First Glimpse of Hogwarts

There were no more strange interruptions along the way. Harley and Ron chatted the entire journey, and she learned a great deal about the wizarding world. Ron also mentioned a young man named He Shenyan, who was rumored to be the one who captured Voldemort and brought about changes to the teaching methods at Hogwarts.

The outside world was buzzing with discussion about this, as no one had ever heard of him before.

"He even made the front page of the newspaper with Dumbledore!" Ron said, his words slurred as he stuffed snacks into his mouth. Harley nodded thoughtfully; she was accustomed to appearing mature in front of her peers.

She turned her head to look out the window. Under the deep purple sky, the rolling mountains and dense forests were still faintly visible, and the train seemed to be slowing down. Harley was still wearing the custom-made suit Snape had bought for her, and Ron had no intention of changing into wizarding robes either.

He was wearing a jacket and jeans, looking like he had nothing to do with the word "wizard."

A voice echoed through the carriages: "We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage in the carriage; it will be transported to the school in batches."

Harley and Ron grabbed the remaining sweets and stuffed them into their pockets, squeezing into the crowded corridor. After a jolt, the train came to a stop. They struggled to push through the doors and onto a dark, small platform.

The wind was biting, and Harley shivered. I should have worn my coat, she thought.

A dim lamp bobbed up and down above the students' heads, swaying from side to side. A booming voice shouted in the darkness: "First-years! Over here!"

A large, furry face appeared in the lamplight; it was a tall giant with a thick beard. He held up the lamp and shouted, "First-years! Come on! Gather over here! Anyone else? Watch your step! Follow me!"

The first-years stumbled after the giant along a small, narrow path, the sides of which were pitch black. Harley had an intuition that something was watching them from the darkness. The small silver-gray snake on her right wrist stirred.

Almost no one spoke along the way, except for Neville, who had lost his toad and was panting heavily.

The giant led the way, his booming voice audible even to the students at the back of the line: "You'll see Hogwarts in a moment! Just around this bend!"

They turned the corner.

A loud gasp of awe rose from the crowd.

The narrow path opened up, revealing a vast, pitch-black lake. A massive castle with many turrets and towers sat between two towering cliffs, its window glass shimmering under the star-filled sky.

Harley fell in love with the place the moment she saw it; her heart was filled with an inexplicable thrill. The giant stood at the front of the path, pointing to a fleet of small boats on the shore, and said, "No more than four to a boat! Remember, first-years! Don't overload them!"

The students boarded the boats one after another. Harley, Ron, Neville, and Hermione sat in one boat. The giant sat in a boat by himself and asked, "Is everyone on board?! Any first-years left behind?"

After confirming several times, he shouted, "Right! Let's go!"

The fleet of boats set off in a line, as if gliding together across the mirror-like surface of the lake.

All the children were silent, looking up at the magnificent ancient castle. As the fleet drew closer to the cliff where the castle stood, they felt as if the fortress were looming directly over their heads. Harley was almost mesmerized; she had never experienced anything like this before.

"Heads down!" the giant shouted as the boats reached the edge of the cliff. They immediately ducked.

The small boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that concealed the entrance on the cliff face, moving along a black waterway that ran directly beneath the castle.

After a long while, they arrived at an underground harbor.

There, they disembarked and began to climb up a rocky, pebbled path.

Guided by the giant's lamp, they continued to climb along a passage between the rocks, finally reaching a damp, flat patch of grass in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and gathered before the castle's thick, wide oak doors. They featured exquisite reliefs that were actually glowing faintly in the dark.

The giant walked from the front of the line to the back, counting heads and asking if anyone had been left behind. Only then did he raise his massive fist and knock three times, very forcefully, on the heavy door.

The door opened immediately, and a tall, black-haired woman in black robes stood in the doorway. Her expression was stern, and Ron whispered to Harley, "Her classes are probably going to be very difficult."

Harley saw the woman glance in their direction. She quickly offered an apologetic smile and nudged Ron with her elbow.

"Professor McGonagall, the first-years are all here," the giant reported to her.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

So the giant's name was Hagrid.

He turned and left. Harley watched his retreating back, feeling as though a moving mountain were stepping into the darkness. Professor McGonagall's voice rang out before the door: "Please follow me, children. Mind you don't crowd; there is plenty of space."

She was not lying.

Professor McGonagall snapped her fingers, and quite a few people gasped.

Emerald-green magic surged from the woman's fingertips, pushing the doors wide open. The entrance hall inside was astonishingly large; Harley felt it could fit her uncle's entire house inside.

Torches illuminated the stone walls, the ceiling was unimaginably high, and a beautiful marble staircase in front led to the floors above. They followed the woman across a floor filled with colorful banners, and Harley could hear hundreds of noisy voices coming from the entrance on the right—the other students of the school had already arrived.

But Professor McGonagall led the first-years into a small, empty room away from the hall. They all crowded in, standing packed together, looking around nervously.

Points of starlight surged from Professor McGonagall's hands, gathering and converging until they erupted into a warm fluorescence on the ceiling of the small room. The first-years immediately felt their tension vanish, along with the chill they had just felt.

The stern woman in black robes cleared her throat and said loudly, "Welcome to Hogwarts, children. The opening banquet is about to begin, but before that, we have a ceremony to perform. You will be sorted into different houses."

"There are four in total: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own glorious and long history. They have all nurtured brilliant wizards."

"During your time at Hogwarts, if you follow the rules and behave well, your house will earn points. Conversely, points will be deducted. At the end of each year, the house with the highest score will receive a supreme honor—the 'House Cup.' I hope you will all strive for the glory of your house."

"The sorting ceremony will begin in a few minutes in front of the entire school. I suggest you use this waiting time to tidy yourselves up."

Her gaze swept over the faces of the first-years, lingering for a moment when she passed Harley, and she nodded at her.

Harley didn't know what this meant, but she returned a bright smile. Being respectful to those in power was never a bad thing; she knew this well.

Professor McGonagall added, "We will come for you when we are ready. Wait here quietly."

With that, she left.

Ron said to Harley, looking somewhat uneasy, "I heard from my brother that this ceremony is very painful, and there's a test, too."

As he said this, his face turned pale.

"Just the thought of taking exams in front of so many people makes me..."

He didn't continue, and Harley looked around to find that everyone else was just as nervous as Ron. Hermione was whispering incessantly to Neville. A few people behind Harley suddenly shrieked, startling Ron so badly he jumped three feet into the air.

They turned their heads to see at least twenty ghosts passing through the wall behind them.

They were chatting, their tones making it difficult to understand what they were saying. One of them flew down, peering closely at each of them, before the ghosts quickly flew off again, as if they were in a hurry to get somewhere.

Professor McGonagall returned before long and said, "Form a line, children. Follow me now!"

They crossed the entrance hall again, walked through a pair of double doors, and arrived in the Great Hall.

Harley had never seen such a magnificent place; even the high-end hotel she stayed in last night couldn't compare to this.

The other older students were seated at four long tables, and thousands of candles floated in mid-air above their heads, illuminating the entire Great Hall. The tables were laden with gleaming golden plates and goblets.

At the very front of the hall, there was another long table where the teachers were seated. Professor McGonagall led the first-years up to the dais, had them face the older students with their backs to the teachers, and stand in a single row.

Harley instinctively realized that something was about to happen.