The hours melted away in the compartment, filled with the click-clack of Mahjong tiles, the crunch of questionable sweets, and the endless stream of gossip and Quidditch statistics.
"Attention, first-year students! The train will arrive at Hogsmeade Station in approximately five minutes. Please leave all large luggage on the train; it will be transported to the castle for you." The announcement boomed over the train's speakers, jolting them from their contented distraction.
"Finally!" Charles exclaimed, stretching his tall, lanky frame. "My back is aching from that suitcase chair. I didn't think we'd ever get there."
Anduin calmly gathered the Mahjong tiles, packed the remnants of the snacks, and prepared to disembark. It was evening outside, the twilight deepening into a cool darkness.
As the train hissed to a stop, the three joined the general stream of students pouring out onto the dimly lit platform.
A massive, familiar figure stood waiting, holding a large, flickering gas lamp and shouting over the crowd: "First years! First years, over here! Don't wander off!"
It was Hagrid.
Anduin approached the giant groundskeeper, feeling a renewed wave of appreciation for the man's genuine kindness.
"Hagrid, it's good to see you again," Anduin greeted him.
Hagrid immediately lowered his gaze, his bushy eyebrows drawn down in an expression of intense guilt. "Ah, Anduin! I'm so relieved you're here. I heard about that awful business in Knockturn Alley. It was all my fault, I should never have—" Hagrid started, his voice heavy with self-recrimination. He clearly knew the full extent of the danger Anduin had faced after he had staggered off.
"It wasn't your fault, Hagrid. I was simply careless, and I assure you, I am perfectly fine," Anduin interrupted quickly, cutting off the emotional deluge. He needed to change the subject immediately. He did not want his precarious reputation disturbed on the first day. The skirmish with the Death Eaters was a secret best kept quiet. He was keenly aware that many students here—possibly even those of the two Death Eaters he had encountered—might hold grudges.
"Please, you can relax now. I'm here and about to start school. Shouldn't you congratulate me instead of apologizing?" Anduin offered a genuine smile, attempting to soothe the giant's guilt.
"Oh, Anduin, thank goodness you are alright," Hagrid mumbled, wiping his eyes with a massive hand. "Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall heard the full report. I received such a terrible dressing-down, and I haven't been allowed to step foot in Diagon Alley since! You can't imagine how guilty I felt."
"Wait, that night?" Charles and Vivian exchanged excited, curious glances. They were burning with questions, realizing their quiet friend had been involved in something far more dramatic than a game of Mahjong, but the swelling crowd of first years prevented immediate interrogation.
Just as Hagrid was about to continue his emotional apology, a sharp, arrogant voice cut through the noise of the gathered first years.
"Hey, you big, hairy ox! Are you going to just stand there gawping, or are you going to lead us? We've been cooped up for hours, and you just leave us waiting!"
Anduin's expression instantly hardened. He turned to face the speaker. The boy was young, roughly their age, but his dark hair was impeccably neat, and his frame was taut with an inherent, haughty arrogance. His dark eyes held a cold, dismissive pride that was jarringly mature.
"What are you staring at, Mudblood?" the boy sneered, noticing Anduin's fixed gaze. "You're wasting the time of your betters talking to this big half-breed."
"Get out of the way, Sampur Travers!" Charles McKinnon roared, pushing past Anduin and standing directly in front of the arrogant boy. "This has nothing to do with you! If you're looking for a fight, I'd be happy to start your school year with a lesson!"
"Ah, a McKinnon. Still pretending you're a big boy, Charles?" Sampur Travers replied with a slow, venomous sneer. "Why don't you run and hide behind your wounded adults like you did this morning? Still crying over your pathetic uncle?"
Charles instantly moved to strike, his face contorted with rage. Anduin swiftly grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
"Charles, stop. He is trying to provoke you," Anduin said in a low, cold voice, his gaze fixed on Sampur. "Don't play his game. He wants you to strike first, in public."
Anduin immediately recognized the tactical motive. Sampur Travers, related to the Death Eater family Charles's uncle had accused, was attempting to force a public confrontation. If Charles attacked, the McKinnons would look like unstable aggressors, giving the Travers family grounds to complain to the school.
The escalating tension was abruptly shattered by the insertion of Hagrid's massive bulk.
"ENOUGH!" Hagrid thundered, his voice cracking like a whip. He stood between the two boys, dwarfing them both. "There will be no fighting outside the castle grounds! I have the authority to send any of you home immediately, and you will not be permitted to return until next year!"
Hagrid's glare was specifically directed at Sampur Travers, who, despite his arrogance, immediately took a grudging step back.
"Hmph. The McKinnon is too hot-headed. He would have jumped at the provocation. Too bad the big idiot and the nameless runt stopped him," Sampur thought bitterly, his eyes burning into Anduin and Charles before he backed away into the crowd.
"That bastard is Sampur Travers," Charles spat, trembling with fury, keeping his voice low for Anduin and Vivian. "He's from the family whose Death Eater attacked my uncle. They are all Dark Lord supporters! They were joking with my injured uncle at the Ministry this morning! They shouldn't be allowed to set foot in this school!"
Anduin mentally noted the name and the immediate hostility. First day, and I am already entangled in a blood feud simply by association. He realized his hope of remaining a quiet, non-political student was utterly naive.
"He was trying to bait you, Charles. If you had attacked him here, you would have been severely punished, perhaps even expelled, regardless of who was right," Anduin reasoned, placing a calming hand on Charles's shoulder. "He was deliberately pushing for an advantage."
"You're right, Anduin. Thank you," Charles said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "That was rash of me."
With the confrontation quelled, Hagrid gestured the crowd forward. The first years followed the giant's massive frame down a narrow, winding path. The air grew damp and cool. Eventually, the path opened out onto the shore of a vast, still lake.
Across the inky black water, illuminated by the distant glow of thousands of windows, stood the magnificent, sprawling silhouette of Hogwarts Castle. Its towers and turrets rose majestically against the dark sky, a silent, imposing guardian of the magical world.