"My... my goodness..." Harry's eyes widened more than ever before. He felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart in a tight grip, then suddenly let go, leaving it pounding wildly and uncontrollably in his chest.
This was Hogwarts. This was the magical world that had existed only in his dreams, the world that belonged to him.
At that moment, all the hurt, loneliness, and feeling of being misunderstood that he had endured during the first eleven years of his life in the cramped cupboard at the Dursleys' home seemed to be completely healed and swept away by the sight before him, so magnificent it scarcely seemed real.
"Bloody hell..." Ron's mouth hung open wide enough to fit one of his mum's meat pies inside. It was the highest praise his limited vocabulary could come up with.
"It... it's exactly like the color illustrations in the first edition of Hogwarts, A History! No! It's even more spectacular! Those illustrations didn't capture a tenth of its grandeur!" Hermione's cheeks flushed with excitement. For the first time, her clever eyes shone with pure admiration.
Even Lin Yuan, a transmigrator who had seen depictions of "Heavenly Palaces and Immortal Residences" in the cultivation inheritance, couldn't help but be impressed.
What he saw was more than just a castle.
Through his Spiritual Sense, he could perceive that all of Hogwarts was enveloped in an enormous, unimaginably complex array of interlocking magical formations.
It wasn't a single defensive array, but an incredibly complex ecosystem made up of tens of thousands of formations with different functions and properties, layered over one another and interconnected.
It was like a gigantic energy core, endlessly drawing magical energy from its surroundings to sustain itself.
Every brick and tile in the castle seemed to have been steeped in this immense magic for a thousand years, emanating an ancient, boundless aura.
If Hermione's spellcasting on the train had been like precisely calling a line of code, then Hogwarts was a vast supercomputer with its own operating system.
I've hit the jackpot... I've really hit the jackpot this time. Lin Yuan's mind roiled like a stormy sea, though his face remained calm as still water.
His powerful Spiritual Sense, which had been stranded on Earth with nowhere to go, all processing power and no internet or electricity, seemed to have found its destined home.
This was the root server from which he could decipher the fundamental logic of this world!
Just getting inside and unraveling even one ten-thousandth of its rules would be more than enough to benefit him immensely.
The Killing Curse, the Patronus Charm—before this living museum of magic, they were nothing more than elementary "applications."
The path to immortality seemed to come into clear view at that moment.
"All right, all right! Don't just stand there gawking! Four to a boat, no more and no less! Come on, get moving!" Hagrid's thunderous shout finally roused all the new students from their stunned silence.
A fleet of more than a dozen small, black wooden boats, all looking quite old, had silently appeared by the lakeside.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione almost instinctively formed a group and clambered onto the nearest boat.
As soon as they had settled down, Hermione immediately began looking around nervously. "That's strange. There's no boatman, and no oars, either. Is it voice-controlled? Or does it steer itself?"
"How are we supposed to get across?"
The last person to climb into their boat, taking his time, was Lin Yuan.
The little boat glided smoothly over the dark lake without anyone rowing it.
The water was cold and carried a mysterious air. Every so often, a huge tentacle flashed beneath the surface, drawing startled cries from the students.
"That's the Giant Squid!" Hermione immediately began explaining. "It's mentioned in A History of Hogwarts. It's very gentle, and sometimes it even helps students who fall in by retrieving their things."
Ron, on the other hand, turned pale with fright and clung tightly to the side of the boat, terrified he might fall overboard.
Lin Yuan sent a thread of his Spiritual Sense into the water, sensing how the boat moved.
"I see. The bottom of the boat is engraved with miniature propulsion and balancing arrays, powered by the magical energy in the lake. Simple, efficient, and practically cost-free. The alchemical enchantment techniques of this world are well worth studying." He made another note in his mental notebook.
As the boats drew closer to the cliffs on the opposite shore, Hogwarts Castle loomed ever larger.
They passed through a curtain of ivy and entered a tunnel that seemed to have been carved into the mountainside, eventually reaching a boathouse hidden underground.
Everyone scrambled ashore. Led by Hagrid, they climbed a steep flight of stone steps and finally arrived before a gigantic castle door studded with oak.
Hagrid straightened his wild beard, stepped forward, raised his fist, which was as large as a cooking pot, and knocked heavily on the door three times.
"Creak—"
The door swung open.
A stern-looking witch stood at the entrance, dressed in emerald-green robes.
Her black hair was pulled back into a meticulous bun, her lips pressed into a thin, severe line. Her sharp gaze swept over every new student as though it were an X-ray.
She was Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts.
The moment Lin Yuan saw her, he felt a pressure entirely different from Hagrid's.
If Hagrid's magic was a wild bonfire, then Professor McGonagall's was a sword, tempered a thousand times and sheathed.
Restrained, precise, and filled with a sense of order.
Her presence seemed to make the air around them more stable.
"A master of Transfiguration... The shape of her magic really does carry a quality of 'reshaping' and 'definition,'" Lin Yuan analyzed silently.
"First-years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said, nodding to her.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here." Professor McGonagall's voice was as stern and clear as her expression.
She pushed the doors fully open, revealing the breathtaking stone hall beyond.
The hall was grand enough to make any cathedral seem insignificant by comparison.
Torches burned along the stone walls, the ceiling was so high it could hardly be seen, and a magnificent Marble Staircase at the far end led to the upper floors.
The sound of students talking came from a set of double doors to the right. The other year groups had clearly already assembled.
Professor McGonagall led the first-years into a small, empty room beside the hall.
The room was packed. Everyone stood pressed close together, nervously whispering to one another.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall began. Her voice wasn't loud, but the entire room fell silent at once. "The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you'll first take part in the Sorting Ceremony."
"The Sorting Ceremony?" someone repeated in a whisper.
"Sorting is a very important tradition at Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall continued, her gaze passing over each nervous face. "For as long as you're here, your House will be like your family at Hogwarts. You'll attend classes with the other students in your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend your free time in your House common room."
"The names of the Four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has a proud history and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. Any achievement you make while at Hogwarts will earn points for your House; likewise, any rule you break will cost your House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a great honor."
She paused to give the first-years a moment to take it all in.
"I hope that whichever House you're placed in, you'll do it proud."
"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the whole school. While you're waiting, I suggest you tidy yourselves up and make sure you look presentable." Her gaze lingered briefly on Ron's smudged nose and Harry's perpetually unruly hair.
"When the Great Hall is ready, I'll come back to collect you."
With that, she turned and left the room, leaving behind a crowd of first-years buzzing with excitement.
Before you continue