Chapter 5. Boat Ride

The train ride continued with no other hiccups, actually it wasn’t long before a lady attendant showcased a cart full of sweets. I grabbed a bag of Fizzing Whizzbees under Val’s excited request. It apparently caused those who ate it to float a bit, so I was also interested if they really could. As it turned out, yes, yes they could. We both found ourselves floating inches above our seats, although Val was less excited. “This was more fun with your spell…” I chuckled a bit after I fell back onto the seat along with him.

“Well I’m glad you don’t want to load up on sweets. They are bad for you if you have too many.” I quickly cleaned up the leftovers, and stashed them in my robes. While doing that, I felt my hand graze my other bottle of food I had for Val, and decided to take it out. “You hungry? You may not get to eat for a while.” Val slithered around the bench beside while he thought. He was cute when his tail flicked about while his gears turned.

“I guess I could eat one. They are really good.” I smirked while undoing the seal on my small pill container. I took one small pellet, and placed it in front of Val. He quickly gobbled it down with satisfaction as the train began to slow down. I looked outside to see how dark it was, and realized we were pulling into a station. “I think we are here.” I said while I held my arm out to Valdemar. He quickly slithered up my sleeve, and coiled around my arm to stay hidden.

I got up from my seat, and took my luggage from the rack. I then opened the door, and left the room before the train came to a complete stop, trying to leave this place before others would crush me in the aisles. When the train came to a complete stop, I was holding onto a bar to steady myself, and jumped down off the train before others could open their doors. I then noticed a towering man calling for all first years to him. “Firs’ ‘ears! Firs’ ‘ears! O’er here!” He spoke in an accent, but his point was clear.

I walked over while others quickly followed suit. The towering man noticed someone approaching us, and greeted him. “Oh, ‘ello ‘arry.” He smiled as he brought his friend beside him. “Hi Hagrid.” ‘So this is the boy who lived…’ I thought as I stared at him with intrigue. I had heard the stories, but it was interesting to see him in the flesh. I then noticed the two around him. A red-haired boy, and that frizzle haired girl I met earlier. Our eyes met, and I frowned while looking back towards Hagrid.

“Alright then! This way to the boats then! C’mon!” He waved at us, and started leading us forward. Plenty of students were talking to each other about this giant in front of us, about what we may have to do at school, how we would be picked. I sighed from their conjecture. It was obvious that we could pick our houses, otherwise families would be split. That was my idea anyway. However it made the most sense to me, rather than having a board of people judging your characteristics for a house. ‘I hope I get to pick Slytherin. I need to keep up appearances.’

I shook off my unease while Hagrid took us down a separate path from the older students, and down to the docks. There were a few boats, enough for all of us to use. I went on the last one with the fewest others with me, only to find out it had the frizzle girl on it. I was about to change boats, but they all left under Hagrid’s command, making all boats sail behind him. I sighed, not wanting to be near her while Val was still upset with her, and us not being on good terms. ‘Really hope she doesn't have any pull in the school to make my life worse.’ I prayed when she glared at me.

Another kid on the boat then gasped in awe, and the girl turned her head to see the wonder that lay before us. My mouth hung open, and so did Val’s when he took a peak from my robes. While we were all mute from the amazement, and majesty of this castle, until I noticed our boat rocked a bit. The others didn’t seem to perceive it, but I glanced at the waters below to see a massive fin-like tentacle attached to the side of the boat beside me.

My mind immediately went from interested in the castle, to what creature lived below the depths surrounding it. I cautiously reached my hand over, and caressed the back of its slimy long tendril. It then retracted from our boat, and attached the suckers to my hand. I stifled a giggle from how strange and cold it felt. Almost like going to the touching pools at aquariums. However this was much more interesting than anything those small pools could ever hold.

It kept sucking, and releasing each sucker on my arm and hand until to my sheer shock, it dragged me under the water. I started to yell for help, but held my breath as I felt myself sink below the surface. I tried removing the long arm keeping me under, but stopped when I surprisingly heard Valdemar’s voice, even underwater. “You’ll be ok! I can tell she is nice!!” I stopped trying to set myself free after seeing Val’s deep blue shining eyes look at me while he swam around. I then noticed massive yellow glowing eyes with black rectangle pupils, staring up at me from the black abyss below. ‘Almost like…’

We both stared at each other while the sound of the water rushed past my ears. I could see that same look that I had seen all those years ago. It was that look of interest, and wonder. I couldn’t help but give the same look back, but my air was quickly running out. I grabbed my throat knowing I was reaching my limit, but she started picking and prodding me instead, seemingly unaware of my dilemma. She only paused when her tendril came to my pockets inside my robes. I then knew what she was interested in. I used one hand to grab all the candy I had on me, and dump it out below. Then I took my pill bottle, and unscrewed it by pushing it against my body while turning it, before it opened.

I saw the air bubbles rise above me while the last of my food was brought deeper into the black abyss. The yellow glowing eye moved closer while Val yelled to the creature. “Oh! Is she hungry!? It’s good! You will like it too!” The body holding all of these things I had seen together was then brought closer to the surface, and I saw her figure in the moonlight. She was amazing. Massive enough to swallow me whole, yet I felt safe in her embrace. Like I knew that she wouldn’t harm me, but was interested in me for some reason. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the wonder that was this mythical creature.

She brought me closer to her massive glowing eye taking a good look at me, before quickly throwing me to the surface. I was thrust onto my boat, coughing the water left over in my lungs, while the girl and another student were dragging me back onto the boat. It turns out these boats were kept on going while Hagrid kept his boat back to help me, but couldn’t find me since the Giant Squid was moving along with the boat she kidnapped me from.

I kept hacking and wheezing to clear my airways, silently thanking my parents for taking me here. ‘This was very much worthwhile. To see such a magnificent specimen so close is something I will keep with me to the day I die.’ However, on the outside, I appeared much different. “What kind of school are they running here!? I almost died!!” I yelled in fake outrage after my airways were clear. “You slipped-” The other student was about to say before I cut him off. “I never slipped! I wouldn’t be able to stay under the water that long without something holding me down!”

After I gave that bit of information, everyone else became more tense, and worried what might be lurking under the blackened water. We made it to the other docks beside the massive castle. I was sopping wet while Val was inside my robes again, being sure to be close to my chest to avoid being noticed under my robes clinging to my body. It was cold, and I was starting to shiver.

I gritted my teeth to help stop the chattering while folding my arms to keep myself warm. “Are you ok!? You're moving weird!” I groaned while Val spoke to me, causing the girl that I felt already had a strange sense about me to squint with distrust. A teacher wearing a black flowing robe with a wizards hat decorated with a large feather quickly rushed over to the docks. “Get him inside! This has never happened in all my years.” She yelled her orders to the girl on my ship, and the girl obeyed while every other student gazed at us while making a path.