Choo! Choo!
Choo! Choo!
The train whistle sounded again, and the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop. The doors opened automatically, and the students who had packed up their belongings streamed out.
The first-years, in particular, looked around with a sense of wonder. Because the train had arrived at night, the lights on the platform were on, but they only illuminated the path. Looking around, everything beyond the station was pitch black, silent, and eerie, as if some unknown monster might suddenly emerge and devour the students.
This was the fear of a few first-year students, especially those from Muggle backgrounds, but most of them were feeling excitement rather than fear.
Victor was the last person to get off the train. A few minutes ago, as he was about to get off, his eyes had caught sight of a trolley, and something had clicked in his mind. He had quickly gone back into the train. As he stepped off the train again, he was chewing on a struggling frog leg. Chew, chew…it tastes like chocolate.
After all the students had gotten off the train, a tall figure holding a lamp slowly walked over and greeted a small boy.
"Hullo, Harry!"
"Hi, Hagrid!" the boy replied with a smile. He had bright green eyes, and a thin, lightning-shaped scar was barely visible through his messy black hair.
With such distinctive features, there was no doubt that this was the protagonist of this world, Harry Potter.
The tall figure's identity was also revealed: Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He was a half-giant, wearing a huge moleskin coat, with thick, unkempt hair and a beard that reached his chest. Various strange objects hung from his pockets and belt. After greeting Harry, Hagrid looked up and shouted to the first-year students:
"Right then, first years this way! Come on, follow me!"
"Don't be shy! Hurry now, the boats are this way!"
Hagrid waved his arms, urging them to hurry, as everyone was waiting for the new students. The group followed Hagrid to a dock where many small wooden boats were moored, each with a hanging lantern that barely lit the boats below.
"Now, listen up! Four people to a boat! No more! I don't think any of you fancy a swim on a chilly night like this!" After hearing Hagrid's words, the students, in a slight panic, got into the boats. After a quick headcount, Hagrid suddenly yelled, "That's it, we can go!" As soon as he said that, the small boats began to leave the dock.
Victor looked down into the pitch-black water. Some kind of creature was pulling the boats forward. It must be the magical creatures in the lake that had a peaceful coexistence agreement with Hogwarts.
Victor and Hermione were in the same boat, along with another boy named Seamus Finnigan.
Yes, the explosion expert from the original story.
"Heads down!" Hagrid, at the front of the line, suddenly shouted back at them as they were about to enter a low-ceilinged cave.
The cave was strange. The boats that went in disappeared instantly, and even the lights on their lanterns couldn't be seen.
Once inside, it was even darker. It was a complete, impenetrable darkness. The small wooden boats felt like lonely ships on a black sea, giving off a distinct Lovecraftian vibe.
The young students couldn't handle being plunged into such a vast darkness. Many of them started screaming and grabbing onto anything they could find, and some even almost fell into the water.
The one who screamed the loudest was a little boy named Draco Malfoy (imagine his face when he heard about the troll in the movie).
"I say, could you two not pull on me so hard?!" Victor said with a helpless sigh to the people behind him. He was sitting in the front of the boat and could feel his robes being pulled tightly by two separate forces.
Hermione and Seamus were struggling to deal with their fear of the black sea in the empty cave. Hermione was strong-willed and forced herself to be quiet, her eyes closed, while Seamus kept crying and muttering, "NO! NO! I want my mum! I want to go home!"
At the front of the boats, Hagrid heard the noise and knew that the annual Hogwarts rite of passage had begun.
"Honestly, every year it's the same thing!" Hagrid said, sighing and rubbing his forehead. He used his booming voice to shout back and reassure them, "Be quiet! Don't be afraid! The rocks in the cave absorb light! We'll be out of here in a minute!"
After two or three minutes, the boats emerged from the cave.
After rounding a bend, a giant, ancient castle suddenly appeared against the bright night sky. The half-moon cast a cold silver glow, and a gentle breeze swept across the Black Lake, with broken waves lapping at the shore.
