On the Train

A month can feel long or short, depending on how you look at it.

Aside from his research, Klein spent all his remaining time traveling with Bathilda Bagshot.

Through the Floo Network, the two visited many places, only returning to Godric's Hollow on the evening of August 31st.

The next day, Klein waved goodbye to the old lady and, pulling his suitcase alone, headed to King's Cross Station.

"Interesting."

Murmuring to himself, Klein's gaze settled between Platform Nine and Platform Ten at King's Cross—a highly concealed and masterfully crafted illusion array.

Ordinary People, unable to sense magic, would subconsciously overlook that spot.

Such craftsmanship reminded him involuntarily of the Devil's Triangle in Bermuda.

"Alright, here you are, kid. Platform Nine—Platform Ten, your platform should be between these two, but it looks like they haven't built it yet."

Just then, a middle-aged fat man pushing a trolley stopped right behind Klein. He stuck out his belly, grinned maliciously, and his rolls of fat jiggled along.

"Hehe!" "Hahaha!"

The tall, thin woman and the mountain-like, dull-witted youth accompanying him also laughed, making no effort to hide the schadenfreude in their eyes.

"Well then, Harry, good luck this term."

Squinting, the middle-aged man let go of his trolley and unhesitatingly led his wife and child away, leaving only a bespectacled, frail-looking boy standing there, lost and bewildered.

Clearly, this was a premeditated act of mockery.

"Um..."

Harry Potter wanted to ask for help, but his introverted nature left him unsure how to speak up.

Carrying an owl in public was already strange enough—asking someone about a place that didn't exist?

He didn't want people to think he was crazy.

"Follow me."

Just as Harry was hesitating for the fifth time whether to seek help from a station attendant, a calm voice suddenly came from not far ahead.

He looked up sharply to see a handsome youth in a light linen hunting jacket, with a short ponytail, gazing at him steadily.

"What?"

Harry was slow to react.

But Klein didn't wait for him. He pulled his suitcase directly toward the space between Platform Nine and Platform Ten.

"Hey, wait."

Seeing Klein walk five or six meters away, Harry snapped out of it and quickly pushed his luggage-laden trolley to catch up.

Honestly, even he didn't know why he did it.

But before his mind could register the oddity, his body had already followed the handsome youth through the barrier, stepping into a whole new world.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."

He had made it onto the platform!

"No need to thank me."

Klein turned back, gave a slight smile to the overjoyed, incredulous Harry Potter, and then boarded the train without looking back.

The train was an old-fashioned steam locomotive. The corridor wasn't exactly narrow, but it was far from spacious.

Energetic young boys and girls darted back and forth between compartments like bees buzzing through a hive. Klein was swept into the crowd, inevitably becoming one of them. By the time he managed to break free and find an empty compartment at the very end of the train, his hunting jacket was nearly crumpled into a napkin.

"Youth is wonderful~"

Though a bit disheveled, a smile lingered on Klein's lips. This novel experience delighted him.

"Reparo."

A small spell freed Klein from his disheveled appearance. Stowing his suitcase properly, he let out a sigh of relief and sat down by the window, opening the thick black book he carried and reading quietly.

This was the most inconspicuous compartment on the entire train. If possible, he would have liked to have it all to himself.

Unfortunately, Hogwarts' enrollment numbers far exceeded his expectations. Before long, a girl slid open the compartment door.

"Hey, help me—I mean, hello..."

The girl had short chestnut hair cut to her ears, and she was dragging an enormous suitcase behind her—at least twice the size of Klein's.

"Hello."

Klein stood up and, with gentlemanly grace, helped her stow her luggage. Once done, he had no intention of making conversation. He sat back down and returned his gaze to his book.

"I'm Pansy. Pansy Parkinson. Are you a new student at Hogwarts too?"

Pansy stared at Klein's focused profile, her cheeks flushing involuntarily. Suppressing the suffocating nervousness in her chest, she asked cautiously.

"Yes. Pleased to meet you. Klein Grindelwald."

Resignedly closing his book, Klein looked up, meeting Pansy's gaze, and offered a polite, appropriate faint smile.

"Uh."

Pansy didn't know what it felt like to be shot, but the instant she saw that smile, she felt her heart take a bullet—no, wrong, an arrow.

Cupid's arrow!

"Pansy?"

At the girl's reaction, Klein's face showed a hint of confusion, but inwardly he was already used to it.

The blood of the Grindelwald family had gifted him not only extraordinary talent but also striking looks. Back when he was still "the most talented wizard at Durmstrang," his admirers had even broken triple digits—far surpassing Viktor Krum.

Too bad a wizard couldn't make a living off his face; otherwise, in his past life, he wouldn't have been targeted from every side.

"Oh, sorry, I spaced out."

Pansy snapped back to reality, a slightly awkward smile on her face.

A girl at the age of first love was prone to wild daydreams. How did that saying go?

"The moment our eyes met, I'd already picked out names for our children."

She wasn't that extreme, but close enough.

"It's fine. Make yourself at home."

Klein indicated there was no need to worry, skillfully and decisively ending the conversation as he reopened his book.

Politeness was just a habit; only studying could bring him true joy~

The train sped forward, the atmosphere in the compartment eerily quiet.

Like a scene straight out of a play or novel, Pansy's face burned hot. In the short span of just over ten minutes, she had stolen at least seven or eight glances at Klein.

After hesitating in her heart again and again, she finally mustered the courage to start a conversation with him.

"Um, Klein, sorry to bother you, but I'm curious—what book is that?"

"This?"

Klein looked up, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Just a bit of trivial personal research. Nothing major."

"Researching magic? You must be really smart!"

Pansy's eyes lit up, excited as if she had discovered the New World.

But before she could learn more about what this so-called "trivial research" actually was, a slightly arrogant voice reached both their ears.

"Have either of you seen a toad? Neville lost a toad."

The compartment door slid open from outside, and a girl with curly brown hair led a round-faced boy into the carriage.