Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade Platform, and everyone got off. The scene was chaotic, with owls hooting, cats meowing, and even frogs joining in with their croaking, making the small platform bustling with activity.
However, at this moment, a lion-shaped firework suddenly exploded in the sky, instantly capturing everyone's attention.
"Bang!"
Another firework with a long tail flame shot into the sky.
At this point, the young wizards also noticed Fred setting off the fireworks.
Under everyone's gaze, Fred calmly wrapped a piece of gold-edged parchment around a Filibuster Firework, then lit it.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang..."
Ten Filibuster Fireworks exploded in succession, featuring lions, badgers, and fire dragons... They ran and leaped in the sky, lingering for a long time before disappearing.
"Is this Hogwarts' welcoming ceremony?" some new students said excitedly.
They had no idea what was happening, thinking that Hogwarts had specially set off fireworks to welcome them to school.
It must be said that these fireworks were indeed beautiful, and watching those twinkling animals in the sky, their anxiety eased significantly.
But others felt differently.
"See... Zabini." In the crowd, Malfoy said somewhat proudly to a few new students beside him, "I told you before, Kael would definitely destroy those maps, and you didn't believe me, ha..."
He let out a strange laugh, seemingly mocking their previous presumptuous remarks.
Next to him, a boy with a few freckles frowned, stubbornly saying, "Who can say for sure that's true? Maybe it's just a Transfiguration Spell they used."
"Absolutely impossible!" Malfoy snorted coldly, "I trust Kael. He won the Special Contribution Award to the school, he's definitely not that kind of person."
"Who knows." The freckle-faced boy pouted, "Don't forget that those people are second-year students. Such a thing would be easy for them, right?"
The two were at an impasse, neither able to convince the other.
Just then, the tallest Crabbe suddenly noticed something, reaching up to catch a piece of parchment floating down from the sky.
"Draco, look at this."
Malfoy, who was arguing fiercely with Zabini, turned his head to look, and his eyes lit up immediately.
"Aha!"
He excitedly grabbed the piece of parchment, pointing at the remnants of the golden patterns on it, "Look at this, this is real gold; do you still think it's a Transfiguration Spell?
And..."
Saying this, he bent down to sniff a blackened spot on the piece with a deep breath.
"I once accidentally burned a hole in the Unicorn Tail Hair Tapestry at home, and the smell was exactly the same as this."
"This..." Zabini's face flushed red, as if he had been slapped hard.
Seeing his expression, Malfoy became even more proud, raising his chin and saying, "I get it, you must be saying this because you can't afford the twenty Galleon map.
No worries, I've heard they have some for a few Sickles, those you can surely afford, right."
"Who says I can't afford it!"
Zabini was instantly enraged; he could accept being wrong, but being mocked by Malfoy like this, never.
Just twenty Galleons, who says he couldn't afford it? Who did Malfoy think he was!
"You'll see, I'll buy the most expensive map he has," Zabini said, with his neck stiffened. "It'll be even better than yours!"
"Tsk tsk, not possible."
Malfoy gave him a disdainful glance, saying, "I bought the most expensive one, and Kael promised my number would be among the very top, even if you have the same one as mine, it'll only rank behind."
"You... huff!"
Zabini felt his chest tighten, glared at Malfoy with fury, then turned and left.
Malfoy remained utterly indifferent, watching him leave with the air of a victor.
Then, a light appeared above them.
"First-year students! First-year students over here, Harry, are you alright?"
Hagrid's massive figure appeared on the platform, just as he had last year, taking away all the new students.
As for Kael and the others, they headed to the other side of the platform, needing to take the carriages to Hogwarts as second-year students.
A rough, muddy path had over a hundred empty carriages parked.
The carriages were pulled by Thestrals, but most people couldn't see them.
Kael couldn't see them either.
There had been such an opportunity before, just a werewolf at St Mungo's, but the guy's life force was too strong, and in the end, the Healer saved him.
Merely half-dead clearly wasn't enough to see a Thestral.
Kael walked to a carriage, and relying on feeling, patted the bony head.
The Thestral also gently nudged Kael in return.
After they boarded the carriage, the Thestral carried them towards Hogwarts Castle.
Inside the carriage was a faint moldy and straw smell, somewhat like a broom closet that hadn't been used in a long time.
The carriage approached an impressive wrought-iron gate, flanked by stone columns, with winged boars perched atop.
These boars were not any kind of fantastic beasts; their image came from a dream of Rowena Ravenclaw.
In the dream, she was brought to the clearing by the Black Lake by a flying boar, which eventually led to the creation of Hogwarts Castle.
Passing through the gates, the carriage sped up on the path leading to the castle, and through the windows, they could clearly see those turrets and towers coming ever closer.
Finally, the carriage came to a shaky stop.
The young wizards got off the carriage, discussing the wonderful experience they'd just had as they climbed the stone steps and headed towards the oak doors of the castle.
In the spacious and deep entrance hall, torches were burning, and on the right, the auditorium's doors were open; they needed to enter the auditorium before the first-year students arrived.
Kael followed the crowd inside.
Not seeing it for two months, he truly missed this place, looking fondly at the enchanted ceiling.
The weather was nice today, no clouds, and the stars were very bright.
Kael had just reached the Hufflepuff table, hadn't even sat down when he heard a voice call out:
"Kael, could you come over here for a moment?"
Kael looked up in surprise, noticing that Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, was standing at the head table waving at him.
"I'll be right there, Professor."
Kael responded quickly and made his way through the crowded room towards her.
"What do you need me for, Professor?" Kael asked.
"A while ago, the Ministry of Magic sent something over, said it was compensation for the Forbidden Forest incident two months ago."
Professor Sprout said with a smile, "I think it's probably meant for you."
...