The train continued north. The window was now a thick, sticky gray, and it gradually deepened until the lights in the corridor and on the luggage racks were all turned on. The train swayed. Rain knocked on the window, and the wind grew stronger.
The train seemed to slow down when it saw mountains and woods under the dark purple sky.
"We're finally here." Ron, who had returned to Harry's compartment after his patrol, looked away from the chocolate ball that Fraig was eating. "I'm starving. I want to eat … I hope Allen didn't take the drumsticks off the menu …"
"Wait." Jenny looked out the window. "This isn't Hogwarts … Why did the train stop?"
"Then why did it stop?" Ron asked curiously. "Did something happen?"
Harry looked at the mechanical watch on his wrist. "Don't tell me there's another Dementor to check …"
The train slowed down, and the sound of the wheels faded. A voice that was neither male nor female echoed on the train. "The train will arrive at the new platform in Hogwarts in three minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. We'll take it to the school for you."
"Thank goodness the rain has stopped." Jenny retracted her head from the window. "Ron, we have to check the carriage to see if any of the little wizards are asleep."
"Don't bother me. The other leaders will do it." Ron waved his hand impatiently and ignored Jenny. He called for Harry and the others to get off the train. The cold night air made them shiver.
The train slowed down even more and finally came to a stop. The passengers pushed and shoved each other to get off the train to a newly built platform. It was much more imposing than the small, dark platform before.
After seeing the scenery, Harry and the others followed the crowd out. After turning a corner and leaving the platform, they were suddenly faced with a huge wall built right next to the station.
"Is this the boundary of Hogwarts's expansion plan?" Neville stuck his head out of the endless pits, holding Lai Fu that he didn't want to move. "It's full of supports … This is really deep."
"The railway ends here? There's no more railway ahead … Why is the previous platform so far away from Hogwarts? " Dean Thomas grumbled, "We can't make it to the banquet even if we take the carriage …"
"Let me see where the Hogwarts are … I can't even see the Black Lake." Ximo looked around and his mouth was wide open. He said in a daze, "Are those shadows in front the city walls? That's weird … "
Then, some fluorescent lights flashed from the other side of the wall, and some figures in robes walked over. "Students of Hogwarts, please come over here!"
Seeing that someone was guiding them, the little wizards who didn't know the way were relieved.
Harry noticed that the Auror in H94 uniforms who were responsible for guarding Hogwarts had disappeared. Instead, they were replaced by sorcerers wearing ancient protective robes that were similar to Harry and the others. The only difference was that the robes were black.
"Who are these people? Or did the Auros from the Ministry of Magic change their equipment again? "Justin Fenrieri elbowed Ernie McMillan who was beside him.
"Don't you see the umbrella symbol? Is the necklace hanging outside the robes the Omniscient Symbol? That's the umbrella's armed forces … "Ernie McMillan raised his arm and pointed, then put it on Justin Fenlie's shoulder." The Hogwarts don't have an Aura anymore … I guess … I guess Principal Harris wants the Hogwarts to be completely removed from the Ministry of Magic. "
"But isn't the Ministry of Magic controlled by Principal Harris' family?" Justin was a little confused. He understood what Ernie was saying, but he didn't understand why Principal Harris wanted to do this.
"Anyway, let's just stay out of it." Ernie McMillan shook his head. He didn't know the specific reason.
Under the guidance of the Umbrella staff, the young adepts walked along the wide stone path on the flat platform and passed through a large arched doorway. Compared to the past, where they had to walk along a steep and narrow path and stumble down to the Vernon carriage in the dark, the treatment of the adepts this time was completely different.
The crowd exited the platform, and the wizards cheered and talked excitedly. The platform was built on a higher ground. Harry looked over the surrounding walls and saw a very magnificent scene in the distance. The thick walls were not in a square shape, but in a prismatic shape. The points where the walls met formed very sharp corners.
Above the walls, there were triangular fortresses, and in front of the walls, there was a very wide ditch. The defensive walls were very thick and very tall. They were made of solid rock covered with metal plates engraved with runes. They looked very sturdy and majestic.
Outside the city walls, the trenches that were separated by a flat open space looked like a circle of trenches outside the city walls.
