As for the little wizards who had already obtained their Phantom Transfiguration License, not many of them liked the way Floo fans traveled.
Harry got out of the fireplace, brushed the ashes off him, cleaned his glasses, put them back on his nose, and looked around. This was a familiar place. He saw the familiar black lake, the towering castle on the high hillside on the other side of the lake, and the windows twinkling under the starry sky. Harry knew that he had entered the Hogwarts station where the train used to stop.
Just like the barbican at the city gate, there were many fireplaces installed on the old platform. The familiar environment of the Hogwarts gave the students a sense of security. After a moment of observation, the little wizards who did not have a new house in the Hogwarts looked at the black lake and the buildings in the distance and felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The Hogwarts was no longer the school that was cut off from the rest of the world.
There was a group of buildings on the empty ground beside the platform. There were many buildings that looked like dry docks and large docks. The reason why they looked similar was because they were not like the Hogwarts School's boat hut that was built beside the black lake. Instead, they were built directly on land.
"There's another stadium beside the Quidditch Stadium?" A little wizard exclaimed. Everyone looked in his direction and saw that there was another similar building beside the Hogwarts Quidditch Stadium. With the help of the moonlight after the rain, the little wizards could see it clearly. However, the difference was that it seemed to be made of stone.
Other than that, the Hogwarts did not seem to have changed much. Then, a lamp swayed above the students' heads and a familiar voice shouted, "Freshmen! Freshmen, come over here! The rest of you, go ahead and take the bus … "
Hagrid's current attire was similar to that of the Umbrella Guards, clad in an ancient style robe. His attire today was as formal as the one he wore during the ball. His usually unkempt hair was tied into a ponytail, while his beard was meticulously braided into little braids. Due to his physique and strength, his relationship with the Viking Undead Knights was pretty good.
However, the sudden dragon roar from the Forbidden Forest was louder than the hybrid giant's. The little adepts who hadn't returned to school during the holidays shivered and realized that there really was a dragon farm in the Forbidden Forest.
"For Ravenclaw's sake … Lessie is bullying Norbeta again …" Hagrid's attire today was as formal as he was at the ball. "Hmm? Don't be afraid. You'll meet her in my class when you're in your third year … "Hagrid seemed to be able to distinguish Harry and Ron from the heads in front of him." Oh, you're here. Maybe you want to meet Norbeta with me later? That's right, she's Norber. Charlie and his colleagues later found out that Norber was a female dragon, so they changed her name … I should have known … Female Norway Ridgebacks are much more ferocious than males. "
"Is that the one Harry saved when he was in his first year? Let's talk about it when we're free. Hagrid, you should take the freshmen to the boat. " Jenny said to the children who were afraid of Hagrid and did not dare to make a sound. However, at least this year, Hagrid did not wear the mole suit and gave off a sense of civilization. He did not scare the children to tears.
What followed next was still the tradition of the Hogwarts. The freshmen went to the Black Lake and prepared four people to a boat to experience the feeling of the founders before the school was built.
The others took the carriages pulled by the Night Qilins to the academy. More carriages were waiting for them than usual. This year, due to the unrest after the return of the Dark Lord, more young wizards were able to see the black Night Qilins with their own eyes. They were skinny, dragon-like, and had huge bat wings. These creatures could only be seen by people who had seen death. Many superstitious young wizards felt that it was very inauspicious.
However, under the comforting of the leaders, the carriages finally creaked and swayed on the road. They came to the magnificent cast iron gate of the Hogwarts. The gate had not been renovated. There were still many stone pillars on both sides, and the front was decorated with a winged warthog.
However, the guards outside the gate were not the Aura or the Umbrella Wizards of the past. Instead, there were three tall Death Knights in full plate armor and holding Viking axes. Two of them stood on the left and right of the gate, and the one in the middle opened the gate for them when he saw the carriages approaching. After that, he stepped aside.
When the carriages approached the Death Knights, Harry felt another wave of biting cold. He could not help but shrink into the uneven seat and close his eyes until they entered the gate. In fact, Harry was not afraid of these Death Knights. It was mainly because this feeling reminded him of the time when he was attacked by the Dementors.
