Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

With everything arranged, Breeze had settled into his own room. It seemed all right—not much, but at least it was clean, without any hair left behind by the previous guest.

Outside his daily routine, Breeze spent most of his time studying his textbooks. Their contents upended his worldview, and even though he had been prepared, he couldn't help getting drawn into the mysteries of magic.

Of course, he had to try it out.

Breeze held a book of spells in one hand and his own wand in the other.

His wand was made of Green Vine Wood. Its blue-green body was wrapped in silver filigree, which spiraled like a vine from the tip to the end, curling there into an exquisite openwork handle. It felt comfortable to hold. It was nine inches long and highly flexible, able to bend itself into a bracelet.

"Ollivander said you had no wand core, but you and I both know your core is the power of nature."

With that, Breeze swung his wand without hesitation and said, "Lumos!"

At his words, a faint swirl of magic gathered inside the openwork handle, while a bright light flared from the tip.

It was the Wand-Lighting Charm, a useful little spell. Breeze had managed it on his first try, and it worked perfectly.

But then Breeze frowned. The memories of An Qing in his mind had also given him An Qing's special magic, yet he could clearly feel that he hadn't used the magic An Qing had given him just now. It had felt more like his own.

Could I have been a little wizard even without An Qing's memories?

The discovery made Breeze very happy. It seemed he didn't need An Qing's memories for everything.

Breeze didn't draw on the magic An Qing had left inside him. He wanted to rely on himself. It was a pride he hadn't even noticed in himself—or rather, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

As one spell after another worked, Breeze grew more and more confident. He only stopped when he reached some of the more profound magic. Then he carefully studied the notes in his textbooks, or branched out into related subjects, broadening his knowledge of magic and magical customs.

But it had to be said: History of Magic might become a headache of a subject for Breeze...

The next day, when he woke and looked at the copy of History of Magic in his hand, written by Bathilda Bagshot, his mind was clear. He could even recall plenty of knowledge on the subject, but somehow it still made him feel sleepy.

"I hope the History of Magic teacher is kind."

Breeze put the History of Magic textbook in his suitcase, picked up Magical Drafts and Potions, and continued his advance reading. Only by using every bit of time available to grow stronger, in both power and wisdom, could he face the unpredictable unknown.

As time passed, Breeze finished studying all the textbooks he had on hand except History of Magic and Magical Drafts and Potions. It wasn't that he disliked Potions; he simply didn't like it as much, and most of the subject involved practical work. The many figures in the book made him realize he couldn't master it through a month or two of hard study, so he had only skimmed the basics before putting it aside.

After that, Breeze went to a secondhand bookshop in Diagon Alley. He could spend the whole day there for just one Sickle, as long as he didn't damage the books, which were already in no shape to be handled roughly.

The owner of the secondhand bookshop wasn't a kind old man, but his quiet nature endeared him to Breeze. Flourish and Blotts, on the other hand, had only new books, and it was a shame that it was so noisy. Most of the new books couldn't be browsed, either.

Only when Breeze found a book he especially liked in the secondhand shop did he write it down on his book list and go buy it at Flourish and Blotts. The prices made him very grateful for Mrs. Emmeline's earlier help with his textbooks. Even though Breeze wasn't exactly short of money, he couldn't bring himself to buy too many books, so he crossed quite a few titles off his list. He had heard that Hogwarts had plenty of books for students to read.

September 1, 1991

Breeze thought, Plan ahead, then act. I hope everything I've learned before term begins will give me a little more control.

The roar of cars rose and fell as Breeze dragged his small suitcase into King's Cross Station. Quite a few oddly dressed wizards in robes were inside, but the Muggles paid them no attention. After reading so many books, Breeze understood that this was the effect of the Desillusionment Charm.

Breeze wasn't wearing robes. Instead, he wore a smart set of casual clothes he had bought in London with his own private money. Of course, the pounds Betty had left him at Gringotts had also been given to him by Emmeline, and he was free to spend them as he pleased.

"What a cool place."

Breeze was in a good mood, but oddly enough, none of the books he'd read had given a detailed account of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"Nine... ten. Is it in between? Could it be some kind of magic?"

Breeze pressed his lips together, thinking. He remembered a spell called Alohomora that could open doors. Maybe he could try it, but there were too many Muggles around. Someone might see him.

"Hey, are you a first-year?"

"Hm?" Breeze slowly turned around and saw a sunny-looking boy smiling warmly at him. "You're a first-year at Hogwarts, right? I'm your senior."

