"Are you sure this is the right place, Corvus? I don't think a 'Platform 9 3/4's' exists." Ms. Sarah said whilst rereading the directions on my ticket. She handed the ticket back to me, and then began walking between the plastic signs labeled 'Platform 9', and 'Platform 10' in confusion. "Corvus, it should be right here, but it's not. All that's here is this brick pillar."
I looked up at a clock which had been hung onto the wall, and frowned slightly. '10:30'. I only have thirty more minutes to get onto the train before it leaves, with, or without me. I took a spare glance around the platform, looking for someone, anyone dressed in wizard clothing to help me out, but I must've come at a bad time. All the people here looked normal, at least at first glance.
"Excuse me, sir, but can you direct us to platform nine and three-quarters, please? We seem to have gotten lost."
My attention switched back to Ms. Sarah who had desperately asked the guard for directions, but he just frustratingly pinched the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath. "Every year." he mumbled under his breath. He let go of his nose, and then held out his hands as if to prove a point. "Listen, miss, there is no platform nine and three-quarters. I don't know who, but every year, someone gives out a bunch of these tickets, and tells people that they can board this nonexistent train called the 'Hogwarts Express', but it doesn't exist."
He angrily walked away, and I got next to her. "Don't worry, Ms. Sarah. We've still got…" I checked the time once again before turning to her, and smiling, "Twenty-six minutes. More than enough time to get on the train.
She turned away, and watched the train tracks, but then I remembered something. Last month, Professor Snape had gone through the statue of that old WWI cavalry officer. It seemed just like stone, but it was actually some sort of portal into another space. Perhaps it's the same situation here.
I left my things next to Ms. Sarah, and looked up at the platform before getting close to it. 'Yes, yes. It all makes sense - like Ms. Sarah said, this is right where platform nine and three-quarters should be. Maybe if I,' I cautiously touched the brick pillar, but instead of stopping, my hand shot right through it as if it were a viscous liquid. 'Perfect.' I thought.
"Ms. Sarah, can you bring my things here?" She looked at me with confusion, and then started pushing my cart until we were right next to the pillar. "Watch this," I said, and then I grabbed my cart, and created some distance between myself, and the pillar before charging at it. I gave Bruma and Nagi each a second's glance, and grinned madly as Nagi looked at me like I was crazy, and Bruma picked at his feathers. At last, I reached the pillar, and entered a completely different area. I noticed a metal archway which had 'Platform 9 3/4's' labeled in white lettering, and just as I looked back at the pillar, Ms. Sarah was passing through with a confused look on her face.
"That was… quite amazing, actually," she said, looking down at her hands. "I never would have guessed. How did you know that?"
"Professor Snape took me through a statue to get to Diagon Alley when he took me to get my school supplies. I had a hunch the situation was similar here."
I looked over at the train, which had already begun to let smoke through its chimney, and at the carts, which had already mostly filled up with students, some even wearing their school uniforms.
"Come along now, Corvus. I see an open compartment down there. You should be able to put all of your things in there."
I followed Ms. Sarah as she guided me to a free space in a train cart, and I began putting my things in the compartment with Ms. Sarah's help. My suitcase was first, and then the container holding my school supplies. Nagi and Bruma's cages were last. By the time we were done, I only had about ten more minutes remaining until the train left the station.
"Well, then. I guess you should get in your seat, Corvus. I'll wait outside until the train departs." Ms. Sarah said. She looked at me with bright blue eyes, and smiled, and for the first time, I realized that Hogwarts had everything I needed except for one thing - Ms. Sarah.
I rushed over to her, and wrapped my arms around her midriff. My cheek pushed against her warm, dark blue sweater as she cried "Oh!". For just a moment, she let me hold onto her before her arms wrapped around my own body. "There there, Corvus. It may be our first time away from each other, but no matter where you are in the world, I'll always be there to help you."
Her hand began to caress my head as I nodded, and then let go. I took one uneasy step backwards, and breathed before I confidently smiled at her as if I never had the moment of weakness at all. "Well, you should get going. I don't think Hogwarts lets parents and guardians come with their ward on the train."
Ms. Sarah's lips curled up slightly, and she looked me up and down. "Honestly, I don't know where you get it from." After saying that, she walked over to the steps, and walked off the train. A few moments later, she was standing awkwardly. next to a stone pillar parallel to my door.
