"Sorry to bother you." The compartment door was pulled open again.
Remus Lupin quickly scanned the compartment, relieved to find only five people inside, and politely asked, "My name is Remus Lupin, a First-year Student at Hogwarts. All the other compartments are full, can we sit here?"
Lupin's voice was gentle, easily inspiring goodwill.
But Thomas felt Nils, who was sitting beside him, trembling slightly, looking very scared.
"What's wrong?" Thomas whispered, and Severus's gaze also turned to Nils with concern, no longer paying attention to an angry James.
"Nothing..." Nils's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tension, and he gently shook his head.
Then, in an almost unintentional gesture, he cleverly occupied the gap between the two seats, clearly unwilling to let the new boy sit beside him.
Noticing Nils's behavior, Thomas carefully observed the seemingly friendly brown-haired boy, sensing a powerful, bloodthirsty force hidden within Lupin's body.
He touched the scales of Aegis on his hand, secretly becoming vigilant... Seeing this, James said grandly, "Of course you can, there are still plenty of empty seats here."
He nudged Sirius, who had been half-reclining but now sat up straight, making space.
"Thank you." Lupin walked in, and only then did everyone notice a timid, small boy standing behind him.
The sensitive Lupin immediately felt Nils's rejection of him. He walked to James's side, slowly sitting against the compartment wall, a warm and gentle smile always on his face.
The small boy carefully sat in the space between Lupin and James, trying his best to shrink his tiny body even tighter, as if this would reduce the space he occupied and prevent him from accidentally touching James beside him.
James frowned, another Hufflepuff.
For a moment, the entire compartment fell silent, and no one spoke.
Although a subtle tension and wariness filled the air, peace was at least maintained on the surface.
Thomas thought this was good. He and Severus continued reading, and Nils, seeing this, also pulled out his textbook and began to read.
Lupin pulled up the hood of his robe, hiding half of his face in shadow, then leaned against the cold wall of the compartment and slowly closed his eyes.
It had just passed the full moon, and he was simply too tired.
Sirius and James quickly got bored and left the compartment with their wands... The train continued to whistle forward on the tracks, the sound of the wheels hitting the rails echoing in the compartment, forming a monotonous yet powerful rhythm.
Except for Peter Pettigrew, everyone was immersed in their own world, and time seemed to lose its concrete concept at this moment... After an unknown period, two regular 'tap tap' sounds broke the tranquility of the compartment, and the compartment door was knocked on again.
Thomas frowned and looked up, his peripheral vision catching Severus beside him.
The pages of the book in his hand trembled slightly, his fingers gripping the spine tightly, veins faintly visible on his pale skin, which made his already vexed mood seem a little amusing.
He rubbed his brother's head: "Alright, just bear with it a little longer, we should be arriving soon."
Severus glared at Thomas: "Let go! We already agreed at home, no more head-rubbing!"
"Sorry, I forgot for a moment." Thomas immediately let go, apologizing with a smile that seemed utterly insincere.
The person at the door seemed impatient; this time the knocking was much heavier than before.
Lupin, leaning against the compartment wall, was startled awake. His eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in his pupils, his gaze fiercely intense, like a startled beast warily surveying its surroundings.
Peter Pettigrew, sitting beside him, happened to meet his gaze and shivered involuntarily.
"Come in." Thomas cleared his throat.
A figure dressed in a well-tailored robe embroidered with the emerald green serpent crest of Slytherin stood at the door, appearing older than all the students inside the compartment.
His platinum blonde hair was striking, and two burly, intimidating henchmen stood behind him, the entire person exuding an undeniable presence.
Does Hogwarts also have delinquents? This was Thomas's first thought.
He had no intention of entering, merely surveying everyone in the compartment: "I am the Slytherin Prefect, Lucius Malfoy."
"The Hogwarts Express is about to arrive at the school. First-year Students, please change into your school uniforms immediately. As for your luggage, you needn't worry; dedicated staff will ensure they are safely delivered to your dormitories." His voice carried an unquestionable authority, as if his words were inviolable commands.
