The Potter Timeline
Chapter 2 - Floating and Sorting
When the Hogwarts Express came to a stop, Harry looked out the window to see a much smaller platform than 9 3/4 - and this one sat outdoors. A station sign above the platform looked similar to the one at King's Cross, but with an unfamiliar name:
Hogsmeade
And Harry now thought it odd to see the sky dark and lamps lighting the platform as though it was nighttime. How could that be?
The boy could have sworn that the train ride only took an hour at most. And if they left King's Cross at eleven that morning, how could they have crossed that distance without realizing how much time had actually passed?
Unless…the train ride itself was magical.
Mind thoroughly boggled, Harry shook his head. But he set this enigma aside as he had a more pressing issue: how to get his luggage off the train.
Movement in the carriage corridor caught Harry's attention and he stepped to the door. Upon opening it, he was met by a herd of students whizzing past him.
"This way! Come on! That's it!" a nasally-sounding voice pronounced from the right end of the corridor.
Harry recognized the young man giving out orders as one of the redheads belonging to that family at King's Cross. He sported curly, copper red hair, and had a thin face that seemed etched into a permanent state of serious. And he wore a very important-looking badge on his robes. Harry figured he was the best person to ask about his trunk.
The eleven-year-old fell in with the flow of pupils, made his way to the end of the corridor, and stepped up to the redhead.
"Excuse me…how do we get our luggage off the train?"
The older student looked down at Harry as though the boy was a bother and should already know the obvious answer to such a question.
"Your luggage and any animals will be taken off the train for you and deposited directly into your dorm room once you've been sorted into your House," he curtly spoke with a grimace, "now, move along. This way!"
Harry found himself shoved toward the carriage door by a wave of students behind him. At first, he tried to resist as he wanted to go back and make sure Hedwig was secure in her cage. But the mass of kids was too great, and the next thing Harry knew he was spit out of the train onto the platform. He quickly stepped over to the window of his compartment and peered in.
Poor Hedwig was still on her perch, glancing around as though looking for Harry or perhaps was just frightened at all the commotion. Harry frowned, but felt helpless to do anything. So, he turned to see where everyone was going. The students pouring onto the platform seemed to be moving in the direction of the train engine still bellowing out white clouds of steam. He decided to follow them.
"Harry!" a girl's voice came at him from behind.
He turned to see Hermione dashing through the crowd. Harry smiled in amusement. Her fluffy brown hair blew behind her like a kite in the wind. And when she finally stopped, the hair was in great frazzles around her shoulders.
"There you are," she uttered with that bossy tone again.
"Hi," he replied with a smirk.
The two stared at one another for a moment as though uncertain of what to do. Hermione then took on that serious look.
"Well, I suppose we should go that way, don't you?" she asked while pointing toward the steam engine.
Harry looked at her puzzled.
She…wanted to go…together?
His face turned pink at the thought. His instinct told him that eleven-year-old boys didn't hang out with girls - it just wasn't done. Not to mention it might be embarrassing to be seen with a girl in front of the other boys - boys whom he hoped to become friends with. Harry swallowed hard trying to think of an excuse to walk by himself. However, as he glanced at the other students, he noticed most all of them had a friend or friends, even siblings, to walk with.
Harry had…no one.
Viewing such cheery faces on his fellow pupils, it now seemed more embarrassing to walk alone. He should at least have someone, even if that someone was a girl. Harry nodded at her.
"Yes. That's…where everyone else seems to be going," he replied, swallowing hard once more.
The brunette smiled back. The two joined the other students and walked…together. It didn't take long for Hermione start up again.
"From what I've read in Hogwarts, A History, all first-years get to the castle by boat, a tradition the school has kept for nearly 200 years. That must be where we're going."
She then went on and rattled off several more facts Harry didn't know about the school. For someone who was just starting wizarding school herself, she seemed to already know an awful lot. They had nearly made it to the end of the platform when a booming voice broke over the cacophony of noisy kids.
"Firs' years, this way! Come on now!"
