Chapter 15: Hogwarts

Kanna left quickly.

Kyle did not take the gold Galleon that was on the table. A simple levitation spell returned them to Kanna's pocket.

Kyle would not cheat an eleven-year-old girl out of her money, even if she looked really rich.

This is a matter of principle.

Well...at least until he gets back from Dorset.

Cedric looked at the closed door of the carriage, then at Kyle who was obviously relieved, and said subconsciously: "Well, I am your first customer, can I try the tonic as well?"

"What are you talking about? You're treating me like an outsider."

Kyle waved his hands seriously and said, "You are my close friend and brother, not a customer."

"Yeah." Cedric nodded and said, "The tonic sample..."

"No, that thing is only provided to customers."

"Um..." Cedric looked directly at Kyle, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.

This is the first time he has seen someone talk so confidently about treating people differently and cheating acquaintances. Did he really have no shame at all?

Learned it.

Cedric felt tired for a while, so he could only change the subject and continue talking about things related to Hogwarts.

When talking about Hogwarts, it is inevitable that Quidditch would be mentioned. After all, both of them like the game.

So the topic naturally extended to the professional Quidditch teams, but here, Kyle and Cedric had a disagreement.

Kyle loves Wimbourne Wasps and Cedric is a big fan of Chudley Cannons.

At this moment, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

Kyle and Cedric looked at each other, and at the place where their eyes met, there seemed to be a cluster of invisible sparks crackling.

Once the dispute between fans began, there was no option of taking the initiative to admit defeat. Neither of them gave in to the other. As time passed, the temperature in the carriage seemed to have dropped a lot.

It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that their confrontation was interrupted by a violent jolt.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train and we will send it to school for you." A voice echoed in the train.

Kyle and Cedric looked away at the same time. With a tacit understanding, neither of them looked at each other again but began to change their robes.

Kyle turned his head and glanced out the window. At this time, the sky outside had become very dark. No wonder he felt so cold.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped. Otherwise, he would have to get an umbrella.

The speed of the train became slower and slower until it finally stopped.

After ten hours, the journey had finally reached its destination.

Kyle checked his robe and wand again, and after confirming that there were no problems, he followed the bustling crowd out of the train and came to a dark and small platform.

This place was really run-down. There were overgrown weeds everywhere, and the station sign was badly faded. The words "Hogsmeade Station" on it were also very blurry. If someone didn't look carefully, they wouldn't be able to recognize it.

There wasn't even a decent floor tile here, and because it had just rained, Kyle stepped on the mud as soon as he got out of the train.

"Clean up."

Kyle waved his wand at his shoes, cast the cleaning charm, and carefully moved them to a relatively clean area.

Who would believe that the platform of a thousand-year-old prestigious school was in such a broken state?

If it hadn't been called Hogwarts, and if the headmaster hadn't been called Dumbledore, it would have been impossible to recruit anyone on this platform.

At this time, Kyle also saw Kanna.

The little girl stood shivering in the crowd. Even from such a distance, Kyle could see her pale face. She was obviously frightened by the scene in front of her.

Perhaps realizing that someone was looking at her, Kanna subconsciously turned her head and saw Kyle.

For a moment, she stumbled over as if she had found a life-saving straw.

Kyle reached out to help Kanna, who almost fell down, without saying a word. He just took out his wand again and waved at her robe.

"Clean up."

The girl didn't even look at the road as she ran, splattering mud all over her body.

After doing all this, he smiled and patted the little girl's shoulder to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, it's safe here. Someone will pick us up soon."

"Yes." Kanna lowered her head and responded softly.

At the same time, an oil lamp appeared above their heads.

"First-year students! First-year students come here!"

Surrounded by first-year wizards, Hagrid's burly body stood out, coupled with his messy hair and beard, and frightened many little wizards as soon as he appeared.

Kyle even heard a sobbing voice.

Although Kanna didn't cry, she wasn't much better either. She clutched Kyle's arm tightly, making him grimace in pain.

But seeing the frightened look on Kanna's face, Kyle was too embarrassed to pull his arm out, and could only endure it.

He also didn't understand how an eleven-year-old girl could be so strong.

"My name is Rubeus Hagrid, the key keeper of Hogwarts." Hagrid waved to everyone and said: "First-year students, follow me. Be careful where you step, I will take you to Hogwarts by boat."

Kyle was the first to follow and led Kanna under the dim light, which was also the brightest place around.

At this time, Kanna also calmed down a lot, and hurriedly let go of Kyle's arm, blushing and murmuring: "I'm sorry."

Unfortunately, her voice was too soft, and there were always other people's movements around them, so Kyle didn't hear what she said clearly, and just nodded subconsciously.

...

In order to take care of the first-year wizard, Hagrid walked very slowly. The group of people stumbled for more than 20 minutes before they finally finished walking the steep and narrow path.

After passing the last corner, Hagrid turned to look at everyone and pointed forward with a smile on his face: "Come on, you are about to see Hogwarts for the first time. Don't be distracted, this is the most beautiful scenery in the magical world."

What followed was a series of gasps and exclamations.

Kanna stood beside Kyle and stared blankly ahead, muttering to herself: "So beautiful...!"

At the end of the path was the famous Black Lake, and on the towering hillside on the other side of the lake stood a majestic castle.

There were many spires on the castle, which was complemented by the bright moon as if it was built on the clouds.

The lighted windows on the castle were the stars dotting the sky.

It was so beautiful, like a miracle.

Even Kyle was stunned.

He even suspected that the reason why the Hogsmeade platform was so dilapidated was to set off the scene in front of him.

"Alright freshmen, let's prepare the ferry. Don't keep the professors waiting." Hagrid pointed to a group of small boats parked by the lake and said loudly: "Remember, there can be no more than four people on each boat."

Kyle and Kanna got on the nearest boat, accompanied by two unknown first-year wizards, who happened to be a boy and a girl.

Judging from their looks, they looked extremely excited. Even after getting on the boat, they kept talking about how they must write letters to tell their families about this scene.

"Have you all boarded the boat?" Hagrid was sitting alone in a small boat. He turned back to confirm for the last time: "Okay... let's go!" 

A group of small boats immediately sailed forward across the lake, past the low cliffs, through the ivy vines that covered the cliffs, and finally into a dark tunnel.

(End of chapter)