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𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧
𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚐𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜
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The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
"Finally!" The marauders cheered.
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much.
Nova, Altair, and Draco had split from them and were standing next to Neville Longbottom, Blaise Zabini, and America Jackson.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here. "
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"Beautiful as always!"
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione Granger.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then -- FORWARD!"
"Hermione Granger," She introduced herself. "I'm very excited, do you know magic?"
"Wow, you were so hyper, Mione," Ginny teased, making Hermione, stick out her tongue.
"A bit," Ron told her.
"Well, I spent my time, reading the textbooks, and learned a few spells. For example..." She said moving towards harry, making him flinch back. "Oculus Repero."
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Harry.
"God, was I so annoying?"
"Yes!" Harry and Ron, commented.
Harry removed his spectacles, which now looked brand new.
"Thank you," he told her.
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Captures everyone's attention, doesn't it?" Dorcas asked. Many nodded.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Was this all part of, you know..." Ron asked, Neville.
"Not really!" he spoke, shrugging.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"
Neville was a bit embarrassed.
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
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