The train cut through towns, then endless flat fields, then cities, until finally they saw in the distance a massive castle that looked as though it were resting upon a lake.
"That must be Hogwarts," Lily said softly, gazing out the window with awe and wonder.
"Yes," Camelia and Severus said, exchanging a smile and nodding with certainty.
That was Hogwarts. Though they had seen pictures in books, it was far more breathtaking and striking to witness it in reality.
The sky gradually grew dark, and soon the train's loudspeaker announced that they were approaching the Hogwarts station. They packed their belongings and left them in the compartment. Before the train had even come to a complete stop, Lily excitedly pulled Camelia out of the corridor, leaving Severus with no choice but to follow along.
They stood in the corridor, gripping the railing and looking toward the front of the train. The enormous headlight of the engine illuminated the path ahead, and steam puffed into the air with a soft chugging sound. Nearly all the newly arrived young wizards were crowded in the corridor, peering forward with eager anticipation as the train slowly made its way toward Hogwarts.
The train slowed down and finally came to a halt. They followed the shoving, jostling crowd off the train and onto a dark, tiny platform. Both Camelia and Severus were unaccustomed to being pushed and shoved, but Severus was clearly the more uncomfortable of the two, his lips pressed into a tight, hard line. Seeing this, Lily stepped in and wedged Severus between herself and Camelia. Ignoring his reluctant expression, Camelia and Lily each grabbed one of his sleeves, shielding him so no one else could bump into him.
The young wizards chattered in excited whispers. A familiar, boisterous voice drew closer: "Excuse me, let me through, I need to get past!..."
It was Potter. Accompanied by Sirius, he elbowed his way through the crowd until he reached Lily and the others. Potter squeezed forward, trying to edge up right next to Lily.
"Hey there, miss, what a coincidence running into you again. Can I finally know your name?" Potter asked, nervously smoothing down his messy hair and trying to play it cool as he sidled up to Lily. He pretended to be shoved by the crowd in order to press closer to her, but Severus reacted with lightning speed and pulled Lily away.
Severus pushed Lily toward Camelia and said with evident annoyance, "I should think a gentleman with any sense of shame wouldn't cling to a lady like a slug."
"You greasy-haired, gloomy git, James is just trying to ask the young lady's name. Are you jumping out here because you're jealous?" Black stood behind Potter with his hands rebelliously shoved into his pockets, offering a mocking and disdainful sneer.
"You two just shut up. I don't want to tell you my name, and I don't want to be friends with you either. Please stay away from us!" Lily tugged Camelia, trying to put some distance between them, but the crowd blocked their way. With a helpless sigh, she turned the other way and ignored Black and Potter entirely.
A tall, thin figure stood at the front of the crowd, holding a lantern. "First-years! First-years over here! Follow me, don't fall behind!" he shouted to the crowd. He didn't seem to be straining his voice, yet somehow it felt as though everyone could hear him clearly.
They followed closely behind the man, walking down what appeared to be a steep, narrow downward path. It was pitch black all around. Both Camelia and Severus suffered from a degree of night blindness due to malnutrition. Camelia clutched Severus's sleeve, nervously feeling out the ground with her feet.
"Lumos," Severus's voice murmured softly beside her ear. A pale blue-white light flickered from the tip of his wand, allowing Camelia to barely make out the path beneath her feet.
She drew her own wand from her sleeve as well. "Lumos." A light identical to Severus's burst from the tip of her wand, completely illuminating their path.
"Sev, Lia, you two are amazing! That's much better, I can actually see the path now. It's so pitch black here, it didn't feel safe at all. Too bad I haven't quite mastered that spell yet," Lily said, sounding both delighted and slightly dejected.
After traversing the narrow path, they emerged at the edge of a dark, vast lake, which quietly stretched out its wide, glittering surface beneath the faint moonlight. On the opposite shore, a towering castle with pointed spires stood solemnly and majestically against the hillside.
That was Hogwarts.
"Right then! All first-years into the boats, three to a boat!" the tall guide called out loudly, stepping first into a small boat docked at the water's edge.
