Chapter 48: The Legend of the Four Founders

Night descended swiftly.

Cold winds and gathering clouds brought darkness sooner than usual.

***

"Found them!"

Towering over everyone, the half-giant Hagrid—his wild beard bristling—lifted the lantern in his hand. He led a large group of newly arrived witches and wizards across the grounds toward the Black Lake.

"Who are those two over there?"

"They must be new students, too. Why didn't they ride the train with us?"

"They might live near Hogwarts…"

Ian and Aurora, who were crouching by the lakeside and dipping their hands into the water, naturally drew the attention of this flock of first-years. The children trailed behind Hagrid, whispering among themselves.

"So, you're the two Dumbledore told me about, yeah?"

Hagrid—holding a tiny pink umbrella, starkly contrasting with his massive frame—peered down at Ian and Aurora.

"If no one else is around, it must be us,"

Aurora answered, tipping her head back to meet Hagrid's gaze, her eyes just able to see his bearded face.

"Professor, you finally made it. We've been waiting forever,"

Ian said, hurrying to grab his trunk and stepping over to join the other first-years alongside Aurora.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Spent too much time look in for one lost student."

Hagrid chuckled so hard that his beard trembled. He reached out a broad hand and ruffled Ian's hair.

"Don't call me professor—just Hagrid. I'm just the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, that's all. But aren't you a tiny one!"

Plainly, Ian's calling him "professor" had delighted him.

"All the same to me,"

Ian thought, noting how Hagrid's huge palm nearly covered his entire head.

"All right, we've got everyone now. Off to the boats—there's no time to waste!"

Hagrid was always easy to please. Noticing how slender and frail Ian looked, he tucked the pink umbrella into his belt and used a free hand to heft both Ian's and Aurora's trunks, barely straining.

"Thank you, Professor Hagrid, you're really kind,"

Ian said, following close behind. Aurora, observing the scene, seemed to have come to some realization. Together, they slipped into the crowd of first-years trailing after Hagrid.

Still,

nobody came up to talk to them.

Early bonds at Hogwarts

were often formed on the Hogwarts Express itself. The chance meeting in a train compartment usually shaped the initial social groups among new students.

Not long after, they arrived at the boat dock on the Black Lake.

"Four to a boat—no pushing or crowding. This is for your own safety!"

Hagrid's loud voice carried as he tried to corral the excited first-years. Then, he tossed Ian's and Aurora's trunks into the nearest boat—giving them no real choice but to climb into that same craft.

"You lot! Yes, you! Don't go cramming ten people into one boat!"

Hagrid hurried off to wrangle some other kids.

At that moment,

two girls walked over—one behind the other—and stepped into the same boat as Ian and Aurora. They appeared not to know each other too well; even sitting across from Ian and Aurora, they left a conspicuous gap between them.

"Hello,"

one of the girls said warmly, greeting Ian and Aurora.

Aurora acknowledged her with a slight nod,

while Ian let out a long sigh of relief.

"I was worried we'd have to share a boat with that big guy, Hagrid,"

he admitted, pleased it was only fellow first-years aboard.

"You just called him 'professor,' said he was a good man, and now you're glad not to ride with him?"

Aurora glanced at Ian curiously.

"That's got nothing to do with how I feel about him,"

Ian replied confidently.

"He's obviously a good person, but that won't stop the boat from tipping if it's overloaded."

So logical was his answer that the friendly girl across from them couldn't help but nod.

Just then,

"All right! Settle in, we're off!"

Hagrid himself claimed a boat, calling out to everyone. Instantly, all the little vessels began gliding forward of their own accord on the lake's calm surface.

"That's not scientific!"

Ian watched in amazement: Hagrid's boat didn't ride any lower in the water than the rest, then murmured as if he'd just realized something.

"But it's definitely magical."

A single Hagrid obviously weighed more than four children combined, so the self-propelled boats—likely some form of alchemical creation—bore them across the water without any trouble.

Feeling the boat navigate the lake by itself,

Ian couldn't help anticipating his future studies in Alchemy.

"Your eyes are beautiful,"

the friendly girl suddenly said, noting Aurora's mismatched gaze.

"Thank you,"

Aurora replied in her usual mild tone.

"I'm Cho Chang—hope we can become friends."

She extended her hand toward Aurora, who paused, then gave it a light shake.

However,

Aurora didn't introduce herself.

"She's kind of shy; doesn't like talking much,"

Ian interjected, hoping to ease the awkwardness. Aurora gave him a couple of sideways looks at that remark.

"Oh, I see,"

Cho Chang replied, though it was unclear if she truly believed him.

"I'm Ian. Unlike her, I love to chat,"

Ian added cheerfully, reaching out to shake Cho's hand. He recognized her as Harry Potter's future first crush—her features were distinctly those of a delicate Asian girl.

Suddenly,

"Lumos,"

the other girl in their boat—who had remained silent so far—drew her wand and cast a soft, white glow, lighting the evening gloom.

Seemingly introverted, she had said nothing to any of them.

"Lumos."

"Lumos."

…

Lights started flickering on in other boats as well.

All across the lake,

the little boats drifted in neat lines toward Hogwarts Castle, leaving a twisting trail of ripples behind—like strokes of a brush across the vast darkness.

"They say the four founders of Hogwarts arrived across the lake by boat and built the school there,"

Cho Chang remarked, apparently sociable by nature. Gazing toward the castle's outline in the distance, she added an informative tidbit that hinted at her future place in Ravenclaw:

"Someone once told me a story: when students cross the lake, they receive a blessing from the four founders, and the founders' lingering magic washes over them in a kind of baptism."

Ian perked up at this account,

but a few moments later,

"That's just a rumor… definitely just a rumor,"

he muttered in disappointment after checking his personal status panel.

Girls might lie,

but his panel never would.

"It was only a story—doesn't have to be true,"

Cho laughed softly, unfazed by Ian's contradictory remark.

"I don't mind the conversation,"

the girl with the glowing wand abruptly broke her silence,

"but, instead of discussing intangible legends, maybe you should worry more about the crisis in front of you."

Her sudden words caught Ian and the others off guard.

A crisis?

What crisis could possibly exist at Hogwarts?

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