When the train finally stopped, everyone got off the train onto a platform.
Ciel looked around the dark platform. There was no source of light in sight and he honestly thought for a moment that they were going to have to see yet another Dementor. But then, he saw a single source of light approaching from the distance.
When the light got closer, Ciel saw that the lantern was held by a big, tall man with long hair and beard. But then he soon realized that this man was probably no man at all. He was taller and bigger than any human.
"That's Hagrid." Harry told Ciel. "He's the gamekeeper."
"Hagrid?" The name sounded familiar somehow. Then he remembered. "Oh, I'm supposed to go with him. Since it's my first year, Professor Dumbledore said I need to go with him to get sorted into a house."
Harry nodded. "Sure thing. Don't worry. He might look scary, but he's actually really nice. We're going this way. I'll see you later and good luck with the sorting hat." He waved at Ciel as he followed the rest of the students to the other direction.
"Come, Sebastian." Ciel said and started walking towards the 'giant' – for Ciel couldn't find any other word to describe him.
"Firs' years this way!" Hagrid bellowed as the nervous-looking first years flocked to him.
"Hi, uhm, Hagrid?" Ciel said when he reached the man. He had to lean far back to be able to see the man's face.
Hagrid turned to him. "Yes?"
"My name is Ciel Phantomhive. Professor Dumbledore told me to find you as soon as we arrived." Ciel said.
For a second, Hagrid looked confused, but then he beamed and nodded. "Ah, yes! Mr. Phantomhive and his butler!"
"That's us, yes." Ciel gestured at himself and Sebastian.
"Righ' this way!" Hagrid said before turning to the group. "Anymore firs' years? No? C'mon then everyone! Follow me!"
The group followed Hagrid along the steep and narrow path. It was very dark and cold. The rain had stopped falling, but the wind was still blowing. While it didn't bother the two demons the slightest, they could see the other students stumbling and slipping, while holding their robes tightly to stay warm.
"Yeh'll see Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid told them from his place at the front of the line. "Jus' 'round here."
Soon, the narrow path opened onto a black lake. On the other side of the lake, they could see a great stone building perched atop a high mountain, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, with many turrets and towers.
"That's Hogwarts!" Hagrid said proudly. "The bes' magic school in the world!"
Many of the new students ooh'ed and aah-ed, and despite himself, Ciel was quite impressed.
"Looks great." Ciel said.
"This is one of the biggest magic schools in the world." Sebastian said. "I have never been here myself, but I have heard words about it."
They reached the shore, where numerous small boats were waiting.
"Four on each boat!" Hagrid directed as they slowly moved to get onto the little boats. "Mind yer steps!"
Sebastian and Ciel, along with two children that couldn't be more than ten or eleven years old found themselves a boat and got in. Sebastian got into the boat first before he held out his arms and picked up Ciel from the shore and set the boy down on his feet beside him.
Ciel sat down and Sebastian sat down beside him.
Hagrid climbed into his own boat after making sure that nobody was left behind.
"Forward!" Hagrid yelled and the boats started moving on their own.
The little boats moved forward, gliding across the water. The wind rocked the boats, but nobody paid any attention as everyone's eyes were fixed on the great castle ahead.
"Heads down!" Hagrid's booming voice could be heard from the front.
They all ducked as the boats sailed past a curtain of ivy that hid the opening of the cliff face. They travelled along the narrow dark tunnel until they reached an underground harbour.
Everyone clambered out of the boats and followed Hagrid up the passageway until they finally reached the surface. Instead of rocks and pebbles, they were standing on a grassy land and there was a set of stone steps ahead of them.
Next, they made their way up the steps and finally reached a large oak door. After checking yet again if everyone was there and nobody was left behind, Hagrid raised his enormous hand and knocked three times on the door.
The heavy oak door swung open, but there was no one there.
"Eh?" Hagrid looked confused as he stared at the empty space.
"Hagrid." Someone called and Hagrid, along with the rest of the group, looked down and saw a small bespectacled man with dark hair and moustache. He was wearing a white shirt, black bowtie, gray waistcoat, and black robe.
"Oh!" Hagrid cried. "Professor Flitwick! I'm so sorry, sir! I though'… well, never mind that. Here are the firs' years, Mr. Phantomhive, and his butler, Professor." Hagrid informed him.
