The conversation flowed cheerfully as the countryside outside the window grew greener and more orderly. The train passed through Muggle towns, and the young wizards ate Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, shedding their wizard robes for jackets and shirts. Finally, the train stopped at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station.
A withered old guard stood by the dividing wall, allowing only two or three people through at a time.
A Confundus Charm was cast on King's Cross Station, not Mind Control. A group of people passing through a solid wall into the station would surely cause the Muggles to notice something unusual.
After some time spent queuing, Roger returned from the wizarding station to the Muggle station with Harry.
Other acquaintances were with them.
Hannah was picked up by her father. Roger greeted him, as he had stayed at his place for a long time before, and his father had even seen him off to school.
"I heard you caused quite a stir at school... Thank you," said Mr. Aberforth sincerely.
He hadn't been to the East and didn't understand what it meant to become a dragon once the wind and clouds gathered, but he knew the common wisdom of "one man attains the Tao, his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
Although he and Hannah were sorted into different houses and didn't interact much, as long as others knew she had some karma with Roger, they wouldn't dare to bully her on campus.
This was truly a case where a photo with a big shot could ward off enemies.
"It's the Seer and Harry Potter! Look, Mom..." Amidst the exclamations of Ginny, the youngest daughter of the Weasley family who hadn't started school yet, Ron, George, Fred, Percy, and the other Weasley brothers were also picked up by their parents.
"Roger, the world we're creating is almost complete. I'll send you a letter by owl then, you must come and see," George and Fred said goodbye to Roger with a laugh.
On the other side, Ron was also whispering to Harry.
Hermione craned her neck to look into the distance. Although the old guard restricted access on the other side, there were too many parents waiting on this side, layered three deep and outside three deep. Hermione couldn't find her parents for a moment.
It was Roger who pointed her in the right direction.
"Say, are you ready or not!"
Harry's uncle, Vernon Dursley, had also arrived. Although his surname's transliteration was quite elegant, he himself showed no resemblance to those three words.
At this moment, his face was flushed red. Seeing Harry and his 'little friends' talking and not leaving, he looked extremely impatient and angry.
Looking past Vernon, Roger glanced behind him. Harry's aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley were also there. As soon as they saw Harry, they showed expressions of alarm and unease.
Roger, however, felt that the middle-aged man's anger seemed to be because Harry was delaying them, but the performance of his wife and son was likely the more significant reason.
Unlike his wife Petunia, Vernon had no blood relation to Harry. To him, Harry was simply a burden, and a detestable fellow who made his wife and child fearful.
"You must be Harry's family!" Mrs. Weasley looked curiously at the Dursley family.
"You could say that," Uncle Vernon replied.
"Hurry up, boy, we can't afford to waste the whole day." With that, he turned and walked away without looking back.
He didn't want any interaction with the wizards his wife disliked at all.
If it weren't for Petunia's request, he wouldn't have wanted to come.
Hermione, who was still nearby, saw that Harry's family was like this and couldn't help but murmur something under her breath.
Harry glanced at his Uncle Vernon walking away, then turned back to look at his friends.
"Go on, I'll find you in a couple of days," Roger said to Harry with a smile.
"Okay, see you then." Harry nodded and caught up with his uncle's footsteps.
"See you."
Everyone went their separate ways. Roger, watching the crowd at the station dwindle, was pondering where he would stay for the night when a deep voice sounded from behind him.
"Roger."
Turning around, he saw Severus Snape.
Except for a few people with special reasons, the teachers also had to leave Hogwarts, including Snape.
"What is this?" Looking at the not-so-small test tube filled with liquid handed to him, Roger looked at Snape, who had just called him, in confusion.
"A small, insignificant token of gratitude... for many things," Snape said with a hint of awkwardness.
Roger instantly understood. It was likely for Harry's situation, so he accepted it. For someone like Snape, refusing him would only make him feel looked down upon, leading to more trouble.
"This is far from insignificant." Roger examined the Felix Felicis in his hand.
This was one of the most advanced potions in the wizarding world, with no price on the market. Some people also called it the 'Luck Potion.'
"Insignificant compared to the weight in my heart," Snape replied.
Roger said nothing more. The same thing held different meanings in the eyes of different people. In some people's eyes, a glass marble could be a treasure surpassing diamonds.
"Speaking of which, your change in attitude towards Harry is rather surprising," Roger said, bringing up another matter.
Since the other party had given him a generous gift, Roger felt it inappropriate to just take it and leave without a word. He had to say a few polite words.
