Harry Potter The Prince Of Underworld

chapter 8

My stay at the camp wasn’t as bad as I had feared. I had a few friends who accepted me for who I was. There were still people though who thought I didn’t belong here, but they were few and I couldn’t care about them. Others have decided to ignore me. Annabeth and Luke had also stopped glaring at me. According to Lou, my father had sent monsters after them to kill Thalia, daughter of Zeus. She had sacrificed herself so that Annabeth, Luke, and a satyr named Grover could reach camp safely. Then Zeus turned her to a pine tree so that her soul wouldn’t reach Hades.


I had asked my father about it but he refused to tell me anything. He would get annoyed and snap at me if I asked about it.


And as for the underworld, I have been going there regularly for about two hours a day when we are free to do whatever we like. I leave a clone behind so that none of the campers suspects me. Lou knows of course and I  think Chiron suspects something too but he hasn’t mentioned anything.


In the underworld, I practice shadow manipulation for an hour under supervision of one of the furies and roam the underworld for the remaining time. It’s great to be there. I even went to the field of punishment once, it’s horrible. I am not returning there ever again. My stepmother has warmed up to me as well anymore too. She hasn’t threatened me to turn into a dandelion for a year now. I think she has started caring for me as well. Even though she loves my father, she must feel lonely here. I know father does but he would never accept it. No gods except regular inhabitant of underworld visit here.


I don’t have good a relationship with my immortal half-sister Melione though. She lives in a cave in the boundary of the underworld. She can leave the underworld only at night. And since I have absolute freedom to leave and enter Hades as I wish. So she resents me for it.


Oh! And Lou and I are leaving for London today. Our Hogwarts letter had arrived a month ago. But since it’s situated across the Atlantic we are going today. We will first go to Diagon alley to buy our school stuff and stay in a hotel for a few days and then go to Hogwarts. Chiron is not happy about it. We would have gone to Ilvermorny but I was already enrolled at Hogwarts and I would have gone there anyway. Lou needs to learn magic too and there aren’t any Hectate children at camp. She learns whatever she can through books and notes left behind by previous Hectate children. But she can’t learn everything herself so she is coming with me too.  And I am really glad about that.


I got ready and walked outside where Lou was waiting for me. She was in a regular camp halfblood tshirt and a faded jeans.


“Are you ready?” I asked.


“Yes. How are we going there?” she asked.


“ I can shadow travel there. I can take you with me. I have permission from Chiron. He was not happy about it. But I can’t get into a plane without being thrown out of the sky. We don’t know how Poseidon would react if I got onto the sea.  So he agreed.”


“ Oh great. Are you sure though? It’s across the Atlantic.” She asked worriedly.


“Don’t worry. I can do it. I just need to sleep after I get there. I have already booked a hotel room to stay in. Now come here hold my hand.” I said.


I took her hand, ran towards a shadow, and emerged out of another at the entrance of the hotel we were staying at. I took the key from the reception went to the room and crashed straight into bed.


Diagon alley was the same as I had last seen it. We bought our school stuff and wands. Actually, As a daughter of Hectate Lou doesn’t need a wand but we bought it anyway so there wouldn’t be any questions at school. She got a yew wand with unicorn hair as the core. And I got a wand made of white poplar with thestral hair as the core. We spent about two hours at the wand shop.


The trip to Diagon alley was extremely annoying though. Apparently, I am famous for not dying when my mother sacrificed her life for me. Thank gods that my Scar has healed otherwise it would have been a nightmare. Still, a lot of people recognized me. I don’t even know how it’s possible! They haven’t seen me before at all and even my accent has changed due to my stay at camp.


Train to Hogwarts was a nightmare for demigods. We had to sit at a compartment for seven hours with nothing to do except to eat candy and roam around the train. There was an annoying blonde who had barged into our compartment demanding my friendship. I refused of course, he reminds me too much of Dudley. It was dark when the train finally stopped.


We pushed our way to the tiny platform where a giant man with long and shaggy dark hair and wild and tangled beard carrying a lantern was shouting, “ Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here!”.


We followed him through the narrow path which opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

“No more’n four to a boat!” The giant man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. We were followed into boat by a sandy haired boy named Neville and bushy haired girl named Hermione. I silently prayed to Poseidon not to drown me throughout the ride. I am in his domain after all. Finally, We arrived at some kind of underground harbour without any accidents. We walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded in front of huge oak door.

The giant man raised his fist and knocked three times. The door opened immediately to reveal black haired woman dressed in emerald green robes.

“The Firs’ years, Professor McGonagall.”

“Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here.”


“Welcome to Hogwarts,” the professor welcomed.  “The feast shall start shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first 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 your Housemates, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House 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 rule-breaking will lose house points.


At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. 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 suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”
 

“I shall return when we are ready for you,” said Professor McGonagall. “Please wait quietly.”


She left the chamber.


All students started talking among themselves about the sorting process or the house they thought they will be in when several people behind me screamed.


A couple of ghosts had arrived arguing among themselves, something about giving chance to ‘him’. They must have felt my presence here because they stopped abruptly, eyes wide, looking fearfully at me. One of them squeaked, “Your Highness! ”


I glared at him. It was annoying. The first thing I will do tomorrow is call a meeting of ghosts and warn them to behave normally around me. It will be annoying if they start bowing whenever they saw me. Lou’s laughter wasn’t helping either. He just looked at me fearfully and stammered,” Ahh.. hmm..what  I.. mean is What are you guys doing here.,”


“We are waiting for professor McGonagall, sir,” someone said.


“Hope to see you? In Hufflepuff!” said the ghost. “My old house, you know?”


“Move along now,” said a sharp voice. “The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start.”
Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the off opposite wall.


“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall told the first years, “and follow me.”


I got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Lou behind him, and  walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall

It was a strange and splendid place. Not as grand as father’s palace of course but grander for mortals nonetheless. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.

Dotted here and there among the students,
The ghosts shone misty silver.

The ceiling upward showed the sky outside dotted with stars. I heard Hermione whisper, “Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History.”


Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard’s hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.


For a few moments, everything was silent as everyone stared at the raggedy hat. Then, a rip opened up as if it were a mouth, and it started to sing.


Apparently, according to the of the song, we would have to wear the hat and it would tell them which House they belonged in.


I was startled when the room burst into applause. Apparently, the hat was done singing. I politely clapped along for a bit.


McGonagall held up a scroll of parchment. “When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” she told the students. “Abbott, Hannah.”


The pig-tailed girl stepped forward, put the hat on, and sat down. There was a pause of maybe a few seconds.


“Hufflepuff!” the hat sounded.


One of the tables burst into applause and cheers as Hannah went to sit down with them


She started calling names based on the alphabetical order of last names. I noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others, it took a little while to decide. Lou, Neville and Hermione got sorted to Gryffindor, an annoying blonde boy, and his lackey to Slytherin. Finally, my name was called.


“Potter, Harry”

As I stepped forward, the whisper suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall. It’s really annoying, can’t I go anywhere without being followed by whispers? I hope it goes down soon.


I sat down and the hat fell over my eyes.


“Oh, demigod I see. I haven’t sorted them for about a century.”

I nearly jumped out of the stool. This thing can read my mind.


‘You can read my mind?’


‘ Yes, of course! How else am I supposed to sort you? Don’t worry of course whatever I see will remain between us. I am made by lady Hectate herself. No one will know what I saw.’


‘umm, alright can others read my mind as well.’


‘ Well it’s not exactly mind reading but yes some wizards can read your mind.’

Well then I will have to talk with father about this. I can’t keep my mind open for all to read.

‘well, you can certainly do that, but now let’s see. Oh quite courageous I see. Pretty cunning as well but not overly ambitious. Loyal to those who have earned it. Pretty intelligent too. Where to put you where to put you??’


‘I would like to go to Gryffindor if you please’

‘well then better be “GRYFFINDOR”.

I made my way to the Gryffindor table and sat beside Lou. After the last student- Blaise Zabini got sorted to Slytherin the bearded guy stood up.

He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.


“Welcome,” he said. “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 back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. I didn’t know whether to laugh or not.


Suddenly the table was filled with foods. There was roast beef and chicken, pork and lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, potatoes – both boiled and roast – fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, and a whole range of other vegetables.


Everyone was talking around me about something or another. I haven’t been good at masses. So I ate quietly listening to conversations around me. Lou was chatting excitedly with red-haired named Percy about t teachers and classes. Apparently, the greasy-haired teacher’s name is Snape and he hates Gryffindor.  Neville and others of my age were talking with a ghost about his near heedlessness. It really wasn’t topic appropriate for dinner. But I have my dinner served by a skeleton at the palace, so I have no room to complain.


I looked up at teachers’ table, all were happily chatting with each other while having dinner. Professor with turban was talking with greasy haired professor. There is something wrong with professor with turban. There was some kind of presence not entirely alive not entirely dead on his head sapping his life force. I will have to look at that later.


At last, when all food disappeared, Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.


“Ahem — now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.


“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”
  Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the red- haired twins.
“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
“And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.


“He’s not serious?” he muttered.


“Must be,” said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. “It’s odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we’re not allowed to go somewhere — the forest’s full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.”


Well nothing to worry about I guess. But he really shouldn’t have announced it in dramatic manner. Gryffindors are supposed to be reckless, aren’t they? There probably will be challenges next day to prove their bravery and whatnot.


He made us sing a song then Percy led us to the Gryffindor tower. It was up high in Seventh floor. We were attacked mid way by a poltergeist but he squeaked and ran after he saw. Everyone was shocked by that. Apparently he is afraid only of Slytherin house ghost named Bloody Baron.


Our common room was guarded by a painting and we need to tell her a password go past her. The common room was cosy, round room full of armchairs. Percy directed Lou and other girls us through one of the door to their dormitory.  And us boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — we were obviously in one of the towers — we found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Our trunks had already been brought up.


Too tired to talk much, I pulled on my pyjamas and fell into bed.