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"Right then, first years, this way!" Hagrid's booming voice carried easily over the excited chatter. "No more than four to a boat!"
The boats waited at the edge of a dark lake that stretched into the Scottish night. Darius climbed into one with Emma, Sarah, and Thomas, their nervous energy palpable in the small space.
"Forward!" Hagrid called from his own boat.
The boats moved by themselves across the still water, and then—
"There it is," Sarah whispered.
Hogwarts rose from the darkness like something from a fever dream. Towers reached toward star-scattered sky, windows glowed with warm light, and the whole massive structure seemed to pulse with life. Darius felt his breath catch, and the nano machine immediately began its analysis.
[Architectural impossibility detected. Structure defies gravitational limitations. Magical energy signatures: Overwhelming. Analysis systems... overloaded. Reducing sensitivity to prevent shutdown.]
Even with its capabilities reduced, the nano machine continued cataloging what it could process: moving lights that weren't electric, stone that somehow radiated warmth, architectural elements that shifted between observations.
The boats carried them through a curtain of ivy into an underground harbor. They disembarked onto wet rock and followed Hagrid up stone steps that led to massive oak doors.
"Everyone here? Good." Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times.
The doors opened to reveal Professor McGonagall, looking even more formidable in the castle's shadows. "Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here."
She led them into an entrance hall so vast it could have swallowed the entire orphanage. A marble staircase swept upward to floors invisible in the gloom above. Portraits lined the walls, their painted subjects moving and whispering among themselves.
[Animated artwork detected. Unknown preservation and animation method. Subjects appear conscious. Data: Insufficient for analysis.]
"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall began, her voice carrying clearly in the stone space. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
She explained the House system—how they would be families, how they would earn points, how their triumphs and failures would be shared. Darius listened carefully, but part of his attention remained on the moving portraits and the way the very air seemed alive with magic.
"The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you smarten yourselves up while you wait."
She left them alone in the entrance hall. Around him, first years fidgeted with their robes and whispered nervously.
"What if it hurts?" a small boy with sandy hair asked no one in particular.
"My cousin said they make you duel a professor," a girl with elaborate braids added unhelpfully.
Thomas looked pale. "Maybe we should have asked more questions."
Emma was chewing her lip again. "McGonagall said ceremony. What kind of ceremony?"
Before Darius could answer, translucent figures drifted through the walls. Ghosts, he realized, as several first years shrieked. The nano machine tried to analyze them but came up with nothing coherent—they registered as present but not solid, visible but not entirely real.
[Error: Subjects detected but not quantifiable. Recommend caution.]
One ghost, a woman in flowing robes with long dark hair, noticed their stares. She regarded them with distant, melancholy eyes but said nothing, drifting past without acknowledgment.
McGonagall returned. "Form a line and follow me."
They walked through double doors into the Great Hall.
Darius's step faltered. The room was impossible—larger than any space should be inside the castle they'd seen from outside. Four long tables stretched the length of the hall, filled with students in black robes. Thousands of candles floated overhead, their light warm against a ceiling that showed the night sky beyond, complete with drifting clouds.
[Spatial distortion confirmed. Interior dimensions exceed exterior measurements. Atmospheric projection detected. Ceiling appears to be... outside. Error. Error. Analysis postponed.]
At the far end of the hall, the teachers sat at a high table. Darius spotted McGonagall's empty chair, and at the center, an elderly man with long silver beard and half-moon spectacles. Dumbledore. Even from this distance, his presence seemed to fill the hall.
McGonagall placed a four-legged stool before the teacher's table. On it sat a patched, frayed wizard's hat that looked older than the castle itself.
The hall fell silent.
The hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened like a mouth, and it began to sing about the four founders and their different values, explaining how it would look into each student's mind and place them where they truly belonged.
When the song ended, applause filled the hall. McGonagall unrolled a parchment.
"When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and place the hat on your head. Andrews, Patricia!"
A nervous girl stumbled forward. The hat dropped over her eyes, considered for a moment, then called out "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The table on the right erupted in cheers. Patricia, beaming, ran to join them.
"Blake, Timothy!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Clarke, Jennifer!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The sorting continued. Some students were placed immediately, others took longer. Darius watched each placement, the nano machine cataloging patterns where it could find them.
[Observation: Sorting appears based on personality assessment. Method: Unknown. Hat demonstrates apparent consciousness and analytical capability beyond current understanding.]
"Hartwell, Emma!"
Darius's stomach clenched as Emma walked forward on unsteady legs. The hat settled over her auburn curls, and for nearly a minute, nothing happened. Then:
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The leftmost table exploded in cheers. Emma looked shocked but pleased as she joined them, throwing a quick wave back at her friends.
