"Follow me, students!" a booming voice called out.
Hagrid, who looked like a wild man, was wearing a thick fur coat and carrying a lantern. He was waiting for them on the dark platform, resembling a towering giant.
To students unfamiliar with Hagrid's kind nature, his appearance was quite intimidating. The noisy students immediately quieted down and followed behind him, walking along the platform.
In a large open space, many dark carriages were parked, with dim yellow lights hanging on either side of the frames. Some carriages swayed slightly.
The students began boarding the carriages one by one. Wade and his friends walked forward together when they suddenly heard a voice greeting them: "Hey, Wade, guys, this carriage is empty!"
They looked up to see Hermione, Padma, Parvati, and Neville sitting in the same carriage. It was Padma who spoke, gesturing to the carriage next to them, which was empty and covered with straw.
One by one, they climbed into the carriage. Michael was the first to wave and say, "Hey there, did you all have a good holiday?"
"It was great, except for a certain someone who kept ignoring their Book of Friends," Hermione said. "I thought it would be easier to discuss things with the Book of Friends! Especially while practicing the Disarming Charm—"
"Oh, Hermione, give it a rest, we haven't even started the school term yet!" Padma said, exasperated, trying to stop her. "Let's talk about studying tomorrow, okay?"
Even as a Ravenclaw, Padma found Hermione's enthusiasm for studying a bit overwhelming.
"How about meeting at the library tomorrow afternoon?" Wade suggested. "I need to borrow some new books anyway."
Hermione reluctantly sat back down, while Parvati quietly sighed in relief—
Though no one was pushing her to study, listening to the top students discuss topics she couldn't understand or contribute to felt like being trapped in an invisible glass cage, leaving her feeling suffocated.
While they were talking, Neville hurriedly jumped down from his carriage, clutching his toad, Trevor, tightly, and squeezed into Wade's carriage.
"Hey, Neville, we're already full over here!" Michael protested.
"Please, let me stay here; it's all girls over there—"
Neville pleaded softly, looking like he had been through a lot, but without hesitation, he squeezed Michael into the corner and refused to leave no matter what.
Forced to sit pressed against the side of the carriage, Michael huffed, "What's so bad about being with the girls? You were sitting next to the prettiest girls at Hogwarts! And they're twins!"
A clear, bright laugh came from the girls' carriage, possibly because they had overheard Michael's comment.
Neville hung his head in embarrassment, too flustered to look at who was laughing, and mumbled, "They're always laughing—it's so awkward, I can't stay there by myself—"
Michael scolded him in exasperation, "Neville, you're hopeless, you idiot!"
Seizing the chance before the carriage started moving, Michael jumped off without hesitation and made his way straight to the girls' carriage. Before long, he was sitting with them, chatting and laughing with Padma.
Neville breathed a sigh of relief and looked admiringly at Michael.
Wade and the others couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Neville scratched his head sheepishly, chuckling along.
The carriage wobbled as it started moving, the road was uneven, causing the carriage to jolt. There was a musty smell inside, and there was a thick layer of straw lay beneath them.
Ryan couldn't help but say, "I've been meaning to ask since the last time we rode these carriages, why don't they even have cushions?"
When they went home for Christmas, they had taken these same carriages to Hogsmeade Station, but back then, they were each with their own housemates and didn't have a chance to ride together.
Theo speculated, "Maybe it's to follow tradition—or it can't possibly be because of a lack of funds, right?"
Anyone who had seen Hogwarts' extravagant dining scenes would never think the school couldn't afford a few comfortable cushions.
"A school that provides free room and board and doesn't charge tuition—what more can you ask for? Let's just treat this as a test of our endurance!" Wade joked as he pointed his wand at the pile of straw in the carriage, instantly transforming the dry, yellow straw into thick, cushioned seats.
They all felt the cushions and said enviously, "Sigh, Transfiguration is just too hard."
With Wade's guidance, they were all doing well in their Charms class, but Transfiguration required more self-study. Wade couldn't exactly implant determination and clear imagery into their minds.
"Do Muggle schools charge fees?" Theo asked curiously.
"Yeah." Wade thought about his own primary school and said, "Public primary schools are basically free; they only charge some minor fees. But for private schools, the cost is at least ten thousand pounds a year."
"Ten thousand pounds?" Theo looked confused. "How much is that?"
"It's roughly equivalent to two thousand Galleons," Wade explained.
Theo was stunned. "That's so expensive; Muggles must be really rich!"
Even as a pureblood, Theo's family could never afford to spend two thousand Galleons a year on school—it probably took a fortune like the Malfoys to afford that kind of education.
"Most Muggle students go to public primary schools," Wade added.
"Speaking of which, these school carriages are really impressive. They can move on their own. Are they alchemical items too?" Ryan asked curiously. Neville suddenly looked up and his lips twitched as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"No—it seems they're being pulled by invisible horses—" Michael leaned forward. "Listen carefully—"
They all held their breath and listened intently. The air was filled with the sounds of invisible creatures: soft snorts, snuffling breaths, and the flap of wings slicing through the air.
"Invisible horses…" Ryan frowned, thinking. "I think I read about these creatures in a book somewhere—"
"They're Thestrals," Wade revealed the answer.
"Right!" Ryan clapped his hands in excitement. "Thestrals! They're the ones you can only see if you've witnessed death—that's why we can't see them!"
"So, they're not actually invisible, just unseen by people?" Theo said, trying to piece together the logic.
"Yeah, that's right."
Wade nodded absentmindedly and looked toward the front of the carriage.
The skeletal black horse had white, pupil-less eyes and a face as fierce and grim as a dragon. It pulled the carriage forward obediently, with its large bat-like wings folded gently against its sides.
Ryan's voice was a bit too loud, and seemed to make it uneasy; it tossed its head and slightly quickened its pace.
The carriage wheels squeaked and groaned as they turned, finally coming to a halt in front of the castle's stone steps.
Wade jumped down from the carriage. The night air was bitterly cold, and his breath turned into a white mist. He looked back and locked eyes with the Thestral's hollow, pale gaze.
It was a strange feeling.
No wonder in ancient times, people associated seeing Thestrals with witnessing death, believing they brought misfortune to those who could see them.
"What are you waiting for, Wade!" Ryan clapped him on the back and stamped his feet. "It's freezing today!"
The students eagerly rushed into the castle as they stepped on snow and climbed the stone steps. Around the corner of the entrance hall, Filch glared angrily at the kids tracking mud and water into the building.
The Great Hall was brightly lit, with house-elves having prepared another grand feast. Dumbledore sat at the staff table and smiled warmly at the returning students.
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