The doors were opened, and the sky was filled with lightning and thunder.

Hermione wrapped her cloak around Crook Hill, while Matthew and Neville barely covered their heads with their cloaks, and they struggled through the rain.

The rain was pouring down, and the weather was terrible.

Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew saw Professor Kettleburn, the teacher of the Fantastic Beasts Conservation class, who was greeting the first-year students.

It is customary for first-year students to ferry across the lake to enter Hogwarts Castle.

Matthew was suddenly a little glad that on September 1st last year, the sky was at least sunny...... It's unimaginable to go across the lake in a weather like today;

The three of them moved little by little with the flow of people, followed the crowd, and left the dark platform.

At the exit of the platform, there are a number of horse-drawn carriages, although they don't appear to be pulling horses (they are actually pulled by Thestrals, but Matthew, Neville, and Hermione can't see them).

Matthew, Neville, and Hermione were relieved to climb into one of them, and then Hufflepuff second-year Justin Finchrie got into the carriage and the door slammed shut.

The long motorway began along the path to Hogwarts Castle, splashing countless water along the axles.

About a quarter of an hour later, the carriage passed through the gates of Hogwarts.

Matthew could see the gate, on the two stone pillars, a very conspicuous, winged boar sculpture -

When Headmaster Gellert Grindelwald dueled Morgana the Black Witch a few months ago, he remembered that the two boar sculptures had also helped.

Pigs are animals that also have a special meaning for Hogwarts.

The word Hogwarts (H) is derived from the word warthog.

So there is a story that is widely circulated among wizards: the location and name of Hogwarts were chosen by Rowena Ravenclaw, who dreamed that a warthog would take her to a cliff by a lake, which is naturally the site of Hogwarts.

After a few more minutes, the carriage stopped at the gate of the castle.

They jumped out of the carriage and climbed the marble steps.

......

The embarrassed students arrived in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

It was late, and due to the sudden inspection on the way and the bad weather after arriving at the station, they were at least more than an hour late than usual before starting the party.

The auditorium was still as grand and splendid as it was, and it seemed to have been renovated for the banquet of the new school.

Hundreds of candles float above the table, illuminating golden plates and goblets. And the wet students, one after another, took their seats, sat down at the long tables of the four colleges, and began to greet each other eagerly.

At the top of the auditorium there was a fifth table, where the teachers sat one after another, facing their students.

Matthew looked at the table in the guest of honor, and he saw the face of Headmaster Gellert Grindelwald.

Normally, Headmaster Grindelwald would come to the auditorium after the banquet had begun...... But this year, due to a small accident, the students were generally more than an hour late, so Principal Grindelwald "arrived" early.

Headmaster Grindelwald's expression was serious, he was looking down, as if he was thinking about something.

Sitting next to Principal Grindelwald was the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rozier, whose face was still immensely young, smiling and talking to another teacher beside her.

That other teacher is a strange face!

That's right, Matthew soon spotted the face he had met earlier on the train -

The "stranger", who was now sitting in the guest of honor, was talking to the vice-principal with some restraint.

It seems that Matthew guessed correctly, when Mr. Longbottom tested before, it was just a small accident, and the "stranger" was a real new Hogwarts teacher.

It's not hard to guess either.

A fugitive from Azkaban, if he dares to swagger so much, takes the express train to Hogwarts...... Matthew would even wonder if he had spent too much time in Azkaban and had broken his brain.

......

However, he failed to show it to Miss Hermione Granger, who had already gone to the Ravenclaw table.

Matthew also hurried to the Slytherin table.

On the ceiling of the auditorium, instead of twinkling stars and moons, there was a dazzling sun—

After sitting down, under the "sun's rays", he suddenly felt warm all over his body, the chill was all dispelled, and his wet clothes quickly dried out.

"Wakefield!" Matthew had just sat down when Agnes Lestrange suddenly walked over from the other side of the table, calling out his name.

"Long time no see!" Matthew smiled and nodded at the pretty girl.

"At the beginning of the summer holidays—" Miss Lestrange hesitated for a moment, and asked in a whisper, "I saw you at the Blotted Bookstore?"

"Yes, I was working there as a day labor!" replied Matthew, calmly.

In fact, he was a little strange in his heart, when he was working at the Blotts, he did meet many Hogwarts acquaintances...... But he was sure that there was no Miss Agnes Lestrange among them.

"Later, something seems to have happened to the Blotted Bookstore, and it was all shut down......" Miss Lestrange continued.

"Yes, but I wasn't affected in any way. Matthew replied honestly.

He also secretly said in his heart that I was actually the "culprit" of that incident.

"If no one is willing to invite you to his house before the summer holidays next year, you can come to me......" Agnes Lestrange said quickly.

Then, with a flick of her long hair, she turned away, and soon returned to her previous seat.

Only Matthew was left there with some confusion:

"Does my popularity seem so bad, why do they think that no one invited me ......?"

......

Soon, Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle arrived at the auditorium.

They sat down next to Matthew, and the Slytherin boys got together again after a summer break.

At the same time, they also began to talk eagerly-

"You don't look happy, Draco?" Theodore Nott asked, a little surprised.

"Draco's family is in trouble for the summer. Vincent Crabbe explains.

Gregory Gower added, "There's a bastard who reported Draco's father and was involved in a 'smuggling'...... This incident tossed his father for almost a summer vacation. ”

"It's a bastard!" Matthew chimed in.