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[evanesko]

Diagon Alley

The Leaky Cauldron appears to be a broken down old shop at first glance, but there is much more to this than meets the eye. In fact, it's your way into Diagon Alley and the secret gateway between the muggle world and wizarding world. That aside, it has been a pretty popular pub mostly because of this connection and the exposure that it has has only helped this fact.

So you've been accepted to Hogwarts and now need to gather the supplies marked on the list that you received... There's only one problem with that. You don't have that money... How on earth are you supposed to pay for all of your items? That's when you'll see a grand building that's even more fancy inside. If you're not looking at your surroundings first, you're most likely looking at the creatures who seem to be working here... Goblins. short little men with pointed ears to match the pointed looks they give you as you go to talk to someone. Turns out you have a vault here magically and what's even weirder is that you seem to have money that you need inside. Although you may want to keep all body parts in the car at all times, because this is a strange ride that you're on until you make it to your vault. Now that you have the money you need, now you can buy your supplies.... or waste it on things you don't need. Just don't try to come back and expect more money to magically appear in your vault again. It seems it was a one time deal to get you started.

Well now that you have your money, the first thing you need is a wand. It shouldn't take too long to find Ollivander's Wand Shop and to find out that this shop makes some of the best wands.... You should feel honored. Upon entering the establishment, you'll notice that there are thousands of long boxes stacked away, but there's no one at the front. You can wait if you'd like, but soon enough, an older gentleman appears who -- despite that slightly tired expression -- is eager to see you. He'll immediately start to grab a few wands for you to try upon finding out that this is your first wand. Just try not to cause too much damage as he insists on you trying the wands. But just keep in mind, the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around. So now you're set up with a nice new wand, but now you need to get the rest of your supplies. Since books will be an important item to have, you'll be directed to Flourish and Blotts to get all of the books you need. At least you're not alone, because there's a fair number of other people getting their books as well. Once you're set up with your books, you have the option to go and get yourself a pet, but you'll need your robes (uniform). Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions is the clear destination to go. It seems you can get more than just uniforms, but given your money is only for what you  need, anything extra will have to wait. Since you do not have a house at this point, you'll just get the basic sets of robes for now. Anything else that you may need can be found around Diagon Alley.

Once you manage to make it onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, soon you'll find a bigger number of people than you'd expect from a hidden, magical platform that shouldn't exist normally. There are a lot of families and students saying their goodbyes and lugging their luggage on board. And that's when you'll see that sitting there waiting as if just for you is a magnificent train that clearly shows, "Hogwarts Express". Once inside, you may want to hurry to find an empty compartment car before they all fill up. If you're not quick enough, you may just have to find someone to join for your duration of the train ride. On the plus side, It's good way to meet new people and make new friends. On the flip side, you might have to expect to have somebody ask to sit with you. Why not let them and make a new friend? At the very least, it's a very comfortable train and offers a trolley that comes around offering snacks. Just don't be expecting to find something that you'd normally see. Don't worry though, they're not too bad. While on the train, you will be advised to change into the robes that you had to buy or somehow ended up with. If you decide not to do so by the end of the train ride, magic will do it's thing and as you get off the train, you may or may not noticed that you are now in the robes you were told to change into.

Hogwarts

A popular location for many students to walk around and hang out with friends, the courtyard makes a good meeting place. Whether you want to study outside somewhere in peace in the big courtyard or just want to read, there are plenty of spots that aren't nearly as populated. In other areas, it's a good meeting place and many people walk about or just enjoy the whether when it's warm. Located nearby of the front entrance, it's not too hard to find.

While the entrance may not get nearly as much population as far as hanging out like the Entrance Hall or the courtyard might, it see's it's fair share of people. Though the traffic that usually goes through here is usually people coming and going. Once it starts to get nicer out though, more people start to hang outside more often. The courtyard is just off to the left from the entrance area.

The Entrance Hall is probably the most populated location after classes, besides the courtyard. Much like the courtyard, it makes for a good place to meet and converse with other students and friends. The easy access also makes it that much more likely to hang around. It is also located not too far from the Great Hall, and because of this there is a lot of hustle and bustle. If you're looking for a place to do things like reading or studying though, you're not likely to have peace and quiet here like you would in the courtyard, the library, or the dorms.

Always a popular location, the Great Hall always seems to have people around for the most part. Although the main function of the Great Hall is to eat, it also allows for friends to eat together, converse, and play games every now and then. It's also a good time to see if you ever receive mail as owls will deliver them to you. It can be a multitude of things as little as newspapers or bigger boxes.

Much like the portraits everywhere, there is one well known fact about Hogwarts. It's actually the first thing that will be told to you as you're being lead towards your house commons. The staircases move on their own periodically. With that said, some may think that people are simply trying to mess with you... until you see it for yourself. Hundreds of moving staircases as you make your way to your destination. Mind your step and always stay aware of your surroundings.

