The sun went down, and the moon was slowly raised in the sky and the golden glow of the sky was replaced by the cold darkness, but the moon and the star didn't abandon the travelers; they shined bright, showing the true path to us. But it was all completed when the castle came into view.
Hermione and I looked out our window, and we had reached Hogsmeade station. It was a tiny platform and it looked quite similar to the movie one. We heard the announcement to leave our pets and luggage on the train.
I got up from my seat and Hermione looked at me and I asked, "What now?"
She asked, "You really going to bring her? They said to keep your pets in the train?"
I scoffed and said, "Preposterous, Cotton is my friend, and I am not leaving without her and… I fear she may bite someone."
She looked at me, sighed and shook her head, "Let's just go."
I nodded and followed her. We stood in front of the train door, and they opened and Hermione and I walked out the door. I stretched and looked around and saw a giant man in the distance, he had a shaggy beard and equally shaggy hair.
He said, "Alright then! First years, This way, please! Come on now, don't be shy! Come on now, hurry up!"
Harry, Victoria and Ron walked up to Hagrid, and he greeted them with a wave of his hand and he said, "Come on now, this way to the boats. Come on, follow me."
Hermione and I walked together as we reached the docks, and he said, "No more than four on the boats." Hermione and I got on a boat, and then two other people also got on our boat. Both of which were girls, one wore glasses and had brown straight hair and the other girl had golden blonde hair, and she wore a Stoic expression on her face.
The girl with the glasses smiled and said, "Hello, I am Tracey Davis." She looked at her friend and the girl said, "Daphne, Greengrass pleasure."
Hermione looked at Daphne and said, "I am Hermione Granger and this is Jonathan."
I waved and smiled and said, "Hi."
Tracey and Hermione started to have a chat and I was kinda left alone with her, she just looked uninterested in everything… I tried to make conversation with her, "Are you excited?"
She nodded and said, "I am." She said, that without making any expression as to if she was excited. I nodded and said, "I assume you would like to join Slytherin house?"
She looked at me and nodded and said, "It is a given, my entire family line has been in Slytherin from the beginning. It would be unacceptable for me to be placed anywhere else."
I chuckled because of her strict appearance, and she looked at me and wanted to say something but Tracey intervened and said, "I apologize, it's that she has a strict personality for someone our age."
Daphne looked at Tracey quietly said, "Come on, try to relax a little." She then looked at me and asked, "Where do you wish to be?"
I shrugged my shoulders and Hermione butted in and said, "He says he is keeping his options open, I think it's just him being indecisive."
She looked at me and I said to Tracey, "I apologize for my friend, she has a knack to butt in."
Tracey laughed and yet Daphne's expression remained unchanged and Hermione squinted and said, "Hahaha, funny."
As we were talking, the castle came into the view. The large Castle built at the edge of the hill lit with torches and the starry night with the calm lake's atmosphere made it look like something right out of fairy tales.
We reached the dock and Hagrid did a headcount, after which we started moving towards the castle, I could see Harry walking with Ron and Victoria. They were ahead of us. Hermione stirred up quite the chat with Tracey while I enjoyed a leisurely walk, albeit with Daphne. Harry looked different from the original, he looked very healthy and had appropriate sized clothes.
We reached the castle gates and Hagrid knocked on it thrice and the gates opened. Inside, the castle was as much as beautiful as outside, the rustic stone walls were complimented by the light from the torches. And the high ceilings that held the torches had beautiful yet simple stone work on it.
As we walked further, I saw Prof. McGonagall waiting for us on the stairs. She was wearing her ostrich green robes with her hair tied in a bun and a large hat. She saw me and bobbed her head a little, and I did the same.
She asked Hagrid, "All the students are here?"
Hagrid smiled and said, "Yes, I counted them myself."
She hummed and Hagrid walked inside, and she cleared her throat and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts, in a few moments you will walk past these doors and join the start of the term banquet. But before you take your seats, you need to be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."
She said after a brief pause, "The sorting ceremony is crucial because you will spend your seven years with your housemates growing and changing, the house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points while any rule-breaking, and you will lose points" Hermione had a dreadful face after that sentence.
"At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded with the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She said her piece and she walked inside to check up on things.
Tracey said with enthusiasm, "Slytherin has been on a wining streak for years now."
And Daphne said, "And it will continue to do so without a fail."
Hermione's eyes were burning with passion, she wanted to win the cup, and I looked at them and said, "It's just a cup."
And Hermione said, "Shut up" while Daphne's eyes expressed some of her feelings.
