Party Police.

Chapter Five.

(Y/n) and Cho looked up at a voice ringing through their carriage: "We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage alone, it will be taken to the school separately."

"What about pets?" (Y/n) mumbled, now draping her cloak over her right arm. Cho snickers before stopping, realizing she'd have to carry a bird and a cat. (Y/n) slipped Effie into her messenger bag, making sure she'd be able to breathe. She draped her cloak over her arm. She then placed Hoshi's cage on her lap and fiddled with the handle on the top. She was nervous at the very least. Cho looked excited, yet (Y/n) sensed most of Cho's fidgeting came from nerves. 

The train slowly came to a stop. Cho and (Y/n) lingered behind, for just by looking out the window in their door, they saw people pushing and shoving to get off. When their cart was mainly cleared out, the two finally exited and stepped onto the dark platform. (Y/n) bent her knees in an attempt to stretch. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" A big man with a hairy face was beaming over the crowd. (Y/n) and Cho shuffled over to the already gathered crowd. "C'mon, follow me— any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years, follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed the man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that (Y/n) thought there had to be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." 

There was a collective gasp.

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, a vast castle with many turrets and towers stood.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. (Y/n) and Cho joined two other girls in the boat. With the lanterns on the boat, (Y/n) made out the same girl who she ran into before changing and another with curly reddish-blonde hair.

"Katie Bell," the Chinese girl introduced through chattering teeth. She was shivering, and at that moment, (Y/n) realized they all were.

"Cho Chang," said Cho, blowing on her hands before tucking them under her arms. 

"Mari— Marietta Edgecomb," the redhead stuttered. 

"(Y/n) (Y/l/n)," she finished. She held onto Hoshi's carrier with her right hand and grabbed her cloak with her left. Then she balanced the carrier on her lap and tied her cloak off with a bow around her shoulders.

"Everyone in?" shouted the man, who had a boat to himself. "Right then— FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled the man as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.

"Everyone here?" the man asked. He then raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.