Kieran boarded the train and immediately started exploring.
He had time.
He wandered the various train compartments.
When he had walked past quite a few, he tried looking outside and based on the outside he almost got dizzy.
The train seemed to be compressed on the inside, he imagined that when someone opened a window, that compression would be released from the outside, allowing someone to wave as the train started travelling.
This is utterly fascinating; I need to learn whatever spells causes this!
I could buy a small apartment and live in a mansion!
Magic is wonderful!
He saw several older students occupying various train compartments, eventually he picked a random compartment, seeing a boy sitting inside it.
“Excuse me, do you mind if I join your compartment?” he asked the young boy sitting inside.
The boy with his curly brown hair and brown eyes looked up and shyly nodded.
Kieran nodded back and went to sit across from the shy boy.
“Pleasure to meet you, I am Kieran Gray. First year. How about you?” he asked as he leaned back in the seat near the window.
“…Wayne Hopkins, first year…” Wayne softly spoke.
Kieran quickly clocked that Wayne was not fond of speaking, so not to overburden the shy boy, Kieran closed his eyes and relaxed, something that Wayne seemed to appreciate based on the small sigh of relief.
They sat for a while in silence, when all of a sudden the compartment door opened.
A girl and a boy standing in the opening.
The girl with her dark brown hair in a braid and green eyes stepped inside, followed by the tall boy with short light brown hair and blue-green eyes.
“I hope it is okay we sit in here, the last five compartments were full,” said the girl, as she gestured vaguely between her and the boy.
Kieran got a short eye contact with Wayne, who nodded as if he wanted Kieran to decide.
“Of course, plenty of room for the two of you! This is Wayne Hopkins and I am Kieran Gray,” Kieran said with a gentle smile, watching the two join their compartment, the boy sitting next to Kieran and the girl sitting next to Wayne.
The boy glanced at everyone before nodding to himself.
“My name is David Warrington, this is my first year,” David said.
The girl spoke up next.
“David and I know each other since our families are friends, my name is Sarah Fawcett, it is nice to meet you Kieran and Wayne.”
Kieran smiled as he sat with his fellow first years, people that he had never met before, or heard of before even with his foreknowledge.
The name Warrington is ringing a bell though, but I cannot for the life of me remember why.
Maybe I can get the chance to bring it up to David later.
Sarah and David started chatting, with Kieran and Wayne just listening for now.
Eventually, when Wayne joined the talks, he brought up the topic of families.
“…my family are pure bloods, but it was a large fear for most of my family that I was a squib. I awakened my magic when I was ten years old, I have never seen my big brother so relieved!” David said with a happy smile.
Sarah admitted to being a half blood, her mom being the witch and her dad being a charming Irish muggle.
Wayne hesitantly admitted to being a pure blood but didn’t go into the greatest of details.
Finally, they reached Kieran.
“I am a muggle born; however, my aunt is a witch. With me, my family now consists of exactly one witch and one wizard, rest are muggles,” he said with a casual shrug.
Luckily it seemed neither of them looked down on muggle born.
Eventually Kieran felt the train starting to chug along.
He couldn’t help himself; he needed to test how the enlarged spacing handled the opening of the window.
He opened the window, spotting his family standing with the Grode family, and waved at them.
His mum spotted him and alerted the rest to his position, and they waved at each other as the train departed.
As the train started departing he saw the distinctive red hair of Molly Weasley, standing with Arthur Weasley and a young girl.
That means Harry Potter is now on this train.
During the train ride, Kieran spent a lot of time gazing outside the window, watching the Scottish Highlands pass him by.
All four of them shared some magical candy from the candy cart that passed them.
Eventually the night started turning darker.
They took turns changing into their black school robes, with three waiting outside.
As he looked down at his robes, he started feeling butterflies in his stomach, the nervousness hitting him full force after he had changed into the black Hogwarts robes.
Oh boy, pure black robes does not fit my aesthetic.
Pure black robes with long black hair and a silver monocle, I almost can’t wait for the robes to get some house colours.
Suddenly Kieran felt the train start to slow down, and they all prepared to get off the train.
The four of them queued up behind the other students as they slowly headed towards the entrance, eventually finding themselves on the dark platform in Hogsmeade.
He noticed that older students were heading one way, likely towards the carriages.
Meanwhile, he heard a loud voice.
“Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?”
Kieran startled, and looked toward the half giant, Rubeus Hagrid.
There were many first years, but he did eventually spot the young black-haired boy with glasses.
The Boy Who Lived.
In the flesh. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Next to him was a young boy with red hair and freckles, and a young girl with bushy brown hair.
He quickly averted his eyes to prevent himself from gawking.
I was not as prepared seeing them as I thought I was.
Hagrid spoke up again as a large crowd of first years that included Kieran surrounded him, Kieran estimated there were somewhere between eighty to a hundred.
“C’mon, follow me… any more firs’ years? Mind yer step, now! Firs’ years follow me!”
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path.
Hagrid’s lantern, the guiding light, Kieran walking next to Wayne and Sarah.
“Ye’ all get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called over his shoulder, “jus’ round this bend here.”
As they reached the Great Lake, Kieran opened his eyes wide seeing the magnificent castle perched atop a high mountain across the lake.
Its windows sparkling in the starry sky.
If he squinted he could see the many carriages with lanterns taking another road to Hogwarts, going around the lake in a faster speed.
What a tradition, allowing the first year to approach slowly to appreciate the splendour of the castle, before they ever step foot inside.
“No more’n four to a boat!” Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Kieran joined his boat, followed by Wayne, Sarah and David.
“Everyone in?” shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself.
“Right then. FORWARD!”
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.
Everyone was silent, which Kieran appreciated.
The silence allowed him to etch the sight into his mind.