A shuffling came from outside the door, and I saw the thin boy from a month ago, Harry, I think his name was. He opened the door with one hand as he grunted, and asked "Is there anyone sitting here?"
"Not at all," I said. "Feel free to stay."
"Harry gave off a happy smile, and he tugged his suitcase inside, and tried picking it up, but to no avail.
"Do you need help with that?" I asked.
"Please."
I stood up, and grabbed onto the handle, lifting it up, and reinforcing my strength by applying my second hand when I placed it in the overhead compartment.
"Wow," he said. "You're pretty strong."
"Yeah. I got into a lot of fights in school, and I learned you eventually get strong enough to defend yourself, or you give up, and live in fear of whenever the next fight comes along."
"I wish I was as strong as you…" he said, looking down at his arms.
"Harry, I'll tell you something right now, the strength to do something when nobody else can is often times more powerful than any muscle. It just takes the will to act."
He stared at me enviously, and I reclined back. "Life isn't easy, but we have to do what we can to help not just ourselves, but others, too."
The train made a loud whistling sound, and I then another one moments later. The train's wheels finally started rotating, and we inched to a crawl. I heard shouting as children of all ages began waving and shouting goodbye's at their parents. I turned to Ms. Sarah, who had begun to slowly wave, and I pressed my hand on the cold glass of the window. She finally started walking, and then running as she tried keeping up with the train, but finally let off just as we left King's Cross.
"This is it," I said. "For the first time in my life, Ms. Sarah isn't right next to me.
"Who's Sarah?" Harry asked, turning his head slightly. "Is she your mom?"
I chuckled at Harry's question, and then nodded. "Something of the sort."
A knocking came at the door, and outside was red haired boy, nearly my height, with an abominable amount of freckles on his cheeks and nose. The door opened once again, and he asked "Anyone sitting there?" He pointed to a spot next to Harry. "Everywhere else is full."
"Go ahead," I said.
The red head walked in, and quickly sat down before introducing himself. "My name's Ron. Ron Weasley. What about you?"
"I'm Harry Potter."
My eyes bulged slightly as I recalled the events scripted in one of the books I read over the Summer. I scanned over Harry one more time, but I still couldn't believe that this short, skinny boy had defeated the most feared Dark Wizard in all of written history.
Ron bent down, as if trying to peek at the infamous scar, and then asked "And have you really got… you know, the scar?"
Harry moved his bangs, and I caught a glimpse of the infamous lightning-shaped scar just above his right brow.
"So that's where You-Know-Who-?"
"Yes," Harry responded, "but I can't remember it."
"I would be surprised if you could. You were only a year old when it happened. " I said.
"I suppose. I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."
"Wow," said Ron. The red head watched Harry for an uncomfortable amount of time before he changed direction to me. "Sorry about that, who are you?"
My hand stretched out as I said "Corvus Gaunt."
"Of the Gaunt Family?" Ron blurted out. "I heard they all died out because of… you know…"
"Inbreeding, and numerous psychopathic tendencies resulting in a proclivity for violent behavior." I said. He looked at me in confusion, and I grinned. "Relax, Ron. I'm not going to bite. I don't even know my family. Lived in an orphanage my whole life, and I highly doubt I would be the way I am if my parents were brother and sister."
Ron looked down at my hand, and flinched, but then he exhaled, and his hesitation cleared up. He finally took it, and gave it three swift handshakes before removing it. His attention was quickly drawn back to Harry, though. I guess the Boy-Who-Lived is a celebrity.
"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"
"Horrible. My aunt and uncle and cousin are horrible people. They… well, they're the snobbish kind of people who think they are better than everyone else. They always berate me, and sometimes hit me. On a good day, they just lock me in my room, and forget I exist for a couple of hours."
They continued for the conversation as my gaze turned to the outside of the window. 'House Gaunt,' I thought. 'My family. It's just my luck that I happen to belong to a family that's been inbreeding for generations to retain their 'blood purity'.' I couldn't help but feel like Ron's reaction was going to be quite common among the other kids my age. My house was supposed to be gone - destroyed due to violent conflict, but here I am, Corvus Gaunt, the last of my family.
"You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."
My attention shifted back towards Ron, and I blankly watched as he pulled an overweight rat out. It was times like this when I was glad Nagi was in the storage compartment. Had she seen it, she would've gobbled that fat thing up in an instant.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."
