Because he stayed up ridiculously late last night explaining parts of Dumbledore's philosophy to Kassandra while also modifying her ring—
Lucas overslept completely.
By the time he finally woke up, sunlight already flooded the room brightly.
Lucas slowly glanced towards the clock.
Then his soul nearly left his body.
Ten o'clock.
"Oh no—"
Lucas shot upright instantly.
The Hogwarts Express departed precisely at eleven.
If they missed it, he'd genuinely regret it forever.
After all, this was the Hogwarts Express.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
The legendary train itself.
Lucas had absolutely no intention of missing one of the most iconic moments in the wizarding world.
Without even properly fixing his hair, Lucas sprinted straight towards Kassandra's room and started hammering the door urgently.
"Kassandra!"
Unfortunately—
Kassandra possessed the classic habits of an aristocratic young lady.
Namely:
Sleeping until naturally awake whenever possible.
Combined with sneaking out of the manor in the middle of the night and staying awake chatting until absurd hours, she was currently sleeping extremely comfortably.
By the time she slowly woke up, changed clothes, washed properly, and fixed her appearance—
It was already nearly half past ten.
Lucas almost died from anxiety watching her calmly brush her hair.
Meanwhile, Kassandra looked completely relaxed.
Unlike Lucas, she wasn't especially attached to trains.
Because of their storage rings, neither of them needed luggage at all.
Once Kassandra finally finished preparing, Lucas immediately dragged her out of the Leaky Cauldron and hailed a taxi at terrifying speed.
Unfortunately, he couldn't Apparate directly.
He'd never visited King's Cross personally before, making long-distance Apparition risky.
Inside the taxi, Lucas constantly checked the time nervously.
Meanwhile, Kassandra sat beside the window looking unusually curious.
She rarely visited ordinary Muggle streets.
Everything fascinated her.
The crowds.
The shops.
The traffic lights.
Even the advertisements.
The taxi driver himself gradually became confused.
Why exactly was his car moving so unbelievably fast today?
Fortunately, his driving skills proved excellent.
They reached King's Cross Station barely twenty minutes later.
After quietly removing the accidental magic enhancement Lucas placed on the taxi earlier, the two hurried inside.
By the time they located Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, it was already 10:55.
The normal station looked completely empty nearby.
But the moment they stepped through the barrier wall—
Everything changed instantly.
Steam filled the air.
Owls hooted loudly.
Families crowded the platform everywhere.
The atmosphere was just as lively as Diagon Alley during peak shopping season.
Parents hugged children goodbye while students excitedly boarded the scarlet Hogwarts Express.
Lucas immediately spotted the Worleys nearby.
Mr Worley looked exhausted.
Honestly, he resembled a man who hadn't slept all night.
The moment he saw Kassandra safely arrive, he practically sprinted across the platform.
"Kassandra!"
He immediately grabbed her shoulders and carefully inspected her from every angle like he expected missing body parts.
Kassandra looked slightly embarrassed.
Mrs Worley, meanwhile, sighed in relief.
"I genuinely thought you'd miss the train."
Kassandra lowered her head slightly.
After all, she technically did sneak out of the manor last night.
She fully expected a lecture.
Surprisingly, Mrs Worley simply smiled gently instead.
"Well," she said calmly, "you should board quickly now."
Then she added warmly:
"And remember to write home."
Kassandra blinked slightly.
For a brief moment, she thought she saw amusement hidden inside her mother's eyes.
Then Kassandra smiled too.
After boarding the train, Lucas immediately spotted Harry and Hermione standing outside one of the carriage compartments waving excitedly.
They clearly noticed him through the windows earlier.
Lucas quickly led Kassandra over.
Inside the compartment sat Harry, Hermione—
And another boy with bright red hair, freckles, and a faint smear across his nose.
A fat grey rat rested in his hands.
Lucas recognised him instantly.
Ron Weasley.
Interesting.
Even though Harry never travelled with Hagrid this time, fate still pushed him towards the Weasleys eventually.
As Lucas entered the compartment, he immediately introduced everyone.
"Kassandra, these are Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. I told you about them already."
Kassandra smiled politely.
Then under her breath, barely audible—
"You certainly mentioned Harry Potter often."
Her eyes flicked briefly towards Hermione.
"But not Hermione Granger."
Lucas nearly choked immediately.
Unfortunately for him, his hearing remained excellent.
"Ahem!"
He hurriedly changed topics.
"Harry, Hermione—this is Kassandra Worley."
Then Lucas smiled slightly.
"She was my very first friend here."
Kassandra gracefully shook hands with both of them.
Completely polite.
Completely elegant.
Completely normal.
Lucas stared at her suspiciously the entire time.
Something felt deeply wrong.
Where was the sarcasm?
The superiority complex?
The poisonous Slytherin commentary?
Based on Lucas's previous experiences, he fully expected Kassandra to verbally annihilate at least three people within five minutes.
Instead—
She behaved like a perfectly refined pure-blood heiress.
Harry and Hermione both immediately developed positive impressions of her.
Lucas became increasingly unsettled.
Meanwhile, Harry introduced Ron next.
"This is Ron Weasley."
Ron looked nervous at first.
But after hearing Kassandra's surname, his eyes widened immediately.
"Wait—you're from the Worley family?"
Kassandra nodded lightly.
"My dad says your family's incredibly famous," Ron admitted honestly.
Most pure-blood families either ignored or mocked the Weasleys openly.
So Ron clearly expected the same treatment now.
Instead, Kassandra smiled politely.
"I've heard about the Weasley family too."
Her tone sounded surprisingly sincere.
"Especially during the first war."
Then she added softly:
"Your family made enormous sacrifices fighting Voldemort."
Ron froze.
A respected pure-blood heiress praising the Weasleys?
This felt completely unreal.
He instantly brightened.
Meanwhile, Lucas sat beside the window silently questioning reality itself.
What happened to Kassandra?
Where was the sharp-tongued little tyrant from before?
Though honestly…
This gentler version of her looked incredibly cute too.
Originally, Lucas genuinely expected her to mock Ron similarly to Draco Malfoy in canon.
Instead, she handled everything perfectly.
At that exact moment, Kassandra noticed Lucas staring at her strangely.
The corners of her lips curved upwards slightly.
Then she smiled sweetly.
Lucas's instincts screamed immediately.
No.
This definitely wasn't normal.
Kassandra was absolutely plotting something.
....
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