Always - Welcome to the Wizarding World

Part 5

Once I got off the train, I ran quickly through the students to try and catch up with Cedric, but I got lost in the crowd. Now I had no idea where I was meant to go, he was supposed to be helping me. 

I looked around for someone, anyone I knew, but every single face that passed me was unfamiliar. Ahead of me, I saw a great giant of a man with a long, black beard, calling out "all new students follow me, please!" in a heavy West Country accent. I was a new student, but I wasn't a first year like the rest of them. I had no idea what to do, but I figured he might be my best hope of finding out. I pushed through the chattering students to reach him, but once I got there, I felt infinitely smaller. There was no way this man wasn't part giant.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm new but not a first year and I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do now or where I'm supposed to be" I told him. It took him a while to realize where I was and the fact that I was talking to him. I had never felt smaller. 

"Oh, sorry about that, I couldn't see you down there!" he bellowed back.

"What a surprise" I murmured under my breath, grinning to myself.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing, sir" I replied quickly. He looked at me suspiciously, then checked the register for a new fourth year.

"Oh, here we are! Radia Snape, fourth year?" I nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. You're the only new girl not in the first year. Well, Miss Snape, you're to come with me and the others and then Professor Snape told me I have to bring you straight to him" he explained to me.

"Thank you, sir" I said. The giant smiled down at me cheerfully.

"Please, call me Hagrid" he requested. 

Once Hagrid had managed to herd all the first years together, we set off into the boats. By the time we got to the docks, it was pitch black so we to light the lamp attached to the stern. I was sat in a boat with four other first years. Three of them, timid and shy, just stared at me, looking rather apprehensive. The other, a friendly and confident girl, stuck her hand out in my face for me to shake.

"Penelope Snodgrass. And you are?" she questioned.

"Erm, Radia Snape" I replied, shaking her hand.

"Well, Radia, I can tell you're not a first year like us. Why are you not with the other older ones?" she asked me. I was going to get sick of people asking me this, I could tell.

"I'm, er, I'm new. I couldn't come here when I was your age, even though I was invited, because I had family problems but,  Hogwarts agreed to re-accept me this year because they knew I was being educated in magic outside of school" I explained.

"Wow" Penelope whispered breathlessly. 

"What?" She pointed behind me. I turned around to see the most astonishing building I had ever set eyes on. Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Towering turrets all lit up, standing out in the darkness like stars; the height and sturdiness of the multiple buildings  made me feel protected and safe. The entire building was set upon a rock side, grey and shining in the water. The moon shone upon the castle in a haunting but sublime way and it was truly magical. I felt like I belonged here more than anywhere else. I, finally, felt at home.

Once the boats docked, I said goodbye to Penelope, looking around at the enchanting scenery that surrounded me. I followed Hagrid through the grand front door and through the magnificent castle to find my uncle Severus. The inside of the castle was equally as astounding, the halls lit up with flaming golden torches, stone gargoyles and statues lined the walls and watched me as I walked. We reached some ascending staircases and Hagrid directed for me to take the lead onto one in front of us. I stepped onto the first step and began to walk, only to feel the staircase move beneath me. I fell into the hard stone banister and looked back at Hagrid, who had stopped on the second step. 

"Ooh, sorry Radia, should've warned you. The staircases change around sometime" he said. I stood up and brushed myself off, gripping tightly onto the banister as the staircase swung around slowly.

"No kidding". As the staircase swung around to reach the opening of the hallway, I looked around at the walls, every inch of them covered in beautiful, unique paintings and I could've sworn that I saw every one of them...moving.

"Hagrid, do the paintings move?" I asked him. He nodded, waving at a few of the men in one of the pictures nearest us, all of them donned in royal clothing and were stood in front of a jousting field.

"Indeed they do, Radia. And talk! Makes them a right pain in the backside sometimes!" Hagrid informed me. I felt the staircase come to a halt and I saw it had stopped on a hallway much darker than the rest of the ones I had seen. We walked along the hallway, Hagrid stomping comfortably behind me; he could not sense my nervousness. I was about to meet my uncle for the very first time, my uncle who deserted me and hardly made contact with me when my father died. My uncle whom both Harry and Draco have said bad things about. What if he wanted me gone or wanted nothing to do with me? I shook my head at myself. No, that evidently wasn't the case because he wanted me to come straight to him! What if he wanted me to come and live with him? I couldn't leave Amos after he'd looked after me for so long and I didn't want to leave Cedric, not since I cared about him so much.

"Awright, this is it" Hagrid said, stopping me in front of a black, wooden door, bending down to knock. It swung open almost immediately to reveal my uncle Severus, a sincere man with a pale, ghostly face and a somber expression. He was quite a tall man in a long black cloak, similar to that of Lucius Malfoy's, but his hair was shoulder length and black and he had sunken brown eyes. I felt as though I shouldn't smile because he wouldn't smile back. Apart from that, he struck me terribly because he reminded me so much of my father.

"Miss Snape, is it?" he said in a low, monotonous voice.

"Yes, Professor" I replied, feeling like I should not call him 'uncle' quite just yet.

"You may go, Hagrid" he ordered. Hagrid nodded at us and chuckled awkwardly.

"Right-ho. Thank you, Professor Snape. Miss Snape" he said and quickly, he left. I did not know much about my uncle, but I was sure about this: Severus was feared, not only by the students, but his fellow staff members as well. It was worrying that I could tell this from having said a mere two words to the man. Now, looking up at him, I began to fear him too.