Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

As John jogged through the pillars pushing his luggage cart, he was briefly plunged into darkness before the light quickly cleared.

He appeared at a platform that did not exist on the map, Platform 9¾.

As he walked forward, a red steam train with "Hogwarts Express" marked on its front came into John's view.

Although it's a steam train, according to the book, it seems to be powered by magic.

This was something John found fascinating.

On the platform, there were wizards acting as train attendants to guide the young wizards who were arriving for the first time. John boarded the train under the guidance of the attendants.

The Hogwarts Express ticket didn't indicate the seats. After asking, I learned that I could sit anywhere that wasn't occupied, except for the prefectural carriage at the front of the train.

Perhaps because he arrived early, there were still many empty seats on the train. John's first choice was naturally a seat in a compartment, so he found an empty compartment and went in.

The luggage was taken away by the staff before boarding the train, and it was labeled. It will be delivered to Hogwarts Castle later.

John only took off his backpack and got on the bus alone.

Before leaving home, he changed his pants and shirt lining into his school uniform so that he could simply put on his school robe after getting on the bus.

Since no one was around, John took off his coat in the cubicle and put on his school robe. To be honest, he looked a bit like a wizard.

I had just put on my school uniform and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when the sliding door of the cubicle was yanked open.

"Excuse me, may I sit here? All the other seats are taken."

A plump, somewhat reserved young man leaned forward and spoke.

"Of course, there's no one here, please sit anywhere," John nodded and said with a smile.

Thank you.

The boy seemed a bit socially awkward, but he was trying his best to appear confident.

"Hello, my name is Neville Longbottom, I'm a third-year student. Are you a new student at Hogwarts this year?"

After putting down his backpack, Neville started chatting with John.

"Yes, my name is John Merrick. It's nice to meet you, Senior Longbottom."

"Oh, thank you. No need to be so polite, just call me Neville."

"Okay, senior Neville."

"..."

Neville scratched his head, accepting the title of his senior. Although he was indeed a senior, he was still a little unaccustomed to being addressed with such respect.

"Senior Neville, this is my first time visiting Hogwarts. I've only ever read about it in books before. Could you tell me what it's like there?"

John saw that Neville seemed like a relatively easy-going upperclassman, so he continued the conversation, wanting to learn more about the magic school from Neville.

Neville naturally wouldn't refuse; talking to this junior John didn't seem to make him feel nervous.

Just as I nodded, about to say something, another student came in through the door of the cubicle.

"Excuse me."

"May I join you?"

The newcomer was a young girl with long, light blonde hair that reached her waist, but it looked rather messy and unkempt. She wore a pair of radish-shaped earrings.

Her eyes were large, and she always had a faint smile on her lips. At first glance, she looked a little eerie, but after looking at her for a while, she seemed to have an ethereal and otherworldly quality.

Neville seemed to know the girl. His first instinct upon seeing her was to lower his head and avoid looking at her, as if he was worried about getting involved with her.

"Hello, my name is Luna Lovegood. May I sit here?"

Seeing that no one responded, Luna introduced herself again and asked once more.

"Of course, please come in, there are still seats available," John said quickly, snapping out of his daze.

Although Neville's reaction was strange, since the other party was so polite, he couldn't refuse to let him in, nor did he have the right to do so.

When Neville saw Luna come in, he quickly got up and sat down with John, giving Luna the empty seat opposite him.

"Thanks."

Luna smiled and thanked Neville, which, although it seemed like he was avoiding her, was indeed a gentlemanly gesture.

After Luna sat down, the atmosphere in the cubicle fell silent for a moment. John and Neville's previous conversation was interrupted, and everyone was at a loss for words.

"Oh, by the way, my name is John Merrick, and I'm a new student at Hogwarts this year. Nice to meet you."

John couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere any longer and took the initiative to introduce himself to Luna.

"Of course, no problem. I look forward to you becoming a classmate of Ravenclaw."

Luna placed her hands on her lap, her smile remaining constant, and answered John with a gentle smile.

"Ravenclaw? I've seen that in the school history. Neville, which house are you from?"

When Luna started talking about the house, John became curious and continued to ask Neville about Hogwarts.

"I am from Gryffindor House, and I am looking forward to you joining us. Everyone in the house is very nice. Harry Potter is also from our house and is my friend. I am sure you will like it there."

When the topic of Gryffindor came up, Neville's spirits lifted considerably, and he began to tell John about the unique features of their Gryffindor.

John blinked when he heard that Harry Potter was also in Gryffindor. He hadn't expected that someone he casually met would be Harry Potter's friend.

John had no intention of befriending the protagonist of this world, but he also had no intention of avoiding it. In his view, everyone is the protagonist of their own life, and everything should just take its natural course.

"What kind of house is Ravenclaw?" John asked Luna curiously.

"It is a paradise for scholars, embracing all exploration of the unknown."

Her words were concise and very objective.

"Oh... okay."

The explanation was so brief that John was momentarily speechless. After exchanging a glance with Neville, they decided to continue seeking guidance from Neville...

Soon it was time to depart. John looked out the window curiously, wanting to see how the train would travel from this bustling city to the Scottish Highlands, to the undiscovered Hogwarts Castle.

Their journey together was fairly pleasant. Luna took out a magazine called "Singing the Quibbles" and started reading, while Neville took out a herbalism book called "Intermediate Magical Botany" and listened to Neville explain that it was their third-year textbook.

John would chat with them occasionally, but he spent most of his time looking out the window. In his previous life, when he was traveling by car, he was afraid to look at his phone because he got carsick, so he would always lean against the car window to breathe fresh air while looking at the scenery outside.

So I gradually developed this habit: even on long journeys, I want to look at the scenery outside the window, unless I'm sleepy.

However, the weather was not ideal today. Not long after we set off, the sky became overcast, and all the scenery looked as if it were covered with a layer of gray gauze, dim and lackluster.

As soon as we left the city, a light drizzle began to fall on the car window.

After the rain, the sky grew even darker, and the magical lights inside the train automatically turned on. John, who was feeling a bit sleepy from listening to the rain, was suddenly jolted awake by the lights.

So I simply picked up a book and started reading, immersing myself in the ocean of knowledge.

......

"...Is he asleep?"

Looking at John, who was sleeping like a log next to him with a book covering his face, Neville said with some concern.

After spending time together, he was no longer so afraid of Luna, the girl he called "crazy girl."

It's still a bit unsettling, though.

"Isn't it wonderful? A dream is a starry sky that belongs to you alone."

Luna didn't look up, but just flipped through the magazine while smiling faintly, her ethereal voice echoing in the private room.

However, John hadn't been asleep for long when a screech of brakes rang out.