As the days passed, the start of term rapidly approached. Anduin was very pleased with what he had accomplished during his time away.
After packing his luggage and bidding farewell to Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, Anduin set off for King's Cross Station. Having spent over a month with Anduin, Tom had grown fond of him and gifted him a small keg of Butterbeer. In return, Anduin left behind several simple recipes, like fried chicken, which Tom could easily prepare. Tom's gaze toward Anduin became even warmer.
Anduin arrived at King's Cross Station early, alone with his luggage. He carefully loaded each piece onto a trolley, checked to ensure nothing was missing, and then retrieved his train ticket from his Admission Notice. Professor McGonagall had thoroughly explained the boarding procedures before their parting.
Pushing his trolley toward the pillar between Platforms 9 and 10, Anduin noticed several Aurors maintaining order. "They're probably here to prevent Muggles from wandering in and causing trouble," he thought.
After glancing around to confirm no one was watching, Anduin pushed his trolley straight through the wall.
On the other side of the wall, a deep crimson vintage steam locomotive stood beside the platform. Few passengers had arrived yet; the train wasn't scheduled to depart until 11:00 AM, and it was only a little after 9:00 AM. Anduin had arrived exceptionally early.
Pushing his luggage along the train, he casually chose a carriage. With a flick of his small hand, all his belongings floated around him, following him into the compartment.
Finding an empty compartment, Anduin opened the door and pointed. The luggage flew onto the overhead rack by itself.
"Shunfeng, wake up," Anduin called to his pet owl. Finding Shunfeng still dozing on his perch with half-closed eyes, Anduin shook his head, placed the owl's cage on the table, and closed the door.
Anduin decided to change into his wizard robes while the compartment was still empty. He settled into a corner, pulled out his Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, and began to read. In truth, he had already read the book countless times and had attempted Transfiguration spells several times.
In fact, he had mastered Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, learning many spells in those subjects. But Transfiguration, which required personal guidance from a teacher, remained at a beginner's level for him.
About an hour later, the platform outside the window gradually filled with more passengers. Just then, there was a knock on the compartment door.
"Is this seat taken?" a girl asked, pointing to the seat opposite Anduin.
The young girl had long brown hair and light green eyes that held a hint of naivety.
"No, it's free. Please, have a seat," Anduin said with a smile.
"I'm Anduin Wilson. Let me help you with that," he offered kindly, noticing the girl struggling to lift her suitcase onto the luggage rack.
With a flick of his hand, Anduin made the suitcase float up and gently placed it on the rack.
"Cool! I'm Vivian Bulstrode. Are you an upperclassman? How can you cast spells without a wand? I'm a first-year student preparing to enroll this year," Vivian exclaimed, instinctively assuming Anduin was an older student after witnessing his wandless magic.
It was understandable why she thought so. Anduin was physically more robust than many of his peers, already standing over one and a half meters tall with a sturdy build.
"No, I'm a first-year too. This is just the spell I'm most familiar with," Anduin said, telling a small lie. He had mastered wandless and silent casting of the Barrier Charm a few days prior, but he didn't want to make himself seem too special.
"You're amazing! Which Pure-Blood Family are you from? I don't recognize the Wilson surname," Vivian said, tilting her head in thoughtful concentration. After a moment, she continued, "My father and grandfather were both Squibs, and my mother's a Muggle. My grandfather was even expelled from the Bulstrode Family. You wouldn't believe how thrilled he was when I received my Hogwarts Admission Notice! Because of me, our family was reinstated into the Bulstrode Family."
"I'm an orphan, and I have no connection to any Pure-Blood Families. I'm a Muggle-born wizard," Anduin replied calmly. "Your family expelled your grandfather—aren't you resentful? Why are you so happy about it?"
"You certainly don't look like a Muggle-born wizard," Vivian said, completely unable to imagine that someone so skilled in the Levitation Charm could possibly come from a Muggle family.
"My grandfather absolutely hated being a Squib, but he always said I was his pride. Isn't returning to the family a good thing? The Bulstrode Family is one of the twenty-eight Pure-Blood families in the Wizarding World, you know."
Anduin struggled to understand Vivian's family's logic. He considered the whole concept of bloodlines utter nonsense. If his former family had disowned him, he certainly wouldn't be giving them the time of day. It was clear Vivian took great pride in her heritage, launching into this explanation to a complete stranger the moment they boarded the train.
Just then, a commotion erupted on the platform outside the window. A crowd had gathered, and from a distance, it looked like people were arguing.
"Do you know what's going on over there, Vivian?"
"Let me see." Vivian opened the window and leaned out to get a better look.
"It looks like members of the Travers family on one side and the MacKinnon family on the other. I've seen them at family banquets before," she said, pulling her wind-tossed hair back inside and closing the window.
"I heard someone from the Travers family is a Death Eater, and a MacKinnon family Auror was severely injured by that Travers Death Eater. The MacKinnons believe the entire Travers family is loyal to Vol... I mean, the Dark Lord. But the Travers family denies it all, claiming it was just one Death Eater acting alone and that the MacKinnons have mistaken their target. They insist no one else in the Travers family is a Death Eater," Vivian whispered dramatically to Anduin.
"Wait, how do you know all this? Your family only recently rejoined the Pure-Blood circles, right?" Anduin had only casually asked Vivian if she knew what was happening outside, but she not only recognized the people involved but also seemed intimately familiar with the long-standing feuds between their families.
"Ever since we rejoined the family, the Bulstrode Patriarch has been taking me to visit various Pure-Blood families. I've overheard so many stories during tea and meals. Let me tell you, the Pure-Blood world is far more complicated than you think!" Vivian gave Anduin a knowing look, her face radiating an air of profound wisdom.
Just admit you're a gossipy girl, Anduin thought wryly.
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T/N— End of Mass Release, hope these 15 chapters were enjoyable to read.
You can read upto Chapter 50 and get two chapters a day at— Patreon.com/EtherealTL
Details about bonus chapters in Auxiliary, chapter 0, please check if interested.