On the Train

July 2nd, Sunday, the day I left Hogwarts.

Hogwarts Entrance Hall. Students wait in the crowded Entrance Hall for the carriages that will take them to Hogsmeade Station.

Harry's trunk was packed; Hedwig was back in its cage on top of the trunk. It was another beautiful, pleasant summer day. Harry guessed that when he reached Privet Drive that evening, it would be very hot there, with lush foliage in the yards and vibrant flowers blooming in the flowerbeds. The thought brought him no joy.

At the other end of the Entrance Hall, Skylar and the Slytherin students, along with Morrie, Cho Chang, and Luna, stood together.

"Skylar!" A very pleasant female voice rang out.

He turned to look. Phoebe Delacour hurried up the stone steps and into the castle. At the other end of the grounds behind her, Skylar could see Hagrid helping Madame Maxime harness two giant horses. Beauxbatons' carriage was about to depart.

"What are your plans for this summer vacation? I'd like to invite you to France and visit the Delacour Family," Phoebe said with a mischievous smile, ignoring the expressions of the girls around Skylar. "If you accept my invitation and come to France, I can show you around!"

Here we go again. We just survived one disaster last night, and today Dumbledore won't be there to save the day.

Skylar could only manage a wry smile. "Miss Delacour, thank you for your invitation, but I think I may not be able to accept it. I have many plans for this summer vacation..."

"That's not necessarily true," Phoebe said with a half-smile. "I heard you've been chosen as this year's Hogwarts representative and will be going to France in August to participate in the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship!"

"Uh, you would say that? Could it be...?" Skylar was somewhat taken aback.

"Hehe," Phoebe gently tossed her head, her silvery hair swaying like waves in the sunlight, "Unfortunately, I'm the representative player for Beauxbatons' year, so..." Phoebe revealed a sly smile and said, "We'll meet again."

"Ahem," Skylar to cover his embarrassment, "Now that you mention it, I do remember. I will indeed be going to France, and I will definitely pay a visit to the Delacour Family. Please convey my greetings to your parents."

"Then I look forward to your visit!" Phoebe said in a hoarse voice, then leaned closer to Skylar and kissed him on both Skylar. "I'm off now, see you soon!" Phoebe said, turning to leave. "It was a very pleasant time meeting you all."

Skylar felt a burning sensation where her lips had touched him. He wasn't sure if he and Phoebe were that close, or if all France girls were this enthusiastic, but it was clear that Phoebe's action greatly displeased the girl next to him.

Skylar felt a chill run down his spine and could only change the subject, saying, "I wonder how Durmstrang's classmates will get back. Without Karkaroff, can they still pilot that ship?"

"Karkaroff doesn't steer," a deep, resonant voice said. "He stays in his cabin; we do all the work."

Uh, this seems to be... Eleanor's voice.

Eleanor came alone.

"Poliakov and Krum are already preparing to set sail on the ship. I've come here to say goodbye," Eleanor said, then, a slight blush rose to her cheeks, and she added, "May I... may I speak with you alone for a few minutes?"

"Oh... okay... alright," Skylar said, following Eleanor through the crowd until they disappeared from the sight of the others.

Eleanor stood in the corner, her usual dashing demeanor restored in her Durmstrang scarlet uniform. She smiled and gazed at Skylar, as if in her eyes, the whole world consisted only of Skylar, and nothing else mattered.

Schelling moved closer to her. Although Eleanor was two years older than Schelling, his long-term training and the effects of the potion had made him slightly taller than her. In front of Eleanor, his figure cast a warm shadow. He said softly, "What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part again?"

Eleanor raised her head slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Skylar, her gaze filled with undisguised reluctance. "I don't know either. We'll be seeing each other soon, but just thinking about being separated from you makes me so sad..."

"Silly girl," Skylar said gently, reaching out to brush a strand of brown hair from Eleanor's forehead. "You just need to remember that wherever we are, I will always think of you—I promise you, no matter how busy I am, I will write to you."

"Ah," Eleanor's face paled slightly, "Shouldn't you be using the Two-Way Mirror to talk to me?"

"Oh... yes, you see, with our separation imminent, I'm so sad I can't even speak—I mean, don't worry, I'll definitely keep in touch with you using the Two-Way Mirror," Skylar said somewhat awkwardly.

Eleanor chuckled. "I was just teasing you. Of course I know you're an ambitious and responsible person. You have so many other girls around you, don't worry—" Eleanor laughed heartily and said, "I won't selfishly possess you."

After saying that, she tiptoed and gently wrapped her arms around Skylar's neck. In this secluded corner, the two embraced tightly and kissed passionately.

"Um..."

Eleanor turned and left. Skylar stood there, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor, as if he could still feel her warmth against his chest. His heart was filled with inexplicable emotions, and he could only sigh deeply. He had gone too far on the path of power, and no longer had the right to have time for personal matters.

At the same time, a fierce fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. He secretly resolved that, in order to protect those he loved and those who loved him, he must defeat Walpurgis!

On their way back to King's Cross Station, the weather was completely different from when they had come to Hogwarts last September. The sky was cloudless.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione struggled for a long time to squeeze through the crowded throng and finally found an empty, dilapidated box. Ignoring the musty smell emanating from inside, the three of them quickly sat down.

The Pigwidgeon (a noisy little owl given to Ron by Sirius Black as compensation after he lost his pet mouse Scabbers) was again hidden by Ron's tuxedo robe because it kept squealing; Hedwig was dozing with her head tucked under her wings, and Crookshanks was curled up in an empty seat, looking like a big, fluffy ginger cushion.

The train carried them south, and with Harry's efforts to mediate, Ron and Hermione started talking again.