Harry's face lit up as he saw the great big form of Hagrid standing over top all the students. He held a lantern in one hand while surveying the first-years swarming toward him.
"Right now. Off yeh go! Jus' follow that path there…well, there yeh are, Harry! Good teh see yeh again!"
Harry smiled at the giant.
"Good to see you too, Hagrid."
The enormous man beamed at the boy through his thick bushy beard.
"I trus' everything's goin' all right?"
"Yes, thanks."
The man nodded and then looked at the girl next to Harry.
"An' who might this be with yeh?"
Harry was just about to answer but was preempted by said girl.
"I'm Hermione Granger," she uttered in that bossy tone.
"Well, nice teh meet yeh, Hermione."
Hermione squinted at Hagrid.
"I've read about you. You're the Hogwarts gamekeeper, aren't you?"
"That I am, young miss. That I am. Now, along with yeh both, follow that path there. We're a bit behin' schedule…"
"See you later, Hagrid," Harry told him, and the giant waved back, turning once more toward the platform.
"Firs' years, this way…"
Harry and Hermione left the end of the platform behind other students who were descending a dirt path in between two thick hedgerows. Tall poles topped by torches illuminated the path. Hermione led the way with Harry behind her as there wasn't enough room to walk side-by-side…which was just fine by him. While he was glad to have her with him, he was also trying to keep his distance - she was a girl, after all.
After a couple minutes, the dirt path ended at a clearing which dipped down toward the edge of a huge black lake. Harry gazed up into the night sky. A bright moon along with thousands of stars shone down and sparkled in the water. At the water's edge, a wooden dock stretched out into the lake and on either side of the dock a dozen little wooden boats, each with an already lit lantern at its stern, straddled either side of the dock - no moorings holding them fast.
The herd of students, bunched up before the dock, were startled when Hagrid suddenly appeared from behind and cut a swath through them on his way to the dock.
"Excuse me there! Mind yer heads! Excuse me! Comin' through…"
When the great man reached the dock, he turned and held his lantern out.
"Right then, four to a boat, an' watch yer step! Don' want teh have teh fish any of yeh out of the lake at this time o' night."
Hagrid stepped onto the dock first which made it sink by several inches. The students followed and filed into the small boats. Harry and Hermione moved to the middle of the now rickety dock and Harry stopped, gazing into a boat next to them. He looked at Hermione who was apparently waiting for him. His face turned slightly red.
"Um…how about this one?" he asked.
"That's fine," she replied with a satisfied smile.
The girl hopped into the boat and sat on the end of the little bench. Harry stepped in after and sat down next to her, staying as far on the near end as possible.
"Mind if we join you two?"
They looked up to see a smart-looking boy, who had made the request, and Neville standing next to him with a nervous expression.
"Not at all," Harry and Hermione both uttered at the same time. They glanced at each other in surprise then returned their attention to the two boys.
"I'm Dean, by the way," the kid said while hopping into the boat.
"Nice to meet you," Harry replied.
Neville followed the boy without saying anything, however. The two sat on the bench in front of Harry and Hermione, and the group was ready to head off.
"Neville, were you able to find your toad?" Hermione asked.
Neville turned around.
"Yes. Trevor was…under my seat the whole time, actually. Sorry to have bothered you."
The boy looked afraid as though Hermione might smack him for wasting her time. Instead, the girl smiled.
"That's okay. I'm just glad you found him," she replied. Neville nodded in relief and turned back around.
"Everyone put?" Hagrid bellowed out. Receiving at least forty nods back, the man smiled and stepped into another small boat at the end of the dock. Harry chuckled at the sight of Hagrid filling the petite boat so much its sides bent outward and its top now sat only inches from the water line. He was amazed the little craft didn't sink.
"Right, then. Off we go!"
Every boat lurched forward of its own accord and Harry marveled once more at the magic. The little fleet, with Hagrid's nearly sunken boat at the lead, moved out of the harbor and into the lake proper. The water was as black as pitch and the breeze blowing past them was a bit cool. Hermione then felt the need to inform her fellow boat-goers of more facts.
