Inside the compartment, Hermione had been enthusiastically talking about the spells described in the textbooks. She had countless questions she wanted to discuss with Ted Epiphany, and her excitement was impossible to suppress.
It was understandable.
If I had the chance to study magic, I'd probably be even more excited than she is.
The problem was that she kept asking Hally, Ron, and Neville—those who had grown up in wizarding families—what spells they had already learned at home.
Of course, the rat-color-changing one didn't count.
Ron immediately protested internally.
Why do I feel like someone's targeting me here?!
But it was obvious that neither Neville nor Ron wanted to talk about the topic. Their faces were filled with the humble, cautious expressions typical of struggling students.
Jerry looked even worse—he was practically trembling.
Hally, however, could list several spells without hesitation.
Summoning charms, disarming charms, and a few others.
Even Ted hadn't encountered some of those yet.
It seemed that under Sirius Black's guidance, she had already learned quite a lot.
In the original story, Harry had possessed excellent talent.
From what Ted could see now, this Hally was no less gifted.
The train swayed lazily as it moved along, rocking passengers so gently that it nearly put them to sleep.
They had departed at noon, and now the sun had already begun to set—yet the destination still seemed impossibly far away.
An express train?
This thing felt more like a sightseeing ride.
By the time the announcement finally declared their arrival, night had already fallen outside the windows.
Hally and Hermione stepped out first, giving the four boys time to change into their wizard robes.
Then the girls returned to change afterward.
Soon the train came to a complete stop, and the six of them stepped down together.
The station was small—almost shabby.
The darkness made it difficult to see much of anything.
In the distance stood an enormous figure holding a lantern, calling out in a booming voice:
"First-years! Over here! Follow me!"
It was impossible to ignore him.
Not with his three-meter height and a voice that thundered like a church bell.
"That's Hagrid. Come on," Hally said immediately, clearly recognizing him.
She led the group forward at a brisk pace, eager to reach the front.
"Oh, Hally! Good ter see yeh! An' Neville too!" Hagrid greeted them—though even his "quiet voice" sounded loud.
They followed Hagrid down a narrow path for a short distance before the scenery suddenly opened up.
They had reached the edge of the lake.
A row of small wooden boats waited there for the first-years.
The stones along the shore of the Black Lake were covered with moss. Hagrid raised his voice to warn them:
"Watch yer step! Don't slip!"
The moment he finished speaking, two students promptly lost their footing and nearly slid straight into the lake.
"Four per boat! No more!"
Hally and three others climbed into the first boat.
Ted and Hermione boarded the second.
Once everyone was seated, Hagrid called out, "Off yeh go!"
The boats began moving forward in a neat line.
Each boat carried a small lantern, but its light barely illuminated anything beyond its own passengers.
The water of the Black Lake was like a sheet of polished black glass, reflecting the moon and stars without the slightest ripple.
The row of boats seemed to glide silently through the Milky Way itself.
None of the students dared speak.
A strange mix of nervousness and awe filled their hearts.
Ted remembered that the enormous Black Lake was home to merpeople.
Though admittedly, they were rather ugly.
Perhaps merfolk came in different varieties too.
Yellow ones. Pale ones. Maybe even "agricultural models."
In Chinese folklore they were called jiao-ren, though those were usually sea-dwelling creatures.
The Black Lake also supposedly housed a mysterious giant squid.
But squids didn't live in freshwater.
Which meant the lake near Hogwarts was likely a saltwater loch somewhere in the northern Scottish Highlands.
If one traveled too far north in Scotland, the land became little more than barren highlands.
So Hogwarts had to be somewhere with forests, and likely near old castle ruins.
Ted began mentally calculating.
Most likely somewhere west of Loch Lomond and north of Glasgow.
That would also explain how the massive Durmstrang ship had emerged from the lake during the Triwizard Tournament.
Scottish sea lochs often connected directly to the ocean rather than being isolated inland lakes.
It was hard to imagine a ship like Durmstrang's navigating shallow Highland rivers just to reach a freshwater lake.
So they must have arrived via the sea.
Ted had nothing better to do, so he let his thoughts wander as he tried to pinpoint Hogwarts' possible location.
"Round this bend," Hagrid called back to them, "an' yeh'll get yer first look at Hogwarts!"
"Take a good look," Ted whispered to Hermione.
"It'll be a memory you'll never forget."
The boats passed around a towering cliff—
And suddenly, in the distance, the faint outline of a castle appeared, dotted with glowing lights.
As they drew closer, the castle grew more and more magnificent.
Illuminated by warm lights, it looked grand and majestic beyond words.
This was Hogwarts.
The greatest Dark Lord training academy in Britain—who trained the best villains? Hogwarts!
Hermione whispered softly:
"Every first-year travels this route. According to Hogwarts: A History, it's meant to let us experience the hardship the founders went through when discovering the castle site."
