A Journey of Three

Clang—clang—

The old-fashioned train chugged slowly along the tracks.

A draft seeped through the gaps in the window, carrying the faint scent of the two girls to Cypher's nose.

Sitting on the compartment seat, Cypher lifted his head slightly, staring at the clock hanging on the opposite wall, his gaze distant.

It all felt like a dream.

At this moment, across from Cypher, Iris and Luna were huddled together, whispering.

"Ahem—hm!"

Luna clenched her small fist, brought it to her lips, and let out a light cough to draw Cypher's attention back.

"Cypher, where did you get those clothes? Did you make them yourself?"

Cypher was a bit surprised, but he answered cheerfully nonetheless.

"Not entirely. I picked the fabric and designed the style, but the final sewing was done by Madam Mary, the headmistress."

"Headmistress? Madam Mary?"

Iris couldn't help but cut in from the side.

"Didn't Professor Dumbledore tell you anything about my family situation?"

At this, Iris's face flushed red, and she hid behind Luna.

Luna looked a little helpless. She let Iris shake her arm but insisted on speaking up.

"That day, Iris secretly took the letter meant for you and went to Diagon Alley. Professor Dumbledore was already away on business, and you almost cried when you couldn't find the letter in the office."

Cypher glanced at Iris, who was sneaking a peek at him from the corner of her eye, and lightly brushed the matter aside.

"No wonder. Alright, let me tell you about my family situation."

"I'm an orphan. Madam Mary adopted me when I was still in swaddling clothes."

"Sorry..."

Iris put away her smile, sat up straight, and joined Luna in apologizing to him.

"It's nothing. I think my parents probably couldn't afford to raise me, or were even in danger. I've forgiven them."

Cypher spread his hands and gave a carefree smile.

"Even though I've never been to school, I've still read quite a few books. Of course, I couldn't get my hands on books from the Magical World—I only read Muggle books."

"Huh?"

Luna and Iris looked excited. They quickly chimed in, saying they also liked some Muggle books.

And so, the three of them quickly grew familiar with each other, until a stomach growling sound put an end to their lively book discussion.

"It's past twelve. How annoying! The timing this train chose is just... ugh—what do you two want to eat? Let me warn you, from what I know, the train only has snacks."

Iris complained with a hint of irritation.

"Don't look at me. I don't know anything."

Cypher narrowed his eyes and grinned, his speechless expression making Iris burst out laughing.

"Iris, I'll help you. Let's buy a lot."

Seeing Cypher get up to join them, Luna reached out and stopped him with a smile.

"No way! Cypher, you have to stay here and guard our compartment."

When they boarded, Cypher had noticed that the corridor was orderly, meaning Ravenclaw students didn't randomly visit other compartments.

Switching compartments freely was more common in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, with Slytherin coming in second.

The former did it for fun and play, the latter for socializing.

Ravenclaw preferred to chat with friends or find a quiet compartment to read in silence.

Luna's words suggested they wanted to talk about something private.

Cypher nodded and agreed to Luna's request.

Not long after, the door was knocked.

Cypher quickly got up to open it. Iris and Luna walked in, each carrying a huge pile of snacks.

Cypher closed the door and hurriedly helped them set down the snacks.

"We didn't know what you liked, so we bought one of every snack."

Cypher's pupils dilated. So this was what it meant to be loaded? Loved it, loved it!

"We'll make do with some snacks for now. A lavish feast is waiting for us tonight!"

At noon, the simple meal came to an abrupt halt after tricking Cypher into eating a strange-flavored bean.

Watching him clutch his heart with a feigned haggard expression, Luna and Iris burst into laughter.

"Cypher, how much do you know about Muggle mathematics?"

"Mathematics?"

In the fragmented memories of his past life, the Magical World was quite backward.

But this was a different world that only partially overlapped with those stories.

Cypher didn't know the current level of the Magical World. Thinking of those extraordinary feats they could conjure at will, he wondered—

Shouldn't the Magical World far surpass the Muggles?

"A little, just a little," Cypher said modestly.

"Then that's great!"

"Cypher, can you brew potions?" Iris asked excitedly, nearly jumping up, while Luna continued with a smile.

"Brew potions? As long as it's about making food, I'm pretty confident."

Having tasted what others in this world called delicacies, Cypher felt he was quite skilled, but he still answered conservatively.

"Is that so!"

Iris sat back down properly.

She raised a hand to tidy the silver-white hair by her ear, then twirled a strand around her finger, playing with it as she spoke.

"Then would you mind if we two forced you to memorize a spellbook?"

"Of course not!"

Cypher agreed without hesitation.

Iris and Luna exchanged a knowing smile.

Luna pulled a thick book from her satchel.

It reminded Cypher of the hefty dictionaries from his past life.

"Potion Fundamentals (I)"

Seeing this, Cypher's expression turned strange.

After a long moment, he looked up.

"Is it too late to say I mind now?"

"Of course it is!" ×2

They spoke in unison, leaving Cypher to silently weep.

"During a wizard's growth, when they reach a certain age and are stimulated by external factors, they have a chance to experience a Magic Surge."

"Through a Magic Surge, Young Wizards reveal their talent. And they can even perform some minor magic."

"We think you can follow in our footsteps."

"This set of books will give you a solid foundation in potion-making."

"And after this set, there's a set on spell fundamentals too!"

Iris delivered the final blow after Luna finished speaking.

"I don't understand—not that I look down on potions," Cypher said, his hand stroking the thick cover of the spellbook as he chose his words carefully.

"Why do you want me to learn potions first instead of spells?"

"There's no harm in telling you."

Hearing this, Iris stood up and drew her wand.

She slid open the compartment door, saw no one outside, then pointed her wand at the entrance.

"Protego Totalum, Guarding Charm, Silencio, Muffliato..."

A string of spells left Cypher at a loss.

So cautious? Should I not have asked?

Iris came back to sit in front of Cypher, staring into his black eyes with a serious expression.

"Luna and I have recreated an ancient Awakening Draught, one that can trigger another Magic Surge in a wizard."

"However, this potion requires you to guide the entire brewing process with your own magic. No one else can do it for you."

"Moreover, this potion needs to be used in conjunction with another one."

"It's more of becoming an Animagus than a potion, really."

Cypher finally snapped out of it, raising a hand to stop the two from speaking.

Then he rubbed his brow.

"Alright, I get it. We'll talk about this stuff when there's time. For now, let's stick to things I can actually understand."

Seeing that Cypher genuinely wasn't opposed, the two girls breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

After all, many Young Wizards hated memorization.

As for the two of them, they were simply bored in the castle, plus they had an interest in it.

The topic that followed became much lighter.

Cypher listened as they explained what an Animagus was—how one could actually transform into an animal form.

The animal form was very similar to one's Patronus.

What was a Patronus for?

Then the three moved on to talking about Dementors and other Magical Creatures with unique abilities...

The sun gradually shifted, the mountains and rivers receded, and the destination drew steadily closer.

Hogwarts, here I come!

Setting down the magic book in his hand and cracking his popping neck, Cypher sighed inwardly.