Return to Hogwarts

Edmund and the others followed the older students out of the station. Before long, they saw hundreds of carriages lined up along the roadside.

Unlike ordinary carriages, there were no visible horses in front of them. They simply stood there waiting.

Edmund, however, could see what pulled them. In front of each carriage stood a skeletal black winged horse, its head faintly dragon-like, its enormous wings resembling those of a bat.

Thestrals.

It was said that only those who had witnessed and understood death could see them.

Whether it was Quirrell's death last term or the Dark wizard Edmund had killed in Knockturn Alley to establish his authority, he had seen enough.

Hermione looked a little puzzled, but she did not dwell on it. In the wizarding world, a carriage that moved on its own was hardly the strangest thing she had seen. She was still worrying about whether Harry would arrive safely and what punishment he might receive.

Cho, on the other hand, was used to it. She had taken these carriages the previous year.

Then a clear cry rang out.

From the distance came the sound of hooves striking the ground, approaching quickly.

"Celestia!"

Edmund saw the little unicorn running toward him. Under the moonlight, her whole body gave off a gentle glow, especially her horn, around which a faint nebula seemed to swirl.

Celestia rushed to Edmund's side and happily circled him, letting out soft cries from time to time.

Edmund was delighted as well. He had not seen her for an entire summer, and Celestia had grown quite a bit taller. Her limbs had become longer and stronger.

He caught the excited young unicorn and carefully checked her over. Although he had asked Hagrid to help look after Celestia, there were still dangerous groups in the Forbidden Forest, such as the Acromantulas.

The Acromantulas had a decent relationship with Hagrid, but they still struggled with their hunting instincts now and then. According to George and Fred, whenever they went deep into the Forbidden Forest, they never dared go near the Acromantula territory. Magical creatures often disappeared there.

Sensing Edmund's concern, Celestia rubbed her cheek against his affectionately and gave a few soft cries.

"You came to pick us up?"

Edmund understood what she meant.

Celestia nodded, her lake-like eyes fixed on him.

And so, under the envious gazes of the other students, Edmund and the girls climbed into a carriage pulled by a unicorn.

The other young witches and wizards could not understand it. Why was Edmund's carriage pulled by a unicorn while theirs received no such treatment?

Some Ravenclaw girls had heard from Cho that Edmund had gained a little unicorn's trust last term, but even so, seeing it with their own eyes was shocking.

The news spread quickly through the crowd. Without realizing it, Edmund had left another new legend among the students.

Hermione and Cho were delighted. They both liked Celestia very much. During the ride, the carriage curtains were never lowered, and the two girls occasionally fed Celestia snacks.

Although this was Celestia's first time pulling a carriage, she was very steady. The carriage moved slowly along the Hogsmeade road.

Edmund had not taken this route last term, so he looked around with some curiosity. Unfortunately, both sides of the road were blocked by trees tens of metres high, and he could see almost nothing.

In less than half an hour, the carriage stopped before the oak front doors.

After getting down, Edmund rubbed Celestia's head and praised her, then told her to return to the Forbidden Forest.

The little unicorn was reluctant. Only after Edmund promised he would visit her in the next few days did she leave, looking back at him every few steps.

The group walked back into the castle. Seeing the place where he had lived for nearly a year made Edmund feel unexpectedly pleased.

At the entrance hall, they ran into Professor McGonagall. Hermione suddenly remembered Harry and Ron and hurried over to tell her what had happened.

At first, Professor McGonagall did not believe it. Once Edmund stepped forward to confirm the matter, however, she understood it was no joke.

"Could they not even send an owl?"

Professor McGonagall looked ready to be driven mad by the little lions of her own House. She had no time to worry about the first-years waiting to be Sorted and hurried away at once.

Before leaving, she told Edmund to help maintain order. If she had not returned in time, he was to bring the first-years in for the Sorting Ceremony.

Edmund opened his mouth, intending to refuse, but Professor McGonagall left immediately after giving the instruction. She gave him no chance to speak.

Depressed, he could only accept the unpleasant task.

Hermione and Cho covered their mouths and laughed when they saw his helpless expression. Since Professor McGonagall had not asked them to stay and help, they went on ahead.

Looking at their gloating faces, Edmund silently decided he would find a chance to get even later.

Once the first-years saw that stern Professor McGonagall had left and that only a student not much older than them was watching them, their courage grew at once.

They began chattering about what the Sorting Ceremony might involve. Some said they would have to perform spells. Others said they might have to fight a dragon. A few young witches even came up to Edmund because he was handsome and asked his name.

Edmund felt a headache coming on.

"Quiet."

He called out once, but it had no effect. The first-years continued making noise.

"Quiet!"

This time, he drew his wand and cast an Amplifying Charm on himself. His voice pressed down over every bit of chatter, and even shook a little dust from the ceiling.

The first-years finally behaved, looking at him with faint fear.

Edmund swept his eyes over them and saw Astoria from the train. She had been standing quietly the whole time, saving him considerable trouble.

He nodded to her in a friendly way, which made Astoria blush.

When the surrounding first-years saw that Astoria knew this older student, several girls immediately gathered around her and began asking questions. Astoria looked flustered for a moment.

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