Colin Creevey and the Search for a Hero: The Giant Serpent

Colin Creevey and the Search for a Hero- Continued...

CHAPTER EIGHT- DIAGON ALLEY

Colin and Dennis stepped into Diagon Alley with identical dropped jaws, murmuring words of amazement. Colin wasn't entirely sure what he had expected- perhaps a big, generic department store with a few cauldrons and pointed hats in one corner- but it certainly wasn't like this. It was like looking at an illustration from a children's book, like a piece of history but it was real. Diagon Alley was an outdoor mall bustling with people - only the people wore pointed hats and brightly colored robes and cloaks, the road was cobblestone, and the stores looked old and crooked, as though they'd been there for centuries, and were full of unusual and fascinating things. He saw an entire store full of cauldrons first, more kinds than he could have imagined existed. There was an apothecary next door, which had dozens of glass jars with strange labels like "streeler venom" and "salamander blood". The next store sold owls of all sizes and colors. The store after that had such a crowd of people in front of it that as he walked by Colin couldn't tell what it sold at all. Dimly through his amazement he tried to remember where he was supposed to go first- the bank, wasn't it? What was it Tom had said, straight down....? Then he saw, down near the first corner ahead, a huge white building with marble steps and a doorman outside, with gold lettering on the door that read "Gringott's Wizard Bank".

"There, Dennis, that one's the bank," he pulled himself together enough to say. Dennis, his mouth still open in amazement, nodded mutely. Once they approached the bank, they could see the doorman more clearly and Colin stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Dennis' arm to stop him.

"Er- Colin?" Began Dennis, sounding confused.

"That doorman- he's- er- he's not a man," stammered Colin, in a mixture of fear and excitement.

"Blimey Colin, what is that thing?" Dennis' eyes, which were already quite large, somehow seemed to widen even more.

The creature outside of Gringotts was no taller than Colin. He had a sharp nose and flappish ears with tufts of hair in each, and long knobby fingers. However, he was clearly the doorman, and they watched the gold buttons on his scarlet uniform gleam as he opened the door and bowed to an entering wizard.

"It's not nice to stare, you know," came a voice from behind them, making them both jump. They turned around to find a boy about Colin's age, a little taller than he was, with wavy sand colored hair and freckles. "Your first time here? My name is Brian, and the doorman you were staring at is a goblin."

"A goblin," repeated Colin, faintly. Then, remembering his manners, he added, "Er- thank you. My name is Colin, and this is my brother Dennis. You're right, this is our first time here, and I'm just getting my school supplies."

"Hogwarts?" asked Brian brightly. "I'm starting there this year too. Mum and Dad are in Gringotts, but I wanted to have a look at the new Nimbus while they go to the vault. Wanna come?"

Colin and Dennis followed Brian, not entirely sure what they were going to see. "The what?" asked Colin.

"The Nimbus Two-Thousand-and-One! The fastest racing broom ever!" said Brian as he stopped at the store window where such a crowd had gathered. Colin found it was much easier than he thought to duck under people's arms (being so small) and work his way to the front. There were several broomsticks on display, but the one everyone was admiring had a magnificently polished handle, and fine gold lettering on the handle read "Nimbus Two-Thousand-and One".

"Wow!" breathed Colin, admiringly, his head swarming with half-formed thoughts. "So... witches really do ride broomsticks..."

Brian rolled his eyes with exasperation. "And wizards too," he said. They allowed themselves to be elbowed back out of the crowd and Brian continued, "That's how we play Quidditch, the best sport ever, by flying on broomsticks! See, three Chasers from each team try to throw a ball called the Quaffle through a hoop, the Keeper tries to stop them, and the two Beaters have clubs to try to keep the Bludgers out of the way- Bludgers are balls that try to knock everyone off their broomsticks- and the Seeker tries to catch the fastest, smallest ball, the Golden Snitch, to end the game."

For all the sense this made to Colin, he could have been speaking another language. As his already overloaded brain struggled to absorb this, he nodded as though he understood and smiled blankly. With a shock, Colin was pulled back into reality as he noticed his watch alarm was beeping- the reminder that it was time to call Grandma again.

"Thanks for showing us the broom, Brian," he said. "Say, do you know where we can find a pay telephone around here?"

"A what?" asked Brian blankly.

"You know, a telephone, so we can call our Grandma and let her know we're all right..." Colin trailed off at the look of incomprehension on Brian's face. "Wizards don't use telephones?" asked Colin. Brian shook his head, confused. "So, how do you talk to someone who's far away?" asked Colin.