"I read in Oddlum's Oddities of the Wizarding World that in 1841, one of the first-year boats was capsized by a giant squid that lives in this lake. Apparently, the present one is its descendant."
Harry, Dean, and Neville shot stunned glances at the girl, who didn't seem bothered in the least by what she had just said. Harry swallowed hard while noticing the same look of fright on the two boy's faces as his own.
"Thankfully, no one was hurt, however," Hermione finished while gazing off into the distance.
Harry glanced down at the water passing by and his eyes widened as he thought he saw something moving under the surface. But perhaps it was just his imagination.
"Whoa!"
"Wow!"
"Look at that!"
Excited voices from students in the front boats floated back to the rest and every first-year gazed up at the amazing sight before them. Hermione forgot about her facts, Harry forgot about the squid as all four in the little boat stared in wonder at the magnificent-looking Hogwarts castle perched atop a large hill that gradually tapered down to a cliff by the water's edge.
Flickering candle and torch light in nearly every window gave the silhouetted towers, turrets, and roofs of the old castle a mystical quality. The enormous edifice looked both enchanting and intimidating as the first-years gawked at their new home-away-from-home. Harry always had a fascination with knights, wizards, and dragons dwelling and fighting among mythical, medieval castles. The boy could hardly contain himself at the idea he was going to actually live in one!
Soon, the little fleet, headed up by Hagrid, reached the solid cliff face at the bottom of the hill. In the midst of the cliff was a darkened cave into which the boats floated. Harry saw light ahead and noticed a stone landing lit on either side by cobweb-ridden gargoyles holding torches. A small flight of steps rose directly from the water to the landing and each boat, starting with Hagrid's, stopped, waited for its contents to empty, then disappeared into darkness ahead. The sight made Harry think of that creepy, automated water-ride at the Fun Fair Uncle Vernon took him and Dudley to a few years ago.
Harry, Hermione, Dean, and Neville all waited in the queue until their boat arrived at the stairs. The four stepped out and marched to the landing to wait with the others. Soon, all the students were standing on the landing, waiting for Hagrid. Harry looked back and noticed the redhead boy with the smudge on his nose joking around with some other boys rather loudly. Then, whispers broke out among the pupils.
"Look! Is that really him?"
"I believe so."
"So, he's actually come to Hogwarts!"
"How do you know it's him?"
"Look at his scar!"
At first, Harry didn't know what they were talking about until someone mentioned a scar. And since he could only think of one famous scar, he realized the whispers were about him. Harry's face turned pink. He looked at Hermione wide-eyed. She leaned in closer.
"I told you you were famous," she stated quietly.
Harry swallowed hard at the idea.
"Right then! Everyone here? Follow me!" Hagrid bellowed out.
The students marched up a long, winding stairwell behind the half-giant whose shoulders brushed against both sides of the solid rock walls as he climbed, having to turn his body at one point to get through a tight spot. A few minutes later, he opened a wooden door that let out into the entrance of the castle.
"Wow!" nearly every student uttered as they gazed up into the grand hall made of limestone blocks and decorated with medieval statues, tall glazed windows, torches, and a few large paintings lining the walls. Harry was so amazed at the sight, he wondered if he was dreaming.
The new pupils marched up the stairwell just before the doors to the Great Hall itself. And at the top of the stairs, a witch wearing emerald-green robes and an emerald-green hat waited patiently before them until everyone was assembled. Hagrid stepped up to the woman.
"Everyone's here an' accounted for, Professor McGonagall."
Her stern gaze which had been sweeping over the students like a spotlight searching for an escaped convict now changed to something more pleasant as she looked at the man.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here."
"Yes, Professor."
Hagrid smiled at the first-years, waved at Harry and Hermione near the middle, then proceeded down the main corridor into the depths of the castle. The professor's face became grave once more as she turned to address the students.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Before the start-of-term banquet begins, you will follow me to the front of the Great Hall where you will each be sorted into your Houses in front of the other students. The Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own dormitory where you will reside, and where you will spend time with your fellow House mates. Your House will be like your family during your stay here…"
As the Professor went on to mention several other important points, Harry's nerves kicked in.