His foreknowledge was nothing compared to the actual sight of the vast castle.
I can’t wait to explore it to my heart’s content.
They sailed for almost an hour, but Kieran didn’t care.
This is Hogwarts, I am almost at Hogwarts.
“Heads down!” yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads, and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.
Kieran looked at what seems to be a large boat house carved into the cliff face, and at the end of the boat house, a large flight of stairs.
The silence was broken by Hagrid.
“Oy, you there! Is this your toad?” said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
Kieran watched as the puddy faced boy, who he knew was Neville Longbottom went up to Hagrid.
“Trevor!” cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands, receiving the adventurous toad.
Kieran, alongside all other first years, followed Hagrid up the stairs, eventually reaching the top, what looked like a massive courtyard, with a massive set of oak doors awaiting them.
“Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?” Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The massive door swung open as if magic, which it likely was.
A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there, her hair covered mostly by a large witch hat.
She had a very stern face, which made Kieran smile, enjoying seeing the iconic character in person.
“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” said Hagrid.
“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here,” said Professor McGonagall.
The many first years followed her inside to the giant entrance hall, and further inside an empty chamber near, based on the voices he could hear, was the Great Hall.
“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 stern witch glanced across the sea of first year students.
“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.”
Nodding to herself that everyone is listening attentively, she continued, “The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.”
Kieran watched as many of the new students became nervous at the thought of losing points from their house.
Which was likely the point of the speech.
“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting,” Professor McGonagall said, as she glanced around.
Kieran saw her eyebrow raise a tiny bit when seeing his long hair and ponytail with his silver monocle.
I will take that as a compliment!
Suddenly a sea of transparent people floating through the wall, and Kieran gaped at the two dozen ghosts that streamed through, talking with each other.
One of the ghosts noticed the many first years.
“New students!” said what could only be Fat Friar, the Hufflepuff ghost smiling around at them.
“About to be Sorted, I suppose?” A few people nodded mutely.
“Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!” said the Fat Friar.
“My old house, you know.”
Professor McGonagall returned and told them to form two lines, which everyone shuffled into.
Kieran ended up literally in the back of one line, next to a very nervous looking girl.
He started doing his meditation as the two lines followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall.
When he saw the Great Hall, he could not withhold his gasp.
The ceiling reflected the starry sky outside, and like stars, thousands upon thousands of candles floated in midair over four long tables with hundreds of students filling the Great Hall. This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
Kieran looked past the several hundred students and looked toward the teachers, seeing that everyone looked exactly as he imagined them.
He saw the sorting hat placed on a stool near the teacher’s long table.
I wonder what house you will put me in…
They listened as the sorting hat sang, followed by the burst of applause from all four tables.
Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.
“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” she said.
“Abbott, Hannah!”
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down.
A moments pause… “HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat.
Student after student went up, some sitting for seconds, others for a full minute.
Kieran in the waiting time had been counting.
One hundred first years.
Good thing the hat doesn’t take a minute for each one.
He heard Sarah Fawcett from the train be sent to Ravenclaw, and finally a member of the Golden Trio reached their turn.
“Granger, Hermione!” announced Professor McGonagall.
Kieran saw the bushy haired girl speedwalk to the tool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.
The hat shouted Gryffindor as expected.
“Gray, Kieran!”
Kieran blinked and calmly walked up towards the sorting hat.
He heard some boys he passed giggle at his ponytail, but he ignored them.
Not everyone can appreciate a good sense of style.
He arrived at the hat, looked down at the worn relic that would decide his home for the next seven years and sat down while intending to put it on.
It barely touched his hair before it instantly shouted his house, “HUFFLEPUFF!”
He heard the massive applause from the Hufflepuff table and put the hat down, making his way to his house table, sitting down next to a girl that introduced herself as Susan Bones, he then smiled and greeted the older Hufflepuff students near him.
“Hopkins, Wayne!”
Kieran smiled as Wayne got sorted to Hufflepuff, he would have a peer he had already somewhat befriended.
He listened as the other students got sorted, including Draco Malfoy, who got an instant sorting to Slytherin, like he did for Hufflepuff.
Eventually, it happened.
“Potter, Harry.”
Many of the Hufflepuff students started whispering when the Boy Who Lived was announced, followed by the massive celebration from Gryffindor when Harry Potter joined their house.
“We got Potter! We got Potter!” yelled the Weasley twins, and Kieran watched as Harry, greatly relieved, walked to his new home.
Many more students got sorted, near the end he heard a name he recognized.
“Warrington, David!”
The sorting hat was actually on David’s head for four entire minutes, until it finally decided on Hufflepuff.
Ron Weasley went to Gryffindor as expected.
Finally, everyone had been sorted.
Kieran watched as Albus Dumbledore got to his feet.
He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.
“Welcome,” Dumbledore said.
“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!” The wise headmaster sat back down, and Kieran watched as food and drinks appeared in front of him.
Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
“So much food I haven’t tried before,” mumbled Kieran to himself, as he and his fellow students dug in.
After dinner and dessert, Dumbledore got to his feet again and the hall fell silent.
“Ahern, just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you,” he said as he glanced across the tables.
“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.” Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.
“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.”
Dumbledore stopped to take a breath, before continuing.
“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term by the various teams. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch who will give further information,” he said.
“And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.”
After the announcement, when Dumbledore told everyone to sing a song, Kieran fully embraced it, repeating the words from the older students.
He noticed that of all the houses, Hufflepuff sang the loudest, and he joined them, even Wayne joined in, just not as loud.
Step into the Restricted Section
You-know-where/Murtageyra
I wonder how many were surprised by the House placement.
He was very much acting like a Ravenclaw in his childhood due to how much he researched magic after all xD But in his core, he is a Hufflepuff ^^