The Upcoming Journey to Hogwarts

"Why would I run away? I'm still planning on going to Hogwarts."

Ezio waved his hand dismissively, then raised his wand once more, pointing it directly at Draco Malfoy.

Is he going to kill him to silence him?! Harry's heart skipped a beat; he was genuinely terrified by Ezio.

"Scourgify."

Just as Draco was closing his eyes in despair, waiting for death, he heard a spell that didn't sound right—it wasn't the Killing Curse.

He felt the chill in his crotch vanish, and something seemed to have disappeared.

Reaching down to touch, he found little Draco was still there, but the damp, pale yellow liquid was gone, and his trousers were remarkably dry.

"Since you came here to make friends with Harry, your goal has been achieved, right?"

Ezio lazily put away his wand and began eating the Chocolate Frog Harry had given him earlier.

"Yes..." Draco looked up at Harry, swallowing hard. "I suppose we are... friends?" he said uncertainly. At that moment, Harry reached out to pull him up, but upon realizing that Draco seemed to have been reaching for his crotch just a moment ago, Harry's body stiffened. The two stared at each other, the atmosphere becoming incredibly awkward.

"Since the greetings are done, I won't keep you for a chat." Ezio waved at Draco. "Remember to take those two guys on the floor with you when you leave."

"Yes... yes... alright!" Feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, Draco scrambled to his feet. As he pulled open the compartment door, he heard two loud, rhythmic snores—coming from Crabbe and Goyle. Many people poked their heads out of their compartments, pointing at the two and whispering with laughter.

They aren't dead?! Draco was filled with a thousand questions, but this wasn't the time for them. After closing the compartment door, Draco kicked the two idiots hard, but Crabbe and Goyle merely rolled over and continued to snore loudly.

Infuriated to the point of madness by these two, Draco gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and grabbed their feet, dragging them with great effort. His compartment was some distance away, and it was going to be a grueling task.

Seeing this, Harry looked at Ezio in the compartment with astonishment.

"You didn't kill them?"

"The Wand-Lighting Charm can be used to change the color of the light; I have two wands." Ezio explained simply. "I've already mastered silent casting for quite a few spells. What I used just now was green light combined with two Sleeping Charms. That's enough to keep them asleep until we arrive."

Harry let out a long sigh of relief. "I really thought you had used that Killing Curse."

"I even intentionally mispronounced the incantation just now. I said 'Avada Kedavra' with a twist, not the standard pronunciation."

"Oh, oh!" Harry nodded, half-understanding.

"By the way, Ezio." Harry suddenly spoke again: "Just now, when you were casting the spell, I suddenly saw a scene. It must have been when I was very, very young. I heard a woman's voice, and I saw her trying to protect me."

As he spoke, Harry's voice grew much lower: "That must have been my mother. She was begging Voldemort not to hurt me, to let me go, and then she threw herself over to protect me... but Voldemort used that green spell—the Killing Curse, right? He killed my mother, and then he was going to kill me."

Harry pulled his legs up, hugging himself in the corner, burying his head in his knees. His eyes turned red, but he hid his tears and refused to look up.

"You couldn't have been even a year old when that happened. By all logic, memories from that time shouldn't be retained."

Ezio said calmly from the side, watching as a spark of fire seemed to ignite in Harry's reddened eyes.

"But in the wizarding world, things might be different. Perhaps the magic of the Killing Curse, while leaving you with this scar, also branded that scene into your heart."

"Maybe..."

Ezio fell silent. After a moment, Harry, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked: "Maybe what?"

"Maybe magic wants you to remember this moment, to remember everything your parents did for you at that time."

Upon hearing this answer, a string in Harry's heart suddenly snapped. He sobbed quietly, trying his best not to make a sound.

In his mind, two blurred faces—a man and a woman—seemed to appear. Harry couldn't see their features clearly, but he knew they were the two figures hidden in his memory, blurred but absolutely indelible.

"I miss you both so much... I wish you could call my name, even if just once."

He fantasized about having a happy home, parents who loved and cherished him, but as soon as the hallucination flashed, a blinding green light painted his entire world.

"Voldemort..."

Harry clenched his fists. In this moment, he seemed to understand something. He couldn't put it into words, but he understood.

Night fell quickly, and the Hogwarts Express moved forward under the starlight. During the journey, Hermione came by once more to ask a few minor questions about spellcasting and mentioned that they could change into their robes, as they would be arriving at Hogwarts soon.

They changed into their Hogwarts uniforms, and a man's voice echoed through the train