"There might be another meaning behind it," Ted murmured.
He had sensed something unusual.
A vast magical force seemed to connect him with the distant castle.
The journey that retraced the steps of the four founders felt suspiciously like an ancient ritual spell.
Completing the entire process might symbolize a magical contract between the student and the school.
A formal acknowledgment: You are now a Hogwarts student.
"Head down!" Hagrid called.
His deep voice echoed like thunder in a cavern.
The boats approached a cliff face, where a hidden cave lay beneath the steep rock wall.
The boats carried the students through the darkness until they reached a small dock inside the cave.
Hagrid raised his lantern.
"Out yeh get! Follow me!"
The students climbed out and began ascending a steep zigzagging staircase—more than two hundred steps in total.
At the top, they emerged into an open courtyard surrounded by stone pillars.
At the far end stood the enormous doors of Hogwarts Castle.
Hagrid stepped forward and knocked with a fist the size of a sandbag.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Judging from the sound, the door was extremely thick.
It was opened by a bald old man whose receding hairline had practically reached the back of his skull.
If this were China a hundred years ago during the Qing Dynasty, he could probably pass for minor nobility.
"First-years?" the man asked gruffly. "Leave them to me."
Hagrid snorted like a rumbling engine.
"Filch, yeh'd better treat 'em polite."
Filch simply snorted back in disdain.
He led the students through the doors while muttering:
"You lot had better behave yourselves. If I catch anyone causing trouble, you'll regret it."
At that moment, the long-awaited sound finally rang out in Ted's mind.
Ding~
Quest Triggered:[Explore Hogwarts (Red)]
This is Hogwarts—the only magical school in Britain, and one of only three in Europe.
This thousand-year-old castle hides countless secrets waiting to be discovered.
What are you waiting for?
Find them. Discover them. Use them.
Woohoo—let's go!
Objective: Explore HogwartsProgress: 1% / 100%Rewards: 1000 EXP, +1 Skill Point, Random Card
Remember: if you never sneak out at night, it's like you never truly attended Hogwarts. Applause, please.
Filch might have been getting older, but his legs still worked perfectly well.
He walked quickly.
The young wizards, however, weren't exactly in peak physical condition.
They had already climbed hundreds of steps from the lakeside cave to the castle entrance, and now Filch was practically forcing them into a speed march.
Before long, many of them were panting.
Those with weaker stamina were even sweating.
Fortunately, they finally arrived at another tall wooden door.
Filch left them with a single word:
"Wait."
Then he turned and walked away without another glance.
At last, the students could catch their breath.
Soft murmurs spread through the group as they discussed everything they had seen so far.
Suddenly, a few startled gasps echoed.
Ted turned his head and saw several milky-white translucent ghosts drifting straight through the walls.
The first-years instantly erupted into excited chatter.
Some of the Muggle-born students were utterly fascinated. A few even tried reaching out to touch the ghosts.
The spirits themselves seemed friendly enough and welcomed the newcomers.
Ted couldn't quite identify which ghost was which.
Just then, Professor McGonagall pushed open the door and stepped out.
Her stern gaze swept across the crowd.
The young students immediately fell silent.
"Before the welcome feast," she began, "you will be sorted into your Houses."
"There are four Houses at Hogwarts. Shortly, you will stand before the entire school and be sorted. This is a very important ceremony."
"I suggest you take a moment to compose yourselves and tidy your appearance."
Her eyes paused briefly on Neville and Ron.
Neville's cloak hung crookedly.
Ron had a dark smudge across his nose—likely from the frantic march earlier.
To be fair, none of them looked much better.
They resembled refugees more than new students.
Filch had really done them dirty on the very first day.
Professor McGonagall also explained the House Cup and the importance of earning points.
Clearly, she valued honor and discipline.
Then she returned to the Great Hall.
Immediately, anxious whispers filled the corridor.
Whether Muggle-born or pure-blood, every student seemed worried.
Rumors about the Sorting ceremony flew wildly.
Hermione had already begun nervously reciting passages from her textbooks.
She was convinced the Sorting might involve some kind of entrance exam.
"Don't worry," Ted teased. "They won't test you on calculus."
Hermione shot him a glare.
"This isn't the time for jokes!"
At that moment, the door opened again.
"Please come in," Professor McGonagall said.
She led the students into the Great Hall.
Four long tables stretched across the enormous chamber, each filled with students of various ages.
Banners hung along the walls—each bearing the colors and symbol of a House.
A green serpent.A blue eagle.A red lion.A yellow badger.
And above them—
The ceiling looked completely transparent, revealing the night sky glittering with stars.
Hermione whispered in awe, as though afraid to disturb something magical.
"I read about this in Hogwarts: A History…"
Ted nodded.
That was right.
The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall had a very special effect—
It looked as though there were no ceiling at all.