The giant tentacle slipped back into the water.
By now, all the boats had entered the pitch-black tunnel.
However, Hagrid's lantern illuminated everything on his own boat.
Draco Malfoy, wrapped in the moleskin overcoat, shivering from cold and fear, and dripping wet, became the only beacon of light in the darkness.
All eyes were on him.
Including Harry's and Ron's.
A buzzing sound, like a swarm of mosquitoes, filled the air—whispers from the other students.
"Don't talk to me," Ron's voice trembled.
Only Harry bothered to respond, asking curiously, "Why?"
Hermione glanced at them, then refocused her attention on Basil's profile.
Basil, eyes comfortably closed, was humming Hedwig's Theme (the movie soundtrack), looking utterly relaxed.
Ron ignored Harry's question. He kept his eyes shut, a look of pure bliss on his face. "Because I want to etch this moment into my memory forever. Baby Malfoy, cradled in Hagrid's arms."
Harry laughed out loud, playing along.
"I still remember him badmouthing Hagrid right in front of me: 'I've heard of him. He's a servant, isn't he?... That man is savage. He lives in a hut on the school grounds, gets drunk every now and then, tries to do magic, and ends up setting his bed on fire.'"
"And look at him now. Cuddled up in the arms of the man he looked down on."
Then, Ron's smile faded. "Wait... the first wizard kid your age you met wasn't me?"
Harry was confused. "It was you. I just exchanged a few words with him in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. We didn't even swap names."
Basil opened his eyes and turned his head slightly.
Ron didn't seem satisfied with Harry's answer.
Harry felt Ron was being weird.
The atmosphere between them suddenly shifted. They sat back-to-back on opposite sides of the boat, falling into silence.
"Yikes. They're acting like a quarreling couple," Basil muttered.
He subconsciously leaned a bit closer to Hermione.
Hermione flashed a delighted smile.
Out of the four of them, she was the only winner!
Even after they disembarked onto a shore of pebbles and small rocks, Harry and Ron still weren't talking.
Even Malfoy being carried like a baby, or Neville finding his toad and calling "Trevor" as "Revor," failed to catch their attention.
Meanwhile, Basil looked utterly miserable.
In front of him was a bumpy tunnel cut through the rock.
Even more despairing was what his mental map of Hogwarts told him: after climbing this, walking across a flat, damp meadow, there was another long flight of stone steps.
Only then would they reach the castle's front doors.
If only no one knew me.
Then he could have sneaked away and teleported directly to the top once the group reached the steps.
He glanced heavily at Hermione, who was being unusually enthusiastic for some reason.
Obviously, sneaking off was impossible.
I should have jumped into the water earlier.
Then he could have slept like a baby in Hagrid's arms and skipped the walk entirely.
In the blink of an eye, they had walked the whole way and arrived at the castle's front doors. Basil still hadn't changed his mind.
Watching Hagrid pound on the door with his massive fist...
While holding Malfoy in his left arm...
The envy in Basil's eyes hadn't fully faded.
Until the doors swung open.
A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stepped out.
"Hiss!" Basil elbowed Ron, the Encyclopedia of the Wizarding World. "Who is she? I need all her info in one second!"
"Her?" Ron looked confused. "Who else could it be? Minerva McGonagall. Deputy Headmistress, Head of Gryffindor House, and Head of the Transfiguration Department."
"No way..." Basil muttered, almost dreamily. "How old is she?"
The "Cat-Lady" Professor before him had jet-black hair and square spectacles.
But her skin was smooth, fair, and almost wrinkle-free.
She had a beautiful face, fitted emerald robes that accentuated a curvy figure.
And there was a trace of gentleness in her eyes as she cast Warming and Drying Charms on Malfoy.
This is the stern but kind old lady, Professor McGonagall?!
Ron actually answered him. "Hmm, let me think. My mum is 41, and she said Professor McGonagall is nearly 30 years older than her."
"So she's almost 70?" Basil questioned his reality.
The last time he felt like this was when he learned his grandmother gave birth to his father at age 80.
Beside him, Ron kept whispering McGonagall's bio in a low voice.
At this moment, he realized he had another talent besides chess!
Ron "Rita Skeeter II" Weasley was born!
"My mum said Professor McGonagall is a legend."
"As an infant, she could control the family cat, summon toys to her crib, and even make her father's bagpipes play themselves."
"She got top marks in her O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, was a Prefect and Head Girl, and won the Transfiguration Today Most Promising Newcomer Award."
(Hermione whispered in Basil's other ear: "I know that too. It's in 'Modern Magical Masters'.")
"Right after graduating, she worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"After just two years, she was offered a promotion."
"But she turned it down and chose Hogwarts instead. She got a position in the Transfiguration Department under Albus Dumbledore, who was the Head of Department at the time."
Listening to this, Basil thought: Ron, what other surprises are you hiding from me?!
However, Ron stopped there.
Because they had followed Professor McGonagall into the Entrance Hall, past the closed doors of the Great Hall, and into a small empty chamber off the hall.
The Cat-Lady Professor stood before the group of first-years, telling them things they already knew.
Sorting first... the four Houses... the Sorting Ceremony is important... your House is your family... House points represent honor... rules for gaining and losing points...
"The House is our family? Not the school?"
Educated in the 21st Century , Basil instantly spotted a blind spot.
The rest of the speech was just introducing and emphasizing the Houses.
Basil, who viewed Hogwarts as his personal property, suddenly lost his curiosity about McGonagall.
Instead, he frowned, listening to these words that divided his Hogwarts.
The House belongs to the School. But you must love the House.
Isn't this just another version of "My vassal's vassal is not my vassal"?
He asked Ron seriously, "What did you mean by 'Head of Department' earlier?"
Ron replied, "You didn't think one teacher handled seven years of students for every subject, did you? Actually, for core subjects like Transfiguration—except for Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts—there are faculty members in each department."
"But they mostly handle the seventh-year students and backend work like grading assignments. They stay in the Staff Room and don't attend the feasts."
"So we almost never see them. Some people joke that they're 'House-elf Professors'."
"Ridiculous." Basil's frown deepened.
House divisions... "Laborer-like" teaching assistants for subjects...
Muggle-born wizards come to Hogwarts just to learn magic.
But Hogwarts insists on these factional divides.
Before Transmigration: Sorting is so fun!
After Transmigration (Owning Hogwarts): "My school is being ruined by you people!"
Thinking this, Basil suddenly raised his right hand.
"Professor, I think what you said is wrong!"
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