They continued north, the sky gradually darkening.
Except for the time Hermione left and then returned, no one else had disturbed the compartment.
The snacks that Wien had bought were devoured by the four of them, except for a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
Fred, using his own hair as a guarantee, swore that the remaining beans were either booger-flavored or cockroach-flavored, and absolutely inedible.
But as night fell completely, rubbing their stomachs, they felt a little hungry.
“Should we be there soon?”
Cedric looked out the window at the completely black sky, guessing.
Sure enough, after another half hour, the train's announcement sounded.
“In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train, and we will deliver it to the school.”
“Finally! I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow,” Fred complained, and the group got up, taking off their jackets and putting on their robes.
It was now 6:30 PM, and the train had been running for almost eight hours,
travelling over a thousand kilometers, they had arrived at the northwestern edge of the British Isles, in the Scottish Highlands.
Wien remembered that in the future, Scotland’s independence movement was quite active, determined to break away from the Commonwealth.
He wondered if the school would still be considered part of the British wizarding world if that happened.
With a sense of amusement, Wien walked out of the carriage door and off the train.
It was a small, dark station.
Although it was still September, the weather was still very cold, with a chill in the air, and many young witches and wizards tightened their robes.
“Wien, over here!”
Hermione was the first to see Wien, and she called out loudly. The boy walked over, and Neville was gone from her side.
At that moment, a lantern lit up: “First-year students! First-year students, this way, follow me!”
Seeing Hagrid’s enormous figure, many freshmen trembled like quails, obediently following behind, like a mother hen leading chicks.
They walked through a steep, narrow path, pitch black on both sides. Suddenly, Wien’s arm was pulled by a force.
It was Hermione, the little witch didn't speak, but held his sleeve tightly.
“You afraid of the dark?” Wien’s lips curled into a smile, he turned his head to look at the little witch.
“No way!” Hermione insisted: “I'm just a bit nervous about being in a completely unfamiliar environment, I’m eleven years old, who’s afraid of the dark!”
“Ouch!”
A scream came from a young witch in front of them, and a girl had fallen. The damp air made the path especially muddy, Hermione hurried forward to help the girl up.
“Thank you.” The girl who was helped up said gratefully, but when she saw the mud on her robe, she almost cried.
At that moment, Wien took out his wand and softly said: “Scourgify!”
Immediately, the girl’s entire body was cleansed, her robe restored to its original cleanliness.
“Thank you!” the girl excitedly expressed her gratitude, her eyes shining with admiration: “You’ve already mastered magic, you’re so amazing!”
“Not bad, Wien.” Hermione raised her eyebrows.
She had met a red-haired boy on the train who couldn’t cast a spell even after struggling for a long time. Compared to Wien’s proficient skills, the difference was too great.
“After all, all those books weren’t bought in vain,” Wien said with a smile, “Let’s hurry up, keep up with those in front.”
The two girls nodded in agreement and followed Wien.
After walking for another ten minutes, they turned a sharp corner and then came an astonished 'oh'—
At the end of the narrow path appeared a black lake, with cliffs on the opposite side, a towering castle stood there, the spires glistening, lights shining through the windows like stars.
Wien also admired the beautiful Hogwarts castle, the air of mystery and the unknown fascinated him.
In another world, countless children dreamed of receiving a letter from a cat-owl every day.
Now, Wien had also fulfilled their wishes.
…
“No more than four people on each boat!” Hagrid pointed at the small boats docked at the shore, and he boarded one alone.
The wooden boat visibly sank a lot, making one worry whether it could withstand the weight of the half-giant.
Wien and the others were at the back, so there were only three of them on the boat. The boat headed towards the castle, and the girl also mentioned her name.
Susan Bones.
Wien remembered that she was also a character in the original book, and her relatives were high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic.
“Duck!”
When the boat approached the cliff, Hagrid's roar came, Hermione and Bones immediately obeyed, but Wien didn't move at all.
Until they passed the vines, Hermione straightened up and angrily asked: “Why didn’t you obey just now, what if there was danger?”
Wien looked at her with the kind of eyes that one uses to look at a mentally challenged person: “That giant is taller than me even if he lies flat in the boat, he can pass, why do I have to duck?”
Hermione opened her mouth wide, unable to find any words to refute, and became angry and ashamed:
“Then why didn’t you remind us.”
Susan Bones nodded vigorously, expressing her agreement with Hermione.
That's right!
Too much!
Wien waved his hand nonchalantly: “If I reminded you, it would only make you look more stupid, wouldn’t it?”
This time Hermione was finally speechless.
It was also good that the boat soon reached the shore, breaking her awkwardness. The group followed Hagrid, climbed a stone staircase, and gathered in front of a huge oak door.
He checked the number of people and found that no one was missing, Hagrid raised his huge fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
The door slowly opened, and Professor McGonagall, still wearing a green robe, stood at the doorway. Many freshmen felt a sense of oppression, and they didn’t dare to breathe.
“All the first-year students are here, Professor McGonagall.”
“Thank you, Hagrid, I’ll take it from here.”
McGonagall waved her hand to open the door completely, the young witches and wizards entered one by one. The hallway was extremely bright and warm, with burning torches every half meter.
They could already hear a buzz coming from the right, but McGonagall took them to a small room on the other side of the hall.
Professor McGonagall introduced them, explaining that they would be sorted soon, and then she left, telling them to come back in five minutes.
This time was for the young witches and wizards to tidy their clothes and adjust their mindset.
Although the professor had left the room, the atmosphere here became even more depressing.
No one spoke, everyone was incredibly nervous.
Wien glanced around, muttering to himself, his expression becoming anxious.
His outstanding appearance was already conspicuous, and finally, a young witch couldn't help but ask:
“What are you doing?”
Gotcha.
Wien narrowed his eyes, like a handsome fox.