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Neville scratched his head sheepishly, bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from the witch, and distributed them to everyone present.
He seemed to want to express his gratitude, even though the previous experience hadn't been pleasant.
For some reason, however, Morris only got smells of boogers and mud.
Finally, he silently came to a conclusion:
He hates Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
Chapter 20 Arrival at Hogwarts
After an unknown amount of time, the train finally began to slow down.
Morris rubbed his slightly sore neck and turned to look out the window.
The sky was already tinged with the colors of dusk, and the distant mountains stretched out like a sleeping giant.
"We're almost there." Lee Jordan stretched, his right hand accidentally brushing against the can that was dozing on Morris's lap.
"!"
He abruptly pulled his hand back, as quickly as if he had been burned by something.
"What's wrong?" Fred keenly sensed that something was amiss.
"It's nothing." Lee Jordan shook his head, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.
What is that?
He seemed to feel a strange chill.
It wasn't just any ordinary coolness; it was a chill that penetrated to the bone, as if I had touched something that didn't belong to this world.
But the feeling was somewhat familiar... He tried hard to recall, and finally remembered—it was similar to the feeling of being passed through by the ghosts of Hogwarts.
He subconsciously turned to look at Maurice, only to find that Maurice was staring out the window and had not noticed anything amiss.
Only the black cat, who had opened its eyes at some point, was quietly watching him.
Lee Jordan couldn't help but shiver.
"Are you really alright?" George leaned closer and asked in a low voice.
"It's alright." Lee Jordan steadied himself.
Maurice Black was quite a mysterious fellow.
Before the train had come to a complete stop, hurried footsteps could be heard in the aisle.
"Let's go." Fred and George stood up at the same time.
"Oh, okay."
Morris, holding the can, stood up and followed the twins.
"Hey, freshman," Fred glanced back at him, pointing to the canned food in his arms and the suitcase at his feet, "you don't need to bring these. Leave your pets and luggage in the car; the house-elves will help deliver them to your dorms. By the way, do you know house-elves?"
"Of course." Morris nodded.
He had read about this "wizard servant" creature in a book.
"Stay put, you silly cat. See you tonight."
Morris placed the canned food on the suitcase.
Although reluctant to part with the canned food, it still obediently squatted there.
...
A bustling crowd poured out of the Hogwarts Express doors, including Maurice.
The sky had completely darkened, and a cool evening breeze swept over us.
He looked around and found that it was a rather simple little station.
There was an old wooden sign next to it, and in the dim light, you could vaguely see that it read "Hogsmeade Station".
Not far away, lanterns swayed in the night.
"First-year students! This way! First-year students, come with me! Harry, come this way, okay?"
A rough voice rang out.
Morris looked in the direction of the voice and found an unusually tall giant—so tall that he suspected it was a hybrid of a human and some kind of magical creature.
However, his words were more attention-grabbing than his appearance.
Harry Potter—that's the only name Maurice is somewhat familiar with in this world.
He began trying to spot Harry Potter in the crowd—in fact, everyone present did the same.
Everyone is curious about what kind of person Harry Potter is.
Surrounded by the crowd, Maurice did not see the legendary Harry Potter.
But it doesn't matter, since it has nothing to do with him.
"I am Rubeus Hagrid, the key keeper of Hogwarts and the game field keeper," Hagrid's voice rang out again. "Come, new students, follow me! Watch your step!"
Morris said goodbye to Lee Jordan and the other two, and joined the first-year team.
He followed at the back of the group, and the cool, comfortable night breeze made him involuntarily squint his eyes.
His Hogwarts life is about to officially begin.
The dim light from the oil lamp Hagrid was shaking cast caused the shadow at Maurice's feet to shift unnaturally.
A black silhouette emerged from the shadows, and an owl nimbly leaped onto his wrist.
The two clusters of eerie blue flames burning in the fireworks' eye sockets were particularly conspicuous in the night.
However, because Maurice was at the very back of the line, no one noticed this unusual scene.
"Coo → Coo↑ Coo↓"
"You want to go say hello to the owls at this school? No problem, go ahead."
Morris understood the meaning of the fireworks and gently raised his arm.
The flames in the fireworks' eye sockets flickered slightly, then spread their wings and silently disappeared into the night.
The owls seem to have their own set of social rules, and as a new member, Fireworks also needs to make an appearance in the local owl community.
It's just unknown whether they would accept an owl that has become a ghost.
Morris watched the fireworks disappear into the night sky in the direction of the castle, then quickened his pace to catch up with the new students.
Hagrid led the restless freshmen down a steep, narrow path, with dense forest on either side.
Finally, they stopped by a large lake.
"We'll cross the river by boat," Hagrid said, pointing to the row of small boats on the lake. "Four people per boat, one at a time!"
Because Maurice was last in line, he was lucky enough to have a small boat all to himself.
This suited him perfectly—he could even lie in the wooden boat and gaze at the stars in the sky.
"Please sit up, sir!"
Hagrid's booming voice came from the ship at the very front, and Maurice had no choice but to comply.
The boat slowly started moving, and he reached his hand into the lake.
A soft touch came from my fingertips, carrying the unique coolness of the lake water at night.
He scooped up some lake water and examined it closely by the moonlight. The water was extremely pure, with almost no impurities visible.
Out of some curiosity, he took a small bite—it tasted refreshing and didn't have any strange flavor.
It's a good place to swim, Morris thought.
Although he can't swim.
At that moment, a huge dark shadow silently appeared beneath the water near his small boat.
It's obviously a big guy.
It swam slowly, neither getting close nor moving away, as if observing the fleet from afar.
Morris moved slightly towards the center of the boat—he didn't want to fall overboard by accident.
When the boat reached the middle of the lake, he had nothing to do, so he began to look up at the sky again.
In the night sky, besides the twinkling stars, some moving shadows can be faintly seen.
It didn't look like an ordinary bird; it looked more like some kind of large creature.
Morris squinted, trying to see more clearly.
Just then, a black dot suddenly appeared in the night sky behind it.
Closer and closer...
Finally, Morris could see the exact shape of the black dot.
It was a skinny, bony black Pegasus with bat-like wings, a dragon-shaped head, and pure white pupils.
Very beautiful, that was Morris's first impression.
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