As you can easily tell, the castle is filled with all sort of portraits. All of them move and all of them can talk, although they usually go about their own business. Just try not to make too much noise when it's late; They don't take kindly to that. Although the most important portraits in the castle are definitely the ones guarding the house dorms. Each house has their own entry point and each entry point will expect a password or some form of code upon entering. Passwords will change periodically for security purposes, although sometimes they're changed if somebody tells another house the password or it accidentally gets out. The Fat Lady is the most common one, since most of the series follows a large majority of Gryffindors, but there are others of course. The Hufflepuff basement requires you to tap a barrel in a certain sequence. Ravenclaw Tower requires you to answer a riddle. And then there is Slytherin -- located in the dungeon -- that requires you to speak the password to a stone wall that then shows the entry way.

Behind ever passage way, there is a commons room for each house. Though, each house is located in different locations, they're all outfitted with a nice lounge area, a bulletin board, and a fireplace for sure. Usually adorned with the colors of the house (I. E. Gryffindor is red and gold, Hufflepuff is yellow and black, Ravenclaw is blue and silver, and Slytherin is green and gray, although sometimes black as well), there are various portraits and decorations for each location. As well as a commons area, there is -- of course -- dorm rooms for each house. Each room holds four people and you're randomly assigned to each dorm. They all have passwords to further secure your belongings and can be changed if necessary. As if it needs to be said, no gender of the opposite sex is to be in the others dorms at any time (I.E. girls in a boy's dorm or boys in a girl's dorm.) If you need to talk to someone of the opposite sex, you will have to do that within the commons area or outside before going into the dorms sides.

Just like how you've been taken here, you'll have to just go with the flow. And just like all the other students, you must now go to classes and complete homework on time. Being on time, completing & turning in homework on time, attending classes, and answering questions in class correctly will all give you plenty of opportunities to earn points for the house that you've been sorted into. On the flip side, doing the opposite of these and acting out poorly will result in losing points for your house. Robes aren't required outside of classes, but in classes, you are expected to be wearing your uniform. Various classes include:

Class	Year Available	Class	Year Available
Alchemy	6th Year	Apparition	6th Year (must be of age)
Arithmancy	3rd Year	Astronomy	1st Year
Care of Magical Creatures	3rd Year	Charms	1st Year
Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA)	1st Year	Divination	3rd Year
Flying	1st Year only	Herbology	1st Year
History of Magic	1st Year	Muggle Studies	3rd Year
Potions	1st Year	Study of Ancient Runes	3rd Year
Transfiguration	1st Year

If you ever need to crack down on your studies or just get some homework done, the Library is a nice peaceful place to do so. Because the quiet environment is enforced, you don't need to worry about people conversing and you can do what you need to in peace. If you don't have any homework, reading a book or researching also occurs. Just stay out of the Restricted Section. You'll get in a lot of trouble for that.

If for whatever reason you don't feel good, the Infirmary is always open. However if you simply feel like you have a small cold or something silly, Madam Pomfrey will most likely just shoo you away with some basic cold advice. However, if it is something actually worth looking into or a serious matter, she will take the utmost importance in treating you. Don't mind a few complaints every now and then depending on the situation about how it could have been avoided; She really does care. Just try not to end up here at all. She would much rather see you healthy and okay than have to see you end up in the infirmary.

Located in a hidden part of the castle, there is a special room that is barely known to anyone. This room has been labeled the Room of Requirements for the sheer sake of it's purpose. It appears upon the utmost need for something and is bended to your desires and needs, so long as it's for a reasonable purpose. Though 19 years previously it had been used a good number of times, at the present, the room still withstands a lot of mystery and not many people know of it's existence.

If you chose to buy an owl as your pet, you'll find your owl in the Owlery along with the others. If you want to visit your pet or need to send a letter or package, you'll have to come here. If you do not own an owl, but still wish to send a message, you can still come by and ask to borrow an extra owl. As long as you don't overdo it and have  a good reason to use one, those watching over the Owlery will be okay with letting you borrow one.

Some may or may not have spoken to Hagrid on after the train ride or any other time, but for those who are not familiar with him, that tall shaggy man who helped lead the way to the castle and lead the boats is Hagrid. He's a cheerful man who's very interested in magical creatures. In fact, he's even the professor for Care of Magical Creatures, so for those who are interested in taking the class, you'll be seeing him more often. On top of teaching, he's also the grounds keeper. If you're walking around a bit, you just might find his hut. Don't worry, he's not a bad guy. Feel free to talk to him.

The lake is usually a nice peaceful place to relax. People do occasionally come by, but it's far enough away that most people don't go out of their way to visit. Though the water may be a bit chilly during the year at certain seasons, it's still a beautiful sight and quite peaceful.