As the departure time for the Hogwarts Express drew near, Neville finally arrived on the platform, panting, with his luggage in tow. After waiting in the Entrance Hall for quite some time, Hermione and the others, who had regrouped with the Harris siblings, also made it there without incident.
At that moment, the deep-red steam engine of the Hogwarts Express was belching out billowing smoke, and the whistle reminding everyone to board had sounded as well.
"We have to hurry. The train's about to leave, and I need to get on board to keep order." As Gryffindor's female prefect, Hermione sounded a little anxious as she thought of her duties. Her gaze swept over Penelope, who was wearing the Ministry of Magic Auror uniform. "Which section is Penelope responsible for?"
"Allen's compartment." Penelope, holding Emily's hand, shot Hermione an impatient glance and replied coldly. Clearly, as far as this Auror was concerned, patrolling was nothing more than an excuse to board the Hogwarts Express.
Eager to get on the train, Hermione couldn't be bothered to argue with Penelope any further. Seeing the crowd ahead, she no longer cared about any sense of ceremony and simply put her trunk into her pouch, then strode forward with her head held high. Not to be outdone, Penelope followed closely behind.
Luna took advantage of the two girls opening the way ahead and quickly followed with Helena. As Crazy Girl hurried along, the feather on the hat atop her head swayed from side to side, drawing a great deal of attention.
Emily, whose hand Penelope had released and who had fallen behind, glanced at the hat on Luna's head and couldn't help muttering to Allen, "Allen, compared with us two, she's way more ruthless. Not only did those old men lose all their chips...