The rest of the journey went without any problems. Thankfully, Auden did not have to face any kind of protagonist troupe where he had to battle someone because of pride or something. He was thankful for that. He knew using magic for fighting would get him into deep trouble, so he would have had to use his fists to get the job done.
Though he was no slouch when it came to that. In the last two months, he had tested his body's limits and found out that it was in better condition than it had been in his last life. Basically, his current twelve-year-old body's strength could be compared to the strength of his seventeen-year-old body in which he had died. The subsequent exercises he did in the following days also showed him that his body could improve in strength in a very good manner. So he planned on improving even while at Hogwarts.
By the time the train reached the station, Auden had managed to tell the entire story up till its end.
"That was a really interesting story. I would like to hear more stories if we have time in the future," Luna replied as she got up to exit the train.
"I enjoyed the time we spent as well. It will be a pleasure to tell more if the chance arises," Auden replied as he too got off.
As they both exited, they were able to see Hagrid call upon all the first-years to follow him.
"First-years over here." The large lamp that shined its light upon the gigantic man gave an eerie feel, though the smile he had next while telling the children to walk in lines showed a kind look that made the children feel at ease.
He then took them all to the boats and the lake where the giant squid that protected Hogwarts lived. He couldn't remember whether the squid participated in the war at Hogwarts or not, but he felt like making it an ally later on would be a good plan.
He boarded the boat with Luna, and then Ginny Weasley joined, along with another girl. They started talking while the boat went across the lake. Auden at the time used his special skill to listen and see whether the giant squid talked or not. Hearing no sounds of speech even though he could hear the squid moving underwater, he decided to try later when there were no people around. He didn't want to attract that much attention right now.
As the boat moved towards Hogwarts, Hagrid suddenly told everyone to keep their heads down. Seeing that Hagrid was still taller than them even while bowing his head made him question whether to keep his head down or not, but the next instant he figured out the meaning and dipped his own head. He remembered the reason for the tradition: it was to signify the travel of the four founders while trying to create Hogwarts, a place for young wizards to learn magic without being under the threat of people who wanted to harm them.
Four people on each boat must signify the four founders, while the bowing of the head must be a manner of respect. He was also able to see that there was an illusion at the end where the ceiling of the cave was a little low, and the illusion made everyone bow their heads as it adjusted to each person's height.
He knew the founders might not have been petty enough to create an illusion to make students bow their heads, so it must have been a later-generation headmaster who cast the magic. Even if the founders were respected by wizards all around the world, children who had just come to the world of magic might not know the weight of the sacrifices made by the founders and might not be willing to show proper respect. So this must have been the method decided by them.
As they exited the tunnel, Auden was able to hear everyone gasp around him as they looked at the beautiful sight of Hogwarts in front of them. The contrast of the medieval castle with the night sky untouched by light pollution could only be described as breathtaking. Auden immediately recorded an image in his system. Unlike the limitations of a camera, the system was even able to record 360-degree images. So he managed to record a wide image of both the castle and the sky.
As they exited the boats to the shore, Auden suddenly heard a whooshing sound with his hearing. He quickly turned upward and found a few water balloons heading in his direction. He wasn't able to take his wand out, so instead, he used his hands to knock those balloons away before they hit anybody near him. The rest were not that lucky, as the balloons splattered on them.
"Thank you, Auden."
""Thank you,"" Luna and the other two girls thanked him for saving them from the balloon raid. As Auden watched, more balloons started appearing as if thrown by someone.
"Hahaha, how do you like my welcome, noobies? There's more where that came from," a joking tone came from the sky while the water balloons kept on falling.
"Stop this, Peeves, or you will regret it," the half-giant tried to stop him but was unable to, as only certain magic spells worked on spirits, and he was unable to use them in front of the children due to his public ban.
As the students were dodging the balloons unsuccessfully, the doors to the castle suddenly opened as McGonagall and another angry-looking ghost rushed furiously through them toward the location of the spirit.
McGonagall immediately used a spell to create a translucent membrane on top of the students to protect them from the balloons, while the ghost — whom Auden recognised as the Bloody Baron — immediately pulled Peeves up by his collar.
"Didn't I tell you especially not to cause trouble today? Did your head get demented, or did you finally decide today you will die by my own hands?"
"Noooooo!" Peeves screamed as he tried to run away.
McGonagall, at that time, immediately made sure the students were okay and began guiding them toward the Great Hall. Her eyes passed over Auden for a moment and noticed the lack of a drenched look that all the other students — except for himself and the three students around him — had. Her eyes had a hint of approval as she then focused on completing her task.
A/N- hope you like it.