"I'll take it from here, Hagrid. Thank you. You can join the others now." Professor Flitwick said. Then he addressed the group. "Follow me." He turned around and led them past the door, into the entrance hall.
There were rows of torches on the walls that illuminated the room in soft, yellow glow and there was a large marble staircase standing in front of them. They could hear voices coming from behind the door on their right, but instead of heading there, Professor Flitwick led them to another door off the hall, and into a small room.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, everyone." Professor Flitwick's voice rang across the room, demanding everyone's attention. "The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you can sit down and enjoy the foods and drinks, you all will be sorted into your house. The Sorting Ceremony is very important because your house will become your family while you're here in Hogwarts. You will attend your classes with the others from your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room."
"There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Each of the houses has their own unique history and attributes and there have been many great witches and wizards from each house. During your study here, your accomplishments will earn you house points, and if you break the rules, it will cost you house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup, which would bring great honour to your house, and in extension, yourselves. I hope everyone will strive to do their best for themselves and their house."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in the Great Hall in front of the whole school. I suggest you smarten yourselves up as best as you can while waiting. I shall return shortly when we're ready for you." Professor Flitwick said before he turned around and left the room.
"So, once you've been sorted, you'll be stuck with them for the rest of your time here." Ciel said as Sebastian straightened his tie. "What are you doing? Leave it…" He muttered when he saw that some of the other children were giving him strange looks.
"I cannot let you walk into that room looking less than perfect, Master. What kind of butler would I be?" Sebastian said as he produced a small comb from his coat pocket and started combing Ciel's wind-blown hair.
Ciel knew better than to touch his now-combed hair, so he just stood there and endured it as his butler fussed over him, trying to ignore that stares that he got from the other children.
Suddenly, some of the children started screaming and when Ciel turned to look, he saw transparent figures – people – streaming into the room through the back wall.
"Are those…?" Ciel asked, his eyes wide.
"Ghosts? Yes, I suppose they could be called that. For us though, they are nothing but remnants of souls." Sebastian said, straightening up.
The ghosts were talking to each other, seemingly unaware of the stares that they were getting from the occupants of the room.
"Look! New students!" One of them said. "About to be sorted, aren't you?"
A few children nodded mutely.
But then the ghosts stopped moving when they noticed the two figures standing at the corner of the room.
"No!" A woman gasped in horror.
"It cannot be!" A man cried in disbelief.
"W-what are they doing here?!" Another man stammered as he stared at the slate haired boy and his butler.
Before anyone – ghost or otherwise – could say anything else, the door was opened and Professor Flitwick stepped into the room.
"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin." Professor Flitwick addressed the children. "Form a line and follow me."
Everyone shuffled into a single line and followed the professor out of the room. Ciel and Sebastian joined at the very back of the line.
Just as he was about to step out of the room, Sebastian paused and turned to the room, where the ghosts were still gathering. He grinned, put his index finger on his lips, and winked at the group of translucent beings.
The group entered the Great Hall and although Ciel had been to many great castles and even palace, he had never seen anything quite like it.
There were four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting, with gold plates and goblets in front of them. He saw Ron and the rest of the Weasleys sitting at one of the tables, but he didn't see Harry nor Hermione there. How curious... He thought they were all were in the same house.
Above them, suspended in mid-air, there were hundreds and thousands of candles, floating underneath the dark and cloudy sky. At first, Ciel thought there was no roof, but he quickly dismissed the idea. That would be ridiculous. He soon realized that it was but a magical projection that must've been made to mirror the sky outside.
"I think it would be better if you do this on your own, Young Master." Sebastian said in Ciel's ear. "I shall join you after the ceremony."
Ciel turned sharply, his protest was at the tip of his tongue, but the butler had fallen behind, taking a post by the door. Ciel had no choice but to catch up with the rest of the group as they made their way to the front of the room, where another long table sat. He recognized Dumbledore, Lupin, and Hagrid among the occupants and concluded that it was the teacher table.
The group came to a stop and Professor Flitwick places a stool in front of the first years before placing an old and battered looking pointy hat on top of the stool.