The trio's friendship has been tested once again; it remains to be seen how many more times they can withstand such trials.

They talked animatedly about what Dumbledore would do to stop Voldemort's comeback, until the lunch cart arrived, at which point they stopped talking.

When Hermione returned from buying her food from the trolley and put the money back in her bag, she pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet, which she always kept in her bag.

Harry glanced at the paper, unsure if he really wanted to know what it said. Hermione, seeing him staring at the newspaper, calmly said, "It didn't say anything. You can look for yourself; there's really nothing. I check it every day. They only sent a short message the day after the Third Task, saying Skylar won the Goblet of Fire. If you ask me, I think Fudge forced them to keep quiet."

"He can't keep Rita silent," Harry said. "Rita won't let such a wonderful story go unnoticed."

Hermione looked utterly bewildered. "Rita's been missing for a while now... To be honest, I'd roughly figured out how she was gathering information from us. Just when I thought I was about to catch her, she suddenly vanished from Hogwarts... How strange, could she have known I already figured out her transformation...?"

"Ignore her, it's best if she disappears, then we can be spared her annoying verbal attacks," Ron said. "Alright, who wants a round of 'Exploding Snap?"

Meanwhile, Skylar sat in the comfortable and spacious House of Malfoy's private box.

This book was recently updated at ##!! Update!

As the House of Malfoy's influence at Hogwarts grew, and with Skylar winning the Triwizard Tournament, bringing Hogwarts this highly prestigious honor, Skylar soon approved Dumbledore's request to Snape to improve the box.

Now, in the private room where Skylar is, not only are the seats and floor spotless, but the seats are also equipped with comfortable cushions, so even if you sit for a long time, you won't feel back pain. On the table in the middle, there is a wicker basket full of fresh fruit for the passengers in the room to enjoy. Next to the basket is a slender porcelain vase filled with flowers, filling the air in the entire room with a sweet fragrance.

The box showed signs of recent modifications made with the Undetectable Extension Charm, and its space was almost comparable to the Slytherin Common Room. At this moment, Daphne, Astoria, Morrie, Luna, and Cho Chang were all sitting here, in addition to Skylar. Yet, the room did not feel crowded at all.

Skylar lay on his back with his head resting on Daphne's lap, Daphne carefully peeled the grapes one by one and fed them to Skylar.

Do you think Skylar was enjoying a comfortable life?

Wrong! Just look at the cautious and uneasy expression on Skylar's face, and you'll know that he was actually forced.

He didn't dare to resist. Whenever Daphne's slender fingers approached, he would obediently open his mouth, waiting for Daphne to feed him.

After all, he himself knew he was in the wrong.

Sarf's affair had already upset several of his girlfriends, and then he continued to get entangled with Eleanor without knowing when to stop. Just recently, he also seemed to have gotten involved with that France girl who had Veela blood.

Astoria, Morrie, and Luna watched Skylar's pained expression, wanting to laugh but not daring to. Cho Chang, on the other hand, made no attempt to hide her envy.

"Um... what about Sarf?" Cho Chang broke the silence. "Isn't she leaving school with us?"

"Oh, about this, I think I should explain it to you clearly," Skylar sat up and said in a deep voice, "Sarf is not actually a student of Hogwarts. The face you saw was actually revealed after some kind of Human Transfiguration. She is much older than you think, so to avoid arousing suspicion, she left the school in advance through the Secret Passage the fifth floor."

"Then, what about Susan?" Astoria asked, puzzled. As the entire school year had passed, the kind-hearted Astoria had developed a deep bond with the other group leaders in the Sleeping Dragon Society, and now that Susan was gone, she felt strangely uneasy.

"Susan has always been Hufflepuff student, and this year's Hufflepuff have a very close relationship with Gryffindor. I don't want her to have too much interaction with us on the surface, which could cause her to be ostracized or isolated in her own house," Skylar explained in a deep voice. The girls immediately showed understanding and nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Luna spoke up, "By the way, Skylar, I haven't seen you for the past few days, so I haven't had a chance to report to you yet—that Ravenclaw boy you took a liking to, Gabriel Clysway, has been successfully recruited into the Sleeping Dragon Society."

"Well done, my Luna," Skylar said. "I'll send a letter to Professor Slughorn and have him ask Mr. Claythway for a position in the Goblin Liaison Office."

"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths just for a job opening?" Daphne asked, puzzled.

"It's not just about a job opening," Skylar explained confidently. "Although Mr. Clysway was born into Muggle family, he is a rare talent. Not only is he fluent in Gobbledegook, but he also often manages to get inside information about Goblin and Gringotts. To do that, one must gain the Goblin's trust, and the fact that he has done so is enough to prove his talent."

"I see. What you really want is to win over Mr. Clydeway, a talented individual," Daphne nodded and said.

Is there anything else?

"Dobby brought me two pieces of news—" Daphne paused, then said, "The first is that after the House of Selwyn's unusual movements, the Werewolf in Knockturn Alley have split up again. I must say, Night Cat's actions were quite swift and decisive. Before the other factions in Knockturn Alley could react, they had successfully won over a group of Werewolf. Adding to those who previously joined us and are temporarily residing in Vampire Castle to be trained by Prince Bathory, our Werewolf force now has 32 members."

"Well, let's temporarily entrust these new Werewolf to Night Cat. If Night Cat wants to expand its influence in Knockturn Alley, these Werewolf can provide considerable fighting power," Skylar decided after a moment's thought. "Also, have Bathory and Annis send some help as well. The influence in Knockturn Alley is of great importance, and I don't want anything to happen to Night Cat."

"Understood, I'll have Dobby soon as possible," Daphne said quickly.