Old Blood at Hogwarts

"Are you okay, Harry?" Hermione said, looking at Harry.

"I don't understand... what just happened?" Harry said as he wiped the sweat from his face, "Well - that guy - the dementor - stood there and looked around. I I mean, I think it does this, I can't see its face—and you—you—"

"I think you passed out or something." Ron still looked very scared, "Your whole body went stiff, you fell out of your seat, and you started twitching -"

"Then Professor Lupin stepped over you, took out his wand, and walked over to the Dementor," Aaron said. "He said, 'None of us has Sirius Black under his cloak. Let's go.' But the Dementor didn't move, so Professor Lupine muttered something, I guess it was a curse. Anyway, a silver light emitted from his wand, and then the guy turned and left... "

"It's terrible," Neville said. "Did you feel cold when that thing came in?"

"Yes." Aaron said, "It feels like the blood in my body has been frozen."

"I feel a little weird." Ron twisted his shoulders uncomfortably, "It seems like I will never be happy again..."

Ginny was huddled in the corner, twitching softly, looking much like Harry. Hermione walked over and put her arms around her comfortingly.

"Did any of you - fall off your seat?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"No." Ron looked at Harry and said, "Ginny was shaking like crazy, but..."

Harry immediately looked embarrassed. He seemed to feel that it was embarrassing for him to be the only one who fainted.

By this time Professor Lupine had returned.

He paused when he came in, looked around, and then smiled slightly: "I didn't poison the chocolate, you know..."

It turned out that no one had eaten the chocolate that Professor Luping gave to everyone before. They were just talking.

After hearing what Professor Lupine said, everyone quickly stuffed their chocolates into their mouths.

Aaron also took a bite, and to his great surprise, a warmth suddenly spread to the tips of his fingers and toes.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "How are you, Harry?"

"Okay." Harry replied sheepishly.

They didn't talk much for the rest of the trip.Finally, the train stopped at Hogwarts station.Aaron, Harry and others got off the train and saw a hustle and bustle on the platform. People's shouts were mixed with the calls of owls or other animals, making it extremely noisy.It was still raining and the weather was very cold. Aaron saw that ice had formed on the platform.

"First graders come here!" a familiar voice called.

Aaron turned around and saw Hagrid's burly figure at the other end of the platform.He was waving to the frightened freshmen, and just like last year, he was going to lead them through the traditional lake crossing ceremony.

"Are you okay?" Hagrid shouted to them (mostly to Harry) over the many heads.

They waved to him but had no chance to speak to him as people around them pushed them along the platform.Aaron, Harry and others followed the other students of the school onto a rough and muddy road, where at least a hundred carriages were waiting for the remaining students.The carriages were drawn by strange, scrawny black Pegasus horses.

The horses looked like they had no flesh at all, their black fur clinging tightly to their skeletons, and every bone was clearly visible.Their heads resembled those of dragons, and their pupil-less eyes were white and staring intently.On the hump between their shoulder bones grew large, black, leathery wings that looked somewhat like bat wings, but much larger.

Aaron got into the same carriage as Harry, Hermione, and Ron. There was a faint smell of musty and straw inside the carriage.After the door was closed, the carriage began to move, pulled by the black horses.

Aaron leaned out of the window, looked at the black horse pulling the cart, and asked the three companions around him: "What are those horse-like creatures?"

"What kind of horse-like creature?" Ron asked curiously.

"It's those horse-like creatures pulling the carriage now!" Aaron explained.

"What are you talking about?" Ron glanced at Aaron in confusion, then looked at Harry and Hermione.

Harry and Hermione also looked confused at this time.Then Hermione said: "Aaron, there's nothing pulling the carriage."

"How could it be? They are right there now." Aaron said, pointing to the creature trapped between the shaft poles.

Harry, Ron and Hermione moved to the window and followed Aaron's finger to look towards the front of the carriage.Then they looked at each other in confusion.

"There... there's nothing there." Harry said hesitantly.

Seeing the performance of the three Harrys, Aaron suddenly had a strange idea: "Could it be...can't you see them?"

"Can't see anything?" Harry asked.

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriage?"

