A Snake's Crutch Book 1

Part 3: View from the Water

Y/N leapt from her seat and moved to the window. As the platform started to pack with students, A huge man with a giant lantern walked back an forth calling for the first years. As the group left the train, y/n glimpsed Malfoy once or twice, but he was deliberately distancing himself from her group. Not because of her, of course, but because Hermione had apparently befriended Harry Potter and his Weasley friend while on her search for Trevor, who still hadn't been found. 

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here! All right there Harry?" The large man looked over and beamed at the boy. "C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' year? Mind yer step, now!"

The crowd grew quiet as they followed the giant man down a steep, slippery path. Y/N nearly fell multiple times and became incredibly lucky when she did, because she didn't knock anyone else over. They were surrounded by darkness, the only light really being the giant man's lantern. On either side of the path was an almost tangible darkness, which y/n assumed to be trees shrouding the light. It was incredibly quiet on the way down the path, the only sounds near y/n's group being Neville sniffling about Trevor. 

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The man called behind him. "Jus' round this bend here." And, as they rounded the bend, there was a great 'Oooooh!' from the crowd. The path had opened suddenly onto a beautiful view of a rather massive black lake and, perched on a mountain across the lake, was a beautiful castle, windows gleaming like stars. As thought the mountains weren't high enough, the turrets and towers looked like they were competing to be the highest things in view. 

As they approached the lake's shore, y/n noticed a fleet of small boats waiting for them to board.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The big man call, claiming his own and taking up the whole thing.

Sarah and y/n looked at each other, excited smiles on their faces. The girls had meant to follow Hermione and Neville to their own boat, but the boy and girl climbed into Harry Potter's, leaving no room for them. The girls instead found an empty boat and claimed the front two seats. A few minutes later, a two more girls got in the boat with them.

"Everyone in?" Shouted the large man, turning to make sure. "Right then -- FORWARD!"

And away the boats went, setting out across the glass-smooth lake, to the castle. 

The ride was silent, as everyone was too busy staring in awe at the castle. Even Neville's sniffs had gone silent as the group approached the cliff the castle sat on.

"Heads down!" yelled the man, flattening himself into his boat, they approached the base of the cliff.

Y/N and Sarah ducked as they approached the cliff, the ivy, hiding the entrance to a cavern, brushing along their backs. Once they were through, they lifted their heads and found themselves in a large dark tunnel, leading them directly under the castle. As the tunnel opened into a cavern, they came upon a kind of underground harbor. The four girls unloaded then, onto the gravely shore.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" The large man had found him searching the boats.

"Trevor!" Neville called exuberant. And, as they walked up a passage, chasing the large man's lamp, y/n leaned over to whisper to him, "I told you he would turn up." And he smiled at her brightly.

When y/n's group had finally made it out of the passage, the large man had already begun leading the front of the group up the large front steps of the castle, to a giant set of oak doors.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Neville nodded timidly, hating being the center of attention. The man knocked three times on the giant doors, and they flew inward, revealing a tall witch with black hair, and emerald robes. She looked incredibly stern, and immediately y/n knew she was going to like this professor. 

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." said the man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Ah, so the man's name was Hagrid. 

Professor McGonagall threw the massive oak doors open the rest of the way to reveal a cavernous entrance hall big enough to fit a house into, and tall enough you couldn't see the ceiling. The torches lighting the hall reminded her of the ones at Gringotts and in front of her was a beautiful marble staircase leading to unexplored upper floors. 

The student followed Professor McGonagall across the hall past another set of massive doors, behind which y/n could hear the rest of the students' voices talking a laughing, happy to be back with their friends. The rest of the students must've gone in ahead of them. As y/n recalled, from her extensive reading about Hogwarts, The first years were put on display as they were given their houses. That made y/n incredibly nervous. 

The professor led the group past the doors to a small room adjacent to the hall, where everyone crowded in, much closer to each other than they were used to, and began to look around nervous for what was to come.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Even the Professor's voice was stern. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." Sarah turned to y/n and shook her arm excitedly. "The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Y/N saw Draco grin at his large friends from across the room. "Each house has it's own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." The last bit she said eyeing Neville, who had his cloak on crooked, and the Weasley boy Draco seemed to despise, who had a smudge of dirt on his nose. "I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly," she said, and left the chamber, leaving the girls fixing each others  hair and clothes, and the boys quietly playing about.

"I can wait for the Sorting Ceremony!" Sarah said, hushed, jumping up and down with excited energy.

"Really? It's in front of the entire school!" said y/n, also whispering. Y/N was incredibly nervous herself.

"Of course! I can't wait to see the sorting hat in person! My older sister, Awellia, said that when she wore the hat, it read her mind! I mean, I guess it makes sense, because it has to know your personality, but still! That's wicked!"

"I mean I--" 

Y/N was cut of by a chorus of screams, causing many members of the crowd jump and, when she turned around, she gasped. A group of slightly transparent, pearly white people had just come out of the back wall. Many people gasped as the ghosts passed, but they weren't paying any attention to the first years. Instead they were arguing about someone. The one speaking looked like a rather large monk.

"--Ought to give him a second chance--"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad time and you know, he's not really even a ghost -- I say, what are you all doing here?" The second ghost, in a ruff and tights, had finally noticed the group.

"New students! About to be Sorted, I suppose?" Said the Friar. A few students timidly nodded. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know!"

"Move along now," said Professor McGonagall's sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." At the sight and sound of McGonagall, the ghost began to disperse, exiting through the opposite wall from whence they came.

"Now form a line and follow me."