On the Train

As if overnight, the young wizards packed their bags and boarded the Hogwarts Express the next morning.

On the platform behind Black Lake, Mr. Hagrid, the Gamekeeper and professor of Care of Magical Creatures, and Mr. Filch, the Castle caretaker, stood together, directing the young wizards to board the train, occasionally scolding a few who were running around.

"You two with red hair! Get in the car! Don't chase and fight them down there!" Hagrid shouted.

"Understood, Professor Hagrid."

The Twins replied in their quirky accents, which made the younger wizards nearby burst into laughter. They were already familiar with Professor Hagrid, who, although he looked intimidatingly tall, was actually a kind-hearted big man.

I heard that this year's final exam for Care of Magical Creatures was the easiest in the last ten years, and everyone passed with high marks.

Well-informed second-year students generally took Professor Hagrid's courses.

The laughter of the young wizards gradually subsided, and Professor McGonagall gazed gently at her capable assistant, asking softly, "Percy, are you really sure? You did an excellent job during your internship, and the Head of House and I are considering putting you in charge of more important matters..."

"Thank you for your trust, Professor!" Percy smiled brightly. "Influenced by my father, I've always wanted to visit the Ministry of Magic, especially after hearing that this year's International Confederation of Wizards will be held in New York. I'm even more eager to see it for myself."

Professor McGonagall sighed, looking somewhat disappointed.

"Don't worry, Professor, I will definitely come back when Hogwarts needs me," Percy said firmly.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and gave him an encouraging smile, "You're right, Percy. You're still young, you should go see the world... I wish you all the best."

"Thank you for your continued care, Professor McGonagall!"

"Goodbye..."

"Goodbye!"

whoosh—whoosh—

The old-fashioned train's whistle emitted a puff of white smoke, and the drive shaft rattled the tires as the bright red Hogwarts Express slowly pulled out of the station.

Harry leaned against the window, watching the distant mountains and forests rush past like time itself, and sighed deeply, "It'll be another summer before we see each other again. Time really flies, doesn't it?"

Ron was counting down the days to the Quidditch World Cup, Loren was leaning back in his seat, trying to fall asleep with his eyes closed, and Hermione was holding Crookshanks in her arms, parting its thick fur to check the health of its skin.

Harry frowned, lost in thought. Was the train so loud that they didn't hear his comment?

He cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly. "Next time we go back to school, we'll be in fourth grade. It feels like our first day of school was just yesterday. Don't we miss it?"

"..."

No one paid him any attention, and the not-so-spacious cubicle fell silent.

Everyone else was busy with their own things. Ron couldn't bend his fingers anymore and was doing it for the second time when Loren's head swayed and slowly leaned against Hermione's shoulder. Hermione cooperated by moving a little closer.

Only Crookshanks raised his head slightly, slit his eyes, and glanced at him before lowering his head again to continue licking his paws.

Harry stared at them expressionlessly.

It was intentional, absolutely intentional!

The cubicle is only so big, they must have heard everything!

Harry glanced at Hedwig on the luggage rack and silently made up his mind. "Don't blame me for doing this. For the rest of the journey, until the train arrives at the station, I won't talk to you."

Hedwig tilted her head and moved a few steps to the side.

"What's outside your car window?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Ignore them, ignore them..."

Harry silently recited it to himself, but still turned his head to look and saw a small, gray thing moving up and down, appearing and disappearing, outside the window.

Ron stood up, peered through the glass, and exclaimed, "Oh, it's a little owl! It's carrying a letter in its beak; it's here to see us!"

The owl was so small that it could be held in the palm of your hand. It kept somersaulting in the air, being tossed about by the train's airflow.

Hermione shook the person who was pretending to be asleep, so Loren couldn't sleep anymore. He rolled down the car window, reached out and grabbed the fluffy little guy, and gently brought him inside.

