“First-years!
First-years, over here!
All right there, Harry?”
The moment they stepped onto the Hogwarts platform, they heard the half-giant’s booming voice.
The name “Harry” immediately caused another stir across the platform.
“Harry?
Could that be Harry Potter?”
“He already knows Hagrid?”
“Wow!
Can you see him?”
“I heard he got into a fight with Miss Malfoy?”
“Malfoy?
As in that Malfoy family?”
“You only just found out?
I heard a lot of daughters from the Sacred Twenty-Eight are starting this year.”
“Ugh, sounds like an annoying year already…”
The platform was packed and noisy, forcing Hagrid to keep shouting as he tried to maintain order.
“So it’s true!
Hogwarts really does have a giant guarding the gates!” Pansy exclaimed as she stepped off the train, excitedly grabbing Draca.
Daphne merely frowned quietly beside her, looking somewhat timidly at the enormous figure.
“He’s the gamekeeper.
The castle gates are protected by magic,” Draca explained.
She lightly took Daphne’s hand before continuing, “His name is Hagrid.”
At that, Pansy and Daphne both looked surprised.
“You know him?” Daphne asked hesitantly.
Draca paused slightly.
She remembered meeting Harry at Madam Malkin’s, and then remembered how badly both of their encounters had ended.
“No.
Father only warned me to be careful around him because he’s crude.”
Then, still irritated, she added,
“Only someone vulgar and ill-mannered would want to get to know a person like that.”
Daphne nodded.
Pansy, however, rolled her bright eyes toward Draca, clearly wanting to say something but holding it back.
The students had already begun following Hagrid out of the station and down the slope.
“You’ll see Hogwarts as soon as we get around this bend!” Hagrid called loudly.
Excited chatter immediately rose among the first-years.
Pansy, Daphne, and Draca exchanged glances, unable to stop smiles from appearing on their faces.
What came into view was a black lake reflecting the starry night like polished glass.
Gentle ripples crossed the water, while the soft sound of the lake mingled with the evening breeze and the quiet thudding of wooden boats against one another.
Scattered torchlight flickered among the boats beneath the stars.
And farther across the lake, standing atop a towering cliff, was an enormous castle crowded with watchtowers.
Warm candlelight glowed from its stone windows, as though welcoming the students home.
“No more than four to a boat!”
Hagrid called out another reminder.
Draca, Daphne, and Pansy stepped lightly into one of the small boats.
Draca tilted her head slightly and looked toward another boat nearby.
Harry was looking directly at her through his round glasses.
She noticed that the Weasley boy was still beside him.
Even so, she still noticed that the other two sharing Harry’s boat were a girl with curly brown hair and a dull-looking round-faced boy.
After crossing the lake and stepping ashore, the returning students and the first-years took different routes.
The older students filed into carriages, showing little surprise at the fact that nothing visible seemed to be pulling them.
Quite a few first-years, however, immediately began whispering about the strange carriages.
Only when Hagrid called out again did they continue onward under his guidance, crossing the grass filled with the lingering scent of late summer.
Before they could even climb the stone steps, the great doors of the hall creaked open.
A tall witch in emerald-green robes stepped out to meet them, her face stern as she looked over the new students.
“These are the first-years, Professor McGonagall.”
“Thank you, Hagrid.
I’ll take them from here.”
Professor McGonagall turned without another word and led the students into the entrance hall.
The moment the doors opened fully, a vast hall of pale cream-colored stone appeared before them.
High above, brass chandeliers blazed with candlelight.
There were no chains holding them in place.
They simply floated beneath a ceiling that disappeared into darkness.
At the center of the hall stood a broad and ancient stone staircase.
Along the banister, which rose higher than Professor McGonagall’s shoulder, strange stone beasts stood every seven steps.
Each held a glowing magical orb in its mouth.
Whenever someone passed, the light shifted slowly between four combinations of color: gold and red, bronze and blue, black and yellow, and silver and green.
The sheer scale and brilliance of the entrance hall left many of the first-years frozen in place the instant they stepped through the doors.
Daphne hesitated and slowed down, exchanging a glance with Draca and Pansy.
