After changing into their school-uniforms, Almira and Susan stepped out of the train.

“Righ’ then, first-years this way please!”

They turn to the direction of the voice and see a half-giant waving a lantern over his head and bellowing for all the first-year students to gather around him. Almira and Susan, seeing other first-years heading towards him, also decide to head over.

“Alrigh’ then, this way to the boats, c’mon then, follow me!”

They all start following the half-giant, and as they walk away from the station, Almira nudges Susan’s arm and points towards where the older students went.

“Susan, look, look, aren’t those horses pulling the wagons kinda cute.”

Almira whispers to Susan, who then turns to look towards the direction Almira is pointing in.

“Mira… The horses you are calling cute, they wouldn’t happen to be those thestrals would they?”

When Susan sees the “cute” horses Almira mentioned, she couldn’t help but start doubting Almira’s definition of the word “cute”. The thestrals are a breed of winged-horses that look like skeletal horses with black skin draped over their bones, leathery wings that resemble those of a bat, sharp long tail and white eyes that seem to glow in the dark. Susan can’t see anything deserving the word “cute” in these XXXX-rated beasts.

“Yeah! Don’t their eyes just look like they all want to be cuddled with?”

Hearing this, Susan looks at Almira weirdly, but decides to let her new friend think what she wants about these nightmare inducing monsters.

The half-giant leads them to a lake shore and tells them to get into boats, with four students in each. Almira and Susan step into a boat with two other girls and when everyone has gotten into the boats, the half-giant steps into one of his own and commands.

“Forward!”

And all the boats start moving on their own, carrying them across the lake.

As the boats reach the other side of the lake and move into a tunnel going underneath the Hogwarts Castle, Almira feels as if someone cast a spell on her, but as the boats dock in front of huge stairs leading up to the castle yard and she doesn’t feel like the spell did anything to her, she decides not to think about it.

The half-giant leads them up the stairs, through the yard and into the castle through its huge front doors. There Almira sees someone she recognizes, as the half-giant leads them in front of Professor McGonagall.

“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall.”

The half-giant says.

“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.”

McGonagall thanks the half-giant, Hagrid, and pulls open the doors behind her, leading them into the entrance hall. They follow McGonagall through the hall and into a smaller chamber, where they all had to be quite close to one another for them all to fit in. There McGonagall turns to face them as she starts speaking.

“Welcome to Hogwarts. 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 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 in your house common room.”

She stops to see that everyone is paying attention, before continuing.

“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 rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be credit to whichever house becomes yours.”

Once again she lets the information sink in before continuing.

“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 waiting.”

While saying the last bit, McGonagall looks sharply at someone on the other side of the group from where Almira and Susan are.

“I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.”

McGonagall says, before walking away.

“Hey, what do you think the food is like?”

Susan, who was nervous from what McGonagall said, got surprised by Almira’s sudden question.

 “What do you mean?”

She said, not quite sure why Almira decided to ask this from her.

“Well, McGonagall said there would be a feast, right? So what do you think we’ll have for food?”

“Well, if it’s a feast, there should be meat.”

Susan answers to Almira.

“I know right, but I kinda like greens too, there should be those too right? It wouldn’t be a feast of there’s only meat right?”

Almira gushes about the foods she likes, but that stops when they suddenly hear multiple people scream behind them, as about twenty ghosts phase through the back wall, arguing.

“Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second change.”

Says one ghost, looking like a fat monk.

“My dear Friar, haven’t we given Peeves all the changes he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he’s not really even a ghost.”

Says another one, this one wearing a ruff and tights. The second one suddenly notices them and says:

“I say, what are you all doing here?”

But no one from the students answers.

“New students! About to be sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff, my old house you know.”

Says the first one, with a huge smile on his fat face.

Suddenly a sharp voice brings the students out of their stupor.

“Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony’s about to start.”

One by one the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

“Now, form a line and follow me.”

McGonagall says, before starting to lead them towards the Great Hall.