The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air, Salazar coiled more tightly around him, but not enough to hurt. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a booming voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A giant, hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Though the man was large, Harry didn't feel as though he were a threat. In fact, the young boy had a feeling the man was much kinder than he appeared. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed the strange man down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville and Hermione stuck close to the seemingly calm boy. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the giant of a man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." There was a loud "Oooooh!" 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, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Hermione, and Neville were followed into their boat by a redhead who looked very similar to the twins that had helped Harry get onto the train. "Everyone in?" shouted the large 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. Harry started a conversation with the redhaired boy, learning that he was indeed related to the Weasley twins - in fact, he was their younger brother. He also learned that the boy's name was Ronald, or Ron for short.
"Heads down!" Was heard 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 harbor. The students started clambering out onto the rocks and pebbles, some slipping over the wet surface. Harry, however, got out with the grace of a swan, getting out with such ease that it caught the attention of a blond boy, who was exiting the boat next to him. After the man checked the boats to make sure everyone made it out ok, the first years followed him up a passageway in the rock, 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 huge male looked over the sea of students who he had led here. Then, he raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry immediately knew that she was not one to be crossed. "The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Harry mentally wrote down that this was the deputy headmistress, which made her even more dangerous. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was huge, with stone walls being lit by flaming torches, a ceiling too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase which led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone steps. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They all crowded in, peering about nervously. Hermione, Neville, and Ron stayed as close to Harry as was possible while he held a calm smile on his face, unfazed and unbothered by what was happening.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "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. 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 the rest of 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. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are 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." As her eyes travelled from first year to first year, several students started fidgeting with their hair or clothes. Harry just stared back at her with a friendly smile. "I shall return when we are ready for you," Professor McGonagall continued. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Harry was sure that last bit was not a request at all. He turned towards the three people who were crowding him. Neville was fidgeting with his cloak, Ron was wiping at his face as if to get something off, and Hermione was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd read and wondering which one she'd need. Harry fixed Neville's cloak first. "You look great, Neville, and you'll do great. I know it." He moved on to Ron, clasping his hands over the redheads slightly larger ones, stopping their frantic movements. "There's nothing on your face, Ron, you'll be ok." Then he stepped closer to Hermione and put his hands on her shoulder, stopping her rambling. "Calm down, Hermione, there's nothing to worry about." He stepped back to look at his, now calmer, friends. "There's no test or anything like that, my uncle already told me how they sort everyone. They use a magic talking hat. Everything will be alright." He beamed brightly at them, calming their nerves even more.
They talked amongst themselves for a bit, when several people behind them screamed. Looking up, they saw what had startled them. Ron, Hermione, and Neville gasped along with the people around them. Harry just smiled as he watched about twenty ghosts stream through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. One, who looked like a monk with a kind face, was saying, "Forgive and forget, I say, we 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 name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?" A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years. Harry stepped forward, calm smile still on his face. "Hello, we're new students, we were led here by Professor McGonagall to wait." The Friar smiled at him and the others. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old House, you know." "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start. Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. Harry waved goodbye to them all as they passed, some smiling and waving back at him.
So, what House do you all think Harry's gonna be in?
YOU ARE READING
Harry's Uncle
Fanfiction(M/N) Evans was an ordinary Muggle who adored his older sister, Lily, who happened to be a witch. When she died, it was decided that her young son, Harry, would be raised by his uncle. Only nineteen-years-old, (M/N) must now figure out how to care f...
