Chapter 309: We Are Too Strong
The time for parting had finally arrived. By the time Dudley and his friends realized it, their luggage had already vanished from their dormitory and been transported onto the Hogwarts Express.
"This year was anything but ordinary," Ron said wistfully.
They had thought this would be just another typical school year, but instead, they had experienced so many unbelievable things.
"But we learned a lot, didn't we?" Hermione said with a smile.
Even without end-of-term exams, she had truly gained a great deal of useful knowledge this year—especially from Dudley, who had taught her how to cast spells nonverbally and wandlessly. For a witch, that was incredibly important.
"More importantly, we foiled Voldemort's schemes once again," Harry said, grinning.
"That's right," Ron said. "The four of us are just too strong."
At that, Harry and Hermione could not help but twitch their lips slightly. In truth, most of the time, the three of them had just been along for the ride. The only truly powerful one was Dudley.
"Right. The four of us are too strong," Dudley nodded.
The four exchanged smiles and happily headed toward the train.
"See you next term!" Hagrid waved at the students. When he saw Dudley and his friends approaching, he paused his waving.
"Another year gone. This one was especially tough," Hagrid said, his voice thick with emotion. His eyes grew red as he spoke.
The four looked at each other, none of them saying a word.
"Hopefully next year will be better," Harry said.
"I never want to go to Azkaban again," Hagrid added, shuddering as if recalling a deeply unpleasant memory.
"Is Azkaban really that terrifying, Hagrid?" Hermione asked curiously.
"It's terrifying. Very terrifying," Hagrid said seriously.
"Don't worry, Hagrid. Hogwarts will never become as frightening as Azkaban. Besides, the matter about you opening the Chamber has been cleared up. Things will only get better for you from now on, won't they?" Harry reassured him.
"That's right," Hagrid said, thinking it over. His expression finally brightened.
"See you next term, Hagrid," Dudley said, boarding the train.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione also said their goodbyes to Hagrid and stepped onto the Hogwarts Express.
The four moved in unison toward the back of the train, finding an empty compartment and settling inside.
"My dad told me Azkaban is truly dreadful. If you go in, you either die or go mad," Ron said, unable to keep quiet.
"What's in there? Why do you all say it's so terrifying?" Harry asked.
"They say the guards are a special kind of monster called Dementors. They can easily suck all the happiness out of you, slowly corrode your soul, and even their Kiss can directly drain a wizard's soul, causing instant death," Ron said, his face paling as he spoke. It was clear how frightened his father had been when telling him these things.
"Well, since they're Azkaban's guards, we should never have to meet them. After all, they have their duties, don't they?" Dudley shrugged.
"Er… Dudley, don't be so sure. Remember how you said last year you'd never see Voldemort again?" Hermione reminded him.
"Er…" Dudley's lips twitched. He had only said it offhandedly, but Hermione had caught him out.
"That doesn't count. He was Tom Riddle, not Voldemort," Dudley argued.
Hermione shrugged, as if to say, "If you say so."
They then began discussing their plans for the summer holidays and where they wanted to go. Ron said he was going to Egypt to visit his brother, thanks to his father winning a prize that provided travel funds. Ron even had his own little savings, and this trip would let him see many different kinds of ancient Egyptian magic. Hermione could not help but look a little envious.
As they chatted, someone knocked on their compartment door.
"There's a summer safety notice that needs your signature," said Percy, Ron's older brother, standing outside.
"Summer safety notice? What's that? We've never signed anything like this before," Ron frowned.
"It's new this year," Percy said, handing each of them a few sheets of paper. "Read through it, sign your names, and I'll come back to collect them."
With that, Percy left.
"Why do we need to worry about safety during the holidays? What's going on in the wizarding world?" Ron asked, frowning.
"It's probably related to the increased activity of dark wizards. Don't you remember? The Dark Lord, imprisoned in Nurmengard, escaped," Dudley reminded them.
That was the only thing that could be connected to the notice.
Ron quickly flipped through the notice, which listed what to do in certain situations, how to report suspicious people to the Ministry, and ways to avoid dangerous situations.
"To be honest, all this useless stuff is pointless. They should just let underage wizards use magic outside school. Only magic can truly protect us. All these safety notices are just nonsense," Ron said.
"I agree," Harry said, looking at the notice helplessly.
Underage wizards were forbidden from using magic outside school. If caught, they faced severe punishment.
"Well, whatever. It doesn't matter," Dudley said, signing his name. It was just a formality, after all.
"You can say that. You're allowed to use magic," Harry said helplessly.
"Dudley, will you teach us?" Ron asked, eyes sparkling.
"No. You're not ready for that yet. If you think you can handle being caught by the Ministry for secretly using magic, then I might consider it," Dudley said with a light laugh.
"Never mind," Ron said, embarrassed.
Soon, Percy returned to collect their signed safety notices, and the Hogwarts Express smoothly pulled into King's Cross Station. After crossing the bridge, Dudley and his friends returned to the Muggle world.
Dudley immediately spotted his parents and was about to walk over when he suddenly frowned. He felt as if someone was watching him from the crowd.