Chapter 25 – Hogwarts and Sorting! Part-3

    {Black Lake, Hogwarts}Updated chapters at novelhall.com

    {1st Sep 1991}

    It was a magical scene. Hogwarts stood tall in the dark night reflected in the massive lake. Rigel realized why the charm on the lake was necessary, it wasn''t done to improve the whole journey, the whole thing was a setup for this very scene.

    Hogwarts was an important part of a wizard and witch''s life. Each of the 3 schools introduced had their own kind of stamp to it. The Durmstrang Institute he hadn''t heard about but from its origin story of Grindelwald it was more appealing to the believers of the Dark Arts. The Beauxbatons Academy of Magic''s architecture was more beautiful and artsy, with glass and ice colliding together to create a forward-looking center of Research.

    Hogwarts was an old-looking castle, but Rigel was sure this opening scene would stay in the minds of all the witches and wizards that passed through its halls. There were no gimmicks other than the one he was seeing, Hogwarts simply was the oldest established magical academy in the World, created by 4 exceptional wizards in their field. The old castle was a symbol of the amount of time it had withstood sieges and the number of lives it had protected.

    Everyone just watched the scene with bated breath for a couple of moments. The boats drifted every so closer with every passing moment and the castle grew grander. No one spoke until the boats landed on the shore and with unsteady legs everyone started disembarking.

    ''There was no magical manipulation involved, it was sheer awe and a feeling of being a part of the real magical world that kept the students quiet.'' Rigel concluded as he hopped off the boat.

    He turned around to help Daphne and Tracy off as well and the muttering returned. Rigel could hear people being amazed at the old castle as even Tracy muttered, "That was beautiful, I guess it makes sense why Mother never told me about the boat ride."

    "Makes sense, maybe she never really could have done it justice." Rigel spoke, he turned to Daphne and asked, "Did you notice the lake?"

    "Yeah, the absurdly still lake?" Daphne asked, "It must be a spell, there is no other way to affect something so large." She continued as she turned around to look at the Lake.

    Minerva looked at Rigel looking around and then she turned to look at Harry, both of them had arrived safely and she could take a breather. When all news about Rigel had vanished she was sure that the Malfoy family had got to him and they were simply trying to find him as a ploy.

    "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''s dormitory, and spend free time in the same common room."

    "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the housecup, a great honor, and some additional perks but those do not apply to you guys. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

    "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I''ll go and check if they are ready for you, I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Minerva finished her tirade before she opened the door and slipped inside.

    For a moment Rigel got a glimpse of the Great Hall and his mana sense was overwhelmed by the number of students in the Great Hall. The door slammed shut and his mana sense was cut off. He took a step back to stabilize himself as he looked at the oak doors with a frown.

    "What happened?" Daphne asked, she clearly noticed that something was up.

    "Nothing," Rigel waved her concern away as he gave her a small smile. He focused on dialing back his senses a little in preparation as 3 ghosts floated out of the door.

    ''What is this though, I can hear muffled voices through the door but I can''t sense any mana through it... and what are these ghosts made up of!''

    ...

    An - Sorting in the next chapter!

    P.S - 29 extra chapters on Patreon.