ALL NOVEL Great Hall
"First years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
A huge mountain of fur coats was walking towards Ben, as it got closer, Ben recognized it as the half-giant Hagrid.
"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Everyone followed the giant through a narrow path, nobody made a sound except for the footsteps, the path opened suddenly at the edge of a great black lake, it was the biggest Ben had seen in his life.
On the other side of the lake was a vast castle in all its majestic glory with its many towers and turrets and windows sparkling in the moonlight. Ben could only stare wide-eyed and try to capture it all in his mind cause it won't be the same the second time.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called and brought Ben's attention to the fleet of little boats standing near the shore, Ben found an empty boat and was joined by three more people that he did not recognise.
The fleet of boats glided across as the smooth waters of the lake, everyone was amazed by the view as they stared at the great castle overhead, Ben was looking at the waters, trying to find a glimpse of the Giant Squid that he'd read about. He even considered jumping into the lake as he remembered reading that it helped the students that fell into the waters.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as they reached the cliff that contained a passage hidden by a curtain of ivy, there was enough space under the ivy for everyone to pass through except for the Half-giant, they travelled through the dark passage and reached right underneath the castle at some kind of harbour, everyone then made out of their little boats and hurried up a long flight of stone steps and reached a huge oak door.
The giant knocked on the door three times with his gigantic fist and the door swung open at once.
A tall dark haired witch in emerald robes stood there, Ben recognised her straight away.
Professor Minerva McGonagall, Order of Merlin (First class), Deputy headmistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, head of the transfiguration department, head of Gryffindor House, a quidditch fanatic and a Tabby cat animagus.
Thinking about her description, Ben felt that she was seriously overworked at this school. He had looked at every cat with suspicion ever since he'd read about her.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she said in a voice that reminded him of some of his senior professors. It sounded strict and polite at the same time.
Everyone followed her through the entrance hall towards a bright shiny door, Ben could hear many muffled voices coming from the other side.
"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 dormitory, and spend your free time in your house common room."
Then she started talking about Houses and the wretched House points system they had going on here.
Ben already knew that he was going to lose his house a lot of points, he had been an ideal student in the past, he kept his uniform tidy, his hair and nails short and his shoes polished. He was on time for every class, submitted all his assignments and did everything he could to be the ideal student and do everything his parents expected of him.
This was Ben's second shot at life and he was not going to torture himself again, if it means his house being the last, then so be it. Not like there was a prize for winning.
While Ben was having his inner monologue, the professor had already entered the Great hall leaving a lot of nervous kids behind.
"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Ben heard someone whispering near him.
"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." said another boy.
"We have to defeat a troll of course, didn't you know?" Ben whispered to the poor boy. He said it with such conviction that the boy's face lost all colour.
As if the thought of fighting a troll wasn't enough, a fleet of ghosts came arguing down the hall.
"I say, what are you all doing here?" Said a ghost dressed in a doublet, a dashing plumed hat, and a tunic with a ruff asked the crowd gathered in the hall.
"New students!" said the fat ghost, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"
Ben had only heard of ghosts till now and had never seen any, it was weird watching them float there because he could see right through them.
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts floated straight towards the wall and went right through it.
"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me.
The door fully opened and everyone got a view of the Great hall for the first time. It was a magical place, with thousands and thousands of candles floating in the air and hundreds of students sitting at four long tables laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. Ben quickly looked up towards to ceiling and it was filled with a velvety night sky dotted with twinkling stars.
"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History." He heard someone whisper, who else could it be but Hermione?
Ben looked towards the top of the hall with another long table that had all the teachers sitting. At the centre, in a golden chair was sitting an old man with a long long beard wearing a purple rope and a pointed hat giving out harmless grandfatherly vibes.
Ben instantly recognised him as Dumbledork, a man with a very long ass name that he did not remember. He has conflicted feelings about the man and reminded himself to not look into his twinkling eyes.
'Oh, Merlin's fat hat, I almost fell for it.'
Avoiding the twinkle behind the half-moon glasses, Ben looked to the right at a pale face with a crooked long nose and greasy black hair on top, dressed in a long black robe who was staring intensely at someone. Ben followed his gaze which led to the one Harry James Potter, the chosen one.