Chapter 27: Crossing the Lake

Hours later, night fell. Outside the train window, it was pitch black, so dark that one could not see their hand in front of their face. Even Ron and Hermione, who were usually very lively, began to grow quiet.

Chu Yang closed his book at this moment and began to organize his luggage, putting the books he had taken out back in an orderly fashion.

He had long since grown accustomed to the experience of taking trains to attend school in other places; he was quite proficient at it. Moreover, since it was a private train, there was no need to worry about missing his stop, so there was nothing to be nervous about.

Accompanied by the "whooo-whooo" of the whistle, the train slowly pulled into a simple station. It was not large in scale, and the facilities looked somewhat old, but it was cleaned very thoroughly.

The greenery and streetlights on both sides of the tracks adorned the station with a warm and lovely atmosphere, easing some of the tension felt by the new students.

Under the glow of the streetlights, Chu Yang saw the giant Hagrid walking toward them through the train window.

The darkness made him appear even more burly!

The giant, nearly as tall as the train, carried a lantern in his hand and shouted loudly to remind the new students to get off at the station, "First-year students, gather around me! Hurry up, don't be shy! We're just waiting on you for today's feast!"

Hearing this, the new students immediately got off the train. Everyone's luggage remained on the train; someone would deliver it to the school for them later.

Harry and Ron stepped off the train and immediately walked up to Hagrid to greet him, then followed closely behind him. Chu Yang lagged a few steps behind, blending into the crowd.

Meeting Harry Potter was an accident.

Chu Yang did not intend to continue this accidental connection.

He did not want to involve himself in the conflict between the main characters and Voldemort, because it was a troublesome matter that was a waste of time and yielded no benefits.

After all, in real life, who would rush to do such thankless work?

With that time, Chu Yang would rather find a quiet place to study magic.

In any case, as the protagonist, Harry Potter would certainly defeat Voldemort by the end of the story; whether Chu Yang helped or not didn't make much of a difference.

He had to seize the time to improve his abilities so that he could help his other "selves" the next time he entered the Soul Palace.

After all, freeloading like this was fine once, but doing it more than that would be a bit impolite.

Just as Chu Yang thought he would drift further and further away from them, a little tail followed behind him.

"Chu Yang, can you tell me exactly which grade's content you've self-taught up to?" Hermione looked at Chu Yang with wide, round eyes, like a little squirrel.

The crowd around them was surging; to avoid getting lost, Hermione gripped Chu Yang's sleeve with one hand.

Chu Yang felt quite helpless.

Hermione's self-esteem was very strong. In the past, at home, she would always be the first to show off the knowledge she had learned to others.

But this time, in terms of knowledge, Chu Yang had completely overwhelmed her.

Given her personality, she wouldn't just give up like this.

Chu Yang told a calm lie, "Actually, I don't read as much as you think. Aside from the first-year textbooks, the rest are just books related to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You already know my family situation; even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford extra books, and even my tuition is being paid by Hogwarts."

Upon mentioning his family background, Hermione indeed stopped questioning him. Instead, she comforted Chu Yang, saying, "Chu Yang, you don't need to worry about books. Professor McGonagall told me that the Hogwarts library has a very rich collection; you can borrow many books there."

Chu Yang smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Miss Granger."

Hermione waved her hand and responded with a smile, "No need to be so polite, just call me Hermione."

Just as they finished speaking, the group had reached the lakeside. Hagrid, standing on the shore, was constantly waving his arms, calling for the students to board the boats.

"Three to four people per boat at most! Watch yourselves! If you're heavy, pick a boat with fewer people!"

The new students began to board the boats, but the waves caused the boats to rock left and right. It was quite a struggle for a group of eleven-year-olds to climb aboard.

Looking at the swaying little boats, Hermione hesitated for a moment, until Chu Yang pressed down on the bow of a boat, making it stay as steady as if it were nailed to the surface of the sea.

"Wow, you're so strong!" Hermione looked at Chu Yang in surprise, then tentatively placed her foot into the boat, bracing her hands against the hull and carefully climbing over.

There was also another rather large boy standing awkwardly on the shore; it seemed as though the others did not welcome him, as if they thought he would take up too much space.

The boy gave Chu Yang an embarrassed smile.

"Come on in, there are exactly three of us." Chu Yang tilted his head to signal the boy to board, and the latter sat down with a sense of relief.

After Chu Yang was the last to board, the small boat began to move without any physical force being applied, clearly having had a spell cast upon it in advance.

"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger," Hermione introduced herself generously to the wooden-faced boy.

"He... hello, my name is... Neville Longbottom." The chubby white boy named Neville was so nervous that he began to stutter.

The small boat drifted further and further from the shore, and the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer.

The pitch-black surface of the lake was so silent it was eerie; a silent fear rippled like the water.

The lantern in Hagrid's hand was simply not enough to dispel the fear of a group of eleven-year-olds.

Out of fear, Hermione huddled close to Chu Yang, clutching his robes and refusing to let go.

Out of kindness, Chu Yang had to remind her, "If you keep holding onto me like that, if I happen to fall into the lake, you'll be dragged down with me."

Hermione shook her head decisively, "You're so smart, the chance of you falling in is very small. It's safer to hold onto you."

Chu Yang: "..."

From a small boat drifting nearby, voices of complaint could be heard continuously, "I really don't understand why we can't ride in carriages like the older students. Why must we cross the lake by boat? What if something happens?"

Hagrid, at the very front, heard the complaints and turned back helplessly, "Don't worry, everyone. Boating is very safe. In all these years at Hogwarts, not a single student has died while crossing by boat."

Hagrid's explanation did not earn the children's understanding; instead, the complaints grew louder.

Hermione, who had been very afraid just a moment ago, suddenly became spirited. She explained in a high-pitched voice, "Crossing the lake by boat is a tradition for new students entering Hogwarts. It is an imitation of the scene when the four great wizards who founded the school first arrived here."

"The meaning of doing this is to remind future generations not to forget their original intentions, and to remember the hardships under which the current Hogwarts was established."

As Hermione explained, the complaints of the new students ceased abruptly, and the "chuunibyou" blood within them began to burn fiercely!