48: The Legend of the Four Titans

The sky was gradually darkening.

The frigid temperature and gathering dark clouds accelerated the arrival of night.

"Found them!"

Rubeus Hagrid, the towering half-giant with a face full of unruly, tangled beard, lit the lantern in his hand and led a chattering crowd of young wizards toward the Black Lake.

"What's going on with those two over there?"

"Are they also first-year students starting this year? Why didn't they come with us on the train?"

"Maybe they just live near Hogwarts."

...

Squatting by the Black Lake and playing with the water, Ian and Aurora instantly caught the attention of the young wizards, who followed closely behind Hagrid, chattering and whispering among themselves.

"The two kids Dumbledore mentioned must be you, right?" Hagrid held his small pink umbrella in his other hand, creating a stark, comical contrast with his massive, burly frame.

"If there's no one else here, then it must be us." Aurora had to tilt her head all the way back just to look up at Hagrid's beard-covered face.

"Professor, you're finally here. We've been waiting for so long." Ian quickly grabbed his suitcase and hurried over with Aurora to join the group of new students.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, took a little extra time finding a lost student." Hagrid laughed so hard his beard shook. He reached out a massive hand and ruffled Ian's hair. "Just call me Hagrid, I'm just the Hogwarts gamekeeper, don't get the title wrong. You little fellow are really likable."

Clearly, hearing the word "Professor" had touched a soft spot in Hagrid's heart.

"All the same, all the same."

Ian felt as though the giant's huge hand could cover the entirety of the top of his head.

"Everyone's here now, hurry up and get in the boats, we're running out of time."

Hagrid's favor was always easy to win. Seeing the skinny Ian, he even tucked his little pink umbrella into his waistband, effortlessly freeing up a hand to help Ian and Aurora carry their suitcases.

"Thank you, Professor Hagrid, you're a good man."

Ian trotted happily behind Hagrid, while Aurora looked thoughtful, as if she had just figured something out. The two of them joined the flock of young wizards following Hagrid.

Yet, no one spoke to them.

Early friendships almost always began on the Hogwarts Express; those chance encounters inside the compartments largely predetermined the initial social circles of the young wizards.

The procession soon arrived at the boat launch on the shore of the Black Lake.

"Four to a boat! No shoving, no squeezing, this is for your own safety!" Hagrid shouted at the top of his lungs to the eager crowd of young wizards.

Immediately afterwards, he conveniently tossed Ian and Aurora's suitcases into the nearest boat. Left with no other choice, the two of them neatly and swiftly climbed inside.

"Hey, you lot! I mean you! Ten of you are not allowed to squeeze into one boat!"

Hagrid dashed off to manage another group of young wizards.

Just then, two girls approached one after the other and climbed into the boat occupied by Ian and Aurora. The two girls probably didn't know each other well, leaving a wide gap between them as they sat across from Ian and Aurora.

"Hello."

One of the girls greeted Ian and Aurora warmly.

Aurora gave a slight nod.

Ian let out a long sigh of relief.

"I thought we were going to have to share a boat to the school with big old Hagrid."

He felt rather grateful that the boat was filled with people his own size.

"You just called him a professor and said he was a good man, and now you're saying you didn't want to ride in a boat with him?" Aurora looked at Ian with a hint of bewilderment.

"That's not a question of wanting to or not," Ian replied righteously. "Of course I think he's a good man, but what does that have to do with the possibility of our boat capsizing?"

Such sound and logical reasoning.

The friendly girl sitting opposite them couldn't help but nod in agreement.

At that very moment—

"Sit tight, everyone, we're off!" Hagrid called out, having secured a boat entirely to himself. At his loud shout, all the small boats began to move forward automatically across the mirror-smooth surface of the lake.

"That's not scientific!"

Ian watched as the water line of Hagrid's boat appeared no different from the rest of the small boats, feeling a momentary flash of surprise before letting out a soft, enlightened sigh.

"But it's certainly magical."

Hagrid's weight could never possibly equal just four young wizards; the little boats ferrying the students to Hogwarts were clearly some sort of enchanted, multi-functional alchemical creations.

Feeling the autonomous motion of the boat, Ian began to look forward to his upcoming lessons in Alchemy.

"Your eyes are truly beautiful."

The friendly girl noticed Aurora's striking eyes.

"Thank you," Aurora replied flatly.

"I'm Cho Chang, I hope we can be friends." The friendly girl sitting across from her extended a hand. Aurora hesitated for a moment before lightly shaking it.

However, she offered no introduction of her own.

"She has autism and doesn't like to talk much."

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Ian quickly stepped in to make excuses for his companion. This reason, however, caused Aurora to turn her head and glare at him several times.

"Oh, I see."

The girl named Cho Chang looked like she wasn't entirely sure whether to believe it or not.

"Just call me Ian. Unlike her, I love talking."

Ian enthusiastically reached out and shook Cho Chang's hand. Looking at this future first love of Harry Potter, he noted she indeed possessed the delicate, refined facial features of a classic Asian girl.

"Lumos!"

As the twilight deepened, the aloof girl who had remained silent the entire time suddenly drew her wand and cast a spell. A soft, white light blossomed at the tip of her wand.

She truly seemed to be naturally averse to conversation, having exchanged no words with Ian and the others.

"Lumos!"

"Lumos!"

...

Aside from their boat, white lights began to flicker on here and there across the other vessels.

On the lake, small boats drifted in neat formation toward the towering silhouette of Hogwarts Castle, leaving trailing ripples behind them that etched picturesque paths across the boundless night.

"They say that back in the day, the four founders of Hogwarts arrived in small boats just like this to build the school," Cho Chang said, seemingly possessing a naturally sociable and talkative personality.

She gazed into the distance at the outline of Hogwarts Castle, displaying the kind of eagerness to share trivia that would undoubtedly land her in Ravenclaw. "I remember someone once told me a story—that when young wizards cross the lake, they receive the blessing of the Four Founders, and the legacy of the Four Founders purifies the young wizards' magic."

Her slow narration made Ian perk up with interest.

A moment later—

"Rumors! Pure, unadulterated rumors!"

After checking his personal status panel, Ian sighed in disappointment.

Women might lie to him, but the personal status panel never did.

"I said it was a story, of course it might not be true." Cho Chang tossed her hair and smiled softly, unbothered by Ian's abrupt refutation.

"I don't mind you chatting," the aloof girl holding the glowing wand suddenly spoke up, "I'm just suggesting that instead of discussing ethereal legends, perhaps you should pay a bit more attention to the crisis right in front of us."

Her sudden interjection left Ian and the others slightly stunned.

A crisis?

What kind of crisis could there possibly be at Hogwarts?