HP: Hogwart's Journey

October 18, 2022

The young man with dark skin looked at them in disbelief. "What? This can't be! I must have introduced myself! You must have forgotten! Come on, Robert, this joke is not funny at all!"

The twins exchanged a look and grinned mischievously.

"In fact, you did forget your name," Fred said.

"Yeah, but that's not important," George immediately added, "because we were really impressed by your little bugs!"

The four of them burst out laughing.

"Bow your heads!" Hagrid's voice rang out again. They instinctively obeyed, and that's when they realized they were under a cliff. It was quite far above them, though, so maybe only Hagrid had to duck?

"Well, I guess I'll need to grow a bit taller to need to bow my head," the young man muttered as he gestured to his head and the overhanging cliff, then extended his hand. "Lee Jordan."

Robert shook his hand. "Robert Leslie."

The twins also extended their hands.

"George Weasley."

"Fred Weasley."

Lee Jordan, completely unprepared, was instantly caught off guard and became the target of their jokes for the rest of the journey.

"Oh, look at those Weasley twins," a pure-blood student commented to his companion. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin, and they're still messing around."

The four of them, oblivious to what was being said, passed through an ivy-covered curtain on the cliff face and came to a wide shore. This was one of Hogwarts' secret entrances. They followed a dark tunnel uphill to reach the underground dock. After walking over a floor of gravel and small pebbles, they passed through a long rock tunnel. Hungry and thirsty, the little wizards finally arrived at the castle's main doors.

Above them was a massive oak door. Led by Hagrid, they climbed the stairs and stood before it. At that moment, they were grateful they wouldn't be caught out in the rain anymore.

Hagrid raised his fist, as big as a cauldron, and knocked three times with a loud thud. 

The door creaked open with a long "screech," revealing a tall witch in a green robe standing in the doorway. She looked stern and carried an aura of authority that made everyone shiver.

"First-year students, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, bending down.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here," Professor McGonagall said, pulling the door wide and ushering them in, allowing the group of drenched newcomers to enter.

Inside the castle, there was a long marble staircase leading up to the main hall. To the right, a door opened with sounds of chatter coming from inside, while to the left, another door led into a hallway. They passed through the vestibule, and Professor McGonagall led them into a room on the left. 

Once everyone was standing in place, Professor McGonagall began speaking, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The feast will begin soon, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you first need to be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is an important ceremony, as your house will be like your home at Hogwarts. You'll attend classes with your housemates, live in your house dormitories, and spend time together in your house common room."

Professor McGonagall had probably said these words countless times, and she spoke without pause. 

She went on to introduce the four Hogwarts houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, giving special emphasis to the House Cup.

Seeing the little wizards trembling as they looked up at her, Professor McGonagall's desire to say more faded. She pursed her lips and sighed, "Now, please line up and follow me."

She didn't have them wait where they were, likely out of fear they would catch a cold from the torrential rain. If it weren't for her role, Professor McGonagall might have already dried their clothes for them.

As they walked through the vestibule again, Robert felt slightly warmer than before—perhaps it was just in his mind—but since the four of them weren't as soaked as the others, maybe they weren't as cold after all?

Excited murmurs came from the front of the group, as if the astonishment was contagious. They quickly tiptoed to peer ahead.

There, in front of the main doors, was a raised platform with a row of long tables. These were the teachers' seats. Four long dining tables stretched from the door to the platform, with thousands of floating candles illuminating the space. Between the tables, a wide aisle allowed for three people to walk side by side.

Upper-year students were seated at the tables, wearing expressions that seemed to suggest they were waiting for a spectacle, whispering among themselves. On the tables were shining gold plates and goblets, and the walls around them were adorned with intricately carved sculptures of dragons with wings outstretched, each holding a blackened iron firepan from which flames blazed.

Below the teachers' seats was a small four-legged stool, and atop it sat a dirty, patched-up Sorting Hat.

Professor McGonagall had the first-years line up in front of the entire school, forcing them to face the gaze of hundreds of older students. This made some of them nearly faint from the pressure. Even the carefree Weasley twins were pale with fear and trembling.

Robert, though not afraid, still felt somewhat awkward. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes drawn to the ceiling. Above, the storm clouds swirled, lightning flashing around.

"You may not think I'm pretty," a very off-key voice suddenly rang out. "But don't judge me by my looks. If you can find a prettier hat than me, I'll eat myself."

Robert blinked, looking at the four-legged stool. The Sorting Hat, which hadn't been cleaned in who knows how many years, split open along the brim and began singing its own song. It wasn't very pleasant to listen to, but at least it had some rhythm.

Once the song was finished, the whole hall erupted into applause, and the Sorting Hat bowed toward each of the four tables before falling still again.

Fred widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at the old, torn hat. "So... this is the Sorting?"

George opened his mouth in shock, his voice trailing off. "What did Bill and Charlie say again?"

Fred hung his head in disappointment. "Oh my god, Bill said we'd have to break at least twelve curses, and Charlie said we should expect to dodge four Bludgers during the Sorting Ceremony!"

"We've been tricked!" George said despondently, as though life had lost its meaning.

The twins kept cracking jokes, but the Sorting Ceremony continued without pause.

"Robert Leslie!" Professor McGonagall called.

Robert hesitated for a moment, then jogged up to the stool, sat down, and placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Ugh, what a smell," Robert muttered, nearly fainting. He pinched his nose. "Dear Sorting Hat, do you never take a bath?"

An old, creaky voice whispered in his ear, "The Headmaster always forgets to give me a bath, so I stay dirty."

Robert's expression was quite something. Well, if it's the will of Headmaster Dumbledore, the Sorting Hat could stay filthy!

The Sorting Hat wiggled uncomfortably and replied, "Alright, forget the bath. If you ever visit the Headmaster's office, make sure you remind Dumbledore to cast a Scouring Charm on me!"

What else could Robert say? He could only promise.

(End of Chapter)