When Eloise's eyes fluttered open she was shocked to find herself in a bed. It reminded her of a bed in a hospital. That was because she was in a hospital. The hospital wing. The Hogwarts hospital wing. As she'd never read nor watched Harry Potter, she had no idea where she was. She stood up and went to find her friends. She hoped they were here anyway. She found Ella almost immediately. Ella was unconscious.
"Ella," Eloise said in a stupid voice straight into Ella's ear. Ella didn't move a muscle. "Demonic child!"
"Whisker!" Ella said in surprise when she heard that voice. (Obviously, in a friend group that big, they all had many nicknames!) Her eyes were sill closed though.
"Open your eyes," Eloise yelled at her friend. Ella's eyes opened in alarm.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"I needed you awake," Eloise explained. "I don't know where we are or how we got here, I hoped you could help."
Ella took in her surroundings for the first time and then sat bolt upright.
"Oh my Merlin!" Ella said. Yes, Ella was that kind of weirdo that used the phrases from Harry Potter. "Ellie! We're at Hogwarts!"
"Haha, seriously Ella, where are we?" Eloise asked frustrated. She was not in the mood for Ella's mucking about. Usually Ella could always understand exactly how Eloise was feeling so Eloise was confused as to what was different about today.
"No I am actually, truthfully, legitimately serious! I'm not joking," Ella said sincerely. Eloise helped her friend up and they found the other 6 wide awake too.
"I'm gonna go kill some kids!" Evan said jokingly, carrying on from a conversation they must have been having before the two girls got there. Ella raised her eyebrow at him. "Like they'd be so defenceless!"
"I think we're at Hogwarts," Rhianna said to the two girls who'd just joined. She looked at Ella for confirmation.
"Definitely! It's exactly how it's described in the books!" Ella said with bright eyes. She was looking about in wonder, knowing deep down that this was all a dream. She was glad, however, even if it was a dream, that Rhianna had come to the same conclusion. Madam Pomfrey came rushing in.
"Madam Pomfrey?" Rhianna, Ella, Jocelyn and Lucas asked. This day was becoming very strange indeed.
The bustling nurse narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the friends, "How do you know me?"
"Oh. Uh. It was a guess..?" Jocelyn tried to cover all of their mistakes.
"We're good at legilimency and Rhianna's a seer," Ella said.
"Hmm." Madam Pomfrey murmured sceptically. "So, what's going to happen this year?"
What year is it? That's what was going through Ella's head. She looked around for clues.
"Bingo," Ella breathed.
Rhianna followed Ella's gaze.
"This year the chamber of secrets will be opened, if it hasn't already, I think," Rhianna said in false innocence looking believably as if she had been thinking hard and was now unsure. "Muggleborns will be petrified and a student will be taken into the chamber."
"Okay," Madam Pomfrey said. "Now as I recall, we found you by the black lake in muggle attire without wands. Ollivander will be joining us shortly as will Dumbledore so that you can get a house and a wand. I trust you know how this will work?"
Jocelyn notices that Eloise is about to say she doesn't so she kicks Eloise in the shin.
"Of course," James replied smoothly. Madam Pomfrey disappears to tend to some other students.
"Why do you think we're here?" Lebron voiced all of the friends' thoughts. They'd all been thinking it but none of them wanted to admit that they were unsure. None of them had any idea.
"I don't know," they all said.
"Whoa!" Lucas said teasingly. " Lebron doesn't know something! Ella doesn't know something about her favourite fiction. Wow. This is weird."
"Nah, really?" Evan said sarcastically. The doors slammed open and in came a man with a long white beard. He had twinkling blue eyes.
"Dumbledore," all of the friends (take Eloise) breathed out.
"Good afternoon," he said to them.
"Good afternoon," they all said.
"Hello Professor Dumbledore, I'm Ella, I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Ella all but screamed at the old professor. She suddenly realised how childish her outburst was and went a furious red. "Sorry."
"That's quite alright, it's nice to finally meet you too," he said. The friends all frowned at him in complete and utter confusion. "You eight are very famous in one of our stories. You're in the book 'Muggles, or maybe not'. I called you here."
"We-We're in a- we're in a book?" Jocelyn squeaked excitedly, completely stumbling over her words. She felt slightly embarrassed but she wasn't the kind of girl to let it show.
"Yes, I'm sure you'll hear more about that later but now is time for your sorting," Dumbledore said. "I'm not going to do it formally."
He pulled out a ragged hat that Eloise looked at very confused but the other seven's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Why did we have to get transported to Harry Potter, of all places?" Eloise mumbled. Although she hadn't watched or read Harry Potter (unless you counted reading it at school, which nobody did) she had decided she hated Harry Potter, much to Ella's dismay.
"What was that?" Dumbledore asked. Eloise knew it would be unwise to repeat it so she stayed quiet. "Who wishes to be sorted first?"
None of the friends seemed to want to.
"Okay then, Eloise, you first," he said. Eloise looked to her friends for help.