'Sorted? In front of the other students?' he thought with alarm.
He didn't know what "sorting" entailed and hoped he didn't have to make a speech or perform in some kind of test. But more importantly, he hoped to get sorted into the right House, after what Hermione told him on the train. He didn't know anything about the Houses except the names, but he agreed with the fluffy-haired girl: Gryffindor sounded pretty cool. But Slytherin sounded like bad news.
"…so please wait here. I'll return to retrieve you presently for the sorting ceremony."
The woman pursed her lips, promptly spun on her heels, and disappeared into the hall behind its two huge doors. Hermione leaned close to Harry.
"Last night I re-read as much as I could and went back over all the spells just in case they quiz us for the sorting."
Harry's eye's went wide as saucers and his face turned pale - he hadn't prepared for the sorting whatsoever…
"It's true then, what they're saying," a clipped, bratty-sounding voice came at Harry from his left.
He turned to see a first-year boy wearing immaculate and obviously expensive robes. His hair was whitish-blond and slicked back tightly with a sharp widow's peak above his forehead. The kid held a smirk on his face accompanied by something devious in his eyes. Harry resisted the urge to snicker. The boy looked like a blond-haired, miniature version of that vampire Dracula he watched on the telly at Halloween one time.
Every student on the steps instantly quieted to watch this exchange.
"So, you're Harry Potter. Nice scar you got there. I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way. And this is Crabbe and Goyle."
'Draco…Dracula…' Harry thought with amusement.
He then glanced at the two kids on either side of Malfoy - the one named Crabbe was short and wide while Goyle was tall and thin. Both of them grinned in such a way it convinced Harry that nobody was home. Malfoy continued.
"Stick with me and I can help you in the right direction. You don't want to get mixed up with the wrong sort around here."
At this, Draco held his hand out to Harry while throwing a quick glare at Hermione right as he uttered the words "wrong sort". Hermione threw Draco a rather mean look but said nothing. Harry then glanced at Draco's hand and back at his arrogant face.
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thank you," he informed the boy with a fierce gaze.
Draco withdrew his hand and stepped closer, his eyes growing even more devious, if that was possible.
"Watch it, Potter! Hang out with the wrong sort and you won't know who's got your back…or who might stab you in it!"
Anger flashed across Harry's face as he unconsciously stepped closer to Malfoy.
"No, Harry!" Hermione uttered while grabbing his sleeve to hold him back.
The tension in the air was thick as soup and every first-year gazed wide-eyed at the pair, wondering if a row would suddenly erupt. But it never did.
"Ahem!"
Harry and Draco turned to find Professor McGonagall gazing severely at them both. Harry swallowed hard and stepped back from Malfoy who followed suit. After a moment, the woman seemed to relax.
"We're now ready for you in the Great Hall. Please follow me."
Draco threw one more mean look at Harry before he, Crabbe, and Goyle shoved their way ahead through some other first-years. Harry, Hermione, Dean, and Neville fell in line shortly after.
Upon entering the Great Hall, Harry was gobsmacked. The enormous room seemed as high as it was wide - tall, stained-glass windows stretched all the way up to a ceiling that didn't seem to be there. Instead, he was amazed at seeing stars across the void of space from one end of the Hall to the other. Hermione leaned toward him.
"The ceiling is bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in…"
'…Hogwarts, A History,' Harry thought right as she said the words. He smiled in amusement.
Beneath this bewitching night sky, hundreds of floating candles lit the chamber and revealed four long tables of dark wood occupied by the rest of Hogwarts students. And to all the first-years' surprise, ghosts of all types floated around the chamber, some acting frightened, some acting silly, and some acting mischievous toward the students. Harry then gazed at the banners over each table designating the specific House occupying it. The lion of Gryffindor was on the far right, the badger of Hufflepuff next to it, the eagle of Ravenclaw after, and the serpent of Slytherin on the far left.
