Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and can't get money for this, but I can make him into a Mafia Prince.
Warning: Some chapters (the ones including pranks) might not be appropriate to read at work. Laughter may ensue leading your co-workers to see you as even more insane than they previously thought.
Chapter 14: Across the Lake
Harry and Blaise stepped easily off the train and quietly merged with the crowds of students milling around, striving for anonymity as they assessed the situation. A shadowed figure that seemed to be holding a flickering lantern loomed over the huddled group of clueless first years as a voice bellowed.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Shrugging at each other Harry and Blaise smoothly cut their way through the crowd and realized as they got closer that it was the same man they had shared a Gringotts cart with during their trip through the deep catacombs of the wizarding bank.
"C'mon, follow me—any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slowly the confused throng of first years followed the bobbing lantern down a steep path, stumbling every few seconds while the older years made their way to the carriages. Even for those who were fleet footed the narrow path they were following downwards towards a darkly shimmering body of water was treacherous and Harry and Blaise used each other to keep their balance as other students plowed into them and slid haphazardly down the slope.
The ground suddenly leveled out leaving Harry and Blaise to sigh in relief. Too many people had fallen against them on the trip down, invading their personal space, putting them on edge, and threatening to upset their precarious balance. Then just when they thought they were in the clear Neville went skidding by them to plow into the giant form of Hagrid who didn't even seem to notice. Wrinkling her nose slightly in disgust Blaise bent down and picked up Trevor the toad who had taken an unexpected flight and handed him back to a slightly battered Neville before wiping her hands off on her robes. Harry grinned.
"Who would have thought Blaise Zabini could be so girly," he lightly teased, earning himself a sharp elbow in the ribs as he had no room to move in order to dodge the blow.
The friends stopped their hushed banter as Hagrid spoke up again.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder as he continued to stride forward, "jus' round this bend here."
Loud exclamations could be heard from the awed first years as they took in as much of the grand castle and grounds visible to them in the inky dark night. Across the expanse of black lake rose a sheer cliff that formed one face of what appeared to be a high mountain and atop that loomed a vast castle boasting many turrets and spired towers. Yet this imposing edifice boasted of a welcoming warmth with its glowing windows sparkling in the starry sky, almost as if the lights shining forth were trying to compete with the very stars that graced the heavens. It was the perfect battleground Harry thought as he gazed upon the magical castle and yet it called to him in the same way the Darkov mansion did, it would also be a haven. Nimbly climbing into one of the gently bobbing boats with Blaise at his side Harry was glad to see that Ron wasn't in the boat with them. Instead the other bench seat was taken up by an excitedly bouncing Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy who had regained his cool and aloof composure.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid who took up a whole rowboat to himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"
The fleet of little boats moved off with no visible means of what was propelling them forward as they glided silently across the glassy smooth lake, leaving behind no wake or ripple to even indicate the passage of the student laden boats. A silence had fallen over the group as they all stared up at the great castle overhead as it towered over them the nearer they drew to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down," Hagrid yelled as they neared the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that waved slightly even in the absence of any breeze, giving them tantalizing peeks of the dark tunnel that lay beyond.
Harry and Blaise complied and ducked their heads along with the others even though it went against their teachings to bare their necks in such a manner when others sat so close behind them but they kept their eyes up and alert, straining them to pierce the surrounding darkness as their pupils dilated to take in what little light Hagrid's lantern offered.
By now they were underneath the castle and some of those in the group of scared first years could swear they felt the tons of rock and heavy pressure of the castle bearing down upon them as the boats docked at an underground harbor. Idly glancing around as Hagrid made his way up the stone step path to a huge, oaken door Harry took in the reactions of everyone around him and was faintly amused to see Neville practically strangling his toad. Blaise looked as composed as ever though a light seemed to shine freely from her eyes; Ron had a frightened look about him and kept brushing frantically at his robes as if to knock some crawling thing from them; Draco looked awed and slightly timid though he still sneered in his superior way; Hermione was bouncing so hard the curls in her hair were dancing; others seemed nervous, excited, or frightened in turn and Harry had to wonder what someone would see if they looked at him in this moment. Outwardly he probably resembled Blaise's attitude though inwardly he was excited and just a bit nervous, he could practically feel the magic inside him reacting to the heavy waves of magic surrounding him in the very air they now breathed.
