Discipline

The September nights in the Scottish Highlands were bitterly cold. The moment Harry stepped off the train, a gust of icy wind struck him head-on and seemed to burrow straight into his bones.

"Bloody cold," Ron said beside him, his teeth chattering.

"First-year new students, over here!" A familiar voice rang out. "Come on, all of you. Oh, Harry, I see you! Are you all right?"

"It's Hagrid," Harry said to Ron, then waved high in the air. "Hagrid, I'm here!"

Hagrid's towering figure was impossible to miss. He gave Harry a kindly smile and waved back before calling to the children, "Any more first-year new students? Come along with me, all of you. I'll take you to the school—"

This was not Harry's first time taking this path. It was slick with mud and littered with thorns. Rumor had it that this was the road taken by the four founders when they established Hogwarts, meant to let new students experience the hardships their predecessors had endured in founding the school.

A lesson in appreciating the good times by remembering the bad ones.

"Round this bend, and you'll see Hogwarts soon enough," Hagrid called loudly. "Come on, the lake's up ahead. We'll be crossing by boat—four to a boat, remember that. You can decide your groups now."

Harry grabbed Ron and looked back just once before Hermione hurried over, with a fatty clutching a toad at her side.

"Harry, Ron, this is Neville," Hermione introduced. Then she said to Neville, "Harry was the one who helped find your toad."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Neville said, thanking Harry somewhat stiffly.

"It's all right. Just call me Harry," Harry said with a warm smile.

Neville felt as though Harry were a little sun. Not only had he driven away Neville's panic, but he had even taken away his cold.

"Come on, the four of us in one boat?" Ron threw an arm around Harry's shoulders and invited Hermione and Neville.

"Sure, there are exactly four of us," Hermione replied, then muttered in a low voice, "I just don't know whether we'll be expelled..."

"Don't worry, Hermione. We only used a Levitation Charm on that drama queen, not Ava—"

Harry had been about to say Avada Kedavra, but suddenly felt that it was inappropriate.

"Ava what?" Neville asked in confusion.

"Alohomora," Harry said quickly, changing the subject. "All right, let's catch up. We still have to get on the boat together."

No one suspected anything. After all, students their age... surely wouldn't know what Avada Kedavra was.

The temperature on the lake was even colder than it had been when they first got off the train. Perhaps because the air was damp, the young wizards in the boats all pulled their robes tightly around themselves, trying to fend off the cold air that relentlessly seeped into them.

They endured it until the boats reached the shore, and only then did it become somewhat bearable.

Everyone followed Hagrid all the way to a great door.

"Wait here. It'll only be a moment—"

Before Hagrid could finish, the door opened, and a stern-faced witch in emerald-green robes stepped out.

It was Professor McGonagall.

"The new students are all here, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said to her.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I'll take it from here, Hagrid. I'll bring them into the castle."

Hagrid waved to Harry, then turned and left the door.

"First-year new students, follow me," Professor McGonagall told them.

The new students followed Professor McGonagall into the castle and eventually arrived in a small room.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "The School Opening feast is about to begin, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first be assigned to your respective Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony, because while you are here, your House will be like your home at Hogwarts. You will attend classes with your fellow classmates, sleep in your House Dormitory, and spend your free time in your House's Common Room."

"The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own glorious history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. During your time at Hogwarts, good work will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will cost your House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will receive the House Cup, a great honor—I hope that whichever House you are sorted into, you will bring it glory.

"In a few minutes, the Sorting ceremony will take place before the entire school. I suggest that while you wait, you tidy yourselves up and try to look more presentable."

As she said this, her gaze lingered briefly on Neville's cloak before sweeping over Harry, Ron, and Hermione in turn.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger, come with me," she said. Then she looked at Draco. "And Mr. Malfoy as well."

At Professor McGonagall's words, Hermione's body went limp.

"Oh no, Harry, oh no..."

Her voice trembled with tears. "We're going to be expelled..."

Draco heard Hermione crying and let out two piercing laughs.

Harry followed the sound and saw Draco silently mouthing the word "Mudblood" at Hermione.

That brat really needed a beating, Harry thought, but the urgent matter was figuring out how to bluff their way through this.

"Hermione, don't be afraid," Ron was still trying to comfort her. "Even if we get expelled, Harry and I will be with you, won't we?"

Hearing that, Hermione cried even louder.

Before long, the four of them were brought into a small room.

Four people sat inside. Harry recognized the one in the middle at once: it was Dumbledore, whom he had seen on a Chocolate Frog card. To Dumbledore's left sat a short man in formal attire, with a bow tie pinned beneath his collar. Beside him was a plump witch dressed very plainly, with several green leaves on her clothes.

To Dumbledore's right sat a wizard with greasy-looking hair and an Aquiline nose.

Harry noticed that the wizard visibly froze when he saw him, then stared impassively at his face. His instincts told him that this wizard did not seem to like his face very much.

Have I offended him before? he wondered.

"I believe the matter is already clear," the wizard said first. "Mr. Potter cast a jinx on a classmate aboard the train, while Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley were his accomplices—"

Hermione suddenly let out a loud sob.

"Relax, Severus." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles. He smiled at Harry, then said, "Why don't we hear what Harry and the other two have to say? It would be wrong to trust only one side of the story."