## Chapter 6: Arrival at Hogwarts
Hermione and Neville probably walked through the entire train, but they didn't find the escaped toad. Thankfully, Neville had mostly gotten over the sadness of losing his pet—or maybe not, since he was still glum, but at least he wasn't crying anymore.
Hermione was surprised to see a pile of snacks on the table when she entered the compartment. "What are all these?" she asked.
"A lady selling snacks just came by," Wade gestured. "Look, I bought a lot—strawberry cream jellies, chocolate balls, pumpkin tarts, kettle cakes, and sherbet. Let's eat together. Oh, Neville, do you want to try this peppermint toad?"
Neville took it, muttering "Trevor" as he took a bite, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "This is delicious."
Hermione didn't refuse, generously sitting down and taking a piece of cake. "Thanks, I'm hungry too. By the way, you won't believe it, Harry Potter is in the compartment less than ten meters from us—do you know Harry Potter?"
"Of course, his name is mentioned in Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century," Wade said, unwrapping a chocolate frog. "But I think it's better not to disturb him—he also lost his parents the night he became a hero. If it were me, I wouldn't want that kind of honor."
Hermione was startled. "You—you're right—I hadn't thought of that..."
Neville lowered his head, his hand gripping the peppermint toad tightening slightly.
The Potters' sacrifice and honor were world-renowned, but not many knew that during that time, Death Eaters, searching for the missing Voldemort, had captured Neville's parents and tortured them into insanity.
The boy kept these dark things hidden in his heart as the three of them had a hearty meal.
Wade had thought there would be a lot of snacks left over, but the train "clack-clacked" along for so long that it was dark outside and they still hadn't reached their destination. All the snacks on the table had been eaten by the three of them, the snack witch was nowhere to be seen, and they still hadn't had dinner.
"Is Hogwarts not in England?" Hermione stood up angrily and said, "I'm going to the front of the train to ask the driver when we'll get there."
"Let's go together."
This time, Wade stood up. He was also a little curious about the train driver who might only work four times a year, wondering who was doing that job.
Neville also followed along; he still wanted to try and find his pet.
The train driver was an unremarkable brown-haired man. He was smoking a pipe and had a stubbled face, but his temper was quite good. Facing the "interrogation" of the three young wizards, he laughed and replied, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. You'll have dinner in Hogwarts Castle."
Hermione returned satisfied.
Passing by many compartments, Wade casually observed that they were all unfamiliar faces. He only recognized the Weasley twins—their compartment was very lively; he could hear cheers and laughter from far away, curious what interesting tricks they were playing.
Before they reached their compartment, they suddenly heard a scream, and three children stumbled out of the corridor, running past. One blond boy even pushed Neville and yelled, "Get out of the way! Don't block the path!"
"Hey!" Hermione couldn't stop them and stomped her foot in anger. "How rude!"
Wade reached out and steadied Neville, who almost fell.
"Thank you," Neville said gratefully.
Wade shook his head and said to Hermione, "You go change into your robes first, we'll wait outside."
Hermione nodded, swallowed her anger, and stepped heavily into the compartment. After locking the door and pulling the curtain, she quickly changed. Then it was Neville's turn. Just as the three of them had packed their belongings into their trunks, they heard the driver's voice echoing through the train—
"Five minutes until we arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train; we will deliver it to the school for you."
The train slowed down and stopped at the platform. Hundreds of students poured out like bees from a hive, and the dark, small platform was packed with people. Hermione and Neville clung tightly behind Wade, their faces subtly pale.
"First-years! First-years, follow me! Watch your step!" Not far away, a large man with a lantern shouted in a booming voice.
Wade and the others pushed through the crowd. They noticed that the older students were heading in another direction, but in the face of Hagrid the gamekeeper's enormous size, no one dared to question him.
The group walked along a dark path through the woods and finally saw a majestic castle in the distance. Countless windows glowed with light, reflected by the dark, mirror-like lake, making the castle appear exceptionally grand and magnificent.
"Wow—" the new students gasped in unison.
Under Hagrid's direction, everyone boarded small boats and crossed the Black Lake, finally arriving at the base of the castle. Hagrid even found Neville's toad on one of the boats. Neville joyfully took his beloved toad, while Hagrid knocked three times on the castle gate.
The gate swung open, and the serious-looking Professor McGonagall stood at the entrance.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said.
......
The Sorting Ceremony began.
Hogwarts had four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, sorted by a talking hat based on a student's talents and qualities. Wade had known this from his previous life.
Eleven years had passed since he transmigrated into this world, and he had forgotten many plot details from the novels or movies. But after realizing he was in the world of Harry Potter, he diligently recalled and remembered many impressive plot points, recording them in his own unique way.
Before reporting, Wade had, of course, carefully considered which house he wanted to go to—while the Sorting Hat valued talent, it also considered the student's own wishes.
First, Slytherin was naturally out—neither of his parents were wizards, and in Slytherin, which valued bloodline and family background, he would likely be ostracized by other students. Although Wade wasn't afraid of those teenagers, he also wasn't interested in a high-difficulty challenge.
Gryffindor?
Wade deliberated repeatedly but still decided against it.
With Harry Potter there, Gryffindor was a storm's epicenter, constantly under scrutiny. Moreover, in the plot, most Gryffindors were a bit thoughtless, easily swayed by rumors, isolating and ostracizing Harry Potter when he had done no wrong, leaving a very bad impression on Wade.
Similarly, Ravenclaw also seemed to have had instances of bullying, mocking and teasing classmates (Luna Lovegood).
Hufflepuff wouldn't be like that. Although most Hufflepuff students had average academic performance, they were sincere, kind, and trustworthy. And what if people thought they were dumb? Wade believed his intelligence wouldn't change because of his house.
With his decision made, Wade appeared more composed than the young wizards who thought they were about to wrestle a troll. After the Sorting Hat sang a song, Professor McGonagall, holding a long list, began assigning each new student to their respective houses. Some were sorted quickly, while others took a moment of hesitation. Suddenly, Wade heard a familiar name—
"Hermione Granger!" Professor McGonagall announced.
Hermione ran up and eagerly put on the hat.
A moment later, the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the Gryffindor table.
Then—
"Wade Grey!"
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