As the troupe of first-years marched behind McGonagall down the center of the Hall, every eye was on them, watching as the new pupils headed for their destiny. Harry saw a single stool in the middle of the floor and behind this, the High Table occupied by Hogwarts staff. Right in the middle of this table was the wizard Harry saw on the Chocolate Frog card: Professor Dumbledore. And he looked precisely like his moving image on the card. The old man appeared serene but held a fixed gaze at the pupils now entering his domain. Not knowing him yet, Harry couldn't tell if the famous wizard was pleased or put out. But already, Harry could see that the man was a force to be reckoned with.
Not far from Dumbledore, Harry saw Hagrid sitting at the table. Next to Hagrid was another familiar face: Professor Quirrell, that odd fellow who stuttered and wore a purple turban, the one Hagrid introduced Harry to at the Leaky Cauldron a month ago.
McGonagall moved to the stool and turned to face the first-years. She produced a piece of parchment from her robes and then pulled what looked like a very old wizard's hat from off the the stool.
"When I call your name, please step forward and sit on the stool," she told the pupils.
A nervous shutter ran through every one of the kids in line. The other students at the tables watched eagerly to see who would wind up as one of their fellow House mates.
"Abbott, Hannah."
The timid-looking girl with pigtails walked to the stool with a look of fright. She then turned and sat down. McGonagall lowered the worn-out looking hat onto the girl's head. Everyone held their breath.
"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted.
The Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers. Little Hannah grinned and shot over to her new House mates.
'That's it? Just wear that mouldy-looking hat?' Harry wondered to himself.
He was relieved the sorting didn't involve reciting some knowledge of magic he didn't have or performing some spell he didn't know. But it still didn't assuage his nervousness.
"Bones, Susan."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff crowd clapped and cheered again. The next couple of students were sorted into Ravenclaw, receiving an equally enthusiastic welcome from their fellow pupils. The first Gryffindor, a girl named Lavender Brown, received the biggest applause by far. And though Harry didn't know any of the names to this point, he noted the professor was going in alphabetical order by last name. That put him a ways down the list, thankfully. But the next name called was familiar.
"Granger, Hermione."
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances on cue and Harry saw a worried look in her eyes coupled with a half-smirk. Hermione then marched forward. The brunette sat on the stool and watched the Professor lower it onto her head. The girl's face now exuded nervousness as her eyes darted back and forth. Then, it hit.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table exploded with cheers and Harry didn't think Hermione could produce a bigger smile of relief and joy. Harry himself smiled at the sight and clapped for her.
She had gotten her wish!
Hermione ran nearly full out to the table of the lions and received handshakes and congratulations from her new House mates. Harry looked at her and she glanced back at him, grinning ear-to-ear. He was happy for her.
"Longbottom, Neville."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The lions roared once more.
"Malfoy, Draco."
Everyone in the hall quieted in anticipation, though it wasn't difficult to guess which house he'd end up in. The mysterious sorting hat was an inch from Malfoy's head.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Harry wondered if the hat already knew or if it simply didn't want that greasy head of hair touching it. Nevertheless, the House of the serpents cheered and gained a few more students after.
Then, the moment arrived.
"Potter, Harry."
Every last soul in the Hall fell silent. Harry felt four-hundred-plus sets of eyes fall upon him. His cheeks burned red, and his heart was thumping out of his chest. He walked slowly toward McGonagall and the stool. The woman gazed down at him with her stern expression, making Harry's heart beat even faster. Arriving at the stool, he turned and sat down. When the hat plopped onto his messy, black head of hair, his mind was in overdrive, wondering what was going to happen.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, I see," a low, grave voice spoke to him, "very difficult, indeed. There's plenty of courage and talent, and…a desire to prove yourself…"
Harry didn't know if the hat was speaking out loud or was simply in his head.
"Now, where shall we put you?"
'Gryffindor!' he thought.
"Not Slytherin? Are you sure? You could be great, you know? And Slytherin could help you on the way to greatness…"
'Not Slytherin! Gryffindor!' Harry thought one more time with as much inner force as possible.
"Well, if you're sure…better be…"
Harry held his breath.
