Chapter 17: Crossing the Lake

In reality, children living in the magical world are usually quite bored. The Weasley family's humble dwelling was nestled among the small hills and trees south of Ottery St. Catchpole village, but most Muggles had never even noticed the house.

There were only four wizarding families in the vicinity, with the Diggorys being the closest, albeit still several miles away.

Visiting each other could only be done by riding broomsticks or through other means. In fact, the children from the four families hardly interacted with each other.

The Weasley children rarely ventured into Ottery St. Catchpole village, let alone play with ordinary Muggle children.

However, the twins mentioned that their older brother had a Muggle friend who was a beautiful girl.

"Muggles are generally difficult to get along with. They always see us as weird and we usually don't get to play together. Besides... my home is quite far from the town," explained one of the twins.

Lee Jordan's situation was even worse. He was the only child in his family, so sometimes he didn't even have anyone to play with.

Albert, on the other hand, had it a bit better. He had a younger sister and a bunch of books, and occasionally he would play ball with others. However, he usually didn't play with a group of little kids as it was quite boring.

Although he didn't have any true close friends, Albert was quite popular at school. After all, he excelled in his studies, was talented in various areas, and was generally easy to get along with. He knew how to manage his relationships well.

Albert asked the three of them if magical children actually attended Muggle schools.

It was really hard to imagine families like the Malfoys sending their children to Muggle schools, right?

Obviously not.

Of course, there were some exceptions among wizards.

But the twins had never been to a Muggle school. Their initial knowledge was taught by their family.

"By the way, is there any wizarding family named Smith?" Albert asked. His grandfather's original family name was Smith, but later, when he followed his Muggle relatives, he casually changed his name too.

It showed just how much he disliked the person who had abandoned him.

"Never heard of it. How about you, George?" Fred looked at his twin brother.

"I haven't heard of it either," replied Lee Jordan, shaking his head. "Is there something specific you're looking for?"

"Just forget it. I still don't know where I heard that surname before," Albert shifted his gaze to the window. The visibility was low, and the sky was gradually darkening.

He hadn't even noticed that Lee Jordan was quite talkative. This guy loved to talk non-stop.

The three of them didn't find it annoying though. After all, they were bored in the compartment, so listening to him ramble on about things was like being hypnotized.

Albert opened his eyes again and felt that the train seemed to be slowing down.

"In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train, as we will take care of delivering it to the school," a voice echoed through the train via the loudspeakers.

"Merlin's beard, we're finally here," Fred lazily stretched and yawned. Sitting on the train for too long had dampened his spirits.

George helped tidy up the snacks on the table and put them into Albert's trunk.

The train finally came to a stop, and the four of them left the compartment, following the crowd in the aisle as they pushed and jostled their way towards the doors.

Getting off the train was quite chaotic. They stepped onto a dark and small platform, with the cold rain pouring down. The chill of the night sent shivers down Albert's spine.

"I hate the rain," Albert muttered, taking out his wand and casting a spell on his pointed hat. "Impervious to water."

"First-year students! First-year students over here!" a booming voice shouted on the platform. The person held up a lantern above the heads of the crowd, attracting the attention of the new students.

"What are you doing? Hurry up," Fred reached out and pulled Albert along.

"Just a moment," Albert also cast the impervious spell on his robes. He didn't know if the spell would be effective, but it was better to have it than not.

"Come on, Albert, hurry up," Lee Jordan urged.

"Don't rush, I'm coming. Lumos," Albert held up his wand and walked towards Hagrid. He was indeed a tall man with a long beard, and from a distance, he looked quite intimidating.

If one didn't know any better, they would think he was some dangerous criminal. He did have a rather intimidating appearance.

"Any more first-year students? If everyone is here, we'll set off!" Hagrid led them away from the platform. With the loss of the sheltered platform, the icy rain hit their bodies, causing goosebumps to appear all over the new students.

"Watch your step," Hagrid shouted, but it was futile. Due to the rain, the narrow path was muddy, and many people slipped multiple times along the way.

Albert adjusted his pointed hat and robes, wrapping himself up tightly. Thankfully, the impervious spell worked, so he didn't end up like the others, completely soaked.

Why didn't I learn how to conjure an umbrella with my wand? Wait, Albert remembered he had a folding umbrella in his trunk.

He felt a bit annoyed, frustrated with himself.

Albert decided that he would find time to learn that useful spell so that he wouldn't have to worry about forgetting to bring an umbrella when it rained in the future.

"Are you okay?" Another unlucky fellow fell in front of him.

"Thanks, this journey has been quite tough," the girl, who was helped up, said gratefully.

"Let's keep going." Albert let go of her hand and used his wand to light the way as he slowly walked forward.

This was definitely the unluckiest group of new students. Many of them had fallen and were covered in mud.

Albert also heard Lee Jordan, who he preferred to stay away from, cursing under his breath after being dragged down by someone.

Albert suddenly felt that staying behind was a wise decision. At least he wouldn't be dragged down by others.

"Be careful, we're going downhill now," Hagrid shouted from the front. He went down first and waited on the side to prevent any students from slipping on this steep slope.

It proved to be a wise decision indeed, as three unfortunate souls almost fell but were saved by Hagrid just in time.

"Watch out, we're almost at the lakeside."

After everyone descended the slope, Hagrid took the lead again. They stumbled and turned a corner, finally arriving at a black lake.

On the slope across the lake stood a castle, Hogwarts Castle.

The lights flickered in the castle's windows, particularly visible in the dark, rainy night.

"Each boat can't exceed four people. Remember, no more than four people!" Hagrid shouted to the newcomers, pointing to the small boats on the shore.

"Albert, over here." One of the twins waved at him, and Lee Jordan was also there. They were both covered in dirt, looking quite disheveled.

"Are you guys okay?" Albert couldn't help but chuckle as he got on the boat.

"Not good at all. I fell once and was dragged down by others twice."

"Get on the boat," Hagrid called out. After ensuring that no one overloaded their boat, he boarded one himself. "Very well, then... onward."

The boats moved automatically, gliding across the lake's surface.

Albert looked up and gazed at the castle ahead, feeling a sense of indescribable excitement. Hogwarts, here I come.

(End of this chapter)