Chương 11: Arrival

Not much later, news that Harry had missed the train, stole a car, and was even now flying above us on his way to Hogwarts spread to our compartment. The little restraint his budding fan club had started to develop shattered, and I was once again forced to listen to incessant prattle about The Boy Who Lived. Only this time a bunch of strangers were all too willing to join in. Arguments over whether Harry would get expelled for this broke out all over the train.

Students began running everywhere—disregarding the semi-private nature of the cabins—to press themselves to the glass during turns in attempts to see the car. Ginny claimed to have spotted something, and ran off to talk to her brothers. Fred and George organized an impromptu party for 'the greatest prank in Hogwarts history'. The prefects were shouting, Hermione was sulking, and everything had gotten so loud.

The only ones who even seemed to know—or care—that Ron was up there as well were Hermione, me, and the rest of his family. It was all thoroughly annoying. I spent most of the remaining ride practicing magic in the company of the much more level-headed Luna. I stayed away from transfiguration magic because my notes indicated miscasts could severely injure people and McGonagall would come down hard on students treating her subject irresponsibly. But charms were open season.

With every successful spell cast, I concentrated hard; trying to perceive the magic itself, but to no avail. Despite my constant efforts over the summer, I'd never seen, touched, heard, smelled, or even tasted anything different about my wand. Before my failure with the levitation charm, I had started to suspect that McGonagall had been playing a prank on me. However, Luna's Lumos was brighter than mine. She'd claimed she hadn't practiced, and I believed her. She wasn't exactly the deceitful type.

Since we'd both cast the spell correctly, the natural conclusion was that she had more innate magical power than me. It was beginning to look like I didn't have any magical advantage over the other first-years. I'd read too many power fantasies. There were so many stories involving reincarnation or transmigration where the main character had cheat-like abilities, that I'd begun to just assume I had something myself. A dangerous conclusion with nothing to back it up.

I did have plot knowledge, but a static vision of the future suddenly felt very limited, especially after everything I'd been worrying about regarding butterfly effects. Sheer magic power was dynamic. Flexible. The ability to pick and choose the outcomes of events. Researching Prophecy and how to gain more power rose on my priority list. At least I hadn't sat back and relied on a false premise. My hard work had put me somewhat ahead in terms of technical knowledge. I'd need to keep that up to maintain the lead.

Not instantly being a magical genius was tolerable. Being behind was not. This was magic; I was not going to accept anything short of becoming the best. Even if I had to claw my way to the top from the very bottom. My earlier assumption felt stupid. Childish. The state of the body impacts the mind. I'd noticed changes since becoming Lyra, but it was always the unnoticed things that blindsided people. v^v^V^v^v We arrived at Hogsmeade station right around sunset.

I left my luggage on the train per the conductor's instructions, and moved to disembark. A watch. I cursed. I should've bought a watch. Might not have been able to afford it though. Ms Parish had already been pretty generous with our spending budget, and I'd need one without any electrical components. I had to assume that would increase the price.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" a booming voice roared. I rushed past a group of older students trying to set up a telescope to scan for the flying car, and was among the first to arrive. A strong gust of wind pushed me a little off balance. Good. it would be less suspicious for my upcoming plan if the weather was cooperating like this. Pity there wasn't a full-on storm like when Dennis Creevey would start at Hogwarts.

"C'mon, follow me—any more firs'-years? I swear, you lot get smaller ev'ry year. Firs'-years follow me!" Hagrid was huge. The movies didn't do that part of him justice. His knee was level with my shoulders. Judging by the train and the nearby buildings he was around eleven and a half feet tall—I'd gone back to using imperial measurements since wizarding society apparently did officially use it instead of metric—this put him at twice the height of an ordinary man.

As I got close to him, I took special note of the way he moved. The layers of clothing, mole-skin overcoat, and bushy beard all made him look fluffy from a distance; but there was no wobble of fat in his bulky frame. It was all muscle. His arms made a gorilla's look like twigs. Standing next to him was more than a little intimidating. I had to take extra care to avoid walking in front of him out of an irrational fear he might trample me accidentally.