"Well, people who are too young to apparate can use Floo powder to travel, or can just talk using the magical fires," Brian began, and stopped. There was an awkward pause, in which they both seemed to realize that the communication gap between them was just too wide to continue the conversation. Then Brian said suddenly, "Well, I've got to meet Mum and Dad back at Gringotts. See you on the school train!" and he took off in the direction of the bank.

Colin paused for a moment, looking over at Dennis and suddenly realizing Dennis had hardly said a word since they entered Diagon Alley, but was still staring around with a mixture of amazement and longing on his face. "All right there, Dennis?" He asked.

"Yeah, all right, Colin, " answered Dennis, still dazed.

Colin braced himself. No matter how lost he felt during that conversation, just being here and looking around he had another feeling- I belong here. They were words he'd used before, more in resignation than anything else, after mum and dad's divorce, after leaving granddad's house and moving into that horrible flat, he would face reality squarely that he was exactly where he belonged. But his time the words were just as true, the changes just as frightening- and much, much more exciting. I belong here. This is my new life. He focused on that excitement and drew his energy and his strength from it all. I am a wizard. I am about to meet a goblin. I will fly on a broomstick. I belong here. He smiled, and squared up his shoulders slightly, and then turned to Dennis.

"Look," said Colin, "we've got to hurry. We can't get to a phone without leaving Diagon Alley, and I don't want to leave until I've got a wand and we can get back in here on our own. So we've got to hurry up and clear out that vault and buy a wand, and hope grandma's not too cross. Right? Let's go!" And they marched to Gringotts and up the stairs, past the door-goblin without stopping, and straight to the counter. He threw down his key at the desk and said clearly to the goblin sitting behind it, "My name is Colin Creevey, and I'd like to withdraw money from my scholarship vault." Dennis was looking up at him in awe. His courage wavered just a little bit as the goblin looked him over silently and inspected the key, and then turned to a long list of names beside him. "Mr. Creevey. The new student on the Malfoy trust," the goblin said slowly. "That seems to be in order. Griphook will take you to your vault, number 312, which contains the money for your books and supplies for this year. Your tuition is being paid directly to Hogwarts."

Griphook took them out of the marble hall and through a narrow stone archway into what looked like a railcar in a mine- and what followed was a fantastic roller coaster ride through a maze of tunnels that Dennis and Colin enjoyed immensely, whooping and screaming at every turn. When they pulled to a stop, Dennis looked up at Colin with a wide, sickly smile. "Colin, I threw up!" he said weakly. "It was brilliant!" Colin felt the excitement surging through him from the ride and could barely contain himself when Griphook opened the vault to reveal a small pile of huge gold and silver coins unlike anything he'd ever seen. He sat in the vault, letting the coins slip between his fingers in glee, realizing this was probably as much money as dad made in a year. He crammed his jean pockets full of coins until they bulged uncomfortably, took off his shirt and filled his travel money purse full of coins, and still had some left over. He took off one shoe and filled it with coins, leaving the vault completely empty. After another thrilling roller coaster ride they were back in the marble lobby and soon enough out in Diagon Alley again, where Colin was getting strange stares for walking around with only one shoe on, carrying the other coin-filled shoe in his hand. But he didn't care, he was wishing he didn't have a shopping list- the fantastic things he could have bought here!

"OK, the wand is next," he said, tearing his eyes away from a revolving model of the solar system. Neither Dennis nor Colin could remember where Tom had told them to go for wands, so Colin bravely stopped a middle-aged witch who was passing by. "Excuse me, but can you please recommend the best shop for wands?"

"Well, that's be Ollivander's, of course! Right down at the end there," she said, a bit surprised but smiling kindly.

Colin thanked her and they sprinted down Diagon Alley toward the tiny, dusty old shop at the end. As they entered a wizard with white hair and bright, light colored eyes looked up at them and smiled. His eyes seemed about as full of energy as Colin felt.

"Good day," said Mr. Ollivander. "So you are looking for your first wand, Mr...?"

"Creevey!" panted Colin, still out of breath from running down the alley. "Colin Creevey. And this is my brother Dennis."

Mr. Ollivander turned to Dennis kindly. "Young master Creevey, I look forward to serving you here soon enough," he said. Dennis was practically bouncing out of his shoes at the suggestion that he was part of the wizarding world too. "Now let me see... which is your wand arm?"

