It was all the strangeness and majesty of Hogwarts Castle's exterior expressed in one room. Four long tables, set in gold and silver, stretched the length of the hall, with black-robed students sitting at them on benches. A fifth table stood at the head of the Hall; the teachers and Hagrid sat at it in comfortable-looking chairs. Above all this, thousands of burning candles illuminated the hall. Above those, banners spaced along the length of the hall hung over the four tables: emerald over the nearest table, then bright yellow, midnight blue, and scarlet. Each banner held the name or crest of one of the Houses.