Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.
He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me -- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, 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!"
哈利往窗外一瞥,才發(fā)覺夜幕已經(jīng)開始降臨了。
在深紫色的天空下,仍舊依稀可見綿延的群山和茂密的樹林,而火車似乎也開始減速了。
哈利和羅恩脫去夾克衫,換上他們的黑長袍,羅恩的長袍似乎不太合身,短了一點,因為它已經(jīng)遮不住羅思所穿的運動鞋了。
一個聲音在車廂里回蕩,"我們五分鐘后即可抵達霍格瓦徹。
各位請將行李留在車廂內(nèi),會有專人將各位的行李分批送往學校的。
哈利的肚子緊張得直晃蕩,而他看見羅恩那長滿雀斑的臉變得蒼白。他們連忙將剩下的糖果全都塞進鼓鼓的口袋里,然后一起擠進了車廂走廊上的人群中。
列車緩緩地停了下來。人們擁擠向前,好不容易才擠出車門,來到一個又黑又小的站臺上。寒風凜冽,哈利不禁渾身打顫。這時,只見一盞昏暗的燈在學生們的頭頂上上下下跳動,左右搖擺。
哈利聽到一個熟悉的聲音在叫喊:"一年級新生都到這邊來!嘿!
哈利,你還好吧?"
哈格力那毛茸茸的大臉在人海中閃現(xiàn)出來。
"來呀,跟我來——還有一年級新生嗎?走路小心啊,新生跟我走!"新生們跌跌撞撞地跟著哈格力沿著一條又窄又陡的小路往下走。哈利見道路兩邊都很黑,心里推測兩旁一定都是濃密的樹林。
幾乎沒人出聲,只有那個不見了癩蛤蟆的尼維爾一路上氣喘吁吁。
"馬上你們就可以生平以來第一次見到霍格瓦徹了。"哈格力大聲地說,"轉(zhuǎn)過這個彎就到了!"人群中傳來一陣響亮的"嘩"的贊嘆。