Then, to Ciel's astonishment, the hat began to sing.
"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, but don't judge on what you see.
I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black, your top hats sleek and tall.
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can't see.
So try me on and I will tell you, where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart, their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal, those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil.
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind.
Or perhaps in Slytherin,
You'll make your real friends, those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"
After the song ended, everyone around them clapped and with it, the Sorting Ceremony began.
"When I call your name, you will step forward, put on the hat and sit down on the stool to be sorted." Professor Flitwick, who had climbed up onto a stool himself, said while holding a roll of parchment in his hands. "Connor, Nathan."
A boy stepped forward nervously and put on the hat before taking a seat. A few seconds later, the hat cried, "RAVENCLAW!"
There were cheering and clapping from – presumably - the Ravenclaw table as the boy got up and made his way to their table to join his new 'Hogwarts family'.
Ciel wished he had asked for a private sorting ceremony.
One by one, the first years were called and sorted and the group was getting smaller and smaller, until finally, Ciel was the only one left.
"Phantomhive, Ciel." Professor Flitwick called and Ciel stepped forward.
Ciel could feel everyone's eyes on him, especially from the teacher's table. He picked up the hat and put it on before sitting on the stool. Then he could hear the Sorting Hat's voice in his head.
'Oh, and what do we have here? How curious... I wonder, what is a creature like you doing here?'
'So, you know what I am then?' Ciel replied silently.
'Yes, of course. I have never had the privilege of sorting any of your kind before, so where should I put you?'
'Gryffindor would be nice.' Ciel thought, remembering Harry's words that he could make a request.
'With this mind, you'll do very well in Ravenclaw. Given your cunning nature, you'll make an excellent Slytherin. But you want to go to Gryffindor, hm?' The Hat asked.
'Yes.' Ciel replied firmly. He knew that if he wanted to know more about Voldemort and Sirius Black, he had to get closer to Harry Potter and the first step was to be sorted into the same house with him. He was here to work and the sooner he was done here, the sooner he could get the promised soul.
'You won't gain much from them.' The Sorting Hat warned him.
'Doesn't really matter to me.' Ciel said with a mental shrug.
'Very well then…' The Hat said. "GRYFFINDOR!" It cried out loud.
The table erupted with clapping and cheering as they welcome their newest member.
Ciel joined Ron at the Gryffindor table and seconds later his butler joined him. Soon, Harry and Hermione joined them too.
"Congratulations, Ciel!" Harry said to the slate haired boy.
When Dumbledore got up to address the room, everyone quieted down.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore said, beaming at the room. "For those of you who are new, welcome to Hogwarts. And for the rest of you, welcome back. I have a few things that I need to tell you and I think I should get it out of the way now before we become befuddled by our amazing feast."
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds." Dumbledore said.
"And while they are with us, I must make it clear that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises, or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every single one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
After the warning, Dumbledore proceeded to introduce two new teachers, Professor Lupin and Hagrid before the feast began.
Ciel blinked as the empty plates and goblets were suddenly filled with food and drink. It was a feast, indeed. It was too bad that he couldn't taste them properly.
"Which ones would you like, sir?" Sebastian asked, bending beside him.
"Err…" Ciel looked at the spread in front of him. While he couldn't taste them, they didn't all taste of nothing. They just tasted different. Some of them tasted fine, others became unappealing. "Perhaps the potatoes and the ham…"
"Certainly." Sebastian took Ciel's plate and placed the requested items on it, not at all bothered by the look that others were giving him.
Ciel was introduced to Neville Longbottom and a few other fellow third years as they ate. They were all curious about him, understandably so.
"What happened to your eye, Ciel?" One of them, Dean Thomas, asked curiously.
"An accident when I was younger." Ciel gave the standard answer.
"How come you're in third year? How about your first and second year?"
"I wasn't able to attend school due to other circumstances, but Professor Dumbledore is kind enough to allow me to join this year." Ciel said.
At dessert time, Ciel looked at the various desserts excitedly. Now these, he could enjoy.
"I want the cake – the chocolate one, Sebastian -, and the ice cream, and the pie." Ciel said eagerly. "And don't forget about the pudding."
Sebastian gave him the requested items and Ciel immediately dug in.
