Girls' First Meeting

The train whistle blew again, and the train's deceleration became more and more apparent.

Regulus looked out the window.

In the distance, the lights of Hogwarts Castle were clearly visible, emitting a warm glow in the twilight.

Little Barty stood up and handed Lucretia her school uniform.

"Regulus and I are going to change. You can change in here. After the Sorting Ceremony later, no matter which house you're sorted into, we'll find you. Remember, find that big guy Hagrid to take a boat when we get off."

After the two boys left, Lucretia changed into her Hogwarts school robe.

She took a few deep breaths and tidied her long hair again.

When the train finally stopped at Hogsmeade station, the carriage corridor was already crowded with students.

Lucretia walked out of the compartment, pushed forward by the crowd.

"New students! First-year new students, come over here!"

A deep voice boomed from the end of the platform.

Lucretia looked towards the sound and saw a huge figure holding a lantern high.

His shaggy beard hid most of his face, but his kind dark eyes were particularly striking.

This must be the Hagrid they mentioned.

Little Barty suddenly appeared beside her and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Go on, we'll see you later."

"What about Luna? Is it okay to leave her on the train?"

Lucretia glanced back at her luggage and her cat still on the train with some concern.

Regulus tidied a stray strand of hair by her ear and smiled gently. "Don't worry, a house-elf will help you with your luggage to the dormitory later. Little sister, remember to look at the castle on the lake."

Lucretia smiled and waved goodbye to them, then turned and walked towards Hagrid.

As she walked away, Regulus's gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure at the other end of the platform.

His brother was leaning against a pillar, seemingly bored as he observed the first-year new students.

Regulus seized the moment when Little Barty was adjusting his robes, quietly took out the Hogwarts map from his pocket, and subtly raised it in his brother's direction.

Sirius noticed the gesture, a knowing look in his eyes, and nodded imperceptibly.

Little Barty turned around, just missing the exchange.

"Let's go, we'll find a good spot."

Regulus quickly put away the map and followed Little Barty, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Amidst the jostling crowd, Lucretia deliberately lagged behind a little.

She saw a blonde girl stumble on a stone and almost fall, so she instinctively reached out to steady her.

"Oh, thank you! My school uniform is a bit long!"

Once the blonde girl regained her balance, she looked up and flashed a brilliant smile.

That warm, bright smile, and her blonde hair, reminded Lucretia of her older sister Emily.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar smiling face, a place in Lucretia's heart trembled slightly, and she returned a sincere smile.

"You're welcome, I'm glad you didn't fall."

The girl introduced herself while taking a brightly wrapped candy from her pocket and offering it to Lucretia.

"I'm Emma, Emma Clark. Would you like to try some? It's a new flavor from Honeydukes, sweetheart toffee."

She remembered that her older sister Emily also loved toffee.

Lucretia accepted the candy, her eyes feeling a little warm.

She lowered her eyes slightly and noticed that Emma's pockets were almost bursting with all sorts of candies.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

"I'm Lucretia, you... do you really like candy?"

Emma smiled and explained, "Oh, when I was little, my dad worked at Honeydukes for a while, so I basically grew up on candy. Even though he doesn't work there anymore, he still buys me a lot of candy."

"Excuse me, coming through."

A girl wearing glasses squeezed past, holding a thick copy of Hogwarts: A History, with colorful sticky tabs marking its pages.

She almost bumped into Emma and Lucretia, stopping awkwardly.

"Sorry, I just want to get a good seat quickly."

Emma enthusiastically asked, "Do you want to ride the boat with us? I'm Emma, and this is Lucretia."

The bespectacled girl briefly introduced herself, pushing up her glasses. "Helena Mills. The book says first-year students have to take a boat across the lake, so it's good we can travel together."

They walked towards Hagrid together.

At the edge of the crowd, Lucretia noticed a quiet girl standing a little distance away, holding a small sketchbook and intently looking at something in the distance.

Emma followed Lucretia's gaze and immediately waved. "Hey! Are you a first-year too? Want to come with us? There are three of us now, and we'll be four if you join!"

The girl looked at them with some surprise, hesitating for a moment before walking over.

"Sophia Villa, nice to meet you."

She introduced herself softly, her amber eyes briefly scanning the three of them before finally settling on Lucretia's face.

Emily happily linked arms with Lucretia, "Now we're all here."

The four girls arrived at the dock, where Hagrid was directing the first-year students onto the small boats.

"Don't crowd forward! Hey, you lads, you're overloaded, one of you needs to get off! You there! Watch your step, don't fall into the lake! Hey! I told you to be careful!"

They finally found an empty boat and carefully climbed in.

Emily was too excited and spilled her candy all over the place.

"Merlin's pants! It's no good if it gets wet!" she said regretfully, scrambling to pick it up.

Sophia silently tore a page from her sketchbook, skillfully folded it into a small paper box, and helped her pick up most of the candy, handing it to Emily.

"Here, this way it's safer."

Emily said gratefully, putting the candy into the makeshift paper bag, "Thank you! You have such nimble hands!"

Helena opened her book and said in a tour-guide-like tone, "Did you know? The book says that merfolk live in the depths of the Black Lake, and there's also a very large giant squid in the lake. The lake freezes over in winter, and sometimes there are ice-skating events between the houses."

Emily's eyes widened, "Giant squid? How is that different from the version I heard? The version I heard said there was a big water monster in the lake, and once, a student was dragged in, leaving only half of them..."

Helena pushed up her glasses, "That's a rumor. Hogwarts: A History clearly states that there have been no recorded attacks by water monsters in the Black Lake."

Lucretia was tilting her head, watching Emily's bright smile, as the small boat quietly began to move forward on its own.

It noticed the water weeds beneath the surface swaying gently as they passed, as if welcoming her.

The feeling was so natural that she couldn't help but reach out a finger to gently stroke the water's surface.

A strand of water weed softly wrapped around her fingertip, like a friend saying hello, before loosening its grip and sinking back into the water.

Sophia quietly observed this scene, her gaze briefly meeting Lucretia's. She said nothing and continued drawing something in her sketchbook.

After the boat rounded a large bend, the full panorama of Hogwarts Castle appeared before them.

"Wow--!"

Emily leaned forward involuntarily, letting out an exaggerated gasp of amazement, knocking over the candy she had just picked up.

But this time, no one moved to help.

Everyone held their breath.

Hundreds of spires and towers formed the magnificent silhouette of the castle against the night sky, with warm candlelight from the windows dotting it like stars.

The entire castle cast a clear reflection on the calm water of the Black Lake, and as the moonlight shone down, it was as if two Hogwartses were quietly gazing at each other in the night.