Chapter 23 Lumos
"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage in the carriage. Someone will take your luggage to the school."
A female voice echoed in the carriage. Harley curiously poked her head out and looked outside the compartment. There was no one in the aisle.
"It's magic."
Cassandra still maintained her arrogance and said:
"The voice sounds like that of the saleswoman from before. She is indeed a powerful wizard, just as I thought."
"But you said she was a squib before."
Harley muttered, but she didn't lower her voice deliberately, which made Cassandra blush a little.
Harley asked worriedly:
"Did they send our luggage to the wrong place?"
"of course not."
Cassandra mocked unceremoniously:
"Our boxes have names written on them. Do you think the people at Hogwarts are fools? How could they be sent to the wrong one!"
Their suitcases were all bought in Diagon Alley. They are among the few personal items that have been specially approved by the Ministry of Magic to use the Invisible Stretch Spell, and they can hold a lot of things. However, the sale and purchase of such suitcases will also be strictly restricted, and only Hogwarts students can purchase them with their admission letters.
So when purchased, these boxes will have the initials of the owner written on them.
For example, Harley's initials are 'H.P', Cassandra's 'C.M', Hermione's 'H.G', and Ash's 'A.B'.
"But there's no name written on my cage." Harley whispered:
"Can't I take her with me?"
She looked at her cage. The snow-white owl was sleeping soundly with its head buried under its wings.
That was Hedwig, the name Harry gave her as a birthday gift from Professor Snape - although in her heart Harry always believed that Hedwig was given to her by Ash.
Cassandra hugged her chest and said dissatisfied:
"Are you stupid? That's just an owl! Do you think Hermione and I are going to snatch an owl?"
Hermione suggested:
"You could put the cage on the trunk so they know who Hedwig really is."
"Okay." Harley lowered her head in disappointment. It seemed that she couldn't take Hedwig with her.
Ash looked at the two people who were just bickering and reminded helplessly:
"You can leave your luggage, but remember to bring your wand."
Cassandra waved her wand gently and said proudly:
"The wand is the second life of a wizard, and I always carry it with me."
"Ugh——!"
Amidst the melodious sound of the whistle, the train began to slow down.
Harry pressed against the window and could vaguely see the dimly lit village ahead.
"Ash, is that Hogwarts?" she asked curiously.
Ash stood next to the girl, looking at the village getting closer, and said softly:
"Hogsmeade is the only village in Britain that is full of wizards and no Muggles."
"But we are going to Hogsmeade Station. One side of it leads to Hogwarts and the other side leads to Hogsmeade."
He opened the window, pointed to the brightly lit castle on the other side in the mountains, and said in a brisk tone:
"That's Hogwarts."
Harley looked curiously in the direction Ash was pointing, but before she could take a closer look, the train had already entered the platform with a harsh friction.
"Get out of the car first."
Ash touched Harley's head and said with a smile: "We will take a boat to Hogwarts later. You can see more clearly on the boat."
Before leaving the box, Ash took out a pair of half-rimmed glasses from his pocket and put them on the bridge of his nose, looking like a knowledgeable scholar.
Woo~!
Another whistle blew, and the train stopped steadily at Hogsmeade Station.
A dark and small platform with only a few low old houses - exactly the same as a hundred years ago, no change at all.
Ash was not surprised by this, because he had long understood the rigidity of the wizarding world and was deeply aware that this rigidity was reflected in all aspects.
"It's a bit cold." The howling cold wind made Harry shiver, and he subconsciously imitated Hermione and wrapped her body tightly in her robe.
Cassandra also shivered, but her words were not forgiving at all:
"Can't you stand this level? Harley."
September nights shouldn't be this cold, but this is the Highlands.
Not only is the altitude high, but the latitude is also high, there is also a large lake nearby, full of BUFF.
It has to be said that the founder of Hogwarts knew how to choose the location.
"Okay, first-year students, come to me! First-year students!"
The three-meter-tall, hairy giant held a dim lamp and stood beside the train and shouted:
"Don't be shy, first-year students. Please get off the train quickly. The train will leave soon!"
Hagrid saw the girl in the crowd, smiled on her face, and asked:
"Hey Harley, how was your summer vacation?"
"Thanks, Hagrid, I'm fine." Harry smiled, waved to him, and introduced to Cassandra and Hermione beside him:
"He's Hagrid, and this is Cassandra, Hermione."
"I know him." Cassandra still looked arrogant.
"Hello, Hagrid," Hermione greeted quietly.
Hagrid's height of over three meters had quite an impact on her.
Hagrid smiled back, although it was almost invisible under the dim light and thick beard.
"Okay, are all the first-year students here?"
"Kids, look if anyone's here?"
Hagrid waited another two minutes and asked loudly several times to confirm that no one was left behind before leading them out of the station.
"Okay, kids, remember to watch the steps under your feet and be careful not to fall."
His warning made sense, because what followed was a narrow, steep, winding stone staircase, and you would fall down if you weren't careful.
Everyone else followed Hagrid closely, fearing that they would lose the only source of moving light.
But the four Ashes remained where they were. None of them liked being crowded with crowds.
Harry and Hermione simply disliked crowds, while Cassandra was disdainful.
"It's so dark," Harley whispered.
Although there were a few lamps installed on the handrails, the dim yellow light could only illuminate a small area. Most of the other areas, including both sides of the stone staircase, were dark, making it impossible to see what was inside.
"I always feel like there's a snake in there." Hermione was a little nervous.
"Snake?" Harley blinked. She didn't think there was anything scary about snakes. Snakes were much cuter than frogs.
"Don't worry, just follow me." Ash reassured, then took out his wand:
"Lumos!"
The tip of the wand emits a bright light, illuminating the surrounding area.
Whether it is the dim ground or the trees hidden in the darkness on both sides, they are invisible under this light.
Harry and Hermione's eyes lit up. The light released by the wand was much brighter than the lamp in Hagrid's hand.
"Lumos!" Not to be outdone, Cassandra immediately took out her wand and let the top release light.
Although it is much fainter, it can still light up the road next to it.
Cassandra's expression was extremely proud. It was just basic magic. She had learned it at home!
Ash gently held Harley's little hand and warned:
"Cassandra, hold Hermione and be careful."
Harry's pretty face turned slightly red, but Cassandra muttered with an unhappy look on her face:
"What, you still want to hold hands? She is not a child!"
Although she complained, she still held Hermione's hand.
She regretted it so much. She shouldn't have used magic if she had known it!