26: Lighting The Way Ahead

Many thanks to Devor, Terrance Smith, _Berserk_, TheHealerOfPleasure, Geronimo, Kyle Diano, Marco Aurélio Queiroz De Moraes, ShadowXK, Luck George, and Matty for joining my p@treon!♥♥

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"Whoa, he's so tall!"

Hagrid suddenly emerging from the darkness startled many of the young wizards.

Ivan even noticed that Neville was softly sobbing.

He shook his head helplessly and gently patted Neville's back, like an older brother comforting a younger sibling, assuring him not to worry too much about the Sorting Ceremony.

Next, the group split up, with the older students heading in the opposite direction to take the carriages to the Great Hall, leaving the first-years gathered around, waiting for Hagrid's instructions.

"First-year students!"

"Watch your step! Alright, come on, follow me!"

Hagrid's rough, booming voice carried through the station, ensuring that every young wizard could hear him clearly.

Ivan looked ahead at the path—it was steep and narrow, flanked by dense forest on either side, and the road was almost pitch-black.

Hermione and Neville, standing on either side of him, huddled closer.

They weren't the only ones—all the young wizards seemed a little frightened.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a young witch let out a scream.

It turned out the muddy ground beneath her feet was too slippery.

She had tripped and nearly fallen.

Ivan shook his head.

He really couldn't bear to watch any longer. "Lux in via praemisit!"

Ivan took out his wand and gently waved it toward the lantern in Hagrid's hand.

The next moment, the light from Hagrid's lantern began to flicker, and small dots of light fell from it.

On the previously dark, muddy path, golden footprints appeared, illuminating the road behind Hagrid.

"Wow~~"

"What is this?"

"The footprints are glowing. Is it the big guy's magic?"

But soon, with explanations from Neville, Hermione, and others around Ivan, the young wizards learned the origin of the magic.

For a moment, all the first-years looked at Ivan with eyes full of wonder, envy, and amazement.

Of course, there were also hints of jealousy and reluctance.

"Oh!!"

Hagrid noticed what had happened. He looked at the lantern, now glowing like a small golden sun, and then at Ivan with gratitude. "Did you do this? What kind of magic is that?"

Hagrid had indeed noticed the problem with this path before.

However, since only first-year students used it, and only once a year, there hadn't been a strong need to fix it.

Additionally, making young wizards walk through the dark was meant to imitate the journey of the original four founders, allowing them to experience a bit of the discovery of Hogwarts.

"This spell is called 'Lux in via praemisit,' sir," Ivan explained. "It's a charm I created by combining the Lumos and the Protean Charm."

"Create?"

Hagrid was stunned for a moment. "You mean, you created a new spell?!"

Not only Hagrid, but all the young wizards who heard that Ivan could create spells showed expressions of disbelief.

"Incredible."

"Is he really a first-year wizard?"

"....."

The young wizards whispered among themselves, but Ivan didn't mind. Meanwhile, Hermione beside him looked proud.

Miss Know-It-All wanted to shout to everyone how amazing her Ivan was.

When it came to praising Ivan, Hermione Granger was never one to back down!

"I heard that walking the path of the Founders is a ritual that contains ancient and powerful protective magic," Ivan said as he walked with Hermione toward Hagrid. There weren't too many first-years, so even though Ivan didn't raise his voice, everyone could hear him clearly.

"Yes, you..."

"Ivan Ambrosius," Ivan introduced himself, waving his wand again. The bright golden footprints dimmed slightly, but still illuminated the path enough for the young wizards to see where they were stepping, preventing any falls.

Hagrid was amazed by the sight.

"I've never seen a young wizard with such spellcasting ability before even starting school," Hagrid exclaimed. But with the Opening Feast fast approaching, he couldn't afford to delay any longer. He simply thanked Ivan and then called out to the group, "Come on, follow my footsteps, and watch your step."

The little episode in the forest didn't last long.

The first-years now only knew that this year, there was an extraordinary young wizard—a magical genius among them.

"Turn this corner, and you'll see Hogwarts for the first time," Hagrid called back.

Then, a loud chorus of "Oh" erupted from the crowd.

Ivan and Hermione held hands as they looked up, and at the end of the narrow path, a black lake suddenly stretched out before them.

On the high hillside across the lake stood a towering castle, its spires and windows glowing under the starry sky.

This dreamlike scene left a lasting impression on the new students.

"So beautiful," Hermione said excitedly, shaking Ivan's hand. "Is this Hogwarts? I can't believe we'll be learning magic here."

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid pointed to a group of small boats moored on the shore and shouted.

Ivan guided Hermione and Neville onto one of the boats, along with a girl with two golden braids. When he heard her name—Hannah Abbott—even Ivan couldn't help but be a little awestruck.

As they say, the story's protagonists may change with time, but Hannah Abbott remains constant.

'I remember that in the original book, Hannah eventually became Neville's wife,' Ivan thought.

With this in mind, Ivan glanced at Hannah and Neville standing side by side. Both of them were shy and introverted, which seemed like a good match.

"Are you all on board?"

Hagrid took a boat by himself and shouted to everyone, "Alright, let's go!"

The small boats immediately glided across the mirror-like surface of the lake, silently moving forward.

Everyone was quiet, mesmerized by the sight of the massive castle towering into the sky.

As they neared the cliff where the castle stood, it loomed even larger, seeming to tower directly over their heads.

"Keep your heads down!" Hagrid shouted as the first batch of boats neared the cliff.

Everyone ducked, and the boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that covered the front of the cliff, revealing a hidden entrance.

They followed a dark tunnel that appeared to lead to the base of the castle and finally arrived at what looked like an underground dock. The students then climbed out onto a shore covered with gravel and pebbles.

"Hey, look! Is this your toad?"

The students were getting off the boats one by one, and Hagrid stopped Neville while checking the empty boats.

Ivan turned around, curious as to how Hagrid had known the toad belonged to Neville.

However, when Ivan activated his psychic vision, he noticed a faint thread connecting Neville to the toad. 'Is it because of this?' he wondered.

Hagrid, though he didn't have psychic vision, likely had some special talent for sensing animals.

"Thank God!"

Neville stretched out his arms and shouted ecstatically.

He never thought he'd be reunited with Trevor here of all places. 'Thank God, as a wizard? Really? Merlin's crying in a corner' Ivan thought, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

He patted Neville on the shoulder.

Hermione was also pleased that Neville had found his pet again.

To be honest, both of them had nearly given up on Trevor.

They had started to think the toad had abandoned its rather clueless little owner.

"Follow me, don't fall behind."

After that, they climbed up a rocky tunnel, guided by the light from Hagrid's lantern and the glowing footprints left by the "Lighting the Way Forward" spell, and finally emerged onto a flat, damp meadow beneath the shadow of the towering castle.

Everyone climbed up a stone staircase and gathered in front of a massive oak door.

Hagrid raised his enormous fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

Here, Ivan lifted the spell, and several of the younger wizards expressed their gratitude.

Especially the young witches—without Ivan's protection along the way, they would probably have had their robes covered in mud.