Forbidden Corridors
Only a few remained now. Weasley, Ron, the red-haired boy with the dirt on his nose, was made a Gryffindor and greeted by another, older redhead, probably his brother. The last one was Zabini, Blaise, and as expected, he was sorted into Slytherin. Harry gave him a nod and got one in return.
"You know Zabini?" Terry asked.
"We met at Madam Malkin's when I got my robes," Harry said.
Then McGonagall took the stool and the sorting hat away, and Professor Dumbledore stood. All students fell silent.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we start our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry thought he was a bit weird. Then on the table appeared plates with delicious-looking food.
Harry didn't think he had ever seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.
He took some steak, chips, peas and carrots, some gravy and ketchup, and started eating. Over eating, he made light conversation with his new housemates. The topics were their families, the subjects they were most looking forward to, their hobbies, and Quidditch.
Harry found out from some older students that sat nearby that the current captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was sixth-year Daniel Barkaim. He would have to talk to him if he would mind if Harry tried out for the team.
"Ah, this year we'll have to do a pretty thorough rebuilding of our team," he heard Daniel say. "Five of our old players graduated last year, only Pomarel and I are left.
I need a complete set of chasers and two beaters. I'll probably just do a complete tryout. Pomarel also told me he had declined the captaincy to concentrate on his NEWTs and didn't know if he could play the last game, so I'll at least need a reserve keeper.
"I don't know if we have a real chance at the cup this year; it will depend on the players I can find."
That was great in Harry's eyes. He wanted to try his luck as a chaser. While it was unusual for first-years to get on the house teams, it was not without precedence. When they were at their second helping, a female ghost glided over to them and introduced herself as the Grey Lady, the house ghost of Ravenclaw.
After having eaten much more than he normally did, but it just tasted too good, Harry saw that the others had similar problems. Just when he thought he was finished and the food disappeared, delicious-looking desserts appeared.
Ice blocks in all imaginable flavors, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding… Harry couldn't help himself but take some of it. Sweets had always been a weakness of his. The Dursleys forbade him to have any; all sweets were reserved for Dudley.
He didn't even get to drink chocolate milk. If he was lucky, he got normal milk; otherwise, it had been water for him. He had treacle tart and some vanilla ice cream with strawberries.
He looked around a bit, and his eyes fell on the head table. Hagrid was smiling at him when he saw him looking. There was also a hooked-nosed teacher that looked downright unpleasant, but why did he also look calculating? Next to him sat a man with a purple turban.
Harry returned to talking with his housemates and eating. Once dessert was done with, he was getting a bit drowsy. He saw Dumbledore standing again.
"Now that we're all fed and watered, I have some announcements to make."
"First-years should notice that our forest in the grounds is forbidden to all students, and some of the older students should also remember this."
His eyes flashed over to the middle of the Gryffindor table where a pair of red-haired twins looked mock innocent.
"I've also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Those interested in playing for their teams should contact Madam Hooch."
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who doesn't want to die a very painful death."
Harry's face contorted into a mask of concentration.
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was a mix of confusion and curiosity as Dumbledore's announcement about the Philosopher's Stone left many students puzzled. Harry, too, couldn't help but wonder about the connection between the attempted break-in at Gringotts and Dumbledore's decision to bring the Stone to Hogwarts.
As the students filed out of the hall, Harry overheard a conversation among two girls. One with brown curly hair and a prefect badge expressed her surprise, noting that Dumbledore usually provided reasons for forbidding certain places.
Before bedtime, Dumbledore initiated a chaotic rendition of the school song, with everyone using their favorite melodies and ending at different times. The twins at the Gryffindor table added their own twist with a funeral march, giving Harry the impression that they were pranksters.
Dumbledore, with his eccentricity, mentioned the magic of music before declaring bedtime, prompting a humorous comment from a student about him thinking they were horses.
Following the Gryffindor students, Harry and the other Ravenclaw first-years were led by Penelope Clearwater, a fifth-year prefect. She explained the unique protection for Ravenclaw's common room—a different riddle each time. Students who couldn't solve it had the option to wait for someone else or visit Professor Flitwick's office.
As they walked, Penny encouraged the first-years to look out for significant landmarks. The journey to the Ravenclaw common room became an orientation filled with anticipation and mystery.
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