The Hogwarts Express slowly pulled into Hogsmeade Station, the steam it exhaled condensing into white mist in the cold night.
Once it had fully stopped, the doors opened, and the young Wizards poured out like a flood, instantly filling the platform with excited chatter.
"First-years! First-years, gather here!"
Hagrid's enormous figure was particularly conspicuous on the platform; he held a dim lantern, and his booming voice drowned out the clamor on the platform.
"Hagrid!"
As soon as Harry jumped off the carriage, he spotted Hagrid.
"Harry, over here!"
Harry took off running towards Hagrid, as if he had completely forgotten about his four companions behind him.
"He's really tall." Ron looked at Hagrid's back, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
Hermione then cautiously peeked out from the carriage door, hesitating slightly at the cursed gap between the train step and the platform ground.
Nios extended his hand and steadily helped her down.
With her feet on the solid platform, Hermione's small face flushed, and her gaze instinctively fixated on the inner pocket of Nios's Wizard robe.
"You put Azazel in that place... is it safe?" she asked softly, a hint of worry in her voice.
Before getting off the train, Nios had dispelled the Undetectable Extension Charm in the compartment, and casually stuffed Azazel, who was still 'asleep,' into the summoning array like trash.
Hearing this, Nios pulled out the summoning array from his inner pocket and dangled it in front of Hermione.
"Don't worry, the summoning array is his home," his voice was flat. "Let's go, if we drag our feet any longer, Harry will really forget all four of us."
With that, Nios walked towards Harry and Hagrid without looking back.
"Wait for me, Nios!" Ron, who had been looking around, quickly jogged to catch up.
"Neville! Are you ready?" Hermione stomped her foot impatiently, looking at the two who had walked ahead.
"Sorry, Hermione... my shoelace came undone..." Neville squatted on the ground, clumsily fumbling with his shoelace, "You go find Nios and them first, I'll be right there!"
Hermione ultimately couldn't bring herself to be harsh, and resignedly knelt down, quickly tying Neville's shoelace for him, then jogged to catch up with Nios and Ron.
Neville followed behind her, panting.
Seeing that most of the first-years had arrived, Hagrid raised his lantern high and rumbled, "Follow me! Watch your step!"
His massive body led the way down a dark, bumpy path.
Along the way, Nios glanced back at the stumbling crowd behind him; several young Wizards had already fallen multiple times.
When Hermione helped Neville up yet again.
"Ah…" Nios let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked curiously.
"I'm starting to regret it," Nios's tone held a touch of helplessness.
"Regret what?"
"This path is so dark and steep, and there isn't even a decent lamp?"
Nios spread his hands. "How exaggerated must Hogwarts' financial deficit be?"
"Walking this path is to let us retrace the founders' footsteps, to let us experience history!" Hermione immediately retorted, her expression serious.
"And, I don't think Hogwarts' financial problems are for a newly admitted young Wizard like you to worry about!"
Nios pulled out the fake wand from inside his Wizard robe; the eye on his eye patch instantly curved into a crescent moon, as he "looked" at Hermione with interest.
"What sharp criticism!"
His tone carried a hint of pleasure, as if he had discovered a new toy.
"From now on, when Azazel isn't around, this promising job of criticizing falls to you! Lumos!"
Before his words fell, Nios himself let out a "buzz" and turned into a human spotlight! Blinding pure white cold light erupted instantly!
"Ah! My eyes!"
"Holy crap! I'm going blind!"
Ron, Hermione, and several other young Wizards closest to him were caught off guard and completely flashed, screaming and covering their eyes, tears streaming down their faces.
Only Harry, wearing anti-flash glasses, escaped unscathed, but he was also startled by the sudden strong light.
"Nios, you bastard!"
Hermione covered her eyes, her voice cracking with anger.
"Why didn't you say something beforehand?!"
The young Wizards at the back of the line also noticed the dazzling luminous person at the front of the line.
Although looking directly at him was comparable to looking directly at the sun, the bright light did illuminate the path below as if it were daytime.
Hagrid watched this scene and silently extinguished the pathetic little lantern in his hand.
