"First-years, this way! Hey, Neville, you alright?"
Harley and Hermione, squeezed among the crowd getting off the train, said goodbye to Cho and surged toward the towering Hagrid amidst a group of chattering first-years.
the chosen one, Neville Longbottom, was the first to stand behind Hagrid, chatting with him. Seven or eight boys gathered around him. Harley spotted a thin boy with a head of bright red hair in the middle of them; that was likely Ron Weasley.
Harley didn't want to be too close to Neville's group and pulled Hermione toward the back of the crowd. As she turned her head, her peripheral vision caught a flash of brightness at the edge of the group.
Alexandra Malfoy stood at the edge of the first-years in a well-tailored black Wizard's robe, her platinum blonde hair draped over her shoulders. Her deep eyes were coldly scanning the line of new students, like she was evaluating a group of ponies for sale.
Pansy and Daphne stood on either side of her like two guardians, their Slytherin-style arrogance acting like an invisible barrier separating them from the surrounding noise.
Wait, were the three of them looking around for someone?
Harley quickly led Hermione to hide behind Neville's group. She hadn't returned to the Malfoy compartment since she left on the pretext of using the bathroom; it wouldn't be easy to explain herself if she ran into Alexandra now.
"Come on, follow me—any more first-years? Keep up, everyone watch your step!"
Seeing that most of the students had disembarked from the carriages, Hagrid nodded with satisfaction. He then turned and strode away, leading the group of curious and expectant first-years toward the edge of the station.
They walked slowly along a narrow, steep path. On both sides was an endless darkness, like two massive black curtains enveloping the surroundings.
Hermione was clutching Harley's arm so hard it hurt a little, but Harley's nervous mood relaxed slightly—the light was so dim that she didn't have to worry about Alexandra spotting her for the time being.
"Just a bit further, and you'll get your first look at Hogwarts in your lives, just as soon as we turn this corner... Look!"
Before Hagrid could finish his sentence, the narrow, dark path suddenly opened up, and a burst of gasps and cheers erupted from the crowd.
Harley's eyes widened as she followed everyone's gaze.
There, on the opposite shore of the vast black lake, a magnificent Castle complex stood perched among the mountains.
The Castle was brightly lit, with light spilling through the windows onto the surface of the lake, reflecting against the dazzling starry sky above to form a beautiful picture.
The magnificent sight before her left Harley in awe. She secretly vowed to imprint this beautiful moment deep in her heart and forever remember this indescribable feeling.
"Everyone into the boats, remember, only four to a boat."
Hagrid got into a small boat by himself, while Harley and Hermione boarded another boat with a pair of twin girls.
They followed the large fleet of boats, slowly crossing the ink-black lake, cutting through the waves.
As the boats neared the cliff, they could see the surface covered in a thick curtain of ivy, as if the entire cliff were wearing a green coat.
After a long journey by water, they finally arrived at the dock located directly beneath the Castle.
Everyone disembarked and stepped onto the rugged mountain path filled with rocks and pebbles.
After climbing several steep slopes, a row of neat stone steps appeared before them.
The group climbed the steps and finally reached the massive oak front doors of the Castle.
"Is everyone here? Did anyone fall behind?"
Hagrid turned around, his eyes scanning the crowd behind him.
He tried to count the panting first-years but found the count wasn't coming out right no matter how he tried.
Irritated, he couldn't help but reach up and scratch his messy hair, muttering, "Blast it!"
He turned abruptly and raised a thick, powerful hand, slamming it hard against the heavy oak door.
There were three loud "bangs," and with the sound of the knocking, some wood chips fell from the door and scattered on the ground.
That's a bit too violent... Harley felt that without the help of magic, this door would probably need to be replaced every year.
The door opened immediately, and a stern-looking Professor McGonagall led the first-years into Hogwarts.
The Entrance Hall of the Castle was incredibly large; it felt like it could fit both the Snape Family and The Granger Family inside.
The noise of students came from the entrance on the right, and Harley was certain that was the Great Hall—but Professor McGonagall didn't lead them to the right. Instead, she crossed the flagged floor and led them to a somewhat small, empty room.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly—but before that, you must first participate in the Sorting Ceremony. This will determine your house for the next seven years at Hogwarts. You will attend classes, live, and play with your housemates, so please take this seriously."
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Good performance during the term will earn your house points, while breaking rules will result in points being deducted. At the end of each year, the House Cup will be awarded—I hope you will all bring honor to your houses!"
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in the Great Hall in a few minutes. I suggest you use this time to tidy yourselves up and present a good image to the rest of the school."
Professor McGonagall left the small room after her brief speech, and the other students breathed a sigh of relief.
Hermione leaned a bit closer to Harley, looking nervous—this was it!
Harley looked around nervously and accidentally made eye contact with Alexandra.
Oh no! Seeing Alexandra walking toward her with a dark expression, Harley's throat tightened, and her brain began to race—Hermione was still holding her arm... what could she possibly say to calm this young lady down!
Merlin was kind to Harley after all. Just as she was agonizing over what to say, a tall, sturdy girl with dark hair suddenly jumped out, accompanied by two equally large male bodyguards, blocking the path of Alexandra and her two followers.
Harley raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had wondered why Goyle and Crabbe weren't with Alexandra; had they changed masters?
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