The Hogwarts Express came to a complete stop with a long, echoing whistle.
The carriage doors slid open, and the first-years poured onto the platform like a rising tide.
Alvin followed close behind Harry and Ron, moving along with the crowd.
The night air was chilly and crisp, carrying the distinct scent of the Scottish Highlands—a mixture of damp earth, moss, and the distant lake.
Magic lanterns hanging along the platform cast a warm, amber glow that swayed amidst the sea of crowded figures.
Then, Alvin’s gaze locked onto something.
Towering far above the bustling crowd, a figure that stood out like a lighthouse rose at the far end of the platform.
It was a…
giant.
A giant, in the literal sense.
Alvin had to tilt his head far back just to take in the man’s full appearance: a wild, tangled mane of black hair and a messy beard covered most of his face, and his heavy moleskin coat was so massive it resembled a walking tent.
In one giant hand, he held a lantern high aloft, his booming voice rolling through the night air like thunder:
“First-years!
Over here!
First-years, come to me!”
Alvin had seen physically robust men before.
In his temple, several senior uncles who specialized in external martial arts and body tempering could let horses gallop across their arms and shatter stone slabs with their bare fists.
A body-cultivating senior who lived in seclusion deep within Mount Qingcheng was even said to be able to surge his blood and qi until his skin became like iron, impervious to ordinary swords and blades.
But this British giant before him…
his sheer scale transcended any definition of ‘robust’ Alvin had ever known.
“It’s Hagrid!”
Harry’s voice carried unmistakable excitement and familiarity.
He tugged at Ron’s sleeve and turned back to look at Alvin, his green eyes sparkling under the platform lights.
“Come on, let’s go over!
That’s Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts!
He’s a great guy!”
Ron looked a bit daunted by Hagrid’s size, but Harry dragged him forward anyway.
Alvin followed with steady steps, his eyes never leaving Hagrid.
In his spiritual perception, Hagrid’s presence was rich and gentle, like a quiet mountain.
Though massive, there was no oppressive weight to his aura; instead, it felt incredibly reassuring and grounded.
They squeezed through the crowd and stood before Hagrid.
Up close, the sheer difference in their sizes was even more striking.
Hagrid looked down, and his massive, hairy face immediately broke into a warm, crinkling smile the moment he saw Harry.
“Harry!”
Hagrid’s voice was loud but full of warmth.
“Great to see you again!
How was your summer?
Oh, and are these two your new friends?”
“This is Ron, and this is Alvin,”
Harry introduced quickly, a relaxed smile on his face.
“Ron’s got five brothers who’ve been to Hogwarts, and Alvin is from China!”
“Of course, of course.
I’d know a Weasley anywhere—that signature red hair is the spitting image of his dad’s.”
Hagrid’s shiny beetle-black eyes lingered on Ron for a moment with a friendly nod before turning curiously to Alvin:
“China?
Now that’s a far-off, magical place!
Welcome, lad.”
He reached out a hand that was nearly half the size of Alvin’s entire torso, seemingly wanting to pat him on the shoulder, but stopped himself, likely afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his own strength.
“Thank you, sir.”
Alvin bowed slightly, using a traditional sign of respect for an elder.
“Alright then, is that everyone?”
Hagrid raised his lantern even higher, shouting hoarsely,
“Follow me, and watch your step!
We’ve got a bit of a walk, and then we’re taking the boats!”
Led by Hagrid, the group left the brightly lit platform and stepped onto a steep, narrow path heading downhill.
Thick, dark woods bordered both sides of the path, the wind rustling through the branches as the faint cries of unknown birds echoed in the distance.
Many first-years stumbled, whispering complaints about the slippery ground.
Alvin walked with sure steps, long accustomed to such night trails from his years of cultivation in the mountains.
He could even afford to split his attention to sense his surroundings; the woods were teeming with magical creatures, some with faint, gentle presence, others carrying a wild, restless aura.
“They walk this path every year,”
Ron whispered to Harry and Alvin, trying hard to keep his voice from sounding too nervous.
“Fred and George—my twin brothers—told me about it.
They said it’s really creepy the first time, but it gets better once you see the castle.”
“Doesn’t this path lead to the castle?”
Harry asked, keeping close to Hagrid’s lantern, which served as a beacon in the dark.
“Of course not,”
Hermione Granger replied as she caught up to them from behind.
It was unclear when she had squeezed her way to their side, but though she was slightly out of breath, her tone was entirely confident.
“*Hogwarts: A History* makes it perfectly clear.
First-years traditionally have to cross the Black Lake by boat to look up at the castle.
It’s an arrival ceremony that’s gone on for a thousand years.
Apparently, the four founders brought the very first students here in exactly this way.”
Alvin cast a sidelong glance at Hermione.
Her mastery of knowledge and her desire to showcase it reminded him of the youngest uncle at his temple, who was renowned for his photographic memory.
“Do you think…
there’s anything in the lake?”
A trembling voice came from behind.
It was Neville Longbottom, clutching his newly recovered toad, Trevor, his face slightly pale.
“Oh, absolutely!”
Hagrid’s booming voice called back from the front; he had clearly overheard.
“There’s plenty of interesting little fellas living in the Black Lake, but don’t you worry, they’re usually friendly.
Especially to Hogwarts folks!”
As they spoke, the path opened up.
They stood at the edge of a great, dark lake.
The water was deep and ink-black, reflecting the canopy of stars and the hazy silhouettes of distant mountains.
The surface was so vast they couldn’t see the opposite shore.
Perched atop a towering cliff on the far side of the lake, a massive castle loomed.
It was a forest of turrets and towers, its windows glowing with warm, flickering lights against the deep blue night sky, looking like a mythical creation sculpted from light and shadow.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Alvin’s breath caught slightly when he first laid eyes on Hogwarts Castle.
It wasn’t merely a building; it was a vast, intricate magical entity that had been functioning for a thousand years.
In his perception, the entire castle felt like a slumbering behemoth, radiating vast, ancient, and layered magical fluctuations.
It was entirely different from the serene, natural spiritual field of his Mount Qingcheng temple, which blended seamlessly with the landscape; this was a man-made monument of sheer grandeur.
“No more’n four to a boat!”
Hagrid shouted, pointing to a fleet of small boats moored at the shore.
“Get in!”
Harry and Ron naturally stuck together, while Hermione looked around, clutching *Hogwarts: A History*, and walked over to join them.
“Can I join your boat?”
Her tone was less of an inquiry and more of a statement.
Alvin nodded and stepped onto one of the boats first.
It swayed slightly but remained remarkably stable.
He keenly sensed a faint trace of magic on the hull, seemingly designed to keep the vessel perfectly balanced.
The four of them settled in.
Harry and Ron sat on one side, while Alvin and Hermione took the other.
Hagrid had a much larger boat to himself, leading the way in front.
With a shout from him, all the boats slid away from the bank simultaneously and silently, gliding across the lake toward the castle.
The water was smooth as glass, reflecting the starlight and the castle’s illumination, making the boats feel as if they were sailing through a river of stars.
Silence enveloped them, broken only by the softest lapping of water.
“This is amazing,”
Harry whispered, his eyes locked onto the approaching castle without blinking.
“It’s even more than I…”
“Spectacular,”
Hermione supplied, also gazing up at the castle, though she immediately began to recite:
“Hogwarts Castle was built between the late ninth and early tenth centuries.
The exact construction methods have been lost to time, but it is generally believed that the four founders and their early followers used highly advanced ancient magic, possibly even drawing on long-lost giant construction techniques…”
Ron made a face but said nothing, clearly too awed by the sight before them to argue.