The Choice Is Yours // a.lightwood

[05]

Daniel looked out the window at the now setting sun and smiled, through his nerves. He always loved sunsets, especially in the institutes greenhouse. It was one of his favorite things to do with his mother, they would grab blankets and lay them out in their backyard. Still trying to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth, he followed behind Keith to get off the train. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Daniel felt a chill run down his back as the cold night air hit him.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" The man said, with a smile on his face.

Keith must of been really excited to get to the castle, seeing as he grabbed Daniel's hand and dragged him towards a large man. His eyes went wide as he looked up at the man, who towered over everyone. The man made him feel a little uneasy, he looked like he was part giant. He had heard stories about giants, but had never seen one up close. He felt as if, his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest and onto the slightly wet platform.

"C'mon, follow me...any more firs' years? Mind your step, now! Firs' years follow me."

They followed behind Hagrid down a steep narrow path. It was starting to get really dark and Daniel couldn't see where he was going. The ground was slippery and muddy, causing the students to slip and slide most of the way down.

Keith pulled on Daniel's sleeve, "Are you excited?"

Daniel began to hiccup as Hagrid announced that they would be seeing Hogwarts soon. He covered his mouth with his sleeve, trying to contain them but it only made it worse. Keith looked at his friend with a concerned expression on his face. The narrow path had opened on to the edge of a great black lake. A vast castle with many turrets and towers was perched atop a high mountain on the other side, it's windows sparkling in the starry night. They stopped to look at it in awe, admiring the beauty of the castle.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to the fleets of boats at the edge of the lake.

Daniel and Keith climbed into on of the boats and waited for two other people to join them.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked.

Daniel nodded, still covering his mouth as he continued to hiccup. The felt a shift in the boat and the quickly turned around. There boat was now filled with a boy with dark brown hair and a dark skinned girl with long black hair.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted, as he sat in a boat all to himself. "Right then...FORWARD!" He said, yelling the last part.

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which looked as smooth as glass.

"Hi, I'm Angelina Johnson and this is Cedric Diggory." The girl introduced.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Keith Dupree and this is..." Keith paused, seeing if he wanted to introduce himself. Daniel turned away from the group, looking down at the lake. "Daniel."

Daniel looked over his shoulder and smiled before turning towards the water once more. He reached his hand down in the water, feeling the crisp coolness on his fingertips. He had never been this close to water before, the closest he was to a lake was driving over the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the small boats reached a cliff.

They all bent there heads and the boats carried then through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. Daniel quickly sat up and grabbed Kieth's arm as the moves through a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle. Every since Daniel was little, he had always be afraid of the dark. He remembers the dark shadows that appeared outside his window, scratching the glass. He would wake up crying and run to sleep in his mother's room.