"Still not as nice as yours, but close enough. Definitely better than most." Ciel commented as he ate. No matter how many cakes, pies, tarts, or other desserts that he'd eaten in the past century or so, nothing would be as good as Sebastian's.
After the feast, Dumbledore told everyone to go to bed.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to greet Hagrid and Ciel stood there awkwardly.
"Mr. Phantomhive."
Ciel turned to see a stern-looking woman in emerald green robe approaching.
"I'm Professor McGonagall. I'm the Head of Gryffindor House." She introduced herself.
"Good evening, Professor." Ciel said. "I'm just wondering where we should go now. Professor Dumbledore said that he has made a special arrangement for us upon my request."
"Yes, of course. The headmaster wishes to speak with you. Follow me." Professor McGonagall said and led them away.
They followed her out of the Great Hall. Ciel was looking around as he walked. The moving paintings on the wall fascinated him, as well as the rotating staircases. After walking for a while, they arrived in front of an office door.
Professor McGonagall uttered a password and the door opened to reveal the headmaster's office. It was a large, semi-circular office, with a large desk filled with parchments and books. There were portraits along the walls and their occupants were snoozing lightly. At one table, there was an odd-looking equipment that whirred and whistled.
Professor Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, but he got up when they entered the room.
"Thank you, Minerva. I can take it from here." Dumbledore said.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, gentlemen. I trust that everything has been going smoothly thus far?" Dumbledore addressed the two demons after Professor McGonagall left the room.
"Yes, thank you." Ciel said. "It's been quite an experience." He'd admit that much.
"Very good. As agreed, I've arranged for you to have your own quarters, with your own rooms." Dumbledore continued.
"We only need one." Ciel said.
If Dumbledore was surprised by that, he didn't show it. "I see that you've made acquaintance with Harry Potter." He said instead.
"We met during my shopping trip at the Diagon Alley." Ciel explained. "His soul smells delicious, as expected of someone like him. But it's... tainted."
"Tainted?" Dumbledore looked interested. "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know yet. Sebastian? Any insight?" Ciel turned to his butler.
"It's corrupted." Sebastian said. "By something much darker. It doesn't change the core of his soul, but it's there."
Dumbledore seemed thoughtful.
"I have a couple of questions for you." Ciel said. "First, tell me, is Voldemort human?"
Dumbledore looked taken aback by the question. "As far as I can tell, yes. He's human. Why?"
"The people are afraid of even mentioning his name. I personally have never met anyone who could instill such fear among his own kind."
"Unfortunately, a lot of those people had lost their loved ones under his reign and had to live through the horror that he has unleashed upon this world." Dumbledore said. "He and his followers were feared by many because of their cruelty."
"I heard Harry refer to him as Lord Voldemort. Is he a noble born?"
"No, he's born of a witch and her Muggle husband. His father abandoned them and his mother died shortly after his birth. He was raised in an orphanage, until he was enrolled here at Hogwarts."
"Then why did Harry refer him as such?"
"Voldemort is known by many names. He was Tom Riddle, before he started calling himself Lord Voldemort. Among his followers, he's known as the Dark Lord." Dumbledore said.
"Even by Sirius Black?"
"I'm not privy to that information, I'm afraid." Dumbledore said. "But I see you've heard of Sirius Black."
"Who hasn't." Ciel said. "The Dementors are here because of him, aren't they? They thought he'd come after Harry Potter."
"Yes, unfortunately, the Ministry thought so and thus, has insisted on placing them here." Dumbledore said.
"I think that's enough for now." Ciel said. "Like I've said, we're not going to wait around until Voldemort show himself. If possible at all, we'll try to find him before he returns to power."
"Yes, of course." Dumbledore nodded. "Now, it's been a long day and you'll be busy with classes tomorrow. Since you've been sorted into Gryffindor, you and Harry will have the same schedule."
"Alright. Can Sebastian stay with me during classes, or does he have to wait outside?" Ciel asked.
"You'll have to check with individual teacher for that." Dumbledore said.
"Not a problem." Ciel said. "Good night, Professor."
With that, they left the office. Dumbledore asked McGonagall to escort them to their quarters.
They arrived at their room and Ciel looked around the room that would be their home for the foreseeable future.