"Nothing wrong with that," I said, "Owls can be pretty expensive. I spent seventeen galleons on my own owl."
"How did you afford it?" Ron asked. "I mean, your family is probably about as wealthy as mine, given your, you know-"
"Situation." I finished. The Ron nodded, but slowly, as if he was worried I would curse him for even mentioning my family to me. "Frankly, Ron, I'm not sure. Professor Snape took me into Gringotts to find my personal vault, and there was a large sum of money laid out there. A sort of inheritance from my mother and father, and before you ask, 'no', I don't know where they got it from."
He stared at me uneasily for some time before turning back towards Harry, and continuing his conversation with him. 'Look at the two of them. They've just met, and they're already thick as thieves,' I thought before shaking away my envy. 'Just wait, Corvus. You'll make some friends soon enough.'
As they kept talking, I stared out the window, counting the animals that crossed by my line of sight, and the fields of crops. Eventually, I just got out of my seat, and headed for the hallway outdoors. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to wander the halls for a little." I slid the door open, and then closed it on my way out. The snack cart had been making its way up one side of the corridor, so I went down the opposite side.
I kept on walking, and walking. When I got to the end of one cart, I entered the next one, and repeated the whole process over again until a boy stuck out his foot to trip me. My quick reflexes stopped just before I made the mistake of walking into it, and I looked at the boy.
His pale face had a grin on it, but as I stared at him and scowled, he frowned. He was rather skinny, but at a healthy weight, and his complexion was fair, but pale. What drew me most, though, was his whitish-blond hair, and light grey eyes. Just from the way he carried himself, I already knew what he was: a spoiled brat.
"Move your foot." I commanded, but he just snickered.
"Why should I?" He asked. "I don't recognize you, so you must be dirty half-blood, or worse, a mudblood." he turned to his lackeys, and started laughing with them. I sized his lackeys up as well. They were both tall, and looked rather strong, but if they followed this kid around, then they must be lacking mentally.
"If you don't move your foot," I began, "I swear to you that this will end with either your nose being broken, or your head and eyebrows being shaved down to the skin."
His two lackeys stood up as if they were going to throw the first punch, but the blond kid quickly stopped them. "There won't be a need for that, Crabbe, Goyle. I think a kid like him would do well in Slytherin."
"Whether I end up in Slytherin or not isn't going to be because of any offer you give me." I said, to which he shook his head 'no'. He closed his eyes as he proudly placed his hand on his chest, and stated, "Nonsense. I'm sure once you hear who my father is, you'll change your mind. It's Lucius-"
I looked down and saw that he had withdrawn his leg to converse with me, and I continued walking forwards, ignoring whatever he prattled on about behind me, until he finally noticed I had started leaving.
"Wait!" he cried out. "Where are you going? I'm not finished talking to you."
I let out an exhausted gasp as I turned around, and stated "I don't care if you're the bastard son of Pope Saint John Paul the Second. What I care about is you bothering me. Stop talking to me, or I'll make you regret this ever happened."
"Who in the bloody hell is Pope Saint John Paul the Second- hey, wait until my father hears about this! You'll regret it!"
Thankfully, the blond boy's cries died out fairly quickly. A happy reprieve from his high-pitched shrills. Unfortunately for myself, and for the blond, the members of his posse weren't the only ones to witness our interaction with each other.
Another door had quickly swung open, and I saw another mop of blonde hair, but time it belonged to a young girl.
"Were you the one arguing with Draco? Awfully dumb of you to do so, if you did."
"That blond? What's he going to do? Make my school life a living hell?" I asked, mockingly. "I don't talk to fools with power fantasies. Especially not those who leave their fighting to their underlings."
One girl from inside the compartment giggled, and another one quickly muttered "Stop! Don't laugh at Draco!", but the blonde girl in front of me only smirked.
"Why don't you sit down for a little?" she asked. The blonde blinked twice, and the long, golden lashes around her sharp green eyes drew me to the rest of her face. "You seem awfully interesting. I would so hate to miss out on meeting somebody who's not afraid of Draco, personally."
I looked at the girl, and then her friends once more before shrugging, and then walking into the compartment, and sitting next to a girl with dark hair, with dark eyes that matched. She scowled as she saw me, but I merely shrugged, and turned back to the blonde.