"…GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, and the entire hall erupted with the exception of Slytherin House. The noise was so great it seemed to rattle the windows on both sides of the chamber.
Relief washed over Harry like a bucket of ice water. His face lit up as he stared at his new fellow House mates in wonder. He saw Hermione shoot up from her seat with a jolt, clapping enthusiastically with a huge, open-mouthed grin. No sooner had McGonagall removed the hat than the boy with the lightning-shaped scar bolted toward the table of the lions as its newest member.
Harry was beside himself.
The redhead who Harry met on the train was the first to shake his hand.
"Congratulations, Harry! Welcome to Gryffindor! I'm Percy Weasley, by the way."
Harry was amazed at the huge smile on the young man's face after thinking him so severe before.
"And I'm Fred!" one of the redhead twins shouted while reaching across the table to shake Harry's hand with his long, lanky arm.
"And I'm George!" the other twin yelled out, repeating his brother's gesture.
"Welcome to Gryffindor!" they both shouted at the same time.
After receiving more handshakes and back slaps, Harry finally sat down next to Hermione.
"Way to go, Harry!" she squealed while beaming at the kid.
Harry beamed back.
"Thanks!"
Finally, all the noise and chatter died down and the next first-year got up to be sorted.
Still a bit stunned and feeling like his body was glowing, Harry looked up at the High Table and caught a glance from Professor Dumbledore himself. The old wizard nodded his head at Harry and smiled broadly. Harry felt like he was floating on the clouds.
"Thomas, Dean."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry and Hermione both clapped enthusiastically. Only a few first-years now remained.
"Weasley, Ronald."
The redhead with the smudge on his nose moved slowly toward the stool. When he turned around and sat down, he had the most frightful look on his face Harry had seen yet. He guessed the boy was under extra pressure as his three older brothers were already in Gryffindor.
McGonagall lowered the hat onto his head, and he shrank down under it. There was a strange hesitance in the hat for some reason and Harry wondered what it was saying to the redhead. The delay seemed to mystify nearly everyone, in fact, as whispers broke out among the tables. Harry and Hermione exchanged puzzled looks. But then, the Sorting Hat finally spoke.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
Weasley's three brothers threw puzzled looks at one another as cheers and claps erupted from the Badger's table. Ronald's shoulders and face sunk, however. He was clearly not happy. The Professor removed the hat and he slouched toward the Hufflepuff table.
"Sorry, Ronnie boy!" Fred said to his brother as the redhead passed him.
"Yeah, better luck next time!" George followed.
"Wait…" Fred then added.
"…there won't be a next time!" the twins uttered at the same time while glancing at each other.
Laughter burst from both tables at this.
"Shut up, you two!" Ronald scowled at them, plopping down next to the other first years at his table with a deep frown.
The sorting ceremony was completed, and McGonagall moved to sit next to Professor Dumbledore who himself now stood from the table.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Before the feast begins, I have a few announcements to make. First, I wish to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is…well…forbidden to all students. Second, Mr. Filch asked me to remind all first-years that the third-floor corridor is out of bounds to anyone not wishing to die a most painful death."
Harry sat back in his seat, stunned.
'A giant squid in the lake, a forbidden forest, a painful death…what kind of school is this?' he wondered. Dumbledore continued.
"And now, I have a few final words before the banquet begins…"
Harry's face contorted at the four strange things Dumbledore said to the hall. It sounded like he said "Nitwit, blabber, oddball, twit."
The boy glanced around to see nearly every pupil smiling back at the headmaster. Harry wondered what he was missing. But his concern over this vanished as food of all kinds suddenly materialized on every table. Harry's jaw dropped at all the meats, vegetables, breads, casseroles, desserts, and puddings filling the center of the table before them. He had never seen so much food in his life - not even when Uncle Vernon and Dudley were ravenous.
He threw a surprised look at Hermione. The girl grinned back in return. The newly-minted Gryffindors then tucked in and enjoyed their first grand meal at Hogwarts.
Harry could only imagine what further wonders awaited him in his new, magical world.