Chapter Twenty-Three: Arriving at Hogwarts
With the food, Flegg's attention was completely diverted, and he was very happy to taste the food that was not available in the Muggle world.
The fields that rushed by outside the car window looked even more barren, and a neat field of farmland had disappeared. A grove of woods, meandering rivers, and dark green hills followed.
It wasn't until it was completely dark that Ron and Flegg stopped talking about Quidditch and football! Harry was definitely a good listener when it came to this, as long as you ignored his hand fiddling with the Chocolate Frog card.
"Hurry up and change into robes, I've asked experienced seniors, and it's almost there. Alan pushed open the door and urged the people who had seen each other at first sight.
Unable to stand the power of the two chattering together, coupled with his curiosity about the train, Alan went out for a walk. During this time, he meets Hermione, who is helping Neville find Toad, and Malfoy, who is trying to find Harry. In the former, Alan used the system map to point Hermione in the right direction. The latter, Allen, avoided it directly, he had not been a teacher for many years, and he didn't want to have too much intersection with the arrogant Malfoy.
"Alan, you're back! I'm sorry you weren't there, we had a fight with Malfoy. If you're here, we'll be able to beat them up. Ron complained.
Harry and Flleg, who were well aware of Allen's strength, nodded in agreement. Allen's strength is something that even the physical education teacher has praised.
Alan was noncommittal about this, and if Malfoy did provoke him, he wouldn't mind teaching an ignorant teenager a lesson.
Several people quickly took off their coats and put on black robes, and so was Allen, who was not stupid enough to reveal his hole cards. Ron's robe was a little shorter, revealing his sneakers underneath. Alan thought that Ron's robe was very good, and it was easy to move.
"The train is five minutes away from Hogwarts, so please leave your luggage on the train and we'll get you to the school for you. The voice echoed through the train.
"We're coming, Alan, the wizarding world, I- I'm a little nervous. Flegg said dryly, completely losing the spirit that fluttered and flew with his eyebrows when discussing food.
He wasn't the only one nervous, Harry was clutching his stomach and looking very uncomfortable, and Ron's face was pale under his freckles. As soon as Alan stuffed the rest of the candy into his pocket, and the clothes he took off were haphazardly stuffed into his suitcase, he rushed forward with the flow of people in the aisle.
The train slowed down and finally stopped. Passengers pushed and shoved, rushed to the door, and descended to a small, dark platform. The chill of the night sent chills down Harry's side by Ellen. Then a lamp flickered over the students' heads, and Alan heard a gruff voice shouting, "First-year freshmen, come over here! Harry, come over here, how are you?"
In the midst of a sea of people, Hagrid's bearded face smiled. "Come on, come with me, are there any first-year freshmen? Watch out for the soles of your feet, all right! First-year freshmen come with me!"
The freshmen followed Hagrid's slippery and stumbling as if down a steep, narrow path. Alan is adapting well, and still has the energy to help Harry and pull Flleg. At this time, Ron's slightly shorter robe obviously has an advantage, and it seems that he walks much more steadily than the other freshmen. Alan thought wildly.
It was pitch black on both sides of the path, and everyone was silent, which had the atmosphere of a horror movie.
"Turn this corner, and you'll soon see Hogwarts for the first time. Hagrid shouted back. Then there was a loud "oh --!" At the end of the narrow path, a black lake suddenly unfolded. On the high hillside on the other side of the lake rises a majestic castle with spires and windows twinkling under the stars.
"No more than four people per boat!" Hagrid exclaimed, pointing to a group of small boats moored to the shore. Alan was agile enough to occupy a boat, Ron followed, and Harry and Flegg climbed aboard with each other's arms.
"Are you all on board?" Hagrid shouted, and he was in a boat by himself. "Alright, let's go!" A group of small boats immediately rowed across the mirror-like lake. Everyone was silent, staring at the huge castle that reached into the sky. As they approached the cliff on which the castle stood, it seemed to rise above them. "Keep your head down!" As the first boats approached the cliff, Hagrid shouted. Everyone bowed their heads, and the boat carried them through the ivy curtain that covered the cliff front to the secluded open entrance. They followed a pitch-black tunnel that seemed to lead to the castle underneath, and finally reached a place that resembled an underground pier, and then climbed up to the ground of gravel and small pebbles.
Hagrid then knocked on the door of the castle with a huge fist, and a dignified Professor McGonagall led the freshmen to a small room at the other end of the castle hall. Professor McGonagall introduces the four Hogwarts houses and informs them that the sorting ceremony will take place shortly. It was evident that the young wizards were nervous: the young wizards from the Muggle world were confused and did not know what challenges they would face, and the new students from wizarding families did not seem to get any information from their loved ones, and everyone seemed to not want to ruin this mental journey, which was also a rare growth experience.
"How can they assign us exactly which house we are going to?" Harry asked.
Flegg also wanted to know the answer, and turned his head to look at Alan.
"Don't worry, you won't let us drop out. Alan reassured.
"Probably through a test, Fred said it hurt us a lot, but I think he was joking. Ron looked horrified.
Alan didn't explain too much, anyway, they would know in a while, it wasn't difficult for them, it was Allen who was difficult. It's about to face the hat that can see through people's minds and potentials, and I don't know if it will discover the system, whether it will be powerful enough to see through his secrets. To that end, he has been practicing for a summer and focusing on practicing Occlumency. A master of Occlumency, who can only see what he wants people to see, is something that Alan also needs to consider about what he can see for the Academy Hat.
Just as Alan was immersed in his own thoughts, Harry beside him suddenly jumped three feet high, and several people screamed behind him, which turned out to be ghosts. Alan should have been surprised and curious, after all, he had never seen a ghost before, but he was immersed in the Occlumency Technique, and he only looked at it a few times, and then continued to close his eyes indifferently.
As the ghosts fluttered through the walls, Professor McGonagall returned. "Now, in a row," Professor McGonagall said to the first-year students, "follow me." "The sorting ceremony is about to begin!