Twenty minutes later, Colin's shoe was back on his foot and he had a long, slender cardboard box which held several coins, and a beautiful beechwood wand with a unicorn hair center. "Flexible," Mr. Ollivander had said. Colin had tried out several others, which seemed like mere sticks of wood, before this wand chose him, sending a few gold sparks tumbling from the end. They were rushing back down Diagon Alley and back out of the leaky cauldron as fast as their short legs could carry them. Finally they found a telephone and called up grandma.

They were astonished when Dad answered the phone.

"Dad!" they said, both shouting into the mouthpiece at the same time. "We saw the most amazing things- there was a goblin at the bank, and a racing broomstick, and Mr. Ollivander said he'd be seeing..."

Dad's voice boomed back at them from the phone. "Do you lads know what a right state your grandmother was in when you didn't call? Forty-five minutes late! " Colin and Dennis fell silent as Dad continued. "I was halfway through filling bottles when she called me; she said the innkeeper had no idea where you'd gone. It was all I could do to keep her from calling missing persons!"

Colin began in a small voice, "Sorry dad, it's just... wizards don't use telephones and..."

"And they don't use common sense either, I suppose!" interrupted Dad angrily. "Now, Colin, we're all very pleased that you've won a scholarship- but all this about what you've seen today is a bit much for me to hear, all right? Send me some pictures, make sure your brother gets back OK on his train, and call your grandmother when she asks you to. Right?"

"Right, dad. Sorry, dad." said Colin. He realized Dad wasn't really mad at them for not calling, he was mad at grandma for fretting so much that he had to leave work. Dad put grandma on the phone and Colin told her very politely that he'd picked up his scholarship money and started buying his school things, and that he'd had some trouble finding a telephone. "But I won't be late again, I promise," he said.

When he hung up the phone he noticed Dennis was staring across the street. "Hey Colin... Dad asked you to send pictures, mum wants a Halloween picture... do you think wizards have cameras?"

Colin shrugged. "I dunno," he said.

Dennis grinned. "There's a camera store right there. Think we have enough of mum's money left to snap a picture of those goblins?" Dennis' mood seemed nothing short of buoyant ever since Mr. Ollivander's comment. Colin said a little prayer that Mr. Ollivander had known what he was talking about. They bought a cheap plastic camera and adjusted the strap so it dangled around Colin's neck, and marched into Diagon Alley.

Colin couldn't quite reach to tap the bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron to get back into Diagon Alley without a boost up from Dennis. They grinned at one another like idiots as Diagon Alley opened before them. Colin bought second-hand robes to try to save money. They were quite nice, too, almost like new. It looked as though someone had grown out of them too quickly to wear them out much, and if anything they were on the big side for Colin. At Flourish and Botts Colin found an array of books with fascinating titles and moving pictures of the authors on the back of many. At least half of his books were written by Gilderoy Lockhart, who seemed to have a different color robe and glittering bright teeth in every photo. He got most of the rest of the books secondhand, and he splurged on a slim volume called From Modern Muggle to Magic by Nancy Reagan, which was a nice introduction to the magical community from someone who seemed to have discovered her talent late in her life. It had helpful looking chapters on owl post, broomsticks, Floo powder, magical careers, and three chapters on Divination. They snapped photos of the goblin, and a friendly apothecary posed for a photo with Colin while Dennis took a picture. "I don't want to take a picture of the broomstick in the store," he told Dennis. "I'll take one of someone riding on it!"

"Oh, wow! Cool! Get a picture of you flying, Colin, ask someone else to take it. This is so amazing, I can't wait to get to Hogwarts!" spewed Dennis. Then he backtracked embarrassed. "I mean, I think I'll get there."

Colin bought his cauldron and piled all the rest of his things into it, and then topped it off with a telescope and his potion things.

At this point the cauldron was difficult to move around from the weight, and Colin and Dennis together had to lean over and push it down Diagon Alley toward the Leaky Cauldron. A passing witch was irritated enough by the noise of cauldron scraping on cobblestones to put a silencing spell on them, but it wore off once they were halfway down the street. Colin was pleased that he'd found so many of his things secondhand, he had one bulging pocketful of wizard gold left.

"Let's have an ice cream with a bit of the leftover money," said Colin, as they reached Florean Fortescue's shop. They decided on a root beer float, an American dessert that combined soda with ice cream- two treats in one! They waited at the ice cream shop, taking in the scenery of Diagon Alley, until it was almost time to call their grandmother again. Then they reluctantly heaved and grunted to push the cauldron out of the Leaky Cauldron, found a phone to give grandma a ring, and headed back to the inn.

