Hogwarts Express

A chosen one was someone who got whatever they lacked.

Someone had happened to abandon a bicycle, and Cypher was overjoyed to find it. He rode it home. (laughs)

There were only a few days left before school started.

On the night he returned from shopping, Cypher hurriedly wrote a letter and had his Snowy Owl—Little White—deliver it to Iris at Hogwarts.

The letter contained only simple greetings and the news that he had arrived home safely.

By the time Little White returned with a beautiful Tawny Owl, several days had already passed.

After reading Iris's reply,

Cypher wrote another letter, expressing how eager he was to see Iris and how much he looked forward to the start of term.

He then had the Tawny Owl named Cinderella deliver the letter to Iris.

They would probably meet before the next letter arrived.

Sending messages was far too inconvenient, Cypher lamented inwardly.

Although only a few short days remained before school began,

it was enough time for Cypher to preview the contents of his textbooks.

Cypher was somewhat at a loss when it came to Astronomy and Divination.

For several nights in a row, he studied the explanations in the textbooks while observing the stars, but gained nothing.

Helplessly, he decided to wait for the professors to explain them to him.

Potions required hands-on practice.

Looking at the occasional measurements in the textbook—"a little" or "a pinch"—

Cypher's scalp went numb.

Most importantly, the illustrations in the textbook visibly differed from the weights he had bought!

Helplessly, he gave up!

That left only the textbooks on Charms, Dark Arts, and Transfiguration that he could study in advance. Probably...

The explanations in them were far too vague.

Cypher followed the steps and cast the spells one by one.

After practicing again and again, Cypher discovered something.

Comparing repeated castings of every incantation,

even the slightest deviation in movement or the smallest difference in the rise and fall of a syllable would cause the wand to draw differing amounts of his magic.

Naturally, the resulting magical effects also varied.

After gaining a rough understanding through experimentation,

Cypher did not dare continue practicing. Without sufficient theoretical support for his research, he feared he might go astray.

"The theory will come. Once I enroll at Hogwarts, everything will get better in the library."

Cypher comforted himself optimistically.

Since he was temporarily giving up on studying magic in depth, he would keep exercising every day instead.

Cypher believed that only a strong body could support his brain's thinking. Magic was programming and software; the body was naturally the hardware. As long as there was life, there would be exercise.

Days with plans and routines always passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, tomorrow was the first day of school.

Before dawn, Cypher jolted awake in bed.

The sky outside the window was still dim.

Seeing that, Cypher breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed back onto his pillow.

"If things weren't such a mess right now, I would've stayed at the Leaky Cauldron and waited for school to start."

After grumbling for a while, Cypher got up and prepared his final breakfast at the orphanage before school began.

What warmed his heart was that Madam Mary had risen early as well, keeping him company while he cooked and ate.

Finally, she tidied Cypher's clothes at the orphanage gate and watched him disappear down the street.

The traffic was dreadful, and he was unfamiliar with the route to the station.

Cypher had set out at sunrise, but by the time the sun was nearly high in the sky, he had only just stumbled his way to King's Cross Station.

I should've come into town earlier to scout out the route!

Cypher was filled with regret.

Under the strange looks from everyone around him, Cypher, with Little White perched on his shoulder, realized that no one else looked like him.

In other words, either wizards did not send their children to school from here, or Cypher was late.

Clearly, the latter was far more likely.

"Oh no!"

He glanced at the large clock embedded in the center wall.

"Ten forty-five!" There were only fifteen minutes left before the train departed at eleven.

Cypher hurriedly asked the guard beside him, who had long been staring at Little White on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir! Could you tell me where Platform Nine is?"

After receiving the guard's directions—and with the helpful guard even offering to lead the way himself—

Cypher quickly thanked him, waved his hands, and repeatedly said there was no need.

He could not let such a helpful guard take an Obliviate for nothing.

He hurried to the space between Platforms Nine and Ten.

The hurried Muggles completely ignored the red-haired man there, who was waving his wand around in strange poses.

At that point, Cypher breathed another sigh of relief. He had come to the right place.

"Hello, Mr. Auror, is this the entrance to Hogwarts?"

"Huh? Yes, it is. A new student?! Oh! My goodness! I was just about to seal this place off. Hurry inside, young man."

The red hair, along with his approachable manner, made Cypher wonder whether he might be a member of the Weasley family.

But Cypher had no time to stop and exchange pleasantries. He gave the Auror a grateful smile and thanked him as he stepped toward the entrance.

After entering successfully, Cypher saw that a few parents and young wizards still had not boarded the train.

A series of cracking sounds in the distance caught his attention.

The parents were Apparating away from the designated area farther off. As for Muggles, they could not enter at all without a wizard to guide them!

No wonder they were already closing the entrance before the train had even departed.

Just as Cypher was feeling somewhat lost and wondering which carriage to board,

Little White suddenly spread her wings from his shoulder and flew to his side.

Cypher followed her gaze, and a goal instantly appeared in his mind.

At the end of his line of sight,

Iris was leaning half her body out of a carriage window, waving to him.

Blue Princess Dress, Blue Round Hat, with a golden-red feather tucked into it. (Fawkes's scream)

Her silver hair draped over her shoulders, her skin was fair, and a bright, dazzling smile blossomed across her face.

Infected by her mood, Cypher waved his arm and jogged over.

The Hogwarts Express had already sounded its pre-departure whistle.

Only a few steps after boarding, Cypher staggered slightly as the train began to move.

Cypher eased his breathing. He did not want to be panting heavily when he met Iris.

He pulled open the door leading into the corridor.

He did not have to spend any effort looking for the compartment.

It seemed that, after confirming he had entered the carriage,

Iris had come to the compartment door to meet him.

"Iris, long time no see."

"Long time no see!"

Iris was more excited than Cypher had imagined.

In her little white leather shoes, she stepped forward and gently hugged Cypher.

"Come on, there are only the three of us in the compartment."

After letting go, Iris was the first to break the silence. Her blue eyes, which seemed to hold starlight whenever she smiled, looked at Cypher as she spoke softly.

Three people? Oh, right! Iris had said that she and her best friend had looked after each other since childhood.

Her best friend should be in the compartment, then?

When Cypher entered the compartment and casually shut the door behind him,

another beautiful girl filled his vision.

She was dressed almost exactly like Iris.

However, her hat was purple, and naturally, a tail feather was tucked into it as well. (scream ×2) Her leather shoes and stockings were purple too.

She also wore purple gloves.

Her hair was blonde, and her eyes were blue.

Seeing Iris bring Cypher into the compartment,

she rose and walked forward, extending her hand.

In a poised, clear voice, she said,

"Hello, Cypher Corvin. My name is Luna Freya Hill. You can call me Luna, just like Iris does!"

"Uh, all right! Hello, Luna!"

Caught off guard by having his name called directly, Cypher nearly did not know how to introduce himself.