To be honest, something about her made my attention gravitate towards her. She seemed… different than anybody else I've met. It was almost like everything was a game to her - the way she looked at me as if she was trying to gauge my abilities, the way she playfully smirked, and blinked to keep my attention drawn to her - and for some reason, I liked it.
"You've got me in here, now what do you want with me?" I asked.
"You are interesting. More interesting than any other boy I've met that's my age. I would like to learn more about you before we get sorted into Slytherin, of course."
"Why do you think I'm going to be sorted into Slytherin?"
The blonde laughed, along with a bespectacled girl sitting beside her. "Are you kidding? After a feat of bravery like defying Draco, the only other house you could be in is Gryffindor, but you look far too intelligent to be with those sheep in lion's clothing." We were silent for some time before she said "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. This is Tracey Davis:"
She gestured to the girl with glasses from before, who had a tepid smile on her face as she brushed some locks of dark, brown hair behind her ear. Tracey muttered a meek sounding "Hi," before the blond continued.
"And this is Pansy Parkinson:"
The girl sitting next to me crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Don't mind her," the blonde said, "she's had a bit of a crush on Draco ever since they first me."
"Hmm, so she doesn't have good taste in boys." I said, turning back towards the girl. Tracey giggled once more, and the blonde nodded.
"I'm Daphne Greengrass, heiress of House Greengrass. What about you? What's your name?"
"Corvus. Corvus Gaunt," I said. A sharp gasp leaked out from Pansy's mouth, and Daphne's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they returned to their normal size. The corners of her mouth grew even wider, and she crossed her arms in thought.
"Gaunt? Why does that sound familiar?"
"Because, Tracey," Daphne began, "the Gaunt family is one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families. They were thought to have been dead, or at least isolated from society, but if Corvus here is one of them, that means that the House of Gaunt has returned."
Tracey put her hand on her chin, as if deep in thought, and Daphne laughed. "Forgive Tracey, Corvus. She's a half-blood, but she's been raised by her muggle father for most of her life. She knows more than a muggle born, but she's still pretty new to the wizarding world."
Tracey frowned, and crossed her arms before I leaned forward. "Don't worry, Tracey. I was raised in an orphanage my whole life. I didn't know anything at all about magic until a month ago. I guess you could say we're in the same boat."
I smiled reassuringly in an attempt to comfort her, which apparently worked since she smiled back.
"See, that's exactly what I mean." Daphne stated. "Caring for one's underlings is one aspect of leadership - an ideal regarded quite highly in Slytherin. You belong there, even if you don't quite believe it."
Pansy Parkinson scoffed once more, and then confidently stated "Draco's leadership abilities are twice, no, three times that of Gaunt's abilities."
"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "It takes an awful lot of skill to puppet two lumbering oafs around. I could tell as soon as I saw them that their brains were working at max capacity."
While Pansy's face got bright red, both Tracey and Daphne had started to laugh.
"Is that so?"
There was a brisk knock at the compartment door, and it slid open revealing a girl with an abominable amount of thick, brown hair that seemed to curl slightly, but the most notable thing about her face was the pair of large mouse-like buck teeth.
"Has anyone seen a toad around here? Neville's lost one," she asked. It was only then that I noticed the short, chubby boy standing beside her.
"I can't say I-" I began, but I felt a hand on my arm, and I looked over to see Pansy's annoyed face.
"We don't speak to those who are beneath us."
I scowled, and shrugged off her hand before turning to the girl with the brown hair, and the boy who was nervously standing beside her. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen any toad around here."
"Um, I haven't either, and I've been here the whole time. You'll probably have better luck searching in another cart."
The girl waiting outside nodded in both acceptance and disappointment before muttering "Thank you," and gently shutting the door.
Pansy quickly stood up, and crossed her arms. "I can't believe it - a pure-blooded muggle-born sympathizer! Salazar Slytherin must be turning in his grave!" She marched outside of the compartment, and walked along the left path, presumably towards Draco and his thugs.
"Sorry about that," Daphne said, shrugging. "Her, and a lot of the other Sacred Twenty-Eight families have this foolish idea of pure-blood supremacy - the idea that witches and wizards with a long lineage of magical ancestors are better wizards in general."
"And you don't believe in pure-blood supremacy?" I asked. "The Greengrass family is one of the few houses considered 'pure-blooded'."
She took a moment to think, and then shrugged. "Perhaps some in less-powerful branches of the family might believe in it, but the main family doesn't, and we're the only ones who matter on a large scale.
