They had agreed with John to call home and report their safety once they arrived at school.
However, this ancient magical school did not have any modern amenities; Owls were their only 'postmen'.
Thomas and Severus were indeed very interested in the Owl pet mentioned in the admission letter, even going to the magical creatures shop in Diagon Alley to buy a snowy Owl.
But because Aegis saw every bird as food, the snowy Owl was ultimately left at home, becoming Sherlock and Watson's pet, named 'Bluebeard' by Sherlock.
However, they could go to the Owlery to borrow the school's Owls to send letters home, which a Hufflepuff student, whom Severus had helped, told them during Herbology Class.
After a quick lunch, they returned to their dormitory to write letters to Sherlock and John.
"Dear Sherlock and John:
Severus and I have arrived safely at school.
Hogwarts' magic courses are very interesting, and the Castle is as magical as I remember. I truly hope you both get a chance to see it; no one could dislike it here... Hogwarts has no electronic communication tools. If you need to contact us, you can send us letters using 'Bluebeard'.
I saw in a book that there's a Two-Way Mirror for long-distance communication. I think we can go to Diagon Alley together to buy one before next term starts.
Finally, greetings to you both,
Your loving Thomas."
The small map on the back of the timetable was very practical, with almost all locations in the school marked.
Users only needed to touch the map with their wand to zoom in or out on any area of the map at will.
Following the map's guidance, they arrived at a tower on the westernmost edge of the Castle, climbing up the winding stairs all the way to the top of the tower.
A huge shed appeared before them, its roof constructed from sturdy wood and covered with thick thatch to ward off wind and rain.
The entrance to the shed was open, and a faint smell of feathers and pine wood wafted out, the unique scent belonging to Owls.
Thomas and Severus walked in, finding the space open and hundreds, even thousands, of Owls either perching on wooden racks or circling in the air, their eyes gleaming with wisdom and mystery, as if they could see into people's hearts.
There was only one Ravenclaw student inside, slightly older than them, with long golden hair tied in a high ponytail, looking very capable.
She also noticed the two Slytherin young wizards, clearly new first-year students, and gently spoke: "My name is Pandora Lynch. Are you planning to send letters?"
"Yes, Senior. My name is Thomas Snape."
"My name is Severus Snape."
Thomas politely asked, "Excuse me, if we want to use the school's Owls, how should we do it?"
"Indeed, 'public Owls' must be a blind spot in the knowledge of all Slytherin students." This was the first time she had seen Slytherin students come here in all her time at Hogwarts.
Thomas and Severus were amused by her teasing tone.
Senior Lynch pulled two pieces of bread from her pocket and handed them over, the kind most commonly seen on the Hogwarts dining tables: "You just need to offer them a reward; any Owl willing to eat is willing to deliver your letters."
"Thank you, Senior." Thomas and Severus said gratefully, otherwise they would have to climb down the tower again to the Great Hall in the main building to wait for dinner to get food.
"Senior Lynch, aren't you here to send a letter?" Thomas and Severus quickly found suitable Owls and sent their letters.
Meanwhile, Pandora Lynch was just circling the Owlery again and again, her behavior quite peculiar.
Hearing Thomas's words, she stopped and smiled mysteriously: "No, I am conducting an experiment here."
Thomas did not press further; everyone has their secrets.
After bidding farewell to Lynch, it was still early, so Thomas and Severus decided to return to their dormitory first.
They still remembered what Avery had said and were cautious on their way back to the dormitory, wary of any ambush.
Yet, nothing happened until they reached the entrance of the Medusa statue; they did not encounter the first-year Head Boy who was supposedly going to teach them a lesson.
Not far from the stone door of the Slytherin Common Room, in a dimly lit corner, the tense atmosphere almost solidified the air.
Rabastan Lestrange, who had originally planned to ambush the Snape brothers, was confronting his own brother—Rodolphus Lestrange. Their shadows stretched and overlapped in the dim candlelight, Rabastan's shadow almost completely covered by Rodolphus's.
The new students who had voluntarily become Rabastan's followers were caught between the two brothers, not daring to breathe.
Rabastan Lestrange had already planned an "accidental encounter" targeting the Snape brothers, but he was stopped by Rodolphus Lestrange.
"Rabastan, you are always so impetuous." Rodolphus Lestrange's voice was deep and authoritative.
"Rodolphus, why are you stopping me? Don't worry, I will teach those two half-bloods who don't know their place a lesson and uphold the glory of pure-bloods!" He hated that his brother always put on a lecturing air, as if he could only live in his shadow.
Just because he was born a few years earlier, why was Rodolphus the undisputed family heir?
"Do you know how the dormitory they are living in became abandoned?" Rodolphus looked at his younger brother sinisterly, still a foolish child, with all his emotions written on his face.
"What?" Rabastan was startled by the news, clearly surprised by this information.
"That is a cursed dormitory. The previous Slytherin students who lived there all suffered from mental torment that was difficult to heal, and some students who lived there even said there were monsters in the dormitory." Rodolphus gave a strange smile: "If you use spells to teach them a lesson, it will only leave a temporary small wound that the Hospital Wing can cure in less than a minute. It's better to watch them suffer from the curse in that dormitory; mental torment is the most interesting."
"If there's a curse, then why is it still given to new students?" Rabastan felt hesitant.
"It's just a legend; 'Old Walrus' inspected it and found nothing." Rodolphus's lips curved into a meaningful smile, as if everything was under his control: "By then, they will cry and beg you to change their dormitory."
Besides the Professor, only the Head Boy had the right to adjust dormitories.
As Rabastan listened to his brother's words, the initial anger in his eyes gradually gave way to a chilling excitement. He seemed to see the two half-blood boys struggling in agony in the dormitory, and an indescribable pleasure surged within him.
And Thomas and Severus, who had successfully returned to their dormitory, were indeed frightened by the current state of the dormitory.