Harry Potter: I am the Legend

Hoffa's expression froze, and his body stiffened. This person was simply toxic.

He took a deep breath, silently putting the Chocolate Frog back in his bag. His excitement about eating had been completely ruined by this girl. In both of his lifetimes, he had never encountered anyone so arrogant. She was even more arrogant than Draco Malfoy.

"I think you'll probably be sorted into Slytherin," Hoffa said faintly.

As he spoke, he began putting snacks into his pockets. He no longer wanted to stay in this compartment.

"Impossible!" The girl scoffed. "How could a soaring eagle be with a lowly snake in the dirt?" Her owl on her shoulder let out a proud screech.

The girl continued, "I would only ever go to one house, the smallest one in Hogwarts, the place where the smart ones belong..."

"Well, if that makes you happy," Hoffa replied.

He packed all his food into his pockets, then turned and walked to the door. Without looking back, he opened the door, closed it behind him, and walked away.

Hoffa had no interest in hearing her talk. He didn't know which house he would end up in, but he already knew the one he least wanted to go to. Any house this girl was in was one he didn't want to join.

Leaving his compartment, Hoffa wandered down the hallway, munching on snacks. Inside the other compartments, various children were chatting and laughing, building friendships.

When he passed by a Slytherin compartment, Hoffa saw Tom Riddle leaning against his seat, laughing and chatting with others. Putting aside everything else, this guy's charisma was undeniable. His old-fashioned clothes couldn't hide the leadership aura around him.

Hoffa felt a bit resentful. After all, he hadn't made a single friend at Hogwarts yet.

That seemed reasonable. He wasn't from a wizarding family, and he wasn't a famous savior like Harry. He didn't look like Tom Riddle, who was stunningly handsome. Of course, he would just remain a small nobody.

After wandering around for half an hour, Hoffa began to feel awkward.

Hogwarts was almost in sight, and people began pulling down the curtains in their compartments, changing into their school robes.

Most of the compartments were occupied. Hoffa looked at his jeans and T-shirt and thought, he certainly couldn't change in the hallway.

Going back to change wasn't an option either. He didn't want to see that silver-haired girl's face again.

So, Hoffa jogged down the hallway, hoping to find a vacant compartment. After a long search, he still couldn't find an empty one. Either the compartments were for girls and it wouldn't be appropriate, or they were too crowded.

Hoffa ran all the way from the back of the train to the front.

Finally, he found one suitable compartment. There was only one person inside. A girl in a black robe was quietly sitting and reading.

Although she was a girl, there was only one of her, and Hoffa didn't have time to be picky.

Hoffa knocked on the glass door.

The girl raised her head and looked at him calmly.

She was a delicate-looking girl with round glasses, fair skin, short brown hair, gray eyes, and a slender build.

Hoffa raised his school robe apologetically. The girl nodded, closed her book, stood up, and opened the door.

Hoffa hurried into the compartment and smiled. "Sorry, all the other compartments are full, and I have nowhere to change. May I borrow your compartment for a moment?"

The girl nodded. "Go ahead, we're almost there."

She helped him pull up the curtain, then stood by the door, leaning against it.

Hoffa quickly changed into his school robes. When he was done, he opened the door. "All done, thank you."

The black-haired girl nodded and returned to her seat, resuming her reading without saying much.

A faint floral fragrance filled the compartment, and Hoffa thought it must be her scent. The only sound was the rustle of pages turning.

After a while, Hoffa grew curious and asked, "All the other compartments are full, but why are you sitting here alone?"

The girl replied, "Because I'm reading. They don't want to disturb me."

Hoffa glanced down at the yellow cover of the book, which read War and Peace. He was quite familiar with that book.

"You read War and Peace? A Muggle book?" Hoffa asked.

"Of course," the girl said, glancing at him slightly, as if not eager to continue the conversation. She turned a page and asked, "Are you a first-year too?"

"Yes."

Hoffa extended his hand. "Hoffa Bach."

The girl nodded and extended her hand. "Miranda Gorshak."

Hoffa felt a bit puzzled. Gorshak? The silver-haired girl had just mentioned "Miller Gorshak."

So Hof asked, "Do you have a brother named Miller?"

The girl looked up, adjusted her glasses, and smiled gently. "Sorry, I haven't heard of anyone by that name."

"Oh."

Hoffa mumbled quietly, not paying much attention.

To be honest, he had almost completely forgotten about that arrogant girl.

The brown-haired girl, after pulling out her wand, casually waved it.

