"...Fair enough. I agree."
"I agree as well."
"Seconded."
The agenda concluded successfully, and the four boys breathed a sigh of relief as the oppressive atmosphere instantly vanished.
Just then, the female prefects pushed the door open.
The pitch-black carriage gave them pause, making them instinctively think they'd entered the wrong one. They stepped back to check the number, but it was indeed the prefects' carriage.
Walking back inside, the girls looked at the four boys with heads full of question marks, staring as if they were fools. "What are you doing? Why didn't you turn on the lights?"
The Hogwarts Express was a magical train converted from a Muggle steam locomotive under the Ministry of Magic's initiative, equipped with a magically modified lighting system throughout.
Click!
The lights flickered on, illuminating the carriage.
The four boys sheepishly tucked away their candlesticks, pretending to be busy to hide their embarrassment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The train gradually slowed; they had reached Hogwarts!
Accompanied by a long blast of the whistle, the magical train slowly pulled into the station.
The station was small, and the facilities still looked like something from the last century, but it felt warm, and the platforms were clean and tidy.
The upperclassmen, familiar with the routine, followed the prefects across the platform and out of the station to the carriages parked by the roadside.
These carriages had no horses.
Their power source was actually magical creatures called Thestrals, which were naturally invisible.
A Thestral's body resembled a horse's, but its form was more like a reptile's, with black skin clinging tightly to its bones, making every rib clearly visible.
Their heads looked like dragons, and their eyes were a solid, pupil-less white. Bat-like wings sprouted from between their shoulder blades, giving them a truly bizarre appearance overall.
"What a fascinating creature." Makiya's gaze traveled far, taking in the appearance of the Thestrals.
Harry curiously followed Makiya's line of sight, but he only saw the lines of upperclassmen boarding. Once a carriage was full, it would automatically begin to move forward.
"What creature?" Harry scratched his head.
"They're Thestrals. They're right there, pulling the carriages. Only those who have witnessed death can see them," Makiya explained.
Harry looked surprised. "Makiya, does that mean you've... I mean, you've seen death?"
"Of course." Makiya's expression grew heavy, his eyes turning nostalgic as he looked toward the dark sky, as if recalling his glorious past. "I have personally witnessed billions of lives vanish upon the page. In that moment, my spirit was transcended."
With that, he patted Harry's shoulder with great gravity. "You'll have your day eventually. No rush."
Harry: "???"
"First years! Don't be shy, come over here!" Hagrid's voice boomed from one end of the station.
The streetlights couldn't reveal Hagrid's entire form, making the silhouette of the half-giant in the darkness even more imposing.
The lantern in his hand cast a beam of light that caught the attention of all the new students. His massive size left the little ones wide-eyed and speechless.
"Hi, Harry, Makiya! Good to see you again." Hagrid waved to them before shouting to the crowd, "Follow me to the boats!"
Like a mother hen leading her chicks, Hagrid held his lantern high and led the group of first years to the edge of the Black Lake.
Makiya and Harry shared a boat. Beside them, Hermione, Ron, and Neville—who still hadn't found his pet—were in another.
The magical boats had neither sails nor oars, yet some mysterious force drove them through the waves, heading straight toward the massive silhouette of Hogwarts Castle.
Makiya felt a unique magical energy swirling around them. It seemed to be a form of ritual magic that had gradually enveloped all the new students since they stepped off the train.
Walking to the lake, crossing by boat, reaching the shore, and then ascending the long flight of stairs from the small harbor... with every step, the surrounding magic grew stronger.
To Makiya, it felt as though Hogwarts Castle was like a giant octopus, stretching out countless magical tentacles to firmly wrap around the young wizards.
At the top of the stairs, Professor McGonagall stopped the group. Behind her were the Great Hall doors.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Shortly, you will pass through these doors, but before you take your seats, you must undergo the Sorting Ceremony to determine which house you belong to: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin."
"While you are here, your house will be like your family. Excellence will earn you points, while any rule-breaking will result in points being deducted. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup."
"Trevor!" A joyful cry interrupted Professor McGonagall. Neville rushed to her feet and scooped up his missing toad.
After being interrupted, McGonagall stared at Neville for a few moments before announcing, "The Sorting Ceremony is ready. Follow me."
The doors opened automatically, and under the gaze of countless upperclassmen, the young wizards walked down the center aisle of the Great Hall.
Thousands of candles floated in mid-air, providing steady, brilliant light driven by magic.
The statues along the sides were exquisite and ancient, adorned with blazing braziers. The ceiling had been enchanted to mirror the starry night sky outside.
The teachers' table was at the far end of the hall, and Makiya could feel several gazes fixed on him.
Among them, Albus Dumbledore gave him a slight nod, quietly made a finger-gun gesture, and winked.
Makiya: "???"
'What does that mean? Does he know what happened on the train?'
In the center, in front of the four house tables, sat a single stool. On it was a grimy wizard's hat, covered in patches from top to bottom.
This was the Sorting Hat, imbued with the thoughts of the four founders, capable of accurately discerning the traits of every young wizard!
An important occasion naturally required a speech from the headmaster.
Fortunately, Dumbledore's speech was very brief and concise, wasting no time at all.
During his short address, Dumbledore specifically mentioned two prohibitions: students are strictly forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest, and entering the third-floor corridor on the right side is strictly forbidden unless you wish to die a most painful death!
Brief and concise, it certainly left a deep impression.
Secrets that are deliberately hidden are always exceptionally tempting. It was hard to say the old man hadn't done it on purpose.
With a quick glance, Makiya saw several wizards at the Gryffindor table looking eager to explore.
Once the headmaster finished, the Sorting Ceremony began. Professor McGonagall stepped forward with the Sorting Hat and said loudly, "Now, when I call your name, step forward. I shall place the hat upon your head, and your house will be decided..."
Unfurling her list, she called out, "Hannah Abbott!"
The young girl nervously put on the Sorting Hat. After a moment, the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Enthusiastic applause erupted from the Hufflepuff table to welcome the newcomer.
As Professor McGonagall continued to read names, the young wizards were sorted into their respective houses.
"Hermione Granger!"
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"..."
While waiting, Makiya stared at the Sorting Hat, lost in thought.
'Since I've shared so many memories, will the Sorting Hat see them? Just how powerful is its memory probing?'
As he pondered, Professor McGonagall's voice reached his ears. "Makiya!"
The professor gave him a smiling nod.
Makiya took a deep breath and sat down on the stool.
His head felt heavy as Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat upon it.
The Sorting Hat: "Hmm?"
It sensed no memories at all. It was as if the thing beneath it wasn't a young wizard, but a stone or a corpse.
'How is this possible? A living wizard walked up here; he can't be dead. Is something wrong with me?'
A moment later, the hat shifted. Its wide mouth pursed slightly, as if it were straining.
Makiya breathed a silent sigh of relief. From the hat's reaction, it was clear the thing hadn't detected a single thing and was just trying in vain.
The priority of the Mysterious Space was incredibly high. In all known worlds, no sapient being had ever been able to detect its existence. That was a good thing.
"Mmm..."
A sound like someone suffering from constipation echoed above his head.
Makiya's lip twitched. He was genuinely afraid the old hat might accidentally squeeze out the Sword of Gryffindor in its struggle.
After a while longer, the Sorting Hat's voice spoke into Makiya's ear, sounding defeated: "Little fellow, why don't you just tell me which house you want to go to yourself?"
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]