He leaned close to Harry and asked in what he thought was a whisper, "Harry... Nios... has he cooked up some strange magic again?"
Harry looked at the Giant beside him, then at his glowing friend ahead, and finally just sighed helplessly.
With the powerful assistance of Nios, the Human Walking Headlamp, Hagrid brought the first-years to the Black Lake exceptionally smoothly.
Nios casually snapped his fingers, and the light on him instantly extinguished, as if it had just been an illusion.
"Wow!!!"
When they saw the Black Lake surface reflecting the stars and the Castle lights, and the towering, brightly lit Hogwarts Castle across the lake, like a fairy tale wonderland, all the young Wizards involuntarily gasped in amazement, and even Nios slightly narrowed the eye under his eye patch.
Hagrid led the first-years to the lakeside, where many empty small boats were quietly moored.
"No more than four people per boat!"
He strictly supervised the number of people on each boat.
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Neville naturally squeezed onto the same small boat.
Nios, with his hands in his pockets, lazily indicated that he would find another boat.
Just as the four of them were about to discuss who would accompany him, Nios flipped his bangs and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for the nearby boats to hear:
"Am I that captivating to you? Do you have to stick to me?"
This sentence was extremely damaging.
Harry and the other three instantly froze, so embarrassed they wished they could jump into the Black Lake, and the next second they scurried into the nearest small boat, not even daring to raise their heads.
Finally, Nios gracefully sat on another small boat.
Coincidentally, his companion on the boat was the blond boy he had met briefly at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions; he was flanked by two bodyguard-like followers, who, just from their appearance, were clearly 'talents' of the 'Sleeping Dragon and Phoenix Fledgling' caliber.
Malfoy had been deeply impressed by Nios at Madam Malkin's, and had even specifically sought out Harry and Nios's compartment on the train.
However, when he looked through the glass on the compartment door and saw the strangely expanding space inside, and the brutal scene of Nios physically hypnotizing Azazel with a single hand chop...
He very wisely chickened out! Of course, the noble Malfoy would never admit he was scared; he found himself a perfect reason: a noble should not rudely interrupt others when they are handling 'private matters.'
Now, he finally had a chance to speak.
"Hello." Malfoy tried his best to put on his most proper and reserved smile, but his arrogance was impossible to hide.
"My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. This is Goyle, and this is Crabbe."
He slightly raised his chin, introducing his two henchmen beside him.
"Nios Chaos."
Nios stated his name, but his gaze went over Malfoy's head, fixated on the approaching Castle, as if the noble Malfoy before him was less interesting than a piece of moss on the Castle's stone wall.
"Chaos..."
Malfoy quickly searched his mind for this surname, but drew a blank.
But considering the other party's exquisite suit, that indifferent look that seemed to see through everything, and that strangely powerful ability...
He immediately concocted a conclusion: this was definitely a reclusive family with deep roots and hidden power! Perhaps even older than the Malfoy family!
Nios glanced at the thoughtful Malfoy out of the corner of his eye.
Just then, the small boat gently docked. He suddenly felt playful and whispered to Malfoy:
"I'm from Branded Manor in Chelmsford. You can... go ask your family."
He deliberately bit off the last few words very lightly.
Malfoy looked at Nios with a bewildered expression.
Branded Manor? Chelmsford? Never heard of it! But the other party specifically mentioned it and told him to ask his family... this must be an extraordinary place!
He immediately straightened his back and responded in a serious tone:
"I will."
He was already planning to write an urgent letter to his father, Lucius, as soon as the feast was over.
Nios gave him a meaningful smile, nodded, then nimbly jumped off the boat and went straight to find Harry and the others.
Seeing Nios return, Ron immediately went up to him and asked in a hushed, nervous voice, "Nios! That Malfoy fellow... didn't say anything nasty, did he?"
Nios gently shook his head, looking as if he couldn't be bothered to mention it.
Harry also recognized Malfoy, and although he found the other's condescending manner annoying, Ron's highly alert reaction made him feel that things might be more complicated than they seemed.
Just as he was about to press Ron, at the very front of the line, Hagrid's cauldron-sized fist heavily knocked on the thick oak door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three muffled thuds echoed in the silent night.