"Is this a bastion?" Freeg shouted, noticing the looks of the wizards around him. "It's a construction method of ancient Muggle fortresses. The essence of it is to change the fortress from a convex polygon to a concave polygon. This modification allows the attackers to expose more than one side of the fortress to the defenders, regardless of which point the fortress is attacked. The defenders can use cross-fire to launch multiple attacks."
"But I don't understand. This place is so far away from the academy. Why would they build a wall here? What's the point? " Jenny tugged at Harry's arm. "Do we have to restrict the range of Phantom Transference to this far in the future?"
"This place is too far away from the residential area of Hogwarts. It's my first time here." Harry was stumped. He estimated the distance in his mind and realized that this was the first time he had seen such a magnificent building. "I don't understand either. If it surrounds the entire Hogwarts Expansion, it won't be enough even if all the wizards in the United Kingdom were to go up there."
"Why does it have to be useful?" Ron leaned against the wall proudly. "If you ask me, Allen is showing off his wealth. Who cares if it's useful or not. The largest magic academy in the world is either Africa's Ouagadou or Hogwarts."
"Children, don't forget about the Super Iron Shield …" An umbrella wizard who was guiding the children overheard their discussion and spoke proudly. "This wall is actually set up with many protection spell nodes. Most importantly, if activated, it can quickly cast a Super Iron Shield that covers a large area, enveloping the entire Hogwarts and its surroundings. Please hurry through the gate. Don't worry, you'll reach the academy soon."
After crossing the wall, the little wizards found themselves in a barbican.
The inner walls of the barbican were inlaid with dark, glossy wooden planks, and a row of gold-plated fireplaces were embedded in the planks. Every few seconds, some wizards would suddenly emerge from one of the fireplaces on the left. With a light puff sound, some black smoke appeared out of thin air. Some wizards carried some very young wizards and came to this place through Phantom Transference. They carefully cleaned the ashes on the children's bodies and patted them on the back to make it easier for the children who were still dizzy.
In front of the fireplace on the right, there were some employees in umbrella uniforms who began to guide the wizards through the fireplace in an orderly manner. They divided the students at the front, making the whole scene very fast and orderly.
"Is the range of the Phantom Transference forbidden really so big? But many of those children haven't used Floo Powder yet. Isn't it dangerous to use the fireplace? " Neville looked at the cute chubby faces of the little wizards and couldn't help but rub his fingers and say with some concern.
"Yes! Many of the children look too young … "Harry nodded in agreement. He remembered that when he used the fireplace for the first time, he mispronounced the name of the place. As a result, the Floo Powder brought him to the very dangerous Overturn Alley.
"The fireplace on the right is not connected to the outside area, so don't worry about the children mispronouncing it. They can't leave this area anyway." Jenny looked at Harry's doubtful eyes and explained. "Didn't Sirius tell you? My father complained when he was building a new shack during the holidays that he might have to use the fireplace more often in the future. But Phantom Transference shouldn't have been banned in the morning. I didn't expect the range to be so big this time. "
"If it's not a special period, the Phantom Transference forbidden barrier would only be set up near a few schools." The umbrella wizard who led them here explained, "The Hogwarts are too big now. If we can't teleport, we'll look too much like Muggle. It's not good for the economy. In fact, it's Headmaster Harris' idea today. He doesn't want to change the tradition of taking the train to Hogwarts, so the first day of school is special. Of course, the situation is different for the elementary school and the university. It's much more convenient for them. Okay, children, it's almost your turn.
The Gryffindor turned their attention back to the fireplace. There was an oak bucket in front of each fireplace, and there was a lot of shiny Floo Powder in each bucket.
"Although it's two spoonfuls per scoop …" Ron, who was at the front of the line, was stunned. "But how many spoonfuls are there in a bucket? Are they all free?"
"Yes, the fireplace is free. Red-haired gentleman, please hurry up …" The umbrella wizard urged Ron. "You should go to the Hogwarts Station." He had said this many times, and his voice was a little hoarse.
"Floo powder doesn't feel good..." Ron mumbled as he was urged. He pinched a handful of glittering powder and threw it into the fire. With a whoosh, the fire turned green and the flames rose. He walked straight into the fire and said the address as clearly as he could. "Hogwarts Station." His figure instantly disappeared without a trace.
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