Over the next few days, Jon remained in poor health while staying at the Leaky Cauldron.
Hannah had given him half a bottle of Lady Scarlet's Restorative Potion, though he wasn't sure if it was actually working. Still, his condition was gradually improving.
Afraid of losing control again, he didn't dare use magic. He had stuffed his wand back into the bottom of his suitcase...
With nothing to do each day, he ended up wandering into Flourish and Blotts next to Madam Malkin's Robes and browsed the shelves.
Over several days, he read through A History of Modern Magic, Significant Magical Events of the Twentieth Century, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Major Discoveries in Modern Magic, and The Life and Social Habits of British Muggle Families.
To be honest, most of these wizarding publications were terribly written—vague explanations, frequent factual mistakes… Especially the last one, which was so full of nonsense that Jon couldn't help thinking, Even I could write something better than this.
In his free time, he would occasionally stop by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for a treat—the ice cream there was genuinely good.
At the same time, he would greet the Leaky Cauldron's other guests.
Harry Potter, who was staying in Room 11—right next to Jon's—was often outside at the ice cream shop's patio, soaking up the sun while doing his summer homework.
The two had only met once and weren't familiar with each other, so after exchanging greetings, they'd go their separate ways.
And thanks to Mr. Potter's presence, security around the Leaky Cauldron had tightened significantly… Jon had seen several people dressed like Aurors patrolling the area. At first, he thought they were there to arrest him and was nearly scared out of his wits.
However, the Ministry officials didn't bother the guests at the Leaky Cauldron.
In the final days of August, the entire Weasley family moved into the inn, occupying nearly half of its rooms.
But with nine of them in total, Jon was only vaguely familiar with Ginny Weasley, so they didn't interact much.
On the last day of August, Jon received a letter.
One of them, delivered by a beautiful white owl, was from Astoria Greengrass. In it, she asked him to meet her tomorrow at the compartment they used to share, so they could ride the train to Hogwarts together.
Jon wrote back, "Sure, see you tomorrow!"
He tied the note to the owl's leg, but it didn't leave. It kept circling in front of him until he tossed it a piece of bread. Only then did it grab the food and fly out the window.
Frankly, Jon thought owl-based communication might've been passable a century ago, but by modern standards, it was ridiculously outdated. Forget phones, cell phones, or email—it couldn't even compare to telegrams or faxes.
Afterward, he made his usual stop at the phone booth on Charing Cross Road to call home.
Eric told him over the phone that he'd drive to the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow and take him to King's Cross Station.
...
The next morning, a little after eight, Jon had just finished breakfast when Eric's car pulled up in front of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Everything okay, son?" Eric asked as he got out to check the tires. "I'm not too late, am I?"
"You're pretty early. I'll probably end up waiting at King's Cross for over an hour!" Jon replied with a grin. "Mom's not coming?"
"She really wanted to… Took quite a bit of convincing on my part," Eric said with a smile.
The car started moving, but it wasn't heading toward King's Cross Station.
"Where are we going?" Jon asked curiously.
"Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is Rome!" Eric joked.
The stereo began playing The Beatles' Let It Be, and Eric hummed along out of tune as he stepped on the gas.
The car continued north. After about half an hour, Jon recognized the road signs and realized they'd reached Camden Town. Just as he was wondering why Eric had brought him here, he noticed a grandmother and grandson standing by the roadside as if they were waiting for them.
Eric pulled over, rolled down the window, leaned out, and called across the street, "Good morning, Mrs. Longbottom!"
"You're right on time, Mr. Hart," Augusta Longbottom replied as she led her grandson over. "Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it. Just happened to be on the way," Eric said, smiling as he got out to open the door.
"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom," Jon greeted as she and Neville got in. "Hey, Neville."
"You must be Jon," said Mrs. Longbottom warmly, shaking his hand. "Neville often talks about you—says you're bright and always do well in class. Even Professor Snape, who he's so afraid of, once praised you."
"I think Jon's mentioned Neville quite a few times this summer too," Eric added while driving. "A kind, honest, and sincere boy."
Jon could swear he hadn't talked about any classmates at all over the summer.
"Yes!" Mrs. Longbottom nodded with a smile. "He's just like his father at that age—kind and simple… though a bit slow."
"Ah!" she sighed. "And he's far too clumsy. The last few times I took him to London by Floo Powder, he kept mispronouncing the words and ended up in the wrong fireplace. It took forever to find him! Thank goodness you're willing to help, Mr. Hart."
"It's on the way," Eric said. "Boys are like that. They don't understand much when they're young... but they grow up all of a sudden. You'll see—one day Neville will surprise us all."
"Let's hope so," said Mrs. Longbottom, sighing again as she patted Neville's head. "Neville, thank Uncle Hart."
"Thank you…" Neville said softly.
Eric kept chatting with Mrs. Longbottom in the back seat. Jon occasionally chimed in, while Neville sat silently in the corner.
The car kept moving forward, and Jon's eyes grew slightly misty.
Because he understood why his father was doing this... Jon was alone in the wizarding world, and Eric couldn't help him directly. So he did everything he could to connect with wizards, to build relationships—hoping that someday, these friendships would become Jon's network.
You could imagine how much prejudice a regular person would face trying to befriend wizards.
When they arrived at King's Cross Station, Mrs. Longbottom and Neville got out first.
Jon took advantage of unbuckling his seatbelt to lean toward Eric and say, "Thanks, Dad."
"No problem," Eric said with a wink. "Study hard."
Jon gave a solemn nod.
...
Eric didn't accompany him into the station. Jon followed the Longbottoms alone.
Passing through Platform 9¾, Mrs. Longbottom was still lecturing—or perhaps scolding—Neville. Jon even heard his own name pop up a few times in her words.
Come to think of it, Neville was truly a pitiful child.
After witnessing his parents being tortured into insanity, he was hit with a Memory Charm at a young age, which permanently affected his memory. His magical aptitude was poor—he often struggled with even basic spells. For a long time, his family even believed he was a Squib. And worst of all, he wasn't even using his own wand—it was his father's, so he couldn't bring out his full potential...
Eventually, Mrs. Longbottom stopped her scolding. She straightened Neville's collar and gave Jon an approving look.
They boarded the train together.
As they passed the compartment with Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley, Neville timidly stepped inside. Jon declined Ginny's invitation and continued forward.
Two minutes later, he finally reached the compartment where he and Astoria had agreed to meet.
"Sorry, this one's taken!" came Astoria's lazy voice as he opened the door.
But her tone quickly shifted to surprise. "Jon!"
"Good morning, Astoria!" Jon said, pushing his suitcase onto the step.
Turning around, he saw Astoria's golden hair tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a beautiful white dress.
"Do I look nice?" Astoria winked at him.
"Where did this Veela or angel come from? I almost didn't recognize you…" Jon smiled.
"Hmph!" Astoria huffed, cheeks slightly pink.
"How was your summer?" she asked.
"Not great," Jon said with a bitter smile. "Over two months without using magic... and the headmaster even came to my house for a visit."
"Professor Dumbledore came to your house?" Astoria's interest perked up immediately. "Merlin's beard, Dumbledore actually visits students? Jon, that's amazing!"
"Maybe," Jon replied with a forced smile. "What about you? How was your summer?"
"Mother took my sister and me to Alsace for a month—it's her hometown," Astoria said. "We found a nest of Mooncalves, and their dancing was adorable! There were also Jobberknolls—supposedly their feathers are highly valuable in potion-making. One of her French friends even gave me an Appaloosa Puffskein, but I couldn't bring it back to England…"
Astoria chattered excitedly about her summer adventures.
As they talked, the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled out of the station.