My fellow first-years chose to huddle even further back as he strode down the street. One of them stood out in the twilight. A taller black-haired girl with a glittery eyepatch. I wondered if the school could regrow such an injury. I didn't try to talk to him as our group moved off the platform. He was actively working right now. There would be time enough to visit him on weekends to form a connection. The path was dark, uneven, and the shadows from the trees made trips and stumbles all too common.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I kept a hand on my hat as we walked. The wind kept blowing erratically, causing my hair to smack me in the face. I should have cut it short before coming here, but Ms Parish had pressed me not to. I hadn't cared enough at the time to push for it.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here." There was a slew of gasps. Colin's camera went wild, snapping photo after photo. The castle was built high on the rocks over the lakes. It was larger than any depiction of it in media. The structure looked dangerous; too big for the small mountain it was on. I suspected it would have collapsed if not for the existence of magic. The lights in the windows were lit, like stars sparkling in the night sky.

Their shimmering reflection off the lake was breathtaking. Hagrid gave us a minute to admire the view before ushering us onward towards a fleet of rowboats lined up on the shore.

"No more'n four to a boat!" There were twenty boats, meaning almost twice as many as needed. I intentionally moved to group up with Colin, who was still distracted and in awe over the castle. Mathis joined us a second later. Luna had been sticking close to Ginny, and they joined a boy and girl pair I hadn't seen on the train.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then—FORWARD!" The boats moved off all at once, gliding across the choppy waters of the lake. I waited until we were about halfway there before deciding to make my move.

"Hey Colin?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your camera? I want to take a photo from this angle."

"I could just take it?"

"Not directly from this angle. I'm going to stand up; get less of the water. If the wind picks up I'll be sure to toss the camera back to you before I fall in."

"Or, and humor me on this," said Mathis, "You could just stay seated and not risk getting wet?" I looked over to him, aghast at the mere suggestion." Mathis. How could you say that? This is the perfect photo opportunity. Trust me. Please, Colin?"

"Ahh, okay I guess. Just be careful." I smiled widely at him. A genuine request from one of the only acquaintances he had at the school. Like candy from a baby. I took the camera—gave Mathis my hat—and stood. I made a show of not being satisfied at the angle before stepping onto the seat.

"Oi! You there– Watch yerself! It's windy!" Hagrid's shout legitimately did startle me, and my fake unsteadiness became very real as I unbalanced with the next gust of wind. Colin moved to grab me, but I tossed the camera into his hands to distract him. Then hit the water with a plop, and quickly started splashing in mock distress. The water was cold, and my clothes weighed me down, but I was actually a very good swimmer. My grandpa had lost a sister to drowning and made sure everyone in the family learned to swim.

I'd taken to it like a fish and even worked several summers as a lifeguard. A lot of the first-years got very excited very quickly, and one of the girls I didn't know let out an unnecessary scream. To be fair, it was fully dark now, and the wind gave the scene a bit of an eerie quality. Mathis leaned so far out of the boat in an attempt to grab my hand, that he was in danger of falling out himself. I pretended to struggle in his direction while kicking backwards. I really hoped my gamble would pay out.

I only knew of the giant squid helping out the one time.

"STOP!" Hagrid shouted over the commotion. The boats came to a perfect stop, all except Hagrid's.

"Stay Calm! Stay Calm! She'll be jus' fine." Strong flexible arms wrapped around me from the depths, arresting my movement and lifting me out of the water. Suddenly, the girl's screams were joined by half the kids. Despite anticipating it, the experience sent a spike of fear through me. Still, I breathed a sigh of relief. My gold was safe.

"Don' panic! Tha's jus' Horace there. He's completely harmless, he is. Likes to rescue firs'-years when you lot fall in. noth'in to worry about." The squid was surprisingly gentle as he set me back in the boat. As he began to pull away, one of his tentacles stayed just long enough to pat me on the head before sliding back into the dark waters below. I turned my soaking wet body around to face Mathis—pure success plastered to my face—and rubbed my thumb together with my forefinger.

