Entering Hogwarts

Time always seemed to pass faster during meditation. Jon had barely felt any time go by before Bella's patting dragged him out of his meditative state and back to reality.

"Wake up, stop sleeping. We're almost there. Hurry up and change."

Bella pulled Jon's earplugs out and looked at her "bleary-eyed" little brother.

"Are we there already?" Jon rubbed his eyes twice. Though he had only been pretending to sleep, keeping his eyes shut for so long had still left them somewhat uncomfortable.

"Yeah, the train's about to stop. Hurry and put on your robes. I'll wait outside."

Bella had intended to go outside and give her brother room to change, but Jon had no intention of changing at all. He simply pulled the outermost robe from his small trunk and slipped it on.

"Well... this will do, I suppose!"

Seeing that there was little time left, Bella did not bother picking faults with her brother. She pulled Jon out of the compartment, muttering, "The trunks all have names on them. The attendants will send our things to our respective houses later. Hurry and find the first-years' group—you'll be the first to cross the lake, and if you're late, it'll be too late... Lumos."

A light blossomed at the tip of Bella's wand, driving away the darkness before the siblings. Only then did Jon see the sea of people ahead of them. Without exception, every student wore the same robes.

"The first-years' group is... over there."

Bella pointed her wand toward the lakeside. Following her gesture, Jon spotted a huge figure.

That had to be Hagrid. He really was a half-giant—his height definitely lived up to the reputation.

"What are you standing around for?"

Bella gave Jon a push, then took his hand and slipped it into the pocket of her robe before pulling it back out. She stuffed something into Jon's robe pocket. "I saved two Chocolate Frogs for you. You must be hungry after sleeping for so long. The sorting will take ages too, so eat these to tide yourself over."

"Okay."

Warmth filled Jon's heart. Bella usually seemed so carefree and unreliable, so seeing her suddenly act so much like an older sister truly caught him off guard and moved him.

Hmm... if she wanted to date Cedric, then she could date him. At worst, Jon could pull a few strings behind the scenes and save Cedric.

But if she wanted to get married, she would still need to examine him carefully!

Bella had no idea her little brother's mind was full of such random thoughts. After sending Jon to the back of the first-years' line, she hurried back to her own house's group.

Jon lingered at the rear of the first-years' line. He had gotten off the train rather late, but under the cover of night, no one noticed his sudden arrival.

He quietly squeezed the ring on his index finger, opened the hidden compartment above it, and pulled out the wand inside.

Lumos.

The benefits of diligent study and practice showed themselves at that moment. Though Jon had not practiced the Lighting Charm for long, the faint light was enough for him to see the path clearly.

"I was careless. I should've brought a flashlight."

His murmur and the light from his wand naturally drew the attention of several nearby first-years, but everyone was captivated by the Black Lake before them, and few paid him any mind.

"That's Hogwarts over there!"

At the front of the line, Hagrid, who looked like a small mountain, pointed across the lake and shouted.

On the high slope across the lake stood a magnificent castle, its spires rising one after another, its windows gleaming with mysterious light beneath the starry sky.

"No more than four to a boat!"

Jon boarded one of the last boats. Two unfamiliar little boys were already on it.

"Everyone aboard?"

Hagrid called out. He had a boat all to himself.

"All right... forward we go!"

A fleet of small boats immediately glided across the mirror-still lake, and everyone fell silent.

Jon looked up at Hogwarts Castle. It was not much different from the one in the films. This wizarding paradise that had appeared in his dreams countless times now finally stood before him, leaving him with a deeply unreal feeling.

It was not quite homesickness, since this was not his hometown, but he still could not help feeling a certain sense of emotion.

He took a deep breath.

The air was thick with the dampness of the lake and an aged, ancient scent, like rotten wood suddenly bursting back into life after being soaked by spring rain.

So this was what knowledge smelled like!

The boats soon reached the shore. Illuminated by Hagrid's lantern, the first-years climbed through a tunnel in the rock, eventually arriving at a flat, damp patch of grass beneath the castle's shadow, where they gathered before a huge oak door.

Hagrid raised his enormous fist and knocked three times on the castle doors.

The doors swiftly opened.

Professor Minerva McGonagall, dressed in emerald-green robes, was waiting for them.

"First-years, Professor McGonagall!" Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here."

Professor Minerva McGonagall was as stern as Jon remembered, but he knew that this deputy headmistress was actually a very kind witch.

At the very least, she was far better than Snape and that gloomy expression of his.

Wizards were people too, and as long as they were people, none of them could avoid judging by appearances—oh, except Dumbledore. That was why he had taught Voldemort into becoming what he was.

If Jon ever got the chance to meet Snape privately, perhaps he could offer him a few "immature suggestions." What was wrong with becoming a little more popular? Keeping such a cold face all the time only wasted his good looks.

If he hadn't made such a bad impression on the trio of protagonists from the very beginning, the events that followed probably wouldn't have been so fraught with twists and turns.

Naturally, no one noticed Jon's private grumbling. He did not even realize that the image he had just been criticizing was the very persona he had planned for himself before the school year began.

Professor McGonagall led the new students into the room where they would wait for the Sorting. The space was even smaller than Jon remembered, and everyone was packed tightly together.

"Welcome to Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall began the annual speech. "The start-of-term feast is about to begin, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must first be assigned to your respective Houses..."

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own glorious history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards..."

Professor McGonagall spoke slowly and clearly. Jon knew none of this mattered much to him: first, he had already made up his mind to join Hufflepuff; second, he would not casually break rules or stand out too much, and Hufflepuff had always been out of contention for the House Cup anyway.

So while Professor McGonagall was speaking, he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and quickly stuffed it into his mouth.

Mint-flavored. Refreshing and invigorating.

Professor McGonagall did not notice the little movements in the back row. After finishing her explanation of the various rules, she cast a Cleaning Charm to tidy the stains on the new students' robes.

"Well then, I think you may now proceed to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony."