Clank—clank—
The old-fashioned train rolled slowly along the tracks.
A draft slipped in through the cracks in the window, carrying the faint fragrance of the two girls to Cypher's nose.
Seated in the compartment, Cypher slightly raised his head and stared vacantly at the clock hanging on the opposite wall.
Everything felt like a dream.
Across from Cypher, Iris and Luna were leaning close together, whispering among themselves.
"Ahem!"
Luna curled one hand into a small fist, held it to her lips, and gave a light cough to draw Cypher's attention back.
"Cypher, where did you get those clothes? Did you make them yourself?"
Cypher was a little surprised, but he answered cheerfully.
"Not entirely. I chose the fabric and designed the style, but Madam Mary, the headmistress, made them in the end."
"The headmistress? Madam Mary?"
Iris could not help cutting in from the side.
"Professor Dumbledore didn't tell you anything about my family?"
At that, Iris blushed and hid behind Luna.
Luna was somewhat helpless. She let Iris shake her while stubbornly explaining.
"That day, Iris took the letter meant for you and went to Diagon Alley without permission. Professor Dumbledore had already left on a business trip then, and you nearly cried from panic when you couldn't find the letter in his office."
Cypher glanced at Iris, who was secretly watching him from the corner of her eye, and lightly let the matter pass.
"No wonder. All right, let me introduce my family situation."
"I'm an orphan. When Madam Mary adopted me, I was still in swaddling clothes."
"Sorry..."
Iris lost her smile, sat up straight, and apologized to him together with Luna.
"It's nothing. I think my parents must have been unable to raise me, or perhaps they were even in danger. I've forgiven them."
Cypher spread his hands and smiled casually.
"Although I never went to school, I've read quite a few books. Of course, I couldn't get hold of books from the Magical World, so they were all Muggle books."
"Huh?"
Luna and Iris looked excited. They both hurriedly said that they liked some Muggle books too.
Just like that, the three quickly became familiar with one another, until a rumbling stomach brought their cheerful discussion of books to an end.
"It's past twelve. How annoying! The timing of this train is really... sigh—what do you want to eat? Just so you know, from what I understand, this train only sells snacks."
Iris complained irritably.
"Don't look at me. I don't know anything."
Cypher narrowed his eyes and pulled a face. His speechless expression made Iris burst into laughter.
"Iris, I'll help you. Let's buy more."
When Luna saw Cypher getting up to go with them,
she reached out and stopped him with a smile.
"No! Cypher, you need to stay here and guard our compartment."
When he boarded the train, Cypher had noticed that the corridor was orderly, which meant Ravenclaw students did not go visiting other compartments without reason.
Casually moving between compartments was more common among Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, followed by Slytherin.
The former did it to fool around and play with each other, while the latter did it for socializing.
Ravenclaws preferred chatting with friends or finding a quiet compartment to read silently.
Luna's words made it seem as though she and Iris had something private to discuss.
Cypher nodded and agreed to Luna's request.
Not long after, there was a knock on the compartment door.
Cypher hurriedly got up to open it. Iris and Luna entered, each carrying a huge pile of snacks.
Cypher shut the door and quickly helped the two girls set down the snacks.
"We didn't know what you liked, so we bought one of everything."
Cypher's pupils trembled. Was this what it meant to be rich? I loved it!
"Make do with snacks for now. A lavish feast will be waiting for us tonight!"
At noon, their simple meal
came to an end after they tricked Cypher into eating a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean.
Cypher clutched his chest and pretended to look pale and haggard.
Luna and Iris laughed themselves into a fit.
"Cypher, how much do you know about Muggle mathematics?"
"Mathematics?"
In the hazy memories of his previous life, the Magical World had been very backward.
But this was another world with only limited overlap with the story.
Cypher did not know how advanced the Magical World was at present. Considering that extraordinary methods could be used so effortlessly,
it should have been far ahead of Muggles, right?
"I know a little."
Cypher answered modestly.
"That's great!"
"Cypher, can you make soup?"
Iris was so excited that she nearly jumped up, while Luna continued with a smile.
"Make soup? As long as it involves cooking, I'm quite confident."
Having sampled some of the delicacies people in this world talked about, Cypher felt that his skills were quite good, though he still answered conservatively.
"Really?"
Iris sat back down.
She raised a hand to smooth her silver-white hair beside her ear, then wound a lock around her finger and played with it as she said,
"Then would you mind if the two of us forced you to memorize a magic book?"
"Of course I wouldn't!"
Cypher agreed without hesitation.
Iris and Luna exchanged smiles.
Luna took a thick book from her shoulder bag.
It reminded Cypher of the heavy dictionaries from his previous life.
"Fundamentals of Potions, Volume One"
Cypher's expression turned strange.
After a long while, he raised his head.
"Is it too late to say I mind now?"
"Of course it is!" ×2
They spoke in perfect unison, leaving Cypher to weep silently.
"During a wizard's growth, once they reach a certain age and receive external stimulation, they may experience a phenomenon known as a Magic Surge."
"Only after a Magic Surge do young wizards display their magical talent. They can also cast a few minor spells."
"We think you can follow in our footsteps."
"This set of books can lay a solid foundation for potion-making."
"After you finish this set, there's also a set on the basics of spells!"
After Luna finished speaking, Iris dealt the final blow.
"I don't understand. Of course, I'm not looking down on potions."
Cypher rubbed the thick cover of the magic book with his fingers and carefully chose his words.
"Why should I learn potions first instead of spells?"
"There's no harm in telling you."
At that, Iris stood up and took out her wand.
She opened the compartment door, saw that no one was outside, then pointed her wand at the doorway.
"Protego Totalum, Guarding Charm, Muffliato, Quietus..."
The string of spells left Cypher at a loss.
Were they really being this cautious? Maybe I shouldn't have asked?
Iris returned to sit in front of Cypher. She stared into his black eyes and spoke solemnly.
"Luna and I recreated an ancient Awakening Draught that can let a wizard undergo another Magic Surge."
"However, you need to use your own magic to guide the entire brewing process. It can't pass through anyone else's hands."
"Also, this potion has to be used in conjunction with another kind of potion."
"Though calling it a potion would be less accurate than calling it becoming an Animagus."
Cypher finally came to his senses and raised a hand to stop them.
Then he rubbed his brow.
"All right, I understand. We can talk about that later. Let's discuss something I can understand first."
Seeing that Cypher was genuinely not resistant,
the two girls both breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, many young wizards hated memorization.
The two of them had only started this because they were bored in the castle and interested in it.
The conversation that followed became much more relaxed.
Cypher listened as they explained what an Animagus was. Once mastered, it allowed someone to transform into an animal.
The animal form was very similar to one's Patronus.
What was a Patronus for?
Soon after, the three began talking about Dementors and other Magical Creatures with unique abilities...
The sun gradually shifted, the mountains and rivers steadily fell behind, and their destination drew ever closer.
Hogwarts, here I come!
Cypher set down the magic book and rolled his neck, which crackled loudly, as he sighed inwardly.
Before you continue