Hogwarts School I
CHAPTER FOUR
HOGWARTS
When the train finally slowed down and stopped, people pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. It was slightly warm outside. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Toka heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Toka?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
The students followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Toka thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much, except Templa, who had become known to the other students as 'Elf'. He didn't mind, in fact, he liked it.
"What a night! Look at the stars!" He seemed truly absorbed in the sky. "Oh, to climb a tree for a clearer look!"
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here. My, small group this year eh?"
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, it's windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Toka, David, Nicole, and Elf joined each other in a boat.
"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. Templa seemed to be singing softly to himself, but everyone else was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"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. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.
"Everyone here?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once. A tall black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Toka's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"The firs' years Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was big enough to fit a house inside. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, and the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Toka could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they usually would have done, peering about nervously.
"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 on front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered on David's hair, which he made no effort to try to straighten.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Templa swallowed.
"How do they sort us into houses?" he asked Toka.
"Some sort of a test, I think. My dad said something about it once." David answered.
Templa looked slightly worried, and made an effort to roll up his cloak into a small bundle. Toka's eyes were fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead them inside.
McGonagall returned and instructed, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start, now form a line, and follow me." the students quickly fell into line.
Toka got into line with the others, and walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Toka had never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, and the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. The ghosts slowly were floating into the room, shivering still. Some students had questioning looks in their eyes when they noticed the shivering ghosts. Above, Toka saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He could hear a student to his right whispering about it being bewitched to look like the sky outside. To his left, he heard Templa muttering to himself that it wasn't the same effect without a nice breeze.
Toka watched as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and 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.
I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your
Soon to be filled heads
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It twisted awkwardly toward the teacher's table and whispered quickly:
"Sorry it sounds familiar, but expect an extra special one next year! I've got an excellent one simmering!" It turned around again, and became suddenly still.
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. "Rani, Aaron"
A short boy with thick brown hair stumbled out if line, put on the hat, which fell right down over his eyes, and sat down. A few moments later -
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Rani went to sit down at the Ravenclaw table. A few names later...
Several other students were sorted out with varying speed when Nicole's name was finally called out.
The hat paused respectfully before announcing the first "GRYFFINDOR!" Before walking down, Nicole glanced at David and Toka, before rushing to join the applauding Gryffindor table.
David was called up next. The hat seemed to be arguing with itself for a short time before shouting out with hesitation: "GRYFFINDOR!" David dashed to the Gryffindor table with joy.
Templa came soon after. The hat announced with instant pride and amusement: "RAVENCLAW!" Templa looked relieved when he joined the happy Ravenclaw table. Before he sat, with a swift motion, and a few words plainly elven, his shirt changed from its plain white color to his new house colors. This received a few encouraging glances from the teachers. And so the hat continued on until -
"Lombard, Toka!" Professor McGonagall called.
Toka looked around as he walked up, and realized he was the last person standing anyhow. He picked up the sorting hat respectfully, and cleared his mind. The hat stayed comfortably above his brow because of his hair. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, not a bad mind at all. There's talent, and cunning. Patient, I might add, confidence too I see. Not too much though. Trust too. A bit different than the others... Where to put you? You would do very well in Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff alike." Toka was taken back by what the hat said. But his mind turned toward David, Nicole, and Templa. "What's this?" The hat asked itself. "Yes, you ought to be with your friends. Good choices too. I leave it to you. Which house do you want to be in?" It paused, listening.
The rest of the hall was tense with anticipation; this kid seemed very difficult to place for the hat. They had sat there for nearly ten minutes already.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted with finality. Toka carefully removed the hat and sat it on the stool, then walked to the Gryffindor table. He noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet.
Toka took his seat next to David, who was talking to a second year student across from him.
"Ragneder, Chris!"
This time, the hat took a short time before shouting:
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Chris walked slowly to the Hufflepuff table while Steve glared at him.
"Ragneder, Steven!"
The hat was still a full foot away from him when it screamed in agony: "SLYTHERIN!" The entire table of Slytherin burst out in rampant applause.
Professor McGonagall had rolled up her scroll and taken the sorting hat away already. Headmaster Weasley had gotten 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!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Let the feast begin!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Toka suddenly noticed the dishes in front of him, which had been completely empty, were suddenly piled with food. He decided it was better if he didn't gorge himself, and took a small portion of food.
The meal was particuarly good, and when the desserts came up, Toka was glad he had saved room. Nicole and David had eaten their fills, and now looked wistfully at Toka's plate from across the table, obviously wishing that they had also not eaten so much. When at last, the desserts too disappeared, the hall fell silent, and Headmaster Weasley rose to his feet again.
"Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts. First years please 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."
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested should contact Madam Hooch."
"Also, I am pleased to announce, that Professor Snape will once again be teaching our Defense Against the Dark Arts course, for the third year running!" Scattered applause followed this last announcement.
David leaned over toward Toka, "I hear that about fifteen years ago, they couldn't find a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who stuck for more than a year!" he whispered.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
HOGWARTS
When the train finally slowed down and stopped, people pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. It was slightly warm outside. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Toka heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Toka?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
The students followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Toka thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much, except Templa, who had become known to the other students as 'Elf'. He didn't mind, in fact, he liked it.
