Elena glanced out the window; the sky had gradually darkened. Beneath the deep purple sky lay a stretch of mountains and forests. The train seemed to slow down, and not far away, a village flickered with dim yellow lights—a place that, without a doubt, was the final stop of this train: Hogsmeade Village, the only wizarding village in all of England.
"The train is almost arriving at Hogwarts. Students, please leave your luggage on board; we'll take care of transporting it to the school."
Soon enough, the corridor echoed with this announcement, sounding somewhat like a common electronic broadcast from future times. However, considering the interference of electronic devices within Hogwarts' range and the usage of "we" in the message, Elena guessed it might involve some unknown magic from the house-elves at Hogwarts.
"It's your fault; now everything's sticky. You've changed clothes twice before even reaching the school."
Inside the compartment, Hermione gave Elena a fierce look, taking off her soda-stained outerwear and switching to a new Hogwarts robe, grumbling. As for the boys, they had been sent to other compartments long ago.
Elena grinned shamelessly. "No worries, none of us know the 'cleaning charm.' It'll be easier next time."
"You think there'll be a next time? If you try that again, I'll expose you for sure!"
Adorable Hermione Granger furrowed her brow, wrinkled her nose, looking sternly threatening. She wasn't as intimidated by Elena as the other boys were.
Friendships among girls, especially young ones, usually fall into three categories: the mutual admiration of pretty faces, the challenge between intellectuals, and the most common—the superficial sisterhood.
Undoubtedly, Elena and Hermione's relationship was a combination of the first two types. After an afternoon of chatting, the girls' connection had quickly warmed up, and their actions and words became more relaxed.
"Your call, but let's not forget you need a lot of catching up to do before you can surpass me."
Unmoved, Elena shrugged, stuffing her stained robe into her trunk with a smirk. "Besides, even if you expose me, do you think they'd have the nerve to rebel?"
Hermione, about to retort, was interrupted by a long whistle.
Woo—
The Hogwarts Express slowed down, accompanied by the harsh sound of friction between the train wheels and the rails, finally coming to a halt at a small, dark platform.
"Gosh, it's freezing at night. Aren't you feeling cold?"
Exiting the carriage, the chill of Hogsmeade's night made Hermione shiver. She tightened her robe and grabbed the cloak of the silver-haired girl ahead of her. Despite whatever lay ahead, this eleven-year-old, having just left home to study in a new place, felt fear and nervousness—it was fortunate she had a companion.
"I'm fine; I'm used to it."
Elena, accustomed to the cold of the Scottish Highlands, remained composed. Breathing in the familiar cool air of the night, she felt a sense of returning home.
"Stick close to me, stop overthinking; focus. I'll take you to where the new students gather."
Glancing at the crowded throng, Elena frowned and took Hermione's slightly chilly hand.
Most passengers on the Hogwarts Express were under eighteen, so there was no hope for orderliness. Even adults were chaotic when disembarking. Of course, to Elena, who had faced the chaos of large-scale "Spring Festival" events, this scene was manageable.
Hermione felt her right hand encased in a warm, soft palm, a reassuring sensation that eased her nervousness, being just an eleven-year-old girl leaving home for school. She was afraid and tense—it was only natural—fortunately, she had someone with her.
"Yeah." The girl softly agreed and obediently nodded, following Elena through the crowd.
Soon, they saw a giant, over three meters tall, with tousled hair, holding a lamp, loudly shouting amidst the crowd, "First-year students! First-year students, come this way!"
"That's Hagrid, Hogwarts' groundskeeper and keykeeper." Sensing Hermione's unease, Elena gently squeezed her hand, raising her voice to explain, "No need to worry, he's a very kind and gentle person, very close to Harry. Let's head over."
"Hey, Ron, Malfoy, we're over here!"
Shouting loudly and waving vigorously towards the left, Elena pulled Hermione towards the distinguishable figure in the crowded mass.
In no time, the friends from the train had successfully reunited, glancing at each other, feeling considerably more settled.
"Alright, no more first-year students? Follow me."
After about ten minutes, when no new passengers had gotten off the train, Hagrid looked around at the group of little heads around him. Sporting a bushy beard, he flashed a smile, waved his lamp, signaling everyone to follow him.
"First-year students, follow me! Watch your step!"
This should be one of the special orientation programs for the first-year students, Elena thought to herself.
Following Hagrid's lead, they could see him guiding them down a steep, narrow path.
The path had no lights; it solely relied on Hagrid's lamp for illumination. The dense trees on either side blocked out most of the moonlight, leaving the path in near darkness. Amidst occasional cries and slipping sounds ahead, it was clear that the path wasn't easy.
"Take out your wands; remember the magic I taught you in the carriage, the essential spell for all wizards?"
Glancing at the little wizards around her, Elena, not having moved, saw that everyone else had stopped too, forming the end of the line.
"Yeah, remember. Are we really going to use magic now?"
"Of course, we remember."
"Let's give it a try."
"Sure, it's such a simple spell."
"Oh, I feel like I might fail again."
As the young wizards whispered among themselves, each nervously retrieved their wands from their robes, eager to try.
"Great, relax. Try to recall the instructions from the books and follow my lead."
Elena released Hermione's hand, taking out her own black walnut wand from her robe. With a flick of her wrist, she enunciated clearly.
"Lumos Maximum!"
A bright white light quickly emanated from the tip of the girl's wand, just like her attempt on the train; the wand felt like an extension of herself, without any hindrance.
"Lumos Maximum!"
"Lumos Maximum!"
...
As Elena cast her spell, the young wizards around her followed suit, their wand tips emitting varied shades of glowing white light. Together, they formed a high-wattage flashlight, directly illuminating the path ahead.
"What's happening?"
Hagrid, at the front, heard the commotion behind and turned around, puzzled.
At the end of the line of new students, it seemed as though a large swath of moonlight suddenly fell, brightening the rough path.
No, it wasn't moonlight!
Hagrid rubbed his eyes vigorously.
The sky was still mostly clouded, blocking out most of the moonlight. The light came mostly from the wands of several clustered young wizards, especially from the silver-haired girl leading the way.
At the forefront of the group, amidst the soft white glow, a finely featured silver-haired girl was quietly maintaining order, instructing
the new students to join the queue.
As this small group gradually progressed, more and more first-year students stopped, spontaneously gathering around them. Under the radiant glow, resembling moonlight, they calmly navigated the rugged, slippery path.
Even years later, this batch of students and Hagrid couldn't forget the night when, on the rugged mountain path, a girl, radiant like moonlight, dispelled the darkness.
—That was their first real encounter with Elena Moonlight Kaslana.
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