Life in the magical world could often be quite dull for children. The Weasley family's home, The Burrow, nestled among the hills and trees south of Ottery St. Catchpole, yet most Muggles never even noticed it was there.
Only four wizarding families lived nearby, with the Diggorys being the closest, still several miles away.
Visits between families required broomsticks or other magical means. In truth, the children from these four households rarely interacted.
The Weasley children seldom ventured into Ottery St. Catchpole, let alone played with ordinary Muggles.
However, the Twins mentioned that their older brother had a Muggle friend—a pretty girl.
"Muggles are usually hard to get along with," one of them explained. "They always think we're weird, so we can't really play together. Besides... our house is pretty far from town."
Lee Jordan faced an even lonelier situation. Being an only child, he sometimes struggled to find playmates.
Albert fared somewhat better. He had a younger sister and a vast collection of books, and occasionally joined in games with others. Still, he rarely played with groups of younger children, finding it rather tedious.
Although Albert didn't have any truly close friends, he was quite popular at school. After all, he excelled academically, was skilled in various areas, and was known for being approachable and good at managing relationships.
Albert had asked the trio if children from the magical world actually attended Muggle schools.
It was hard to imagine a family like the Malfoys sending their children to a Muggle school.
Clearly, they wouldn't.
Of course, there were exceptions among some wizards.
However, the Twins had never attended Muggle schools; their initial education had all been provided by their family.
"By the way, is there any wizarding family named Smith?" Albert asked. His grandfather's original family name had been Smith. Later, when he joined his Muggle relatives, he casually changed his name as well.
This showed just how much he despised the man who had abandoned him.
"Never heard of them. What about you, George?" Fred turned to his twin brother.
"Me neither," Lee Jordan shook his head. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason. I just can't remember where I've heard that surname before," Albert said, shifting his gaze to the window. Visibility was poor, and the sky was gradually darkening.
Come to think of it, he hadn't realized Lee Jordan was such a chatterbox. The guy loved to talk endlessly.
The three didn't find his rambling annoying; after all, the compartment was quite boring, and listening to him drone on was almost hypnotic.
Albert opened his eyes again, noticing the train seemed to be slowing down.
"In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on board; it will be delivered to the school," a voice echoed through the train's loudspeakers.
"Merlin's beard, we're finally here," Fred said lazily, stretching. The long train ride had left him feeling restless.
George helped clear the snacks from the table, packing them into Albert's trunk.
The train finally came to a halt. The four of them stepped out of the compartment and joined the jostling crowd in the train corridor, all pushing toward the doors.
Disembarking was chaotic. They stepped onto a dark, cramped platform where cold rain poured down, the night's chill sending shivers down Albert's spine.
"I hate the rain," Albert muttered, pulling out his wand and casting a spell on his pointed hat: "Impervius."
"First-year students! First-year students over here!" a booming voice shouted across the platform. A large man waved an oil lamp above the crowd to attract the newcomers' attention.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and follow," Fred said, tugging Albert's arm.
"Just a moment," Albert said, casting a water-repelling and fire-resistant spell on his robes. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was better than nothing.
"Hurry up, Albert!" Lee Jordan urged.
"Hold on, I'm coming. Lumos." Albert raised his wand and walked toward Hagrid. The man was truly enormous, with a long, bushy beard that made him look rather intimidating from a distance.
To the uninitiated, he might have been mistaken for some dangerous character—his appearance was certainly frightening.
"Any more first-years? Once everyone's here, we'll set off!" Hagrid led them away from the platform. Leaving the shelter of the station, the icy rain lashed against them, sending goosebumps erupting across the newcomers' skin.
"Watch your step!" Hagrid shouted, but it was no use. The path had turned into a muddy quagmire, and many students slipped and fell repeatedly.
Albert tugged at his pointed hat and robes, wrapping himself tighter against the downpour. Thankfully, the water-repelling spell was working, preventing him from becoming as drenched as the others.
Why didn't I learn how to conjure an umbrella with my wand? Wait, Albert remembered a folding umbrella in his trunk.
Albert was slightly annoyed, mostly with himself. He resolved to find time to learn that useful umbrella-conjuring spell; then he wouldn't have to worry about getting caught in the rain without an umbrella again.
"Are you alright?" Another unlucky student had fallen in front of him.
"Thank you," the girl said gratefully as he helped her up. "This has been quite the ordeal."
"Let's keep moving," Albert said, releasing her hand. He used his wand to probe the path ahead, advancing slowly.
This was undoubtedly the most miserable group of first-years ever. Many had fallen, covered head-to-toe in mud. He could even hear Lee Jordan, who had been dragged along by someone nearby, muttering under his breath in frustration. Albert suddenly felt his decision to stay at the back had been wise; at least he hadn't been knocked over.
"Careful, we're going downhill," Hagrid called from ahead. After descending, he waited at the bottom to prevent students from slipping on the steep slope.
This proved to be a prudent move. Three unlucky students nearly lost their footing, but Hagrid managed to grab them in time.
"Watch out, we're almost at the lake," Hagrid warned.
Once everyone had navigated the slope, Hagrid resumed leading the way. After a bumpy turn, they finally arrived at the edge of a dark, still lake.
On the hillside across the lake stood Hogwarts Castle.
Lights flickered in the castle windows, particularly striking against the dark, rainy night.
"No more than four to a boat! Remember, no more than four!" Hagrid shouted to the newcomers, pointing to the small boats lining the shore.
"Albert, over here!" one of the Twins called, waving him over. Lee Jordan was also there, covered in mud and looking thoroughly disheveled.
"You alright?" Albert asked, suppressing a smile as he climbed into the boat.
"Far from it. I fell once and got knocked over twice."
"Get in the boats!" Hagrid yelled. After checking that no boat was overloaded, he boarded one himself. "Good. Then... forward!"
The oarless boats glided across the lake, propelled by an unseen force.
Albert gazed up at the looming castle ahead, a strange excitement bubbling within him. Hogwarts, here I come.
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T/N— You can read upto Chapter 50 and get two chapters a day at— Patreon.com/EtherealTL
Details about bonus chapters mentioned in Auxiliary, Chapter 0.