"What a night! Look at the stars!" He seemed truly absorbed in the sky. "Oh, to climb a tree for a clearer look!"
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here. My, small group this year eh?"
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, it's windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Toka, David, Nicole, and Elf joined each other in a boat.
"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. Templa seemed to be singing softly to himself, but everyone else was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"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. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door.
"Everyone here?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door swung open at once. A tall black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Toka's first thought was that this was not someone to cross.
"The firs' years Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was big enough to fit a house inside. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, and the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.
They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Toka could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right - the rest of the school must already be here - but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they usually would have done, peering about nervously.
"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 on front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
Her eyes lingered on David's hair, which he made no effort to try to straighten.
"I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."
She left the chamber. Templa swallowed.
"How do they sort us into houses?" he asked Toka.
"Some sort of a test, I think. My dad said something about it once." David answered.
Templa looked slightly worried, and made an effort to roll up his cloak into a small bundle. Toka's eyes were fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead them inside.
McGonagall returned and instructed, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start, now form a line, and follow me." the students quickly fell into line.
Toka got into line with the others, and walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.
Toka had never imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, and the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. The ghosts slowly were floating into the room, shivering still. Some students had questioning looks in their eyes when they noticed the shivering ghosts. Above, Toka saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He could hear a student to his right whispering about it being bewitched to look like the sky outside. To his left, he heard Templa muttering to himself that it wasn't the same effect without a nice breeze.
Toka watched as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and 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.
I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your
Soon to be filled heads
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
Where you ought to be!"
The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It twisted awkwardly toward the teacher's table and whispered quickly:
"Sorry it sounds familiar, but expect an extra special one next year! I've got an excellent one simmering!" It turned around again, and became suddenly still.
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. "Rani, Aaron"
A short boy with thick brown hair stumbled out if line, put on the hat, which fell right down over his eyes, and sat down. A few moments later -
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.
The table on the right cheered and clapped as Rani went to sit down at the Ravenclaw table. A few names later...
Several other students were sorted out with varying speed when Nicole's name was finally called out.
The hat paused respectfully before announcing the first "GRYFFINDOR!" Before walking down, Nicole glanced at David and Toka, before rushing to join the applauding Gryffindor table.
David was called up next. The hat seemed to be arguing with itself for a short time before shouting out with hesitation: "GRYFFINDOR!" David dashed to the Gryffindor table with joy.
Templa came soon after. The hat announced with instant pride and amusement: "RAVENCLAW!" Templa looked relieved when he joined the happy Ravenclaw table. Before he sat, with a swift motion, and a few words plainly elven, his shirt changed from its plain white color to his new house colors. This received a few encouraging glances from the teachers. And so the hat continued on until -
"Lombard, Toka!" Professor McGonagall called.
Toka looked around as he walked up, and realized he was the last person standing anyhow. He picked up the sorting hat respectfully, and cleared his mind. The hat stayed comfortably above his brow because of his hair. He waited.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, not a bad mind at all. There's talent, and cunning. Patient, I might add, confidence too I see. Not too much though. Trust too. A bit different than the others... Where to put you? You would do very well in Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff alike." Toka was taken back by what the hat said. But his mind turned toward David, Nicole, and Templa. "What's this?" The hat asked itself. "Yes, you ought to be with your friends. Good choices too. I leave it to you. Which house do you want to be in?" It paused, listening.
The rest of the hall was tense with anticipation; this kid seemed very difficult to place for the hat. They had sat there for nearly ten minutes already.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted with finality. Toka carefully removed the hat and sat it on the stool, then walked to the Gryffindor table. He noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet.
Toka took his seat next to David, who was talking to a second year student across from him.
"Ragneder, Chris!"
This time, the hat took a short time before shouting:
"HUFFLEPUFF!" Chris walked slowly to the Hufflepuff table while Steve glared at him.
"Ragneder, Steven!"
The hat was still a full foot away from him when it screamed in agony: "SLYTHERIN!" The entire table of Slytherin burst out in rampant applause.
Professor McGonagall had rolled up her scroll and taken the sorting hat away already. Headmaster Weasley had gotten 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!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Let the feast begin!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Toka suddenly noticed the dishes in front of him, which had been completely empty, were suddenly piled with food. He decided it was better if he didn't gorge himself, and took a small portion of food.
The meal was particuarly good, and when the desserts came up, Toka was glad he had saved room. Nicole and David had eaten their fills, and now looked wistfully at Toka's plate from across the table, obviously wishing that they had also not eaten so much. When at last, the desserts too disappeared, the hall fell silent, and Headmaster Weasley rose to his feet again.
"Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts. First years please 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."
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested should contact Madam Hooch."
"Also, I am pleased to announce, that Professor Snape will once again be teaching our Defense Against the Dark Arts course, for the third year running!" Scattered applause followed this last announcement.
David leaned over toward Toka, "I hear that about fifteen years ago, they couldn't find a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who stuck for more than a year!" he whispered.
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"