I raised my hands and said, "Alright."
I looked around and found Draco arguing with Ron and Harry backing him up, all while Victoria looked at them like they were monkeys.
She looked away, and she saw me. I waved at her and smiled and she reluctantly waved back.
Prof. mcGonagall came back and said, "We are ready for you now, follow me."
We followed behind her and she led us to the great hall. The doors of the great hall opened up on their own and we walked inside.
The Great Hall looked stunning, it was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which just floated in the air over four long tables.
On the tables sat the entire schools' students. These tables were laid with glittering silverware. At the top of the hall was another long table where teachers were sitting.
Hermione smiled and said in an excited tone, "Jon, look." I looked up and the ceiling matched the night sky of outside. It looked beautiful, it felt like we were under the real night sky.
Prof. made us stand in a single line. We were pierced with the gazes of thousands of students and teachers alike. I saw Dumbledore, and it looked like his eyes were looking for someone, and when our eyes met he stopped. Was he looking for me?
He then got up and made the announcement of this year. It was more like a list of things that could potentially kill us.
After the announcemts Prof. McGonagall stepped forward, holding a list of names of students on a parchment "When I call your name sit on the stool and put on the hat, and you will be sorted into your house" she started to call names.
"Hanna Abbot" A girl with blonde hair stepped up and sat on the stool and the sorting hat thought for a moment and shouted, "Hufflepuff." She was happy , and she got off the stool, and she walked up to the Hufflepuff table, and they welcomed her.
Prof. McGonagall said, "Jonathan Beeston." and I got up and started walking up to the stool and sat down on it, and she put the hat on top of me.
"Now, Where should I put you? You are brave, but you tend to keep a calm head in troublesome situations. You value different thoughts over group thinking... A craving for knowledge but don't but don't see the point in academic competition… Ah, yes, yes, you have… ambitions great ones at that and a need to prove yourself but not to anyone to yourself I know just where to put you."
The conversation was now getting a bit long and every professor and student was now looking at me with their intense gases. If anyone had betted on me, they would have never guessed this. The Hat shouted. "Slytherin!"
Many of the students as well as Professors were shocked to see that someone like me was heading to Slytherin.
I mean, there have been times when half-bloods were in Slytherin, but this was a first. But only if they knew of the lineage that I had.
I then got up from the stool and McGonagall and just looked at me with pity, I think she was hoping that I would land in the nest of Gryffindor but rather I ended up in snake's den. I just looked at her and confidentiality said, "I'll be fine…"
When I was going towards the Slytherin table the snakes were ready to bite me and I just thought to myself 'This is not going to be easy now is it?'. I sat away from everyone. Not wanting to stir up trouble.
The sorting continued and the next name was "Hermione Granger" she seemed a little nervous. She stepped up and sat on the stool, and the sorting house and her talked for a bit and then the sorting house shouted "Gryffindor." She was happy. She went ahead an seated with the Gryffindor students.
Prof. McGonagall said the next name "Draco Malfoy" everyone and their fathers knew where he was going, I don't think there was a point to this. And as expected, "Slytherin!"
The Slytherin table cheered, I just kept quite and minded my business. He smiled and took his place at the table. The sorting continued as it was expected. Next was Susan Bones the strawberry blonde, Hufflepuff. Ron Weasley Gryffindor. He was on the same boat as Draco. He was not going anywhere else.
Next up the boy wonder, "Harry Potter" The entire school went silent and looked carefully but to none's surprise, he was put in Gryffindor. The Gryffindor table was very happy they got Harry.
Next up, "Victoria Potter." She walked up and sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on her head, and It was also to be expected that she would go to Gryffindor. Same as everyone else in her family.
I was also interested to see what was about to happen. It looked like she was talking to the hat and when the hat made its decision, she looked happy. The hat announced something that was something shocking to Harry and everyone else, "Slytherin!"
The entire Hall went silent and everyone was in disbelief including Dumbledore, but Victoria was happy she walked up to the Slytherin table and Draco tried to welcome her, but she walked past him like he was a ghost. She stopped in front of me, smiled and asked, "Is this seat taken?"
I scooted over and smiled and said, "No, please join me."
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Section with Cotton 🐍
Greetingsss Readersss,
I hope you liked the chapter and I have like a little announcement my cousin's birthday is today so I don't think that I would be able to upload on Saturday but I promise to upload 2 chapters on Monday.
So with that said, drop a comment if you liked this chapter and throw some stones while you are at it and I'll see you on Monday. Bye.