Hogwarts lay beneath a pale gray sky that evening, and warm yellow lights flickered on one by one in the castle windows.
The train slowly pulled into the platform. The night wind swept in from the lake, carrying a damp, fishy smell, and quite a few people shivered in unison.
Wade had just stepped down from the carriage when he heard a booming voice pierce the darkness from afar:
"Children, this way! The carriages are up ahead, don't crowd... Hey, lad, keep an eye on your cat!"
In the twilight, Hagrid's huge figure looked like a moving hill, while Fang circled excitedly at his feet.
He was holding a limp cat between two fingers when a Gryffindor student darted over, took his cat from Hagrid, and gave an embarrassed smile.
Wade followed the crowded stream toward where the carriages were waiting. As he passed Hagrid, he heard Luna's somewhat dreamy voice:
"Professor Hagrid, you're hurt."
The blonde-haired girl looked up at Hagrid, her silvery-gray eyes fixed intently on his face as she asked:
"Did they gore you while you were taming woolly tapirs on the moors?"
Wade turned to look. In the hazy light, most of Hagrid's face was obscured by his shaggy beard, but the crisscrossing purple bruises were still visible.
There was a dark ring around his eyes, a long, scabbed gash on his cheekbone, and the bridge of his nose was noticeably more swollen than usual.
Hearing Luna's words, Hagrid froze for a moment and asked blankly, "What on the moors?"
He touched his face, and the pain made the corner of his mouth twitch. Then he said in a dismissive tone:
"Oh, this... it's nothing, nothing. When you deal with Magical Creatures like I do, getting hurt is unavoidable!"
"Come on, children, get in the carriages!