There comes a time, in the middle of the night
When something arrives that gives you quite a fright
It is a letter, and what could be better
Than reading it under the candlelight?
The letter’s delivered by owl, no less
And it doesn’t provide a clear address
But it talks of a school, where wizards rule
And you get to join in in the mess
Before you go to this faraway land,
Diagon Alley you should be at, with checklist at hand
You’ll take a gander at old Ollivander’s
And he’ll find you the perfect wand
You’re almost done with the checklist; at that,
You can bring an owl, a toad, or a cat
But, of course, the choice is yours
So you may as well start off with a bat
At King’s Cross, where the trains all start with a hiss,
You check the letter- something’s gone amiss!
“Where, you rotters, is 9 and ¾?”
“Oh, just run into that wall, and don’t miss!”
And she told the truth, you came through just fine
And the train’s leaving- you’re just on time
You say good-bye and promise not to die
While you’re on the adventure of a lifetime
On the platform, children are leaping
In the crowd, families are weeping
And you hear lots of sound, from all around
Unlike in most trains, no one is sleeping
And the train sets off to the break of day,
Heading somewhere far, far away
You see kids nail-biting and letter-writing
But you know, they’ll see family again someday
You look around and try to find
A compartment where no one will give any mind
But that can’t be true, so you’ll just have to do
With one where the students, at least, seem kind
During the journey, you make some new friends
While the train travels across hills and bends
And, thin and fat, and good and bad,
You greet them all with stretched-out hands
Well, you’re finally there, and off you go
To where giant Hagrid is waiting below
I hope, for your sake, that when you cross the lake,
You keep your body in the boat and stay low
Eventually, if you’ve managed to float,
You’ll be escorted out of the boat
No need to hassle, you’ll soon see the castle
And, after that, you’re allowed to gloat
The castle looked like a place where magic was done
It looked as if, here, some battles were won
And, in its glow, you suddenly know
That your great adventure has begun
You enter the castle with shivering skin-
This looked like the place dark deeds were done in
Where wizards toil in the turmoil,
And they do not care if they sin
And then, you will get sorted in
Hufflepuff or Slytherin
Or Griffindor, or Ravenclaw,
By their talents or by their kin
They place on you the Sorting Hat
And it chooses in seconds flat
Where you dwell, I cannot tell,
But you’re quite confident at that
You’re welcomed there with open arms
And then, the crowd, they leave in swarms
To the place where you wash your face
And Muggles would set their electric alarms
But you’re not a Muggle! Rest assured,
Of that disease you are now cured
You can use magic, and it would be tragic
To leave from the place to which you were lured
The next morning, you start the day off with some food
Most classes are awful; a few are quite good
At the end of the day, you have much to say
But, by your look, I don’t think you could
The next day, the same routine leaves you quite glad-
All in all, this schedule is really not bad
And the days fly by, and entire weeks die
And, then, the greatest adventures you’ve had
You meet the gamekeeper; he’s such a fine bloke
That the fact he a giant may seem like a joke
You meet his friend, and it’ll be your end
To give the sleeper so much as a poke
Along the year, you will catch a few Snitches
And catch the eye of a few pretty witches
You’ll explore through the castle, too,
With narrow escapes that’ll leave you in stitches
Eventually, you’ll pass your final exam
Even though some kids end up with a “Bam!”
You’ll get to grip the Inter-House Championship
And the Quidditch Cup will go according to plan
And the last days are going, going… and gone
Your year at Hogwarts is finally done
You pack up your clothes, wave to friends and foes
And glance back at the castle, the lake, and the lawn
When the train arrives, you jump off right away
And greet the parents you’ve missed to this day
You tell them about school, and you tell them that you’ll
Mark on your calendar the next glorious day
When you travel to that place, matched by none
And, I have to say, in the long run,
The adventures you’ve had; the good and the bad…
But, in truth, they’ve only just begun