A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Hmm? Your parents didn't graduate from Gryffindor either, did they?"

Ron remained silent, indicating his agreement.

"My God! You two are really... you've been brainwashed before you even enrolled."

If Slytherin is really that bad, why does Hogwarts still keep the house?

If Slytherin were demolished, wouldn't the security situation in the wizarding world be greatly improved?

And as far as I know, Slytherin is the best-performing of the four houses.

“No matter what, Slytherin is the worst,” Ron muttered. “The Man from the Mysterio came from that house.”

"Sigh!" Aaron sighed. "Well, let's wait and see!"

I don't think there's any good or bad in any house; it's just the people who make it. You can't say that there isn't a single good person in such a large Slytherin!

Harry and Ron were speechless. Although they disliked the house, they couldn't condemn the entire house just because they didn't like it.

“That’s true.” Hermione stood up with a smile. “I still have to go find Neville’s toad, so I’ll be going now.”

Oh, and just a reminder, you guys should put on your uniforms soon; we should be there almost there.

Hermione paused as she walked out of the box, glanced back at Ron, and then pointed to her nose. "You have something dirty on your nose, you know? Right here."

Ron glared at her lightly, then began to wipe his hands. Upon noticing the black residue on his hands, he looked at the two of them with some annoyance, "You two didn't even remind me."

“Sorry, you were on my left, and my eyesight isn’t very good, so I didn’t see you,” Harry said.

"Something dirty?" Aaron couldn't help but laugh. "I thought it was a birthmark."

Ron: ......

As night fell, the express train drew closer to its final stop, finally coming to a halt with a long whistle.

Students from all grades, dressed in black robes, disembarked one after another, and the once empty platform suddenly became crowded.

However, it wasn't too crowded, since the students' suitcases were all on the bus and would be packed and delivered to Hogwarts by special staff.

"We've arrived. First-year students, please come this way."

"Hurry up, first graders, don't be shy, catch up!" A burly giant with a long beard shouted, carrying a lantern.

“This is Hagrid,” Harry excitedly introduced to Ron and Aaron.

"Giants?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Giants are relatively rare these days. I've only seen them a few times in Diagon Alley. I didn't expect Hogwarts to have them too."

“He’s a gamekeeper,” Harry said, then waved to Hagrid.

Chapter 16 Some families symbolize mystery

"Hi! Harry." Hagrid gave Harry a big smile, and his eyes lit up when he glanced at Abbey in Aaron's arms.

Having raised magical creatures for so many years, Hagrid still has a good eye. He can be 100% certain that this 'cat' wearing clothes and looking a little too cute is definitely not simple.

"Hey freshman, your cat is so cute, can I hold it?"

Aaron hadn't said anything yet, but Abe kept shaking his head.

Who are you? I don't know you at all, why should I let you hug me?

"I'm sorry, Abe is my family."

"You saw it yourself, I have to respect his opinion," Aaron said. He hadn't planned to let Hagrid see it anyway. Putting aside Hagrid's unkempt appearance, which was enough to frighten a child, the strange smell emanating from his clothes was enough to make people keep their distance.

Besides, this giant is a hunting ground guard. He may not excel in other areas, but he is exceptionally sensitive to animals. He is a newcomer now, so there is no need for him to reveal that he keeps a dragon.

"That's a real shame." Hagrid shrugged, not really bothered. After all, this freshman would be studying at Hogwarts for seven years, and there would be plenty of opportunities later.

"First-year students, come over here to board the boat, hurry up, follow me."

Hagrid continued his work, and the first-year students followed him one after another, traversing a long, slippery path in the darkness before finally reaching the shore of Black Lake.

Across the black lake stood a massive castle built on a hillside, its spires towering high, and pale yellow lights shone from its windows, adding to its mystique under the moonlight.

The new students crossed the river by small boats, each carrying only four people. Hagrid was much larger, so he had a boat all to himself.

Aaron, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a small boat, looking around with curiosity and excitement, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration.

The ship soon docked, and after Hagrid made sure no one was lost, he pointed to the stairs ahead and said, "Keep going up the stairs. Professor McGonagall will take care of the rest."

The new students did as instructed, and after walking up a few steps, a witch dressed in a green robe and wearing a black pointed hat was waiting for them on the landing.

Her complexion wasn't particularly good, probably because she had been waiting for a long time.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Well, in a little while you will pass through these doors and be with your classmates."

However, before taking their seats, they must be categorized to determine which college they will be admitted to.

There are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

During your time at the college, the college is like your home. Good behavior will earn you points for the college, while any college that violates the rules will have points deducted.

At the end of the year, the college with the highest score wins the College Cup, which is a very high honor.

Just then, a croaking sound came from in front of Professor McGonagall, and a chubby boy among the freshmen opened his eyes wide upon hearing the familiar sound.

Neville often loses this toad. He lost it once before boarding the train and finally found it with Hermione's help. But after arriving at Hogwarts, he lost it again and couldn't find it no matter how hard he looked.

