Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil.

Puni looked at it with great interest.

This body of water, known as the Black Lake, is indeed something special.

The cool moonlight spilled onto the inky lake, yet failed to create any reflection, leaving only a thick, impenetrable silence, much like a huge obsidian stone laid out between the valleys.

On the opposite shore of the lake, nestled between two steep mountain ranges, a castle with towering corner towers and spires rises abruptly. Gothic spires pierce the night sky, and countless windows let in light, creating a dazzling spectacle like a galaxy scattered across the star-studded heavens.

"So beautiful..." Qiu Zhang couldn't take his eyes off her.

Puni smiled.

"This is Hogwarts, the renowned magic school throughout Europe."

Just then, the diary in his mind, formed from the condensation of elements, suddenly opened automatically.

A map of Hogwarts, shrouded in thick white fog, slowly emerged.

On the current map, only the forest path from the station to Black Lake is visible to Puni. The castle, Black Lake, and the surrounding woodlands are still shrouded in thick fog, and only their outlines can be barely discerned.

"Oh?"

The changes in the diary made Puni raise an eyebrow.

"interesting."

He said, "This diary can't just be for people to keep a diary, can it?"

It has many uses!

Chapter 16 Verifying the Legend of Hogwarts

"Keep up, everyone! Stop dawdling!"

Hagrid's imposing figure led the way, his deafening voice drowning out the gasps of surprise from the new students. "Once we reach the dock, each boat can only carry a maximum of four people. Board in order, and we'll be at Hogwarts after crossing the Black Lake!"

Puni snapped out of his thoughts.

When the diary in his mind opened automatically.

He not only saw the entire map of Hogwarts, although it was currently shrouded in mist.

In addition, he saw the magic flowing and surging throughout Hogwarts, like a torrent, or like a sun that had been imprisoned.

Heavy, fiery, and mysterious.

Even across the entire Black Lake, it exudes a sense of oppression that is somewhat difficult to look at directly.

It seems that every stone brick of that majestic castle holds immense magic within it.

However, he was not surprised but delighted, because he could feel that his diary was continuously absorbing the power of the surrounding elements.

This caused the magical power flowing through his body to subtly accelerate.

I never knew a diary could have this effect!

How come I didn't notice it when I was at home?

Puni was even happier.

"Do we really have to cross this lake? It's so dark." Qiu Zhang peeked out.

Puni smiled and said, "Having new students cross the Black River by boat is a tradition that Hogwarts has continued for nearly a thousand years."

Qiu Zhang became interested: "Is there any explanation for this?"

Puni nodded and, as he walked forward, explained to the other person: "Back then, the four founders of Hogwarts crossed this Black Lake in a wooden boat or perhaps some other kind of boat, and set foot on this land for the first time, where they built this magical temple."

Qiu Zhang thoughtfully rested his chin on his hand: "So the school actually kept this part so that we could also experience this sense of ritual?"

Puni smiled and said, "I think that's how it is."

Arriving at the dock is actually right next to the lake.

A small commotion arose in the crowd.

The new students flocked to the small wooden boats by the lake.

Puni didn't hesitate and directly helped Qiu Zhang onto a boat.

Heaven knows if Hagrid actually had enough wooden boats.

There might be some young wizards who need to stay here until Hagrid takes them to Hogwarts and then comes back to pick them up.

Puni didn't want to stand there waiting foolishly in this cold and dark place.

That's not fun at all.

Let's get in the same boat!

Just then, a round-faced boy jumped up excitedly, smiling as he greeted Puni and Qiu Zhang: "Hello, my name is Marcos Belby!"

Before the two could reply, a girl with dark brown hair walked up next to them: "Excuse me, my name is Katie Bell."

Her voice was very soft. After she finished speaking, she quietly sat down at the stern of the boat and crossed her arms.

"Hello, I'm Qiu Zhang!"

"Just call me Puni."

Puni looked at Katie, who seemed a little cold: "The people behind you are freezing, aren't you going to show some gentlemanly manners?"

