"I already told you, it wasn't the professor who gave her the item," Malfoy insisted.
"The professor can't be involved. And haven't you heard the rumor? That ship is"
"Alive!"
"Alive? What do you mean, a living ship? That's impossible," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"No, it's true!" Ron jumped in.
"Remember the Sorting Hat? That's alive too."
Neville nodded in agreement.
"If it's Uncle Wilson, it's definitely possible to have a living object. I've even seen a talking human-shaped stake at his house."
Hermione's eyes widened at this.
As a Muggle-born witch, the idea of living objects fascinated her. She'd read a lot but never about anything like this.
"Exactly!" Malfoy added.
"I overheard Dean Snape complaining about that ship, saying it's so bad-tempered that he won't even go near it!"
Harry started to piece it together.
"So, you're saying that the legendary item was given to Sister Farley by the ship itself?"
"Yeah!" Malfoy nodded eagerly. "Have you heard the stories about phoenixes and unicorns?"
After being acknowledged by magical creatures like phoenixes and unicorns, you can receive blessings and rewards.
Malfoy guessed the same might apply to a boat.
"If you can win it over, anything's possible!" he said confidently.
Hermione, however, wasn't convinced.
"Isn't this just your imagination running wild? How can you be sure the boat will even accept you?" she asked sharply.
Malfoy likely expected her skepticism and was already thinking about the boat idea.
"How will you know unless you try?" he shot back, turning to Harry. "You and I both have legendary items, that proves we're special. Why don't you come with me tonight? Maybe we can find a second legendary item!"
Since getting his fairy wand, Malfoy had felt like the chosen one.
He wasn't reaching out to Harry because they were friends, but because Harry's own legendary item suggested he had a unique connection to such things.
Bringing Harry along might improve their chances.
Plus, after working together in tactical training, Malfoy's dislike for Harry and his friends had softened, though he'd never admit it out loud.
Harry looked conflicted.
"Isn't this too risky? What if the boat has a bad temper and gets angry at us?" he wondered.
"And besides, it's against school rules for younger students to swim after 8 p.m. If we get caught, we'll lose house points and get a violation on record. I think this is a bad idea. If you want to know about the boat, it's better to ask Professor Wilson directly," Hermione added firmly.
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"I didn't expect the famous Harry Potter to be such a coward," he sneered, looking around at them.
"I'm going for it, whether you want to join or not. This chance to get a legendary item is right in front of us. If you don't want to try, fine, but don't just watch and drool when I come back with something new."
Before Harry could answer, Ron cut in eagerly.
"We're not scared! Let's go!"
"But you better tell the truth," Ron warned, his voice firm. "If you try to trick us, Safekeeping won't go easy on you. After all... we still have Neville!"
As he spoke, Ron casually rubbed his arm against Neville, who stood beside him.
Neville clenched his fists knowingly, his knuckles turning white.
Malfoy stiffened and said sharply, "Anyone who lies is a Flobberworm!"
But the confident look faded when he saw Neville's solid build.
After spending a week together, the freshmen had gotten to know each other a bit, and Neville had made an impression as someone surprisingly strong.
Throughout the first year, he was the only one who seemed calm and steady during morning exercises, even managing to keep up with the seniors on the runs.
If Malfoy didn't want trouble, he'd better avoid provoking Neville.
"Alright, whoever breaks the deal is the Flobberworm!" Ron called out loudly.
After setting the time to meet at the docks at 10:30 that night, he left.
Hermione stared after him, disbelief clear on her face.
"Are you out of your mind? You actually believe this nonsense? Or is foolishness contagious?"
Ron shrugged, excited.
"It's a legendary item! Even if the chance is tiny, why not go for it if we have the chance?"
"But nighttime excursions are against the rules!" Hermione argued. "If you get caught, points will be deducted, and Gryffindor's chances for the House Cup will suffer."
Ron laughed.
"Our school hasn't won the House Cup in years anyway. Even if we lose points, George and Fred have already caused enough trouble to ruin any chance. This is just a little night adventure. They've done it before, maybe we can ask them for tips."
