Magic Everyone Was Good At

After the epic Toad Retrieval Case (that was Andrew's assessment, and he dared guarantee that many Hogwarts students from this year would mention the incident in the future), the long journey suddenly came alive.

After getting their fill of Harry, the idle students from every year returned to their compartments to deal with their own business—the last day of summer vacation! If it were not for Harry Potter, what precious time that would have been to waste?

While quite a few students who had realized something was wrong were frantically calling over friends and lying on their tables to finish their homework, Professor McGonagall, who was preparing to welcome the new students at Hogwarts, received an owl from the Hogwarts Express.

Less than half a minute after opening and reading the letter, she went to find Dumbledore, who had appeared in his office right on schedule, with an odd expression on her face.

"What happened, Minerva?"

Dumbledore looked puzzled. "Did the Weasley twins do something on the train? But isn't today the first day of school?"

Judging by precedent, there should not have been any rule-breaking today. The students who habitually broke rules had no fighting spirit on this day, and even the notoriously troublesome Weasley twins had not caused any point deductions on last year's return to school.

"Not the Weasley twins. Potter."

Professor McGonagall handed him the letter.

After reading it quickly, Dumbledore's expression became odd as well. "On the train, he brought some of the new students along to help another new student find a toad?"

"But didn't Hagrid say... he was rather shy?"

"That doesn't sound like something a shy student would do. By now, practically everyone on the train knows that he personally helped a classmate before school even began."

"It's a good thing, Minerva."

Dumbledore's expression eased. "Helping one's classmates is not a bad thing. If he enjoys doing so, that would be even better. Perhaps we will have an outstanding prefect."

"Not necessarily, Albus. There was no conflict this time because the students had not been sorted yet... No one wanted their House to lose him before the Sorting. But after they are sorted, I'm afraid he'll become another James..."

"That wouldn't be such a bad thing either. James was a good boy too."

Dumbledore reached his conclusion.

"Where are we?"

Andrew, who had slept a little longer, sat up and asked. He had not slept much to begin with, and once the discussion was over, the drowsiness had caught up with him and he had lain down again.

"We should be almost there, right?"

Justin looked a little flustered. "It's getting dark."

"Indeed." Andrew gave a small yawn. "If we don't arrive until tomorrow morning, I suggest they rename the train. An express train shouldn't be this slow."

"Then let's change into our formal robes. I reckon they'll remind us soon. They definitely won't let us dress however we want on our first day."

And that was indeed the case.

Just after they had changed clothes, someone began telling them to prepare to disembark.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. We will deliver it to the school for you."

The announcement rang out through the train.

"Let's go."

Andrew rubbed his warm hands together and pressed them over his face. "Time for the Sorting."

"First-years! First-years, this way!"

On the rather inconspicuous platform, a giant far more conspicuous than the platform itself stood holding a lamp and shouted.

Andrew stood in the middle of the crowd. He saw the man who was probably Hagrid lower his head and say something quietly to the students, then raise his voice and shout again.

"Any more first-years? Follow me!"

Before long, the gathered first-years followed Hagrid and began walking along an extremely rugged path.

Logically, there should be a better way. This bumpy path must be exclusive to first-years, so in theory, there ought to be some speech about how it commemorates the founders' arduous journey, how they established the school despite such harsh conditions... But there's nothing at all...

Andrew did not know whether they were supposed to appreciate it on their own or whether their guide had forgotten his lines, but the road was so difficult that he no longer felt like complaining.

Still, after passing through another narrow, difficult path, they finally saw a huge castle in the distance.

As they marvelled at it, Hagrid's voice rang out again.

"See those little boats? No more than four people to a boat!"

So it really is about how the ancestors crossed mountains and rivers to establish the school, and we're supposed to remember that learning is hard, huh?

Complaining inwardly, Andrew squeezed into a boat with the students he had met in the compartment and shifted his wand to somewhere easier to reach.

Some unknown magic had been cast on the boats. If a bunch of novices had been left to row them, it would have been even more thrilling than bumper cars. But now, boats that should have remained still, drifted backward, or crashed into one another followed Hagrid's boat with barely any control required, their speed even and steady.

Andrew immediately restrained the urge to curse, and his grip on his wand loosened.

It seemed the school had anticipated such situations. There were no visible protective measures, but no accident would actually happen.

Magic truly is something else.

With that thought in mind, Andrew even had the mood to chat nonsense with his boatmates while admiring the scenery around them—it really was not bad. If there were fish in the lake, it would be even better to cast a line.

After passing through a somewhat hidden tunnel, they finally arrived at a place that looked more like a dock.

"We're here!"

"Ah, Trevor!"

After Hagrid's voice came Neville's scream. His toad apparently did not want to go ashore.

Following a light splash, Andrew heard another shout. "No!"

Then came a series of much louder splashes.

His relaxed mood instantly vanished. He quickly gripped his wand and turned toward the source of the noise.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

But it was not one voice that rang out—it was more than a dozen. Clearly, everyone had practised the Levitation Charm seriously.

Neville's toad nearly flew straight into the sky before its owner easily caught it in his hands.

The other person who had fallen into the water was in a rather worse state—she was practically dragged back into the boat by her hair. And quite a lot of it had come out.

One Levitation Charm was theoretically harmless, but more than a dozen were another matter.

The pain was secondary. When she saw the hair that had fallen out, she began to sob quietly.

"It's all right. Madam Pomfrey will heal you quickly. You won't miss the Sorting!"

Hagrid was not particularly good at comforting people, but fortunately he added, "She's good at reattaching anything, including hair."

That made the girl, who was crying with her face covered, calm down a little.

"Head to the castle first. I'll hand them over to the professor, then I'll take you to the school hospital. Soon enough, you'll be exactly as you were before—not a single hair will be different."

Just as he said, Andrew and the others were soon brought before Professor McGonagall. After briefly explaining the situation to her, Hagrid hurried away with the girl.