The innkeeper looked as though he wanted to tell them off for having ditched him for the day and obviously worried their grandmother, but he didn't seem to have the heart to after watching them pushing the cauldron (which by now had bright scratches across the bottom) down the street from the tube stop in the dusky sunset. He picked up the cauldron, eyeing it curiously, and carried it up to their room for them. Then he picked up some fish and chips for dinner and brought it to the two obviously deliriously happy boys. They had by now repacked the cauldron to stow the most obviously magical items on the bottom, leaving a few leather- covered tomes with hard to read names on the top. But the cauldron they couldn't possibly hide.

"Er-," began the innkeeper awkwardly, "how do you reckon you're going to fit that into your school trunk?"

"Trunk?" asked Colin blankly.

"Well, you've got clothes and things, haven't you? You need a big suitcase or a trunk!" insisted the innkeeper.

Truthfully, it hadn't even occurred to Colin that he might need a trunk. It wasn't on the list. And he was pretty sure he didn't have enough money left for one. "Well, my clothes fit into my backpack!" he said happily, "and I think this... er... pot works fine for the rest! I really like it," he answered enthusiastically.

The innkeeper looked exasperated. "Well, you've at least got to have your name on it!" he said.

"How?" asked Colin, shrugging. The innkeeper left, muttering something about crazy kids and incompetent parents. Several minutes later, a middle-aged woman who Colin thought must be the innkeeper's wife appeared, holding stencils, a paintbrush, and a small can of gold paint.

"I hear you need your name- er- painted on your- er- luggage?" she said brightly.

Colin and Dennis were so excited that they hardly slept. They read From Modern Muggle to Magic from cover to cover, and Colin gave it to Dennis to take home with him. "I'll send you loads of owls, and you can give some letters and pictures to Dad and mum and grandma. And I'll be home for the Christmas holiday!" he said to Dennis.

CHAPTER NINE- HOGWARTS EXPRESS

The innkeeper shook his head as he waved goodbye, counting the gratuity they left him (on grandma's orders) and cringing at the sound of the cauldron on the sidewalk. Loads of people on the underground were staring at them and the cauldron. Probably jealous, thought Colin.

Finally they arrived at King's Cross Station and got a trolley to help them carry the cauldron. They called grandma one last time. Then they took turns pushing one another around on the trolley until the conductor demanded that they stop. They located the platform for Dennis' trip back to Liverpool.

"I guess this is it, mate," said Colin, as their giggles faded.

"Let me try to get onto the platform with you. I'm positive I'll be able to!" said Dennis, a determined glint in his eye.

Colin hesitated. The letter from Professor McGonagall had clearly stated that muggle family members wouldn't be allowed on the platform. He felt almost positive that Dennis was as much a wizard as he was- but what if he was wrong? Would Dennis be in any state to catch his own train home? He looked at Dennis and heard the voice inside him again. I belong here. We belong here.

"All right, then, c'mon!" he grinned, marching toward platforms 9 and 10. He stopped to re-read the letter from Professor McGonagall. "Platform 9 ¾. Walk into the barrier," he said aloud. "Probably just like Diagon Alley, I've just got to tap the right spot," he said, pulling out his wand and tapping at the metal panels all around the barrier. Dennis was just about to give him a leg up so he could tap a bit higher when he felt a hand grab his arm and yank him back away from the spot.

"What-are-you-DOING?" demanded an angry teenage girl with long curly hair. Colin noticed that she had a trunk and seemed headed for the same place, with two parents standing behind her. He then also noticed that everyone in the station seemed to be staring and him and Dennis. "Put that away! You're making a scene," she hissed, gesturing to his wand. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, during which time people seemed to lose interest in him. After all, hadn't it been only a few minutes earlier when the Creeveys had been a menace careening around on the trolley? Colin realized that he must look like an extremely wild and silly little boy. He suddenly felt very small and embarrassed.

"You must be a Hogwarts first year," began the girl again. Colin nodded. "My name is Penelope, and I'm a school prefect," she said, drawing herself up proudly and indicating a shiny badge on her shirt. She looked at his cauldron, shaking her head. "If you're trying to get onto the platform, Mr. Creevey, all you need to do it literally walk into this side of it while pushing your trolley. I'll wait here while you go ahead."

So Colin and Dennis, chagrined, each grabbed a corner of the trolley and pushed together toward the barrier. Just as they thought they would crash into it, everything was dark for a moment- and then there it was, the Hogwarts Express, a shiny red train belching steam and surrounded by students loading their things. And there was Dennis beside him, looking about to burst with joy.

"Two more years then, Dennis," he said. "And the Creevey brothers can take Hogwarts by storm!"

