Bound for Hogwarts

"Ah—"

Harry opened his eyes, sat there blankly for a moment, and took a few seconds to get his brain working again. His gaze found his friend leaning against the window, and Harry asked indistinctly, "What time is it?"

"At seven o'clock, Percy called a car from the department to take us. Mrs. Weasley said you could sleep a little longer."

Loren looked at the village covered by heavy rain, took a deep breath, and felt the refreshing dampness.

The rain started just as dawn was breaking. The distant horizon had just begun to lighten, but it quickly darkened again. Thick, dark clouds gathered and pressed down lower and lower. Within minutes, the torrential rain poured down, the raindrops falling like pearls.

"I'm not going to sleep."

Harry shook his head, the sound of the incessant rain filling his ears. It seemed that the somber atmosphere of the Burrow's holiday was shattered by the downpour. He hastily put on a sweater and jeans and went downstairs with Loren for breakfast.

Charlie and Bill ate breakfast while flipping through the newspaper, in the same manner Arthur always did.

The girls were already up. Hermione and Ginny sat together, staring blankly at the fireplace downstairs. Loren and Loren followed their gaze and were also stunned.

Amos Diggory's large head hovered in the middle of the roaring fire, his lips moving rapidly as he spoke, flames dancing around him, but he remained completely unaffected:

"Mad-Eye said he heard someone break into his yard, walk toward his house, and then be repelled by a trap he had set in a dumpster."

Arthur sat in front of the fireplace, casually jotting down notes on parchment with a quill, the flames Winky off his forehead. "This is perfectly normal for Mad-Eye, so what does it have to do with us?"

Just then, Molly walked past the fireplace carrying a loaf of buttered bread, and Diggory's eyes followed it. "Oh, and then the Muggle who live nearby heard the banging and shouting, and they went to get them—what did you call them again... Oh, right, Auror. When Auror got there, a dumpster was still spraying garbage... Arthur, you have to go there. If Rita Skeeter makes a big deal out of this, your office will be in trouble."

"Oh, my God..." Arthur groaned, "Where is the person who broke into the yard?"

Diggory's eyes darted around. "Arthur, you know Mad-Eye. Aside from a defeated wildcat covered in potato peels, no one would sneak into his yard in the middle of the night... Think about his criminal record..."

Molly put down the buttered bread, looked up and saw the two people listening intently at the corner of the stairs, and was somewhat speechless.

Molly tiptoed forward, reached out and pinched their earlobes, and said softly, "Don't just stand there, go have breakfast... Haven't George and the others gotten up yet?"

Harry shook his head blankly; Mrs. Weasley's hands, which had just been holding the bowl, were still hot, and he felt a little embarrassed.

"I'll go call them. You guys hurry up and eat breakfast. I'll have Bill and Charlie take you to King's Cross Station in a bit," Molly said, and started walking upstairs.

Looking at the silly Harry, Loren shook his head and sighed softly.

He's already completely controlled by his mother-in-law; he'll have even less status in the future.

Never mind, it's all trivial... Diggory was just talking about Mad-Eye Moody. He remembered that Moody was the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor this semester. Judging by the timeline, he seems to have already been murdered.

No, it wasn't killed, it was just captured and turned into a House-elf in a box.

As he passed the dining table, Loren reached out and ruffled Hermione's head, making her already messy hair even messier.

Hermione rolled her eyes, not understanding what this person was thinking. If he messed up his hair, wouldn't it be his job to comb it?

Diggory and Arthur's conversation continues:

"Mad-Eye didn't use a wand, did he? He didn't actually attack anyone, did he?"

"I dare say that when he jumped out of bed and looked out the window, whatever he saw was doomed. The good news is that there were no casualties."

"..."

Harry sat down in the chair, took a bite of the buttered bread—fluffy and sweet—but he wasn't in the mood to savor it. He looked up and asked in a low voice, "Do you know who Mad-Eye is? Ron always mentions that name."

Hermione glanced at the large head in the fireplace and lowered her voice to answer, "I've seen him. He's a friend of Dumbledore's, a legendary Aurors who made outstanding contributions in his youth, but retired due to his advanced age."

"A legendary Aurors ..." Harry munched on his bread thoughtfully. "Judging from what they said, I thought Mad-Eye was some crazy, eccentric old wizard."

