The two of them left and only returned some time after the train had set off.
"Oh my God, John, you'll never guess who I saw."
Neville was so incoherent when he returned that John was thoroughly confused.
Hermione raised her voice beside him and explained clearly to John, "Harry Potter, the Chosen One from all those stories. He's on the train too."
Remembering how unremarkable the Chosen One had seemed, Hermione proudly lifted her chin. "The Chosen One isn't all that impressive."
Neville argued, "But my gran said Harry Potter defeated You-Know-Who and saved the Wizarding World."
The two began to argue.
Only then did John realize what he had missed.
The Golden Trio's epic first meeting had taken place in a train compartment.
John regretted it a little. How had he forgotten about that?
The train traveled for several hours, reaching Hogwarts after nightfall.
At Hermione's reminder, John changed into his school robes. With his good looks as a Blessing, the robes gave him an even more mysterious air.
Before he even got off the train, John spotted Hagrid's enormous figure through the window.
Hagrid held a lantern, making him particularly conspicuous in the darkness.
The Little Wizards marveled at Hagrid's size as they got off, while the older students left in orderly groups led by their prefects.
John noticed a redheaded boy beside Harry. With that unmistakable red hair, it was hard not to recognize him as a Weasley.
Hagrid led the new students toward Hogwarts.
After boarding a boat on the Black Lake, John remembered to remind Neville.
"Neville, did you find your toad?"
Neville's round face went blank. He had been so excited to see Harry that he had forgotten all about it.
But they were already aboard the boat, and Trevor was still missing. Neville was so anxious he nearly cried.
John, the one responsible for all this, was not worried in the slightest.
He remembered that Neville's toad would eventually turn up at the entrance to Hogwarts.
When he had watched the film before, he had always wondered where Neville's toad had hidden.
He had disappeared on the train, yet somehow turned up at Hogwarts.
Could he have some fantastic beast blood in him?
Fantastic beasts were creatures of the magical world, and one of the important things that made it so rich and colorful.
"Heads down!"
Hagrid's booming voice startled Hermione and Neville into ducking immediately. Only John kept his head up.
Once the boat had passed through, they realized there had been no need to duck at all-or rather, only someone Hagrid's size needed to.
After crossing the Black Lake, the Little Wizards officially set foot in Hogwarts.
The thousand-year-old school of the magical world looked like a castle at first glance, steeped in mystery beneath the night sky.
The Little Wizards climbed steps laden with history.
At the entrance, a stern-looking Professor McGonagall was already waiting.
Unlike when she had visited the Wick home, Professor McGonagall wore a pointed black witch's hat this time, lending her an even more imposing air.
Giving Hagrid a slight nod, the unsmiling Professor McGonagall said, "Welcome to Hogwarts."
[Ding! Hogwarts stage quest one unlocked: complete your first school year as a magical apprentice. Quest rewards: magic blood +1, Free Points +2.] (Note: triggering the corresponding quests grants reward Blessings.)
As Professor McGonagall spoke, John received a system notification.
John let his mind go blank, his eyes unfocusing as though he were zoning out in class.
A transparent panel appeared before him, as though its words were written on glass.
The panel was very simple, with only four entries.
[Magic: level 1 (0/100)] [Spells: Alohomora (level 3)] [Skills: Short Weapon Mastery (level 7), Polearm Mastery (level 6), Heavy Weapon Mastery (level 3), Firearm Mastery (level 1)] [Blessings: Strengthen the Body, Rapid Attack, Precision]
John blinked his dry eyes.
After returning home from Diagon Alley, he had studied magic. It had taken him a month to raise the Unlocking Charm to level 3, and he had also gained a spells stat.
Level 1 Alohomora could only open simple bolt locks and the like. Level 2 could open door locks, while level 3 had let him open the safe his dad had secretly hidden from his mum.
Thanks to that, he had also handled the handgun inside the safe, gaining level 1 Firearm Mastery.
Professor McGonagall was still introducing the four houses.
John already knew all this, so he did not listen closely.
Neville spotted Trevor on the steps and rushed out with a delighted shout.
The sight drew snickers from the Little Wizards, and Neville returned to the group, embarrassed and timid.
Then McGonagall turned away to prepare for the Sorting.
Draco Malfoy, who wore his hair slicked back despite his young age, began his love-at-first-sight-no... love-hate relationship with the Chosen One, Harry Potter.
"So what they were saying on the train was true. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."
Flanked by his two ever-present followers, Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy stepped forward onto the steps and proudly introduced himself to Harry Potter. "Draco Malfoy."
That was simply his nature: the arrogance and conceit of a pure-blood aristocrat.
Those were precisely the qualities Weasley hated, so Ron snickered at the sight of him strutting like a peacock.
It was not loud, but it was just enough for Malfoy to hear.
Malfoy turned and looked Ron over. The person who understood you best was always the enemy you hated most.
Recognizing him as a member of the Weasley family, Malfoy sneered with undisguised contempt. "Red hair and hand-me-down robes. You must be a Weasley."
The jab at his sore spot left Ron feeling hurt.
The Weasley family was enormous, with seven children alone.
To save money, he had no choice but to use things his older brothers had left behind.
After mocking Weasley, Malfoy tried to win Harry over.
"You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others."
"Potter, nobody wants to make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you."
For the proud Malfoy to extend his hand in friendship showed that he really did want to be Harry's friend.
His remarks made John frown. When watching before, he had merely thought Malfoy arrogant, but hearing it in person was genuinely irritating.
Those words belittled every wizard who was not a pure-blood, making him want to punch that smug face.
But Malfoy had clearly forgotten one thing.
Harry and Weasley were friends, and nobody liked someone mocking their friend right in front of them.
"I think I can tell the good from the bad myself, thanks."
Harry firmly rejected Malfoy's overture, leaving Malfoy looking rather embarrassed.
While the two gazed deeply into each other's eyes (?), John could not help shaking his head.
"Young Malfoy, that's not how you make friends."
John quietly took a few steps forward to stand beside Neville. Seeing him move, Hermione followed.
Hermione thought Malfoy's words had angered John. Getting into a fight on the first day of school would be a bad thing, whether it was a wizarding school or not.
Her concern proved unnecessary, however. Not long after Malfoy finished speaking, Professor McGonagall returned, formed them into a single line, and led them inside.
A magically created night sky stretched above the Great Hall at Hogwarts, with hundreds upon hundreds of floating candles lighting the hall.
Four long tables were filled with students. The different colors edging their clothes represented the four houses.
Red and gold for Gryffindor.
Blue and gray for Ravenclaw.
Green and silver for Slytherin.
Yellow and black for Hufflepuff.
Four enormous hourglasses in the Great Hall displayed each house's points.
The older students watched the younger ones enter. Beside John, Hermione chattered endlessly about Hogwarts: A History, giving him a bit of a headache.
No wonder the other two members of the Golden Trio had disliked Hermione early on. Children had strong pride, after all, and a friend constantly showing off her superior knowledge was bound to be annoying.
Fortunately, John was not a child, and he certainly did not dislike Hermione.
His attention was focused more on the kindly old man with the white beard. He was not merely the headmaster of Hogwarts.
He was also the pinnacle of power in the Wizarding World, the person two successive Dark Lords feared most, its unwavering pillar-and someone who could summon a phoenix.
The White Lord of the Wizarding World, Albus Dumbledore.
John's curious gaze caught Dumbledore's attention. The old man never lacked patience for his students, and he gave John a playful wink.
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