King's Cross Station and Ancient Magic: Improvement

King's Cross Station was located in central London and served as a vital transportation hub for England.

It was still early, and there were not many travelers coming and going.

Vizet entered the station without trouble. After asking around several times, he found the way to Platform 9.

The closer he got to Platform 9, the more groups of people he saw around him.

They all looked like parents seeing their children off, but their fashion choices were truly bizarre.

Some wore clothes in eye-searing colors, like costumes borrowed from a circus;

Some had outfits with an extreme contrast—thick padded coats on top and shorts below;

Others might simply have chosen the wrong clothes. One was clearly a bald Middle-aged Man with a face full of stubble, yet he wore a long floral dress...

Although their attire clashed horribly with that of the surrounding travelers, their actions were astonishingly uniform—they approached the pillar between Platforms 9 and 10, slammed into it, and vanished.

A Middle-aged Man in a suit noticed something strange. He ran over with a puzzled expression and even reached out, intending to touch the pillar.

Just then, a burly man in a pleated skirt suddenly appeared. He raised his Wand, rushed to the Middle-aged Man's side, and muttered an incantation.

A flash of light went off, and the Middle-aged Man suddenly looked as though he were facing an emergency. He sprinted out of the station at the speed of a hundred-meter dash...

Vizet wiped away some sweat, unsure where to even begin criticizing this.

Everything was far too bizarre.

A pleasant female voice sounded beside him. "Muggle Studies should be made available to every year, not kept as just an elective."

She was an Asian girl with delicate features, shoulder-length black hair, and a few freckles scattered across her refined nose.

She wore a sky-blue hoodie with two dark-blue letters, "T," on the chest.

The girl pulled a suitcase with one hand while holding an old-fashioned broomstick in the other.

The broomstick had been well maintained and clearly had never been used for sweeping. Both its handle and bristles had been varnished, making it look smooth and shiny.

"You're Vizet, right? You look familiar. I remember you often appearing on the front page of The Daily Prophet last month."

The girl smiled and introduced herself. "My name is Cho Chang... I'm one of the Ravenclaw Students."

Vizet nodded. "Hello, Cho Chang."

"Hello!" Cho Chang said with a smile. "We should go now. Just run straight into it. The Ministry of Magic staff only drive away Muggles."

"Ministry of Magic staff..." Vizet pointed at the burly man in the pleated skirt. "They dress like that?"

"Right? It's hard to understand, isn't it?" Cho Chang smiled helplessly. "That's why I said Muggle Studies should be made widespread, and its knowledge needs updating too."

"I'm wearing a Tutshill Tornados uniform and carrying a Flying Broomstick, so what? They won't notice me anyway... Muggles nowadays are much more tolerant."

"Can you believe it? It's already 1991, yet Muggle Studies' understanding of Muggles is still stuck three hundred years ago. It's simply unbelievable!"

Cho Chang walked ahead, speaking as she quickened her pace and disappeared straight into the pillar.

Vizet followed close behind. After an incredibly brief moment of darkness, a brightly lit platform appeared before him.

Behind him was no longer the main hall of King's Cross Station, but a wrought-iron archway with a sign hanging from the ceiling that read "Platform 9 3/4."

Woo-woo-woo...

It was a Deep Red steam locomotive, steeped in a strong Victorian style.

In fact, the steam locomotive truly came from that era. It had been a means of transportation "requisitioned" by the Ministry of Magic from England.

At the time, the Minister of Magic had been Ottaline Gambol. To ensure Hogwarts students returned to school safely, the female minister had overruled all objections and mobilized the Ministry of Magic for a massive project.

The project involved one hundred and sixty-seven Obliviation Charms and the largest magical concealment operation in England's history, ultimately resulting in the construction of Platform 9 3/4.

The steam locomotive had also undergone a complete overhaul, changing from steam-powered to magic-powered, and was named the "Hogwarts Express."

The platform was bustling. White magical smoke curled overhead, while all kinds of pets darted between people's feet;

Parents leaned against the windows of the Hogwarts Express, repeatedly giving last-minute reminders, while the children nodded over and over like pecking chicks.

Vizet activated Magic Eye. The Ancient Magic Power gathered here was exceptionally abundant, and Silver-Blue Magic nearly overflowed from the platform.

At a thought, countless streams of Ancient Magic Power surged toward him, and the "Wizard Combat Guide" in his mind flipped open to its fourth page.

"Ancient Magic: Improvement (Beginner)": Guide Ancient Magic Power to improve spells... enhance magical power... add special effects to spells...

Improvement magic differed from the Shield Charm in that it could not be used directly; it had to be combined with other magic.

Its function was highly practical. It could enhance the power of magic while also adding certain special effects.

During the time before school began, aside from organizing the supplies he would need, Vizet had been studying the "Wizard Combat Guide" and learning how to wield Ancient Magic Power.

By the way of thinking from his previous life, this notebook was equivalent to providing him with "Special Skills"—so-called SP skills.

From the Shield Charm at the beginning to the Magic Eye he later obtained in Diagon Alley, all of them differed from modern wizarding magic.

The appearance of improvement magic in particular helped confirm one of his suspicions.

The notebook mentioned two kinds of Ancient Magic Power.

One kind came from an Obscurus and could be used to cast magic directly.

The other kind of Ancient Magic Power was even more special, originating from those ancient magical structures;

These magical structures had, through the passage of time, produced Ancient Magic Power that could be absorbed directly to promote the growth of the Magic Eye or unlock new pages in the notebook.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Cho Chang's voice rang out. "The first time I came in, I was amazed too. Antiques like these are usually only seen in museums."

The carriages up ahead were already full of students. Some were fooling around in the corridor, some had placed their schoolbags in front of them as they rushed to finish their homework, while others were idly chatting.

"Why did you bring a frog? Is that fashionable now?"

"His name is Trevor. He's a toad. My uncle bought him for me—he was very happy that I had the talent to become a wizard..."

"Are you sure your uncle was happy? Not feeling something else? Do people still keep frogs... I mean, toads as pets?"

Cho Chang was an enthusiastic girl. She led Vizet all the way to the middle of the train and found an empty compartment.

Together, they lifted their trunks onto the rack. "The ones still catching up on homework at this time are basically all Gryffindor students."

"How can you tell?" Vizet asked curiously.

He did not know much about Hogwarts.

Although he had a copy of Hogwarts: A History in his mind, it was not a textbook, so he had not had the chance to read it yet.

Cho Chang took out a rag and wiped down her already gleaming Flying Broomstick. "As far as I know, Gryffindor students always make their Summer Vacation schedules especially full."

"They arrange trips to explore Wizard Ruins, or spend entire days immersed in Quidditch... In short, homework is usually their last option."

Vizet could not help but laugh. "So, the day before school starts, they have to choose between finishing their homework and sleeping?"

Cho Chang giggled as well. "That's right! Exactly!"

A Black guy suddenly poked his head in, holding up the pocket formed by the hem of his shirt. "Mate! Can I borrow your homework to copy? I've got Pouch Spiders from Africa—you can pet them!"

In the original work, Cho Chang was described as a pretty Asian girl. Just clarifying that here.