Under Hagrid's guidance, everyone made their way from the station towards Hogwarts.

  Hermione, cradling Crookshanks with one arm, carefully held Glenn's hand with the other as they followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow, and slippery path. Many young wizards slipped and fell along the way.

  "Blimey, it's been raining here non-stop," Hagrid grumbled, pulling up a young witch who had slid all the way to the front, covered in mud.

  "Scify," Hermione whispered, waving Crookshanks like a wand. A fsh of light, and the mud vanished from the young witch, who gratefully thanked Hermione.

  Crookshanks: ?

  Behind them, many were discussing in amazement the magic Hermione had cast. Ron, still uet Hermione's perceived arrogan the train, whispered to Harry, "Hmph, what's so great about that? She's just showing off again." Harry, oher hand, looked at Hermione's figure with a hint of envy, marveling at how truly amazing magic was.

  Glenn caught the sound and turned his head slightly, memorizing Ron's information, but said nothing.

  As they walked through the dark forest along the path, Hagrid suddenly announced, "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here."

  Then came a loud "Oooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great bck ke. Perched atop a high mountain oher side, its windows sparkling iarry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

  "I think this is the first time we've seen Hogwarts in its ey. It's a pity your eyesight hasn't fully recovered yet, but I 'share senses' with you ter," Hermione whispered to Glenn amidst the excmations of the crowd.

  A fleet of little boats came into view, and Hagrid called out, "No more'n four to a boat!"

  Glenn was about to board when Hermione held him back. The young girl stammered, "How about... we get on... a bit ter?"

  Does she want to sit aloh me in a boat? Glenn thought to himself.

  Uanding her iion, Glenn nodded, silently casting the "Presence cealment" spell on himself and Hermiohey quietly left Neville behind and moved to the back of the crowd.

  Neville, who had boarded with Harry and Ron on Hagrid's boat, suddenly realized, "Where are Glenn and Hermiohe chubby boy was bewildered, pletely unaware that he had bee behind.

  Meanwhile...

  The other two boarded ay boat as pnned, sitting side by side at the bow, with Crookshanks curled up on Hermione's p.

  Hermione held Glenn's hand, activating "Sense Sharing." Together, they admired the starry sky uhe brilliant moonlight, feeling the boat rise and fall with the waves. Glenn finally saw Hogwarts uhe starry sky. At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

  her of them spoke. In the early autumn chill, even though they could use warming charms, they didn't. Instead, they silently moved a little closer, feeling each other's warmth.

  Soon, the boats he cliff where the castle stood, the structure seeming to hover above their heads.

  "Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats reached the cliff face. Everyone ducked their heads.

  At the back of the fleet, Hermio fused, looking at the rock face still high above everyone's heads. She guessed, "This height wouldn't actually hit anyone's head. Is it some kind of tradition?"

  Glenn sehe truth: "Maybe it's just that Hagrid would hit his head if he didn't duck, but he instinctively called out anyway."

  her of them ducked, tinuing to admire the sery around them.

  The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They went along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underh the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they cmbered out onto rocks and pebbles.

  After disembarking, led by Hagrid with his mp, they cmbered up a passageway in the rotil they came out onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

  They walked up a flight of stoeps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

  "Everyone here?" Hagrid asked. After everyone responded, Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and khree times on the castle door.

  The door swung open slowly, and Professonagall stepped out, standing sternly in front of the young wizards.

  At the back of the crowd, Hermioedly waved at her, and Glenn also waved iing.

  Professonagall clearly saw the two, her expression softening slightly as she nodded.

  "The firs' years, Professonagall," said Hagrid.

  "Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here."

  She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Dursleys' house in it. The stone walls were lit with fming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnifit marble staircase fag them led to the upper floors.

  Hermione lightly spped Glenn, pining, "It's all your fault! We hardly ever go out for walks, so I haven't had a ce to properly explore Hogwarts. I've never seen this pce before. You'd better take me on a proper tour ter, you hear?"

  Glenn nodded, a slight smile on his face.

  "Wele to Hogwarts," said Professonagall. She led them across the fgged stone floor, and they could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the sust already be here.

  Professonagall the on to expin iail about the S ceremony and the four Houses.

  Hermione was rubbing her hands together, ready to fay kind of test.

  Although there was a brief interruption when a group of ghosts suddenly appeared, startling everyo didn't affect Professonagall's annouhat the S was about to begin.

  "Now, form a line," Professonagall told the first years, "and follow me." Glenn and Hermiourally lined up at the end, with Hermioill holding Glenn's hand to guide him, even though they both knew Glenn could now walk on his own without using his supersenses.

  It's just a little intimacy, those who uand, uand. Those who don't, please don't criticize.

  However, Hermione was starting tle a bit holding the increasingly heavy Crookshanks with one arm.

  "Feather-light," Glenn touched Crookshanks, while also giving the cat a little pat.

  The line of students passed through the entrance hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. It was lit by thousands of dles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were id with glittering golden ptes and goblets.

  At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting.

  Professonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line fag the other students, with the teachers behind them.

  "hat a beautiful ceiling. 'Hogwarts: A History' mentiohat the Great Hall's ceiling was bewitched, but I never imagi would be this beautiful," Hermione said, staring at the ceiling that looked just like the sky outside.

  Then she suddenly spped Glenn again: "It's all your fault!"

  "..." Glenn was helpless but amused.

  Professonagall silently pced a fged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard's hat. This hat atched and frayed aremely dirty. As everyone's attention was drawn to the hat, it suddenly opened a rip he brim and began to sing in an unpleasant voice, though one could barely make out that it was describing the four Houses.

  "Ugh, it sounds awful," Hermione said with disgust. "The hat is dirty enough as it is."

  Glenn nodded in agreement.

  At this point, Professonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of part.

  "When I call your name, you will put o and sit oool to be sorted," she said.

  Hermione said in disbelief, voig her guess, "Don't tell me the so-called S test is just letting that hat sort you? Wait, isn't this tattered hat the one in the dispy case in Professor Dumbledore's office!?"

  "Is that all?" she added, sounding almost disappointed.

  Professonagall paused for a moment, then called out, "Hannah Abbott!"