The Untold Prophecy: Book 1 - Harry Potter Fanfic

Chapter 10

Rosemary and Daniel clung to each other as they walked out of the train and on to a tiny, dark platform. They shivered in the cold air, and moved closer to each other.

Suddenly a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and a voice could be heard: "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there, Harry?"

A big hairy face beamed over them. Harry knew this man?

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

And they followed him down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path, slipping and stumbling along the way. It was so dark, that they could barely see anything. Nobody spoke... It was terrifyingly quiet.

Rosemary gripped Daniel's hand tighter in her own. She didn't want to lose him to the darkness.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," The hairy man called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

Rosemary and Daniel gaped at the sight. The path had opened to a black lake. There were fleets of little boats at the edge of the lake. On a high mountain on the other side of the lake, was a massive castle with many towers. That was Hogwarts.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The hairy man called, and pointed to the small boats. Harry, Ron, Daniel and Rosemary shared a boat.

Rosemary saw Hermione and Neville getting into another boat, and waved at them. Hermione grinned and waved excitingly back, and Neville did the same, shyly.

"Everyone in?" shouted the man, who had a boat to himself, "Right then – FORWARD!"

The boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake. The great Castle towered over them, as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff, where it stood.

"Heads down!" The man yelled, as the boats reached the cliff.

They all bent their heads down. The boats sailed through a curtain of ivy, through a wide dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground dock, where they clambered out of the small boats and onto the dock.

"Oy, you there! Is this yer toad?" Said the hairy man.

"Trevor!" Neville cried blissfully, holding out his hands for his toad.

They walked through a passageway and walked up a flight of steps and crowded around a huge, oak door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Neville nodded his head nervously. The man raised his gigantic fist, and knocked on the castle door, three times.

Not a second later, the door had swung open. Standing in the entrance was a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes, with a stern expression.

Daniel and Rosemary shared a look. This woman was not someone to cross.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said the hairy man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. Inside was the entrance hall. It was ginormous. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a brilliant marble staircase facing them led to the floors above them.

They followed Professor McGonagall, into a small empty chamber. They crowded in and were standing really close to each other, peering about nervously.

"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.