"We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in five minutes. All students, leave your trunks in the racks, they will be taken to your dorms separately."
Harry, Neville, and Hermione shoved their books back into their trunks, latched them, and straightened their robes. Moving to the window, Harry let Hedwig loose after telling her to find him later that night.
"Maybe we should wait for a few minutes? That way we won't get trampled by the older kids," Harry suggested. Neville and Hermione nodded, and sat back down. "So, Neville, did your Gran give you any tips about Hogwarts that we should know?"
"Er, yeah. McGonagall, she's the Transfiguration professor, is apparently real strict, and first impressions are really important. Gran said one year, a kid interrupted her on the first day of class, and she didn't actually forgive him until he graduated."
"That doesn't sound very professional," Hermione said, frowning. "Teachers shouldn't hold grudges for so long, it could hurt the student's performance."
"Lighten up, Hermione, you'll be fine as long as you don't do something like that," Harry said, grinning. "Hey, you guys want to see a spell?"
"You can do magic? Already? When did you learn? Won't you get in trouble?" Hermione asked, almost in a panic, stuck between excitement and fear.
"Relax, we can't get in trouble for using magic on the train, I must've seen a dozen of the older students doing magic just when I was getting on," Harry replied. "Do either of you have something small you don't mind losing?"
Neville fished a liquorice wand from his pocket and offered it to Harry. Remembering Ollivander's words that wandless magic was not a common ability, Harry pulled his wand from his pocket. Focusing on what he wanted to make, he thrust his wand towards the candy until his wand just touched it. "Mutare."
As before, he felt his magic flowing from his palm and fingers into the handle of the wand, twisting it together in complicated patterns he could not begin to understand, then expelled it into the liquorice. The red candy began to warp, losing its appearance as a wand. Hermione and Neville looked on with wide eyes.
When the transformation was complete, a small, red steam engine was sitting in Neville's palm. The detail work was not perfect, but it was still a very recognizable sight: the Hogwarts Express. Neville's jaw was hanging open, while Hermione's eyes were flickering between the candy and Harry rapidly.
"How did you do that?" Hermione demanded. "We haven't even had a class yet, and you're already doing magic? That could be dangerous!"
"Hermione, it's alright. I read all of the warnings in the book, and as long as your wand movements are clear there isn't any danger to anyone."
Hermione looked about to continue speaking, but was interrupted before she could. "We have arrived at Hogsmeade Station. All students, please exit the train as quickly and safely as you can," said the loudspeaker above their heads. Outside on the platform, Harry could see a veritable flood of black robed people moving towards a row of horseless carriages.
"Well, we'd better go. Don't want to miss the ride up to the school," Harry suggested. The three first years stepped out into the almost deserted corridor and quickly exited the train.
"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" a deep voice proclaimed over the crowd. Harry and his new friends fought their way through the sea of students and promptly came to a halt at the sight before them.
The man before them was, without exaggeration, a giant. He stood nearly twelve feet tall, with a thick tangle of hair covering his head and face. Two cheerful black eyes glittered in the light from the station as he looked down at Harry. Looking out over the mob of children (all about a third of his height), he began to speak.
"Hello there, everyone! Name's Rubeus Hagrid, I'm the Keeper o' the Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. A'right, let's head to the boats!" the man's voice boomed. He turned and took massive strides towards the shore of the nearby lake. "No more'n four to a boat!"
Harry, Neville, and Hermione stepped into one of the last available boats. Glancing around, Harry noticed another student standing alone as the others separated into groups of four. "Hey! We've got an open seat here!" Harry yelled towards him. The redhead, relieved, jogged over.
"Thanks, mate. For a minute I thought I was gonna have to swim to Hogwarts," he said as he sat down. "I'm Ron, Ron Weasley."
"I'm Harry, and this is Neville and Hermione," Harry said as he shook Ron's hand. "We met on the train."
Ron shook hands with the other two, then turned back to Harry. "Any idea what house you guys are going to? I'm sure I'll be in Gryffindor, my whole family has gone there for generations."
Harry shrugged. "I don't really know. I mean, all the houses have good traits they're known for, so it doesn't seem like too big of a deal to me." As Neville and Hermione answered in turn, Harry looked up as he heard a soft hoot, and Hedwig glided down to land on the gunwale of their dinghy. Harry stroked her feathers absentmindedly as their boat pushed off the shore by itself and began to follow the fleet already on the water.
As they exited the small harbor they were in and turned, the school came into view for the first time. School didn't really do it justice; it was a castle. Standing on a hill overlooking the lake stood the single largest thing Harry had ever seen. Towers climbed hundreds of feet in the air, and a thick wall surrounded the entire castle. It had an air of majesty around it, and the lights shining from the windows into the dark sky only added to it. Eventually overcoming his awe, Harry glanced around to see every single one of his year mates with their jaws open, with looks of wonder in their eyes.
"'eads down!" shouted Hagrid from the front. There was no need, as the plants hanging down over the grotto entrance stopped nearly ten feet above the water. One by one, the boats grounded themselves on the gravel shore and the students disembarked. After everyone had found their footing on solid ground again, Hagrid nodded and started climbing the stairs in the back of the cave four at a time. The students rushed to keep up with him.
They eventually came to a landing in front of a set of massive wooden doors that even Hagrid could pass through with ease. He raised a fist and knocked on the door three times. After a short pause, both doors swung inward silently, revealing a tall woman in a pointed hat.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, stepping to the side.
"Thank you, Mr. Hagrid. Follow me, please," McGonagall replied in measured tones. Harry, remembering Neville's words, hastened to follow her instructions. After walking through a cavernous entryway, they entered a small room. The new students filed in quietly, nervous in front of the intimidating figure of their new teacher.
"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," McGonagall began. "For the next seven years, this school will be your home. In just a few moments, you will join the remainder of the school in the Great Hall. First, however, you must be sorted into your house, which will be something of a family during your time here. The four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, each have an ancient and storied past, with their fair share of famous and powerful magic users. You will share successes, as well as failures, with your house. Now, please wait here quietly while I make sure the rest of the school is ready for you." She exited the chamber through a second set of doors, leaving a silent room behind her.
Silent, that is, until one voice spoke up. "What a load of tosh. I should think that the school would have admitted that Hufflepuff is just all the leftovers by now." Harry couldn't see who spoke, but the voice indicated a severely inflated ego.
Before anybody could reply to the comment, there was a scream from the back of the room. Harry spun, already charging his limbs with magic to enhance his strength, ready to leap into action. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, upon hearing voices, he looked up in surprise.
"I say we give Peeves another chance. It's in his nature, it's not his fault he behaves the way he does," said a translucent man near the front of a crowd of what could only be ghosts.
"Kick him out, I say!" shouted another. "He's had enough opportunities. We should – I'll say, who are you?"
"These are the first years," announced McGonagall from where she had reentered the room. "Please, enter the Great Hall, the sorting will begin in a few moments," she said, and the ghosts continued on their way through the wall. When they were all gone, McGonagall turned back to the students.
"Follow me."