The two exchanged a glance and continued to lean against the window, watching the commotion.
"Do you think they'll start fighting?" Vivian asked Anduin, always eager for drama.
"Probably not. Didn't you see the Aurors arriving to maintain order?"
The crowd ahead was quickly dispersed by the Aurors who had rushed to the scene. The two parties who had been arguing and looked ready to throw punches were separated.
"Ugh, I thought they'd actually fight. Just a lot of shouting? How boring," Vivian grumbled, her face twisted with disappointment as the crowd dispersed.
Anduin looked at the girl, feeling like he was seeing a nosy old woman from his past life, watching the world burn from the sidelines while calmly munching on popcorn.
"Which house do you think we'll be sorted into? The Bulstrode Family always ends up in Slytherin. I guess I will too," Vivian asked listlessly.
"I don't really care, but Ravenclaw would be nice. I heard they have their own private library," Anduin replied. He had done some research on the houses and just wanted a quiet place to study.
"Haha, I can tell Ravenclaw suits you perfectly. I saw you reading as soon as I walked in. I've heard Ravenclaw students are all very intelligent."
"If you end up in Slytherin, you should be careful," Anduin warned Vivian. "The Wizarding World is in such turmoil right now. I've heard many Dark Lord worshippers are in Slytherin."
"That's not necessarily true," Vivian replied dismissively. "Many Slytherin families actually take a neutral stance, like the Bulstrodes. Most of them don't believe the Dark Lord will ultimately prevail."
"Is that because of Dumbledore? I've heard he's the greatest wizard of our time," Anduin said, more curious than concerned about Slytherin's internal politics. As a Muggle-born, he knew it was almost impossible for him to be sorted into Slytherin.
"It's more than that," Vivian explained. "Our Patriarch says the Dark Lord's Pure-blood ideology is too extreme. He wants to eradicate wizards with Muggle heritage, but many Pure-Blood families have business dealings with Muggles. And..." She leaned in conspiratorially, "And many Pure-Blood families have secretly intermarried with Muggles over the centuries. Otherwise, those families wouldn't have survived this long."
Anduin had considered this before. After all, constant inbreeding often resulted in newborns with either mental or physical defects.
"Don't say that in Slytherin," Anduin warned, rolling his eyes at the girl's wild chatter. "They'll definitely give you trouble."
"Relax, I'm not stupid," she retorted.
Just then, their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.
A young man stood outside.
"Hey, do you mind if I squeeze in here?" he asked with a sheepish grin, scratching his head. "All the other compartments are full."
"Of course not. There's plenty of room. What's your name? I'm Anduin Wilson, and this is Vivian Bulstrode." The compartment was originally designed for six people, so three wouldn't feel crowded at all.
"Charles. I'm Charles McKinnon," he replied with a slightly bashful smile.
Charles was tall, possibly even taller than Anduin, but his build was rather slender.
Upon hearing the name "McKinnon," Vivian began winking and nudging Anduin conspicuously, making it clear that this was the MacKinnon family member they had been discussing earlier.
Anduin glanced at Vivian as he helped Charles with his luggage. As soon as they settled into their seats, Vivian began chattering away with Charles.
Thankfully, their conversation remained light and casual. Anduin dreaded Vivian blurting out, "Were you the one who almost got into a fight outside?" That would have made the entire journey unbearably awkward.
"Hey, have you heard? Minister of Magic Harold Minchum is about to be ousted. Everyone says he's done nothing to stop the Dark Lord's rise to power except station more and more Dementors around Azkaban. The Death Eaters have been getting bolder lately. I heard they even attacked Sirius Black in Diagon Alley last month," Vivian said, unfolding a copy of the Daily Prophet and showing it to them.
That was Knockturn Alley, not Diagon Alley, Anduin thought wearily. He found it unsettling how Vivian seemed to know a little about everything. Her information network was almost too good. She'd make an excellent gossip columnist someday.
"It's long past time for a change," Charles said, his earlier shyness completely gone, replaced by a fierce anger. "This passive defense is only leading to more senseless casualties. Those damned Death Eaters will stop at nothing."
"Don't worry," Anduin reassured him. "Their reign of terror won't last much longer." Though his memories of the Harry Potter plot were hazy, he knew Voldemort would fall shortly after Harry's birth.
Charles McKinnon took Anduin's words as a polite consolation, offering an awkward smile in return. "My family has always been committed to fighting the Mysterious Person. Several of us have even joined the Aurors. Those Death Eaters attacked my uncle and broke his leg. He's still recovering at St. Mungo's. He's absolutely certain Travers was among the attackers, but the Ministry of Magic refuses to investigate, claiming a lack of evidence. It's infuriating!"
Charles McKinnon grumbled bitterly to Anduin and Vivian about the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters. From his complaints, Anduin realized that there must be internal divisions within the Ministry, preventing them from fully opposing Voldemort. This likely explained the recent change in the Minister of Magic.
"That's terrifying! Your uncle witnessed Death Eaters committing crimes firsthand and couldn't arrest them?" Vivian exclaimed in disbelief.
"Many Death Eaters wear masks during their operations," Anduin explained. "Sometimes, even if you recognize them, there's nothing you can do." After all, he had personally fought Death Eaters before.
Charles McKinnon nodded in agreement, but couldn't help wondering how Anduin knew so much about this.
As the group of children discussed national affairs, the train finally began to move.
"The train's finally leaving! I heard it'll take hours to get there," Vivian muttered.
Hours? Anduin couldn't understand why the Magical World, with its convenient magic, still relied on such a backward steam train for long journeys. He turned to his companions for answers.
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T/N— You can read upto Chapter 50 and get two chapters a day at— Patreon.com/EtherealTL
Details about bonus chapters mentioned in Auxiliary, Chapter 0.