The School Is Your Home

The train slowly came to a stop.

Hogwarts Station had finally arrived.

At this moment, the prefects from each house stood by the carriage doors, tasked with ensuring all new students disembarked safely, preventing the little ones from bumping into anything.

"Let's go."

Vincent Wright adjusted his robes.

The journey to Hogwarts had been quite pleasant for Vincent, though the gift he received at the end of it made him even more satisfied.

[Exploration Quest: Arrive at the school via the Hogwarts Express (1/1), Quest Complete, Reward: Teleportation Charm.]

[Teleportation Charm: Teleportation is divided into Apparition and Disapparition, allowing one to instantly transfer their body to a destination, unrestricted by any Barrier. If the caster's magic is sufficient, they can teleport to any location in the world.]

"...Okay."

Cedric took a deep, slightly nervous breath.

Just as Vincent and Cedric were queuing with the other new students to disembark, a booming voice began to echo throughout the entire station.

"First-year students, over here!"

"First-year students, don't be shy, hurry off the train!"

"First-year students, gather here immediately!"

A group of new students looked towards the source of the voice. A tall figure holding a lantern appeared before them, startling many of them.

"That's Hagrid!"

Cedric quickly recognized the man!

His physique was too distinctive; it would be hard to find another like him in the entire British wizarding world. It was Hogwarts' Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.

"My father is good friends with Hagrid..."

Cedric whispered to Vincent, "You might have seen him at The Leaky Cauldron before. I heard he really likes magical creatures..."

"Is Mr. Wright here?"

Hagrid's loud voice called out again. He held his lantern and shouted at the group of new students, "Where is Mr. Vincent Wright? Has anyone seen Vincent Wright?"

"Is there something you need?"

Vincent Wright walked over.

"Um..."

Hagrid's massive frame quickly moved to meet him. As he reached Vincent, his face showed barely suppressed excitement, which made the new students a little scared!

However, Hagrid glanced at the surrounding new students, managed to suppress his excitement, coughed, and put on a composed demeanor. "All first-year students, follow me. We'll take boats over there. Hurry and keep up!"

The little ones quickly followed.

The tall man looked truly intimidating.

Hagrid led the group of young wizards to the edge of the Black Lake, where several flat-bottomed boats were moored. Lanterns were placed along the shore.

"Four people per boat."

Hagrid stood on the bank, instructing the young wizards to board and handing out lanterns to each boat. "These are your guide lights. Make sure to hold them steady at the front of the boat..."

"...Yes."

The young wizards nervously stepped onto the flat-bottomed boats.

Hagrid, carrying his own lantern, boarded a small boat alone to lead the way. He slowly raised his hand, and the water on the lake's surface began to ripple rapidly!

As Hagrid moved...

The flat-bottomed boats slowly moved forward...

Every little one sat cautiously, afraid to move. They felt that if they made even a slight movement, the boat would capsize directly into the Black Lake.

But...

Soon they had no time to worry about that.

A castle perched atop a mountain peak came into view.

The brilliantly lit castle was ancient and imposing. Its densely packed, towering structures arranged on the mountaintop looked magnificent, instantly capturing the attention of all the young wizards.

"That's Hogwarts!"

The faces of the young wizards lit up with excitement.

The expressions of almost all the young wizards present were the same.

Even Fred and George, brothers often called troublemakers by their parents, had eyes filled with awe at the sight of the castle.

The faces of the young wizards were full of anticipation.

Everyone was eager to enter this glorious and magnificent school!

However, Hagrid continued to dutifully guide them to the boat dock, leading them up the steps outside the castle towards Hogwarts' entrance hall.

Hagrid stood at the boat dock, tidying up the boats, and watched the young wizards depart, a nostalgic smile gracing his lips.

The young wizards ascended the steps along the way.

Cedric, while surveying the school, educated his friends, "It's a tradition for new students to enter Hogwarts by boat, and the path we're taking now is the same route the four founders of Hogwarts took when they first entered Hogwarts Castle..."

"...Um, I know."

Vicent Light nodded hesitantly.

Vicent Light had been awestruck when he first saw Hogwarts, and even more so by what he gained from the boat trip across the lake to Hogwarts.

[Exploration Quest: Arrive at Hogwarts Castle by boat across the Black Lake (1/1), Quest Complete, Reward: Magic Spell - Water Prison.]

[Water Prison: No incantation required. The caster can arbitrarily control water with their magic to form a Water Prison. If the caster's magic is sufficient, they can command the ocean to create world-ending tsunamis, turning any building into a Water Prison.]

This magic...

Wasn't it a bit of an overestimation of him?

Vicent Light felt he would likely never achieve it in his lifetime. In fact, he thought it would be enough if his future magic was sufficient to control Hogwarts' Black Lake.

Soon.

The young wizards entered the castle.

A group of young wizards walked up the castle steps, chattering about the grandeur and magnificence of Hogwarts, adding a touch of liveliness to the quiet castle.

It was the first time they had ever seen such a luxurious and magnificent castle.

"Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts."

A witch wearing a wizard's hat stood at the entrance of the hall, greeting them.

The somewhat aged witch looked at the group of youngsters stopping, a kind smile appearing on her face. She gently clapped her hands, quieting the young wizards present.

"Alright."

The witch gestured with her hand towards the door behind her, her voice gradually growing louder as she introduced what was about to happen to all the new students.

"In a little while..."

"All of you will pass through these doors inside..."

"The other students in the Great Hall are waiting for you to gather."

"However, before you are seated, you must be sorted into your Houses."

"Hogwarts has four Houses in total: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. During your time here, your House will be like your home..."

"...Professor."

A voice suddenly emerged from the crowd of young wizards, asking a question: "Is the school our home, or is the House our home?"

"..."

This question caused the witch to fall silent for a second.

But after just one second, a conflicted expression appeared on the witch's face, which then vanished as if it had never been there. She smiled and answered the question.

"Both."

The witch, holding the highest status at Hogwarts, gently spread her arms, looking at all the young wizards present with a smile. "Both Hogwarts and the House you are about to join are your homes."

"Thank you, Professor, I have no more questions."

The grey-haired youth who had asked the question nodded politely.