The Hogwarts Express ground to a halt with a hiss of steam, the sudden silence in the carriage louder than the journey had been. Outside the windows, a cold night air rushed in. "We're here!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing his shabby suitcase (Status: Still packing edible leftovers) with sudden urgency. Students erupted from compartments, pouring into the corridor.
Harry secured Hedwig's cage with a light [Subtle Item Manipulation Lv. 3] nudge to settle its position and hefted his backpack. His expandable pouch, containing everything he'd need (Status: Items Stowed Safely, Weight Nullified), was secured beneath his robe. He was Level 13 now, his new stats (STR 15, DEX 23, INT 23, WIS 22, LUK 28, CHA 21; HP 225, MP 45) humming with potential, his current EXP 350/3200 towards Level 14. He moved with Ron and the general flow of students into the crush of bodies disembarking onto a dark, small platform shrouded in what felt like unusually cold air for early September. Lamps swung overhead, casting pools of weak light onto a chaos of people, trunks, and squabbling animals.
A familiar booming voice, a vast silhouette against the gloom, cut through the din.
"FIRS' YEARS! FIRS' YEARS over here! All firs' years to Hagrid!"
Harry's System immediately flagged the [ENTITY IDENTIFIED: Hagrid (Official School Groundskeeper...). Alignment: CONFIRMED FRIENDLY!] profile acquired during the Leaky Cauldron visit. He was even bigger up close, a truly imposing figure, though his rough, bearded face seemed to emanate kindness despite the shout. Ron paled slightly, mumbling about thinking Hagrid was just a legend.
Harry, using [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] to track Hagrid's location relative to the dispersing students, steered himself and Ron (who was fumbling with his bag) towards the giant. He noted Hagrid's kind eyes sweeping over the new students, and as his gaze fell on Harry, those eyes seemed to pause, just for a split second longer than others. Not the gaping public awe, but a deeper, perhaps knowing, look that Harry's System processed as [Recognition Event - Parameter: User Identity Link (Probable), Cause: Previous Contact (Unclassified/Implicit)]. Hagrid knew who he was, of course, from his registry data. But the look suggested a connection that went deeper than administrative records, perhaps linked to those fragmented detection moments years ago during early anomaly detection.
"Right then," Hagrid said when the group had roughly coalesced around him. "Any more firs' years? Good. Firs' years follow me!"
He turned and led them down a path that seemed to disappear into the dark woods lining the station. Harry followed the lumbering figure, staying close with Ron. The path was narrow, winding, descending. Trees pressed close on either side, smelling of damp earth and something wilder than the magical air of Diagon Alley. [Environmental Scan: Hogsmeade Perimeter - Initial Survey. Terrain: Woodland. Energy Signature: Moderate [Unclassified Magical Energy] (Wild/Non-channelled type?). Anomaly Count: Low (Natural Forms Predominant).] The physical effort of walking after the train journey was noted by the System (Minor STR/STA EXP gain).
Then, the trees parted. A sudden collective gasp from the students around them. Harry's [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] processed the immediate change in elevation and cover, the wide, dark expanse opening up ahead. And across it, breathtaking in the starlight, lights blazing in hundreds of windows, reflected in the glassy black surface of a wide lake... the castle.
[Location Confirmed: [Primary Educational Institution: HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY]. Initial Visual Profile Completed. Environmental Signature: EXTREME Concentration of [Unclassified Magical Energy]. Structures: Extensive, Enchanted (Complex Construction Data Incoming). Anomaly Count: Exponential (Likely Function of Extensive Enchantments/Inhabitation).]
[Primary Quest Step 3: Integrate into the Detected Magical Society (Attend the 'Educational Institution') - Task: Arrive at Hogwarts Castle (Visual Confirmation) - STATUS: ACHIEVED!]
[System Processing: Task Completion rewards calculation... Calculating Final EXP from Hogsmeade Disembark to Castle Visual confirmation...]
[+250 EXP!] (Arrival completion bonus)
Current EXP: 350/3200 + 250 = 600/3200 towards Level 14.
Seeing the castle marked the achievement of a major quest step, pushing his progress towards Level 14 steadily forward. His years of grinding, navigating, preparing had led to this single point.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid instructed, leading them towards a line of small boats bobbing by the lake shore. This part of the journey was familiar from reviewed acceptance materials. Students piled into boats, nervous whispers picking up again. Harry, ensuring Hedwig's cage was carefully handled (Manipulation), joined a boat with Ron and a couple of other first-years, choosing a spot with efficient motion (Agile Evasion).
The journey across the lake was quiet magic. The boats moved on their own. The castle loomed closer, its scale immense and detailed now. Harry watched it all, his [Observe Lv. 6] and [Situational Awareness Lv. 7] cataloging furiously, building that vital mental map and structure database. Windows, towers, bridges, likely secret passages – the castle's complex magical signature filled his awareness with data points. [Hogwarts Castle Map Protocol - Update: External View Data - 85% Surveyed.]
They reached a dock and got out, following Hagrid up a winding passageway carved into the rock face. At the end, they emerged into a large stone-floored space at the foot of a magnificent staircase, directly into the presence of Professor McGonagall. She was standing there, tall, imposing, regal in green robes, her expression one of stern welcome. [ENTITY: Professor Minerva McGonagall. Role: High-Authority School Personnel. Alignment: Appears Lawful/Fair. ENERGY SIGNATURE: HIGH, Type: Structured/Precise.]
McGonagall's brief speech covered the start of their Hogwarts careers, the House system, points, and how they would be Sorted. She reinforced the standard instructions, looking sharply from face to face. She emphasized the importance of making their families proud, earning House points, avoiding rule-breaking – a direct overview of the basic behavioural parameters within the [Educational Institution: Hogwarts].
After her speech, she led them through a large archway into a chamber adjoining the Great Hall. This was it. The waiting chamber mentioned in his advance info. The roar of voices from within the Great Hall was much louder now, exciting and terrifying all at once. This group of first years, newly delivered from the lake, stood here, collectively holding their breath, adjusting robes, trying to look braver than they felt.
Harry found a spot with Ron again, tucking Hedwig's cage a bit out of the way (Manipulation, Awareness checking it's safe). The chamber felt small, enclosed, and tense. Ron was visibly paling further now. A scattering of other students, recognizable from the train or earlier gathering points, were dotted around the room, awaiting the final process.
Harry stood straight, his Level 13 stats and passive skills ensuring a calm exterior, focusing his mental energy. He revisited Hermione Granger's confident instructions and insights from the train: Spellcasting theory, components, execution protocol, academic authority of books, shared history. The data was locked in his mind, actionable. He mentally contrasted it with Ron's simple good nature and wizarding-world common sense.
He stood here, ready. The journey had ended; the destination waited. The sorting was the final barrier before stepping into the structured, public life of Hogwarts. He was Level 13, his new capabilities confirmed and integrated, ready for this next phase.
Just as his internal System processing of the arrival subsided, Professor McGonagall returned.
"Now, form a line," she said, "and follow me."
The students began organizing themselves, awkward children becoming a single, shuffling queue towards the heavy, looming doors of the Great Hall. Harry found his place, not at the very front, not at the very back, just another face in the crowd. He had navigated the physical journey, the puzzles, the social interactions, the resource acquisitions, the internal challenges, leveraging every tool the System gave him. Now, his journey, enhanced and accelerated, was about to officially begin inside the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. The Sorting Ceremony. The true integration. His Level 13 capabilities, hard-won and ready, waited for the next set of challenges the Sorting Hat and the castle itself would undoubtedly provide.