The train slowed right down and finally came to a halt. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to the tiny, dark platform. Rose shivered in the cold night air and saw her breath gilstening like a cobweb in front of her. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Rose heard a familiar voice.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Oh, 'ello Rose, I didn' see ya there!" Hagrid boomed over the cacophony over the crowd.

"Hi Hagrid," Rose smiled warmly, "Are we still on for tea next Friday?"

"O' course we are," Hagrid beamed through the hair that entangled his face, before turning to face the crowd which he towered over. "Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me, now, c'mon!"

Slipping and stumbling clumsily, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. There was a lot of excited and nervous chatter going on around them, but Albus and Rose were silent, giving each other reassuring looks every now and then.

"Ye' all get sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend..."

The narrow path had opened onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched on top of a high mountain on the other side, its windows shone brightly with light, was a very old and ancient castle with a large number of turrets and towers. Rose noticed how the war must've affected it. Parts of the castle looked relatively modern, compared to the rest of the tower which was over a century old.

"No more'n four in yer boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to little boats bobbing in the water by the shore.

Albus and Rose were followed into their boat by Jessica and Arlo; their new friends who they had sat with on the Hogwarts Express.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid bellowed, who had a boat to himself. "Right then...FORWARD!"

All at once, the boats moved synchronised across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up in awe at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Mind yer head!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff.

They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Hagrid checked the boats as people climbed out of them. Once everyone was accounted for,  they trudged up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door. Hagrid gave a little bow of his head to Rose, and she inhaled a deep breath before knocking confidently on the door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, brown-haired witch in lilac robes stood there. Her piercing blue eyes looked over the students with much warmth and her big lips were carved into a broad smile.

"The firs' years, Professor Tandlewall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid."

Hogwarts was just how Rose remember it. She'd never been to school here, but she'd certainly visited more than once.
They followed Professor Tandlewall, as the hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right became increasingly louder.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Tandlewall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall..."

Rose zoned out after that. She knew all of this information and there was absolutely no need for her to listen to it again. Although Rose was a studious person, she could get bored quite easily from something she already knew.

As Professor Tandlewall left the chamber, nervous chatter filled the room again. Albus and Arlo were informing Jessica about what the sorting hat did, but Rose kept to herself. However, she couldn't help but feel that she was being...examined. Rose's head snapped around to see a boy with blonde hair staring at her. His eyes darted away as soon as he realised that Rose was looking at him. Rose knew him from somewhere. Where? She didn't know.

Professor Tandlewall returned and the talking in the chamber immediately ceased.

"Form a line and follow me."

The students did as they were told, although Rose felt a strong urge to stay put. Dragging her feet along, she lined up behind Albus, who was whispering something to Arlo. They walked nervously out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors towards the great hall.

It was the same as Rose had seen it previously, with more of an enchanting touch to it.  The candles floated in midair over the four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. The tables were laid with sparkling golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor Tandlewall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them.

Rose tried to find her family in the crowd. She managed to spot Victoire and Molly on the Ravenclaw table as well as James, Fred, Frank, Louis, Roxanne, Dominique and Alice huddled together with their friend Rowan Wood, on the Gryffindor table. James and Al seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. Rose had no idea what it meant but she figured James was winning the argument, as he had a big smile plastered on his face and Albus turned pale.

Rose looked at Professor Tandlewall who was silently placing a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty, and had several cuts in it and Rose recognised it almost immediately as the sorting hat. There was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.

When the hat had finally finished its song - which Rose had to admit, she found quite a bore - the whole hall erupted into a deafening applause. It bowed to each of the four tables before becoming almost motionless again.

Professor Tandlewall then stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Aten, Dimitri!"

A tall boy with brown messy hair stumbled out of line, put on the hat, and sat down. There was a momentary pause before the hat bellowed- "RAVENCLAW!"

The Ravenclaws cheered and clapped as Dimitri went to sit down at the table.

"Barlo, Zeke!" Was the first to join the Slytherin table.

"Belby, Tiara," "Breezely, Abigail," and "Boot, Remi," were then all sorted into Ravenclaw, before "Blitzavs, Drake," became the first Gryffindor.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and "Creevey, Colin" scuttled off to sit next to the other Hufflepuffs, while not long after, "Curit, Zaylee," and "Dorohale, Cora," joined him.

"Eben, Jaya," was announced a Slytherin after a particularly long wait and "Faron, Anders," and "Fartucas, Quinn," took only seconds to follow.

"Finch-Fletchly, Arlo," was made a Hufflepuff, as Albus gave his new friend a smile.

"Finnegan, Ivy," became the first female Gryffindor for the evening, who glanced over at her sister, Violet, who was a second year Ravenclaw.