The owl chirped and tossed the letter onto Harry's seat, then began circling the carriage, clearly very pleased with itself for having accomplished its task.

Hedwig's lips clicked, displaying a noble displeasure.

Crookshanks also lifted his head from Hermione's embrace, his big yellow eyes following the little bird.

"It's a letter from Sirius Black!"

Harry exclaimed in delight, no longer caring about revenge against these people, and quickly tore open the envelope and began to read:

Dear Harry:

Hopefully this letter will reach you before you see your aunt and uncle. I don't know if they're used to owl messengers.

I picked this owl in a hurry, and I had some doubts about its reliability, but it was the best I could find, and it seemed eager to take on the task.

I already know Remus has resigned; he wrote to me before he left. He's still the same as before, always taking on responsibilities that aren't his. James and I always said he became Prefect because he liked to meddle, but now I think I understand him a little better.

Unfortunately, I still can't tell you where I am or what I'm doing. Don't worry about me. I'm living in a completely new place, and to be honest, I'm living a very fulfilling life and feel an unprecedented happiness from this fulfillment.

I'll try to be back before the Quidditch World Cup final, and maybe I can introduce you to a new friend. If I can't come back, I'll probably have to ask the Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to look after you for a while..."

Hearing this, Hermione glanced at Loren and subtly moved closer to him, trying to offer him some comfort.

Loren smiled at her.

Since dealing with Wormtail Peter, he has been able to face these things calmly.

Harry continued reading, "I think your friend Ron might be willing to adopt this owl as compensation for the harm caused by the rat, or as payment for taking care of you for me. Ask him for me."

Please give my regards to Loren and Hermione, and my sincere apologies and thanks. I wish you both well. If you need me, just send a message; your owl can find me. I'll write to you again soon, Sirius Black ..."

Harry slowly finished reading the last sentence, feeling a warm sense of satisfaction mixed with a touch of regret.

"Adopt it?"

Ron's eyes widened, and he said with a hint of disbelief, "Sirius Black really said that... I mean, ever since that damn Wormtail thing, I've lost all hope for pets."

"That's what he said..." Harry nodded. "Don't worry, there aren't that Animagus in the world. We haven't even succeeded in creating our own Animagus yet, have we?"

For the past two months, they haven't encountered any thunderstorms, and the Secret Potion remains buried in the Forbidden Forest. Unless Hogwarts enjoys good weather until the start of the term, they have already declared failure.

Ron stared at the little owl for a long time, but couldn't figure it out, so he looked to Loren for help.

Loren nodded. "Take it. It is indeed an owl, although it looks quite small."

"It's good enough for me!" Ron exclaimed happily, picking it up. "It's mine now!"

For the rest of the time, Harry read Sirius Black's letters over and over again, while Ron became engrossed in playing with the little owl, laughing even when his fingers were pecked.

Hermione put Crookshanks into the wooden basket next to her, took out Professor Lupin's notes and started reading. Reviewing the previous contents and combining them with her own understanding of the Patronus Charm always sparked new thoughts.

Loren rested his head on the girl's shoulder, pretending to read a book with her, but he was clearly less patient with the content he had already memorized than Hermione. Before long, his eyes began to dart around.

From this angle, you can see Hermione's profile. The train is passing through open fields, mountain roads, and tunnels, and the light and shadow outside the window are constantly changing. Golden sunlight shines in and falls on her face, illuminating the fine hairs and making her skin appear even whiter and more delicate. Combined with the girl's focused and serious expression, she seems to be truly glowing.

Loren secretly admired her rounded earlobes, which resembled pearls.

Perhaps his gaze was more scorching than the sunlight, because Hermione quickly noticed it and nudged him shyly. "If you can't sleep, get up and read a book."

"I can't concentrate on it."

Hermione glanced at the backpack next to her. "Then take out your summer homework and do it."

"You're going too far, Professor Granger. It's only the first day of vacation, and you're already making me do homework..."