All the clothes Hoffa had taken off were neatly folded into a perfect pile, like tofu blocks.

Afterward, she put the book back in her bag and told Hoffa, "No need to carry your things, someone will take care of them for us."

Miranda maintained a gentle, graceful demeanor the whole time. She wasn't in a rush, wasn't impatient, and didn't show off. People like her were the ones best suited to be friends.

In the final minutes on the train, Hoffa and Miranda chatted casually. The most common topic for new students was the houses. However, Miranda didn't seem to care which house she would be placed in.

"Actually, other than the common room being in a different location, everything else is pretty much the same across the houses. The classes are all the same," Miranda said.

Hoffa, curious, asked, "You seem to know a lot about Hogwarts."

Miranda smiled. "Someone in my family works here. I came to Hogwarts when I was three."

Hoffa felt that the surname Gorshak sounded familiar.

He quickly reached into his pocket, and sure enough, he found the name Adabe Gorshak on his new student acceptance letter. He was the Deputy Headmaster.

"Deputy Headmaster Adabe Gorshak, is he your...?"

"He's my grandfather," Miranda sighed. "Sorry, can we not talk about this?"

Ten minutes later, the sky had turned completely dark. The train slowly pulled into a small, dark station.

The young passengers jostled each other, rushing toward the train doors.

Hoffa and the "golden leg" student he had just met walked off the train. The night's chill made him shiver. Lanterns swayed above their heads. He thought he would see Hagrid here, but he didn't.

Instead, there was an old one-eyed hunter riding a horse. He turned his horse's head and shouted loudly.

"First-year students, come with me!"

This must have been the previous gamekeeper, Hoffa thought. Hagrid was likely only nine years old and wouldn't be able to join for another two years.

They crossed a dark forest path.

The one-eyed gamekeeper led the group of chattering children to the edge of a dark lake, where small wooden boats were docked.

On the opposite shore, a tall hill loomed with a grand castle at its peak, towers rising sharply into the sky, and windows twinkling under the starlit sky.

At that moment, Hogwarts seemed nearly identical to the description in the original book, except for the people.

System

Ding!

Rarely, Hoffa didn't bother with the system's prompt. He gazed at the castle, feeling a surge of emotion. This was what it felt like when a dream came true.

The gamekeeper jumped off his horse, grabbed his bow, and lifted an oil lamp. He shouted, "Four per boat, no fighting."

The children clamored to get on the boats.

Miranda sat next to Hoffa, and two unfamiliar students sat across from him, chatting and laughing. He sighed in relief; the silver-haired girl hadn't followed them. That was better than anything.

Once everyone settled, the boat automatically started moving across the black lake.

Nearby, the children pointed at the surrounding scenery, most of them extremely excited.

Hoffa dipped his hand into the icy lake water.

The sound of splashing water felt incredibly refreshing.

Suddenly, his finger pricked with a sharp pain. He looked up in surprise.

A tiny mermaid had wrapped around his finger. It looked like Thumbelina, with the upper body of a girl and a fish tail. After being discovered, the mermaid shot a stream of water at his face.

Hoffa quickly pulled his hand back. The mermaid let go of his finger.

Miranda smiled. "A Scottish lake spirit. A magical creature. Once it matures, it can grow as large as a human. There are many of them here."

Hoffa made a face and didn't dip his hand into the water again.

As the castle grew closer, everyone held their breath. The air was filled only with the sound of water. They passed through several archways covered in dense ivy. It felt as though they had entered a dark tunnel leading beneath the castle. Finally, they reached what seemed like an underground dock, then climbed up to a gravel path leading to the surface.

They had reached the opposite shore of the lake, at the foot of Hogwarts.

Hoffa wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the school seemed much larger than he had expected. The dark stone walls stretched endlessly, and the highest towers seemed to pierce the clouds.

When they reached the castle entrance, Hoffa noticed something different. He remembered the book describing the castle's main doors as oak, but the doors in front of him were made entirely of black metal, engraved with strange patterns and symbols. They looked ancient and solemn.

Had something changed in the last half-century? Hoffa wondered as he rubbed his chin.

The doors opened automatically, revealing a grand marble staircase. A stream of students filed inside.

The one-eyed old man dismounted and followed the new students.

He stopped them at the entrance hall and said, "Wait here, and don't speak."

But his words had little effect. The children huddled together, whispering excitedly.

Everyone was chatting and laughing.

Hoffa wanted to speak with Miranda, but she simply shook her head slightly, signaling for him not to speak like the others.

(End of Chapter)

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