They saw Penelope enter the platform a few moments later. An older boy noticed the Creeveys struggling to pull Colin's cauldron onto the train and smiled broadly, as though trying to stop himself from laughing. "Need some help with that?" he asked, lifting it easily into a compartment. Colin beamed gratefully and leaned out the window, waving goodbye to Dennis until the train was moving and the platform was out of sight.

Colin realized that he hadn't even begun to look around the compartment. It was empty except for a pale girl with a limp black ponytail, who was already dressed in her school robes and was looking very nervous. She smiled at him weakly when he noticed her.

"Hi," she began. "My name is Mhairi."

"I'm Colin," he answered.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then Colin could contain it no longer, he was still bursting with excitement. "I'm starting my first year. I never knew I was a wizard- my parents are muggles. Buying my things in Diagon Alley was so amazing! This is like a whole new world!"

Mhairi gave what seemed to be a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Me too. My dad is a professor at Edinburgh. He didn't want to send me to some school he'd never heard of, he was most put out when I didn't want to go to Eton. He wrote to Professor McGonagall to find out if Hogwarts was worthy of me," she rolled her eyes, "and got back an entire book called Hogwarts: A History which he both had to read before he decided it would be all right. But there are so many things I don't understand. I wonder which house I'll be sorted into," she said nervously.

"How do they decide?" asked Colin, curiously.

Mhairi explained that four wizards had founded Hogwarts and that each of the four houses was named after them. "Only the book didn't say how it decided where we belong. It just said the ambitious kids are Slytherins, the brave ones are Gryffindors, the smart ones are Ravenclaws, and the righteous ones are Hufflepuffs." She lowered her eyes and blushed. "Dad's hoping I'll get into Ravenclaw and that when I finish I can found a wizarding university. He was so shocked when Professor McGonagall wrote back that there aren't any yet."

"Wow, that would be amazing!" said Colin. "Nobody in my family has ever gone to university."

Mhairi blushed much deeper and confessed, "I don't know if I can do everything Dad wants me to. I'm just hoping my grades aren't too bad. I don't even care what house I'm in, as long as it's not Slytherin."

"Why not Slytherin?" asked Colin.

"Because... he didn't want Hogwarts to teach muggle-born students. If it were up to him, neither of us would be going to Hogwarts at all," she scowled.

Just then a blond boy with slicked back hair and a pointed nose pushed their door open and walked in, followed by two extremely large kids with dark hair who reminded Colin of Ian. The blond boy glanced around the compartment and spoke haughtily, "Have either of you seen Harry Potter yet on this train? I hear he and Weasley missed it." He smirked, "What a couple of nitwits."

Colin shrugged. "I dunno, " he said.

"What does he look like?" asked Mhairi.

The blond boy grimaced. "Ugh, nobody in here except a couple of filthy mudbloods," he said. "Let's go." He turned around to leave and spotted Colin's heavily scratched cauldron with its gold letters facing them. "Creevey?" he read, alarmed. He turned back to Colin with a look of utter disgust. "You're not Colin Creevey, the scholarship kid?"

Colin nodded, wondering how he knew about the scholarship and what was wrong.

"They used our money to send a MUDBLOOD to Hogwarts?" he shrieked. "I can't believe this! I'll have to write to my dad, of course. This is an insult! Slime like this wouldn't get into Slytherin in a million years!" He turned back to Colin with revulsion. "I don't think you'll be keeping that scholarship, Mr. Creevey," he spat as he stormed out of their compartment.

Mhairi and Colin exchanged confused and annoyed looks.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

Before Colin could try to answer a small, red headed girl entered the compartment. "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here? My name is Ginny Weasley."

Colin and Mhairi welcomed her to sit down. "I'm just starting Hogwarts this year," she said nervously. "I was hoping to sit with my brother Ron and his best friend Harry Potter, but I think they missed the train," she said, biting her lip in a worried way.

"Someone was just in here looking for Harry Potter," said Mhairi helpfully. "Blond kid with two big friends... sort of rude..."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Draco Malfoy," she frowned. "Bet he's trying to get them in trouble."

Colin's stomach flip-flopped at the name Malfoy. He thought of his scholarship and hoped that Draco's father was somewhat friendlier than Draco had been. "Why would he want to get them in trouble?' asked Colin.

"Just jealous," shrugged Ginny. "Harry Potter, you know...he's just amazing," she started turning somewhat red around the ears and smiling dreamily.

Mhairi and Colin exchanged blank looks. "Er- is he- head boy?" asked Mhairi.