At this time Ron showed a very shocked expression: "There is nothing wrong with you, Aaron?"

"I...it's okay..."

Aaron was confused.The thing was clearly pulling the carriage and was shining solidly under the dim light coming from the window. The breath coming out of its nostrils condensed into water vapor in the cold night air.Yet Harry, Hermione and Ron couldn't see it at all!

"I think you should go see Madam Pomfrey." Hermione looked at Aaron and said uneasily, as if she was worried about him. "Maybe you were affected by the dementors and had hallucinations."

"Maybe." Aaron said perfunctorily.

Could it be that he was really hallucinating because of the influence of the dementors?Aaron doesn't think so.Because these horse-like creatures are so real that they don't look like fantasy at all.There must be some reason why I can see them but others can't.

The carriage rolled forward. In front of it was a pair of majestic cast-iron doors, with many stone pillars on both sides and winged boars at the top. Aaron saw two tall, hooded dementors standing guard on both sides of the door.Passing the gate, the carriage increased speed on the long sloping driveway until it reached the front of the castle.Through the window, Aaron saw many turrets and towers approaching them.Finally, the carriage swayed to a stop, and the four people got out of the carriage.

When Aaron and others walked up the steps in front of the castle, a long, slow voice suddenly sounded in everyone's ears: "Did you pass out, Potter? Is Longbottom telling the truth? Are you really?" Passed out?"

Malfoy squeezed past Hermione, blocking Harry's path up the stone steps into the castle.He looked smug, his pale eyes twinkling with malice.

"Go away, Malfoy," Ron said through gritted teeth.

"Did you pass out too, Weasley?" Malfoy said loudly. "Did that scary old guy scare you too, Weasley?"

"What happened?" a gentle voice asked.Professor Lupine had just gotten off a carriage from behind.

Malfoy glared at Professor Lupin arrogantly, noticing the patches on Professor Lupin's robes and the tattered box.He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice: "Oh, no - oh - Professor." Then he gave Crabbe and Goyle a silly smile and led them up the stone steps into the castle.

Then, Aaron, Harry and others joined the crowd walking up the stone steps, walked through the huge oak door, and walked into the deep front hall.The vestibule was brightly lit by torches, and a magnificent marble staircase led to the upper floor.

The door leading to the right side of the auditorium was open. The four of them were about to follow the crowd into the hall when they heard a voice shouting: "Potter! Granger! I want to see you two!"

Aaron and Ron turned away together with Harry and Hermione.Professor McGonagall was greeting them across the crowd.Harry's face immediately showed a distressed look, but he still squeezed in front of Professor McGonagall with Hermione.Aaron and Ron accompanied them.

"No need to look so gloomy, I just want to have a word with you in the office." Professor McGonagall obviously saw the bitterness on Harry's face, "Weasley, Elf, go over there."

Aaron and Ron stared as Professor McGonagall led Harry and Hermione away from the chatting crowd, through the front hall and up the marble stairs.The two looked at each other, then turned back and followed the crowd into the auditorium.

After the students entered the auditorium, they sat down at the long tables in their respective colleges, and then started chatting with friends they had not seen during the holidays.The auditorium became a sea of ​​pointed black hats. Every long table was filled with students. Thousands of candles were suspended in mid-air above the tables, and their faces were illuminated by the candles.

Aaron and Ron came and sat down at the Gryffindor table.As soon as he sat down, Aaron saw Colin Creevey running over.

"Hello, Aaron." Colin greeted.

"Hello, Colin," Aaron responded, "How was your vacation?"

"Oh, great," Colin said. "I told my dad and brother about what happened at school and they were very interested. Especially when I showed them the moving pictures. They all think it's super cool. My brother Dennis wants to come here too, he'll be 11 next year and I really hope he gets an offer too - and by the way, I heard Harry fainted on the train, right? ? Where is he now?" As he said that, Colin looked around to look for him.

"He and Hermione were called away by Professor McGonagall." Aaron said, "He did pass out on the train... Harry doesn't like people to mention this. He will come over after a while. You'd better not ask. he……"

At this time, Professor Flitwick led the freshmen into the auditorium.Everyone knew that the sorting ceremony was about to begin, so they all fell silent.