{Black Lake, Hogwarts}
{1st Sep 1991}
It was a magical scene. Hogwarts stood tall in the dark night reflected in the massive lake. Rigel realized why the charm on the lake was necessary, it wasn't done to improve the whole journey, the whole thing was a setup for this very scene.
Hogwarts was an important part of a wizard and witch's life. Each of the 3 schools introduced had their own kind of stamp to it. The Durmstrang Institute he hadn't heard about but from its origin story of Grindelwald it was more appealing to the believers of the Dark Arts. The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic's architecture was more beautiful and artsy, with glass and ice colliding together to create a forward-looking center of Research.
Hogwarts was an old-looking castle, but Rigel was sure this opening scene would stay in the minds of all the witches and wizards that passed through its halls. There were no gimmicks other than the one he was seeing, Hogwarts simply was the oldest established magical academy in the World, created by 4 exceptional wizards in their field. The old castle was a symbol of the amount of time it had withstood sieges and the number of lives it had protected.
Everyone just watched the scene with bated breath for a couple of moments. The boats drifted every so closer with every passing moment and the castle grew grander. No one spoke until the boats landed on the shore and with unsteady legs everyone started disembarking.
'There was no magical manipulation involved, it was sheer awe and a feeling of being a part of the real magical world that kept the students quiet.' Rigel concluded as he hopped off the boat.
He turned around to help Daphne and Tracy off as well and the muttering returned. Rigel could hear people being amazed at the old castle as even Tracy muttered, "That was beautiful, I guess it makes sense why Mother never told me about the boat ride."
"Makes sense, maybe she never really could have done it justice." Rigel spoke, he turned to Daphne and asked, "Did you notice the lake?"
"Yeah, the absurdly still lake?" Daphne asked, "It must be a spell, there is no other way to affect something so large." She continued as she turned around to look at the Lake.
"Do you reckon it's only for today?" Rigel asked.
"100%, since it's a spell its effects are bound to run out," Daphne responded as Hagrid began instructing everyone to follow. Since the first years arrived by the boat, they didn't have to walk long, a short distance later they arrived in an expansive courtyard. In front of them was a small park-like structure with a walkway surrounding it, Rigel was reminded of the place where Draco was turned into a ferret in the movies.
Once they walked through the courtyard they arrived in front of Large double doors that were locked shut. Hagrid walked over to the knocker and banged his fists against the door.
~Bam~ ~Bam~
'That was more like an attack than a knock.' Rigel thought. Prof. McGonagall was undeterred as she likely knew Hagrid's knocks by now. The door flew open and Prof. McGonagall peaked through the door.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid as he gave the woman a winning smile.
She looked at the newest batch of students and spoke, "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She opened the door wide and Rigel got his first look at Hogwarts.
The aesthetic of the castle was, well castle-like. The walls were made of solid stone blocks, several flaming torches were hung across the walls casting long shadows on the ground. A marble staircase was visible on the other end of the door with stairs that were... moving?
Prof. McGonagall didn't say anything but simply turned around and walked into it. By this time Hagrid had walked back the way they had come. With no instruction, the group simply followed the professor like headless kitchens. Rigel focused on Prof. McGonagall again.
While before her dress was a little more modest as she was visiting the wizarding world, now her green robes were a little more open and a lot more suggestive. With every step, her dress rode up to her thighs as Rigel enjoyed the view. They walked right beside the landing and Rigel could hear several muffled voices from a large double door.
'Did they make this castle for giants or something, why is everything so large?' An odd thought popped into his head as he looked up at the ceiling.
Minerva looked at Rigel looking around and then she turned to look at Harry, both of them had arrived safely and she could take a breather. When all news about Rigel had vanished she was sure that the Malfoy family had got to him and they were simply trying to find him as a ploy.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house's dormitory, and spend free time in the same common room."
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the housecup, a great honor, and some additional perks but those do not apply to you guys. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I'll go and check if they are ready for you, I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Minerva finished her tirade before she opened the door and slipped inside.
For a moment Rigel got a glimpse of the Great Hall and his mana sense was overwhelmed by the number of students in the Great Hall. The door slammed shut and his mana sense was cut off. He took a step back to stabilize himself as he looked at the oak doors with a frown.
"What happened?" Daphne asked, she clearly noticed that something was up.
"Nothing," Rigel waved her concern away as he gave her a small smile. He focused on dialing back his senses a little in preparation as 3 ghosts floated out of the door.
'What is this though, I can hear muffled voices through the door but I can't sense any mana through it... and what are these ghosts made up of!'
...
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An - Sorting in the next chapter!
P.S - 29 extra chapters on P.atreon.