The red train traveled through the wilderness, clattering along, while the carriage gently swayed.
In the middle of the journey, Vid went to the bathroom. Returning to the compartment, he noticed there were unusually few students lingering in the corridor this year.
Usually, many students would keep their compartment doors open, running around greeting friends they hadn't seen all summer. The Weasley Brothers would take the opportunity to sell some of the gadgets they'd created during the holiday, and Malfoy would be trailing his followers to trouble Harry.
But this time, the corridor was very quiet, most of the compartment doors were tightly shut. As Vid walked past, he could hear fits of laughter coming from inside, and a man asking innocently:
"Why did you put butter on your face?… Oh, Moses caught the scent of roses…"
Well, Vid knew why the corridor was so quiet—because everyone was hiding in their compartments watching TV.
Vid stood by the window and looked outside. The heavy clouds had completely blocked out the sunlight and the distant mountains became blurry.
In a moment, raindrops began to patter against the carriage, inducing a sense of serenity.
The lights in the corridor came on, the train's glass turned into natural black mirrors, and Vid could no longer see the outside view, only his own reflection.
A student who had gone to the bathroom ran quickly past and, shortly after, dashed back, glancing curiously at Vid by the window without saying anything, then rushed into his compartment.
A few minutes later, Vid found himself joined by someone else.
Michael stared at the glass for a while, then asked curiously, "Vid, what are you looking at?"
"Seeing nothing."
"—Then why are you still looking?"
"I thought I might see something..."
"See what?"
"It's half an hour until we reach Hogwarts, right?"
"Almost."
"Forget it." Vid turned around, saying, "Let's go back, it's getting a bit cold outside."
"I should've said this earlier!" Michael muttered, "You can daze off in the compartment, I thought something happened to you!"
Vid returned to the compartment and saw Leian and Theo poking their heads out from afar. Seeing the two, they smiled.
He also smiled unconsciously, his gaze sweeping over the pitch-black night outside again.
The train traveled continuously, raindrops trickled down the windows without forming frost, and the temperature didn't abruptly drop.
Despite the escapees now being three, the Dementors hadn't come to intercept the Hogwarts train.
Perhaps because the Ministry of Magic didn't believe Peter Pettigrew had the nerve for desperate revenge; or perhaps because Dumbledore was now more assertive than in the storyline, making Fudge cautious.
The train safely entered the station, and the doors opened, students poured out from the train, interspersed with many complaints.
Outside, rain still fell, the ground was muddy and slippery, and even the platform was icy.
Vid raised his magic wand, an invisible magical force spread from its tip into the air, forming a transparent umbrella that kept the rain out.
Michael pulled Padma inside quickly, hiding under the "umbrella," and said gratefully, "Great, I forgot to take my umbrella out of the suitcase."
Padma giggled, "Thanks, Vid. I put on makeup today and don't want to get wet."
Pavarti, also dragged over, awkwardly made conversation, "Vid, what spell is this?"
"Umbrella unfold…"
Vid hadn't finished speaking, just expanded the umbrella a bit, when several others squeezed in even closer.
Vid: "..."
He silently looked at the surrounding many smiling faces, meanwhile hearing Hagrid loudly say, "First-years come here!"
Vid stretched out his empty left hand, seven or eight tree leaves suddenly flew to him and hovered. Then, he tapped each leaf with his magic wand.
The green leaves rapidly unfolded, expanded, forming large green umbrellas, their tips drooped, stems elongated and curved, just suitable to be held in hand.
And with a wave of Vid's hand, the leaf umbrellas flew to his friends without umbrellas, who reached to hold the "umbrella handles," creating space around Vid.
"Wow—"
Around came a burst of exclamation, filled with youthful admiration.
"Is this magic?" A bowl-cut little boy asked, eyes glistening.
Vid and the others looked, seeing a dozen or so freshmen beside them, some without umbrellas pulled their hoods against the rain, enviously and admiringly watching the leaves hovering in the air.
"Yes, envious? You'll be able to do it too in the future."
Michael grabbed a large leaf umbrella over Padma's sisters' heads, enough to shield two to three people. Then he conveniently handed one to two young girls among the freshmen.
"You're lying!" a pale girl holding a small floral umbrella suddenly said, "My sister's about your age, and she can't do this. She's still got her backpack on her head!"
"Shut up, Astoria!" Daphne, burdened with a backpack, both embarrassed and annoyed, retorted.
Astoria shrugged her shoulders, full of "See, I told you!" expression, and stubbornly continued, "I reminded you to bring an umbrella, you forgot yourself!"
Daphne rolled her eyes in frustration and ignored her sister, running off to the carriage.
Vid conjured up a few more leaf umbrellas for the freshmen, who excitedly thanked him, gripping the leaf handles as if wielding scepters, radiating pride.
Astoria looked at the translucent leaves and went under too, handing over her small floral umbrella.
"I don't need this umbrella anymore, can you give it to Daphne? It's tough holding a backpack on your head all the time."
The crowd paused, then Michael took the umbrella with a smile and said, "Okay."
Astoria's bright eyes swept over their neck scarves.
Ravenclaw... this one's Ravenclaw too... Hufflepuff... Gryffindor...
No Slytherin.
She smiled, saying, "Thanks, you're all so nice."
In the dark, like a giant black bear, Hagrid led the quivering first-years away, while Vid and the others went to the carriage.
Passing by the noisy carriage queue, Michael spotted Daphne, waved his magic wand, sending the umbrella flying towards her.
Amidst the rain, it was unknown if Daphne thanked him. She opened the floral umbrella over her head, but she had long been drenched.
Actually, her friend Pansy also had an umbrella, but she stuck close to Malfoy, the hem of her robe in muddy water, hardly capable of caring for Daphne.
"Daphne's sister seems pretty cute, don't you think?" Hermione suddenly said. "She's different from Pansy's group."
"But she'll definitely end up in Slytherin," Ron said confidently, "in a month, you'll see how she's not different at all."