[Discontinued] When Shadows Collide, The Game Begins

Chapter Fourteen

When the train pulled into Hogsmead station, the sun had set and the night was beginning to cool down. Students were rushing onto the platform, glad to be out of the confinements of the train. Harry and Hermione were so wrapped up in their discussions they didn't even notice until Draco clapped loudly to get their attention.

"Do you want to go back to London already?" he said, opening the train door. Harry and Hermione smiled, then Harry shoved his book back into his trunk and quickly pulled a robe on, hoping no-one would notice it wasn't the full uniform. Then he closed the trunk and locked it with a spell before jumping out of the train to join his friends.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years! Over here!" Rubeus Hagrid yelled. The massive man towered over everyone on the platform, a sort of beacon for those that had never set foot in this station before. 

Harry, Hermione, and Draco joined the first years crowding around Hagrid. There were around forty of them. Some looked at everything with wide eyes and slack jaws, some looked downright bored. Draco was among the latter. 

"Can anything impress you?" said Harry through a laugh. Draco smirked and shook his head.

"I've seen it all, dear Harry. All aside from an intelligent Griffindor," he replied, sending a dirty look towards the loud students in red behind them. They were shoving each other and yelling as they made their way towards awaiting carriages drawn by black, skeletal horses with wings. 

"What're those things pulling the carriages?" he asked Draco.

"There's nothing pulling the carriages, Harry. They're magic," the blond replied, looking down on Harry slightly. 

"I can see them too." Harry turned and saw Neville clutching his toad. "Not everyone can. They're pretty scary though." 

"More interesting than anything else," replied Harry as the horse-like things began to pull the carriages away. Harry watched them until they turned a corner and dropped out of sight. In all the books he had read, there had been no mention of any creatures matching that description. Harry made a note to ask one of the teachers when he got the chance.

The group of first years began to move away from the station, led by Hagrid. They walked through a dense patch of trees, a few people slipping on the gravel path.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," said Hagrid. The narrow path opened up onto the bank of a massive black lake. There were many sounds of awe from the front of the group. Harry cursed his small build and stood up on his tip-toes to look over the heads of his peers. 

"Woah," he said as he saw Hogwarts for the first time. A massive castle stood atop a high mountain, an assortment of towers and bridges with hundreds of sparkling windows emitting a soft, yellow light. Below the students was a small group of boats.

"No more'n four to a boat!" yelled Hagrid. Draco, Harry, and Hermione climbed into one, Neville following right behind, still clutching tightly to his toad.

"Everyone in?" asked Hagrid, who was sitting in his own boat at the head of the fleet. When there were a few weak replies, Hagrid nodded and adjusted his seating. "Right then - FORWARD!" 

All at once, the boats began gliding along the smooth surface of the lake, sending slight ripples out towards the distant banks. Harry peered over the edge of the boat and saw flashes of red and a few tentacles. Immediately, Harry knew there was a giant squid living in this lake, which wasn't technically possible since they needed salt-water and high pressure to survive, but both the lake and squid were probably magical, so Harry didn't spend too much time thinking about it. Though he would love to see the squid up close.