How Can You Even Cast Such Difficult Magic?

After they boarded the boats.

Neville sat with his cheeks tense, both hands gripping the seat, not daring to go anywhere near the edge of the boat.

Two other first-years climbed aboard as well.

Once four people were seated, no one rowed, yet the little boat began moving on its own.

Dylan glanced downward.

To his surprise, he saw a massive giant squid, its two suckers clinging tightly to the underside of the boat.

The giant squid swam silently beneath the surface, guiding the little boat forward. It passed beneath the cliff and then sailed through a curtain formed by ivy.

At last, the little boat slowly came to a stop.

The giant squid plunged straight into the depths of the lake and vanished.

"I wonder if this kind of giant squid would taste good chopped up and stir-fried."

Dylan smacked his lips twice.

Neville climbed shakily out of the boat, then hurried all the way from the dock to the shore.

"Whew..."

Neville breathed a sigh of relief.

Dylan came over at that moment and reminded him, "Don't run so fast. Be careful not to leave anything behind on the boat."

"Huh?" Neville suddenly froze.

He hurriedly patted his chest and pockets.

He seemed unable to find what he was looking for, and instantly widened his eyes as if he had been frightened.

"Oh no! My Trevor is missing again!"

"What? Again?"

Dylan raised an eyebrow.

He only remembered that Neville seemed to have lost his toad once, right after getting on the train.

Hermione had helped him search everywhere, which was how she had met Harry and Ron.

At the time, Dylan had wondered why Hermione had never come looking for the toad in his compartment. Now that he thought about it, she had probably found it halfway through.

Except...

"I remember not noticing any toad or other living creature on you just now. Don't tell me you lost Trevor again while getting off the train?"

Dylan had mastered the Parasitic Possession Curse, so he could sense the presence of living creatures outside him to a certain extent.

Throughout the journey, he had not deliberately paid attention, but now that he thought back, he did not seem to have sensed a second living creature besides Neville.

Neville was so anxious that a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He scratched the back of his head and thought as hard as he could, but he could not recall any useful clues.

Dylan said, "It might have fallen somewhere along the way, or it might still be on the train. I'm more inclined to believe the latter."

Because now that he thought about it carefully, the little chubby boy who had been standing in front of him earlier seemed to have been Neville.

And throughout the journey, he had not seen any sign of a toad.

"If it's on the train, a House-elf will send it back to the school."

"But..." Neville paused.

"No buts. Even if it fell somewhere along the way, there's no way we can go back and look for it now. We'll have to come back tomorrow."

"Is that the only option?" Neville said miserably. "I heard Hogwarts is dangerous everywhere. I'm really worried something might happen to Trevor."

Looking at the little chubby boy's expression,

Dylan felt somewhat helpless as well.

"How about this? I'll try using Accio. If it's nearby, I can bring it here. But if you really left it on the train or somewhere along the way, there's nothing I can do."

"What? You even know Accio, Dylan?"

Neville froze at first, then his face lit up. "Then I'll leave it to you!"

"Don't get your hopes up."

Dylan waved the wand in his hand.

"Accio Trevor!"

Magic poured out of the wand.

To his surprise, it surged precisely toward one of the little boats.

"Whoosh!"

A toad that looked as if it had been fed until it was extremely fat flew over.

Before it reached him, Dylan cut off the spell.

"Ribbit~"

Trevor landed on the ground and croaked.

Neville hurried over and picked Trevor up from the ground.

The corners of his eyes turned slightly teary.

"Good heavens, Dylan, you're amazing! You even know such difficult magic. Thank you so much! I bet Trevor fell somewhere along the way and followed me the whole time!"

Neville sniffed.

By now, quite a few young wizards had already gone ahead.

Dylan shook his head. "All right, let's hurry, or we'll fall behind the group."

He started walking ahead, and Neville immediately trotted after him.

At the same time, he poked the fat toad in his arms with one finger.

"Don't run off again next time!"

"Ribbit~"

Dylan glanced at the toad.

It was fat, chubby, and ugly.

Why would anyone keep a toad as a pet?

Was it so they could raise it, kill it, and harvest the Magical Ingredients from its body?

"My Little Shadow is still much better-looking."

It might be a black cat that looked extremely ominous and even mooed when it meowed, but so what?

Wasn't Professor McGonagall also a cat after transforming?

By rounding up, Coal Ball was Professor McGonagall!

Besides, Shadow Crow was not really a cat. Shadow Crow itself was a species!

After Dylan and Neville caught up with the group,

the party crossed a cobblestone path.

They then arrived before a large gate.

"Bang, bang!"

Hagrid knocked on the door several times, producing a deafening roar.

Soon, someone pushed the large gate open from the other side. It was Professor McGonagall.

She wore a deep emerald-green robe. Its color was vivid, its fabric smooth, and its folds fell naturally. Her iron-gray hair was pulled tightly into a sleek bun, without a strand out of place.

She looked at the group of young wizards outside with a stern face and piercing eyes. A pointed hat bearing the insignia of the magical school sat atop her head.

Professor McGonagall looked very difficult to approach at that moment, completely different from the gentle manner she had shown while strolling around Diagon Alley with him.

"Professor McGonagall, these are all the first-year students," Hagrid said in his deep voice.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hagrid. Leave them to me," Professor McGonagall said with a nod.

She pulled the gate open a little farther.

Only after Hagrid walked straight inside did she lead the first-year students into the Entrance Hall.

"Follow me."

Dylan stayed among the crowd, with Neville walking almost at the very back.

As the people ahead of him passed through, he began observing Hogwarts's interior.

The simple, ancient walls on both sides of the path were covered in numerous reliefs.

The reliefs held braziers that cast a bright glow.

Dylan discovered that these reliefs depicted the representative animals of the Four Houses, and each one had wings growing from its back.

They looked incredibly lifelike, as if they were looking down at the first-years.

"Interesting!"

The moment he stepped into Hogwarts, the weight of its years came rushing toward him.

"This is much more exciting than watching it in 3D back then!"

He no longer remembered which film he had watched in 3D, but a group of Dementors had floated around at the beginning. He had still been young at the time, and those Dementors had scared him badly.

"The Great Hall is just ahead. You'll be able to enjoy dinner soon. Before that, however, we must first welcome you young wizards to Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall led them to the entrance of the Great Hall, then turned and said, "Before you officially enroll, you must first undergo the Sorting Ceremony."