Roger could understand that Snape's attitude towards Harry would change after Harry had the possibility of saving Lily. But Roger could sense that Harry and Snape's relationship was improving, and it wasn't just because of Lily.
It was because Snape genuinely liked Harry, a fondness that didn't stem from the resurrection.
"I've just taken off my rose-tinted glasses," Snape said, his eyes carrying a hint of melancholy.
"He's nothing like James Potter, nor does he look like his mother."
"He shouldn't be a substitute for anyone; he's just Harry."
Seeing the courage he lacked throughout his life in Harry, Snape couldn't help but fantasize about whether Lily would have stayed and if everything would have developed differently if he had possessed the courage to face right and wrong and difficult situations when he was a student.
At this point, Snape's gaze towards Roger suddenly sharpened.
"Speaking of which," Snape's expression became somewhat pensive.
"If anyone resembles him, Harry seems to be more like you."
"...Huh?" Roger was taken aback by Snape's abrupt change of topic.
"Not just Harry. Hermione, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster Dumbledore, those who interact with you frequently, they're all becoming more like you."
"In their behavior, in their way of thinking." The more he spoke, the more Snape's brow furrowed.
"An excessive focus on magic, starting to ponder very grand matters." Reflecting now, Snape could feel that everyone was different from before.
When Professor McGonagall watched the Quidditch matches on campus, she clearly lacked the passion she had in previous years; she used to love Quidditch.
Headmaster Dumbledore too; several times when Snape sought him out, he found him engrossed in magical research… the last time Headmaster Dumbledore was like this was a long time ago.
Since he was nearing 100 years old, Dumbledore had shifted his focus from magic to the education of the next generation, but now…
With this thought, Severus Snape's slightly furrowed brow relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curved into an almost imperceptible arc. "It feels like you're a source of contagion."
"But it's not a bad thing."
In Snape's eyes, with Voldemort not dead and Grindelwald having escaped prison, in such tumultuous times, it was better for everyone to become stronger.
Being studious, having goals, delving into magic – it was all quite good.
Snape had calmed down, but Roger's brow began to knit together.
"Becoming more like me…"
"Source of contagion…"
"Self, Gu Technique, Time, All Beings, Dimensional Magic, Self-Dimension, Medium-Dimension, Subspace, Only Easy Not Easy…" Roger's eyes gradually became vacant, and he continuously murmured words.
"Hmm?" Snape noticed Roger's peculiar state.
But he didn't rashly disturb him; he recognized this state. It's what happens when someone suddenly understands something.
He himself was in a similar state the moment he took a crucial step on the path of Potions.
"Alaya… that's right, Alaya-vijnana!"
"I understand, I understand!"
The vacant pupils gradually began to shine with infinite brilliance!
Roger couldn't help but burst into laughter. "My Path of Immortality, perhaps I can walk it this way."
But Roger's smile quickly subsided, as he soon realized that the method he had attained through chance and insight was a bit too dangerous.
His premonition of danger might not be of much help this time.
This time, it would truly rely entirely on his own will.
"Mr. Severus, thank you so much this time. I will remember this favor." A moment of inspiration, worth more than a thousand gold pieces, Roger said with utmost sincerity.
Though this path was dangerous, Roger still wanted to try walking it.
As he had said before.
To pursue great things while cherishing one's life, to pursue small gains while forgetting one's life – such people are not worthy of achieving Eternal Life! Since 'it' had a possibility of success, Roger intended to personally experiment and verify it.
.
.
.
Several days later.
Harry, who was having breakfast, heard a knock at the door.
Thinking the appointed time was near, Harry's eyes lit up. He hurriedly got up and walked to the door. Through the peephole, he saw Roger.
Opening the door, Harry, with a smile on his face, was about to speak when his smile suddenly froze.
"Roger, you…" Harry couldn't quite explain why, but he felt a strange sense of peculiarity.
"Very perceptive. It seems your research into Time Magic is going well." Roger wasn't surprised by Harry's perception.
After all, he had been using Time Magic frequently these past few days. It would be strange if Harry, who was on the path of Time Magic, didn't sense anything.
"How are the preparations for the ceremony, Harry? When do we leave?"
However, Harry didn't answer this question. Instead, with an extremely serious expression, he retorted, "Roger, are you alright? I feel like you're very wrong right now. What did you do?!"
"...Harry, have you ever tried communicating with yourself?"
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