MISCHIEF MANAGED
Chapter Three - The Arrival
'Evenin' firs' years. Me name is Rubeus Hagrid. I am the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts,' said a giant of a man with a big hairy face. However, he did not appear terrifying but had an aura of friendliness and warmth. His big fur coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets, which James and Sirius found terribly amusing. Imagining what they could do, they began plans for what would be a series of annoying but hilarious practical jokes.
He began to lead the collection of students down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Stumbling in the dim light, James and Sirius laughed hysterically at the pudgy boy who slipped over into the mud. Peter Pettigrew scowled in embarrassment when he saw the two boys laughing at his mud covered robes. The horde of children barely suppressed their delight as the narrow path opened onto the edge of a great black lake.
'Yeh firs' sight o' Hogwarts,' Hagrid said in his booming voice. His arms were spread towards the great castle, perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the lake. There was a collective 'Ooooh' as they all received their first view of the medieval castle, complete with turrets and towers, in which they would be spending the rest of their school years.
There was a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. James and Sirius pulled Remus into a boat and were followed closely by the pudgy Peter Pettigrew, desperate to be classed as one of theirs. As soon as all the boats were filled they moved off, gliding over the glassy water of the Black Lake.
The boats approached the cliff on which the magnificent castle stood. As the first boats reached the cliff, Hagrid's enormous voice yelled to the students 'Heads down.' Boat after boat carried the first years through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. However, the last boat in the procession was not a group to follow the crowd. Sirius pulled on the ivy curtain as they passed through. These plants must have been more than ordinary and they didn't enjoy such treatment. They retaliated but just as they were about to lash Sirius across the face, he ducked and the blow intended for Sirius was taken by Peter Pettigrew instead. Not a noise escaped him and the other boys looked at him in awe. They all cheered him, James clapped him on the back and without much said it was acknowledged that Peter was one of them.
The boats were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour. Here they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles and proceeded up a passageway in the rock following Hagrid's lamp. At last the group came out onto smooth, damp grass in the shadow of the castle. They followed Hagrid up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the enormous, oak front door.
'Everyone here?' Hagrid looked around at the first years' eager faces. 'Oy, you there, stop muckin' around. Not a smart way to start a new school, eh?' James and Sirius just grinned at their first of many reprimands.