Faded Away ↠H. Potter Twin [Dean Thomas]

FOUR: Hogwarts Mystery

All that she had read about Hogwarts could not possibly prepare Mary for what she saw. It must be the most beautiful castle in existence. Brightly lit and grand in both size and architecture, it loomed over them like an ancient legend that promised a worthwhile adventure. Little did she know of the wonders and horrors that she would come to face over the next seven years and that the magic involved would not always be pure.

The self-rowing boats that the first-years were sailing to cross an inky black lake veered off towards a tunnel, cutting off the view of the castle. They passed through a curtain of trailing ivy at the mouth of the tunnel. Torches hanging on brackets high above the waterline of the tunnel walls lit in pairs on either side as they approached them. Amazed, Mary turned to see them go out in a similar fashion behind the fleet of boats, rendering that side of the tunnel once more in darkness.

"We're under the castle!" Hermione cried, unable to contain her excitement. "There's a boathouse at the end of this tunnel. I read it in -"

"Hogwarts: A History," Mary finished for her. "I remember reading that part." Pleased to find another which who had read the hefty tome, Hermione beamed at her.

The boats swayed gently to shore. Ropes automatically reached for pegs hammered into the docks and tied themselves into secure knots. As the students jumped off the boats, Hagrid, who had been leading the fleet, directed them up a set of rickety stairs that went up to the front of the castle. Saying goodbye to him, Mary followed the other students up to a set of oak, double doors where a tall, stern witch in emerald green robes and a matching pointy hat waited for them.

She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall - the Deputy Headmistress, Mary recalled from the letter - and directed them to a small antechamber off the Entrance Hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. You will be sorted into houses in a moment. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Your house will be your family during your stay at Hogwarts. Your triumphs will earn you points for your house, whereas any rule-breaking and you will lose points. The rules are posted on the announcements board of each house common room. I expect good behaviour from all of you. Please wait here. The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly." With that, she left the room.

As soon as the door swung shut, everyone began talking all at once in excitement. They were all nervous about the Sorting, especially because no one could agree on what the exact procedure was. It seemed that Hogwarts students and alumni, including Bathilda Bagshot the author of Hogwarts: A History, liked to keep the details about this tradition secret to add to the mystery. Mary hated suspense. A good mystery had clues that was sufficient to solve it scattered in plain sight. This was not a good mystery. It was an inside joke.

"So, it's true then," someone said loudly. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Everyone became very quiet for a minute before resuming their excited whispers. This time they were talking about Harry.

Mary stood on her tiptoes to see who had spoken. It was that blond boy they had met at Madam Malkin's, flanked by two large boys with meaty fists. That could not be good. She pushed past her soon-to-be classmates to find her brother and stand next to him. She didn't feel very brave in front of those two boys who looked just like the bullies in the village. In fact, her mind was urging her to blend back into the crowd to escape their line of vision.

"These are my mates Crabbe and Goyle, and I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The boy introduced himself with that same authoritative air as if he were the most important person in the whole world and they should all bow down to him.

Draco. Latin for dragon. Mary wondered if Malfoy's parents had been apt in naming him after such a proud creature or if his name simply became a self-fulfilling prophecy.