Chapter 8: Arriving At Hogwarts And Being Sorted

As the light from the faded and made way for the evening, Draco had no intention of glancing out of the window, only to see a mountain and a forest under the shade of the darkening sky. The train gradually slowed down.

"After the train arrives at Hogwarts, please leave your luggage in the train. We will send it to school for you." A voice echoed on the train.

"It's finally time." Hearing this voice, a strange emotion rose from Draco's heart, with some confusion in his excitement, perhaps the most authentic portrayal of his heart.

The train slowed down and finally stopped. The passengers pushed and shoved, and they rushed to the door and down to a black and small platform. Draco put his book back in the trunk and joined the crowd.

"Huuh." Draco couldn't help but take a breath. The temperature outside the train was low.

"Firs' Yer's over here! Firs' Yer's over here, be careful of your feet." An unusually tall man was maintaining order, he had a thick beard on his face.

"I think he does have a giant bloodline." Draco silently sized up Hagrid.

Then the new students followed Hagrid and walked downhill, the path was narrow and steep. It was dark on both sides of the path.

"Turn this corner, an' you will see Hogwarts for the firs' time." Hagrid turned around and said. Then there was a burst of "Gasp!" at the end of the narrow path, as a dark lake unfolded before them. On the high hill, across the lake stood a winding castle with a towering spire and large windows flashing under the stars.

"This is Hogwarts." Draco looked at the scene in front of him. Unlike the Malfoy Family Manor, the gloomy atmospheres were somewhat different. Hogwarts gave one a sense of history. The ancient masonry and mottled stone walls highlighted the long history of the school.

"No more than four people per boat!" Hagrid pointed out loudly at a team of boats moored on the shore.

"Pansy!" Draco saw Pansy in the crowd, and could not help but shout. It was better to take a boat ride with Pansy than some strangers.

"Hmph!" Pansy gave dissatisfied look on her face after seeing Draco and went onto another boat without turning.

"When did I offend her?" Draco shook his head, still wondering why Pansy's attitude towards himself changed.

"Let's ask her again," Draco thought, stepping on a small boat.

"Are you onboard?" Hagrid shouted, taking a boat by himself. "Then let's move!" A team of boats immediately swept across the waves of the mirrored lake. Everyone was silent and stared at the huge castle that was high in the sky. As they approached the cliff where the castle was located, the castle seemed to stand above their heads. "Lower yer heads!" Hagrid loudly shouted when the boats approached the cliff. Everyone lowered their heads as the boat carried them beneath the ivy tents covering the front of the cliff to the secret open entrance. They seemed to have come under the castle through a dark tunnel, and finally reached a place similar to an underground pier. They then climbed gravel and small cobblestone ground.

Draco and the students got off the boat.

"Thank Merlin!" Neville shouted after having found his frog. You could see him jumping with joy as he said so.

"I think you must have found your toad," Draco said behind Neville.

"Really, thank you very much." Neville excitedly stuttered, although there may be some fear among it.

"Since you found it, let's go." Draco looked all around again but unfortunately did not see Pansy's silhouette.

Under the light of Hagrid's lanterns, the new students climbed a tunnel and finally reached the castle.

Everyone climbed onto stone steps and gathered in front of a huge oak door. Hagrid raised his huge fist and knocked it three times on the castle gate.

The door opened immediately.

"Thank you, Hagrid." A tall black-haired witch in green robes stood in front of the gate and looked serious.

It was Professor McGonagall; she then brought the new students to a small house. The house was small and people crowded in. The small room seemed to be more crowded.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said. "The school dinner is about to begin, but before you go to the dining hall, you must first decide which house you are going to. The classification is very important. This is because, during your time at school, the house would be your home at Hogwarts. You'd have to go to class with other students from the same house, stay together in the house's dormitory, and spend the rest of your time in the house's common room.

Subsequently, Professor McGonagall introduced the new houses to the new students, some of the matters of the separate houses and certain rules of the school, such as the extra deduction points between the houses, and the things like the house cup.

Harry and Ron talk in whispers, looking a bit nervous, he thought he was going to do a test about magic, and Hermione kept repeating the spells she had learned.

In contrast, Draco was a little absent-minded. In his eyes, the separate house was not as good as Pansy was. It was more important for him to know what was going on.

"Found you." Draco glanced around and finally saw Pansy's silhouette. She was laughing and giggling with a few girls next to her.

The space was too narrow, and Draco could only squeeze through the crowd step by step.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I interrupt your conversation?" Draco walked to Pansy and said, "I think my friend and I have some misunderstandings we need to clarify. Are you willing to help me?" Then Draco bowed slightly, showing impeccable etiquette.

"Pansy, look at you, your little boyfriend is so handsome. We won't bother you anymore." A few girls next to Pansy jokingly said, obviously they didn't what Draco said about a misunderstanding.

"I have nothing to say to him." Pansy coldly said.

The girl's next to her then aside, creating conditions for Draco and Pansy to be alone.

