The Girls' First Meeting

The train whistle sounded again, and the train's deceleration became increasingly noticeable.

Regulus looked out the window.

The lights of Hogwarts Castle were already clearly visible in the distance, glowing warmly in the twilight.

Little Barty stood up and handed Lucretia her school uniform.

"Regulus and I will go change outside. You stay in here. Once the Sorting Ceremony is over, no matter which House you're sorted into, we'll come find you. Remember, after getting off, find that big guy, Hagrid, and take a boat."

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

She took several deep breaths and smoothed her long hair back into place.

By the time the train finally stopped at Hogsmeade Station, the corridor outside the compartment was already packed with students.

Lucretia stepped out of the compartment and was carried forward by the crowd.

"First-years! All first-years, over here!"

A deep, booming voice called from the far end of the platform.

Following the voice, Lucretia saw a huge figure holding a lantern high overhead.

A tangled beard covered most of his face, but his friendly black eyes stood out clearly.

This had to be the Hagrid they had mentioned.

Little Barty suddenly appeared beside her and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Go on. See you later."

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

Lucretia looked uneasily at the luggage trunk and her cat still on the train.

Regulus tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled gently. "Don't worry. A House-elf will bring them to your dormitory later. Little sister, remember to look at the castle on the lake."

Lucretia smiled and waved at them before turning toward Hagrid.

After she had gone some distance away, Regulus's attention was suddenly caught by a figure at the other end of the platform.

His brother was leaning against a pillar, seemingly bored as he watched the first-years.

While Little Barty was adjusting his robes, Regulus quietly pulled the Hogwarts map from his pocket and raised it slightly in Sirius's direction.

Sirius noticed the gesture. A look of mutual understanding flashed through his eyes, and he gave an imperceptible nod.

Little Barty turned around just in time to miss the exchange.

"Come on. Let's find a good spot."

Regulus quickly put away the map and followed Little Barty, a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips.

Amid the crush of people, Lucretia deliberately walked a little farther back.

She saw a blonde girl trip over a stone and nearly fall, so she instinctively reached out to steady her.

"Oh, thank you! My school robes are a little too long!"

Once she had regained her balance, the blonde girl looked up with a brilliant smile.

That warm, bright smile and her golden hair both reminded Lucretia of Emily.

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

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

As the girl introduced herself, she pulled a brightly wrapped sweet from her pocket and offered it to Lucretia.

"My name is Emma, Emma Clark. Want one? It's a new Honeydukes product—Sweetheart Toffee."

She remembered that Emily had loved toffee too.

Lucretia accepted the sweet, her eyes growing warm.

She lowered her gaze slightly and only then noticed that Emma's pockets were practically bursting with all kinds of sweets.

"I'm Lucretia. You... you really like sweets?"

Emma smiled as she explained, "Oh, Dad worked at Honeydukes for a while when I was little, so I basically grew up on sweets. He doesn't work there anymore, but he still buys me lots of candy."

"Excuse me, coming through."

A girl wearing glasses squeezed past them, clutching a heavy copy of Hogwarts: A History to her chest, its pages stuffed with colorful tabs.

She nearly bumped into Emma and Lucretia, then stopped awkwardly.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get a seat quickly."

Emma asked enthusiastically, "Want to take a boat with us? I'm Emma, and this is Lucretia."

The girl with glasses introduced herself briefly, pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. "Helena Mills. The book says all first-years have to cross the lake by boat, so we might as well go together."

They headed toward Hagrid together.

At the edge of the crowd, Lucretia noticed a quiet girl standing some distance away. She held a small sketchbook in her hands and was intently watching something in the distance.

Following Lucretia's gaze, Emma immediately waved. "Hey! Are you a first-year too? Want to come with us? There are three of us now, so you'd make four!"

The girl looked at them in surprise and hesitated before walking over.

"Sophia Villa. Hello."

She introduced herself softly. Her amber eyes swept briefly over the three girls before finally settling on Lucretia's face.

Emma happily linked her arm through Lucretia's. "Now we're all here."

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

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

After much effort, they found an empty boat and carefully climbed aboard.

Emma was so excited that she scattered sweets all over the floor.

Flustered and annoyed, she scrambled to pick them up. "Merlin's trousers! It'll be awful if they get wet!"

Sophia silently tore a page from her sketchbook, deftly folded it into a small paper box, and helped gather most of the sweets before handing them to Emma.

"Here. This is safer."

Emma gratefully put the sweets into the temporary paper container. "Thank you! You're so handy!"

Helena opened her book and said in the tone of a tour guide, "Did you know? The book says a tribe of merpeople lives in the depths of the Black Lake, and there's also a very large giant squid in it. In winter, the lake freezes over, and sometimes the Houses even hold skating activities."

Emma's eyes widened. "A giant squid? That's different from the version I heard! The one I heard said there was a huge lake monster in there. Once, a student got dragged under, and only half of them was left..."

Helena pushed up her glasses. "That's a rumor. Hogwarts: A History clearly records that there have been no documented lake monster attacks in the Black Lake."

Lucretia was tilting her head as she watched Emma's radiant smile when the boat quietly began moving forward on its own.

She noticed the weeds beneath the water gently swaying as they passed, as though they were welcoming her.

The feeling was so natural that she could not help reaching out to lightly brush the surface of the water with her fingertips.

A strand of waterweed softly curled around her fingertip like a friend saying hello, then released her and sank back into the water.

Sophia quietly watched the scene. Her gaze briefly met Lucretia's, but she said nothing and continued drawing in her sketchbook.

When the boat rounded a wide bend, the full sight of Hogwarts Castle appeared before them.

"Wow—!"

Emma leaned forward uncontrollably and let out an exaggerated gasp, knocking over the sweets she had only recently picked up.

But this time, no one helped her gather them.

Everyone held their breath.

Hundreds of spires and towers formed the castle's magnificent silhouette against the night sky, warm candlelight glowing in the windows like scattered stars.

The entire castle was reflected clearly upon the still waters of the Black Lake. Moonlight spilled down, making it seem as if two Hogwarts faced each other silently in the night.