"I see." I said, staring into her eyes. Her eyes revealed that everything she had said about her family was true, which makes sense since she's a half-blood.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, to which I chuckled.
"Sorry. I was just… thinking."
She gave me a wide smile just as the snack trolley rolled up to our compartment, and the snack lady opened the door.
"Anything from the cart, dears?"
I looked at the two girls, and gestured towards the cart. Daphne shook her head 'no', and Tracey looked down at her stomach which had growled slightly, but she shook her head 'no' as well as she returned my gaze.
"I don't have any money," she said.
"Don't worry about that, Tracey. Get what you want, I'll pay for it."
She looked at me with uncertainty before I finally gave her a wink, and pulled out five or so galleons before offering it to her. Tracey's eyes lit up, and she held out her hands so I could give it to her. She immediately shot out of the compartment, and began picking things out from the trolley.
Daphne smiled as she watched her short friend, and leaned in to whisper to me. "Thanks for that. Tracey's really nice, but she lacks confidence. I think giving her a push is exactly what she needs."
I nodded, and she sat back in her seat, and crossed her legs just as Tracey returned, carrying a myriad of candies of all sorts. She held out her hand to give me back the change, but I refused it, holding up my hand. "How about you keep that for the next time you want to buy some snacks?"
Tracey smiled, and then sat down next to Daphne, offering her what looked like a chocolate frog. The two of them began to chat as Daphne accepted it. Tracey offered me a chocolate frog as well, and I grabbed it, thanking her. As the train gave off another 'Toot!', my attention turned back towards the outside at the green hills rushing outside.
By the time the train had stopped, I had eventually returned to Harry and Ron's compartment so I could both give the girls some privacy, and change into my school robes.
"Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." a voice echoed from an intercom.
We finally exited the train, along with a few dozen more kids my age, but curiously, I couldn't find any of the older kids among us. It seemed to be only a crowd of children, and a singular man of gargantuan proportions.
"Merlin's beard! It's cold out here," A kid from behind me said. I looked back on him, and watched as he uneasily rubbed his arms to stay warm. "Of course you don't have any reaction. I'm lucky if you tell me the time of day…"
A rather large boy with blond, combed hair responded by grunting a quick "Hmm."
"Oh! A more profound response than usual, eh, Nott?" he said. He elbowed the taller boy, who merely continued staring straight ahead as if nothing had happened.
Finally, a familiar face had walked down from the steps followed by a shorter girl with a set of round glasses with a thin rim.
"For the love of- Blaise, leave Theodore alone! You know he doesn't like talking if he doesn't have to." Daphne said.
Theodore looked at her, and then gave her a confident nod, as if to say 'That's right!"
"No need to cause a scene, Daphne. I was just playing around with him."
"Enough of that. I have something to tell you. I met someone. Someone brilliant."
"Oh? Someone's finally managed to melt your frozen heart?" the kid named Blaise laughed. Go on! Tell us who the lucky sucker is!"
Daphne looked at the taller boy, who had tilted his head towards her. "Go on, Theo, punch him."
The boy named Theodore had punched Blaise hard enough for the shorter boy to nearly fall on the ground. He began rubbing his arm again, but this time out of pain. "Ow! Was that really necessary, Daphne?"
"Quiet!" she said. "Now, as I was saying - wait, he's right there. Come over here, Corvus!" Daphne's gaze found my own, and she quickly rushed over to me before grabbing me by the wrist, and pulling me over to Tracey and the boys. "This is Corvus Gaunt, the last heir to the Gaunt family."
Blaise's eyes had bulged, but Theodore remained as emotionless as ever.
Sadly, the introduction was cut short, as Hagrid yelled from behind me, "C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
The whole crowd followed the giant man down a steep path, that was too short for my liking. How such a large man managed to make it through without falling was beyond me. Unfortunately, it was far too dark to see anything, causing numerous kids to trip and fall, including Tracey.
I immediately stopped, and held my hand out for Tracey, which she graciously accepted. "Thanks. It's a little slippery."
"No problem. It's probably best if you hang on to somebody," I said, pulling her up, "Then, at least if you fall, somebody else will fall with you. It'll be less embarrassing."
Tracey chuckled, and then looped her arm around Daphne's, letting go of my own.
When we finally got to the bottom of the path, I saw a small fleet of boats, all tied to wooden posts nailed to the rocky shoreline.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called.
