Harry Potter found getting off the train to be much easier than getting on it. For one thing, he wasn't carrying his trunk. None of the first years were, actually. They were, instead, crowding around Hagrid, who led them from the station down to the boats. "Four to a boat, kids, four to a boat!" Hagrid said with a smile. "Mind you don't argue, or ya might take a dip!"
Harry Potter took his advice to heart, wondering how these boats were going to travel, without sail or oar. Was Hagrid allowed to cast? He got into the boat with Longbottom Granger and Weasley, - watching carefully as other people piled into boats. Malfoy, of course, was with his two thugs, and someone else that Harry didn't recognize. The other kid looked really a bit unhappy to be in the boat - Harry could certainly sympathize.
The lake was black, and dark and deep. The boats appeared to move without anyone touching them, or saying a spell. Surely there weren't Magic Boats - surely they were like broomsticks, interwoven with spells instead of pitch and turpentine?
Hermione Granger, on the other hand, was talkative with nervousness. Harry wanted to silence her in the worst way possible (as he was trying to review his thoughts on how to get into Gryffindor. How does one reason with a Sorting hat? Harry had devised a multicolored flow chart...), but instead settled for just tuning her out.
Hogwarts drifted out of the fog, which was quite a feat for such a large castle. Seeing it, even Hermione stopped talking. Weasley, for whatever reason, looked pale (well, as pale as one can with freckles).
They docked at an actual dock (which was a relief, as Harry didn't want to get more sand in his shoes, and Hagrid led them up the hill towards the castle. Harry looked at the stiff, tartan-bedecked woman at the door. "I am Professor McGonagall, and you are all welcome to Hogwarts. As this is your first year, we are taking you to be sorted into houses. You will take classes and sleep with these children, so try to make friends," the prim lady looked sharply at one Slytherin who was trying to put a snake down a girl's neckhole, "Or at least not make enemies the very first day." With an audible sniff, McGonagall turned away from the group, and belted, "Follow me!" in a voice that echoed up and down the halls.
As they walked up the stairs, Weasley was telling Harry about how they were to be sorted by a troll - or at least that's what his brother said. Malfoy was holding forth on the "drinking a potion and changing colors" idea - Harry had to give him points for inventiveness, as the slight smirk to Malfoy's lips said that he was making this up out of whole cloth. There were a few other rumors going round - the soon-to-be-Hufflepuffs had the story of a PygmyPuff, and the kids that it liked would go into Hufflepuff, and the ones that it fled from would go into Slytherin. Harry thought crossly, Even the house of Friendship and Other Stuff doesn't like the Slytherins! As they neared the door, Harry heard Hermione piping up, in that know it all way, "Actually, Ron-" (And a good thing too, as a steadily more put-upon Harry was leaning towards asking the entire group who'd actually bothered to read anything about this before they came here, and by doing that decide right then and there who was reliable, and who was just a waste of time.)
Granger didn't get past those words, as suddenly ghosts floated out of the ceiling, in the cavernous room they were currently in. They were all chatting to each other (including the one with a hatchet in his chest, and blood spurting down his prominently cut neck.) and seemed to be ignoring the kids. Hermione, on the other hand, had a greedy gleam in her eye, as if she wanted to bottle the ghosts and see exactly what made them tick.
"Calm down, children. You want to make a good impression on your elders. Follow me to your seats up front, and you can sit there until you're called to be sorted." Professor McGonagall said, apparently immune to understanding the fear that ran through the children. If only she had just said how they were to be sorted!
They all sat in simple, fold out chairs in front of the High Table (which was on a dais), and facing the four tables backed by banners identifying them by House Animal. The badger, of all things, looked ferocious at Harry, and flexed its claws. The snake seemed to be saying that it was warm here, and therefore it liked to stay quiet. The lion regally surveiled everything, looking lazy as anything. What caught Harry's attention was the eagle, which swooped around the tapestry as if it hated to be caged (Harry quite knew that feeling). Harry Potter was unsurprised to see a tattered hat waiting on a three legged stool. He swallowed, sitting on his hands to hide his nerves.
[a/n: up next, the sorting! Where do you think Harry will wind up? Any place you'd like to see? No Hufflepuff, even I can't justify that from what I've already written. Leave me a review, regardless!]