Chapter 1
The Sorting
He was so nervous, crossing the Hogwarts Lake towards the massive castle in front of him besides forty other students or so, led by a giant man who he heard was called Hagrid. Thunder was cracking up in the sky and he was soaking wet, pouring rain filling the little boats they were traveling in. A boy beside him fell of the little vessel but was instantly heaved back on by a huge something that came up from the lake.
They reached a sort of underground harbor, where they stumbled out onto rocks and pebbles. The giant called Hagrid led them up a passageway in the rock, coming out at last in front of the castle. They climbed some steps and stopped in front of the huge, oak front door that led into the school.
The door immediately opened to reveal a tall, black haired witch wearing velvet robes.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she said in a firm voice.
Hagrid accompanied them through the flagged stone floor up to a doorway in the right, where he turned and entered. Them students were led by the tall witch into a small chamber in the hall, that had nothing in it but a few burning candles and one or two portraits of what seemed to be petite wizards.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said in a more warm voice than before. "My name is Professor McGonagall and I'll be your transfiguration teacher while you are at Hogwarts." She stared around for a moment and continued.
"The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but only after you have all been sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here you will go to classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."
There was a murmur of interest and worry among the first-year students before Professor McGonagall proceeded.
"I will be back in a moment to escort you to the great hall; In the meantime you will stay here."
The moment she left the murmuring started again, only stopping when she came back.
"Let's go."
The doors to the great hall opened as the group of students approached it and they were instantly bathed in light and warmth which was really welcomed since they all were shivering from a combination of cold and nerves.
Professor McGonagall led them to the front of the hall where she placed a rickety four-legged stool on the floor. On top of the stool she placed a very battered wizard's hat. She stepped away from it and the whole hall waited silently. Suddenly a kind of mouth opened in the rim of the hat and it started to sing:
A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown.
Whose names are still well known:
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts School began.
Now each of these founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When they were dead and gone?
It was Gryffindor, who found the way,
He whipped me of his head
The founders put some brains in me
So I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your years,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have a look inside your mind
And tell where you belong!
The entire great hall broke into applause when the hat had finished. Professor McGonagall unrolled a large scroll of parchment and told the first years that she would call their names, and that they were to come forward and put it on.
"Broot Lucas," she called.
He hadn't been expecting this; he didn't think he would be the first name on the roll. Nonetheless he stepped out of the group and started walking towards the wobbly stool, his eyes seemed to be failing him probably because of his anxiety but everything looked blurry and sort of shiny. He reached the stool, lifted the hat and positioned it in his head as he sat down. The hat fell past his eyes so the crowd of people looking at him was cut of view.
"Good evening," a voice that seemed to be coming from inside his head whispered, "so... where to put you? Where do you belong? I can see you are smart, you are cunning, worthy of power and also you seem to be loyal. I have never seen such a mind as yours you are indeed distinctive." The hat seemed shocked and worried; he stopped talking for a moment and then said, "I think you'd do well in any of the houses, especially Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor. But I think you'll do best in SLYTHERIN!" He finished telling the rest of the hall. There was a round of applause when he was made a Slytherin, an especially enthusiastic one from the students in the Slytherin table where he sat down next to a pale, blond boy who instantly turned to him.
"Welcome to Slytherin Broot, you seem like the kind of guy I like!" He said with a superior tone. Lucas wasn't sure if he liked this boy very much but he instantly realized that this was someone that would be useful to have as an ally.
"Thanks," Lucas said to him with a smile.
"I'm Draco Malfoy by the way," he said.
Lucas continued to talk with Malfoy while the other first years were sorted into their houses. Joining him as first-year Slytherins were a boy called Malcolm who seemed bigger than the rest of the first years with a big chin that made him look even bigger than he was, Graham Pritchard, a boy Lucas had sat with in their journey here, some girls Lucas hadn't heard their names and another boy he hadn't seen before.
After the first years were seated on their respective tables, professor McGonagall took the stool and the hat away. After that the person who seemed to be the headmaster of the school stood up, he was a tall man with a gleaming silver beard that he had tucked into his belt. Lucas had heard of him, heard that his name was Albus Dumbledore, but he hadn't heard that he seemed so powerful, even though he looked so old.
"I have only two words to say to you, tuck in."
Lucas got a real shock when suddenly food had appeared from no where right in front of him. Immediately the whole school began eating, and so did he.
"So how's the school like," Lucas asked Malfoy.
"Well, I think it's quite boring with Dumbledore headmaster, that old muggle fool loves muggles, maybe he loves them more than perfect Harry Pothead," he finished crossly.
"Harry Potter? The boy who lived? " Lucas asked interestedly.
"He's no hero; it was you know who's fault that he was defeated, not his," he said.
"But he was the only one that survived him, he must have something special."
"In a few days you'll realize how normal and unworthy of attention he is," Malfoy alleged.
Lucas had heard enough to know that Potter and Malfoy were practically enemies. He had always been able to do that, read someone's feelings even if he had just met them. It was a gift he thought, and it had come in handy sometimes to persuade and manipulate people.
"So, you seem to dislike Potter," Lucas said.
"Dislike him? I hate him." He snapped at him, "and I'm sure that when you meet him, you will hate him too," he continued. "You know what; I'd like you to join me and my friends in our dormitory tomorrow afternoon."
"What for?" Lucas asked.
"I don't know I have feeling about you" he added in a mysterious voice.
"What do you…?" But Lucas couldn't finish talking because the headmaster had risen, at which the entire hall went quiet.
"So!" he said, smiling at his students. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices.
He continued talking about some unimportant news and he didn't seem to attract any of the Slytherin's attention until he said that there would be no Quidditch this year ("What?"), all students that knew what Quidditch was looked like they had been smacked in the head with book. But that was nothing compared to what came next.
"It is my great pleasure to inform you that that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
Some Gryffindor said something out loud and most of the school laughed.
Dumbledore continued talking about the tournament, but Lucas, like many of the first years had never heard of it before, so he wasn't quite as thrilled as everyone else seemed to be.
"And now, it is late, and I know how important it is t you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop, chop!" Dumbledore said with a smile.
Lucas rose from his chair with everyone else and began to walk towards a Slytherin prefect that was calling the first years, when a hand gripped his shoulder.
"Come with us, we know some shortcuts," Malfoy whispered in his year.
Lucas followed Malfoy and his friends past the marching first years and walked strait into a wall, which Lucas soon realized wasn't a wall, but an illusion.
"This is the quicker way to the Slytherin common room Malfoy told Lucas as they emerged in a passage way that seemed to be in the schools dungeons.
The secret entrance to it is right…here," he said as they reached a stretch of bare, damp wall.
"Muerte," he said, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open to reveal a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on silver chains.
The remaining Slytherin students arrived, and together with the other first-year boys and the Slytherin prefect, he entered a dormitory shaped like a hexagon, which had four beds with deep green curtains.
"This will be your room while you're here; your belongings have been brought down by the school's slaves." Said the prefect as he closed the door behind him.