"You're not entirely wrong," Bill chuckled. "He was a talented and dedicated Aurors —the best of all, a master at dealing with dark wizards. He filled half of Azkaban's prison."

Charlie added, "But he also made a lot of enemies... mainly the relatives of those he captured. After retiring, he slowly developed paranoia. From then on, he became very suspicious, always feeling that there was danger around him, that he could see dark wizards wherever he went, and that he would always pull out his wand and question others regardless of the time or place... He didn't trust anyone, was always worried that someone was going to poison him, and felt that even food was untrustworthy, even if it was cooked by his friends."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. Moody had impressed her, though he was a bit odd, but not to the extent Charlie had described.

Meanwhile, Molly shoved the Twins, who couldn't open their eyes, and Ron downstairs. Arthur, who was by the fireplace, had already learned the basic information, put away his quill, and put the parchment he had written down into his pocket, "Okay, Amos, I understand, I'll be off now."

Diggory's gaze followed him into the distance, and seeing Molly coming downstairs, he apologized, "I'm so sorry, Molly, for bothering you so early... But only Arthur can exonerate Mad-Eye and save him from punishment. Sigh, Mad-Eye was supposed to start his new job today, I really don't understand why he chose last night..."

"It's alright, Amos." Molly pressed Ron down on the stool and stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth. "Would you like to have a piece of bread or something before you go?"

"Oh, my pleasure," Diggory said with a delighted smile.

Molly took a slice of buttered bread from a stack of bread on the table, held it with tongs, and fed it to Diggory.

"Thank you," he mumbled, and then with a soft "poof," the large head disappeared into the fireplace.

Hermione whispered in a voice only Loren could hear, "If only Mr. Diggory were this polite to House-elf."

Loren knew she was still thinking about Winky, so he ruffled her hair without saying anything.

A few minutes later, Arthur ran his fingers through his hair with a comb, put on a cloak, and prepared to Apparition. He said to the young wizards at the table, "I have to go now. I wish you all the best this semester, children."

Goodbye, Mr. Weasley.

Goodbye, Dad...

In the end, Bill, Charlie, and Molly drove them to King's Cross Station. Percy repeatedly apologized, saying he was just too busy to get away...

George and Fred were skeptical, but when they saw the Ministry of Ministry of Magic car that Percy had called parked in front of the Burrow, complete with a driver, they were stunned.

"Could it be that Percy has really been valued?" George scratched his head, somewhat unable to accept it. "I thought this dull older brother could only be Prefect at school."

Fred nodded repeatedly.

Despite the large number of Weasley family and the presence of six suitcases, the magical car had no problem with space; even if everyone squeezed in, the car would still be spacious.

Outside the car window, the rain poured down, the sound of rain Explosion Charm. The owls fluttered their wings restlessly in their cages until they arrived at the station, where they finally quieted down. The rain outside King's Cross Station was even heavier the Burrow. As soon as the car door was opened, they were drenched in the rain. Only thanks to their "Water-repelling Charm" did they avoid being completely soaked.

Passing through the seemingly sturdy partition between platforms nine and ten, the deep red steam train was already stopped on the tracks, billowing thick smoke. Through the rain and smoke, one could see parents and students scattered across the platform, while the cheerful hooting of owls rose and fell, as if they were reuniting after a summer vacation and greeting each other.

Charlie hugged Ginny and said goodbye, tapping his sister's slightly red nose with a smile, "Don't be sad, maybe I'll see you all again soon."

"Yeah..." Bill sighed, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on the crimson train, a wistful look on his face. "I really wish I could go back to Hogwarts this year... It would be so much fun, I'm even thinking of asking for a day off to go to school..."

Just as Harry and the others were looking at the two of them with confusion, the whistle blew to urge them to set off, and they had to return to their seats.

Hermione leaned out of the window and called out sincerely, "Thank you for letting us stay, Mrs. Weasley!"

Loren also popped out from behind Hermione: "Yes, thank you for everything you've done for us, Mrs. Weasley!"

Harry, no longer bothered with his questions, leaned out of another window and shouted, "This has been the most special summer I've ever had! Thank you, Mrs. Weasley!"

Molly wiped her reddened eyes. "Oh, I'd be happy to, darling, you've helped me a lot too..."

The train's loud whistle and the engine's pistons hissed, and they could no longer hear each other. They could only see Mrs. Weasley smiling and waving at them. The three redheads seeing them off on the platform were rapidly disappearing into the drizzling rain.

