I’m in Slytherin, I’m in Slytherin! I start to smile but then I realise that I should not have been put in Slytherin; I should have been placed in Gryffindor. I glance at my siblings who look as if they have just been stabbed in the back; their faces are red and tears have started to drip out of Molly’s eyes. I attempt to ignore them as so not to get upset and feel guilty about my unintentional betrayal. I walk over to the Slytherin table and sit down, with everyone beginning to introduce themselves. Everyone seemed very friendly, despite what my siblings have previously said. After a few short moments of getting to know my fellow house members another new Slytherin walks over and sits down next to me. He had blonde, shoulder length hair with a long, round face and a thin round tip nose. The look on his face was of both joy and excitement; I immediately assume that his family, unlike mine, was Slytherin oriented.

I stare at him for a few short moments, he returns the stare and opens his mouth hesitantly “The names, Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy”. He sounds so confident about who he is. Malfoy? Malfoy? Where have I heard that name before? Oh my goodness, I just remembered that the Malfoy’s are one of the richest pure-blood wizarding families in Great Britain; I have heard plenty about his father from my own father. “Hi, I’m Dolores Prewett, pleasure to meet you”. His face turns red and I could not believe his response.

“Dolores, nice name. Hang on Prewett? Prewett? Your father works at the ministry doesn’t he?” He exclaims. Clearly his father has told him all about the fights he regularly has with my own father. “Yes he does, and before you say anything I know about everything that has happened between our parents and the fights that have occurred; but I am nothing like my parents or my siblings. I doubt I will even be welcome back into my home after the news of my sorting gets back to my parents.” Oh, I can just imagine my mothers face when she finds out; it will go bright red, like a fire truck, and no doubt there will be steam literally coming out of her ears. Before I can picture what my fathers face would be Lucius says “I’m sorry to hear that you may not have a house when school is out, however, you are always welcome to stay with me and my family. My father would be thrilled to have something of Kenwood Prewett’s; even if Kenwood does not particularly favour that belonging anymore”.

“That is very generous of you, I will send a letter when I find out whether I have a home anymore.” I begin toe at some of the glorious looking food in front of me. For the main meal there is roast potatoes, chicken drumsticks, pumpkin, Yorkshire pudding, lamb, pork along with any other sort of delicious food you could ever imagine. Desert was even better; with every sort of cake and tart imaginable! To drink was one of my favourite drinks, pumpkin juice. After tasting a bit of everything I begin to feel sick and I just want to go to my dormitory to sleep; however, just like Deputy Headmistress McGonagall said, Headmaster Dumbledore gave a speech. Despite the claim from McGonagall that it was meant to be quick, it was the exact opposite. “Welcome everyone to the start of a new school year; I hope that you have all enjoyed the feast. The food here at Hogwarts is always gloriously delicious during the year, but the start and end of the year feasts are always even more glorious and scrumptious. Welcome especially to our first years, I hope that your new houses will make you feel at home and part of the Hogwarts family. As usual, our school’s caretaker Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor is off limits, if you dare go in there expect pain and possibly death. Another reminder form our housekeeper is not to go into the Forbidden Forest, for our first years I will mention some of the creatures that call the forest home: Unicorns, Centaurs, Werewolves and many other dangerous creatures. The only time any student is allowed inside the forest is if they are accompanied by a professor or Hagrid. Our school’s professors, especially the school nurse, would like to remind you that at no time are any of you allowed to duel. I will send you off in a moment; all first years are to follow your house Prefects to the common room. If first years could all line up beside their house table and the Prefects will lead the way. Alright of to bed, pip pip.”

I line up behind Lucius next to the Slytherin table as instructed. Our two prefects lead us out of the Great Hall and down to where the cellars are meant to be located. Why would we be going to the cellars? The Slytherin common room is meant to be in the dungeons. “Excuse me, but isn’t the common rooms in the dungeons not the cellars?”

“The dungeons are down near the cellars.” Well that would explain that issue then! Walking through Hogwarts I am amazed at how beautiful the castle is, however, cold at the same time. The paintings on the walls talk, they talk! I have been welcomed by so many different paintings that I’ve lost count. But I won’t forget that strange man in the armour that followed me through every painting introducing himself. What was his name? Carogoon, that’s it.

We get to the dungeons and I see a door with a painting of a male on the cellar wall, our male prefect tells the painting the password to be able to get in “Strawberry Fizz”. The door opens and all I see is a long, dark corridor. We walk into the main part of the common room which is filled with black and dark emerald green couches, cold granite floors and dark wood cupboards; some with skulls on top of them.

Since this part of the common room is underneath the lake, it has a green tinge to it. The room would be completely devoid of light if not for the green lamps and chandelier hanging from the roof. The common room has a cold, dark un-inviting feel, I start to wish that I had been placed into Gryffindor; at least the common room is meant to be more like home.

“Welcome to the Slytherin common room! To your left and down the stairs are the girl’s dorms. Likewise, to your right and down the stairs are the boy’s. Now all of you off to bed, don’t worry on the doors will be your names. All of your trunks and belongings are already in there as well as your school uniforms that will be laid neatly along your bed.”

I walk down the staircase; in front of me is a long corridor with doors on either side of the walls. I walk along the corridor searching for the door with my name on it. On what must have been the fourteenth door I looked at I found my name along with Scarlett Cargippice; I remember her from when she introduced herself at the feast. I open the door an am amazed at the wallpaper and furniture in the room. The room does not look like a Slytherin dorm; it is full of light, not emerald light but with white and yellow light. In the corner is a fireplace, blazing away. The bed frames are made of dark wood with grass green curtains hung up on the top frame. The duvet is lime green with pale green squares, and the sheets and pillows are made of the same pale green. On the chair at the foot of the bed lays my Hogwarts uniform, with Slytherin logo and colours all over it.

Not long after I finish soaking in my new home, Scarlett walks through the door. “Hi! How’s it going? WOW, this place is amazing! It’s like my own bedroom at home.” She goes straight for her bed and jumps on it. After taking a few jumps she gets off, having given up on the hope of a springy bed. I take a look at the state of the bed and am shocked at how easily she can ruin the neatness. It takes me a minute to realise that not everyone would be brought up in a house where cleanliness and order is of upmost importance.

Around fifteen minutes after the jumping on the bed fiasco I begin to un-pack my belongings and put them away. When un-loading my trunk I notice my favourite pink fluffy jumper, with a picture of a cat sewn onto the front. My mother made it for me after I got my acceptance letter. When I think about my parents, I feel a pang of guilt run through me. I miss them already; the fact that I’m not in Gryffindor makes that even worse. I continue to un-pack my clothes and put them in the large, dark oak wardrobe that has been supplied.

After I finish un-packing and moved my uniform from my bed to the chair beside it, I change into my nightwear and settle into bed.

That night I dream of the previous weeks at home being excited of the prospect of going to Hogwarts. My siblings teased me because I hardly was able to fit into any of their old uniforms. As my dream starts to wander off onto my cat back at home, Rosy, I am abruptly woken by Scarlett.