Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the sky had darkened, and the train was finally approaching Hogwarts Castle.
Felix had spent a pleasant afternoon chatting with the three young girls and had become friends with them—although before transmigrating, he had always been single, with no romantic experience and few female friends, handling a few young girls was still well within his capabilities.
Just as they were gathering their luggage, ready to disembark, the sounds of an argument and a scuffle erupted from outside their compartment.
Felix listened intently. He recognized the voices of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Additionally, there was an arrogant voice that stood out distinctly; Felix surmised this must be Draco Malfoy.
In Felix's recollection, Draco Malfoy wasn't a truly bad child. He was born into a Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood wizarding family, with parents and relatives who were Death Eaters. Naturally, he had been influenced by his upbringing, developing a selfish personality and an arrogant disdain for Muggles.
However, as Felix himself was Muggle-raised, his stance was inherently opposed to Malfoy's. So, even knowing Malfoy's underlying nature, Felix had no desire to get involved with the pure-blood wizard—after all, dealing with a spoiled brat was a troublesome affair.
Moreover, Felix's current focus was on two things: researching magic and "cultivating" his young female acquaintances.
He planned to test his theories and understanding of the "plot" by influencing and changing the "female lead," Hermione. On one hand, it was a matter of limited energy; focusing on influencing one person was more convenient than three. On the other hand, he simply preferred interacting with cute girls rather than boys.
Therefore, he currently had no intention of purposefully seeking out too much contact with Harry Potter or Ron Weasley.
And so, he listened to the commotion outside. Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, were arguing with Harry and Ron, which then escalated into a physical fight. The outcome was no different from the original story: Malfoy got bitten by Scabbers, and then both groups went their separate ways.
At long last, after a lengthy journey, the train whistle blew, and its speed gradually decreased.
Against the night sky, the towering black silhouette of Hogwarts grew ever closer.
Finally, they had reached their destination: the school of magic Felix had so eagerly anticipated.
Students jostled and pushed, squeezing off the train one after another.
Leveraging his strength, Felix managed to carve a "bloody path" through the crowd for himself and the three girls.
Stepping off the train, they found themselves on a small, dark platform. A booming voice was shouting, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
The owner of the voice even specifically mentioned Harry Potter. Felix knew this was the voice of Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper.
He quickly bid farewell to the two second-years, Cho Chang and Marietta, then took Hermione's hand and headed towards the sound of the voice.
Being led by the hand by a boy still made Hermione a little uncomfortable, but she forced herself to remain composed and followed him closely.
Hagrid, true to his giant blood, was far taller than any basketball player; Felix could spot him from a great distance.
Under his guidance, all the first-years stumbled along a narrow path.
In no time, the path ended, revealing a great black lake.
On the far side of the lake, perched atop a high mountain, stood a magnificent castle with many turrets and towers, its windows glittering under the starry sky.
Hagrid organized the students into boats, each accommodating four people. After Felix and Hermione boarded one, Harry and Ron followed them, greeting the pair warmly.
The fleet of boats set off. A hush fell over them as everyone silently admired the breathtaking view of the immense castle, high up on the cliff face, drawing ever nearer. Occasional soft gasps of awe could be heard.
After passing through a curtain of ivy, the boats glided along a dark tunnel that seemed to lead beneath the castle, finally arriving at a kind of underground harbor. They then climbed up a path of shingle and pebbles.
The first-years disembarked and followed Hagrid to a huge, oak front door.
At last, they had truly arrived at the entrance to Hogwarts.
Hagrid knocked three times on the oak door. It swung open at once.
A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face, and it was clear she was not someone to be trifled with.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," Professor McGonagall nodded, then led the new students forward.
Passing through the enormous entrance hall, Professor McGonagall led them to a small, empty chamber off the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."
She then briefly described the four houses, mentioned a few important points, and asked the first-years to wait a moment while she went to make preparations. She then left the chamber.