It's right in front of me now, it would be a lie to say I'm not excited.

But just as Neville was about to go over, the toad jumped onto his hand.

“Treff.” Neville hugged his toad with joy. Although he didn’t understand what had happened, it didn’t diminish his joy at getting it back.

Professor McGonagall, however, keenly noticed the black wand in Aaron's sleeve, and a slight smile crept onto her lips as she thought to herself that the school had indeed recruited a rather talented wizard this time.

"The Sorting Ceremony will begin in a little while. You'd better tidy your clothes and faces first, because it will be held in front of the entire school." After Professor McGonagall finished speaking, she left the group of freshmen where they were.

Just then, a blond boy looked at Harry and said curiously, "It seems what they said earlier was true. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

The new students looked at each other, particularly sensitive to the name Harry Potter.

The blond boy looked at the two fat men behind him who resembled door gods, and introduced them to Harry Potter: "This is Crabbe, and this is Goyle."

“I am Draco Malfoy.” The blond boy walked up to Harry, as if afraid he wouldn’t remember his name, and solemnly said, “Draco Malfoy.”

"Pfft!" Ron couldn't help but laugh.

Malfoy glared at him angrily. "Do you think my name is funny? I don't need to ask you what your name is."

Red hair, an old robe passed down through generations—you must be from the Weasley family.

Ron pursed his lips and glared at Draco with some anger, but in the end he did not refute the truth.

Malfoy looked at Harry and said, "You'll find that some wizarding families are just a cut above the rest, Potter."

Don't make friends with shady people; I can help you.

As he spoke, Draco extended his right hand to Harry.

“I think I can tell right from wrong, thank you,” Harry said calmly.

Draco's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Harry Potter had actually rejected his friendship, and in front of so many people.

This is truly intolerable!

Just as he was about to say something, Aaron coughed lightly. "It's true that some magic families are superior, but if you speak a little more politely, you might achieve a different result."

Malfoy then turned to Aaron in the freshman group and said arrogantly, "Who are you? It's not your place to tell me what to do."

"Aaron!" Harry was getting anxious. No matter how you looked at it, Malfoy was either a rich kid or a government official's son, or both, or even several generations. What if Aaron stood up for him and got retaliated against?

Aaron ignored him, instead extending his right hand and smiling as he said, "Gaius, Aaron Gaius, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Are you from the Gaius family?" Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and his arrogant demeanor instantly vanished.

"That's not important. What's important is my attitude and your response." Aaron smiled and gestured to his right hand, which was sticking out.

Draco then shook hands with Aaron, somewhat bewildered. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"That's more like it! When you want to make friends, attitude is key. You put yourself on a pedestal from the start."

Those who know you'll think you're making friends, but those who don't will think you're taking in servants!

In this situation, very few people will give you a friendly look.

"Thank you," Malfoy said with difficulty, as if saying those two words was very hard for him.

Ron stared wide-eyed at the scene and silently pulled Harry a little away from the two of them.

Although he had a slight liking for Aaron, that liking began to diminish the moment he came into contact with Malfoy.

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged a glance, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes. As Draco's henchmen, they knew how difficult it was to get him to say "thank you."

At this moment, Professor McGonagall walked over and looked at the two people shaking hands in a 'friendly' manner. She was somewhat taken aback, but quickly recovered and said, "They're all ready over there. Come with me!"

"Malfoy, is the Gaius family very famous? I don't remember them being one of the Twenty-Eight Pureblood Families!" Goyle asked with a puzzled expression as they walked.

“You don’t know, I only heard it from my father,” Draco said. “Pure-blood families represent noble bloodlines, except for certain families that bring shame to pure-bloods, such as the Weasleys.”

Four wizarding families represent mystery; their existence is immeasurable, and even in the vast sea of ​​books, it is difficult to find a single word about them.

Legend has it that they are always protecting something. They may not be well-known in the wizarding world, but their heritage, connections, and influence are in no way inferior to those of pure-bloods.

In my father's words, you can never imagine what kind of trump cards these deeply hidden families have.

The mysterious man and the previous Dark Lord had tried to gain the support of these families, but were either rejected or could not be found.

The Gaius family is one of these mysterious families. In short, try to befriend them if possible, and avoid offending them if not.

Is this the only hat in Chapter 17?

The freshmen followed Professor McGonagall in pairs into a luxurious auditorium.

The walls of the auditorium were decorated with small bonfires, and countless candles hung from the ceiling, illuminating the place brightly.

All the upperclassmen sat around four long tables representing their respective colleges. At the front of each table was an empty seat, presumably for the freshmen who would soon be joining the college.

“It’s beautiful.” Aaron looked up at the ceiling, which was a night sky, much like the one he had seen by the Black Lake.

“It’s enchanted; I read about it in the history of Hogwarts,” Hermione said.

Aaron paused for a moment, then gave a thumbs up. "You are more knowledgeable than I thought. I don't think anyone else among the freshmen would have noticed these details."