There was a large four poster bed, a desk, and a large cupboard. They found their trunks had been brought up and were sitting by the foot of the bed. One side of the walls was covered in large windows that overlooked the outer grounds. There was another door that led to a bathroom, with a large clawfoot tub.
"Do you think it will fit us?" Ciel asked cheekily.
"Only one way to find out." Sebastian grinned and picked up his master into his arms. "He was right. It has been a long day."
"It has." Ciel agreed and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's neck and kissed him. "Between the train journey, the Dementor, the feast, and everything else, I'm quite ready to retire. But before that, I want you to tell me more about Dementors."
"Yes, of course." Sebastian said and walked to the bathroom. He filled the tub with hot water and told Ciel about Dementors as they waited for the tub to fill.
"Dementors are soul eaters. No, they are not demons and they do not eat soul the way we do." Sebastian said as he took off Ciel's robe and folded it neatly. "While we kill our preys, they do not. But their preys will die nonetheless, drowning in their own misery."
"I thought one would die once they've lost their soul?" Ciel asked.
"Yes, if their soul is consumed by us. Dementors are different. They do not eat the soul itself, not in its entirety. Tell me, when that Dementor entered that compartment, how did you feel?"
Ciel frowned as he recalled what happened. "I felt… well, not scared, but… hopeless. I heard voices, the fire, the branding, that cage, and my own voice, screaming. It was a strange experience."
"Dementors feed off human emotions, particularly their happiness and other good feelings. They cannot think nor feel. The only thing they could sense is your emotions. They sucked out any peace, hope, and happiness from the air and if given half the chance, they would do the same to you. If they continued to feed, eventually, they'd drain your soul, leaving you as nothing but an empty shell, being trapped in your own worst nightmare for the rest of your life."
"So it was a nightmare?" Ciel asked.
"It was your past, Master."
"Are you affected too?"
"No." Sebastian said. "Demons are not affected by them as our soul is different from humans. We do not have hope, happiness, peace, and all those things for them to feed on, nor do we have despair or regret. They can't take anything from us. Not to mention, we're the more superior species."
"So, why am I affected then?"
"Because you're different from the rest of us. You're your own unique species, not fully a demon, nor are you a human. Your soul is that of a demon, yes, but there are traces of humanity inside you still."
"If they feed off happiness and you're not affected, does it mean you're not happy?" Ciel asked with a frown. "I thought you were happy, with... us."
"I am, Young Master." Sebastian said and kissed the tip of Ciel's nose to put an end to Ciel's doubt. "I'm so very happy to be by your side, to love you, and to be loved by you in return. Please do not ever doubt that."
"But you're a full demon, so they don't affect you, even though you're so very happy?"
"Correct." Sebastian said and guided Ciel into the tub.
"Well, at least one of us is going to be fine." Ciel said.
"They cannot consume your soul, sir." Sebastian said. "You're not human anymore and even though they could take away your happiness, hope, or others, they still cannot consume your soul. Demons are far above them in the food chain and no matter what they do, they cannot fight against the natural order of things or their own nature."
"So, we can consume their soul instead? Not that I'd want to. They look rather disgusting." Ciel said, wrinkling his nose.
"They have no soul." Sebastian said in disgust. "Frankly, it's insulting to share the same source of nourishment with the likes of them."
"If they can't consume my soul, that means I will be fine, right?"
Sebastian shook his head. "While they cannot consume your soul, they could still feed from you. You will not die, but as you know, there are fates worse than death."
Ciel shuddered slightly. "Such as being trapped in my worst nightmare for the rest of eternity?"
"Yes. So, I must request that you stay away from them, as far away as possible. Unfortunately, in this situation, there's nothing much that I can do to protect you as they attack your soul instead of your body. Please forgive me." Sebastian said with a bow.
"Not your fault, and you did protect me." Ciel said. "I was trapped in there, but I felt you pulling me back."
"It's our bond that did that. I reached into our bond to pull you back, but there was only one Dementor on that train. If there were more, it would be more difficult to reach you."
"Very well. We'll stay away from them. We're not here for them anyway." Ciel said. "Now, get in. The water is getting cold."
Sebastian smirked. "Yes, my lord."