Joy gaped open-mouthed at the staircases, moving and shifting right before her eyes. No matter how many times her family had told her about Hogwarts, she could never have pictured something like this. It was breathtaking. She found that every corner she turned in this castle, she found something new to "ooh" and "aah" at.
Joy saw the Headmistress ahead of her. She gasped excitedly.
"Hello, Headmistress Hawthorne!" She approached the woman, introducing herself. "I'm Joy Williams. Oh, this castle is so amazing. I can't believe I'm here. My whole family's been to Hogwarts, except my little brother. My sister Jean just finished last year. Oh, these staircases are wonderful!" she added as she saw another staircase move. She smiled, clearly enraptured.
It's not like she had never seen magic before. For goodness' sake, her whole family was magical. Except maybe her little brother. They still weren't sure about him. There were many who even said that her great-grandmother was the brightest witch here in her time. But Joy could never take magic for granted. It was too fascinating to her, even after almost twelve years of growing up around it.
She turned her attention back to Headmistress Hawthorne.
"Er, excuse me Headmistress," she continued, "Where do all of these staircases go?" She didn't want to wind up someplace dangerous or restricted to students. She'd hate to get in trouble, especially so early in the term. |