This statement seemed to snap Ginny out of her thoughts. "No! He's only a second year student! But he's- well, Harry- Harry Potter is a hero!" she said, then gaining momentum she continued. "He defeated the most feared Dark Wizard when he was only a year old! And last year, one of our teachers was trying to bring He-who-must-not-be-named back to power, and Harry defeated them both!"

Colin's eyes grew wide. "Wow, really? He must be just amazing. How did he do it?"

Ginny nodded and the words seemed to tumble faster and faster out of her mouth. "He's really nice, and he's my brother's best friend and he spent the last month at our house! He's funny and he's smart and he's the youngest house Quidditch player in about a century, first year students never make the team. But he's Seeker and he's just incredible on a broomstick. He's got a really good one too. He lives with his horrible uncle and aunt, because his parents were killed by You-know-who." Ginny continued on in this manner for hours of the train ride as Mhairi and Colin listened with amazement to the story of Harry's life, including all his adventures with Ron and Hermione the previous year, his favorite breakfast foods, the color of his eyes, and the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Colin and Mhairi were fascinated by all this and couldn't wait to meet him. Colin imagined a picture of Harry would look fantastic over his bed...

Finally they felt the train slowing down and Ginny jumped up. "I want to find Fred and George and tell them Ron and Harry are missing. Unless they did something amazing to catch it after we left King's Cross! I wish they'd taken me with them. Anyway, bye!" she said, leaving the compartment.

"Wow," said Mhairi. "He sounds even more amazing than Gilderoy Lockhart!"

"That guy who wrote a bunch of our textbooks, you mean?" asked Colin.

"Yeah! Didn't you read them? He fought werewolves and vampires and hags... pretty amazing. But You-know-Who sounds truly evil; I'm glad he's not around anymore. I bet Harry is really brave and powerful," she said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, Wow!" said Colin, imagining an evil cackling wizard defeated by a tiny baby.

Colin changed into his school robes hurriedly and Mhairi and Colin joined the other students spilling out of the train. Colin was relieved to notice that none of them were dragging their trunks off the train, so he stuffed his backpack into the top of his cauldron and bounded out the doors.

"Firs' years, this way!" he heard a deep voice call, and he followed Mhairi over to the most enormous man he'd ever seen, with a grizzled beard that almost entirely hid his face. Colin was quite accustomed to being smaller than everyone he met, but next to this man he felt microscopic.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Grounds and Keys," the giant introduced himself. Colin remembered that Ginny had called Hagrid one of Harry's good friends. "Walk this way, an' we'll be goin' across the lake to the castle." This night was cool with few clouds, and the stars sparkled brightly as Colin followed a path along to the edge of a lake. There on the far side of the lake was the enormous castle, with turrets and towers pointing into the sky. It looked like a fairy tale, a moment he wished he had his camera here to capture, but it was in his backpack in his cauldron. He mentally vowed to never leave his camera behind again, at least not until Dennis was here too.

Colin climbed into a boat with Ginny and Mhairi and they glided across the lake without rowing.

"There's supposed to be a giant squid in the lake," said Ginny, peering over the side excitedly. Colin was torn between staring agape at the castle which loomed larger and larger as they approached, or trying to see the squid through the murky water. They sailed through a curtain of ivy in the cliff beneath the castle and landed at a large grassy area in front of a gigantic door.

A stern looking witch with her hair pulled severely into a bun introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She herded them into a room off to one side from a very noisy hall where Colin imagined the rest of the school must be gathered. Professor McGonagall was an intimidating and evidently irritated witch. She explained the house points system, and then was interrupted by the arrival of a hook-nosed, dark haired wizard.

"Students, this is your Potions Master, Professor Snape," she introduced. "Yes?" she looked at him expectantly.

"Professor McGonagall, it seems that only two students failed to arrive on the school train, and both are from Gryffindor- Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley," she said in a smooth silky voice that seemed somewhat hostile despite its calm tone.

Professor McGonagall looked exceptionally irritated to hear this and her mouth tightened into a thin line. "May I remind you, Severus, that there is still no evidence connecting them to the flying car?"

Ginny Weasley jumped and her eyes grew large. The teachers seemed not to notice.

"I will begin my search of the grounds to look for the missing students and the car," continued Snape smoothly, "while you and Dumbledore attend to the Sorting and the banquet."

