Chapter 21: Arrival

The train came to a stop, and the students poured out in groups, gathering on a small, dark platform.

Harry felt incredibly nervous. Glancing at Ron beside him, whose pale face mirrored his own unease, he knew that Ron's emotions were just as unsettled.

The chill of the night made Harry shiver even more.

Meanwhile, Luke, who had exited from a different carriage, seemed quite calm, even taking a moment to admire the surroundings.

Despite the platform being small and shabby, the surrounding mountains and nearby lake made the scenery rather satisfying to him.

Then he noticed Hermione by his side. She was biting her lip, her face pale—whether from nervousness or the cold, Luke couldn't tell.

"Don't worry, there's no entrance exam, and no expulsion on the first day. We're just going to be sorted into houses soon. After that, there'll be a grand feast—hopefully not just British food..." 

Hermione, seeing Luke's calm demeanor, took a deep breath and managed to steady herself.

"First years! First years, over here! Harry, come this way, how are you?"

Harry heard Hagrid's booming voice from afar, and his anxiety was quickly replaced by the joy of seeing Hagrid again. He grabbed Ron, who was still confused, and hurried toward Hagrid.

Luke and Hermione also spotted Hagrid.

"He's so tall! Is he a P.E. teacher?"

Hermione couldn't help but exclaim, then asked Luke.

Luke's lips twitched slightly, but he could understand her reaction.

"No, that's Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. As far as I know, Hogwarts doesn't have formal physical education classes. If anything, flying lessons could count as P.E. class…"

But honestly, it felt more like driver's ed to Luke.

Hermione looked at Luke in shock. She knew that the magical world would have different subjects from the regular world, but the lack of a P.E. class still made her realize just how different the two worlds were.

However, it wasn't necessarily bad for her—she preferred reading over exercising anyway.

"Let's go. First years take boats, while the older students go a different way."

With that, Luke headed toward Hagrid.

Hermione frowned slightly. How did Luke know so much about Hogwarts? She looked at the other students, even Malfoy, who seemed nervous.

Had Luke's guide told him everything? Why didn't her guide tell her this?!

If Luke could hear Hermione's thoughts, he would have told her;

'If you could give your guide a set of high-end magical notes from over 300 years ago, you'd probably get perfect guidance too.'

Of course, Luke's real source of information was his memories from his previous life.

"Long time no see, Hagrid!"

Luke greeted cheerfully.

Hagrid looked at Luke and laughed heartily. "Good to see you again, Luke. Looks like you've got yourself a cute little cat."

He pointed to the head of Booker, who was peeking out from Luke's arms, a gentle smile on his face.

"He's smart, probably has some Kneazle blood in him."

Luke petted Booker's head and smiled, "I know. Mrs. Catherine told me that when I bought him."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hagrid noticed that most of the students had arrived, and he led them down a steep and narrow path. On either side of the path were eerie woods, with the occasional sound of insects chirping from within.

The dense shadows of the trees obscured most of the moonlight, with only a few small patches breaking through. The primary source of light was the lantern Hagrid held.

Instinctively, Harry moved closer to Hagrid, seeking some sense of security from the giant's broad figure.

Although Luke knew nothing dangerous would happen here, the atmosphere was intense enough to make him stay alert. He tightened his grip on his sleeve, ready to pull out his wand at any moment.

Suddenly, he felt something tugging at his sleeve. He instinctively reached for his wand, but quickly realized it was Hermione's hand.

Barely able to make out her face in the dim light, Luke could see that the environment was making her anxious. 

He didn't pull away from her hand, but he also didn't offer any words of comfort. Instead, he quietly followed Hagrid along the path.

"Turn the corner, and you'll get your first look at Hogwarts!" Hagrid suddenly called out from the front.

Luke could feel several students jump at the sound of Hagrid's voice, but soon they all let out a collective "Ohhh—" of awe.

The Black lake came into full view, and across it, perched on a hillside, was the towering castle of Hogwarts, its windows glowing like stars in the night.

Hagrid smiled proudly, seeing the children's astonished faces.

"To the boats, everyone! No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid instructed.

Luke, maintaining his sense of excitement and awe, climbed into one of the boats. The sight before him was far more breathtaking than anything he had seen in the movies.

Hermione followed closely behind, and then Harry and Ron joined them in the boat.

"Uh, Luke, I might've said some harsh things back in the compartment, but I was just so angry at the time. I didn't mean to lose control"

Ron said the moment he stepped into the boat.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his explanation, clearly unimpressed.

Luke, however, simply smiled and patted Ron on the shoulder. "It's normal to get angry with each other, Ron. But never let anger drive your decisions. Not being controlled by anger is a basic discipline we should all strive for."

Ron could tell that Luke was being somewhat preachy, but he nodded in agreement. After all, Luke's advice was much easier to swallow than Percy's lectures.

'At least it makes more sense,' Ron thought to himself.

As they neared the cliffside, the boats passed through a curtain of ivy and entered a pitch-black tunnel. After a short while, they arrived at an underground dock.

Upon disembarking, Hagrid found a toad from one of the boats and handed it back to Neville.

Finally, they made their way through the tunnel and up a flight of stone steps.

And there it was—the great oak front doors.

Hagrid stepped forward and knocked three times.

The door slowly creaked open from within.

Luke could feel almost every student holding their breath. For those from wizarding families, this was the moment they had finally reached the school of their dreams. 

For students like Hermione, this door was the gateway to a whole new world.

***

P.S.: I didn't follow the original description of the station's surroundings strictly. In the original, you can't see the Black Lake until you turn the corner, but I wrote it so they could catch a glimpse of part of it from a distance, just not the full view. After reviewing it, I realized that the route for the first-year students is quite complicated! (laugh-cry emoji)