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castles doors that opened nearly immediately as if the tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes that stood there had been waiting impatiently for quite some time.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
Professor McGonagall thanked Hagrid before brusquely ushering the new first years the huge entrance hall that more than rivaled the one at the Darkov mansion. Flaming torches lined the walls in intricately decorated sconces but even the light they gave off was not enough to illuminate the hidden corners and vaulted ceiling somewhere high above them and beyond the sweeping marble staircases. As they followed Professor McGonagall the first years were ushered beyond a doorway that excited voices floated out from and into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in like a herd of sheep headed to the slaughter, Harry and Blaise melting into the back of the crowd while keeping their backs to the wall at an angle that allowed them to take in everything that was going on without allowing them to be snuck up upon. Their actions caused them to be missed in the penetrating sweep Professor McGonagall made of the first years as she sought one child in particular, hoping to spot the child and give the Headmaster some good news.
"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 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."
"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 honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"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. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."
The whole speech was said in a stern and well-rehearsed tone of voice and at the end the commanding witch glanced pointedly at certain students whose appearance was lacking and telling them to clean themselves up a bit without overly embarrassing them. Harry and Blaise didn't bother to fuss over their appearance, knowing with the quiet certainty of a Darkov and a Zabini that their appearances were clean and smart even after the journey they had made to get to the castle. As soon as the Professor left them, a buzz of nervous chatter filled the room, seeming to echo slightly off the stone walls, as robes and hair were smoothed though a few students stood around attempting to look confident and bored, idly picking at imaginary pieces of lint in cool disdain. Harry assumed that these were the purebloods that had grown up their whole lives around magic, knowing that they would be attending Hogwarts and therefore had an image to hide behind.
Most of the talk was centered on how they would be sorted into their houses and theories were flying around about tests they would have to take or spells they would have to cast. Blaise overheard an interesting mention of an orb that was the closest to what the hat would be doing, but none of the theories were right. Silently Harry and Blaise conferred about revealing the truth about the Sorting Hat that Trevor had told them about but decided against it, mentioning anything would be like revealing the punch line of a joke before the joke was even near the end. Harry was half lost in a whispered conversation with Blaise, punctuated with the silent hand gestures the guard used when a short, shrill scream filled the room only to be echoed by a few more. Acting on instinct Harry and Blaise settled their bodies so they were balanced on the balls of their feet, knives out but kept low so as not to be seen, and hands ready to retrieve their guns if needed.
The source of commotion became evident a few moments later and with an aggravated shake of his head Harry sheathed his knife and relaxed his body, there wasn't anything that mortal weapons could do about ghosts even if the ghosts could harm them. Yet for all the noise a few frightened first years had been making a moment ago the ghosts hadn't noticed that they were not alone in the room and continued with their argument. What looked like a fat little monk was saying:
"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance—"
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost—I say, what are you all doing here?"
A ghost in a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years but no one answered him, instead the Friar-like ghost did by guessing they were about to be sorted and mentioned that Hufflepuff was his old house when McGonagall came back to usher them into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony. The ghosts floated away through a different wall than the one they had come through while the Professor instructed the group of now very nervous first years to form a line and follow her. Falling in at the end of the line Harry and Blaise followed behind the rest of their year mates, a slight churning feeling taking root in the pits of their stomachs now that something was actually happening. It was the same feeling of anticipation and nervous fear the friends felt whenever they knew something was going to happen or danger was coming their way. It was the taut readiness that possessed them every time the alarms went off at the mansion alerting them to a break-in or the guards pressed them to the ground and shielded them, ready to sacrifice their own lives for the children under their care. But this time there wasn't danger, at least nothing tangible that they could fight against such as an assassin. They entered the Great Hall in which the already seated occupants were rapidly falling silent.