The long journey had been thoroughly enjoyable for everyone—except for Fred and the poor Niffler.
To celebrate Gryffindor's "great victory over Slytherin" (as Lee Jordan put it), George decided to use a portion of the "stolen" funds to buy snacks for everyone.
As William put it: "Tonight, everything's on Young Master George!"
Although "everything" was limited to the six of them in the compartment, one rabbit, and one Niffler, and the only things being purchased were snacks.
Boba Tea, of course, didn't count, as it was incredibly picky, only willing to eat the high-end cat food and various gourmet canned treats William bought for it.
It was easy to feel a bit of injustice when a person's meals weren't as fancy as a cat's.
Cho suggested once again, "You should just let it go hungry for a few days!"
Boba Tea narrowed its eyes, giving Cho's rabbit a cold, calculating look. Its paw pads flexed, claws unsheathing, causing the girl to blanch in fright and quickly change her tone.
The table was now filled with all sorts of snacks: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and several other strange treats William had never seen before.
George had really gone all out this time, buying a bit of everything.
In just a short while, the group's rapport with Cho had grown noticeably closer, which made Cedric particularly happy.
The joys of a lovestruck puppy are often simple and dull.
Fred handed William a Chocolate Frog, but after eyeing it for a moment, William hesitated and decided not to eat it.
As a wizard, how could he rely on something like a Chocolate Frog to sustain himself? That was just asking for trouble!
Seeing that William wasn't going to eat it, Fred shrugged and opened it for himself. After unwrapping the packaging, he eagerly pulled out the collectable card inside.
On the card was an old man with silver hair and a beard, wearing a round hat and black-framed glasses. The name beneath the image read: Nicolas Flamel.
Peeking at the back of the card, William read the following text:
Nicolas Flamel is recognized as the greatest alchemist of all time. His most famous achievements include creating the only Philosopher's Stone and pioneering the transition from medieval to modern alchemy, as well as popularizing the trend of keeping toads as pets, a craze that has lasted for over six centuries!
"Oh! It's Nicolas Flamel!" Fred exclaimed excitedly. "Finally, I've completed my full set of cards!"
Collecting a complete set of Chocolate Frog cards, which numbered in the hundreds, was a rare feat, making the cards highly valuable.
Fred wasn't particularly attached to the cards themselves, though. He planned to sell them at a high price to other wizards.
Seeing Fred complete his collection, George, Cedric, and Lee Jordan joined in, eagerly unwrapping Chocolate Frogs to see what cards they would get.
Time flew by as they devoured the frogs in rapid succession. It was as if some mysterious force had sped up the clock, and before they knew it, evening had arrived.
Glancing out the window, William noticed the sky had darkened. Beneath the deep purple sky, rolling hills and forests stretched as far as the eye could see.
The train had begun to slow down.
"We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to the school for you."
The announcement echoed through the train, and everyone stood up, joining the crowd now filling the hallway, surging toward the exits.
The train slowed to a crawl and eventually came to a complete stop. Students jostled one another, pushing toward the doors, and stepped out onto a small, dimly lit platform.
Then, a light bobbed over the students' heads, and William heard a familiar voice calling out, "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!"
Above the sea of heads, Hagrid's towering figure—nearly five meters tall—stood out like a lighthouse.
Smiling, he called out, "Come along now, follow me! Any more first years? Watch your step now! Alrigh', first years, follow me!"
After parting ways with Cedric and the others, William and Cho stumbled through the crowd and made their way to Hagrid.
Led by Hagrid, the first-year students broke away from the main group, heading down a steep, narrow path. The ground was slippery, and thick vines tripped them up as they descended.
The darkness was oppressive, broken only by the dim glow of Hagrid's lantern leading the way.
William sighed. Hogwarts really could use some modern improvements—like streetlights.
Lifting his wand, William gave it a quick flick and whispered, "Lumos Maxima."
Soft white light bloomed at the tip of his wand, and then, with a sudden burst, the light expanded like fireworks, illuminating nearly fifty meters of the path ahead.
Hagrid's hearty laugh echoed back from the front. "Thanks, William! Yeh know I'm not allowed to use magic!"
Cho stared at William, her expression one of surprise, as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"You already know how to cast spells?"
Earlier, when William had been reading the second-year Charms textbook, Cho had thought he was just showing off. But now it was clear that wasn't the case at all.
William shrugged. "It's not that hard, really."
Wait... as soon as those words left his mouth, William froze.
In his previous life, whenever he'd asked the top students how to solve difficult math problems, they would always flash a small smile and say, "It's not that hard, really," while giving him that patronizing look of pity.
On Merlin's beard! William had actually reached the point where he could say such things without feeling guilty.
Was this what it meant to achieve true academic excellence?
But William quickly regretted his moment of pride. After casting his spell, the other first-year students seemed to latch onto him as their source of security and began pressing closer and closer.
It was like being caught in a Spring Festival rush, crammed into a train. William shouted in frustration, "Stop shoving... Hey! Whose hand is that? Stop groping me!"
Hagrid's cheerful voice rang out again. "Just round this bend now, and you'll get yer firs' glimpse o' Hogwarts!"
Sure enough, after a collective gasp of wonder, the narrow path ended abruptly, revealing a vast, dark lake.
On the far side of the lake, perched high on a steep mountainside, stood a majestic castle, its towers rising toward the sky. Dozens of windows sparkled in the starlight.
"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid shouted, pointing to a fleet of small boats docked by the shore, as if more than four would cause them to sink.
A brief scramble broke out as everyone rushed to be in the same boat as William.
These little boats didn't exactly look sturdy, and crossing the lake seemed risky. If they fell in, then what?
At least with William, who knew magic, there was some sense of security.
"Line up!" Hagrid barked, using his massive frame to block the crowd. He motioned for William and Cho to get into a boat, then randomly selected two other students to join them. The chaos finally subsided.
"Everyone aboard?" Hagrid called out as he clambered into a boat of his own.
"Right then, off we go!"
The fleet of small boats moved forward, gliding across the smooth, mirror-like surface of the lake, sailing effortlessly without any wind.
No one spoke. All eyes were fixed on the towering castle ahead, its silhouette looming over them like a giant.
As the boats neared the cliff where the castle stood, it seemed to tower even higher overhead.
"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as the first boats approached the cliff face.
Everyone ducked as the boats passed through a thick curtain of ivy, revealing a hidden entrance in the rock. They glided into a dark tunnel beneath the castle.
Eventually, the boats reached an underground harbor, where they disembarked onto a shore of pebbles and rocks.
With Hagrid's lantern lighting the way, the group climbed a narrow, winding passage through the rock, finally emerging onto a flat, grassy area in the shadow of the castle.
They climbed a flight of stone steps and gathered in front of a massive oak door.
Hagrid raised a huge fist and knocked three times.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The door swung open, revealing a tall wizard standing on the other side.