The four new friends' chatter became littered with more anxious pauses as their arrival approached. By the time the sun was fading behind the great mountains surrounding Hogwarts, the silence went uninterrupted. Rose noticed that Albus looked particularly worried, though she didn't see why. He did have a brother and 2 cousins at the school, after all. Surely he wasn't worried?!
Louise and Cameron stood huddled together as the train jerkily pulled to a stop. The scarlet engine hissed and its doors slid open, steam admitting from every wheel. The exited students soon added their chatter to the racket.
"Hurry!" cried Rose, grapping a new wicker basket, deeply annoying her already unhappy cat, Stripes. Albus quickly reached out for Cowabella, his owl. The four children's luggage was dragged hastily behind them as they scrambled onto the large platform. Albus was searching the dim for a large, familiar face but, it appeared, he found none. Rose searched the scene, too, but she could see no sign of Hargrid either.
"Where is he?" she whispered to Albus. Her cousin simply shrugged in response. Rose felt a flicker a dread. Hagrid had been one of the friendliest Hogwarts teachers she knew of! He was actually the game-keeper. 'But he wasn't always just a game keeper' Rose reminded herself. 'Mum said that in her 3rd year, Hagrid was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, but she never did tell me why he didn't last more than a year....'
The massive shape of the Hogwarts Game-Keeper suddenly appeared over the loom. "There!" Rose shouted, and she led her friends over to the elderly game keeper. "Hagrid!" Rose called out in relief. "Thank goodness, I thought you might have retired!"
The half-giant laughed. "Well, ye thou' wrong, di'n't yeh?" he said gruffly. "Com' 'ere, yeh lot. An' o's this?" He added, spotting Louise and Cameron.
"These are our friends, Louise and Cameron," Rose introduced them. "Guys, this is Hagrid. Our parents knew him since their 1st year."
Cameron nodded and Louise smiled, both glad to know that the elderly man was friendly.
"Come 'un, yeh lot, now, time fer the off!" Hagrid announced, and soon the foursome were being shepherded along with their fellow first years onto small wooden boats and sailing over the smooth black lake surrounding the castle.
"Our new home"