Arrival at Hogwarts

[phee]

<<For Second Year Students and Older Only>>

It was growing dark outside the windows when a voice echoed through the corridors of the Hogwarts Express, penetrating into the compartments:  "Any students who have not yet donned school robes, please do so now.  We will be arriving in Hogsmeade in fifteen minutes."

As if on cue, half a dozen prefects pushed their way down the train's corridors, poking their heads into compartments here and there to hurry the students along, making the first year students even more nervous as they pulled on their Hogwarts robes.
"Right," one prefect called out as the train began slowing. "Everyone into robes---next stop is Hogsmeade Station. Leave your luggage on the train. It'll be taken to the school separately. When you've been sorted into a house, your luggage will be taken up to your dormitory."

The lights of Hogsmeade Station were visible now, and the students were pushing into the corridor, friends and housemates laughing and calling to each other, jostling and bumping into one another as the train slowed further. Over all the confusion came the voices of the prefects, raised to maintain at least some order in the train, and then there came the final squeal of brakes as the train slowed to a complete stop.

The train doors opened and the students poured out, pushing their way toward the tiny, dark platform beyond, where it had begun to sprinkle.

"First year students," a man's voice was calling loudly as the students emerged. "All first year students this way!"

There was little time to watch the terrified-looking first years shuffling forward for their traditional journey across the lake, however, because the returning and older students were being shunted out onto a rough mud track of their own, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited them.

<<SECOND YEAR STUDENTS AND OLDER MAY POST REPLIES>>

[Prf. Shiva Isis/Simmona Mace]

Simmona squeezed out of her compartment and waited patiently in the corridor for students to file out. She listened to all the chitchat infront and behind her as the sound of a masculine voice seemed to filter through the train windows. "All First years, this way please!"

Finally, she stepped out onto the muddy, sloppy ground. Her shoes sank into the mushy muck. She followed a group of girls to a stagecoach and began searching for familiar faces.

[Merlyn Mary May Madison]

Merlyn exited her compartment. She always sat alone. She had no use for others, or to speak with them. Some had tried to get in, but she would glare at them or spell them if they didn't leav fast enough.

She walked toward a carriage after leaveing the train to head to school. She bunched up with only those that mattered even a little bit, the Slytherins.

[Chris Shadows]

Chris peered out of the compartment he was in, glancing around, waiting with wasted optimism that the ongoing line to clear a bit; doing this despite that he knew it wouldn't end for at least thirty minutes. Sighing he pushed himself into the crowd, being pushed through eventually by waves of students.

Hopping off the train he glanced around while walking behind some random group of students, he knew where to go, it was just that he had no clue where anyone he knew was. Once reaching the carriages. He started jumping to see over the taller students heads for people, "stupid tall people" he muttered.

[Celina Weasley]

Celina weasley jumped off the train as fast as she could, she was pushed along with all the other people going to the wagons.She looked around hopping to see Lily Potter who was a first year, but guessed she was already on the boats. She saw someone jumping up and down, and realized it was Chris, "Chris!" she yelled waving her hands in the air to catch his attention.

[Aidan Channing]

Aidan yelped and hopped up. "Oye, Chris, wait for me!" She popped her head through the doorway of their compartment and sighed as he vanished from her sight in the stream of people. Suddenly someone knocked her into the aisle, and she allowed herself to be swept off the train and into the bustle of students, hoping her new friends would find them in this crowd.

Looking around, she spotted the carriages, and headed towards them. Suddenly, a mop of familiar brown hair appeared in the crowd, then vanished. Appeared again, then vanished. 'What the hell is he doing now?!' she thought to herself, shoving her way through the crowd. Finally, she popped up next to Chris in time to hear him diss tall people.

"Hola, Fuzzy, thanks for waiting. And don't hate...it's not our fault you're short," she said with a grin, grabbing on to his shoulder to keep from getting separated again. Hearing a familiar voice, she turned. "Hey, it's Celina!" She beamed and waved at her, motioning for her to join them.

[Celina Weasley]

Celina saw Aiden and rushed over to her, "Hey, I thought I lost you in the crowd," she said catching her breath. "Have you guys seen Simmona?"

[Chris Shadows]

Chris jumped back in surprise, sputtering something incoherent before glaring at her. "I swear, if I had something to throw at you right now, it would have already hit your head." He muttered something in audible under his breath revolving around it being annoying when people randomly appeared right next to you out of nowhere. "Uhh, Simmona..." he said, "Nope. No wait! Actually no..."

[Prf. Shiva Isis/Simmona Mace]

Simmona had spotted the three as she searched for a good stage coach. She had never caught their names on the rtain and was afraid she'd be intruding if she went up to them.

[Albus Perry]

albus hopped off the train and started looking for familiar faces. really the only familiar face he could try and find was simmona so he finally just climb into a carrige and headed up to the castle.

[phee]

One by one, the open coaches began filling up with small groups of Hogwarts students. As each group laughed and chatted about their summer months away from school, the coaches rolled down a well-travelled dirt track that wound through the deep forest on either side. Ahead, still out of sight, was Hogwarts and the welcome banquet that awaited them.

After some time, the coaches carrying the students emerged from the forest and trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates topped with stone columns with winged boars on either side. The gates swung wide magically at the approach of the first coach, admitting it onto the school grounds; as each carriage moved onto the Hogwarts campus, it picked up speed, moving up the long, sloping drive toward the castle itself, its many turrets and towers glinting with lights. At last, the first carriage swayed to a halt and stopped to allow its passengers to disembark and make their way up the stone steps to the castle.

As each carriage deposited its passengers they joined the ever-increasing crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors of the castle, and into the cavernous entrance hall beyond, which was filled with flaming torches. A magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floors, and the door into the Great Hall stood open on the right.

<<END OF THREAD.>>
<<SECOND YEAR STUDENTS AND OLDER MAY POST REPLIES IN THE GREAT HALL>>