Hermione shook her head, exasperated.
Then she looked at Harry, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't you think this is ridiculous? Sneaking out just because of some silly rumor?"
Harry gave a sheepish smile.
"Honestly... I'm a little tempted. Legendary items are hard to resist, and my own Shining saved me once. If there's a chance to get another one, maybe it's worth taking the risk."
Adventure seemed to run in the blood of these Gryffindor first-years, and even Harry didn't see anything wrong with bending the school rules a little.
"Exactly!" Ron eagerly jumped in. "I still don't have any legendary items. If what Malfoy said is true, then we should take advantage of it."
Hermione, exasperated, felt she couldn't stand the two of them and glanced helplessly at Neville, whom she considered the most level-headed.
"If you're all going, I'll come along and help out. And if things get out of hand, I can contact my Uncle Wilson, he gave me a legendary item too," Neville offered, opening his robes to reveal a metal belt buckle intricately carved with a lion.
Ron looked at Neville's buckle with envy, which only made him more determined to sneak out that night.
Hermione watched them all, speechless.
Why did even Neville want to get involved?
What was so special about these legendary items?
She'd been to the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica plenty of times, but she was more drawn to the flashy magic lamps and gramophones than these so-called blind boxes.
To her, they were just like Muggle lottery tickets, nothing but a scam.
Still, the others were already obsessed, chatting excitedly about their own or others' legendary items as they headed straight for the central courtyard.
Hermione had no choice but to follow along, utterly baffled by what was going on in their heads.
Soon after, the first flying lesson of their Hogwarts journey began, and Harry was completely captivated by the magic of the broomstick.
His natural talent was clear, and besides Malfoy and Ron, he was the first in class to master controlling the broom.
Of course, Malfoy and Ron, coming from wizarding families, had some prior experience with broomsticks and Quidditch, giving them a head start.
Harry, however, was starting from scratch.
All in all, the flying lesson was a blast for Harry and his friends, and there was even an unforgettable moment during the class that added to the excitement.
One day, their roommate Seamus suddenly pulled out a handful of brightly colored balls from their last tactical training session and suggested they throw them at each other while practicing flying.
During this chaotic game, Harry's impressive broomstick skills really stood out, catching the attention of Professor McGonagall, who was watching from her office.
After class, noticing Harry's restless energy, Professor McGonagall took him aside and introduced him to Wood, the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
She encouraged Harry to join the team as a first-year student and take on the role of Seeker for the Lions.
This suggestion was actually a bit of a last resort for McGonagall, since Gryffindor had just lost their best Seeker, Charlie Weasley, Ron's older brother, who had recently graduated.
Without Charlie, the team had been struggling.
McGonagall herself was a huge Quidditch fan and had played the sport during her time at Hogwarts.
In her final year, she had suffered a serious fall during a particularly nasty match against Slytherin, which left her in a coma and with a broken rib.
Professor McGonagall had always expected Slytherin to dominate Gryffindor in Quidditch, especially since they had managed to recruit excellent players like Charlie in recent years.
But things had taken a turn.
Thanks to Alex's restructuring of the Slytherin House, their Quidditch team had become much stronger, and Gryffindor hadn't won a match against them for almost six years straight.
Because of that, McGonagall had been keeping a close eye on potential talent within Gryffindor, and this time, she noticed Harry.
She saw firsthand how effortlessly he could dive fifty feet, and with his agility and speed, he seemed like a perfect fit for the team.
Harry's presence gave her hope, especially knowing that Alex didn't favor Slytherin.
Though it had only been a few days, McGonagall could already see the Gryffindor players growing stronger.
At dinner, Harry quietly shared the news with Ron and a few others, mentioning that Wood wanted to keep it under wraps for now.
"That's awesome! You broke the school record by making the Quidditch team in your first year, soon you'll be the youngest player Hogwarts has ever seen!" Ron whispered excitedly, clearly impressed.
Hermione, however, wasn't as thrilled.
"Since you've got such great news, maybe you shouldn't be sneaking off to look for that ship tonight," she muttered, still uneasy.
Harry just smiled casually.