The Hogwarts Express came to a squealing halt as it pulled into Platform nine and three quarters. After several seconds, all the doors of the scarlet steam engine were thrown open and laughing talking students emptied out onto the platform. These were the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster was Albus Dumbledore, who happened to be the greatest wizard of all time.
Out of one of the back car an eleven year old girl stepped off the train hesitatingly. Her green eyes stared up at the giant black castle of Hogwarts with awe. She dropped her bag and smiled. Finally, she thought to herself.
Behind her, her twin brother stepped down behind her and looked up at the castle without much as a sparkle in his eyes. "Come on, Tara! We don't have all night! There's food up there calling my name!" he chorused as he brushed past her.
She sighed. "Ian! Don't you take pride in looking up at our home for the next seven years?" she called as she ran after him.
Ian turned around, hazel eyes glaring back at her. His black untidy black hair blew in the now slight breeze of the night, "Tara, it's just a school. I've seen and heard about it all my life. Our entire family has gone here. It's not like I'm never going to see it again!" He turned on his heel and walked up to a remotely large man holding a lantern with the rest of the awaiting first years gathered around him.
Tara bubbled over with anger and whipped her red, auburn hair over her shoulder and marched after her brother.
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The Great Oak doors opened to a spacious Great Hall. Four long tables filled the Hall ladled with hundreds of plates of foreign food. Candles hung above the tables alighting everything in brilliant light. The ceiling to the Great Hall was made to look like the night sky. Tara smiled. It felt good to be home.
The strict woman that had led them in, now stood in front of a long table at the head of the Hall in which several adults sat attentively. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, sat in the middle, watching the students with a twinkle in his blue eyes.
The old man was now showing his age. His long white beard was of course white, if not whiter. The wrinkles framed his face as if his whole face was smiling. His knobby hands were folded before him. He had grown much older after the death Harry and the death of the entire wizarding world's nemesis, Lord Voldemort.
The first years grouped in front of the four long tables eyeing the footstool in front with an old withered hat which sat upon it. The woman, who had called herself, Professor McGonagall, pulled out a long parchment which held names of all the students stationed before her.
Clearing her throat, she called out, "Benton, Abril!"
A girl with long blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes practically skipped up the steps as she thrust the hat down on her head. With several tense moments, a rip in the hat opened and a booming voice echoed around the Great Hall, "Hufflepuff!"
A table along the wall erupted in cheers and Abril briskly pulled off the hat and rushed over to the table where several people patted her on the back.
McGonagall turned back to the parchment, "Potter, Ian!" she shouted.
The entire Great Hall seemed to hush as Tara watched her brother proudly walk up the steps; a mischievous grin on his face. He sat down on the stool and thrust the hat down over his head and waited. It barely took two seconds before the hat shouted, "Gryffindor!!"
The entire sea of students sitting at the middle table erupted in cheers. Not only did they have a Potter in their house again, but they had all heard of how great Ian was in Quidditch having both parents as Gryffindor Seekers.
The room hushed again and McGonagall called out again, "Potter, Tara!"
Again, the room hushed, even though there was whisperings from the Gryffindor end. Tara swallowed heavily and forced her frozen body to move forward. It seemed to take ages as she made her way to the stool. She sat down, if not hesitantly, and pulled the hat down over her head. A tiny voice chuckled in her ear.
"Another Potter...Hundreds of generations of Potters have sat beneath me, Tara," it sighed, "and as always, I'm going to have to place you in -Gryffindor!" The hat shouted.
Once more, the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Now with a triumphant smile, Tara took her seat at the house table. A table in which her very parents and grandparents before her had sat in.
She looked across the table to Ian's mischievous eyes. She couldn't help but smile. She was finally home and it was going to be a long year.
((A/N: I know, it's kinda blah in the beginning, but that was only the introduction. Hopefully it will get more exciting. This is my second story. Check out my first called, 'Do You Believe in Love at First Kiss...?' Thanks! Please review!))