Arrival

The three chatted, snacked, and played cards, and before they knew it, time had flown by.

"Five minutes until the train arrives at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on board; it will be taken to the school for you." A voice echoed from the train's speakers, signaling that Hogwarts was nearly upon them.

"Good grief, finally here. My back is numb from sitting this whole way." Charles stood up, stretching and complaining.

Anduin packed up his belongings, stowing the mahjong tiles and the leftover snacks together.

The train gradually came to a stop, and the three stepped out of the compartment. Outside, the sky had already darkened.

At the station, Hagrid stood holding an oil lamp, waiting for the passengers. "First years! First years, over here!" he bellowed.

The crowd was drawn by his voice, and Anduin's group slowly made their way over.

"Hagrid, long time no see. Haven't seen you in a while." Anduin approached Hagrid and greeted him.

"Oh, Anduin, good to see you. I heard about that terrible business. It's all my fault—I shouldn't have..." Hagrid looked down and saw Anduin. He had heard from the Order of the Phoenix about what happened that night in Knockturn Alley when Anduin was with him, and he began to stammer out an apology. Hagrid felt it was because of him that this underage wizard had nearly met with an accident.

"It wasn't your fault, Hagrid. It was my own carelessness. Look at me now—I'm fine." Anduin cut Hagrid off, showing no intention of continuing the topic. He didn't want to stir up trouble before school even started. The scene at the station had made him realize that many Death Eaters' children also attended Hogwarts. He had no idea if the Death Eater he'd taken down that night had relatives or kids at the school who might come looking for trouble.

He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he wouldn't go looking for it either.

"That's good, Anduin. Thank goodness you're all right. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall heard about that night too. I got a right telling-off, and they haven't let me go to Diagon Alley since. You have no idea how guilty I've felt." Hagrid clearly didn't pick up on Anduin's hint and kept rambling on.

"You can rest easy now, Hagrid. I'm about to start school. Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Anduin sighed inwardly, trying to comfort Hagrid while steering the conversation elsewhere.

"That night?" Charles and Vivian overheard their exchange and couldn't help but grow curious. More and more first years were gathering around, so they couldn't ask directly. They filed the question away in their minds, planning to find a chance to ask Anduin what kind of thrilling event could make a big guy like Hagrid so shaken.

"Hey, you big oaf over there, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and lead the way. I'm exhausted from this trip. You've got a big head and a thick skull—don't tell me you're an idiot, leaving us standing here."

Just then, a boy from the gathered first years ignored the two who were talking and shouted at Hagrid with a sarcastic tone.

Anduin felt a flicker of displeasure at the rude outburst and glanced back at the speaker.

This underage wizard wasn't tall, with a well-proportioned build and short, dark hair. Despite his youth, he wore an arrogant sneer, his eyes deep-set and shadowed.

"What are you looking at? You're the one wasting time talking to this big idiot, and now you're glaring at me?"

"Shut up, Sampur Travers. This has nothing to do with you. If you're looking for a beating, I can help you with that." Charles stepped out from behind Anduin, shoved Travers aside, and stood in front of him.

"Well, well, if it isn't a friend of the cowardly McKinnon. What's the matter, McKinnon? Not hiding behind the adults and crying like you did at the station?" Travers put on an exaggerated look of surprise, sneering at Charles.

Charles was about to lash out and teach the guy a lesson when Anduin grabbed him.

"Don't let his words get to you, Charles. He's doing it on purpose. Don't stoop to his level." Anduin shot a cold sidelong glance at the one called Sampur. He'd sensed something off from the start. This guy was provoking him for no reason, and with rude remarks at that. He figured it was because Sampur had seen him with Charles and was trying to target Charles by picking a fight.

Just then, a burly figure stepped between them—Hagrid.

"No fighting outside the school, or I have the authority to send you home right now. You'd have to wait until next year to come to Hogwarts." Hagrid spoke sternly, intimidating the standoff, though his words were mostly aimed at Sampur Travers.

"Hmph. The McKinnons are all thick-headed. A little prod and they jump right out. If he'd just made the first move in the crowd, I could've made him pay. Too bad that kid and this big oaf got in the way." Sampur Travers thought sourly, shooting a vicious glare at Charles and Anduin before stepping aside.

"That guy's Sampur Travers, from the Travers family. If you ask me, Hogwarts shouldn't let him attend. His whole family supports the Dark Lord, and I bet some of them are Death Eaters. Our families ran into each other at the station this morning, and they had the nerve to mock my injured uncle. Disgusting." Charles glared hatefully at Sampur Travers, who had backed off, and whispered to Anduin.

Anduin inwardly cursed his bad luck. This guy was clearly bad news, and trouble had found him on the first day of school. But he quickly shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. If this guy didn't cause any more trouble, fine. But if he dared to provoke him, Anduin wouldn't let him off easy.

At the same time, Anduin realized that even at school, during wartime, undercurrents ran deep. His earlier hope of staying out of it all was far too naive.

"Don't mind him. If you'd charged at him just now, in front of everyone, you'd have given him ammunition. Even if you weren't expelled, the school would punish you. He was trying to rile you up on purpose. Watch out for that in the future." Anduin comforted Charles while also warning him.

"I was too impulsive. Thanks, Anduin." Charles breathed a quiet sigh of relief and thanked Anduin.

With Anduin and Vivian's reassurance, Charles gradually calmed down. The three followed Hagrid along a small path until they reached a lakeshore. Across the lake, a magnificent castle came into view—that was Hogwarts.