Newbie Freshman

The compartment contained only one boy.

He had striking, soft silver hair and his skin was so pale it almost looked unhealthy.

A book lay on the table. Although Linley couldn't see the cover, a glance at the contents was enough for him to know the boy was reading the Charms textbook, "Standard Spells, Elementary."

Linley's greeting went unanswered. The boy merely glanced at him with his blue eyes, his expression blank, before returning his attention to the book.

Fortunately, Linley had a hide as thick as a city wall and didn't feel awkward. He tried to strike up a conversation to re-establish social contact.

"The Repairing Charm is indeed a very convenient spell," he said, seeing the charm the boy was reading, attempting to find common ground.

"But this spell seems to be taught later in the first year. I tried it many times at home following the textbook's instructions, but I never succeeded."

The boy's gaze shifted from the book, his expression utterly indifferent.

"Please be quiet when others are reading."

His warm greeting met a cold shoulder, and Linley lost the mood for conversation.

He silently cursed the boy in his mind, calling him a stuck-up brat, and shrugged.

"Alright, if you're not in the mood to chat, I'll certainly be quiet."

The boy continued to read his Charms textbook, while Linley, bored, stared blankly out the window.

Though they had only been separated for less than three hours, he suddenly missed Hermione.

The chattering girl was countless times cuter than this little boy.

After that, there was no further communication between them.

Linley had no intention of switching compartments and simply sat in silence with the unknown boy opposite him.

At noon, a witch pushed a trolley selling sweets. Although Linley had a fondness for sweets, he ultimately bought nothing.

Mrs. Weasley had given him a sandwich before he boarded, which was enough for his lunch.

The cold boy seemed to have no appetite and ate nothing for lunch.

They did not speak again until the sun set, the sky turned completely dark, and bright lights illuminated the compartment.

The boy had been engrossed in the Charms book. He read very slowly, as if he reread each page three times. After so much time had passed, he had only finished half of the Charms textbook.

Five minutes before arriving at Hogwarts, the boy finally closed his book, stuffed it into his trunk, and then took out his Hogwarts robes to change into.

Linley wasn't idle either; he also changed into his robes and, after the train came to a complete stop, exited the compartment.

The train had stopped at a small, dilapidated platform.

Although the breeze was a bit chilly, the weather was good that night. The sky was clear of clouds, and the shining stars and bright crescent moon were clearly visible.

Students of all ages disembarked from the train. The older students chatted and laughed, while the new students stood nervously, unsure of what to do next.

At that moment, a loud voice rang out.

"First-years! Come over here."

Linley followed the source of the voice and saw a giant with a large beard standing among a group of small figures. He held a pink umbrella, comically small in contrast to his size.

As the landmark was very obvious, the new students quickly gathered around Hagrid.

Just then, a girl standing next to Linley looked up at the sky.

"Is it raining?"

Linley was a bit confused. "It's not possible for it to rain today."

"Then why is that person holding an umbrella?"

Linley followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw a large black umbrella being held open amidst the crowd of new students.

The students around the umbrella were already uneasy. The sudden appearance of an anomaly holding an umbrella on a clear day made them scatter like startled chicks, creating a distance between themselves and the boy under the black umbrella.

The silver-haired boy holding the black umbrella seemed oblivious to the reactions of those around him. He stood still with his pale face and calm gaze.

Hagrid roughly counted the students. After confirming no one was missing, he raised an eyebrow at the silver-haired boy.

"Lad, have you lost your head from nerves? It's a beautiful day, no need for an umbrella."

"Not to block the rain, but for another reason," the boy's voice was stiff, sounding less like an explanation.

Hagrid didn't mind. He had taken in many new students; a few odd ones occasionally weren't strange.

"If you insist, then so be it. Listen up, children. You need to stick close to me from now on, don't fall behind. I'll lead you into Hogwarts."

Linley glanced at the boy completely covered by the black umbrella, then silently followed behind Hagrid.

The wizarding world was not a peaceful place. Even at Hogwarts, it did not guarantee absolute safety. Therefore, Linley had no intention of prying into others' secrets.

He was curious, of course, but he wouldn't let his curiosity lead him into trouble.

The new students followed Hagrid, separating from the older students on the platform, and entered a small path through the woods.

The path was somewhat rough. Even though Hagrid deliberately slowed his pace, it was still quite difficult for a group of eleven-year-olds to keep up with his large strides.

The dense foliage of the trees blocked the starlight and moonlight.

As they ventured deeper, Linley could no longer even see if the sides of the path were still lined with trees. The only sounds besides the hurried footsteps and breathing of the new students were the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze and the hooting of what sounded like owls.

They walked, heads down, for an unknown amount of time. After a wide turn, Hagrid suddenly stopped. A little wizard right behind him, caught off guard, nearly bumped into his backside.

"See? That's Hogwarts, the place you'll be living for the next seven years."

Hagrid pointed to a colossal structure in front of them and said proudly.

Only then did the new students realize that the dim forest path was no longer before them.

The narrow path suddenly opened up ahead, revealing a massive lake blocking their way.

The black lake was calm and still, reflecting the stars and the crescent moon, like a mirror embedded in the earth.

Behind the lake stood a huge castle built between two mountains, adorned with countless turrets and towers.

The towering roofs resembled wizards' pointed hats, as if filled with knowledge and unknown mysteries.

Many little wizards couldn't help but gasp at the spectacular sight.

Even Linley stared blankly at the ancient castle in the distance.

He wasn't just awestruck by the building that seemed to exist only in movies and television; a series of system sounds also rang out in his mind.

[Main quest complete!]

[Map unlocked: Hogwarts Castle.]

[Reward: Brain Lock, issued.]

[Title acquired: Newbie Freshman.]

[Newbie Freshman: 1. When this title is worn, those among the students who consider themselves of higher status will subconsciously make things difficult for you.

2. Teachers will show you double the care.

3. Your learning efficiency for basic magical knowledge will triple.

Note 1: The effects of this title only take effect when worn.

Note 2: This title will disappear when you enter your second year.]

We've entered Hogwarts. Old rules apply, hand over your recommendation tickets.