Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter XII: Hogwarts

“Ye'all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,” he called over his shoulder. “Jus' round this bend here.”

The narrow path soon opened onto the edge of a great black lake that Harry could only guess the depths of. Several boats lined the shore, obviously their transport to Hogwarts. And there, sitting perched atop a high mountain, was the school they would be going to.

While Harry was not among those who let out a loud “ooooh!” at the sight, he would never deny to being impressed. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was an enormous castle that appeared to have been taken right out of the first century; tall and imposing, it seemed like a veritable fortress that could and had withstood numerous sieges in the past. Its many turrets and towers reached up as if to grasp the heavens, and the windows he could make out sparkled in the moonlit night.

It was not the castle itself that got Harry's attention, however. No, while the school was imposing and grand enough that Harry felt as if he had gone back in time during King Arthur's rein, it was not the outward appearance that truly held his intrigue.

It was the feeling of power the castle gave off; the way the hairs raised on the back of his neck, as if some kind of mystical energy permeated the atmosphere; the way his blood surged through his veins at an increased rate, like some foreign energy had invaded his body and was being pumped into his bloodstream and nervous system, heightening his awareness to levels previously unperceived by man. More than that, it was the joyous singing that rang inside of his mind, as if a thousand voices were calling out in union. More lively than the feeling Diagon Alley gave off, more hallowed then the reverence given off at Ollivanders, more powerful than both of those places combined, Hogwarts felt alive.

Harry wondered at this. He had come to suspect that places where magic took place, or where a lot of magic users congregated, became imbued with said magic, enough that someone in tune with the mystical energy could feel it. Was that what he felt here? Had the thousands upon thousands of students Hogwarts had hosted throughout the centuries imbued so much magic into the castle walls that the entire school had become sentient? A being of pure magic that went beyond the rock and stone that composed it?

Harry didn't know, but like everything else he had seen and felt since entering this world, he had every intention of finding out.

“No more'n four to a boat!” The giant called out as he pointed toward the small fleet of boats sitting on the shore. Harry didn't particularly care who he sat with—though a part of him did wish he hadn't lost Hannah or Susan—and just sat in the closest boat to him. He was joined by three other people, including the brunette girl he had met in Madam Malkin's.

“Everyone in?” asked the large man in a loud voice. “Right then—forward!”

As the boats began to glide across the waters surface, Harry took a second to look at the two occupants he had yet to meet. His gaze first drifted toward the male of the duo, tall and dark skinned, with high cheek bones and slanted eyes. His facial structure held a distinct Italian appearance.

His eyes flickered towards the other member of their troupe, a pretty girl with long blond hair flowing down her back in gentle waves and cold blue eyes like two chips of ice. Her cheek bones were slightly higher than average and a bit more defined, yet still soft. They gave her a much more regal bearing, much like Andromeda. Harry suspected she was a pure-blood witch. She looked much more mature than the brunette beside him, and not just her physical appearance.

“Hey! I remember you from Madam Malkin's!” The brunette exclaimed upon getting a better look at him as the moon cast its gentle glow upon their boat. The other two turned to look at Harry upon hearing the exclamation.