More names. "Johnson, Marcus!" became a Hufflepuff.
"Chang, Cho!"
A girl with sleek black hair walked forward confidently. The hat barely touched her head before calling out "RAVENCLAW!" She smiled as she joined the second table from the left.
"Keller, Diana!" joined Slytherin.
"Kael, Darius!"
His heart hammered as he walked forward. The hall seemed to stretch endlessly, hundreds of eyes following his progress. He sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the ancient hat on his head.
Everything went dark.
Well, well, a voice spoke directly into his mind. What have we here?
Darius tried to keep his thoughts calm, but the hat chuckled.
Oh, don't bother with that. I can see your qualities clearly, young man. Interesting mind you have—always observing, always analyzing. You see patterns others miss, don't you?
I... I try to understand things, Darius thought.
Yes, I can see that drive clearly. Tremendous intelligence, a love of learning for its own sake. You hunger for knowledge, for understanding how the world truly works. Curious about that strange... presence I sense as well. Something beyond my usual experience.
The nano machine's interface flickered behind Darius's eyes, but the hat seemed more puzzled than alarmed.
No matter. What's important is what I see in you—wit, creativity, the desire to seek truth wherever it may lead. Ravenclaw values those qualities above all else.
Relief flooded through him.
But there's cunning here too, the hat continued thoughtfully. Survival instincts honed by necessity. You know when to hide your light, when to let others underestimate you. Slytherin could help you achieve great things...
I want to learn, Darius thought firmly. Knowledge is what I'm after, not power over others.
Ah, but knowledge is power, young one. Still... yes, I see your heart in this. The pure love of discovery, of understanding. Wisdom earned through hardship. Very well then—better be... RAVENCLAW!
The word echoed through the Great Hall. The second table erupted in cheers as Darius, weak with relief, made his way toward them. Students clapped his back, welcoming him to their house.
"Welcome to Ravenclaw!" said Cho Chang, the girl who had been sorted just moments before him. "I'm Cho. Looks like we're housemates!"
Darius nodded, still processing what had happened. The nano machine's interface stabilized as he sat down.
[Assessment: Sorting successful. House assignment: Ravenclaw. Compatible with learning objectives. Optimal placement achieved.]
The sorting continued. Thomas became a Hufflepuff, looking thrilled to join such a welcoming group. Sarah went to Ravenclaw as well, sitting beside Darius with obvious relief at having a familiar face nearby.
When the last student—"Williams, Robert!" to Gryffindor—was sorted, Dumbledore rose. His presence commanded instant attention.
"Welcome!" he said, arms spread wide. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
He sat down to thunderous applause. Then the golden plates before them filled with food.
Darius had never seen such abundance—roast beef, chicken, lamb, potatoes prepared a dozen different ways, vegetables that actually looked appetizing. His stomach growled loudly enough that Sarah smiled.
"Go on," she said. "I think we're past worrying about taking the second bowl now."
He loaded his plate, marveling at how different this felt from the orphanage's thin porridge and watery soup. Around the table, his new housemates were discussing classes, professors, and the mysteries of magic with infectious enthusiasm.
"What are you most looking forward to?" asked a third-year student across from him—Michael Stevens.
Darius considered. "All of it," he said honestly. "I want to understand how magic works."
"That's the Ravenclaw spirit!" Cho said from beside him. "Though I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about it all."
[Note: Educational challenges expected. Recommend intensive study protocols.]
As the feast continued, Darius found himself relaxing for the first time since arriving at the castle. The conversation flowed around him—theories about Transfiguration, speculation about the new Defense professor, friendly debates about Quidditch strategies.
This was what he'd never had at the orphanage: belonging. Not just acceptance, but genuine connection with people who shared his interests, his curiosity, his love of learning.
Sarah leaned over. "Are you as relieved as I am?"
"More than I can say."
Above them, the enchanted ceiling showed stars wheeling slowly across the sky. The Great Hall hummed with hundreds of conversations, laughter, and the quiet contentment of a school year beginning.
Darius D. Kael looked around the Ravenclaw table—at Sarah's excited smile, at his new housemates' welcoming faces, at the magical castle that would be his home for the next seven years. For the first time in either of his lives, he felt like he belonged exactly where he was.
The nano machine hummed softly in the back of his mind, already planning study schedules and learning protocols. But for now, Darius simply enjoyed the feast, the company, and the promise of tomorrow's first lessons.
Average was officially behind him. His real education was about to begin.