"Very well. Thank you, Severus," said Professor McGonagall in a strained voice. She turned back to the first years and Colin noticed that she seemed to be overemphasizing how important it was that they strive to always be a credit to whichever house they joined. Colin was so busy absorbing everything in a jittery state of excitement that he forgot to even think about which house he might be sorted into, let alone feel nervous about it, until they were marching in front of the whole school and standing before a very old and patched hat on a stool. For a moment there was silence, and then the hat brim ripped open and the hat began to sing:

Some years ago was Hogwarts built,

Grand turrets made of stone,

To educate young sorcerers

In a school of great renown.

The founders were all powerful

but each different in their might

They chose the students for each house

And knew they would choose right.

But now I sort the students

Though I'm no beauty to behold,

For I can see what's in your head

As you may have been told.

The bravest go to Gryffindor,

Ravenclaw is for the studious,

the true-hearted to Hufflepuff,

and Slytherin for opportunists.

So try me on, don't worry,

I've never yet been wrong,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And this ends my yearly song.

All the students clapped and the hat did something like a bow. In no time at all Professor McGonagall read from a roll, "CREEVEY, COLIN!"

He shivered with excitement as he sat on the stool and the hat was placed on his head. It went well past his mousy hair and down past his chin, he noticed. He heard a small voice in his ear. "Hmmm. Well now, a very true heart, yes, and plenty of ambition, oh my! Perhaps Slytherin... but courage, such a lot of that, I think definitely the place for you is GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat yelled the last word aloud for everyone to hear, and one of the tables erupted into cheers and gestured to him. He removed the hat and took a seat. From here it was much easier to see the room. He looked up at the staff table, and immediately noticed Gilderoy Lockhart smiling broadly, resplendent in aquamarine robes. He turned to the bushy haired girl next to him. "It's Lockhart! The one who wrote our books!"

"Yeah," she answered, staring up at the staff table and twisting her hair around one finger. "He's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Colin stared in awe for several minutes. He spotted a wizard with long white hair and a beard, who must be the headmaster Dumbledore, he thought. And he noticed several empty seats at the staff table. He forced his attention back to the sorting and applauded enthusiastically as Mhairi was sorted into Ravenclaw, just as her father had hoped. Brian, who he had met in Diagon Alley, was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Ginny Weasley joined him at the Gryffindor table. There were almost a dozen new students in total sorted into Gryffindor.

Dumbledore stood up as the sorting finished, and everyone grew silent. "Let the feast... begin!" he said, as a magnificent banquet suddenly appeared on every table. Colin took a moment to admire the sparkling gold plates and the floating candles illuminating everything and the starry ceiling overhead, and decided it was the happiest day in his life. Wish Dennis was here, he thought.

As he tucked into a baked potato he overheard Ginny talking to some older redheaded twin boys, who from the looks of things could be her brothers. "... Snape said Ron and Harry didn't arrive on the train. Snape is out looking for them, Fred..."

Fred snorted. "Ickle Ronniekins can take care of himself. I'm sure that if the stupid gits missed the train I'm sure Mum will find another way to get them here."

Ginny appealed to the other twin, "But Snape seemed to know something about Dad's flying car. I'm worried, George!"

"Worried that you'll have to spend your first meal in a month without staring at Harry sitting there across from you?" teased George. "Really, Ginny, you ought to give the poor bloke a break."

"Yeah, he's probably hiding to get away from you," added Fred.

Ginny flushed scarlet and stared at her lap, looking about ready to cry. Not knowing what to say, Colin pretended he hadn't heard anything and looked up at the staff table to see Professor Snape saying something to Professor McGonagall that made her look even more irritated than before, and she stormed out of the hall. After Snape spoke a few words in Dumbledore's ear he frowned and rose quickly to exit the hall with Snape. Colin had a bad feeling that this had something to do with Harry and Ron, and couldn't help but feel about as worried as Ginny.

The moment Professor McGonagall entered the banquet hall again, a red-eyed Ginny excused herself and rushed over to talk to her before she reached the staff table. Ginny returned to the table and started eating again, looking somewhat relieved, though not much happier.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell us what's going on?" asked Fred, in a way that suggested perhaps he was more worried than he was letting on.

Ginny scooped some trifle onto her plate and answered without meeting his gaze. "Ron and Harry arrived OK but they're not allowed to come to the banquet because they're in trouble. They were seen flying the car here and they crashed it into a Whomping Willow and hurt it. But they're OK."

At this the volume of conversation got much louder and the news spread to the other end of the long table very quickly.

"A flying car?" asked the bushy haired girl next to them. "I knew they missed the train, but they wouldn't do anything that stupid, would they? They might get expelled!"

