Ron pulled a gray rat out of the Chocolate Frog wrapper.
"Scabbers, we've got to go."
"Is that your pet?" Glenn asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yeah. Percy became a prefect, so my dad bought him an owl. They couldn't afford one for me—I mean, they just gave me the rat." Ron's ears reddened as he said this.
"But it looks like it's trembling," Harry said, studying the frightened-looking rat in Ron's hand.
"That's normal. There are too many people around." Ron didn't want to talk about Scabbers, so he quickly put him into the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Mm, true. Anyone would be scared if people were staring at them." Glenn kept his eyes fixed on Scabbers, watching him for a few more moments.
Although he didn't understand why anyone would want to keep a rat as a pet, he respected Ron's personal preference.
As the train slowly came to a stop, the passengers jostled one another as they crowded toward the doors.
After waiting a little while, until the exit had cleared, Glenn got off the train and arrived at a dark, cramped platform.
A cold wind blew, and a gruff voice called out to the crowd. "First-years! First-years, over here! Harry, over here! How are you?"
The huge man they had seen at the Leaky Cauldron a few days earlier was holding a lantern and greeting Harry, who was standing beside Ron.
"Hagrid!" Seeing a familiar face helped Harry relax a little.
"Come on, let's go over together."
Above the sea of heads, Hagrid called over and over for the first-years to follow him.
They slipped and slid, stumbling their way down a steep, narrow path, then passed through a stretch of dark, dense woods. At last, they rounded a bend, and a vast black lake suddenly opened up at the end of the narrow path.
Across the lake, atop a high mountainside, stood a magnificent castle, its many towers reaching skyward and its windows glimmering beneath the stars.
Once they crossed the lake, Hogwarts would be right in front of them. The thought occurred to everyone.
"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted, pointing to the small boats moored along the shore.
In the end, Glenn, Ron, and Harry shared a boat with another student and crossed to the far shore.
Hagrid raised one enormous fist and knocked three times on the castle doors.
The doors slowly swung open. A tall, dark-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood before them.
If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably the deputy headmistress and Transfiguration professor...
Glenn had always trusted his instincts.
Mostly because the stern-looking professor reminded him of one of Ron's relatives.
The same stern expression, the same imposing, capable air.
And as it turned out, he was right. Hagrid greeted her as "Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall was indeed the name of the deputy headmistress on the admission letter.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." Professor McGonagall nodded.
Then she led the first-years through the doorway and into a small, empty room at the other end of the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said, stopping and turning to face them.
"The opening feast will begin soon, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first be sorted into your respective Houses.
"Sorting is a very important ceremony, because while you're here, your House will be like your family at Hogwarts.
"You'll have classes with the other students in your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend your free time in your House common room."
"The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
"Each House has a proud history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards.
"While you're at Hogwarts, your achievements will earn points for your House, while any rule-breaking will cost it points.
"At the end of the year, the House with the most points will receive the House Cup. It's a great honor. I hope you'll do your House proud, whichever one you're sorted into."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the whole school in a few minutes. While you wait, I suggest you tidy yourselves up and look presentable."
Her gaze wandered over Neville's robes for a moment before turning to Glenn and the others standing behind him.
"Mr. Howard, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Malfoy... Please come with me for a moment." Professor McGonagall named six students in one breath.
When people were nervous, even the slightest disturbance drew far more attention than usual.
Especially now.
Almost everyone turned to look at the students stepping out of the crowd.
Malfoy and his two cronies walked ahead of them, and he didn't forget to turn around and silently mock them with exaggerated mouth movements.
Perhaps no one else knew, but Hermione had witnessed the whole thing.
She knew Malfoy had started it by insulting them and getting his two cronies to pick a fight.
She could understand the reasoning, but there was no getting around the fact that Glenn had been the first to use "Petrificus Totalus."
Thinking of this, all she could do was sigh as she waited there, praying that they would be all right...
"Miss Granger, you come too."
At these words, Hermione's pupils contracted sharply.
What did she have to do with this?
"Glenn, are we going to get expelled?" Ron asked quietly.
"Probably not," Glenn replied after a moment's thought. "But I can't say for sure, since I was the one who cast the spell."
"That's the biggest problem," Harry said, the worry in his eyes not easing in the slightest.
Before long, McGonagall led them into a small room.
"Since I've called you here, there's no need for me to repeat what happened on the train," Professor McGonagall said sternly.
Beside her stood a wizard with greasy hair and a hooked nose.
His cold gaze swept over everyone except Malfoy. It lingered on Harry for a moment longer, and his expression turned somewhat disgusted.
"Let's start with you, Mr. Howard. I think we need to discuss who was responsible," Professor McGonagall said to the boy before her.
"No, Professor, there's no need." Glenn shook his head.
"It was all my fault."
"What was your fault?"
"It was my fault for not noticing that three of our fellow students were nearly starving to death."
At this, Malfoy, who had been about to press his advantage, stopped short.
Who had nearly starved to death?
"Mr. Howard, do you know what you're saying?" asked the greasy-haired wizard.
Glenn looked at the professor, but before he could say anything, Professor McGonagall introduced him. "This is Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin."
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