Reaching for the Stars

Arrival at Hogwarts

The compartment went silent with Percy's statement. Dementors on the train? An escaped convict at Hogwarts? An escaped convict out to kill Harry Potter? The information was a bit too much for Morgana to process all at once, so she did the only thing she had wanted to do since the appearance of the dementors. She stuck her head out the window and vomited.

After emptying the contents of her stomach, Morgana brought her head back into the compartment just as the train started moving again.

"Are you alive?" Rose asked, coming to sit next to her.

"Barely," Morgana muttered. Rose was gently rubbing her back and the rest were looking at her like was going to drop dead at any second.

"I knew something was wrong," Percy said almost triumphantly. He loved being right even if it was about something like whether someone was well or not. It was times like those that made people doubt if Percy had a sympathetic bone in his body.

"The was so scary," Shannon said from her corner. "It was so dark and cold."

"Yeah, I never thought that those things could do that to you. It was like...like you would never be happy again," Percy said, almost unlike himself before, in an instant, he reverted back to being same old Percy. "But of course I had heard Dad speaking about the dementors from his trips to Azkaban, trips for Ministry business of course." Silence filled the compartment. Nobody could think of anything to say, after all it was not everyday you encountered dementors.

"I wonder what's going on in the rest of the train," Oliver remarked almost absentmindedly, almost a full two minutes later. Then as if on cue Penelope Clearwater came into through the door of the compartment almost in tears.

"Oh Percy." She ran into his arms. "Oh Percy did you see those things?" Morgana felt the sick feeling in her stomach return. People need a license to be that disgusting, she thought as Percy hugged his girlfriend while telling her everything was alright, especially people like Percy.

After what seemed like an eternity to Morgana, Penelope calmed down. Percy fixed his robes importantly. "We should make sure everything is alright in the rest of the train." He looked at the others. "Head Boy's duty you know. Come on Penny, it's prefect's duty too you know." He looked back at Morgana. "Maybe you could stay here, you're still looking rather pale." And with that Percy left the compartment with Penelope on his heels.

"Really! What gets into him around that girl?" Rose asked as she got up and slammed the open compartment door shut. The glass pane shattered but she could not be bothered to fix it

"Reparo." Shannon waved her wand and repaired the damage to the door. No one said anything, they were well used to Rose's occasional outbursts, usually concerning anything about Percy, by now.

After what could have been an eternity, the train finally pulled into the Hogsmeade station. It was the usual confusion of students, various pets and the rush to get out of the train and onto the platform. It was pouring great buckets of icy rain and Morgana was soaked right through before she took two steps towards the carriages.

"Why does it rain every year?" Rose moaned as they fought their way through the muddy track that lead towards the carriages.

"Think of it as a welcome back to school gesture by the forces of nature," Morgana said, trying to sound cheerful but she failed miserably. Truth was she also wondered why it always rained and was not to happy about her walk through the rain and mud. "Well I guess it could always be worse."

"Worse how?" Shannon asked as they got into one the empty carriages.

"I don't know how but I'm trying to be optimistic,"

"Well try a little harder because it is not working," Rose grumbled as the carriage made its way past Hogwarts' magnificent gates.

At these gates stood a pair of Dementors and Morgana felt her stomach lurch in a way that made her want to be sick again. But the carriage soon arrived at the castle.

"Who is that?" Rose asked as they got out from their carriage. She was pointing towards a man getting out of one of the carriages.

"I don't know but I'm almost certain that is the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Shannon said as they walked up the steps that lead to the Entrance Hall. "But he doesn't look much like a teacher, that's for sure." Morgana had to agree with that statement; for one, he has some rather shabby robes, she thought.

As they entered the Great Hall, they were greeted by the sound of Professor McGonagall calling for Harry Potter and his friend Granger.

"Wonder what they have done this time?" Rose asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Is it me or don't you two think it's just a little early in the term for dear Harry to be saving the school from some uncertain doom?"

"The way you talk no one would think you did not want to leave the dormitory by yourself last year because you were afraid that you would be petrified," Morgana said as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table.

"Well there is really no need to get all...all...like yourself."

"Evil and proud," Morgana shot back.

"Shush you two," Shannon whispered, "the Sorting is about to start,"

The first years were now walking into the Great Hall, all of them had the same look of nerves and fear upon their faces. Morgana remembered exactly how her sorting felt and she was glad she did not ever have go through that again. After the Sorting Hat sang its song Professor Flitwick began to call out the names of the first years.

"Where is McGonagall?" Shannon whispered as the first student sat on the stool and the rest of the school waited for the Sorting Hat to announce his house.

"I have no idea," Rose shrugged. "Busy with Potter, I suppose. I mean he's not here, is he?"

That statement was followed by snickering from the Weasley twins who were sitting opposite them.

"Really Rosie where do you get these ideas?" one of the twins said (Morgana thought it was Fred but you could never be sure).

"Yes, don't you think that McGonagall is just a tiny bit too young for Harry?" the other twin said (Morgana assumed this was George)

"He prefers them much older than McGonagall."

"Can you two please keep quiet?" Percy whispered furiously from about three people down, "The Sorting is going on."

"Dear dear we have seemed to upset our brother, haven't we George?"

"Yes I think we have," George replied lightly. Morgana could barely suppress a laugh as they cracked identical evil grins. It was no secret that the twins gave their brother a hard time. She was inclined to think that 'tormenting Percy' was only second in their life's goals to 'create as much mayhem as possible'.

The Sorting wore on as it always did; they sheered for all new Gryffindors and waited patiently for the feast to begin. But finally it was over and Professor Dumbledore stood up to make his speech. He gave a warning about the Dementors but little explanation of why they were there. He then introduced the new teachers. Shannon had been right, the man with the shabby robes was indeed the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Morgana gave a somewhat halfhearted clap when they were introduced to Professor Lupin because to be truthful he did not look much like a teacher.

"Ten Galleons that he leaves at the end of the year." Shannon poked Morgana on her side.

"I'm not making a bet that I can't win."

Then, much to the delight of the Gryffindor table in particular, Dumbledore announced that the Care of Magical creatures teacher had retired and that Hagrid would be taking over the post.

Finally the feast was over and Morgana, Rose and Shannon were making their way to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Where is Percy?" Morgana began looking around as the came to the portrait of the fat lady in the pink dress who hid the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. "He hasn't given me the password yet."

"Well I guess we will just have to wait." Rose leaned against the wall. "I wonder is he realizes that we all just want to sleep?"

Just then Percy came up behind the crowd that had gathered in front of the Fat Lady. "Coming through," he called through the crowd. "The new password's Fortuna Major!"

"Thank goodness," Shannon groaned as they went through the portrait hole and made their into the common room.

As they climbed the spiral stairs that lead to their dormitory, Morgana could not help but think that if this was the first day then this was surely going to be an eventful year.