"It's so annoying when they only tell half the story!" Ron pushed past Ginny and sat down next to Harry indignantly. "Tell me, what is it? What's so interesting about Hogwarts? All three of them know, but they're keeping it from us!"

Ginny:...

The youngest Weasley family girl glanced at her brother, then at Harry through Ron, sighed helplessly, and silently sat down to feed the Pigwidgeon.

Harry scratched his head. "I don't know either, but we should find out tonight. We can ask Seamus..."

Loren rested his head on the girl's shoulder, slowly adjusting it to a soft and comfortable angle, and peacefully closed his eyes.

"Crackling... crackling..."

Loren frowned; the sound of rain hitting the windowpane was somewhat muffled.

"Quidditch World Cup... Lansky feint..."

This is the topic that Harry and Ron are gradually veerting off course with.

"Coo coo... coo coo!"

This is Hedwig and Hānhan fighting over the Pigwidgeon's owl food.

Hermione held the newspaper, expressionless, silently enduring the man rubbing against her shoulder, her fingers gripping the newspaper tightly.

"..."

My fists are hard; I really want to punch him.

Loren suddenly opened his eyes—

Damn it, I'm too energetic, I can't sleep at all!

"It's all your fault for being too skinny. Your bones are so prominent they're making me cringe. You have one week to gain some weight, I'm going to check on you this weekend!"

Loren said with a straight face, seeing that Hermione was focused on the newspaper and ignoring him, he curiously poked his head out and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"The Daily Prophet".

Loren has already seen it; the latest newspaper this morning, the headline on the front page is quite provocative—

Fines and medical expenses: What are the real costs? Or is it just an opportunity to make money?

"Golden reporter Rita Skeeter reports: Most of the wizards involved in the Quidditch World Cup incident have been discharged from the hospital... After investigation by reporters at St Mungo's Hospital, it was confirmed that the injuries were indeed caused by Magic Power petrification due to the Basilisk attack. The Basilisk's whereabouts are still under investigation... The main treatment is Mandrake, a herb primarily used as an antidote and Animagus..."

"According to reporters' investigations, the injured will still be subject to investigation by the Ministry of Magic after being discharged from the hospital. Wizards who participated in the march and riot must pay hefty fines, and with medical expenses added, the average cost is 170 Galleon per person. This amount has caused dissatisfaction among many of the injured. One wizard who was lured into participating in the march by Veela claimed that the Ministry of Magic's move was to make money..."

Loren clicked his tongue. "So, by all accounts, the Ministry of Magic actually made a profit."

The following sections consist of other reporters' coverage and in-depth analysis of the Quidditch World Cup, but they lack the quality of the Beetle reporter's work and consist of repetitive, tedious reports.

"Trains that don't sleep are so boring." Loren nuzzled against the girl's shoulder again; it was soft and bouncy, and smelled wonderful.

Hermione didn't want to talk to him, but since he was making it impossible for her to read the newspaper, she hesitated for a moment and suggested, "You can read a book if you're bored."

What books are you reading?

"Fourth-grade textbooks."

"Wouldn't that be even more boring..." As he said this, Loren suddenly remembered, "Didn't you go to buy books yesterday? What books did you buy? Are they good? Take them out and take a look?"

"..."

Why aren't you saying anything?

Loren stopped nuzzling her, turned to look at Hermione, and poked her cheek. "I'm asking you, what books did you buy? It can't be textbooks again, can it?"

Hermione paused for a moment, realizing that if she didn't explain clearly, the train journey probably wouldn't be smooth sailing. "I didn't buy any books."

"Didn't you buy any books?" Loren found it a bit strange. "Then where did you go? Didn't you tell Mrs. Weasley you were going to buy books? You were the slowest one there. George Fred and I went back to the Leaky Cauldron and waited for you for a while."

"Don't ask, you don't want to know."

"Hey..." Loren's curiosity was piqued, and he urged, poking the girl's cheek, "I just want to know, tell me now!"

"Twilfitt and Tatting's".

Hermione smiled faintly, and the head on her shoulder paused; she could feel his neck stiffen.

"What?"

Hermione tilted her head slightly and looked straight at him. "Twilfitt and Tatting's, I saw you go into Twilfitt and Tatting's with my own eyes and buy two dresses."

"..."

Loren stared at her, his face full of disbelief.