The Evil Thoughts of Hogwarts and the Genie

If Albus Dumbledore were to comment on Edmund, he would say that he was a child with an eccentric personality and a somewhat morbid temperament.

But pure-bloods... Pure-blood wizards always have all sorts of quirks. Even Albus himself, didn't he become a spokesperson for the Muggle faction after his father died because of Muggles?

Therefore, among the four young wizards present, only Lily, who was born into Muggle, thought Edmund's personality was quite strange, sometimes enthusiastic and unrestrained, and sometimes extremely cold; Snape had some disdain and jealousy; James and Sirius thought he was quite interesting, didn't want to go to Slytherin, and wasn't annoying—but that was all.

So, how do you pretend to be an 11-year-old wizard?

Edmund thought to himself: Don't pretend.

There's no need to pretend. As long as you believe you're only 11 years old, who can say you aren't?

He lived a rather carefree life with this mindset. As long as he didn't actively draw upon his "past" experiences, he could act spoiled, capricious, and childish again. Even when he adopted a pampered attitude, no one bothered to argue with him. Eleven years old—what a wonderful age! If he didn't say more now, wouldn't it only invite more suspicion when he was a few years older?

With Edmund interrupting, the conversation in the private room never stopped. Edmund was always talkative, and James, being a curious little devil, was particularly inquisitive about "German magic," insisting that Edmund explain whether the wizards there were truly all serious, silent, and devoted to black magic.

While James's description was certainly full of stereotypes, it wasn't truly malicious. This amused Edmund, prompting him to tell a Grindelwald joke that most people wouldn't understand, which brought a brief awkward silence before the topic had to be sadly ended.

On several occasions, James, on a whim, forgot about the conflict that had just occurred and took the initiative to talk to Lily and Snape. He looked a bit silly, but his personality was very cheerful.

If Hogwarts' sorting system is really as rumored, Edmund thinks this kid will definitely be able to get into Gryffindor as he wishes.

Although Edmund didn't like this type of person, he didn't hate them either. By the end of the conversation, the five of them had gotten along quite well, and at least no one brought up the initial conflict again.

It was getting late, and the train entered a range of mountains and forests that were not much different from the ones it had passed through in the past four hours. But it slowed down a bit, and Lily Evans was the first to stand up, saying somewhat nervously, "I guess we're almost there."

As soon as she finished speaking, the train's magical announcement system came on, instructing the children in the carriage to change their clothes and leave their luggage. Edmund and Sirius stood up almost simultaneously, preparing to make room for Lily to change. The girl forced a smile and thanked them; she was pale and clearly extremely nervous.

"whee."

James belatedly followed, followed by Snape. The kid winked and made faces, as if mocking Edmund and Sirius's "thoughtfulness," and when he spoke again, his tone was incredibly irritating:

"What's there to be nervous about?"

He drew his wand as if it were a sword, his expression solemn. "I will definitely get into Gryffindor!"

Seeing this, Sirius Black couldn't help but smile slightly. He looked listless, not exactly nervous, but seemed to be in a bad mood; while Severus Snape's lips twitched a few times. Edmund vaguely heard a grinding of teeth, which made him laugh again, guessing that Snape had swallowed at least two unpleasant words and was feeling quite stifled by them.

Seeing someone's displeasure, Edmund became overjoyed. He hummed a little tune happily, walking alongside the excited James ahead of the huddled group of little wizards. The night was chilly, but before he could even feel the cold, a loud voice called out:

"First-year students! First-year students, this way—watch your step, follow me, come with me!"

Edmund didn't even need to look up to see a giant with a long beard, far exceeding the height of ordinary people. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, suspecting that this could only be a half-giant.

Dumbledore actually took in a half-giant? A half-giant can actually associate with wizards... times have really changed.

Despite his thoughts, Edmund walked quickly until Lily suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and someone tugged at the fabric on his shoulder, causing Edmund to slow down and turn around to look.

At this moment, a few blushes of embarrassment obscured Lily Evans's originally pale face. A thin layer of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead, clearly indicating that she had just been running frantically to get ahead.

"I'm so sorry," Lily said shyly in a low voice. "Did I hurt you?"

She wasn't a 7 or 8-year-old child, so Edmund naturally wouldn't hold it against her. He smiled kindly:

"I'm sure you don't need me to lend you a handkerchief. But you'd better wipe your sweat, Miss Evans, lest you catch a cold from the evening breeze."

Wait, did I say something really cheesy?

Before Edmund could even crack the joke, he felt himself bump into someone again. Snape caught up, his sallow face free of sweat, but with an even more somber expression than before.

"Lily, are you alright?" he asked with concern, roughly and naturally pushing Edmund aside. "Was it those...those guys who tripped you?"

His words lacked logic, but he was, after all, "blinded by concern." Evans smiled gratefully, first thanking Edmund, then whispering to Snape:

"No, don't worry, Severus... I just wanted to walk faster." She looked embarrassed again. "I... I think I just saw something..."

Soon everyone knew what she had seen.

It was a majestic castle, standing on the edge of a vast forest. The castle's spires rose like sharp spears. The windows gleamed mysteriously under the starry sky, easily conjuring up an eerie thought in the viewer: the building seemed to breathe, it seemed to be alive.