When John pushed his luggage cart and jogged through the pillar, his vision went dark for a brief moment before it opened up to a wide view.
He appeared on a platform that did not exist on any map: Platform 9¾.
As he walked forward step by step, a red steam train with “Hogwarts Express” marked on the engine appeared before John’s eyes.
Although it was a steam train, according to the books it seemed to be powered by magic.
This felt very fresh to John.
On the platform, wizard staff members guided the young wizards arriving for the first time.
John boarded the train under their guidance.
There were no seat numbers on the Hogwarts Express tickets.
After asking, he learned he could sit anywhere that was empty, except for the Prefects’ Carriage at the front.
Perhaps because he arrived early, there were still many empty seats on the train.
John’s first choice was naturally a compartment, so he found an empty one and went in.
Before boarding, his luggage had been taken by the staff.
It had labels attached and would be delivered to Hogwarts Castle later.
John only took off his backpack and boarded the train alone.
Before leaving home, he had already changed into his school trousers and undershirt, just so he could simply throw on his school robes after boarding.
Since no one was around, John took off his jacket in the compartment and put on his school robes directly.
It must be said, he looked a bit like a wizard now.
Just as he put on his robes and before he could sit down, the sliding door of the compartment opened with a clack.
“Hello, may I sit here?
Everywhere else is full.” A plump, somewhat reserved boy poked his head in and asked.
“Of course, no one’s here.
Take a seat,” John nodded and said with a smile.
“Thanks.” The boy looked a bit socially anxious, but he seemed to be trying his best to appear confident.
“Hello, my name is Neville Longbottom, third year.
Are you a Hogwarts freshman this year?” After putting down his backpack, Neville took the initiative to chat with John.
“Yes, my name is John Merrick.
Nice to meet you, Senior Longbottom.” “Oh, thank you.
No need to be so polite.
You can just call me Neville.” “Okay, Senior Neville.” “…” Neville scratched his head, accepting his role as a senior.
Although he was one, he was still a bit unused to being addressed so formally.
“Senior Neville, this is my first time going to Hogwarts.
I’ve only read about it in books before.
Could you tell me what it’s like there?” Seeing that Neville seemed like an easy-to-talk-to senior, John continued the conversation.
He wanted to learn about the magic school from him.
Neville naturally did not refuse.
Talking to this junior, John, did not seem to make him feel nervous.
Just as he nodded to say something, another student entered at the compartment door.
“Excuse me.” “May I join you?” The newcomer was a young girl with waist-length dirty blonde hair that seemed unkempt and a bit messy.
She wore a pair of radish-shaped earrings.
Her eyes were large, and a faint, serene smile always lingered at the corners of her mouth.
At first glance, she looked a bit eerie, but after looking for a while, she had an ethereal, otherworldly feel.
Neville seemed to know the girl.
His first reaction upon seeing her was to lower his head, not daring to look at her, as if worried about being associated with her.
“Hello, my name is Luna Lovegood.
May I sit in here?” Seeing no response, Luna introduced herself again and asked once more.
“Of course, please come in.
There are still empty seats,” John snapped out of it and said quickly.
Although Neville’s reaction was strange, since she was being so polite, he could not turn her away, nor did he have the right to.
Seeing Luna come in, Neville quickly stood up and sat next to John, leaving the empty seat opposite for her.
“Thank you.” Luna smiled and thanked Neville.
Although it looked like he was avoiding her, it was indeed a gentlemanly gesture.
After Luna sat down, the atmosphere in the compartment fell silent for a moment.
John and Neville’s previous topic was interrupted, and for a while no one knew what to say.
“Uh, right.
I’m John Merrick, a Hogwarts freshman this year.
Please take care of me.” John could not stand the awkward atmosphere and took the initiative to introduce himself to Luna.
“Of course, no problem.
I look forward to you becoming a fellow student in Ravenclaw.” Luna sat with her hands on her thighs, her smile unchanged as she replied to John.
“Ravenclaw?
I’ve read about it in the school history.
Senior Neville, which house are you in?” Hearing Luna mention the houses, John got curious and followed the topic to continue learning about Hogwarts from Neville.
“I’m in Gryffindor House.
I also look forward to you joining Gryffindor.
Everyone in the house is very nice.
Harry Potter is also in our house and is a friend of mine.
You’ll definitely like it there.” Talking about Gryffindor House, Neville’s spirits clearly lifted, and he began introducing the characteristics of the house to John.
When he heard Harry Potter was also in Gryffindor, John blinked.
He had not expected to randomly meet a friend of Harry Potter’s.
As for the protagonist of this world, although John had no intention of making friends, he also had no intention of avoiding him.
In his view, everyone was the protagonist of their own life, so he would just let things take their natural course.
“What kind of house is Ravenclaw then?” John asked Luna curiously.
“It is a paradise for scholars, embracing all exploration of the unknown.” Her words were concise and very objective.
“Oh… okay.” It was so brief that John did not know what to say for a moment.
After exchanging a look with Neville, he decided to continue asking Senior Neville for advice…
Soon it was time for departure.
John looked out the window curiously, wanting to see how the train would travel from this bustling city to the undiscovered Hogwarts Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Their time on the journey was quite pleasant.
Luna took out a magazine called *The Quibbler* to read, while Neville took out a Herbology book called *Intermediate Magical Botany*.
According to Neville, it was their third-year textbook.
John chatted with them occasionally, but spent more time looking out the window.
In his previous life, he did not dare look at his phone while traveling due to motion sickness, so he always leaned against the window to watch the scenery.
So he had gradually developed this habit.
Even on long trips, he wanted to see the scenery outside, unless he was sleepy.
However, the weather today was not ideal.
Not long after departure, it began to cloud over outside, and all the scenery looked as if it were covered with a gray veil, dim and lusterless.
Just as they left the city, pitter-pattering raindrops began to hit the window.
After it started raining, the sky grew even darker, and the magical lights inside the train automatically turned on.
John, who was feeling a bit sleepy listening to the rain, was startled by the light and could not sleep anymore.
So he simply took out a book as well and immersed himself in reading.
5 minutes later…
“…Is he asleep?” Looking at John sleeping like a log beside him with a book covering his face, Neville said with some concern.
After spending the journey together, he was no longer so afraid of Luna, who was called Loony.
Though he still felt a bit awkward.
“It’s quite nice, isn’t it?
Dreams are a starry sky of one’s own.” Luna did not look up.
She just smiled faintly while flipping through the magazine, her ethereal and airy voice filling the compartment.
However, not long after John fell asleep, a piercing sound of brakes screeching rang out.