I sold my soul to the open road!

[Douglas Hurst]

Dougie was new to Hogwarts and was yet to make any proper friends. It was a shame really, he had expected to have a flood of invitations of people desperate to be his friend, but unfortunately it was taking it’s time. He decided to take a break from the castle and hang out on the grounds, hmm he might find someone around there to entertain him.

He left the castle and took a casual stroll down to the lake, where he joined another student who was also alone. “Hey, is it true that there’s a giant squid which exists in that lake?” Douglas asked, nodding to the black water, it was impossible to see into it. "I heard a rumor and wanted to come check it out, I'm Dougie."

 

[Andrea McKinley]

Andrea was sitting on the shore of the lake, watching its waves with serene interest. The rest of Hogwarts was so beautiful, and everywhere she looked was a new delightful surprise. What new wonders would the waters of the lake hold? Would she be able to explore it someday?

"Hey," said a boy's voice behind her. She jumped, a bit startled, but she recovered quickly. She turned her head with a friendly smile.

"Hello," she returned pleasantly. She gave him a quick once-over. He was a Slytherin. Her age, by the looks of him. The green and silver trimmings of his robes gave her a slight misgiving, but his smile seemed very welcoming so she decided to shove her nerves aside.

"Is it true that there's a giant squid which exists in the lake?" the boy asked, nodding at the water. "I heard a rumor and wanted to check it out." Andrea's excitement grew so huge and overwhelming that she almost missed his name when he mentioned it.

"Wow! Seriously!?" she asked eagerly, jumping to her feet and looking at the water, hoping to see some hint of a tentacle. "A giant squid? I hadn't heard about that. That's awesome!" She suddenly realized how she'd rudely brushed off his introduction. She lightly smacked herself on the forehead and groaned at herself. "Sorry," she said, offering her hand. "It's good to meet you, Dougie. I'm Andrea, or Dre if you like."

 

[Douglas Hurst]

Dougie took a closer look into the water but couldn’t see into the lake. It made him wonder how deep the water was, the lake could go down for miles. “I don’t know if it’s true or not, it’ll be cool if there is!” He replied, “Nice to meet you too Dre.” He said, “My names actually Douglas but I go by Dougie.” He took his eyes off the water and looked at the girl, “Are you a first year too?”

He picked up a stone from near by and attempted to skim it on the surface of the water which was one massive fail. He tried to aim it properly but the stone simply ploped into the water creating a small splash. "Hmm, okay never mind"

 

[Andrea McKinley]

"Yep, I'm a first year." she said, watching him pick up a stone off the shore. She grinned when it sank beneath the surface with a small blup. She wasn't much good at skipping stones either. She could make the occasional one work, but never for more than four skips at the best.

"So, have you always known you were going to Hogwarts?" she asked, eager to become better acquainted with someone.

 

[Douglas Hurst]

Dougie shrugged off the failed skimming stone attempt, he had an opportunity to impress someone but failed. “I usually do better than that, oh well.” She was a first year as well, yes! “So am I!” He smiled at her, scratching his head. “Yeah I’ve always known about magic and that I would eventually end up here.” He said, it still hadn't completely sunk in that it had happened. “How about you?”

 

[Andrea McKinley]

Cool, another first year, she thought when he replied. "My dad's a wizard, so I've pretty much always known about magic." she answered. "And mum didn't have any problems with my going to school to learn how to use it, so pretty smooth sailing there. I did think I'd be going to Salem though," she paused for a moment, thinking. Wondering what life would have been like had she enrolled at Salem, as her grandparents had done. "I'm originally from New York," she explained. "That's where the mutt accent came from- half Brooklyn half Kiwi."

 

[Douglas Hurst]

Dougie listened as the girl explained that she was a half blood, it was the same as Dougie but his muggle father had died when Dougie was too young to even remember him and had been surrounded by magic his whole life. “Oh that makes sense, I thought you had an unusual accent” He replied, “Well my mum is a witch so I’ve always known I was a wizard, and I unintentionally almost blew the kitchen up a few years back, so everyone knew I would get my Hogwarts letter at some point.” He said, remembering the time he lost his temper and caused a minor explosion. “So how do you like Hogwarts?” He asked.

 

[Andrea McKinley]

Andrea chuckled at the story. "That's certainly a good sign." Her first sign of magic hadn't been anything nearly as spectacular. She grinned at her own memories.

"Oh, loving it so far," she answered, coming out of her reverie. "The castle and grounds and everything are really cool. You're the first person I've actually spoken to though." slight embarrassment welled up in her as she spoke the last sentence. She looked back at the lake to avoid his eye until the discomfort passed.

 

[Douglas Hurst]

Dougie remembered the kitchen incident vividly in his mind. He had not been allowed sweets and got in such a mood that he caused an explosion. Most parents would be furious at this but Dougie’s mother was delighted that he performed magic and gave him the sweets as a treat. The lesson learnt here: Tantrums = sweets.

“Yeah it’s pretty cool here!” He said, flashing back into reality. “I haven’t met many people either, but at least I know one person now!” Phew, at least Dougie can be sure he’s not the kid with no friends, sitting in the corner for the next seven years. “What’s it like in...” Dougie took a quick glance at Dre’s robes to see which house she was in. “...Gryffindor.”

 

[Andrea McKinley]

Andrea smiled. "I really like it," she replied. "It's really refreshing, being surrounded by people with whom I have a lot in common. Primary school was nothing like that, unfortunately." She paused reflectively, then revised, "Well, I suppose we might have had some things in common, but I never got to find out. When I moved from the US, the Kiwi kids pretty much kept to themselves so I never really knew anyone. But this year is getting off to a much better start."

She thought a bit more for a second. "The only thing I can say that I don't like is the whole house prejudice thing." she said. "Especially the whole 'Slytherins are jerks' mantra that seems to get spread around. Honestly, there's jerks in every house. Stereotyping is so stupid." She shook her head irritably.

"Sorry," she apologized, "a bit of a tangent there. How are you liking Slytherin?"