can easily feel in my mind?

But what if it puts me in Slytherin, with the evil lot? I mean, I've heard a lot of rumours about the Slytherin folk from when I met all those people on the Hogwarts Express. Shannon's not evil, obviously, but something about the rest of them makes me think that the rumours are true ...

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, oh gods, NOT Slytherin ..." I muttered under my breath.

"Not Slytherin, eh? It could help you on the way to greatness, you know ..."

"DEFINITELY not Slytherin, thanks, Hat!" 

"Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head - and you could rise to power like HE did ... you're very like him, you know, uncannily like him - no? If you're sure - better be GRYFFINDOR!"

I punched the air with my fist as I took the Hat off. The Gryffindor table was cheering the loudest that they had yet. I could hear the Weasley twins chanting, "We got Potter, we got Potter!"

As I made my way over to the Gryffindor table, I started to sing to the Hall.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight ..."

Then the Gryffindor table started to sing along with me.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight ..."

Then the entire Hall.

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight!"

I grinned at all the admiring looks and sat down.

Percy (as Ron had told me) got up and shook my hand vigorously. A ghost with a ruff patted my arm, and I got the feeling someone had poured icy cold water over it.

"Potter, Harry!"

More whispers broke out.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I cheered louder than anyone else at the table. When Harry staggered towards us, I got up and hugged him as hard as I could.

"Yay! We're still together!" I yelled. We sat down next to each other.

"Rolfing, Amy!"

"RAVENCLAW!" Her grandma won the bet, then.

"Thomas, Dean!" 

"GRYFFINDOR!" I clapped as Dean collapsed onto the seat across from me.

"Wanders, Suzanne!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Her mum won that bet.

"Waters, Shannon!"

"SLYTHERIN!" She got her wish.

"Weasley, Ronald!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

We bumped fists as he came over to our table.

"Zabini, Blaise!" 

"SLYTHERIN!" 

Then Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took away the Sorting Hat.

Albus Dumbledore stood up. He beamed at all the students. 

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."

He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. I laughed out loud and cheered one of the loudest. Harry looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or not.

The plates in front of us suddenly filled with food.

"I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor tower." The ghost said.

"I know who you are!" Ron said suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would PREFER you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy -" Nick began stiffly, but Seamus interrupted.

"NEARLY Headless? How can you be NEARLY Headless?"

"Like THIS." He said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it were on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, and not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on our faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back on to his neck.

I felt someone's stare on me, and I turned to see Terry over at the Ravenclaw table. I waved, and he waved back, grinning. 

Then the food vanished and was replaced by puddings.

The talk turned to our families.

"I'm half and half." Seamus said. "Me mam's a witch, dad's a Muggle. She didn't tell him about it until after they married. Bit of a nasty shock for him." We all laughed.

Then Neville told his tale about how his family thought he was a Muggle, and his uncle hung him out of a window to test if he had magic, until he accidentally dropped Neville, and he bounced all the way down the garden. "He was so pleased he bought me my toad." Neville said.

I glanced past Neville to the High Table. Professor Quirrell was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. The hook-nosed teacher looked straight past Quirrell and looked into my eyes. A searing pain shot through my scar at the exact same moment. Harry and I both gasped and clapped our hands to our scars. 

"Ouch!" We said simultaneously.

"What is it?" George asked, leaning across Lee Jordan.

"N-nothing." We both stuttered.

We glanced at each other. Our eyes met and Harry looked very worried. I think my eyes showed the same thing.

"Who's that teacher talking to Quirrell?" I demanded of George.

"Snape." George sniggered. "He never uses shampoo." 

Then Professor Dumbledore got up again. "Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. A few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." His eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins, who grinned. "I have also been asked by Mr Filch to remind you that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." 

Harry and I laughed, but we were one of the few who did.

"He's not serious?" Harry muttered to Percy.

"Must be." Said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. "It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere - the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. He might have told us Prefects, at least."

"And now, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore cried. He gave his wand a flick, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it and twisted itself into words.

"Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

Fred and George caught my eye and we all grinned.

Everyone started singing.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everybody finished the song at different times. Terry was one of the first to finish, he sang it like a jaunty folk song, and I saw him practically pissing himself laughing over at his table.

At last, only Fred, George, and I were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted our last few lines with his wand, and when we had finished, he was one of those who clapped the loudest.

"Ah, music." He said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime! Off you trot!" 

Us Gryffindor first-years followed Percy the Prefect through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall and up the marble staircase. Before I rounded the corner at the top, I turned round to see Draco staring at me. Our eyes met, and he smiled genuinely, not a sarcastic smirk or anything. A proper smile. But then Harry grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner.

Twice Percy lead us through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. I took note of these. I could use these in the future ...

We came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in mid-air in front of us and as Percy took a step towards them, they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves." He whispered to us. "A poltergeist." 

"Awesome!" I grinned.

There was a 'pop' and a little man with wicked dark eyes appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"You think I'm awesome, little girly?" He cackled. "Well, I think so too!"

I sniggered.

"Ickle firsties!" He said with an evil cackle. "What fun!" He swooped at all the first years except me, and they all ducked.

"Go away Peeves, or the Bloody Baron will hear about this!" Percy barked.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. I heard him whooshing away, rattling the coats of armour as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves." Percy said. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him. Here we are." 

At the end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. 

"Password?" She asked.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. We all dived through it. We arrived in a common room with a fire and squashy, comfortable looking armchairs. Percy directed us girls through one door to our dormitory, the boys to another. At the top of a spiral staircase, we found our beds at last: four four-poster beds hung with red velvet curtains.

We all bagged our beds.

"Mine." I announced, taking the one nearest the window, and beside Hermione and Lavender's. Parvati's was across from mine.

We got changed into our pyjamas. Then we all fell into bed.

"G'night." I muttered to the others, and they replied, "'Night."

I fell asleep almost instantly. But I soon regretted it, for I had a dream filled with bright green light, evil laughs, searing pain, and women screaming. I finally woke when the person who was laughing screamed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" 

I sat up, sweating and shaking. I fell asleep again, but this time with no nightmares.