Chapter 17: A Small Trial

After seeing Malfoy and his companions off, Ino leaned back against the seat and took a nap, enjoying the current tranquility.

After all, he had been up since eight in the morning, enduring until now. A short nap would refresh him and prepare him for the house sorting ceremony in the evening.

Speaking of the sorting ceremony, Ino immediately dismissed the idea of Harry's subjective approach to forcing the sorting.

Perhaps due to his extensive experience in divination, he now preferred to follow the course of destiny and see which house he would end up in.

Similarly, he hadn't forgotten Snape's earlier mention of Occlumency. This was a perfect opportunity to test it out and see if the Sorting Hat could still converse properly under Occlumency.

...

Outside the carriage window, fields flashed by.

As the neatly organized farmland slowly disappeared, dense forests, winding rivers, and verdant hills followed.

Time seemed to slip away under some unseen force, passing by in just a few hours.

Ino opened his half-closed eyes and looked out the window. He found that the sky had already darkened completely by now, under a deep purple sky with hills and trees that made it impossible to discern his current location.

His nap had been sporadic, from noon until dusk.

His gaze shifted to the compartment.

"Huh! He's still sulking," Ino thought to himself.

Since returning at noon, Malfoy had been gloomy, wearing a face that said "I'm not happy."

He looked just like someone who had fantasized about meeting someone offline after three years of online chatting.

Perhaps initially, Malfoy genuinely wanted to be friends with Harry, but he seemed to have forgotten that the greatest torment in this world was to simultaneously feel love and disdain.

"In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train; we will take care of it for you."

As Ino sighed, an announcement sounded inside the carriage. Shortly after, the train visibly slowed down.

Ten minutes later.

"The train has come to a stop. If you don't plan to disembark and thereby miss the start-of-term feast, then I suppose we'll see you next year."

With that, Ino paid no further attention to the three beside him and walked towards the door alone.

He didn't have a deep bond with Malfoy; any mention he made was merely due to the chance of sharing the same compartment.

Pushing open the compartment door, he found that the once empty aisle was now crowded with young wizards streaming towards the doors, jostling and shoving each other in their rush.

Fortunately, his compartment was relatively towards the rear, avoiding the center of the crowd. He only needed to move forward slowly with the flow.

Hogsmeade Station.

Hogwarts Express's final stop, a very narrow and old-fashioned platform.

"First-year students! First-year students, gather over here! Harry~ Harry, come over to my side."

On the platform, Ino looked towards the voice and saw a giant at least ten feet tall with a shaggy beard.

"Long time no see! Rubeus Hagrid."

A light sigh, and then he walked towards Hagrid.

Meanwhile.

Above the sea of heads, Hagrid held up a medieval lantern. The orange magical flame inside stood out in the pitch-black night, making his tangled beard and giant stature even clearer.

Led by Hagrid, the first-year students moved slowly like migrating sturgeons along a steep and narrow path.

Perhaps due to recent rain, the path was unusually slippery, and they had to watch out for various vines underfoot. This journey... perfectly epitomized what stumbling meant.

It was pitch black all around, except for the faint light brought by Hagrid's lantern at the very front.

The surroundings made him sigh involuntarily. He couldn't understand why, during Halloween, there were countless floating pumpkin lights, but here, it was pitch dark. They didn't need bright lights, but at least install some street lamps.

Ino raised his wand and lightly waved it, whispering softly, "Incendio!"

At the tip of his elder wand, a flame suddenly rose up, swiftly expanding to the size of a fist, then stably hovering.

Months of practicing magic finally paid off at this moment.

From afar, it looked like a small torch had suddenly lit up the pitch-black path.

The rising flames emitted a warm glow, instantly dispelling the darkness and cold.

"Swinburne..."

Faintly, Ino seemed to hear someone calling his name from behind. He subconsciously turned to look, but saw nothing in the distant darkness.

Anyone with wilderness survival experience knew that lighting a torch at night was mainly to illuminate others, as the person holding the torch would be limited by the light.

"It's either Hermione or Hannah," Ino thought to himself. Although he couldn't see who it was, he knew there were only two girls he knew here.

Ignoring the envious glances of the young wizards around him, Ino continued to hold his wand high and move forward.

Soon, he regretted his actions; humans naturally moved towards light, and soon the young wizards around him involuntarily crowded around him.

"Don't push... hey! I'm talking to you, don't lean on me..."

After a while of chaos, Ino finally managed to restore order among the young wizards around him, though he was still somewhat frightened.

If a stampede had occurred because of him... well, he might have ended up in Azkaban instead of Hogwarts.

"Quiet! Little ones, turn at this bend, and you'll see Hogwarts for the first time."

Hagrid's booming voice lifted everyone's spirits; after all the hardships, they were finally going to arrive at the castle.

A few minutes later.

The group crossed the slippery path and arrived at the edge of a dark lake.

On the steep slope across the lake stood a majestic and solemn castle, with turrets rising and bright windows flickering like stars in the dark night.

"Remember! No more than four people per boat!"

Hagrid pointed to a line of small boats moored by the shore, loudly instructing them.

Unlike others hesitating, Ino promptly boarded the nearest boat.

Setting an example had a great impact; seeing him board, other young wizards followed suit, albeit amidst some chaos.

"Is everyone on board?" Hagrid shouted. Once he confirmed no one was left behind, he walked towards the last single boat.

"Off we go!"

Each small boat moved silently across the mirror-like lake surface, heading towards the opposite shore.

...

"Did you just use the Fire-Making Spell?"

On the boat, Ino heard the familiar voice again, finally identifying its owner this time.

"Miss Granger! Was my divination accurate earlier?"

"I'm asking about the magic you just performed!" Hermione corrected him.

"I know, but before that, I have to take responsibility for my divination, after all, I took your money!"

"You... hmph! Stingy!"

Hermione lightly bit her lip; she was actually a bit angry now.

This was completely different from what she had expected. Who would have thought the other person wouldn't talk about magic, but instead would keep bringing up that one-pound divination.

---

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