Once they were in the boat,
Neville's cheeks went rigid. Both hands clamped onto the seat, and he did not dare go anywhere near the edge.
Two other first-years climbed in as well.
When there were four in total, no one rowed, yet the little boat started to move on its own.
Dylan glanced down.
He actually saw a huge squid, two suckers pressed tightly against the bottom of the boat.
Silently gliding beneath the surface, the squid pulled the boat forward, passing under the cliff and slipping through a curtain of ivy.
At last, the boat drifted to a halt.
The squid dove straight down into the depths of the lake and vanished.
"I wonder if you chopped up a squid that big and stir-fried it, would it taste any good."
Dylan smacked his lips.
Neville wobbled off the boat, then broke into a trot, hurrying from the dock up onto shore.
"Phew…"
He let out a long breath.
Dylan walked over at that moment and reminded him, "Don't run so fast, you might leave something behind on the boat."
"Huh?" Neville froze.
He quickly patted his chest and his pockets.
Not finding what he was looking for, he suddenly went wide-eyed, like he had just been shocked.
"Oh no! Trevor's gone again!"
"Again?"
Dylan raised a brow.
He only remembered Neville losing his toad once, back when they first got on the train.
Hermione had helped him search all over and that was how she met Harry and Ron.
He had been wondering why Hermione had not shown up at his compartment to look for a toad. Now it seemed she must have found it halfway through.
Except…
"I don't recall seeing any toad or other creature on you just now. Did you maybe lose Trevor getting off the train?"
Because Dylan had mastered the Parasite Possession Curse, he could sense life energy around him to a certain extent.
He had not deliberately paid attention along the way, but looking back now, he could not remember feeling any presence besides Neville's.
Sweat beaded on Neville's forehead.
He scratched the back of his head, thinking as hard as he could, but could not recall anything useful.
"It might've fallen off on the way," Dylan said. "Or on the train. I'm leaning toward the latter."
Now that he thought about it, the chubby boy walking in front of him before had been Neville.
And all along the path, he had not seen any sign of a toad.
"If it was left on the train, the house-elves will bring it back to the school."
"But…" Neville began.
"There is no 'but.' Even if it did fall out along the way, we can't go back to look for it now. At best, we could try again tomorrow."
"I guess that's all we can do…" Neville pulled a face. "I heard Hogwarts is full of danger. I'm really scared something will happen to Trevor."
Seeing his expression,
Dylan felt a bit helpless.
"All right, I'll try a Summoning Charm. If he's nearby, I'll be able to pull him over. But if you did leave him on the train or somewhere along the road, there's nothing I can do."
"What? You can already use the Summoning Charm, Dylan?"
Neville blinked, then his eyes lit up. "Then please, I'm begging you!"
"Don't get your hopes too high."
Dylan lifted his wand.
"Accio Trevor!"
Magic surged from the tip of his wand,
shooting straight toward one of the boats.
Whoosh!
A very well-fed-looking toad flew out.
Before it reached him, Dylan cut off the spell.
"Ribbit~"
Trevor hit the ground with a croak.
Neville rushed over and scooped him up.
There were tears at the corners of his eyes.
"Oh my God, Dylan, you're amazing! You can already do magic that hard—thank you so much! Trevor must've fallen behind on the way and just kept chasing after me!"
Neville sniffed.
By now, many of the first-years had already walked far ahead.
Dylan shook his head. "Come on, let's go, or we'll lose the group."
He started forward, Neville scampering along behind him,
poking at the plump toad in his arms.
"No more running off, you hear me?"
"Ribbit~"
Dylan glanced at the toad.
Fat, ugly, and squat.
Why would anyone keep a toad as a pet?
To fatten it up and then kill it for magical ingredients?
"Coalball is still way cuter."
His Shadow Wyrm might look ominous, and its meow might sound more like a moo, but so what?
Professor McGonagall turned into a cat too, did she not?
By that logic, Coalball was basically Professor McGonagall.
Besides, a Shadow Wyrm was not actually a cat. It was a species in its own right.
After Dylan and Neville caught up with the others,
the group walked along a cobblestone path
until they reached a massive door.
Bang, bang!
Hagrid pounded on it, the knocks echoing loudly.
Soon, it swung inward, revealing Professor McGonagall.
She wore a bright green robe, the fabric smooth and richly colored, its folds hanging naturally. Her iron-gray hair was scraped back into a tight bun with not a strand out of place.
She surveyed the cluster of first-years with a stern face and sharp gaze, a pointed hat bearing the school crest perched on her head.
Right now she looked anything but approachable, completely different from the gentle woman who had strolled Diagon Alley with him that day.
"Professor McGonagall, here are all the first-years," Hagrid rumbled.
"Thank you, Hagrid. Leave them to me." She nodded.
She pulled the door open wider.
Once Hagrid had gone inside, she led the first-years into the entrance hall.
"Follow me."
Dylan blended into the crowd, walking near the back with Neville.
As those in front moved forward, he took the chance to look around Hogwarts' interior.
Ancient walls lined the corridor on both sides.
Carved reliefs held burning braziers that cast a warm glow.
Dylan noticed the reliefs were shaped like the four house animals, all with wings.
Each one looked vivid and lifelike, like it was looming over the new students.
"Interesting."
The moment he stepped into Hogwarts, he felt the weight of centuries wash over him.
"This beats watching it in 3D by a mile."
He could no longer remember which 3D film he had seen, but it had opened with Dementors floating across the screen. He had been young then, and those things had scared him badly.
"Beyond this door is the Great Hall. You'll be able to eat there soon. But before that, Hogwarts would like to officially welcome you."
Professor McGonagall led them to the doors of the Great Hall and turned to face them. "Before you can truly join the school, you must first take part in the Sorting Ceremony."