Just then, the compartment door slid open, and a smiling witch pushed a snack trolley inside.
“Anything from the trolley, dears?”
When she noticed the lunchboxes in front of Will, she smiled in surprise.
“My, your family certainly takes good care of you.”
The other three immediately reached for their pockets.
After a moment’s thought, Will also bought a few Chocolate Frogs.
He planned to save them for Hogwarts.
Although he wasn’t as fond of sweets as Professor Dumbledore, he had to admit they were an excellent way to improve his mood.
As expected, food quickly brightened everyone’s spirits.
The atmosphere inside the compartment became much livelier, and even Neville stopped stammering so much.
After finishing his lunch, Will casually waved his wand and cleaned the lunchboxes with a Scouring Charm.
[You have repeatedly used this spell.]
[Your proficiency with it has increased.]
[Charms Experience +1]
Another point of experience.
Meanwhile, Hermione felt another wave of pressure.
Children became friends quickly.
Before long, the four of them were chatting while eating Chocolate Frogs and other sweets.
Will, however, intended to return to his book as soon as possible.
“Oh, I got Hengist!” Neville said excitedly after opening a Chocolate Frog card.
“Does that mean I’m supposed to be in Hufflepuff—”
Before he could finish, one of the Chocolate Frog’s legs suddenly kicked him squarely in the mouth.
“Ow!”
Then Neville’s expression suddenly changed.
“Oh no…”
“I forgot to let Trevor out again.”
He hurriedly reached into his pocket, but after feeling around for a few seconds, his face became even more miserable.
“He’s gone…”
“I’ve lost him again.”
“He always runs away.”
Hermione couldn’t bear to see him so upset.
“I’ll help you look for him,” she said as she stood up.
“He can’t have gone far.”
“Thank you, Hermione.”
Neville looked so grateful that he seemed close to tears.
“Actually,” Will said without looking up from his book, “the Summoning Charm should work.”
Some people believed that Accio couldn’t be used on living creatures.
In reality, that wasn’t entirely true.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry practiced the charm using Trevor as a target, and later, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ted Tonks successfully summoned salmon from a river with Accio.
“So…” Neville asked hopefully, “you already know Accio?”
Will nodded.
“I can try.”
“But you’ll need to describe Trevor as accurately as possible first.”
“No problem!”
“Neville eagerly described his toad.”
“Grayish-black… bumpy skin… about this big…”
Unfortunately, the description could have applied to almost any ordinary toad.
Will decided to give it a try anyway.
“Accio Trevor!”
He flicked his wand.
Nothing happened.
Silence filled the compartment.
After a brief pause, Will tried again, concentrating on the vague image of Trevor from his memories.
This time…
The spell responded.
A gray toad suddenly shot down the corridor toward the compartment, making all three first-years stare in amazement.
Bang!
Something slammed into the compartment door.
“Trevor!”
Neville hurried outside.
Poor Trevor had collided with the door so hard that he was lying upside down in the corridor, completely dazed.
Neville quickly scooped him up.
As Trevor was carried back inside, Will noticed both Sylvia and Hermione instinctively lean backward at the same time.
“Thank you, Will!”
“Thank you so much for helping me find Trevor.”
Neville carefully tucked the unconscious toad back into his pocket, thanking Will repeatedly.
“You should make learning Accio one of your priorities once classes begin,” Will advised.
“It’ll save you a lot of trouble whenever Trevor escapes.”
“I definitely will!”
After Trevor was found, the conversation gradually died down again.
Will reopened his book.
There was no time to waste.
He still had experience to earn.
[You have acquired new Curses knowledge.]
[Curses Experience +1]
[You have acquired new Curses knowledge.]
[Curses Experience +1]
…
Outside the window, rolling hills and endless grasslands slowly drifted by.
The sun gradually sank below the horizon.
Will was completely immersed in both knowledge and the steady stream of experience when a fair hand suddenly waved in front of his face.
He looked up in confusion.
“Would this future Ravenclaw gentleman mind stepping outside for a moment?” Sylvia asked with a faint smile.
“The ladies need to change into their school robes.”
Only then did Will notice that night had already fallen.
They must be approaching Hogwarts.
He closed his book, stood up, and left the compartment with Neville to wait in the corridor.
About ten minutes later, the boys were finally allowed back into the compartment.
Sylvia and Hermione had already changed into their Hogwarts robes.
Dressed in black, they looked far more like young witches than ordinary British schoolgirls.
Will and Neville then took their turn changing.
Will removed his casual clothes and put on a black satin shirt before slipping into his Hogwarts robes.
Some witches and wizards wore nothing but robes, but that was a habit he could never get used to.
Two minutes later, Will opened the compartment door and stepped back inside, earning slightly surprised looks from Sylvia and Hermione.
A moment later, the driver’s voice echoed throughout the train.
“We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. It will be taken up to the school separately.”
The Hogwarts Express gradually slowed before coming to a complete stop.
Just as the others were about to stand and join the crowd, Will stopped them.
“Let everyone else get off first,” he said calmly.
“We’ll go last. Don’t worry, the train isn’t going to leave without us.”
So the four of them simply remained where they were, watching the sea of students push and squeeze their way through the doors before stepping onto the small, dimly lit platform.
Will couldn’t help thinking that, in some ways, Hogwarts’ organization left much to be desired.
The Scottish Highlands were cold even in early September.
The temperature was barely above ten degrees Celsius, and Will could see his breath in the night air.
Fortunately, he had dressed warmly enough.
“First-years! First-years over here!”
A booming voice echoed through the darkness.
“Harry! Over here! All right there, Harry?”
Hagrid stood holding a lantern high above his head, his enormous beard almost as noticeable as his towering figure.
“Come on! Follow me! Any more first-years? Watch your step now! This way!”
The first-years followed Hagrid down a narrow, uneven path that wound its way downhill.
The trail was dark on both sides.
Will noticed Sylvia and Hermione unconsciously edging a little closer to him.
Neville was even more nervous.
He stayed directly behind Will, barely half a step away, nearly stepping on his heels several times.
No one spoke as they walked through the darkness.
Then they rounded a bend.
“Wow…”
Gasps of amazement rose from every direction.
Beyond the path lay a vast black lake.
Across the water, perched high upon the cliffs, stood a magnificent castle.
Countless towers stretched toward the heavens, while hundreds of windows glowed warmly beneath the star-filled sky.
Hogwarts.
They had finally arrived.