Hogwarts Castle, with its pointed spires, stood between the cliffs, its lights twinkling. Its history and solemnity were palpable and awe-inspiring. At this moment, the "Hedwig's Theme" music started playing in Victor's mind. It seemed like this habit of playing the theme song every time he encountered a classic scene was here to stay.
"Welcome, students, to Hogwarts!" Hagrid said, smiling.
The small boats slowly made their way toward the castle and soon arrived at a dock.
The students disembarked one after another.
Victor looked up and saw that the Hogwarts Castle was incredibly tall.
From below, it seemed to cover half the sky.
A cobblestone path wound its way up from the dock, its end out of sight. Just then, a few of the lanterns on the dock suddenly transformed into one-legged lights that hopped over to the students and began to lead the way.
Following the cobblestone path, the group finally arrived at the front of Hogwarts Castle.
The heavy wooden doors opened automatically. Hagrid led the students inside the castle and up a wide marble staircase, where Professor McGonagall was waiting with a roll of parchment.
"First years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said respectfully as he walked over to her.
"Thank you, Hagrid," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. After handing the first-year students over to Professor McGonagall, Hagrid left, winking and smiling at Harry, which helped to calm Harry's nerves.
Professor McGonagall walked over to them, standing straight and tall as she looked down at the new students. She clasped her hands in front of her and said in a serious tone, "Welcome to Hogwarts! In a moment, you will walk through the doors behind me, where your fellow students are waiting for you at the Start-of-Term Feast. But before you can take your seats, the school will hold the Sorting Ceremony. The houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."
When she said Slytherin, Professor McGonagall glanced sideways at Malfoy, though it was unclear what she meant by it.
"While you are here, Hogwarts will be your home. Good behavior will earn points for your house, while bad behavior will cause points to be taken away. At the end of the school year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup."
"Now, please wait here. The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly!"
With that, Professor McGonagall turned and walked through the door behind her to make the final preparations for the important Sorting Ceremony. However, less than ten seconds after she left, the students' "friendly interactions" began.
"It seems what they were saying on the train was true. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Malfoy, with his slicked-back blonde hair, suddenly said, staring at Harry with a proud look on his face. His words caused a small stir in the crowd.
"This is Crabbe, and this is Goyle…"
After that came Malfoy's arrogant self-introduction. After mocking Ron, he tried to shake hands with Harry and become his friend. But Harry had been looked down on by his aunt and uncle his entire life, so in terms of arrogance, Malfoy was a far cry from the Dursleys. Harry felt no affection for him at all.
So Harry, with a blank expression, said to Malfoy, "I think I can tell the right sort for myself, thanks."
And just like that, Harry and Ron became enemies with Draco, a rivalry that would lead to countless clashes for a very long time.
On the other side, Victor watched the three children bicker with great interest. But he was thinking about something else.
When he was a child watching the movie, he hadn't thought much of it, but now, he couldn't help but see something deeper in Malfoy and Harry's actions.
They were already at odds before they had even been sorted. The atmosphere at Hogwarts must not be very good. Competition within a school was a good thing, but vicious competition was practically useless and only created meaningless hatred, especially when one of the house heads was encouraging it.
So, shouldn't he find something to do? As Victor thought this, his red genes (generally refers to the ideological and cultural values, revolutionary spirit, and historical legacy) began to awaken without him even noticing.
And just as Victor was pondering how to reform Hogwarts, he felt a tug on his robes. "Victor, which house do you think we'll be in?"
Victor turned to see Hermione. She had been very nervous since Professor McGonagall left, but she only knew a few people there. Neville was still sulking about losing his toad, so she had decided to talk to Victor to calm her nerves.
"Which house? I'm not sure about myself, but I know for a fact you'll be in Gryffindor!" Victor replied without hesitation.