Marcos blinked and turned his head to see that the girl named Katie was only wearing a wizard's robe.

"Ah, no need..."

Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Katie quickly shook her head.

However, Marcos removed one of his cloaks and handed it to Katie.

"Although I am far from being a gentleman, my father would certainly not approve of me trembling and ignoring a girl. Here you go, I'm dressed very warmly."

Katie pursed her lips, her cheeks slightly flushed, and took the cloak from Marcos's hand: "Thank you so much, thank you so much."

After the four people boarded the boat, the small boat beneath them began to move slowly on its own.

They didn't have to row themselves, which gave them more time to enjoy their trip to the Black Lake.

The small boat glided smoothly on the lake.

Puni leaned against the gunwale, his arm resting on the cool wooden edge of the boat.

Even the evening breeze seemed unable to stir the ripples on the lake's surface; only the movement of the small boat could spread the shimmering light across the inky black water.

The moonlight, falling with the moon's rays, added a touch of mystery to the undulating water.

In fact, countless amazing creatures lurk in the Black Lake.

Puni was examining them.

"It would be nice to take the mermaids from the Black Lake as my companions."

However, mermaids are not considered a very high-level race, especially the mermaids in the Black Lake, so if he can only control one kind of familiar now, mermaids are obviously a very inappropriate choice.

"crash"

The monster's shadow flickered across the water.

More curious creatures quietly surfaced, eyeing the newborns on the boat with their round eyes, and then quickly darted back into the water as the boat approached.

Pulling his thoughts back, since he had nothing else to do, Puni looked at the castle lights getting closer and closer on the opposite bank and couldn't help but smile as he looked at the other three.

Have you heard the legend about Hogwarts?

The evening breeze carried Puni's clear, crisp voice to the three of them.

Qiu Zhang tilted his head: "What's it about?"

"The origins of Hogwarts".

“I’ve heard that!” Marcos immediately raised his hand. “My uncle told me that Hogwarts was built here because of a dream of Rowena Ravenclaw.”

Puni nodded, signaling him to continue.

“In her dream, a warthog led her all the way to the cliff of this lake. Finally, Lady Ravenclaw and the other three founders came here and, like us, crossed this black lake, eventually building Hogwarts.”

Cho Chang immediately turned his head, looking surprised: "Is that so? But I read through 'Hogwarts: A History of the School' beforehand, and it didn't mention this legend at all."

Puni shook his head: "How could a legend be recorded in the school history? If you had read 'The History of Magic' carefully on the bus, you would have had a chance to see it."

Qiu Zhang looked at him suspiciously.

However, since the legend came from Marcos's mouth, she couldn't really question it.

And speaking of the time I spent reading in the car...

Qiu Zhang blushed again and didn't dare to say another word.

What does Puni mean by this?

Did he know that I was spying on him?

No, no, no, I'm being very careful!

Moreover, once he starts reading, he becomes oblivious to the world around him and certainly doesn't realize he's being peeked at!

You can't blame her! She's never seen a boy as handsome as Puni before!

“Whether the legend is true or not, I don’t know, but perhaps we can find some people to verify it,” Puni smiled.

"Hmm? Find someone to verify? Do you mean Hagrid or a professor from Hogwarts?" Marcos looked over.

Puni shook his head mysteriously, then gently dipped his index finger into the water and stirred it slowly.

Chapter 17 The Mermaid Beneath the Black Lake

Marcos, completely bewildered, approached the boat and stared wide-eyed into the dark lake.

But apart from the swaying moonlight and the occasional fleeting shadow of a fish, nothing could be seen.

"Besides fish, could there be a person in this black lake? It can't be a giant squid from the bottom of the lake, can it?"

Katie also quietly moved closer to the side of the boat, pursed her lips and glanced quickly into the water before immediately looking away, still somewhat apprehensive about the bottomless black lake.

Qiu Zhang also blinked and looked at Puni.