Chapter 28: Hogwarts Castle
"Yeah, that boy asked for it first." nodded James with a smile. He sat down on the empty seat stretching his body as much as possible. Sirius copied him.
"If we stay in Slytherin we'll just have to put up with it," Sirius commented with a grimace.
"Don't say it! You could manifest it. I met a second-year boy who's in Gryffindor. He told me that the Sorting Hat can follow your wishes. So if you don't want to go to Slytherin, the hat will take it into consideration." said James.
"Probably..." he added unsurely.
"Let's hope that's true," Sirius said, though he didn't sound all that convincing, and James noticed.
"Will it be a great dishonor to your family if you don't end up in Slytherin?" asked James in a serious tone.
"Yes... anyone who disagrees with the concept of blood purity will be greatly despised by all Blacks. And my mother won't think it's funny at all if I break with the tradition of always staying in Slytherin House" Sirius replied with an ugly expression.
Hearing Sirius' response reminded James of his situation in his past life. Both in one of the richest and most respected families in the world and with a strict mother. Though Sirius seemed much more rebellious than him in his past life, as he openly showed that he was against his family's ideals.
"And what do your family's ideals matter? You should live however you want." animated James, although he was being hypocritical, as in his previous life, he followed his family's instructions to the letter.
"Easier said than done," said Sirius without much enthusiasm.
"It must not be that bad. Of the many members of your family, there must be a renegade or two, right?" asked James.
"Well, you're right about that. My Uncle Alphard doesn't put much stock in blood purity. He's one of the only family members I got along with. There's also my cousin Andromeda, who doesn't respect blood purity at all, and we got along very well," said Sirius more animatedly.
"You see? You just have to join them," commented James with a smile.
"That's right, to hell with tradition!" said Sirius with more encouragement, and his smirk appeared on his face again.
As they talked, the train had already left London. It was now passing through fields full of cows and sheep. They ate the candy they both bought and talked happily, making fun of the Slytherins and their ideals.
Then they began to talk about quidditch. Sirius wasn't as fanatical as James, but he could keep the conversation interesting. No one else entered the compartment, but James didn't mind. He had hit it off very well with Sirius.
Time passed. James looked out the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests, under a deep purple sky. The train seemed to slow down.
He took off his coat and put on his long black tunic, as he had forgotten.
A voice boomed through the train.
"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage and owls on the train; you'll meet them at school."
James' stomach was twisting with nerves. It wasn't a good idea to eat so much. Sirius, though appearing calm, inside was nervous as well. They both got up and walked out of the compartment.
They joined the rest of the group crowding the aisles. The train slowed down until it finally stopped. Everyone jostled to get out onto the small, dark platform.
As they left, they felt very cold. Suddenly a lamp appeared wiggling over the students' heads, and James heard a voice, "First year! First years over here!"
James could see a gigantic man. His face was practically hidden by a long tangle of hair and a wild beard, but his eyes could be seen, glowing like black beetles, under all that fur.
'It's Hagrid... the Hogwarts gamekeeper.' thought James, looking at the giant man. In a few chapters the read of the Harry Potter novel, Hagrid appears and goes looking for Harry (his future son, as strange as it sounds) to let him know he is a wizard and tell him about his past.
He was the first person to tell Harry about his parents and that they died at the hands of Voldemort.
"Come, follow me... Are there any more first years? Watch your step. Follow me, first years!" exclaimed Hagrid.
It was a strange feeling to see a character you knew through reading now standing in front of you. James and Sirius began to follow Hagrid silently down what seemed like a steep, narrow path.
No one said much, showing how nervous everyone was. At most a few whispers could be heard. James tried to look for Emily since he hadn't seen her so far, but it was impossible because of the darkness and the number of new students there.
"In a second, you'll get your first glimpse of Hogwarts!" shouted Hagrid. Just around this bend, there was a loud hubbub by mostly first-year students excited for the great view.
The narrow path suddenly opened to the edge of a large black lake. On top of a high mountain, on the other side, with its windows glowing in the starry sky, was a huge castle with many towers and watchtowers.
James could not believe the size of the castle. It was gigantic. The Rothschild palace was not even a quarter the size of Hogwarts Castle. His parents had told him about Hogwarts but seeing it for yourself was different.
"No more than four people per boat!" shouted Hagrid, pointing to a fleet of small boats, positioned in the water just off the shore.
James and Sirius climbed into one of the boats, followed by two more boys they didn't know. The small fleet of boats moved at the same time, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, gazing at the great castle over their heads. It towered before them, as they drew nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
When they were very close to the castle, they advanced through a dark tunnel, which seemed to lead them right under the castle. Until they came to a sort of subterranean pier, where they clambered over rocks and pebbles.
Then they ascended through a passage in the rock, following Hagrid's lamp, and came out at last on a soft, damp lawn, in the shadow of the castle. They climbed up some stone steps and came together before the great oak door.
James could notice a familiar head in the distance. It was most likely Emily, the bad thing was that he couldn't call her, as she was far away, and it would be very difficult to reach her.
'I'll have time to talk to her later,' thought James.
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and banged three times on the castle door.
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