"I think that counts, three galleons was it?" His look of worried shock twisted into disbelief.

"You– You did that on purpose. You…" His face screwed up and he broke into a fit of laughter. I joined in, and seconds later so did Colin. Gambling was a loaded term. Everything carried an element of risk. The real issue I'd identified with what people called 'Gambling' was that there was a definite loser. I knew I had an advantage, and I was going to abuse it. I'd have to be careful not to abuse the people as well.

Ensuring people enjoyed themselves through losing—like I'd just done here—would help mitigate the issue. However, It was a very fine line. Treating the activity as a business that exchanged money for entertainment was how casinos operated. Up front, organized, and business-like was a good start, but their negative reputation existed for a reason. I'd have to be better.

School kids didn't tend to have the kind of money that could ruin their life if they lost it, but I'd ensure the bets remained lower value just in case. What are other ethical methods of gambling I know about? I needed something sustainable.

"I got it!" Colin cheered, breaking me out of my contemplations and waving his camera around triumphantly.

"I got the photo!"

"You alrigh' there?" Hagrid asked, his boat having gotten much closer as everything unfolded. I shivered. The water wasn't that bad—it was summer after all—but now the wind was tearing through me.

"I'm good, Hagrid. Thank you."

"Nah, look at you. Yer freezing. Here, take this." He shrugged off his coat and tossed it at me without waiting for a reply. The coat landed over top of me like a brick, slamming me to the side and downward. The whole boat rocked with the added weight until the magic could stabilize it.

"Thanks, Hagrid," I said again much less enthusiastically as I clawed my head free. I was going to have bruises.

"Arhg, you don' need ta be mentionin' tha'– It's me job," he said with considerable pride, "Now jus' don't be falling in again, ya 'ear? Coat's a pain to clean, I'd rather avoid it if I can."

'Difficult cleaning' often translated to 'doesn't get cleaned'. Now that he brought it up, I couldn't help but notice that the coat already smelled strongly of animals. Great.

"Right, then. We still got to get you lot to the castle. FORWARD." The boats resumed their plodding pace, and the post-action nerves began to hit me. I never really felt overwhelmed while adrenaline was in my system; at least as long as I could focus and think things through. For me, it was always the comedown that wrecked me most, filling me with worry, stress, weakness throughout my limbs, and a persistent shakiness.

By the time we reached the underground harbor where the boats were stored, I was definitely grateful for the coat. Not only did it help disguise my condition from Colin and Mathis, but the wind had been mercilessly robbing my exposed skin of all heat. The coat was big—easy to hide in—and nice and toasty from Hagrid's use. There had been some scattered conversations on the boats after my stunt, but they faded at the prospect of what was coming.

Nervous glances kept flicking over to Hagrid, whose authority was hard to ignore now that he was standing once again. Climbing the steps from the harbor to the castle grounds was hard. I was forced to take the rear by virtue of the cloak dragging on the steps behind me—even with me folding it in half lengthwise to make it manageable. Before long, my legs were burning and my breaths were coming a bit shallowly. I may not be wheelchair-bound anymore, but I wasn't anything close to athletic.

It didn't help that I might've been ignoring any physical activity in favor of reading over the last two months. I started falling further and further behind the others. My thoughts began to drift as I flagged. I realized that Hagrid had never made an introduction, but I'd called him by his name. It wasn't a major error, but it was unintentional. It might've gone unnoticed, but I'd also pre-named Luna in much the same way. Did I want to flaunt my knowledge?

Naturally, I didn't want to reveal anything critical, but there was plenty that was essentially harmless. Should I lean into it more? Claim to be a seer? I might have something similar, but I should probably learn what a seer is before committing myself to the title. People coming to me for divinations wouldn't work out. At some point, Hagrid came back for me and, after asking permission, effortlessly picked me up and carried me gently under his arm the rest of the way up the stairs.

It was mildly embarrassing to be carried, but I'd already resigned myself to the feeling when I realized I couldn't keep up. If something was unavoidable, might as well take the option that was more practical.