I See You Standing There (a Harry Potter fan-fiction)

Chapter Six - The Sorting - Part One

★Raven's POV★

As everyone rushed off the train, we stayed seated to avoid getting crushed. When a few people left, Lucifer lost his patience and left without us, while Damon rushed after him. Not wanting to leave Lilith alone, we had planned to join her with the first years to Hogwarts. Making my way on to the tiny, dark platform, I shivered in the night air. I heard a familiar voice as I told Lilith I would stay with her: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Ah, yer mus' be Lilith." I smiled as Lilith nodded in response.

"C'mon, follow me – any more fir' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

With stumbling and slipping first years surrounding me, me and Lilith followed Hagrid the same steep, narrow path I had to walk down last year. People were mumbling around me, but most people hadn't made friends yet and were silent; even if they did, I knew that if they were in different houses that chance of true friendship would fade, it just didn't happen.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid said eventually, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a sound rush of noise as the narrow path had suddenly opened onto the edge of a great black lake. Perches on top a high mountain on the other side, with windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many towers and turrets. "No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of wooden boats sitting in the water at the shore. I climbed into one of the few empty boats left and Lilith joined me. Each of us stared at Hogwarts, I wondered what Lilith was thinking, was she worrying like I was? The boat suddenly shifted and I turned my head expecting random first years attempting to get on the boat. Instead it was Lucifer, with Damon waiting to get on.

"Where were you both?" I asked before they could even get seated in the boat.

Damon looked at Lucifer, then looked at me, "We were just sorting something out?"

I scrunched my face, "What would that something be then?"

Lucifer smirked, "Nothing for you to worry about, not yet anyway."

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, just like last year. "Right then – FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats set of all at one, gliding across the lake, which was so peaceful it was like we were gliding through the air. I couldn't hear any first years, they were stunned by their surroundings just like I was last year, like how I am right now. The wonders of Hogwarts never fade, you will be just as amazed on your first visit to the castle, as your last. The great castle overhead towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to cliff on which it stood. "Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff; everyone had to lean down as the little boars carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. We were taken along a dark tunnel, which I believed was taking us underneath the castle, until we reached an underground harbour, well what looked to be one. Once the boats finally stopped, students clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. I got off first and grabbed Lilith's hand when she got out. Lucifer and Damon quickly followed and we stood in a group waiting for people to follow Hagrid and get out the way. Finally we were able to move and we slowly followed Hagrid's lamp up a passageway in the rock. I sigh as we finally reach the smooth, damp grass that grew in the shadow of the castle. Damon and Lucifer ran off ahead, leaving me and Lilith stuck at the very back. Me and Lilith didn't talk, as we walked up a long flight of stone steps. As we crowded around the huge, oak front door, I looked at her. With wide eyes and a neutral expression overall, I couldn't tell if she was amazed, shocked or scared. "Everyone here?" Hagrid said and then, after no response, raised a gigantic fist and knocked three tomes on the castle door. The door swung open at once. A tall with in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a stern face and I instantly regretted staying with Lilith.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from this point." She pulled the door open wide.

The entrance hall was so big you could have fit my entire house in it. The stone walls were lit with torches, with flames that seemed to dance in the air, just like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was far too high to see, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them, led the way to the upper floors of the castle. We followed Professor McGonagall across the stone floor. I could clearly hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school was already in the Great Hall, where I should be right now. Professor McGonagall took them to a small, empty chamber off the hall. I was panicking as I approached the door. If I went in, I could get in trouble for following the first years, but if I go into through the hall, I would be walking in alone. Lost in my thoughts, I was shocked when McGonagall had left the chamber and was looking right at us.

★ - Sorry for such a short chapter, I wanted to get something up and I have lots of work to do. For future references would you rather have shorter chapters (around a 1,000 words) with more frequent uploads, or longer chapters (2,000 words+) but less frequent uploads?