Hermione knew he could play this game of passing the buck all day, so she reached out and lifted his chin, trying to push him off her shoulder.

"I can sleep, I can sleep..." Loren said hurriedly, reaching his finger into his backpack and pointing, his head immediately tilting limply to the side.

"Are you really asleep?"

Hermione frowned, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.

She secretly reached out her finger and pinched his nose.

"Um..."

Loren gave a muffled hum.

Hermione paused for a moment, then reached out and touched Loren's lips again.

"Pop~"

Hermione pursed her lips, feeling a mix of secret delight and surprise. It was as if she could actually fall asleep so easily, almost like magic.

The Library of the Fantasy Book remained bright and spacious. Flamel was engrossed in reading an unknown stage play script, leisurely floating in Library -air.

Loren stood in the aisle between the bookshelves, gazing at the empty and desolate Library, and sighed with melancholy.

It would be such a pity to be unable to appreciate such stunning scenery outside, that he wouldn't even be interested in burning down the Library.

He found a spot below Flamel, manipulated the Fantasy Book to create a single sofa, leaned back in it, twisted his body to find a comfortable position, and slowly began to recall Professor Lupin's notes on the Patronus Charm.

The notes are mainly divided into three parts. The first part describes how to control the Patronus Charm at will. Loren was already able to control the radiance of the Patronus Charm and simply manipulate the shape of the radiance as well as the path and area of its spread.

The second part is about techniques for controlling physical Patronus, the main function of which is to control the size of the physical Patronus.

According to Professor Lupin, this is not a profound magical technique, but simply an extension of the Patronus Charm. The blue flames that provide warmth are an extension of the Fire Charm. It is not difficult; the important thing is the concept.

Loren thought about it carefully and felt it made a lot of sense.

Physical Patronus defend against Dementor through physical contact or collision. Imagine if a Legendary Wizard's Patronus was a small animal like a snail or Beetle. When faced with a horde of Dementor, would he only be able to repeatedly charge at them with that small animal?

Obviously not.

A skilled wizard can summon multiple Patronus at the same time, emanate Patronus radiance, or alter Patronus form.

Loren reread the notes several times, then pulled out his wand and casually waved it: "[Patronus Charm]"

A powerful, silvery-white light burst forth from the tip of the staff, instantly becoming the brightest source of light in the Library. A low, imperceptible murmur rippled through the space, and hundreds of silver rays slowly but resolutely converged, coalescing into a colossal creature—

The Orca floated in mid-air, its mere presence exuding a suffocating oppression. The giant whale swung its tail, and silvery-white light surged forth like towering waves, crashing powerfully forward.

After advancing more than ten meters, the waves suddenly dispersed, turning into sparkling water droplets that vanished into the air.

Flamel: "..."

First it was a sea of Fiendfyre flames, now it's a sea of radiant Patronus light. Can't people even read a book in peace?!

Flamel blinked, his eyes stinging from the light, and couldn't help but ask, "Loren, do you remember that the Fantasy Book had a special place for practicing spells?"

Loren scratched his head and chuckled twice, "Flamel, you misunderstood. I just thought the Library lights weren't bright enough, so I used the Patronus Charm to light your way."

Flamel shook his head helplessly, leaned forward slightly, and floated to Loren's side, looking at the enormous Orca Patronus and asking, "What are you planning to practice?"

"Some application techniques of the Patronus ..." Loren sat up from the single sofa, "Including controlling the size of the Patronus, summoning multiple Patronus at the same time, and using Patronus to send messages."

"..."

Inside the speeding train carriage, Hermione calmly focused on her notes. Golden sunlight streamed through the window, warming the carriage and making her feel so comfortable she wanted to sneeze.

Hermione put down her notebook, tilted her head slightly to feel the breathing of the person next to her, and gently pinched her nose.

With the soreness in her nose relieved, Hermione thought for a moment, then reached out and rubbed Loren's nose, a smile playing on her lips.