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Chapter 7
Arrival at Hogwarts
Shane saw the so-called Chocolate Frog cards for the first time. Of course, the young wizards in Compartment No. 2 were also seeing them for the first time, so the topic naturally returned to the cards.
“Wow! Devlin Simplin!”
“Do you know him?”
“I don’t, but I deeply admire what he did.”
Hermione raised her eyebrows and took the card from Justin.
“Devlin Simplin—
ate an entire Venomous Tentacula on a bet and survived, but his body remains purple.”
When Hermione finished reading, she turned her head and glared at Justin.
“Idiot.”
“Well, you’re right.”
Justin didn’t argue at all. Their eyes then moved to Hermione’s card.
“Godric Gryffindor,”
Hermione lifted her chin, a big smile forming on her lips.
“One of the founders of Hogwarts. One of the houses is named after him.”
“That’s amazing. I read about him in Hogwarts: A History. The book says he also left a sword in Hogwarts.”
Justin praised sincerely. Hermione narrowed her eyes, clearly pleased.
While they were talking, the train had already left London. It sped across wide grasslands filled with cattle and sheep.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just watched the vast fields and rolling hills pass by outside the window. Occasionally, they could see people riding fine horses, dressed in white riding clothes, looking like flowers in an oil painting.
“I think… he’s really quiet.”
Hermione didn’t say a name, but Justin knew exactly who she meant.
“Not necessarily.”
Justin smiled, dimples appearing on his face.
“Shane, please help deal with this pumpkin pie.”
A slender hand flashed out briefly.
“Thanks.”
A few seconds later, a voice came from behind a thick brown book.
Justin’s dimples grew deeper.
“My mother told me that people who are truly capable are often very quiet.
Even if a mountain falls in front of them, they won’t be frightened.
But… they’re often not very lucky.”
Justin’s gaze fell on Shane’s worn coat and his focused face, implying something.
“My mother said I always need friends like that.
Because of her advice, I found my friends at Samfield School.
And she was right. I think we’ll be friends for life.
We promised each other that even if we go to different schools, we won’t lose contact.
Oh, if you’re interested, I’d be happy to share our letters with you.”
As Justin spoke, he opened his suitcase.
Besides the items on the school list, the most eye-catching thing was the neatly stacked letters.
Next to them were scattered photos—pictures of Justin with his friends.
Just as Hermione was looking at them with surprise, a tearful voice suddenly sounded:
“Trevor! Where are you?”
A round-faced boy squeezed into the compartment and asked nervously,
“Sorry… have you seen my toad?”
By now, the train had already traveled more than two-thirds of the journey.
Shane was pulled out of his focus by the warm, dim light of the train.
He rubbed his eyes. The compartment was now empty.
Looking at the darkening sky, he was about to change into his wizard robes when he found a note while closing One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
It read:
“Shane, we went to help a wizard named Neville find his toad. If you want to come, you can find us in the corridor.”
Shane thought for a moment, then wrote on the back:
“The train is about to arrive. Remember to change clothes.”
After writing, he picked up his robes and opened the compartment door.
The corridor was very noisy, much louder than before. Perhaps the young wizards had become familiar with each other, so their conversations were louder.
As Shane passed one compartment, he heard an argument inside.
“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow.”
A childish boy’s voice.
“Are you sure that’s really a spell?”
A young girl asked.
“It doesn’t seem very good, does it?
I’ve tried a few simple spells at home, just for practice—and they all worked.
So, I mean… look at this—
Reparo.”
Shane roughly understood what was happening. Just as he was about to go over, he saw a boy with platinum blond hair push the door open. Two boys followed him like bodyguards.
Shane immediately knew what would happen next.
Sure enough, mocking voices soon followed:
“If I were you, Potter, I’d be more careful.
You should be more polite, or you’ll end up like your parents.
They didn’t know what was good for them either.
If you hang around with people like the Weasleys or Hagrid, you’ll be affected.”
What a sharp tongue.
Shane silently judged, then turned away and went to the changing room.
Soon, shouting came from that tense compartment again.
Shane could guess—Scabbers must have bitten Goyle and helped Harry out.
If he remembered correctly, this was the only time Peter Pettigrew ever helped Harry.
When Compartment No. 2 filled up again, the train’s rumbling reached its loudest point. The scarlet steam engine slowly came to a stop.
Outside the window—
Under the dark purple sky, there were only endless mountains and forests.
Hermione and Justin couldn’t hide their excitement.
The three of them got off the Hogwarts Express one after another, arriving at a small, dark station.
From afar, they saw a giant holding a lantern. At first glance, he looked like a monster from a fairy tale.
The cold night air crept in.
But this time, Shane did not shiver.
He was no longer wearing donated, worn-out clothes with holes and fuzz.
Instead, he wore Hogwarts robes with inner lining—
They were warm.
Following Hagrid through the forest, when they finally saw Hogwarts Castle, all the young wizards shouted loudly:
“Wow—!”
Justin shouted the loudest, making Hermione glare at him repeatedly.
“Forgive me, Hermione. It’s not easy to give up Eton.
But my decision was right. Just look at this castle—those floating lights, those moving statues…
If my mother saw this—
I mean, she would be proud of me.”
They crossed the Black Lake by boat, entered the boathouse, climbed the cliff steps, and stopped at the entrance hall of the Great Hall.
There, they listened to Professor McGonagall’s explanation about the Sorting.
