On The Way Towards Hogwarts

She let out a gleeful smile.

"Good I thought left too" she said.

Soon she was walking down the compartments and looking as more students, first years too, were sitting confused.

That's usually me she thought.

She laughed at Alice's comment and nodded.

"Hey look, there's a lake" she said pointing as she reached the exit of the compartment.

"Maybe it has some of those mermaids you've told me about swimming around in there." She looked out across the body of water that Tess pointed out.

She looked over at the first years that looked confused and disoriented. "I'm glad that I'm not one of the ones sitting around not knowing what's going on." She commented. Coming up next to Tess she threw a friendly arm around the girl's shoulders. "Thanks for catching me up to speed too, Tess. You're a really great friend, I can already tell!"

Tess patted her hand and winked.

"Well gee thanks!" she said smiling. "You're not that bad yourself"

She looked towards the shore and saw boats, not only that, the older children were taking carriages, but it looked like they were taking the boats.

"Well Alice, I think we'll find out whether or not there are mermaids in that lake" she said. "Come on!"

"You're the expert so you're in charge of looking for the clues," She laughed. "Where are the rest of the students going?" She looked over at the carriages that were lined up.

"Tess, on top of flying horses do you guys have enchanted carriages as well?" She pointed to the horseless wagons with wonder. "How do they get them to move if nothing is pulling them? I don't think I'll ever get used to all these changes," Alice sighed as the two made their way off the train.

She looked at the carriages, and she herself also saw nothing but patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically.

"I wonder how they do that, but then again magic is just so unbelievable you never know" she commented seeing the carriages go.

She grabbed Alice's hand and tugged her down towards the boats. She wondered what got into her, being more in charge and getting excited over little things.

"Let's get a boat together" she said eyes bright.

"Alright," Alice said with a nod, a little surprised that Tess was taking charge but not offended in the least. She was glad that the girl was comfortable enough to do so.

"Who do you suppose is going to take us across?" She wondered to her friend.

She turned back and said something she was surprised to say.

"I have no idea" she said blinking.

She looked as more and more first years rode on the boat, with a gas candle being the only thing that lighted the dark lake as the sun was falling.

"I figure that when I can't explain something, I'll now blame it on magic" she joked.

As they were in front of the line, she tentatively walked into the boat as it rocked slightly.

"Come on" she said as she sat down.

"Well I suppose that would be a pretty logical things to blame right now." Alice agreed and followed Tess onto the boat.

The boat was enormous and it rocked and swayed with the weight the students kept adding. She looked curiously at the gas lights and laughed. "I keep forgetting that electricity doesn't seem very big in Magical circles."

She shrugged.

"I heard electricity doesn't run in magical realms because of the fact that the magic is too powerful for Muggle equipment and technology." she commented.

She hated the boat rocking back and forth and she was getting dizzy, but kept it down as the last student slipped on the boat. Soon the boat began to move towards the glittering castle at the opposing side.

"This is so much to take in. You're lucky that you know the basics of Magical History. I wonder if we'll have a class on that. I kind of just handed my list to the shop keeper at the bookstore. I don't even think I looked at what classes I'll have to take yet. Though, even at school I didn't really read required books until long after we were supposed to have started them." Alice frowned. "I'm a bit stubborn that way. However, I love to read. Only the books that I want to however," She smirked.

The boat was gliding through the water and Alice looked up to the sky. It was dark and the moon was full over the glassy lake.

She smiled at her girls comment amused. She sure was rebellious even in the smallest ways.

"I'm sorry if I'm pushing things towards you, but you can borrow any of my books anytime you want." she said.

Her comment died out a bit as the boat rowed itself towards the Castle. It was so beautiful, and if anyone were to look from above it'd look like fireflies flying in the darkness because of their lamps. If anyone doubted magic at any time, they'd believe it especially from the scene before them.

Tess leaned downwards to look at the lake, the name was fitting, after all nothing was scene.

"You're not pushing anything towards me, don't worry about it." Alice shook her head with a grin. She watched as Tess glanced over the side of the boat. "Careful, you don't want some strange creature pulling you in."

She laughed softly and sat back to normal.

"I just want to see the squid up close" she said. "Mermaids will be harder to spot, you need to go underwater for that to happen"

She did slip her hands in the lake, letting the cold water run through her fingers as they were reaching Hogwarts. This was actually real, she was going to be here for her first year. It was so surreal.

"Just didn't want to see you drown or something the first day and never be able to see where your fate is at," Alice winked at her friend.

She looked up from the water and across the lake to the castle that loomed in the distance. She could hardly believe that this was all a reality. That she was indeed going to a castle in the middle of nowhere to learn how to use magic. Told Alice all of this a year ago and she would have laughed in the messenger's face.

She laughed at her joke and winked in return.

"Hey, you never know that could be your chance of meeting the mermaids" she teased.

The boat was filled with excitement that was easily noticed by the way students whispered all around about what they heard.

"I heard there are trolls" one said.

"Yeah that's who they know what house you belong in"

"Well I heard that you have to defeat it to even enter!'

Tess simply smiled and laughed softly. Oh those rumors, she had heard of them. Her father had immediately reassured, not only her but her mother who was sick with worry.

The other kid's chatter filled Alice's ears.

"Trolls choose what house you're in. That makes no sense to me." The girl shook her auburn locks. "None what so ever. All the trolls I've ever read were pretty stupid things. Plus my mother said something about The Hat. Actually...usually it's The some sort of explicitive Hat." Alice turned to Tess to see if her assumptions were true.

She nodded at Alice.

"Yup the old Sorting Hat, apparently it's centuries old too" she said softly.

Soon the boat hit shore and students began to head out of the boat. Tess tentatively walked up and walked onto the shore. Students began to separate also as someone was yelling out.

"Surnames A-L follow me towards the East side of the castle!"

Another

"Surnames M-Z please follow me"

"Bummer," Alice realized that she and Tess would have to split names. "Even if I tried to cheat and go by my mother's name it's still Carroll." She stuck out her tongue in distaste. "One letter difference means I'm headed to East." She offered her arms out for Tess to embrace her. "Good luck on the sorting! Who knows, maybe we'll be in the same house!"

Tess felt somewhat sad, but gladly embraced her first friend at Hogwarts, Alice. She let out a small smile and sighed.

"Well this isn't the end, but a beginning. I agree with you I do hope we end up in the same house though...either way, we'll see each other" she added hopeful. "Good luck to you too!"

"And to you!" Alice sympathized before running after the group headed to East