None of the three quite understood why the other students had suddenly stopped moving.
Draca looked around.
Only when she noticed Harry’s astonished expression did she realize that the other first-years had apparently stopped because they were overwhelmed by the castle.
A trace of satisfaction immediately rose in the young heiress’s heart.
The famous Harry Potter had clearly seen no grander sights than she had.
(Scared already, Potter?)
She silently formed the words with her lips, hiding the thought behind a faint smile, then stepped forward with graceful confidence.
Daphne and Pansy followed quietly.
Another girl with twin ponytails moved forward with them.
“Hey!
I’m coming too!”
“Han…
Hannah!”
A nervous girl’s voice came from within the crowd.
Hannah answered cheerfully.
“It’s fine!
I’m from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight too!”
At that, the three girls already halfway up the staircase turned around together.
Hannah had just stepped onto the stairs, wearing an open, cheerful smile.
“Malfoy, Greengrass, Parkinson.
You’re all pretty famous!”
“Nice to meet you.
I’m Abbott.
Hannah Abbott.”
“Nice to meet you.
Draca Malfoy.”
She lightly lifted the sides of her robe with both hands and dipped into a small curtsy.
Hannah smiled and returned the greeting before joining Draca, Pansy, and Daphne as they followed Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall turned around and looked at the rest of the new students, who had fallen noticeably behind the four girls.
She shook her head.
“First-years, keep up.”
Her strict tone made the students gathered at the bottom of the staircase visibly tense, and they hurried forward in nervous strides.
Once everyone had settled into place, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.
With a tap of her wand against the ring bearing the Hogwarts crest on her finger, the ring transformed into a roll of parchment.
Naturally, another chorus of “Wow!” rose from the first-years.
“Welcome to Hogwarts.”
“The start-of-term feast will begin shortly.
As you can see, the older students are already seated inside.”
“Before you enter the Great Hall and take your seats, you must first be Sorted into your respective Houses.”
At Professor McGonagall’s words, Draca’s bright eyes immediately lit up.
Unable to contain her excitement, she rose slightly onto her toes.
“Yes, Miss Malfoy.
The Sorting Ceremony is indeed something worth looking forward to.”
“But it is also a very important ceremony, so I expect all of you to pay close attention to what I’m about to explain.”
Professor McGonagall continued speaking, her gaze falling on the four girls at the front.
Being singled out in front of everyone made Draca’s pale face flush slightly with embarrassment.
“While you are at Hogwarts, your House will be like your home here.
You will attend classes with the other students in your House and eat with them.”
“You will sleep in your House dormitories and spend your free time in your common rooms.”
Professor McGonagall seemed not to notice Draca’s expression at all.
She turned toward the rest of the first-years and announced clearly,
“The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.”
“Each House has its own distinguished history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards.”
“During your time here, every excellent performance will earn points for your House.”
“Likewise, every violation of the rules will cost your House points.”
“At the end of the school year, the House with the highest number of points will receive the honor of the House Cup.”
“I hope that no matter which House you are Sorted into, every one of you will want to bring honor to it.”
Professor McGonagall finished, swept her gaze across the new students, paused briefly, then continued.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the entire school.”
“I suggest that you use the remaining time to make yourselves as presentable as possible.”
“Those of you who don’t know how to fasten your cloaks, tie your bow ties, or secure the cords of your hoods—”
As Professor McGonagall spoke, she looked toward the round-faced boy who had shared a boat with Harry.
“You have four properly groomed examples standing right in front of you.
Observe them carefully.”
“You’ll find that learning from your classmates is one of the keys to doing well at Hogwarts.”
At her words, the gazes of the first-years all gathered on Draca, Pansy, Daphne, and Hannah.
Draca was pleased to notice that Harry was no exception.
He looked at her, then checked his own appearance against hers.
He even made a futile attempt to smooth down the slightly messy black hair on his head.
“Now then, remain calm here while we prepare to receive you.”
After saying this, Professor McGonagall glanced at the parchment in her hand and walked through the doors into the Great Hall.
It really helps the fic grow!