On the Hogwarts Express

By the end of August, Loren had slowly worked his way through the first-year textbooks he had brought back. He treated the later sections of Standard Spellbook like storybooks and did not dare try practicing the spells casually.

Bates had also grown used to Loren being a little obsessed with magic practice. Much of the housework had been replaced by household spells Loren could safely use.

With nothing to do all day, he tugged at his beard and smacked his gums as he savored the liquor Loren had conjured from water.

Finally, Bates could not take it anymore. They packed their luggage, entrusted the sheep to the mayor, and set off for London several days early.

With a few spare days, Loren had wanted to visit Harry in advance or go see Hermione. But he simply could not remember either of their addresses.

Harry seemed to live on Privet Drive, but Loren had no idea where Privet Drive was. Mr. and Mrs. Granger ran a dental clinic, but he did not know where that was either.

Perhaps he could have the little Spectacled Owl deliver a letter to Hermione and follow it afterward. But that was too stupid, so Loren gave up. School would be starting soon anyway.

Bates walked through bustling streets again. The last time he had seen such a sight had been decades ago. London was no longer the London of decades past either, and he could not help feeling as though a lifetime had passed.

Bates wandered around for several days and quietly made a decision known only to himself. He did not reveal anything to Loren.

The two of them had a wonderful few days and bought a great many clothes.

Bates always believed that even if wizarding schools required uniforms, it was better to have several extra sets of clothes underneath. Winter clothes would be needed too. They kept buying until Loren's two large trunks were full.

Finally, the day school began arrived. The two got up early, ate breakfast, and hurried to King's Cross Station.

Looking at the crowds flowing through the station, Bates felt that it was no different from any other station. He muttered, "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. What a strange name."

When they reached Platform Nine, Loren stopped.

Only then did Bates notice the somewhat dejected little boy beside him. He reckoned this had to be the place.

"Hey! Kid, cheer up!" Bates showed none of the sorrow of parting.

Loren sniffed. "I was just thinking about what I should say to comfort an old man like you."

"I don't need comforting, you little bastard. You've been able to take care of yourself since you were little. I'm not worried about you at all." Bates grinned.

Loren found himself unable to say anything.

"Remember to write back. Well, this is where we say goodbye, little one." Seeing that, Bates's tone softened as well.

"I'll miss you, Grandpa Bates!" Loren felt that sounded exactly like something a child would say. After saying it, he pushed his trolley into the ticket barrier.

Bates watched the child crash into the wall and disappear, while everyone around them showed no reaction at all.

"What a magical bunch!" Bates said with a touch of emotion.

He turned around, and his once-straight back and shoulders instantly slumped. His expression became sorrowful as well.

After taking only a few steps, he wondered whether Loren could see him through that ticket barrier. So he forced himself to perk up and walked out of the station.

Bates dragged himself onto a bench outside the station. Cloudy tears immediately streamed down his face, and he covered it with a hand. "Damn it, making an old man like me embarrass himself like this."

Meanwhile, the carefree Loren passed through the ticket barrier, followed the crowd onto the deep-red steam locomotive, and put away his luggage with a somewhat heavy heart. He found an empty carriage, sat by the window, and looked around.

He saw two red-haired twins shoving each other as they passed. A chubby boy carrying a Toad walked by carefully... Some people matched the impressions in his distant memories, though not completely. Still, their features were unmistakable.

After watching for a while, no one came to share his Compartment. Loren closed his eyes, intending to sleep the trip away.

It was an old habit: sleep as soon as he got on, get off when he arrived, fresh and clear-headed. Besides, there was no need to worry about pickpockets or thieves here. Not sleeping would be doing himself a disservice.

When he woke up later, he would see if he could catch Hogwarts's special version of "peanuts, sunflower seeds, mineral water." Loren was very interested in magical snacks.

He had barely closed his eyes when someone slapped his face with a sleeve and woke him up. Opening his eyes, he saw Hermione standing before him, her little face puffed up with anger.

"Loren Morgan! I finally found you!"

"Over a month! I waited for your letter every day, and you never wrote to me before school started!" As Hermione spoke, she swung the sleeve of her robe at Loren's head.

Loren hurriedly grabbed Hermione's hand. If she kept hitting him, he would start losing hair early.

"Unexpected circumstances! The little Owl was just bought, so it isn't familiar with things yet. I have to bring it to Hogwarts and let the other owls teach it." Loren pointed at the little Spectacled Owl and spouted nonsense, figuring he would deal with the rest later.

The poor little owl was pecking at bread crumbs on the rack when it was suddenly dragged into this. But it had no way to refute him, so it could only tilt its head.

Little owl, wronged.jpg

Hermione believed him. After all, carrier pigeons needed training, kittens and puppies needed training, and owls needed training to deliver letters. It made perfect sense.

She sat across from Loren, planning to discuss the knowledge she had previewed and some things about the magical world she had learned.

Before she could speak, Loren abruptly changed the subject. "Do you think the Hogwarts Express runs on magic or machinery? What powers it?"

Hermione's attention was indeed diverted, and she began explaining her guesses.

Loren responded halfheartedly, occasionally spouting nonsense and somehow making it sound plausible.

"I think it should use coal, and it has to be premium coal. Even washed coal won't do."

"This washed coal..."

Whenever Hermione asked a question Loren could not explain away, he changed the subject. The trick was called: as long as I move fast enough, my teammate's question marks can't catch up with me.

Seeing Hermione gaze at him with sparkling eyes, finding his nonsense reasonable, Loren's vanity and mischievous streak were greatly satisfied. So this was the joy of teasing children? I get it now. I really get it now.

As for whether there would be consequences, he did not care. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.

The trolley Loren had been waiting for finally arrived. He took out some money, bought a little of everything, and invited Hermione to try them with him.

Hermione opposed this kind of wasteful spending, and she had snacks prepared by her mother. But she was still a child, and in the end she could not resist the temptation. She had fallen. Loren, that bad boy, was awful.

Although Hermione had fallen into temptation alongside Loren, she still insisted on paying him half the money, no matter how many times he declined.

From Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Pumpkin Pasties to Licorice Wands and various other strange foods, the two had a good time trying them all.

They did not get any weird bogey-flavored beans, which Loren found regrettable.

When they got to the Chocolate Frog, Hermione found it a little hard to accept. It looked far too much like a real Frog.

When Loren unwrapped one and bit off half the Frog's head in a single bite while its hind legs were still jumping, she nearly screamed.

Hermione had just opened her mouth wide and had not yet managed to scream when Loren stuffed a Frog leg into it. Even in her mouth, the severed limb was still hopping.

She wanted to spit it out, but the chocolate immediately melted in her mouth, its sweet flavor and aroma spreading across her tongue.

Hermione's resistance failed. In the end, she accepted the food and admitted it was quite tasty. She also became very interested in the wizard card she got.

But that was not the end. When Hermione saw Loren pull a cockroach from a box and stuff it into his mouth, white filling bursting out and splashing onto the corner of his lips, she finally broke down and could not bear it any longer.

"Ah!" Hermione screamed, but immediately remembered how the Chocolate Frog had been shoved straight into her mouth. She tightly covered her mouth, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.

Seeing the little Witch like that, Loren could not help laughing out loud.

Outside the Compartment, Neville, who had been searching for his Toad all the way down the train, saw this scene: a very unrestrained boy laughing wickedly, while the little Witch beside him looked like she wanted to cry but did not dare let it out.

Thinking of his grandmother's teachings and his parents' glory, his fists clenched.