Senior?

A middle-aged man stood beside the older boy. He looked like the boy's father, and he seemed very excited.

I should be polite, Breeze thought.

"I'm a first-year. Could you tell me how to get to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"

Before the older boy could answer, his father said, "My Cedric really is such a friendly senior! Ha ha!"

As he spoke, the mustache above his lips quivered, which looked extremely funny.

The boy named Cedric seemed embarrassed by his father's words, but he didn't argue. Instead, he quickly said to Breeze, "Come with me. I'll show you how to get in."

"It's here, between Platforms Nine and Ten. The third pillar. You just run right through it."

As soon as Cedric finished speaking, he pushed his own trolley straight through. Beside him, Cedric's father encouraged Breeze, "Go on, don't keep Cedric waiting, good little boy."

Breeze pressed his lips together. He didn't react much to the words good little boy. He had used that act as a disguise since childhood and was used to it.

As he passed through the pillar, the sound of a train whistle reached him. A long, enormous scarlet steam engine stood at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. All around him, parents in robes chatted with their children, and Cedric was waiting nearby.

"Thanks, Cedric. I hope I didn't keep you waiting." Breeze curiously looked around, then said to Cedric, "I'm Breeze Order. You can call me Breeze."

Cedric held out a friendly hand. "Cedric Diggory. You can call me Cedric. I'm a third-year Hufflepuff."

Hogwarts had four Houses, and Hufflepuff was one of them. According to Hogwarts: A History, it was a loyal and friendly House. Its emblem was a badger, and its color was earthy yellow.

Breeze shook Cedric's hand. "Yeah, I know about Hufflepuff, but I'm not sure which House I'll end up in."

"Maybe Ravenclaw would be nice. Gryffindor's out, and Slytherin... um, I don't think they'd take someone from the Muggle World."

"Is that so? I thought you'd be a little badger. You have a friendly smile. But most people from the East are in Ravenclaw; they're very clever. I remember there was a Chinese girl in second-year Ravenclaw..."

Before Cedric could finish, his father, who had just come through the pillar, called out loudly, "Oh, Hufflepuff is the best! You should give Hufflepuff more consideration. Cedric's top of his year, and he can help you study there."

Cedric's father proudly patted his shoulder. Cedric gave Breeze an apologetic smile and said, "There are no bad Houses at Hogwarts."

Breeze nodded. Ravenclaw was actually his first choice, mostly because he liked its quiet and its tower. He liked the feeling of the wind blowing high above; it made him comfortable. Looking down from above, like a king, free from restraint.

Gryffindor House also had a tower, but Breeze thought it was too noisy. Maybe even the wind there was rowdy.

Slytherin was on the first underground level. He wondered if he'd have trouble sleeping there.

"Hey, Cedric!"

Someone was calling Cedric, probably one of his friends. Breeze smiled. "Well, see you at Hogwarts."

Cedric nodded warmly and waved to his friend, then said, "The first-year compartments are toward the back. You can find a seat early. Apart from a few compartments near the front reserved for some of the Pure-blood families, you can choose any seat you like."

"Okay, thanks, Cedric."

After saying goodbye to Cedric, Breeze headed for the carriages at the back. He carried his small suitcase onto the train and saw a flash of platinum blond hair disappear into a luxurious-looking compartment. The person hadn't noticed Breeze, but a girl following him glanced at Breeze. When she saw his worn-out shoulder bag, she turned away in disgust and walked straight into the compartment. A dark-skinned boy followed her. He looked very refined, but Breeze could tell that he was no less arrogant than the girl.

Two tall, burly boys were about to enter the compartment when Draco Malfoy's voice came from inside. "You two, find another compartment. I don't want to spend the whole trip listening to you crunching and chewing!"

"Oh, okay, Draco."

The two burly boys looked a little dim-witted. After answering, they headed for the compartment next door. It was clear they were from Pure-blood families, too.

"Special treatment for Pure-blood families? Just like nobles in the Muggle world, with privileges."

Breeze didn't dwell on it. He headed for the ordinary compartments at the back of the train and chose one near the door. After setting down his suitcase, he took the diary from his shoulder bag and began writing about magic. A book on Transfiguration lay beside his hand.

Breeze hadn't been sitting long when he heard a commotion outside. Two red-haired boys were full of energy and mischief. There was no need to guess: they had to be older Gryffindors. They seemed to be shouting about something—Harry Potter?

A thoughtful wand, wasn't it?