The young wizards and witches poured out of the train compartments.
Excitement and nervousness mingled in the air.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Devero were swept off the train with the crowd.
Devero was happily loading entries from all the young wizards around him.
He even spotted a few purple Magical Talent entries.
Into the cart they went!
Awesome!
This was exactly why he'd come to Hogwarts!
Night had fallen.
The Hogwarts Express had stopped at a remote little station.
Darkness surrounded them.
Only the distant streetlamps cast faint pools of light.
"Wait!"
Neville suddenly cried out.
He'd just remembered that he'd left his luggage in the compartment.
He hurriedly turned around.
He wanted to go back for it.
Devero quickly stopped him.
He reassured him.
"Don't worry, Neville. The school will have our luggage sent to our dormitories. You don't need to worry."
Neville hesitated.
But when he saw that everyone else had already gotten off the train,
he nodded.
Then he followed Devero.
They pushed through the crowd.
And made their way onto the platform.
Many first-years had already gathered there.
They were all looking around,
trying to figure out where to go next.
"First-years, this way!"
A deep, powerful voice called out.
Everyone looked toward it.
A tall, broad figure stood some distance away.
He held a bright lantern aloft.
Rubeus Hagrid.
Hogwarts' Keeper of Keys and Grounds.
"Come on, follow me,"
Hagrid called loudly.
His voice echoed through the night.
The young wizards and witches followed him,
along a winding path toward the lake.
Numerous little boats floated on the water.
A small lantern glowed in each boat,
lighting the way ahead.
"Four to a boat!"
Hagrid directed them.
"Careful! There are some little fellows in the lake who don't like being disturbed at this hour!"
Devero quickly ushered Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville into one of the boats.
He climbed into another with several other students.
The boats drifted slowly away from the shore,
heading for Hogwarts Castle.
The lake shimmered,
reflecting the stars above.
The whole scene looked like something out of a fairy tale.
"Wow, is that Hogwarts?"
A little girl in Devero's boat exclaimed in wonder.
She was incredibly cute,
especially her big eyes,
which blinked brightly.
She seemed to have some South Asian features.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement as she gazed at the castle.
The little boy sitting beside Devero gripped the side of the boat tightly,
afraid he might fall into the lake.
Another boy curiously dipped his hand into the icy water.
The splashing made him feel wonderfully refreshed.
He laughed with excitement,
seeming to forget everything around him.
The girl beside him said worriedly,
"Zacharias, that's dangerous! Don't do that!"
But the boy paid her no heed and kept slapping the water.
He turned around and said,
"Heh, you're all cowards! What's there to be afraid of? I bet you'll all end up in Hufflepuff!"
His grin was incredibly obnoxious.
He mocked everyone in the boat without exception.
Devero didn't care at all.
It was just a kid's attention-seeking stunt.
Instead, he turned to reassure another boy who looked terribly nervous.
"I'm Devero. Don't worry, we'll be there soon."
Someone spoke up.
The nervous little boy relaxed a little.
He managed a faint smile.
"Thanks. I'm Stebbins."
Devero smiled and nodded.
But inwardly, he wondered:
This kid doesn't seem like much of a presence, does he?
I don't even remember anyone like him.
"Waaah!"
Suddenly,
the boy playing in the water shrieked.
He flailed wildly,
and tumbled onto the bottom of the boat.
A tiny mermaid was wrapped around his finger.
It looked like Thumbelina from the waist up,
but had a fish's tail instead of legs.
Now that it had been discovered,
the little mermaid was clearly displeased.
It shot a stream of water straight at the boy's face.
The boy kept screaming,
his cries echoing through the night
and alarming the other young wizards nearby.
Devero reacted in a flash.
He immediately reached over and lowered the boy's hand back into the Black Lake.
At that,
the mermaid quickly slipped off his finger
and swam back into the lake's unfathomable depths.
Devero soothed the shaken children.
He said sternly,
"That's a Scottish Lake Kelpie, a magical creature. They can grow as big as people when they're adults, and there are lots of them here."
He'd read about these creatures in a book earlier,
so he knew how to handle them.
Devero continued explaining,
"These little fellows usually don't hurt people. They just like playing tricks. As long as you don't bother them, they won't attack you."
The boy slowly climbed up from the bottom of the boat.
He still looked frightened,
but he'd stopped screaming.
He rubbed his eyes, which had been hit by the water,
looking a little embarrassed.
"Thanks. I'm Zacharias Smith,"
the boy said stiffly.
"Devero Alexander,"
Devero replied with a smile.
He thought it over.
Oh!
So this is that guy.
The one who kept arguing with Hermione in the Order of the Phoenix.
Not much of a guy.
Blacklisted!
The other young wizards gradually calmed down.
They looked at Devero curiously,
as though he were an expert who knew everything.
"Devero, you really know a lot,"
the girl said admiringly.
"I'm Padma. Where did you learn so much about magical creatures?"
The little girl was very cute.
She was just as pretty as Hermione.
Devero smiled slightly and replied,
"I bought a lot of books in Diagon Alley, and I brought some from home, too. I've always been interested in this sort of thing."
As he spoke,
he started sharing what he'd learned about the creatures from his books.
Before long, several of the children were watching him with admiration as he explained.
Everyone except Zacharias.
He seemed to have taken a dislike to Devero.
Even though Devero had helped him.
Devero didn't care at all about his attitude.
When the boats reached the shore,
the young wizards and witches walked past the Boathouse,
following Hagrid up a long flight of steps cut into the cliff.
At last,
they entered Hogwarts Castle for the first time—the Entrance Hall!
They looked up in awe.
The sight before them took their breath away.
Hogwarts Castle towered majestically atop the hill.
It looked like a vast, ancient fortress,
guarding this mysterious land.
The castle's silhouette stood out sharply against the night.
Countless towers and spires pierced the clouds,
like row upon row of sharp spears.
The castle's outer walls were built from massive blocks of stone.
Despite centuries of wind and rain,
they remained as sturdy as ever.
Ivy covered the walls.
A few dim, yellow lights hung here and there,
casting a warm yet mysterious glow.
Huge windows were set into the walls.
Faint lights shone from within,
as if countless eyes were watching the young wizards who had just arrived.
The great entrance before them consisted of two heavy oak doors.
Intricate magical runes and patterns were carved into them.
In front of the doors stood an elderly yet elegant lady who had been waiting for them for some time.
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