275
The first feast
🍗

Everyone on Hedgehog table is very pleased to have you in their house, and smiles at you as you take your seat.

"Welcome to Hedgehog House Arthur!" says one boy, who looks like he is in the oldest year. "You dodged a curse by joining Hedgehog House that's for sure. We look after each other and stay out of trouble here I can tell you. Hoggers up!" he suddenly shouts.

The children around the table spontaneously break into the Hedgehog House chant, reciting loudly as they stand up and sit down in together:

"Hoggers up, hoggers down, hoggers hoggers stand your ground."

You let out a sigh of contentment. This is the place for me alright, you think, proud to call yourself a Hogger.

You are even happier when - the rest of the House Sorting complete - Slumblebore magically conjures up an incredible feast for dinner.

From out of thin air materializes platters of roast beef and boiled sprouts, Yorkshire pudding and mashed turnips, shepherds pie and boiled broccoli, toad in the hole and boiled potatoes, bubble and squeak and boiled carrots, apple crumble with strawberry ice cream, and spotted dick drowning in custard.

"Boiled potatoes, my favourite!" Kensley Potato, a first year who was also chosen for Ravenclaw House, licks her lips.

You and Kensley get chatting over dinner about the different ways of cooking potatoes and before long you are firm friends.

In a rite of initiation all the first years crack open the eggs they received from Percy the Picking Pigeon and guzzle the contents raw.

Then you eat more than you have ever eaten before, enjoying yourself immensely. You wonder if Slumblebore is somehow making the food magically disappear after it enters your stomach, in a similar way to how he made the food appear on the table. But finally you realise you can't cram anything more into your belly, and let out a huge belch.

"Children!" Slumblebore stands, his beard streaked with mashed turnips and the odd boiled potato. He raises his hands for silence. "Children! Now we have eaten our fill it is time for bed. Prefects lead the students to the House towers. And remember: the dungeons are off limits this term. We don't know what's down there, and neither do we want to."

The children rise to their feet, clutching their distended tummies, and prepare to leave the hall.

You turn to Kensley Potato and say: