Blood and magic wand

Victor continued to hum, monotonously and persistently, emitting a low, vibrating sound that was already making Hermione's eye twitch. At first, it was bearable, a background noise to their studies, but after several hours, she couldn't take it anymore. Her patience had run out. "Victor, stop humming! It's irritating!" Her voice was sharper than usual.

Victor pouted like an offended child, his lips sticking out. He lay down on the table, head propped up by his hands, and began demonstratively tapping his foot against the table leg, creating a rhythmic but annoying thud. A vein was already throbbing on Hermione's forehead. "Victor, stop tapping!" She could barely contain her anger.

Victor sighed heavily, stood up, and declared, straightening his shoulders, "I'm bored! I'm going for a walk!" Opening the compartment door, he turned, pointed a finger at Hermione, and said with feigned drama, his eyes slightly narrowed, "And you, Hermione, should be ashamed! I am very disappointed in you, young lady!" And he dramatically slammed the door shut, leaving Hermione and Neville in silence.

Hermione shook her head, her hair swaying slightly, and sighed deeply. Looking at Neville, who sat with wide eyes, clutching his toad, she said with a slight smile, "Don't mind him, Neville. He's a bit strange, but actually harmless. He just sometimes needs more attention."

Stepping out of the compartment, Victor looked around. The train corridor was filled with laughter and chatter, and music emanated from some compartments, but he saw neither Harry nor Ron. He sighed, rubbing his chin, "Ugh, I shouldn't have returned the toad. Then Hermione would have found them instead of me." He scratched the back of his head, pondering. "Okay, where to? Left or right? Hmmm… Right." He chose a direction at random, relying on intuition.

He began peering into every compartment, displaying his unusual manner of communication.

In the first compartment, he saw two girls animatedly discussing something, leaning close to each other. Victor slightly opened the door and asked cheerfully but mysteriously, "Hi! Have you by any chance seen my hamster that can predict the future? He's, well, golden-colored and wears glasses!" The girls blinked in surprise, their mouths agape, and without waiting for an answer, he moved on.

In the next compartment sat three boys engrossed in a card game, their faces concentrated. Victor poked his head into the opening and, with a serious face, inquired, "Excuse me, do you happen to have a spare dragon? Preferably a small one that fits in a pocket. For a pet, you know? My neighbor really wants one." The boys stopped playing, cards frozen in their hands, and stared at him as if he were mad. Victor simply continued on his way, leaving them bewildered.

In the third compartment, he saw a group of older students immersed in reading thick books, their faces serious. He peeked in, tilted his head, and mysteriously uttered, "Excuse me, could you tell me where the nearest entrance to the magical land hidden behind the door is? Because I seem to have gotten lost in an old wardrobe…" The older students exchanged glances, confusion etched on their faces, but before they could answer, Victor had already departed.

After some time of opening doors, accompanied by curious or puzzled gazes, he finally found the compartment. It was filled with laughter, and the clear voices of two boys emanated from it. Victor flung open the door and saw Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Oh, hi! Is this seat taken?" Victor asked, a wide smile lighting up his face.

Harry, slightly surprised by the stranger's appearance, replied, "No, of course not, come in!"

"Thanks!" Victor sat down next to Harry, making himself comfortable. "My name is Victor Moss. Genius, playboy, philanthropist." He extended his hand for a handshake.

Harry and Ron looked at him strangely, their eyebrows slightly raised, their gazes expressing clear bewilderment. Recovering, Harry said, "My name is Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley."

Victor made a surprised face, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if recalling something: "Hmm… Harry Potter… I've heard that name somewhere." He said this in such a calm tone, without much excitement or surprise, that Harry, seeing his unruffled reaction, guessed, "So you're not from the wizarding world either?"

Victor smiled, "Yes, exactly!"

Ron, still a bit puzzled but now emboldened, asked, "Have you thought about which house you want to be in? I want Gryffindor!" And then he began enthusiastically describing how great Gryffindor was, how brave and noble the students were there, how fun and friendly it was. He spoke of his twin brothers who were also in Gryffindor, and his older siblings who had succeeded there. Victor listened carefully, sometimes nodding his head, not interrupting his stream of words.

Ron, realizing he had been talking for too long, became embarrassed, his cheeks reddening. He apologized, "Sorry, I'm just very nervous. If I don't get into Gryffindor, my brothers will laugh at me for the rest of my life! But that's not the worst part… The worst thing is my mum will definitely kill me!" His voice trembled with anxiety.

At that moment, the compartment door opened again, and standing in the doorway was a breathless Hermione, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed, expressing clear displeasure. "Where did you disappear to?! I'm tired of looking for you! I thought you'd done something and been thrown off the train!"

Victor turned away, scoffed, and said, "You made me leave the compartment yourself! I was sitting there, doing nothing, and you yelled at me!" He said this with feigned indignation.

Hermione sighed heavily, realizing it was useless to argue. "Alright, I'm sorry. Let's go back, the conductress said we'll be arriving soon."

Victor stood up, smiled, and looked at the boys: "Alright, I have to go. See you at school! Good luck getting into Gryffindor, Ron!"

Then he left with Hermione into the corridor. On the way, Hermione asked, "Who were they?"

Victor shrugged, "Just some fun travel companions."

Upon reaching their compartment, he saw that Neville had already changed into his school uniform, which was a bit baggy on him. He turned to Hermione and said, "Alright, you change first, then I will." Looking at Neville, he added, "Come on, Neville, let's not bother the girl." Neville nodded, and they went out into the corridor together to give Hermione privacy to change.

When Hermione emerged from the compartment in her neat school robes, which fit her perfectly, Victor and Neville re-entered. Victor quickly changed himself, deftly handling the robe buttons. He felt the train begin to slow down, gently swaying from side to side, as if lulling them. He looked at Hermione and Neville, who were also ready for arrival, standing by the window.

"Well, my brilliant little witch and my newly acquired comrade?" Victor grinned widely, anticipating new events. "Let's go!"

The compartment doors swung open, and they, along with the other first-years, stepped out into the echoing darkness of Hogsmeade Station. Fresh, cool air enveloped them, bringing the scents of damp earth and pine needles. There was a commotion all around: older students hurried to carriages pulled by invisible Thestrals, while the first-years were being gathered by a huge, bearded man, twice the height of an ordinary person. His voice, like a roll of thunder, cut through the crowd's noise: "First-years! Over here! First-years follow me!"

It was Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. His broad, kindly face was illuminated by the light of the suspended lantern he held in his hand. Victor, Hermione, and Neville quickly joined the group of other children, hesitantly huddled around the giant.

"Everyone into the boats! No more than four to a boat!" Hagrid boomed.

Soon, they found themselves on the shore of the enormous Black Lake. The boats glided silently across the dark surface of the lake, reflecting the twinkling stars. In the distance, atop a hill, appeared Hogwarts – a grand, majestic castle, adorned with many towers and spires, its windows glowing with warm golden light. It seemed unreal, as if it had stepped out of the pages of ancient fairy tales.

"Wow!" Hermione gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. Even Victor felt a slight awe at the sight.

The boats slowly approached the underground harbor, and the first-years disembarked onto the rocky shore. Hagrid led them along a narrow path, cut into the rock, up towards the castle. The path was dark and winding, and Hermione stumbled over a rock.

"It's so dark here! I can barely see where I'm going," Hermione mumbled, rubbing her bruised knee.

Victor smiled. "No problem." He quietly took out his wand. "Lumos!" A bright light flashed at the end of his wand, casting a soft, warm glow on the path in front of them. Several first-years walking behind gasped in surprise.

"Hey, easy with the magic, lad!" Hagrid grumbled disapprovingly, though he didn't look truly angry.

Victor merely nodded and smiled. The path led them to wide, oak doors opening into a huge entrance hall.

The entrance hall was brightly lit by torches, casting whimsical shadows on the tall walls. At the top of the staircase, a tall, stern woman with her hair pulled back in a tight bun and wearing an emerald-green robe was waiting for them. Her face was severe, but her eyes held anticipation. It was Professor McGonagall.

"First-years, over here!" she said, her voice clear and authoritative. "Welcome to Hogwarts!"