[Lupin: Wizards cannot use magic in front of Muggles. And many Muggle jobs, like accounting or repairing cars, I have no idea how to do.]
[Lupin: Plus, I have to take a few days off every month, which always makes my boss unhappy with me. As soon as they find a replacement, I'll be fired.]
[Lupin: All in all, everything is getting better now, so the past doesn't matter anymore.]
[Wade: You live in Hogsmeade Village, so after school starts, Harry can go directly to school, right?]
[Lupin: He certainly can. But Ron invited Harry to the Weasleys' for a visit these past few days, so he'll still be taking the train to school.]
[Lupin: Traveling across the British Isles on the Hogwarts Express is also a valuable experience for students.]
Seeing Lupin's reply, Wade couldn't help but wonder: Would Harry still be stopped by the brick wall this time, then fly to school in a car?
September 1st arrived quickly.
Wade arrived at King's Cross Station half an hour early. He didn't need his parents to see him off anymore; he simply carried his suitcase onto the train himself.
Anyway, the child would be home for the Christmas holidays. After a year, the Grays had grown accustomed to these farewells, no longer as reluctant as the first time.
Wade found a compartment, and soon, Michael, Theo, and Ryan also arrived.
As they chatted, Wade kept an eye on the window outside.
From their compartment, they could perfectly see the students running through the brick wall.
It was almost eleven when the Weasleys appeared one by one.
Percy, Mr. Weasley, the twins, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley…
The smooth rhythm suddenly hit a snag.
"Woo-woo—"
The train let out a long whistle, puffing white steam, and began to move slowly forward.
A few seconds later, Lupin, with his arm around Harry's shoulder, along with Ron, ran through the brick wall.
"Hurry, get on the train!" Lupin shouted loudly. "I'll have your luggage sent to school."
Harry and Ron didn't have time to say more; they took off running, sprinting to catch the gradually accelerating train.
Students throughout the train, who were saying goodbye to their parents, watched them in surprise.
The Weasley twins stood at the door of a compartment, reaching out and pulling them inside with a forceful tug. All four tumbled into the compartment.
Ryan also sighed in relief, unable to help but say, "They should have left earlier. That was way too close."
Michael, peering out over Wade's shoulder, heard this and said, "No, they wouldn't. The entire platform is full of wizards. Would they really let them fall?"
On the platform, Lupin also let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Wade, he even waved at him with a smile.
It seemed that even though Harry left with the Weasleys, Lupin still made it to the station, seeing Harry off just like any other parent.
This accidental timing allowed them to avoid Dobby the house-elf's trap.
In the original plot, Dobby, the Malfoy family's house-elf, would have sealed the brick wall at this time, intending to prevent Harry from going to school and getting him expelled from Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, the simple-minded house-elf didn't understand that for Harry, the saviour of the British wizarding world, let alone being late, Hogwarts couldn't possibly expel him even if he skipped a whole semester.
His actions only caused the person he wanted to protect to needlessly incur punishment and ostracism.
The train clattered onward, arriving at Hogwarts only after dark, followed by the Sorting Ceremony.
Wade also saw a few familiar names—
Colin Creevey, who was overjoyed when he was sorted into Gryffindor, took a long detour to shake Harry's hand.
The boy, enthusiastic yet shy, said, "Harry Potter, I... I really admire you... can we take a photo together later? I have a camera."
"Uh…" Harry cast a pleading look at his friends, only to see them all watching him with amusement. He finally said, "Okay…"
Last semester, Wade had also dragged them into taking photos a few times, and several of those pictures were now on Harry's desk.
Before, Dudley had lots of photos, but Harry had none.
But now he had quite a few photos… it was just that the boy in front of him always made him want to avoid his gaze…
The last person to make him feel so awkward was Gilderoy Lockhart.
Harry glanced at the teachers' table.
Lockhart, in his aquamarine robes, shimmering brightly, suddenly turned his head as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Harry hastily averted his gaze.
"Fantastic!"
Colin nearly jumped up, saying excitedly, "I know your name is written in so many books, I know everything about you…"
Harry watched his mouth open and close, and hurriedly pressed him down into a nearby seat.
"Stop talking, the Sorting is still going on! Professor McGonagall is looking over," Harry said.
Colin turned his head and met the stern gaze of the Head of Gryffindor. He shrunk his neck, finally shutting up.
"Luna Lovegood!" Professor McGonagall said.
"RAVENCLAW!"
A girl with a wand tucked behind her ear and a somewhat dreamy expression walked to the Ravenclaw table. The applause gradually diminished, then quickly ceased.
Everyone looked at the blonde girl, finding her appearance a bit peculiar.
She had a sort of whimsical, eccentric air, similar to Dumbledore.
The girl, however, seemed oblivious to any oddity, saying in a dreamy tone, "Nice to meet everyone… Do you read The Quibbler?"
The Ravenclaw prefect, who was shaking her hand, looked a bit awkward. "The Quibbler?"
"Yes, it's my dad's magazine," Luna said.
"Oh… oh, I'll read it if I get a chance," the female prefect asked. "What kind of content is it about?"
"Hmm… just things like Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."
"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? I don't think I've seen that kind of magical creature in any books."
"They live in Sweden," Luna said. "When I grow up, I'm going to Sweden to find them."
"Oh…" The female prefect's smile was a little awkward; she desperately tried to recall if she had forgotten any part of her textbooks.
"Don't bother," another prefect quietly reminded her. "That's a made-up creature."
"It's not made up," Luna's ears were surprisingly sharp. She emphasized seriously, "My dad says they exist."
Both prefects found it hard to keep smiling.
Then came Rolf Scamander.
He was sorted into Hufflepuff, but instead of going straight to his own house, he ran to the Ravenclaw table.
"Wade, now we're in the same school! I'll come find you to play tomorrow…"
He hadn't even finished speaking when the Hufflepuff prefect, with a dark expression, dragged him away.
"The new first-years are really interesting this year, aren't they?" Michael said to Wade with a smile.
"Yes, they are," Wade nodded, looking at the last student to be sorted.
Ginny Weasley.
She looked to be in good spirits.
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