The autumn sun filtered through the dappled leaves, casting patches of golden light onto the train; however, in a compartment near the end of the train, the atmosphere felt somewhat heavy.
Adelaide's delicate face was now filled with sorrow, and her eyes, as clear as lake water, stared intently at Cho Chang, causing a rosy blush to creep up to the roots of Cho Chang's ears.
"Cho, are you really going to give up our friendship just because I am a blood relative of Gellert Grindelwald?"
Adelaide's voice trembled slightly, as if every word carried her heavy heart.
Cho Chang was stunned by this sudden questioning; her eyes widened, and for a moment, she didn't know how to answer.
This simple and kind little girl was completely fooled by Adelaide's 'retreating to advance' tactic, and she waved her hands repeatedly in explanation:
"No... I definitely didn't mean that! Really!"
"He is him, and I am me! I have no interest in power or ambition; I only hope to spend my school years peacefully and dutifully."
"So, are you still willing to be my best friend?"
Adelaide said this while gazing at Cho Chang with a sincere look, which moved the other girl deeply.
Cho Chang nodded without hesitation and said firmly, "Of course! No matter what your background is, we will always be best friends!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the gloom on Adelaide's face vanished, replaced by a smile as bright as spring flowers.
It seemed her acting skills were still quite good; a few words had managed to gloss over the issue of her background.
The two looked at each other and smiled, then excitedly began chatting about their favorite sport, Quidditch.
Time slipped away quietly during their pleasant conversation. Before they knew it, the sky outside gradually took on a faint orange-red hue, signaling that nightfall was approaching.
As the train slowly decelerated, the clamor of students outside the compartment grew louder; they were about to arrive at the station.
"We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please change into your school uniforms and leave your luggage in the compartments. There will be staff to transport the luggage to the school in batches."
As the voice echoed through the carriage, Cho Chang and Adelaide hurriedly changed into their uniforms, obediently left their trunks in the compartment, and then squeezed into the crowd in the corridor together, preparing to welcome a school life full of unknowns and surprises.
With a slight sound of braking, the train gradually slowed down and finally came to a steady stop at the platform.
Because there were so many people getting off, Adelaide and Cho Chang held each other's hands tightly to avoid being separated. They struggled to move out of the crowded carriage bit by bit, finally managing to squeeze off the train with great difficulty.
What appeared before them now was a dark and small platform.
There wasn't much light around the platform. The cold night wind whistled past, making Adelaide and Cho Chang shiver involuntarily, their bodies trembling from the cold.
With no other choice, they tried to stay as close to the crowd as possible, attempting to use everyone's body heat to ward off the chill.
Just then, a loud shout came from nearby: "First-years! All first-years come over here!"
Adelaide looked toward the sound and saw a dim oil lamp floating quietly in mid-air about two meters off the ground. By the faint light of the lamp, she could vaguely see a large, hairy face looming behind it—that should be Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
Adelaide quickly tightened her grip on Cho Chang's hand and struggled to push through toward the spot under the oil lamp.
Along the way, they stumbled and staggered with the other new students, moving in a chaotic and disorderly fashion like a flock of lost lambs.
After finally reaching the area under the oil lamp, the group followed Hagrid without pause, continuing along a narrow and steep path.
This path was not only narrow and difficult to walk on but also rugged and uneven, filled with potholes everywhere. Adelaide thought she was being careful enough, but she still tripped over a tree root. If Cho Chang hadn't caught her, she probably would have fallen flat on her face.
Having stabilized herself, an inexplicable anger flared up inside Adelaide. This was, after all, the most famous (and only) magic school in the British Empire. Couldn't the British Ministry of Magic allocate some funds to level the road and provide a few more oil lamps for lighting?
Where does the Ministry of Magic's annual budget go!
Once she was settled in at Hogwarts, she would immediately write an anonymous letter of suggestion!
"You'll see it in just a moment... keep your eyes wide open, this is your first time seeing Hogwarts!"
Hagrid shouted, panting heavily: "Just around this bend!"
They finally rounded the last bend, and at that moment, several first-years at the front of the line suddenly let out cries of admiration.
"Wow!"
"Look over there!"
Accompanied by shouts from all sides, everyone's gaze was drawn over.
The originally narrow and winding path suddenly opened up, like a scroll slowly unfurling.
First to catch the eye was a large lake as black as polished jade; the surface was as calm as a mirror, yet it gave off a faint aura of mysterious depth.
On the other side of the lake stood a magnificent and vast Castle complex.
Those towering spires and well-arranged turrets looked exceptionally grand against the night sky; warm light shone from the Castle windows, intertwining and reflecting with the brilliant starlight twinkling across the sky, together forming a dreamlike and wonderful scene.
Adelaide gazed blankly at the Castle before her, an expression of almost obsessive and greedy longing in her eyes.
She wanted to imprint every detail she saw at this moment deep into her mind. Throughout the twenty-odd years of her past life and the eleven years of this life, her yearning for this Castle had long since become an indelible obsession in her heart.
Compared to the other new students, her desire to step onto this land and begin the next seven wonderful years was far more intense.
While everyone was immersed in the scene before them, a sudden gust of wild wind swept through, carrying countless grains of dust.
Immediately following that, they heard an earth-shattering roar:
"Roar!"
Everyone looked up in shock, only to see a massive black shadow streak rapidly over their heads.
Adelaide focused her gaze—it was actually an incredibly massive Black Dragon!
Except for the lack of thunder and rain, this scene actually matched the vision she had seen in her Prophecy!
Adelaide murmured to herself with a dazed look: "No way..."
She had wanted to enjoy a carefree year before the savior entered the school, but Merlin was giving her no chance to relax at all!
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