"I think at least I should know what I did wrong, right?" Draco asked first.

Pansy drummed her fingers on the wall for a while before she started said; "You didn't come to look for me in the train, didn't you know how bored I was?"

"Uh….." Draco has some words, obviously, he really didn't think much.

"Look, you obviously forgot about me." Seeing Draco's unnatural face, Pansy clearly guessed the truth.

"I also deliberately went to other compartments to find you." Pansy's voice suddenly became a little smaller, but could still be heard.

"Right, maybe you just want me to hide from me, so I couldn't find you." Pansy seemed to think of something, as her voice grew louder.

"I was in a special compartment." Draco snorted with some pain, it was clear that Pansy had only looked through the normal compartment. The special ones had obviously been ignored by her.

"Then you would have to blame my father not me." Draco quickly replied. He went closer to Pansy; "It was the place that my father had arranged for me, and I didn't know if you would come to me," Draco explained.

"Even if you didn't hide from me, you must have forgotten me." Pansy couldn't help but say.

"Right!" Draco seemed to think of something.

"I was helping Neville find his toad, Neville of the Longbottom family." Draco said: "You know, my father always wants me to have a good relationship with other people. The Longbottom family are also purebloods. So I can't ignore them. Hehe."

"That Little Fatty is a bit silly, but is that toad more important than me?" Pansy asked again.

"This question is harder to answer." Draco thought, his face was even more embarrassing.

A moment of silence passed.

"I can't help it." Pansy, who was still frosty, suddenly smiled.

"What?" Draco apparently didn't understand what was going on. He looked at the girls who were with Pansy before, they were eating and laughing.

"I have known you for a long time, you don't think so much. The expression you just made was very funny. Much better than the one you make usually."

All this time, Draco didn't know that he was being teased by Pansy and her friends.

"He always looks like a gentleman, it looks too fake, but it looks more believable now. "

Pansy suddenly approached Draco and said: "The last time I threatened you, you were so calm. It seems that I am still very important in your heart. I am very happy. This is your reward." Pansy kisses Draco's forehead like a dragonfly touches the water lightly.

The girls next to the scene burst into smoke. Pansy's face was also covered with a red glow.

"This is really…" Draco can only sigh knowing that he has provoked her, although this feeling was not bad.

"Please keep quiet while waiting!" McGonagall saw the commotion said seriously, and then left the room.

"Ah!" The girls who were just laughing suddenly started screaming while it was mixed with the voices of many boys.

Draco looked back and saw twenty ghosts in the room the wall. These pearly, translucent ghosts slid across the room and whispered.

"No noise, thinking, translucent, visually unaggressive. It seems that this being is probably the ghost mentioned in the book." Unlike the reaction of everyone being frightened, Draco looked closely and soon understood what they were. Ghosts have several features. Perhaps being able to identify them is the ability of a study addict.

Professor McGonagall came back. The ghosts fluttered across the opposite wall and disappeared. "Now, single file," Professor McGonagall said to the First Year's, "Follow me."

Draco wanted to follow but found that someone was pulling his sleeves. He saw Pansy looking at himself with tears in her eyes.

"Don't pretend, I know I didn't scare you. I haven't been to these places before as well." Draco unscrupulously said to Pansy. After they got along, it wasn't limited to Draco telling stories. The nature-loving Pansy naturally pulled Draco and goes to the Dark Chambers in many manors. Ghosts were naturally rare. A family with an inheritance of many years may not have a handful of ghosts.

"I just said that you're a bit interesting. Boring…" Pansy curled her lips and restored her normal expression as if nothing had happened. Obviously she wasn't satisfied with Draco's reaction.

The two walked out of the room with the crowd and came to a luxurious dining hall.

The other students in the upper years had sat around four long tables, with thousands of candles floating in the air above the table, illuminating the dining hall. On the four tables were glittering gold plates and goblets. At the end of the dining hall, there was another long table, where the teachers were sitting.

Professor McGonagall took the First Year's to the end of the hall, facing the senior students, with the teachers behind them. The candlelight swayed and hundreds of eyes looked at their faces like lanterns. The ghosts could also be seen among the students.

Draco looked up towards the ceiling and saw a little bit of starlight flashing on the velvety black roof.

It was hard to believe that there's a ceiling on top, and it that the dining hall has a roof.

"When can I cast such a spell?" Unlike other people's surprise, Draco fell into deep contemplation.

Professor McGonagall gently placed a four-legged stool in front of the First Year's, and then placed a pointed old hat onto the stool. It was patched, worn, very old, and very dirty.

There was absolute silence in the dining hall.

Then, the hat wriggled to life. The brim cracked creating a wide slit like a mouth – it then started singing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you have a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk uses any means to achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

After the hat stopped singing, the audience applauded, it then bowed to the four dining tables one after another, and then it stood still.

At this time Professor McGonagall walked forward, holding a roll of parchment in his hand. "I'll call your names now, put the hat on, and sit on the stool. It will then sort you to your respective houses." She then said, "Hannah Abbott!"