Nobody else seemed to share her opinion, however.

"Flying all the way to Hogwarts, George! That's brilliant! Well worth a detention, we should have done that," said Fred.

"What's a Whomping Willow?" asked a first year girl with long wavy blond hair.

"It's a tree that will hit you with its branches if you try to get close to it," said a much older girl who introduced herself as Angelina. "I think that tree got what it deserved, a car crashing into it finally gave it a punch back, now it knows how it feels!" she said vehemently, rubbing one arm as if vividly remembering a bad encounter with the tree.

Finally the feast was ended and the food disappeared quite as suddenly as it had appeared, with sparkling gold cups and plates left all around. Dumbledore stood up. "I have some start of term announcements," he said. "First, may I introduce the new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Gilderoy Lockhart." There was enthusiastic applause and even a few wolf whistles as Professor Lockhart stood up and smiled broadly, taking several bows. Colin clapped enthusiastically, and was about to stand on his chair to get a better look when the applause died down and Dumbledore continued. "I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, as is the village of Hogsmeade to students below third year. Finally, our caretaker Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that leaving your houses to walk in the corridors at night is strictly forbidden without specific permission. That is all, I trust you are all well-fed from our feast. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!"

They followed a prefect named Percy (another Weasley, though evidently the only other Gryffindor who wasn't impressed by the story of how Ron and Harry might have arrived) up several staircases to the Gryffindor tower. There was a portrait of a large woman in a pink dress who asked for the password, and then swung open to reveal the common room.

Everyone stayed awake in the common room waiting for Harry and Ron's entrance. Even if they got expelled, the reasoning went, someone would have to come here to get their things, which had already been taken up to their dormitory. Colin raced up to his dormitory to grab his camera from the cauldron and then joined the chattering crowd below. The bushy haired girl who had been sitting next to Colin at dinner turned out to be Hermione Granger, who was possibly the smartest girl in the school and one of Harry's best friends. After a few moments of waiting she announced that she was going looking for Ron and Harry and she left through the portrait hole, looking frustrated. Colin was disappointed that he hadn't asked for her name sooner, he could have learned loads more about Harry by talking to her!

Finally Ron and Harry arrived, and arms reached through the portrait hole to lift them inside, leaving Hermione scrambling in behind them.

"Brilliant!" yelled a dredlocked student. "Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car into the Whomping Willow, people'll be talking about that one for years-"

"Good for you," yelled an older girl. Other students were patting Ron and Harry on the back. It wasn't hard for Colin to guess who was Harry, he looked exactly as Ginny had described him, and Ron had the same bright red hair as his siblings. Colin stood on top of a chair on his tiptoes and craned his neck to try to get a good look- and maybe a photo- of Harry. He scanned the black bangs on Harry's forehead for a glimpse of the scar- but he only succeeded in falling off the chair. As others pushed their way to the front Colin found himself getting pushed farther and farther back into a remote corner of the room.

"Why couldn't we have come in the car, eh?" asked Fred and George, cuffing them on the shoulders.

But unfortunately Harry and Ron immediately headed for the staircase for the boys' dormitory before Colin could even hope to get closer. "Got to get upstairs- bit tired," said Ron, red-faced and grinning.

"'Night!" called Harry to a scowling Hermione.

Disappointed, Colin took a few photos of the crowded common room and went up to his dormitory. He hadn't taken the time to appreciate it properly before, when he'd raced in to find his camera. It was a round room filled with magnificent four poster beds with red velvet drapes. The view out the ornate, narrow windows showed the lawn and the edge of the forbidden forest. Colin met the other first-year Gryffindor boys- Winston had blond, spiky hair, Rich was from London, Douglas was a tall Irish boy, Phil had hair in cornrows, and Chuck was a loud Scottish boy.

Winston grinned and pointed at the camera dangling from Colin's neck. "Trying out wizard photos already, are you?"

"What? " asked Colin, confused. "I'm taking photos to send to my family."

"You know, " said Winston, "if you develop them in the right potion, the pictures will move- you know, like the photos on the back of Lockhart's books."

"Wow, really?" said Colin, breathlessly. "I didn't know that! Can- can you teach me how?"

Winston smiled. "I guess so. Let me know when you finish your first roll."

Colin smiled gratefully, put on his pajamas, drew the velvet curtain around his bed and lay down. The wall above his bed looked disturbingly empty without a picture or poster there, even though there weren't any cracks or holes in the walls here. Colin fell asleep imagining a moving life-size photo of Harry on a broomstick- or maybe two of them, one for here and one for Dennis back at home...