After saying this, Lucius Malfoy did not wait for anyone's response, and left directly with his henchmen. There were no noble heirs in this compartment, so there was no need for him to be polite.
Except for Lupin, who had boarded the train already wearing his school uniform, everyone else began to take out their school uniforms from their trunks and change.
With the roar of the whistle, the train slowly pulled into the Hogsmeade platform. By the time Thomas and his group had exited the compartment, James and Sirius had rushed back, frantically changing into their school uniforms.
The older students gradually left, leaving only the huddled First-year Students at the station.
There were no streetlights outside the station; under the cover of night, only a few stars twinkled.
Thomas and Severus looked up at the station sign that read "Hogsmeade Station," and both, by unspoken agreement, recalled the brief and happy time they had lived with Mr. and Mrs. Brown... "First-year Students, attention! Come over here!" A rough, deep voice boomed like thunder.
A man, far taller and larger than average, stood at the station exit, holding a lantern and loudly calling out to everyone.
"Wow, he's really big."
"My dad told me that must be Hagrid, the Hogwarts Gamekeeper!"
"I heard he has Giant blood!"
Whispers and discussions arose from the young wizards from Wizarding families.
Thomas and Severus snapped out of their thoughts and were the first to walk towards Hagrid. Nils followed closely behind them, and only then did the others also start jogging to catch up.
"Follow me closely." Hagrid, seeing that most of the First-year Students had gathered, raised his lantern high and walked along a dark, winding path.
The First-year Students followed him like a flock of chicks.
Eventually, they arrived at a large lake.
The lake water shimmered, clear and deep, its far reaches invisible, as if connected to an endless, mysterious world.
Many small boats floated by the shore closest to them: "A maximum of four people are allowed per boat, everyone get on board quickly." Hagrid loudly directed the young wizards.
Thomas, Severus, and Nils naturally got into the same small boat.
Lupin, who followed closely behind them, glanced at Peter beside him, and Peter's eyes showed a pleading light.
Lupin sighed and took Peter to another empty small boat nearby.
A red-haired Little Witch ran over, brushing past Lupin and Peter, and excitedly stepped into the small boat: "Thomas, Severus, this is great! We meet again!"
Thomas smiled and said, "Hello, Lily."
Severus nodded.
The girl also did not ignore Nils beside her, introducing herself proactively: "Hello, I'm Lily Evans."
Feeling the girl's kindness, Nils also smiled: "Hello, my name is Nils Green."
"Lily! How could you sit with these two evil Slytherins!" James chased after Lily, and seeing her get into Thomas and their boat, he shouted angrily.
These provocative words immediately drew glares from several young wizards from pure-blood Slytherin families.
"Potter! I told you to stop following me!" Lily said impatiently.
"Alright! Everyone get on board quickly! We're about to set off!" Hagrid's urging voice came from not far away.
James was pulled by Sirius to sit in the small boat with Lupin and Peter: "Mate, you'll have plenty of opportunities at Hogwarts, she's definitely a little lioness! Provided we can reach Hogwarts safely, don't be foolish!"
The small boats, without oars, moved slowly forward... A grotto appeared ahead. "Duck your heads," Hagrid shouted loudly, and everyone immediately complied, though in reality, no one but Hagrid needed to do so.
After passing through the dark grotto, they looked up again, and the scenery before them suddenly opened up.
All the young wizards let out a collective gasp of "Wow!"
Under the starry sky, a massive Castle stood before them, surrounded by dense forests and a deep lake, appearing both mysterious and majestic. This was Hogwarts Castle.
Even though Thomas and Severus had seen its grandeur when they were children, they were still once again captivated by it.
Soon the small boats docked, and Thomas followed Hagrid through a small door, where a spiral stone staircase appeared.
At the very top of the winding staircase stood a stern-faced Witch wearing a pointed hat, none other than Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Principal they had met before school started.
She was waiting for the new students: "Thank you, Hagrid, I'll take it from here."