Chapter 16: Hogwarts Castle and Professor McGonagall

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the sky had darkened, and the train was finally approaching Hogwarts Castle.

Alaric happily chatted with the three girls the entire afternoon, and they became friends. 

Although he had never had a romantic relationship or many female friends before the transmigration, dealing with a few girls was no problem.

As they packed their belongings and prepared to disembark, a commotion and fighting noises erupted outside the door.

Alaric listened carefully and recognized the voices of Harry and Ron. Additionally, there was a distinctive arrogant voice, which must be Draco Malfoy.

In Alaric's impression, Draco Malfoy wasn't a genuinely bad kid. Born into a sacred 28 pure-blood wizard family, influenced by his parents and relatives who were Death Eaters, he developed a selfish and arrogant character, especially towards Muggles.

However, due to Alaric being a Muggle himself, he naturally stood in opposition to Malfoy. So, even knowing Malfoy's true nature, Alaric didn't want to have much interaction with this pure-blood wizard—after all, dealing with naughty kids was troublesome.

Moreover, Alaric's current focus was on two things: researching magic and increasing his powers and building good friendships with Hermione.

He planned to use the influence and changes on Hermione to verify his speculations and research on the "plot." 

On the one hand, his energy was limited, and influencing one person was more convenient than three. On the other hand, compared to boys, he preferred interacting with cute girls.

So, for now, he didn't intend to purposefully have much contact with Harry and Ron.

He listened to the sounds outside the door, where Malfoy and his two lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle, were arguing with Harry and Ron.

Then, a brawl ensued, and Malfoy was bitten by Scabbers, after which both groups went their separate ways.

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Finally, after a long journey, the train sounded its whistle, and its speed gradually slowed down.

In the night, the tall black shadow of Hogwarts loomed closer and closer.

At last, they arrived at their destination, Alaric's long-awaited magical school.

The students pushed and shoved, one after another, squeezing off the train.

Taking advantage of his strength, Alaric led the three girls through the crowd, creating a "bloody path."

After getting off the train, they were greeted by a small platform, and a loud voice shouted, "First-year students! First-year students, come over here!"

The owner of the voice specifically mentioned Harry Potter. Alaric knew this was Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts.

He quickly and casually said goodbye to the two second-year students, Cho Chang and Marietta, then took Hermione and headed toward the source of the sound.

Being led by a boy like this made Hermione a bit uncomfortable, but she pretended to be calm and followed along.

Hagrid, with his giant bloodline, had a towering figure that exceeded various basketball players, visible from afar.

All the new students followed him, stumbling along a small path, approaching a magnificent view of the huge castle standing tall on the mountain slope, with turrets rising into the night sky and windows twinkling under the stars.

Hagrid led the students to board small boats, each accommodating four people. After Alaric and Hermione boarded, Harry and Ron followed. Harry and Ron warmly greeted them.

The fleet set off, and along the way, there was silence. Everyone quietly admired the breathtaking view of the colossal castle approaching as they sailed across the lake. Occasionally, a sigh could be heard.

After passing through a stretch of ivy, the fleet entered a dark tunnel, seemingly entering the underground of the castle. Finally, they arrived at a place similar to an underground dock and then climbed up a path of broken stones and pebbles.

The new students disembarked one after another, and Hagrid led them to a massive oak door.

Finally, they stood in front of Hogwarts.

Hagrid knocked on the oak door three times, and it opened immediately.

At the door was a tall black-haired witch wearing an emerald green robe. She had a serious look on her face, and she looked very difficult to deal with.

"First-year students, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take it from here," Professor McGonagall nodded and led the new students further into the castle.

Passing through the grand entrance hall, Professor McGonagall brought them to a small room at the other end of the Great Hall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said.

"The Start-of-Term Feast is about to begin, but before you take your seats in the dining hall, you'll be sorted into your houses. 

The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

Afterwards, she briefly introduced the four houses, mentioned some guidelines, and then asked the new students to wait for a moment before she promptly left the room.

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