At Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, a scrawny old guard stood by the pillar, letting only two or three people through at a time. "No pushing, no rushing—take it slow," he grumbled, trying to keep things orderly to avoid raising Muggle suspicions. A big crowd spilling out all at once would definitely draw attention.
Lucien, suitcase in hand, waited patiently in line. The pillar was enchanted with something like a Memory Charm, making Muggles overlook the handful of young witches, wizards, and parents slipping through. But if too many went at once, the charm wouldn't hold up.
Glancing around, Lucien noticed his classmates had ditched their robes for Muggle clothes. Still, the owl cages were a dead giveaway. One or two kids with owls? Fine, just quirky pets. But owls were the trendiest wizarding pet lately—nearly half of Hogwarts' students had one. If a swarm of kids suddenly poured out, pushing carts piled with luggage and toting owls (not exactly common in the Muggle world), it wouldn't take a genius to notice something weird was going on.
Hiding the Hogwarts Express in a Muggle train station, with Platform Nine and Three-Quarters tucked between platforms, was undeniably magical. But moving a ton of people through? Not exactly convenient.
Suddenly, Lucien felt a wiggle in his pocket. A tiny, platinum-colored paw poked out. He quickly pressed it back down, whispering, "Hang on a sec, Jinji. When we get home, I'll get you more shiny toys."
Maybe it was the Niffler's natural knack for sniffing out treasure, but Jinji was always slipping out of pockets and bags. As she grew, she'd gotten even more adventurous—this wasn't her first "jailbreak." Lucien had learned that giving her sparkly trinkets like gold or jewels kept her calm for a while. She'd fuss over decorating her little nest before plotting her next escape. Back home, getting treasures would be easier—no need to bother Aunt Penelope for shipments anymore. Thanks to his unicorn-blessed ability to communicate with animals, Jinji understood him and obediently tucked her paw back in.
"Hey, Lucien, you got a pet?" Hermione asked, catching sight of the furry paw peeking out.
Lucien chuckled. "Yeah, a gift from a friend. She's still young."
It was their turn to pass through the barrier. Harry and Ron were already waiting on the other side, and Lucien quickly spotted the Weasley family by their telltale red hair.
"Grafton! Nice to meet you. Quite the handsome young man," Mrs. Weasley said warmly, her smile bright and genuine.
Lucien returned a polite grin. "Mrs. Weasley, just call me Lucien. Thank you so much for the sweater—it's super comfy and looks great."
"Oh, I'm glad you like it!" she replied, beaming. "Ron's always mentioning you in his letters. Thank you for helping him out so much. You have to visit us this summer!"
Lucien could feel her sincerity. He'd already planned to swing by the Burrow anyway. "Ron's been working hard himself," he said. "He did awesome on his exams. And thank you for the invite—I'll definitely stop by this summer."
Before Mrs. Weasley could respond, Ron pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and waved it excitedly in front of her. "Mum, look! Lucien helped me get these scores. Fred and George even gave me a toilet seat to 'commemorate' it…"
Mrs. Weasley burst out laughing at the first part, but her smile froze when she heard about the toilet seat. Her eyes flicked to the twins, who were strolling out from the barrier, arms slung over each other's shoulders, chuckling like nothing was wrong.
Lucien's lips twitched, barely hiding a smirk. Didn't know Ron had a sneaky side. The kid was totally throwing his brothers under the bus—probably payback for all the pranks they'd pulled on him. Sibling love, huh?
Then his pocket stirred again. Looking down, he saw Jinji's tiny head poking out, her eyes locked on a passing woman's glittering necklace, earrings, and rings. Lucien gently pushed her back down, sighing. The Muggle world's full of temptations. At Hogwarts, hardly anyone wore jewelry—students were students, after all, and wizards at that. But here at King's Cross, with pocket watches, necklaces, and bracelets everywhere, Jinji's eyes were practically sparkling.
Lucien noticed a young girl clinging to Mrs. Weasley's side, staring at him with wide brown eyes and a slightly open mouth. Her fiery red hair and freckles made her unmistakable—Ginny Weasley. She glanced at his pocket, then back at his face.
Lucien gave her a quick smile and subtly raised a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture. Ginny's cheeks flushed, but she pressed her lips together and nodded, like she was promising to keep his secret.
After a bit more chatting with the Weasleys, they parted ways. Harry sighed as he spotted Uncle Vernon's purple-red face in the crowd, with Aunt Petunia and Dudley trailing nervously behind.
"See you, Harry," Lucien called, heading off toward where Losia was waiting for him.
"Bye," Harry replied, waving halfheartedly.
Vernon looked ready to snap at Harry to hurry up—he didn't want to waste time with Harry's "freak" friends from that wizard school. But knowing Harry had spent a year learning magic, Vernon held his tongue. The less he dealt with these people, the better.
Trailing behind his aunt and uncle, Harry couldn't help but look forward to Lucien's promised visit. He was thrilled at the idea of a friend coming over during the summer, but part of him worried Lucien would see how tough life at the Dursleys' was. And why had Lucien asked about Uncle Vernon's company?
"Move it, boy! You want us to waste the whole day?" Vernon barked.
Harry rolled his eyes, thinking, They don't know I'm not allowed to use magic. Maybe he'd have some fun scaring Dudley. "Here's hoping this summer isn't too boring…" he muttered.