"Hill, Elora," stepped up to the stool and the sorting hat decided on "SLYTHERIN!"

"Kawk, Demarcus" went to Gryffindor, but "Lines, Ivana" became the the sixth Slytherin, and the table on the far right exploded with cheers.

A boy by the name of "Malfoy, Scorpius," was called up, and Rose immediately recognised the name. It wasn't until she saw his face, though, was she really shocked. It was the boy who had been staring at her in the chamber. The one that her father had told her not to get too friendly with.

But Scorpius was the biggest hat stall yet. It took the hat almost five minutes to decide. Professor Tandlewall was about to come and take the hat off his head before the hat finally settled for - "SLYTHERIN!"

And with that, a disheartened Scorpius trudged down the steps, towards the Slytherin table. Rose looked at him with pity, but was snapped away from him as "Matroyl, Leighton" and "Marthan, Rhys" became the newest members of Hufflepuff.

"Merkand, Tyler" then became a Ravenclaw.

"Morina, Jessica," stepped up to the stool, and as she sat down, Rose crossed her fingers. "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted enthusiastically, only a second after it had touched her head. Rose beamed at Jessica, but Jessica was to busy smiling at Albus to notice. James and Frank wolf whistled, as she went at sat down next to Alice.

At this point, they seemed about only half way through. "Nott, Isabella" and "Osmotix, Otto" went to Ravenclaw, while "Osalagan, Ariana" and "Percem, Jayde" skipped off to the Gryffindor table.

Then it was Albus' turn.

"Potter, Albus."

The whole hall burst into hushed whispers. Rose glanced over to the Gryffindor table where James rolled his eyes with a huff, but regained his composure when Albus caught his eye. He smirked at Albus and raised a teasing eyebrow. Albus wandered tardily over to the stool, where the hat was placed on his head.

The hat took just as long to decide for Albus as it had for Scorpius. Rose saw Professor Longbottom on the edge of his seat, eagerly awaiting the answer. Rose had her fingers and toes crossed for her cousin, and closed her eyes in anticipation as the hat finally shouted- "GRYFFINDOR!"

Professor Longbottom and Professor McGonagall were the loudest applauders in the crowd. Albus's posture drooped immensely as all the worrying ceased. He walked happily over to the Gryffindor table where James gave him a short wink, as he took a seat next to Jessica.

Then there was a pair of twin girls, "Rizza, Alana" and "Rizza, Jordin" who were both Ravenclaws then "Roltaganas, Cortex," who was sorted into Slytherin. "Scaffini, Lulu," went to Gryffindor as "Sneakers, Yani," landed herself a place in Slytherin house.

Then at last, after what seemed like an eternity- "Weasley, Rose!"

Rose ran nervously up to the hat and Professor Tandlewall placed it upon her head. The hat was too big for Rose, and it slipped over her eyes, causing her to see nothing but black.

"Ah, what do we have here? Another Wealsey, eh?" The hat asked.

"Yes." Rose huffed.

"Not a bad mind I see...A Granger too, are we?"

"I'm a person you know. I'm not a Granger, nor am I a Weasley. Yes, I may be smart like my mother, and loyal like my dad, but I'm not them. I'm Rose." Rose was getting tired of being referred to as her parents.

"Determined, I see? Yes, a thirst to prove yourself. Slytherin might do you well..."

"No." Rose said stubbornly, "Not Slytherin, please."

"Not Slytherin, eh? But you could be great you know. But if you don't want Slytherin...Loyal and Smart you say? Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff would fit. Brains like your mother?"

"I'm not my mother! I'm ROSE!"

"It takes a lot of courage, young Rose, to stand up for yourself, against me. Courage which you do not seem to lack... I think you would do well, wherever you went, yes, no doubt in my mind. But I think it shall be..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat said the last word aloud, and Rose sighed with relief. She couldn't help but let her smile creep onto her face as she followed Albus to the Gryffindor table.

"West, Keyon," joined Hufflepuff and "Wollowber, David," was Slytherin's final first year. Then "Zest, Mariano," was sorted into Gryffindor and the sorting was complete!

~~~~~
~I solemnly swear that I am up to no good~

I'm sorry guys, I wanted to keep going in this chapter, but it was already over 2000 words! I guess you'll just have to wait a week.

Anyway, as you were probably able to tell...EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I did copy and paste a lot from the Philosipher's Stone, so not all content is mine.

Also...CURSED CHILD IS OUT! YAY! And...it's our Queen's birthday, as well as our Chosen's. Happy Birthday!!!

The next chapter will, from my memory, be Frank's POV, which is the sorting. Then Victoire's... Then Albus again...Then I think it's Molly's.

Anyway, I've got a homework assignment due tomorrow that I haven't started...so comment, vote, and whatever else.

~Mischief Managed~