The Admiral of Hogwarts

Around 12:30 PM, a loud, clattering noise echoed down the corridor. A woman with a cheerful smile and dimples pushed open the compartment door and asked, "My dears, would anyone like to buy any snacks from the trolley?"

Although everyone present had eaten a hearty breakfast, they were feeling a bit peckish after chatting for so long. Moreover, everyone was quite interested in trying snacks from the magical world, so they each took out five Sickles and bought a little of everything.

"The taste is alright, but it might be a bit intense for you," Firefly commented after tearing open a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and eating one. True to its name, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans offered a unique flavor with every bite. For example, the one Firefly had just eaten tasted like engine oil.

In most cases, ship girls' sense of taste isn't much different from humans, except for some slight variations in certain situations, such as when dealing with military necessities.

"The book says this stuff comes in 700 flavors, and they change some of them every few years," Veneto said, biting into a bean. "Ah, the taste of Italian cheese, the taste of home."

As everyone began to taste and comment on these snacks they had never seen before, the fields rushing past the train window became even more desolate than before. A neat expanse of farmland had vanished, replaced by a forest, winding rivers, and dark green hills.

Just then, there was a knock on the compartment door. A round-faced boy stood outside, his eyes filled with tears. "Excuse me," he said, "I was wondering, have you seen my toad?"

"I'm sorry, there shouldn't be a toad in this compartment," Hugo said with certainty, because after entering the compartment, the ship girls had subconsciously checked it thoroughly. It was hard to say about some tiny creatures, but there was absolutely no way that Neville's toad, which was about the size of a bullfrog, could have escaped their search. "But if we see it, we'll try to let you know."

"Thank you," the boy sniffled and walked toward the back of the train, muttering to himself, "How many times has this happened? Trevor always tries to run away from me."

It seemed this must be Neville Longbottom, the one who almost became the protagonist. Only this time, because Hermione was engrossed in chatting with her two new friends, she didn't offer to help him search as she did in the original story, but instead left the whole thing to Hugo to handle.

"Gained 0.5 Destiny Points," Victory's voice echoed in Hugo's mind. As the system spirit-like existence that could appear beside every ship girl and admiral at any time through the admiral network connection, she was still able to sense Hugo's changes even though she was currently with Hood.

"Why only this much?" Looking at the Destiny Points he had gained, Hugo felt something was off. "If I remember correctly, the encounter on the train in the original story laid the foundation for the core trio of the entire series. How could it only give me so few Destiny Points now?"

"I think, just like you said, this encounter laid the foundation for the future trio of the entire book," Victory said, emphasizing the word 'future.' "But the future is just the future, it's something that hasn't happened yet. I believe this kind of Destiny Point calculation only counts the direct changes you make to what is happening now, and not the indirect changes caused by a series of butterfly effects resulting from the changes you cause."

"For example, the reason your sister raising ginger now can bring you so many deviation points is likely because the ginger replaced a certain supporting character, plus the fact that your sister started raising a pet in her first year. It doesn't calculate the potential future changes caused by the cat being replaced in the original story."

"Okay, so that means I got 0.5 Destiny Points for changing a small gathering in the original story." After some explanation, Hugo finally understood how the system worked.

Apart from this little interlude, the rest of the journey was spent chatting. It wasn't until the sky darkened and the lights in the train came on that they stopped, their throats a little dry from talking so much.

"We should put on our robes now," Hugo said, glancing at the sky outside. The sky had turned a deep purple, and rolling hills and forests appeared on both sides of the railway. At the same time, the train seemed to be slowing down, probably because it was almost at the school.

Changing clothes was naturally ladies first, especially when there were three ladies. So Hugo could only wait for the three ladies to finish changing before he could change himself. As a result, by the time he finished changing, he heard the train's announcement: "The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, and we will have it delivered to the school."

"It's so great not having to carry our own luggage," Hermione said, sitting back in the compartment. After all, the luggage, which was bigger than her, had caused her a lot of trouble along the way. "I just wonder what the school staff at the magic school are like? Will they use magic to carry the luggage—"

As Hermione pondered a series of things about the magic school, the train slowed down noticeably and finally stopped at the end of the tracks. Passengers pushed and shoved, all crowding toward the door, stepping down onto a dark, small platform.

Although the train was named the Hogwarts Express, it took nearly nine hours to travel from London to Scotland, averaging about 90 kilometers per hour. For the slow-moving trains in England, calling it an express wasn't an exaggeration, but for Hugo, who often took high-speed trains in his previous life, it seemed a bit too slow.

"It's still a bit chilly in the Scottish Highlands," Hermione shivered after getting off the train, then subconsciously moved closer to Hugo. "I hope we can get inside the school building soon to warm up."

"Lumos," Hugo said. Because it was too dark around them, Hugo took out his wand and lit up the surrounding area, making it much easier to walk. At the same time, a middle-aged man's voice echoed across the small platform. "First years! First years over here! Harry, over here, are you alright?"

"It seems that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, should be in the same year as us this year," Hermione whispered to Hugo after hearing Hagrid's call. "When we get to the school, I have to see what makes him so different from ordinary people."

Hugo smiled slightly at his sister's words, that competitive spirit was definitely Hermione.

"Come on, follow me, are there any more first years? Watch your step, everyone! Alright! First years, follow me!" After calling out one last time, Hugo and the other first years followed Hagrid in another direction, parting ways with the other six years of students and walking into a dark path.