I approached one of the boats before placing myself onto a seat. Tracey was about to follow, but Daphne relented, stating "Let's let the boys acquaint themselves, Tracey. We can get in the boat with Pansy."
Tracey nodded, and then the two girls climbed into a boat with Pansy, and one of the most rotund girls I've ever seen. I physically reeled back as Theodore sat next to me, and Blaise sat across from the two of us. When another boy tried to enter, Blaise shot him an intimidating look, and the boy meekly got into another book.
"Oh, good!" Blaise said. "It looks like we have the boat to ourselves. Now, to introduce myself." He held out his hand, and I began to shake it. "I'm Blaise Zabini. Now, I'm not one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but I am pure-blooded, so you're in good company, Gaunt. You don't mind if I call you Gaunt, do you?"
Before I could answer, he continued.
"Of course you don't. That there's Theodore Nott. He's silent most of the time, but he's loyal, especially to Daphne. Oh, and if you want my advice, don't make fun of her, or she'll make Nott here punch you."
Nott remained emotionless.
"Good old Nott." Blaise said, smiling. "Anyways, what about you? Where have you been all these years? What about your parents? Where are they?"
"I was raised in an orphanage. I only recently learned about my heritage recently. As for my parents, don't know, although they left me quite a large amount of money. Nobody will tell me if they're still alive or not."
"Oh…" Blaise said in a disappointed matter. "Well, at least you're pure-blooded, like Nott and I. We'll do our best to make sure you get out of school alive, won't we, Nott?"
"Hmm." Theodore grunted.
"That means 'yes'."
"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted. He had unsurprisingly taken up a boat by himself, but from the sound of it, he didn't mind it at all. "Right then - FORWARD!"
Our boat had begun to finally lurch forwards, and we glided across the water as if the boat was a sharp pair of scissors, and the water was a thin sheet of paper.
"Quite fast, isn't it? Still, this is one of the more unpleasant methods of travel. Simply too slow." Blaise stated. "My mother took me to Sweden in a flying cart, once. Much more efficient way to travel."
"What made it fly?" I asked. "A spell?"
"My mother told me it was being drawn by something called a Thestral, but I've never seen seen it. She was probably just making something up to mess with me."
I nodded as the boat continued it's track. Eventually, I could see a massive silhouette in the dark. A gigantic blob, but the closer shapes looked as though they were gigantic stone towers.
"Hogwarts is nothing from here." Blaise said. His wide smile seemed to have grown even wider as he looked up as well. "I'll take you out during one of our free days to get a better look. "
"Sounds like a plan."
We finally reached a dark tunnel, which seemed to run underneath the castle.
"Heads Down!" Hagrid yelled.
Theodore, Blaise, and I leaned down, and we entered the dark tunnel, but it was short-lived as we got close to what seemed to be a harbor. The boat halted just as we reached the shoreline, and the three of us stood up on the rocks and pebbles beneath our feat.
Hagrid had called something out to the Neville boy who had come to my compartment while I was with Daphne and Trace, presumably about his toad, and then knocked three times on a large, wooden door.
"Are you ready, Gaunt?" Blaise asked.
"Ready for what?"
"To be sorted, of course, " he said with a smile that grew increasingly larger.
The wooden door had finally swung open revealing a tall woman dressed in a set of dark robes. Her stern, bespectacled face almost seemed… intimidating, but it was still nothing compared to that of Professor Snape.
"The Firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
She led us into a room of gargantuan proportions. Nearly wide enough to clear the orphanage, are definitely as tall. The ensemble was complete with a large marble staircase that led to the upper floors.
The professor took us up the stairs, and then brought us into a small, but empty chamber. I heard what must have been more than five-hundred voices beyond the door connected to the empty chamber, but the professor didn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, all she did was turn to us, and then announce, "Welcome to Hogwarts."
Well, here it is - Chapter 4! Before I continue writing, I think I should probably clarify something to clear up some confusion, in many aspects, Harry will be similar to Corvus, and in many aspects, they will polarize, but he is not Harry Potter. He is an entirely new character created by me. Along with that, I still have many decisions to make about his character, and the story at large.
IN FACT, THE FIRST SURVEY IS ALREADY AVAILABLE! It will be available for some time on my profile, so just copy and paste it from there into your search bar, and a period - "." (No parenthesis). If you have any questions, be sure to PM me. I'll be happy to answer them.