A little girl with a ruddy complexion and two golden hairpins stumbled out of the queue and put on the hat, which just covered her eyes. She sat down. A moment of later – "Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted.

The students on the table at the right applauded Hannah and welcomed her to sit at their table.

Each and every new student put on the hat and accepted the choices that the Sorting Hat made for them. Of course, this was not all right. The Sorting Hat actually follows your own wishes. It can make its own suggestions, but if you insist on a house, the Sorting Hat will listen to you.

For example, when Harry Potter was being sorted into his separate house, he always thought: "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin." Although the Sorting Hat may have preferred to put him in Slytherin, he still respected Harry's choice.

As for Neville, it may seem that there he didn't give his own opinion. The Sorting Hat was looking at his inner qualities.

It was clear that Sorting Hat is still very accurate, just like the original world's timeline, Neville showed extraordinary courage for a Gryffindor.

After Hermione, Neville was successively assigned to Gryffindor.

"Draco Malfoy," Stated Professor McGonagall.

"My soul is not the same, will the result change?" Draco's heart was no longer as calm as it was before.

Draco thought before moving slowly out of the queue and putting Sorting Hat on.

And no longer like the original work: the Hat sat on his head and screamed: "Slytherin! ""

The Sorting Hat then murmured to Draco.

"Ravenclaw, absolutely Ravenclaw, I have never seen a child who can think for so long. I think that the knowledge you have now, you can graduate directly. Ravenclaw is for you, isn't it? "

"Oh no!" Draco felt that hat seemed to see through him.

"What is buried inside is deep ambition, what is the burning ambition hidden under your curiosity? Knowledge is only the means necessary for your pursuit of purpose. Your purpose is not in the knowledge itself."

"Slytherin!" Finally, Sorting Hat gave his answer.

"Is this destined?" Draco smiled, then walked over to Slytherin's desk and sat next to Pansy.

He did not notice the complex look of Hermione in the crowd.

"Ron is not wrong. He is really a Slytherin. That's not right. Can I judge him as a wicked person because of his house?" Hermione struggled; it was obvious that she was thinking about what Draco had said to her before.

"To be honest, I thought you were going to Ravenclaw," Pansy said to Draco.

"Then my parents would call me back," Draco sighed exaggeratedly.

"That's really funny." Pansy seemed to think of the scene and couldn't help but chuckle.

Suddenly, a wave of cheers rang through the entire dining hall. Weasley Family's twin brother loudly shouted: "We have Potter! We have Potter!"

"It seems that our savior student is really charming." Draco couldn't help but sigh.

"Just luck, that's all." Pansy curled her lip; she was apparently very dissatisfied with the so-called "savior" who went to the Lions. In her eyes, this glory should only appear in Slytherin.

With Blaise Zabini being assigned to Slytherin and the last person to be sorted Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment, picked up Sorting Hat, and left.

A tall and thin old man then stood up.

Draco silently sizes up the old man in the crowd.

The long eagle hook nose that was curved at least twice, wearing half-moon glasses, a pair of sharp blue eyes, long silver white beard, silver white waist length long hair. This was the greatest wizard of the current age – Dumbledore!

Dumbledore spoke up: "Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year! Before the banquet, I want to say a few words. That is Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He then sat down again. Everyone applauded.

All the students started to enjoy the food in front of them.

"Who would eat mints at dinner?" Draco couldn't help but be speechless. It was clear that Hogwarts had once again refreshed the lower limit of its meals.

It was tough to finish dinner; Draco heard the school songs from various versions of the singing, from wails like ghosts and howls like wolves. As long as you like, you can sing the school song in a variety of tunes. Weasley Family's twin even used the Funeral March, and Dumbledore used his wand to direct the last few sections for them.

"Slytherin's new students follow me." After the party, a Prefect will take the new student to find their respective dormitories.

Following the Prefect, Slytherin's new students went down a lot of stairs and finally came to their common room.

Behind an empty, wet stone wall was a narrow, low basement with walls and ceilings made of rough stone, round, green-lighted lights were hanging from the ceiling.

The serpent carving on the door gave a hiss: "password?"

"Pureblood." Prefect answered. Then he said to the new student at the back: ��Remember this password, I don't want someone to sleep in the aisle, of course I am not worried about whether you will catch a cold, but I think no one would be happy to let the house be deducted points."

"Yes." They answered.

"It seems that compared to command, the common self-interest among them can make Slytherin's obey." Draco thought silently.

Entering the room, Draco looked at the fireplace here and unconsciously compared it to the one in Malfoy Manor, and came to the conclusion: "It seems that Hogwarts' education funding is short."

Of course, this was just a joke.

Then nothing happened. Draco found his bedroom, placed the baggage that was delivered, and went to bed. Ending the day's itinerary.

"The exciting life at Hogwarts is finally about to begin." This was his last thought before he fell asleep.