Hoggy Warty Hogwarts

Here we are, our stomachs full and our brains ready to drift to a peaceful calm. As we burst into song, some more willingly than others, you can peer among us, inspecting as you would a new flock of sheep. Another year has begun. Some of you rejoice and other mutter amongst yourselves, bracing for tomorrow.

We came in, a naïve and curious group. We were ever ready to join the student population of this school, ever ready to fit in. That's what everyone wants, right? But we couldn't do that just yet. We stood there until we were beckoned inside to face the hungry masses, all waiting for judgment to proceed. We were one mass at that time, together and in harmony against the daunting throng of impatient faces. Yet the ragged hat was brought out and we were drawn up to the stool, one by one, and quartered. When shall we meet again as one? Such a thing is ridiculous in the future. How can we be expected to accept our differences and work together in our later lives? The fool who suggests such a thing probably knows nothing of the proud rivalry of which we all will become instruments. The time when we were all one homogenous cluster, unfettered by clashing colors and proud mascots, is irrefutably over.

You know that today had shaped our destinies. We are irreversibly changed. We have come here with preconceived notions stuffed into our heads, drummed in by our parents, peers, and our own observations. You this well, of course; you went through the same when you yourself first entered this school. You know, even more so than we do, that we are already bound to our Houses during the one or two hours since we've joined them. We can't help it, really. After all, you were there, applauding us during the Sorting. You saw the warm welcomes which most of us received. How can we not be attached to our Houses? We are as social a people as the generations of batches before us.

The years will be long and hard, but, when dealing with us in school, be patient with us. Some of us have yet to become acquainted with this world and others are perhaps too well aware. We are simply a new set of faces for you now, but we will grow to become your Healers, your favorite Quidditch players, and perhaps even your fellow professors. Keep our potentials in mind when you teach and chastise us. We are but young and have yet to experience life. So, please nurture us with your coaxing hands, teach us how to comprehend the world around, and mold us into the people you want to see in this world. In seven years, when we walk out of here with bright futures, we'll know who to thank for our enlightenment (at least subconsciously). With the knowledge that you bring into our minds, there is no telling what we'll be able to do.