Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is not meant to infringe upon copyrights.
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Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade Station. Everyone disembarked, creating a chaotic scene. Owls hooted, cats meowed, and toads croaked as if joining in the fun, making the small platform incredibly lively.
Just then, a lion-shaped firework suddenly exploded in the sky, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
"Bang!"
Another firework, trailing a long tail of flame, soared into the sky.
At this moment, the young wizards also noticed Fred setting off the fireworks.
Under everyone's gaze, Fred calmly wrapped a piece of parchment with gold edges around a firework and lit it.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang..."
Ten fireworks exploded in succession, some depicting lions, some badgers, and even a dragon... They ran and leaped in the sky, continuing for a long time before dissipating.
"Is this Hogwarts' welcoming ceremony?" some of the new students exclaimed excitedly.
They didn't know what was happening and thought Hogwarts was using fireworks to welcome them to school.
It has to be said, the fireworks were indeed beautiful, and watching the twinkling animals in the sky lessened their earlier tension.
However, others were different.
"See that... Zabini?" Malfoy said smugly to a few freshmen beside him, "I told you before, Kyle would destroy these maps, and you still didn't believe me, ha..."
He let out a strange laugh, seemingly mocking their previous arrogance.
Beside him, a boy with a few freckles frowned, his neck stiff, and said, "Who knows if it's real? Maybe they used a Transfiguration Charm."
"Absolutely impossible!" Malfoy scoffed. "I believe Kyle. He received a special contribution award from the school; he's definitely not that kind of person."
"Who knows?" the freckled boy scoffed. "Don't forget those are all second-year students. This kind of thing would be easy for them."
The two stuck to their own opinions, neither able to convince the other.
Just then, Crabbe, the tallest of the group, suddenly noticed something and caught a piece of parchment floating down from the sky.
"Draco, look what this is!"
Malfoy, who was arguing with Zabini, turned around and his eyes lit up.
"Aha!"
He excitedly grabbed the parchment, pointing to the remaining gold patterns on it. "Look at this! This is real gold! Do you still think this is a Transfiguration Charm?
And…"
He then brought his face close to a dark spot on the parchment and took a deep breath.
"I accidentally burned a hole in my unicorn tail tapestry, and it smelled exactly like this."
"This…" Zabini's face flushed red, as if he'd been slapped twice.
Seeing his reaction, Malfoy became even more smug, tilting his head back and saying, "I know, you must not be able to afford the twenty Galleons map, that's why you said that.
No problem, I've inquired, they still have a few maps worth a few Sickles, you can surely afford those."
"Who are you saying can't afford it!"
Zabini instantly flew into a rage. He could accept misjudging someone, but he would never accept being mocked like this by Malfoy.
Twenty Galleons? He couldn't afford it? Who did he think he was looking down on!
"You wait, I'll buy his most expensive map," Zabini said, his neck stiff. "It'll be better than yours!"
"Tsk tsk, that's impossible,"
Malfoy glanced at him dismissively. "I bought the most expensive one, and Kyle promised that my number would be the first one. Even if you have the same number as me, you'll still be ranked later."
"You… Hmph!"
Zabini felt a tightness in his chest, glared at Malfoy, and turned to leave.
Malfoy, however, was unfazed, watching him go with a triumphant air.
Just then, a lamp appeared above them.
"First-year students! First-year students, this way! Harry, are you alright?"
Hagrid's massive figure appeared on the platform, taking all the new students away as he had done the previous year.
Kyle and the others headed to the other side of the platform; the second-year students needed to take a carriage to Hogwarts.
Over a hundred empty carriages were parked along a rough, muddy path.
The carriages were pulled by Thestrals, but most people couldn't see them.
Kyle couldn't see them either.
He had had a chance before, with the werewolf at St. Mungo's, but the werewolf was too resilient and had to be revived by a healer.
Being half-dead obviously meant he couldn't see the Thestrals.
Kyle walked to a carriage and, by feel, touched its skeletal head.
The Thestral gently nuzzled Kyle.
After they boarded the carriage, Thestrals led them towards Hogwarts Castle.
The carriage had a faint smell of mustiness and straw, somewhat like a broomhouse that hadn't been used in a long time.
The carriage approached two imposing wrought-iron gates, flanked by stone pillars topped with winged boars.
These boars weren't magical creatures; their image came from a dream Rowena Ravenclaw had had.
In the dream, she was brought to this clearing by the Black Lake by a flying boar, and only then did Hogwarts Castle come into being.
After passing through the gates, the carriage sped along the road to the castle. Through the windows, they could clearly see the corner towers and high towers getting closer.
Finally, the carriage came to a swaying stop.
The young wizards disembarked, discussing their magical experience as they climbed the stone steps towards the castle's oak doors.
Torches burned in the spacious, deep foyer. To the right, the doors to the Great Hall were open; they needed to enter the Great Hall before the first-year students arrived.
Kyle followed the crowd inside.
He'd missed this place after two months, and glanced with a sense of familiarity at the enchanted ceiling.
The weather was lovely today, cloudless, and the stars were bright.
Kyle had just reached the Hufflepuff table and hadn't even sat down when a voice called out,"Kyle, could you come here for a moment?"
Kyle looked up in surprise and saw Professor Sprout, Head of the Hufflepuff House, waving at him from the head table.
"Coming, Professor,"
Kyle quickly replied, weaving through the crowd towards her.
"What can I do for you, Professor?" Kyle asked.
"The Ministry of Magic sent some things here recently, saying it's compensation for the Forbidden Forest incident two months ago," Professor Sprout said with a smile. "I think it's probably for you."
[End of the chapter]