"Lynn, where are you?" Edgar's voice came from the mobile phone.
"On my way, on my way! Just passed the ticket gate. I definitely won't be late this time. How many times have you asked?" Lynn assured the other end of the mobile phone while jogging, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
London, King's Cross Station, Platform 9¾.
It was the start of the school year again. The air was filled with the sadness of parting and the joy of reunion, with children's clamor and parents' instructions mixed together.
Lynn took a deep breath of the familiar air, pushed his luggage cart, and skillfully passed through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. Everything went so smoothly that he felt a bit unaccustomed to it.
The train started moving once again, steadily advancing toward Hogwarts Castle.
Lynn wandered through the carriages and finally found an empty compartment in a relatively quiet corner.
The train wouldn't arrive until evening; what else was there to do but sleep?
Lynn decisively took out an eye mask and put it on. Adjusting himself into a comfortable position, he planned to sleep all the way to Hogsmeade Station—until the train arrived.
Lynn got plenty of sleep, even skipping lunch.
Arriving at the Castle by Thestral carriage, the Hogwarts Great Hall was as bustling as ever, with four long tables filled with glittering gold plates and goblets.
The new students gathered nervously at the door, and unsurprisingly, they had been tricked by their families with stories of the sorting involving fighting dragons and wrestling trolls.
Professor McGonagall was still in charge of the Sorting Ceremony.
When she walked out with that tattered Sorting Hat, the expressions of many new students looking at the dirty hat were, to say the least, complicated.
Lynn sat at the Hufflepuff table, looking at the nervous and expectant faces of the new students, and for a moment, he thought of himself a year ago.
"Tsk, before I knew it, I've become an upperclassman too," William sighed.
"Yo yo yo~ You're an upperclassman now~ Senior William~"
"It would be better if you didn't act like such a prick, Lynn."
The Sorting Ceremony began and ended with the song of the Sorting Hat.
Next, as usual, Headmaster Dumbledore gave a speech and introduced the new professors.
When Defense Against the Dark Arts was mentioned, Gilderoy Lockhart immediately stood up, showing his signature bright smile and waving to those around him.
However, unlike the expected warm applause, the Great Hall was filled with a rustle of whispers.
"Have you heard? Lockhart, in front of Flourish and Blotts, during the book signing, in public... he"
A Ravenclaw girl whispered to her companion, her face wearing an indescribable expression.
"I heard, I heard! And they say the scene was completely out of control, couldn't be stopped!"
Her companion nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with the light of gossip.
"My uncle was there at the time. He said the smell... tsk tsk..."
Such whispers quickly spread like wildfire among the four long tables.
Lockhart's smile gradually stiffened and disappeared, his face turning red and white in turns.
On the contrary, when these discussions reached Lynn's ears, the corners of his originally calm mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
The other professors at the high table seemed to have no intention of stopping these rumors from spreading.
Professor McGonagall's lips were pressed tightly together, her gaze fixed straight ahead; Professor Sprout lowered her head to study the edge of her plate.
The professors each looked at their noses and their hearts, acting as if they hadn't heard a thing.
The Sorting Ceremony ended in this eerie atmosphere.
Back at the Hufflepuff dormitory, Lynn quickly changed into a set of black robes suitable for hiding, tucked his wand into a special pocket in his sleeve, and his whole person radiated excitement.
"You're going for a night stroll on the very first day of school?" said Edgar, who was slumped on the bed, wishing he could merge with his pillow.
Lynn fastened the last button of his robe and said righteously, "Tsk, if you come to Hogwarts and don't go for a night stroll, are you even a qualified Hogwarts student? This is an important part of campus culture!"
William had already taken his pajamas out of his trunk and shook his head helplessly upon hearing this. "Then go ahead. We really don't have the energy. We've been traveling all day; our bones are about to fall apart."
"You guys just sleep peacefully. I'm going out to buy you some oranges..."
"Get lost!" ×3
"I'll be back after I buy the oranges!" Lynn waved his hand and quietly merged into the shadows of the castle corridors.
Lynn avoided several patrolling professors and finally slipped out of the castle gates without any mishap, stepping into the night.
Tonight's adventure goal was clear.
He had previously stumbled upon a manual in the library titled Hogwarts: Secret Passages and Legends.
It mentioned that near the area where the Whomping Willow was planted, there was a hidden secret passage that led to Hogsmeade Village.
Conveniently, Lynn hadn't officially visited Hogsmeade yet; first-year students weren't eligible.
If he could find this secret passage, wouldn't he be able to go "shopping" anytime in the future?
Carrying beautiful expectations, Lynn began a winding exploration on the pitch-black grounds outside the castle.
Lynn carefully avoided the greenhouses, bypassed the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and searched for the Whomping Willow based on his memory.
The first one—Lynn tested it from a distance with a pebble, and the willow branches immediately began to wave violently, scaring him into quickly dodging away. He searched the surroundings carefully but found nothing but turf and stones.
The second one—Lynn risked being lashed to get closer and observe, even trying to analyze the structure of the willow itself, but still found no trace of anything resembling a tunnel entrance.
The third, the fourth... the results were all the same.
"That crappy book couldn't be made up, could it? Is it pulling my leg?" Lynn felt a bit discouraged and brushed the grass clippings off his robes. "Forget it, I'll look for one last one. If it's not there, I'll go back. Can't have come for nothing."
Lynn hummed an out-of-tune little tune to pass the time.
"The moon~ is~ bright~, the wind~ is~ still~, the leaves~ shade the window lattice... Hmm?"
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something standing on a patch of open ground to his right; its outline was square, and it reflected a metallic luster.
"What's that big and reflective? Hagrid's pet? Or some alchemy item a professor left lying around?"
Lynn approached on tiptoe. As the distance closed, Lynn finally couldn't help but raise his wand and cast a Lighting Charm.
Lynn held his wand aloft, frozen on the spot, dumbfounded.
Under the light of the wand, an old Ford Anglia was parked quietly there.
Its body was covered in mud, one side mirror was tilted, one headlight was smashed, the hood was wide open, the front bumper seemed a bit dented, and the door... where was the door?
But it was indeed a car!
"Holy crap! Where did a car come from in Hogwarts?! And a modified car... this... must be illegal, right?"
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