Chapter 34: Hello, Hogwarts

"It’s not exactly a secret," Roger thought for a moment, "but people don't talk about it much anymore."

"Why..."

Before Roger could answer, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. A long whistle blew, and voices outside urged the young wizards to disembark.

"Right then, first-years, this way!" Hagrid shouted from outside, holding a lantern. As a half-giant, he was incredibly conspicuous, standing even taller than the train engine.

Older students opened the carriage doors, reminding the first-years that they didn't need to bring their luggage.

"Come on, follow me!" Hagrid beckoned from the front of the train, signaling the young wizards to follow.

To be honest, the path Hagrid led them along was quite poor—dark, wet, and slippery. The real issue was that although he held a lantern, his massive body blocked most of the light.

If Roger hadn't possessed night vision, he would have been genuinely worried about slipping. The other young wizards followed the main group in fear, terrified of getting lost at the slightest turn.

"Hermione, you know 'Lumos,' right?" Roger whispered, pointing to the wand in her hand.

"Of course!" Hermione raised her head proudly, waved her wand, and chanted the incantation.

Soon, a bright light shone from the tip of her wand, dispelling the surrounding darkness. The light eased Neville's fear, and he finally stopped gripping the hem of Roger's school robes so tightly.

"That's a basic spell for us first-years. If you had studied in advance, you would have found it isn't difficult at all." Hermione's tone held undisguised smugness, and she arched her neck like a proud white swan.

"I wanted to, but my wand was confiscated," Roger shrugged, hoping his wand would return soon.

"Pfft, I don't believe that for a second." Hermione turned her head, raised her wand, and walked forward.

In truth, Roger had brought an old wand just in case, not to mention he was capable of wandless magic. Unfortunately, his 'Lumos' had inadvertently reached Level 3; if he used it, he feared half the forest would be illuminated. If that were to attract the attention of the Headmaster or Voldemort...

Roger shook his head, admonishing himself to study hard and stay out of trouble rather than trying to show off. Let others deal with the bloodshed and tears; he would be responsible for helping collect the spoils of war.

"No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid finally led everyone through that rugged path. Before them, a fleet of small boats hung with lanterns waited at the pier.

"Four people, symbolizing the four founders of Hogwarts," Hermione said with certainty, and Roger nodded.

He had also paged through the book Hermione mentioned and understood that this symbolized the path the four founders had taken.

"Do you know about the four houses of the school?"

Roger sat at the stern of the boat. Without waiting for Hermione to ask herself, he spoke directly: "Slytherin has many pure-blood wizards; they are clever and cunning. Ravenclaw has many lovely young ladies, and they are all good children who love to study (I, too, am very fond of studying)."

"The young wizards of Gryffindor are full of courage; Hufflepuff has the most students, and they are humble and diligent."

"Hermione, which house do you want to go to? Ravenclaw?"

"I, I don't know..." Hermione sounded conflicted, having not yet decided where to go. Listening to Roger's description, Ravenclaw sounded quite good.

"Start simulation," Roger closed his eyes.

[1] You tell Hermione she is better suited for Ravenclaw.
[2] At the Sorting Ceremony, Hermione is sorted into Gryffindor.

"Simulate again."

[1] You provoke Hermione, encouraging her to join you in Ravenclaw to compete for top of the grade.
[2] Hermione agrees, but is sorted into Gryffindor by the Sorting Hat.

...

[1] You remind Hermione that the Dark Lord is associated with Gryffindor.
[2] Hermione is terrified, but the Sorting Hat decides she has the courage of a lion.

No matter what Roger did, the result of Hermione entering Gryffindor remained unchanged. Gazing at the magnificent castle architecture in the distance, Roger had to acknowledge Headmaster Dumbledore's control over Hogwarts.

When he had fallen asleep on the train, or perhaps even earlier, Dumbledore had already chosen the teammates for Harry.

"What about me? Is it a coincidence?" Roger looked at Neville at the bow of the boat. This Mr. Forgetful was also a Child of Prophecy, after all.

"The 'pairing' decided by the old man—no one can stop it." Roger shook his head, suddenly feeling his own naivety.

The trajectory of fate was as solid as rock; it couldn't be changed on a whim. Dumbledore was pulling strings from the shadows, and what was he himself but a drop of water in the tidal wave of destiny?

In his past life, some articles claimed the Sorting Hat could perform Legilimency to assign students to houses. He hadn't experienced it yet and had no profound insights. As for Occlumency, he had limited connections and simply couldn't learn it.

If there really were an 11-year-old wizard who mastered Occlumency, he imagined Headmaster Dumbledore would surely think the boy had been possessed by Voldemort and would send him a swift Avada Kedavra.

The boat glided gently across the calm Black Lake. Under the moonlight, Hogwarts Castle gradually appeared; the towering Astronomy Tower and the brightly lit windows made the castle appear mysterious and solemn.

Neville leaned over the bow, opening his mouth in excitement and gasping as he stared at Hogwarts.

"Hey, hello! I'm Hermione." Hermione took the initiative to greet the witch in the same boat.

"Hello, my name is Elena." The witch looked up, revealing a brilliant smile. She and Hermione held up the guide lanterns, marveling at the grandeur of Hogwarts Castle.

As for our Mr. Roger, he didn't care whether Hogwarts was spectacular or not; he only cared if there would be enough to eat at the upcoming banquet. The long journey from London to the Scottish Highlands had left him exhausted and hungry.

"Maybe I can make Chinese food when I go home next time." Roger's soul still belonged to his homeland; he maintained the habit of drinking hot water, but not being able to taste authentic Chinese food always made him feel uncomfortable.

When he went home for Christmas, he could have twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, hot and sour soup, xiao long bao... As he thought about it, his stomach growled uncontrollably.

"Roger, I suspect you have a dragon hidden in your stomach," Hermione said, turning back to tease him upon hearing the noise.

"Maybe I really do," Roger leaned back nonchalantly, gazing at the brilliant starry sky. "Miss Granger, why do you always have to give me nicknames?"

"Sleeping Beauty, a stomach that hides dragons..." Roger looked at Hermione, asking curiously, "What's the next one?"

"Sleeping Beauty?" Elena turned to look at Roger, her face full of confusion.

After half a month of conditioning with the Blue Moon Essence, Roger's body had become much sturdier. But compared to Neville, he still appeared slim. However, this was not worth mentioning in the face of his looks; even as he lay at the stern of the boat, listless and indifferent to the world, his lazy features could still be lethal.

"Elena, let me tell you a secret..." Hermione pulled the little witch aside to whisper.

Elena giggled after hearing it, not expecting that someone had actually fallen asleep on the train.

"Miss Granger." Roger sighed, requesting without much hope, "Could you please maintain the silence of a lady? I certainly don't want this nickname to spread throughout Hogwarts."

"Hmph, for someone who lacks gentlemanly conduct, a lady certainly has no need to respect him," Hermione retorted, pulling Elena along.

"Look, we've arrived at Hogwarts!" Neville interrupted them happily, having been staring at the castle the whole time, completely unaware of what had happened behind him.

"Neville, shouldn't you tell a professor that your pet Trevor is missing?" Hermione looked at Neville in confusion, wondering why he wasn't worried at all.

"Trevor! Right, Trevor is lost!" Neville suddenly shouted, then muttered to himself, "Trevor will come back on his own."

However, even Neville wasn't certain this time; after all, Hogwarts and the train station were separated by the Black Lake. Expecting a small toad to hop all the way to school on its own would surely wear it out.

"Let's go, maybe Trevor will get to Hogwarts before us," Roger comforted him.