Sora grew bored with the constant flight of the Gummi ship. He held up a ball of rice in his hand and took a small bite out of it, only to set it down and sigh. "We keep looking for Riku and the King, but we never make any real progress," he thought out loud. "If we're always being sent on these wild goose chases, we should at least prepare ourselves so these detours become less redundant." Donald, who had been half-awake at the controls, snapped into action at this statement. "That's a great idea, Sora!" he exclaimed, and immediately turned the ship 135 degrees clockwise, heading for a new destination. Goofy, who had been napping in a tiny hammock that was put on the ship as an idea from Aerith, fell face-first onto the floor due to the sudden shift in direction. Rubbing his head in pain, he got up and asked, "So uh, where do you think we should go now, Donald?" "We're going to Hogwarts!" Donald told him. "Oh, you mean that fancy school where the King himself was taught at?" "That's the one!"
Sora jumped in on the conversation. "What's this Hogwarts place that you guys are talking about?" Donald explained it to him. "There's a school that teaches magic, called Hogwarts, which is where the King learned most of what he knows. The rest he learned from Master Yen Sid," acknowledging the King's mentor that they had met only recently. "Sounds like a cool place," Sora said. He was suddenly brimming with excitement. "I can't wait to learn some of the cool moves that the King knows!" He whipped out his Keyblade and started making motions as if he were fighting an imaginary opponent. "Save the training for when we get to Hogwarts!" Donald yelled at him.
It only seemed like moments later when the trio found themselves on the Hogwarts grounds. Sora looked around, but all he saw was an empty field. "It's weird, I can't see anything," he said to Donald. "Turn around," Donald said, "There's Hogwarts." "But I alrea… whoa!" Sora turned around and felt overwhelmed by the massive castle. "Wait," he asked, "why wasn't I able to see the castle before?" "Only people who are rusty enough to keep the secret know where the castle is," Goofy said. Donald corrected him. "It's 'trusty,' not 'rusty!'" "Oh, right, I meant trusty!" "Why does it need to be kept a secret, though?" Sora asked. "This is where King Mickey himself was taught, right? It can't be all that bad." Donald suddenly became very serious with his next statement. "Not all wizards are good," he said. He let this statement sink in for Sora, and turned back into his somewhat-cheery, somewhat-angry self. "Now, let's go!" he said, pointing his staff into the air.
The doors into the castle opened slowly, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy slowly crept in, hoping not to stand out. "Whoa, this is a huge castle!" Sora exclaimed, drawing the attention of numerous students gathered in the entrance, either gossiping or on their way to class. A stiff, cold figure walked up to them. He had a long, protruding nose and medium length, dark hair. "Excuse me, are you new here?" he asked. "Uh…" Sora stammered. He didn't know what to say. "I guess you could say that." "Professor Snape!" Donald said to the man. "You remember us, right?" "No, actually," he said, brushing Donald off. He instead directed his attention to Sora. "So, what are you? Are you an exchange student, or just a slacker?" Sora didn't like being put on the spot by this man. He felt intimidated. His face showed no emotion. "I… I think I'm an exchange student," he said. "Well, in any case," Snape began, "if you're new here you should check into the headmasters' office," and lead Sora up a long, marble staircase, with Donald and Goofy following.
Soon, Sora, Snape, Donald, and Goofy found themselves at a white, stone door, guarded by two fierce looking gargoyles. "Excuse me," Snape said, pushing himself to the front of the group. "Wizard Whiffles," he said. "Hey, Professor Snape?" Sora asked, as the gargoyles moved aside and the door opened. "What are 'wizard whiffles?'" "It's a popular treat among British wizards," Snape explained, and motioned Sora to go through the office. After walking through a small hallway, Sora saw an old wizard with a long, grey beard sitting calmly at a desk. "Ah, so you must be the 'exchange student' I've been told about," the wizard said. "My name is Professor Dumbledore. May I receive the pleasure of your's?" "My name is… Sora," Sora introduced himself to Dumbledore. "The first order of business is to have you sorted," Dumbledore said. "You see, there are four houses at Hogwarts – Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, named for the founders of our school. These houses compete in various ways, either by being rewarded points for succeeding in classes, or a popular wizard sport, Quidditch. In addition, our dormitories are separated by houses, and your fellow students will become your family."
Dumbledore rose from his seat and grabbed a faded wizard hat from a shelf. "This is the sorting hat," he told Sora. "This will determine which house you will stay in." He placed the hat on top of Sora's head, and the hat began to whisper into Sora's ear, to his surprise. "Hmm… You have a good heart. You're loyal to your friends. Most importantly, you're very brave. The decision is obvious," the hat said. "Gryffindor!" it roared. "Ah, Gryffindor," Dumbledore said. "My own house when I was a student. The head of Gryffindor is Professor McGonagall, our Transfiguration professor. You may want to speak with her. The Gryffindor house is located on the seventh floor. Hurry along," Dumbledore waved, dismissing the group.
"That guy seemed kind of… out there," Sora said. "Sora!" Donald said, "He's one of the greatest wizards in the world!" "Yeah, remember when we told you the King came here for training?" Goofy said. "Well, that was his mentor before Yen Sid." "So, that was the King's mentor…" Sora said. "Well, I want to see what a Hogwarts house is like. We should go to the seventh floor right away!" "Not so fast," issued a sneering voice. It was Professor Snape, who had been waiting for them outside of the office. "I believe Professor Dumbledore wanted you to see Professor McGonagall," Snape instructed. "Her office is located on the third floor. Follow me," and again Sora found himself following Snape. He looked over to Donald. "So, we're not going to stay here for the entire school year, are we?" "Of course not," Donald said, "we're only here to sharpen your magic skills. So don't get too comfortable!" Snape butted in. "Yes, Dumbledore made me aware of your special arrangement. The classes you'll be taking are Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you were to become a full-time student, you would have taken Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology as well, but there's no need for that."
The group was on the third floor at this point, standing right before Professor McGonagall's office entrance. "Animus pectoris," he said, and the four were allowed into the office. They met a middle-aged, tall and slim woman who introduced herself as McGonagall. "Now, Sora… Do you have a last name, by chance?" she asked. "Honestly, I don't really know," Sora said. "I guess I was never given one." "Right," she said, "well, the first order of business is for you to be assigned your classes. On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, you will have Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape, and Potions with Professor Slughorn on Tuesday and Friday. All at 3 o'clock," she finished, and handed Sora a sheet with his schedule. "Now, as you won't be staying here as a full-time student, you will receive special direction from your professors for the next two weeks. Now, I believe you have your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson in two hours, so you should find your way to the seventh floor and get ready in the Gryffindor common room. You will be staying in the Year Six boys' dorm. As for your friends, Dumbledore has talked Hagrid, our groundskeeper, into allowing them to stay with him," she said, and Sora began to make his way to the common room, with Donald and Goofy being led by Snape to the Hogwarts grounds.
I wonder what my classmates will be like, Sora thought. This is going to be an interesting experience…
End of Chapter One
