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<div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 9:22 AM, Margaret Dean <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:margdean@erols.com">margdean@erols.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<div class="Ih2E3d">> > >> > At one end of the platform stood a man with long, shaggy black<br>> > >> > hair and beard. Several sizes larger than anyone else and draped<br>> > >> > in a long overcoat, he looked just too big to be allowed; but<br>
> > >> > what could be seen of his face wore a broad grin, and his black<br>> > >> > eyes twinkled. Waving a hand the size of a truck tire, he called<br>> > >> > out, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"<br>
> > >><br>> > >> Seluna and Koramori both looked at eachother with a strange<br>> > >> expression. The man who was yelling for first years for Hogwarts<br>> > >> was huge. They were only about half his height, That they could<br>
> > >> tell from far away. But he seemed friendly and they doubted that<br>> > >> a magic school would send someone who could hurt them to bring in<br>> > >> new kids. Seluna walked over to the man, carrying her suitcase<br>
> > >> behind her. Mori right behind her as well. She carried Lucky in<br>> > >> her arms and looked up at the man. Her parents had never kept<br>> > >> books on magical creatures or fairy tales in the house, but Seluna<br>
> > >> read about them at the library and at school. This man isn't big<br>> > >> enough to be a giant, and he didn't look like an ogre, even though<br>> > >> they were about his size, so maybe he wasn't a magical creature.<br>
> ><br></div>
<div class="Ih2E3d">> > > Paloma followed the mans command and went over to him and waited for<br>> > > everyone else to get off the train.<br>> ><br>> > Gathering up his stuff Heath squeezed off the train. In retrospect he<br>
> > decided it was much like being toothpaste being squeezed out of it's<br>> > bottle. After being jostled along Heath finally got a good look at<br>> > Hogwarts Castle. Shocked by the spectacle, Heath made the mistake of<br>
> > standing still. Less than a second later he was shoved from behind<br>> > into another kid who shoved him into another kid and so on much like a<br>> > pinball bouncing off bumpers. This went on for a few more times until<br>
> > Heath was shoved into the legs of the biggest man Heath had ever seen.<br>> > In fact, Heath's head just barely surpassed the man's pelvis. Looking<br>> > up Heath saw that the man was wearing a heavy overcoat and had beard<br>
> > that would make a lion's mane look tame.<br>><br>> "Steady on, there, mate," said the big man as Heath collided with<br>> him, and he reached out a hand to keep Heath from falling over.<br>
><br>> Raising his voice again, he called out, "Just leave yer stuff on<br>> the platform, it'll be taken up ter the school. Firs' years,<br>> this way!"<br>><br></div>
<div class="Ih2E3d">> Kadyn stumbled his way off the train, his luggage being repeatedly<br>> battered back and forth. He chuckled slightly, as most of the first<br>> years seemed to be in awe, at least to him. He waved to a friend of<br>
> his parents, who had just been passing through the station. He began<br>> to move towards the groundskeeper, who he had seen once or twice<br>> before out on the grounds of the school,<br><br></div>or occasionally dropping in to his parents' shop in Hogsmeade,<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>> and quickly stopped and called back. "Amber, Cyrus, you coming?"<br>><br>> Cyrus had grabbed his belongings and been sucked into the swirling<br>> mass of people. With Kadyn's call, he finally managed to get his<br>
> bearings, and attempted to wade through the crowd to Kadyn and the<br>> huge man standing behind him.<br>><br>> Amber grabbed her stuff and cat and leaped into the crowd. She was<br>> bashed between kids, each time she hit one she let out a little<br>
> "ahh!" and the occasional "Sorry." In all the moving, pushing kids<br>> she lost sight of Kadyn and Cyrus. "Kad- OOF!" she called as she<br>> got shoved by a large passing child. "Grr..." Then she heard Kadyn.<br>
> "Yes!" and ran over.<br>><br>> Kadyn shook his head and chuckled a little. "I really hope our entire<br>> year isn't like this train ride. We'll go home with a lot of bruises."<br>
> Kadyn then began to walk towards Hagrid, and the other gathering<br>> first years.<br>><br></div>> "Yea," replyed Amber then notaced the gigantic man looming over her<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d">> and the other first years, "Woa, that's one big man..."<br>><br>> Kadyn nodded. "That's the groundskeeper, Hagrid. I've seen him<br>> once or twice." Kadyn bent over and whispered something in<br>
> Amber's ear. "You might want to avoid angering a man that<br>> big..."<br><br></div>"Firs' years!" called the big man again. "Any more firs' years?<br>All righ', step this way. Jus' leave yer stuff on the platform,<br>
they'll take it up ter the school for yeh. Hold on to yer<br>animals. Down this path here. Mind yerselves, it's pretty<br>steep!"<br><br>Hagrid led the straggling line of first-year students down a<br>narrow, rocky path bordered by thick trees, a looming shadow on<br>
either side of them in the darkness. Then they rounded a bend<br>and there was the distant castle, twinkling with lights and<br>mirrored on the waters of a dark, still lake.<br><br>A fleet of small boats was drawn up on the lake shore, and Hagrid<br>
herded the students into them. "No more than four ter a boat,<br>mind."</blockquote>
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<div>Kadyn held Hesetu gingerly, and slowly stepped into a boat. "Amber, Cy, I've got one." Kadyn sat down firmly, and attempted to stay as still as possible, as the slow rocking was making hi stomach a bit uneasy.</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><span id=""></span><br><br>[OOC: I'll pause here and let characters sort themselves into<br>boats.]<br>
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<div class="Wj3C7c"><br><br>--Margaret Dean<br> <<a href="mailto:margdean@erols.com">margdean@erols.com</a>><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>HogwartsBetween mailing list<br>HogwartsBetween@gamera.cc<br>
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