The carriages sped up on the long sloping road until they reached the front of the castle. They watched as the many turrets and towers gradually approached them. Finally, the carriage swayed to a stop. Professor Gryffindor, the tall witch, stood in front of the gate, wearing a protective robe similar to the students of Gryffindor. The difference was that the robe of the dean of Gryffindor was similar to that of Allen's, which was inlaid with many practical rubies.
Mag, who was wrapped in a red cloak that resembled a lion's mane, was looking at the students on the list with a serious expression. She wasn't in the mood to chat, and merely nodded at Harry. She glanced at Ron with furrowed brows, and adjusted his hood. She didn't say anything else, and began to compare the list of names on the parchment in her hand again.
When they came to the gate of the auditorium, they saw the short dean of Ravenclaw standing in Professor Mag's place, waiting for the first-year wizards to climb up from the rock tunnel at the wharf.
The professor of potions was wearing a Ravenclaw robe inlaid with many deep sapphires, which made the young wizards certain that the professors were also restricted by the rules this year. Harry then realized another change in Hogwarts. Filius Fleevy had replaced the dean of Gryffindor as the vice-principal of Hogwarts. Neither Mag nor Professor Fleevy were interested in power struggles, so they did not think much of it. However, it did not affect the mood of the two deans who had almost been assigned to the other school, especially after Professor Mag comforted Fleevy.
When they entered the auditorium, the ceiling in the foyer was still so high that they could barely see the top. It was so big that they could move the whole Dursley house into it. The luxurious marble staircase in front of them had not changed, either. However, the burning torches around the stone walls in the past had been replaced by the soft blue light of the Ministry of Magic this year. The stone statues were redder than the torches, and the blue light seemed to be able to keep people calm at all times. The ancient castle seemed to glow with new vitality and elegance.
The sound of the students' footsteps echoed in the hall. The floor was so shiny that it could reflect one's reflection. The young wizards entered the dining hall.
The thousands of candles floating in the air above the tables had not changed. They were still fulfilling their mission of illuminating the dining hall. The dark velvet-like ceiling was still twinkling with starlight. It was hard to believe that there was a ceiling above, and it was also hard to believe that the roof of the dining hall was not open air.
However, as the students took a few steps forward, they saw that there seemed to be more candles than in previous years. The length of the four long tables and the number of tableware made them realize that an additional Traceless Expansion Spell might have been cast on the auditorium this year. It looked much more spacious than before.
Under the innermost wall of the auditorium with a window, a huge Omniscient Symbol was placed in the middle behind the faculty seats. The pupil of the Omniscient Eye on the symbol was constantly rotating and scanning the entire auditorium.
Harry and the others had just walked to Gryffindor's table when Lavender Brown saw Ron like a bee seeing honey. He made a fuss over nothing and firmly grabbed Ron's arm. Upon seeing this, Harry and Jenny looked at each other and sighed tacitly before sitting down as well.
"Harry, you can't run around in the middle of the night this time. Otherwise, a lot of points will be deducted … This year is our last year at the school. For the sake of God, please do us a favor and let us win the School Championship at least once …" Hermione poked her head out from the end of the long table, stepped over the little lion beside her, and chattered to Harry. "There are many of these Omniscient Symbols in the school. The eyes on them are somewhat similar to Gringotte's defensive means or Moody's Magic Eye, which can make people unable to hide. In addition, except for places like the dormitory toilets and bathrooms, most of the school is equipped with a surveillance room from the Ministry of Magic. Someone is checking at all times."
This bad news made Harry's good mood disappear completely. He mumbled a reply to Hermione and had no intention of chatting anymore. However, the other people in the auditorium were very lively. What happened during this summer vacation gave these little wizards who had not seen each other for the entire holiday a lot of things to share and discuss. But now, they were talking more about the professors at the long staff table in front of the auditorium. There were many more of them than usual. There was even a Mr. Dexterous Hand who was sitting on the chair with a swagger.
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