章节_40

seem to be slowing down.

he and ron took off their jad pulled black

robes. ro short for him, you could see his sneakers

uhem.

a voice echh the train: ”we will be reag hogwarts

ies time. please leave ye orain,

it will be taken to the school separately.”

harrys stomach lurched with nerves and ron, he saw, looked

pale under his freckles. they crammed their pockets with the last

of the sweets ahe cr the corridor.

the trai down and finally stopped. people pushed

their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. harry

shivered in the ight air. then a lamp came bobbihe

heads of the students, and harry heard a familiar voice: ”firs

years! firs years over here! all right there, harry?”

hagrids big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

”, follow me -- any more firs years? miep,

now! firs years follow me!”

slipping and stumbling, they followed hagrid down what seemed

to be a steep, narrow path. it was so dark oher side of them

that harry thought there must be thick trees there. nobody spoke

mueville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once

or twice.

”ye all get yer firs sight o hogwarts in a sec,” hagrid

called over his shoulder, ”jus round this bend here.”

there was a loud ”oooooh!”

the narroeo the edge of a great

black take. perched atop a high mountaiher side, its

wind iarry sky, was a vast castle with many

turrets and towers.

”no moren four to a boat!” hagrid called, pointing to a fleet

of little boats sittier by the shore. harry and ron

were followed i by neville and hermione. ”everyone

in?” shouted hagrid, who had a boat to himself. ”right then --

forward!”

atle boats moved off all at ong

across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. everyone was silent,

staring up at the great castle overhead. it towered over them as

they sailed nearer ahe which it stood.

”heads down!” yelled hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff;

they all bent their heads ale boats carried them through a

of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. they were

carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taki

uhe til they read round

harbor, where they clambered out onto rod pebbles.

”oy, you there! is this your toad?” said hagrid, who was g

the boats as people climbed out of them.

”trevor!” eville blissfully, holding out his hands. then

they clambered up a passageway ier hagrids lamp,

ing out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of

the castle.

they a flight of stoeps and crowded around the

huge, oak front door.

”everyohere, still got yer toad?”

hagrid raised a gigantid kimes on the

castle door.

chapter seven

the s hat

the d opeall, black-haired wit

emerald-greehere. she had a very stern fad

harrys first thought was that this was o cross.

”the firs years, prall,” said hagrid.

”thank you, hagrid. i will 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 ione

ith flamihe otts,

the g was too high to make out, and a mag marble

stairg them led to the upper floors.

they followed prall across the flagged stone

floor. harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voi a

doorway tht -the rest of the sust already be here

-- but prall showed the first years into a small,

empty chamber off the hall. they , standing rather closer

together than they would usually have d about nervously.

”wele to hograll.