A fleet of small boats glided across the lake toward the castle. Lily nervously clutched Camelia's robe, whispering into her ear, "Lia, I'm a bit nervous. I wonder how the Sorting works. What if it's an exam?" Even though they had discussed the Sorting many times already, now that the moment was finally here, anxiety crept in.
Camelia gave Lily's hand a reassuring pat. "It won't be difficult, Lily, don't worry. No matter what happens, you've got me and Sev. Right, Sev?" She looked over at Severus, prompting him to say something.
"Yes, Lily, there's no need to worry," Severus said dryly, though he himself looked somewhat tense—it was simply too dark around them for anyone to notice.
Before long, however, the boats docked, bringing them to a subterranean harbor of sorts. Following the guide's shouts, they clambered out of the boats, walked through a tunnel, and finally arrived at a patch of lawn. On the other side of the lawn stood a massive oak door, where a tall witch in emerald-green robes waited for them on the stone steps.
"Thank you for your trouble, Ogg. I'll take it from here," she said with a polite nod and smile, turning to pull the doors open. She addressed the new students: "Follow me, you young wizards."
They trailed behind the witch—Professor McGonagall—as she led them through an opulent corridor with a soaring ceiling and floating candles overhead that bathed everything in a bright glow. After climbing a flight of stairs, they arrived in a grand chamber. Prompted by Professor McGonagall's instructions, they hurriedly smoothed down their travel-rumpled clothes.
Shortly after, led by Professor McGonagall, they formed a single-file line, passed through a set of double doors, and entered a magnificent Great Hall. Four long tables stretched out across the room, crowded with students, their respective house banners hanging above each table. At the far end of the hall sat another long table, evidently meant for the teachers.
Floating above the hall were hundreds upon hundreds of candles, illuminating a breathtaking, starry sky overhead.
They were directed to stand in a line facing the entire student body and faculty. Professor McGonagall placed a tall, four-legged stool between them and the long tables, setting a pointed wizard's hat upon it. The hat was ancient and frayed, looking as though it hadn't been washed in centuries.
As Camelia studied the hat closely, a tear near the brim suddenly stretched wide like a gaping mouth, and the mouth began to sing.
The instant the singing reached her ears, Camelia recoiled as if struck by a physical blow and slammed her hands firmly over her ears.
She glanced at Severus and Lily, noticing that Lily was also wincing with a miserable expression as she covered her ears. Severus, however, stood pale-faced, enduring the song to the end.
This left Camelia feeling a mixture of amusement and profound respect for him.
It felt like an eternity before the hat finally finished its song, bowed to each of the four tables and the teachers' table, and then fell still.
Professor McGonagall stepped up beside the hat, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will come forward."
Camelia watched as Professor McGonagall called out a name, placed the hat upon the new student's head, and heard the hat announce their house.
So that was how the Sorting worked.
Before long, a somewhat familiar face came up: Potter. He stepped out of the line, turned back to flash a wide grin at Lily, waved at her, and hurried over to sit on the stool.
His goofy display earned him nothing more than a roll of the eyes from Lily.
Unsurprisingly, Potter was sorted into Gryffindor.
When it was Black's turn, the Sorting Hat sat in silence for a long, drawn-out moment before finally shouting out, "Gryffindor!"
Instantly, an excited murmur erupted across the four long tables, particularly from the green-draped table on the left, where a golden-haired girl sitting near the front looked exceptionally furious.
Yet theirs were not the only reactions that set people whispering.
...
"Camelia Groen!"
Soon enough, it was Camelia's turn. She offered Lily a reassuring smile, walked up to the stool, sat down, and picked up the Sorting Hat to place it on her head.
The hat was oversized, its wide brim sliding down to completely obscure her face.
"Oh... a love of reading, and resilience? You'd do well in Ravenclaw. Hmm... self-contained, looking out for your own interests, calculating, cool-headed, steadfast... Oh! My word, look what I've found here. Oh, oh, you simply must be Slytherin!"
Camelia listened quietly as the Sorting Hat chattered away inside her mind, her hands gripping her school robes tightly over her knees until her knuckles turned white.
"Slytherin!"
At last, she heard the hat announce loudly from atop her head. She let out a quiet sigh of relief and slowly made her way over to the Slytherin table.