Return Journey

The next morning, the students left the castle in Thestral-drawn carriages, while the train pulled up beside the Hogsmeade platform right on time.

Silvan and the others arrived a little late. Just as they jumped down from the carriage, they heard a piercing whistle, and a great cloud of smoke billowed from the locomotive's chimney, signaling that the Hogwarts Express was about to depart.

"We'd better hurry. I don't want to take the Knight Bus back!" Harry seemed to recall an unpleasant memory. His face went pale as he dragged his luggage and sprinted onto the train.

The others hurried after him, making it aboard just before the doors shut completely.

"Made it at last..." Harry let out a long breath.

"Sorry," Silvan said apologetically. Harry and the others had left the castle so late because they had waited for him. Otherwise, they would have arrived ten minutes ago and would not have needed to rush like this.

"It's fine. We made it, didn't we?" Harry said. "But what exactly were you doing last night? We knocked on your door for ages this morning, but we couldn't wake you."

"Don't even mention it." Silvan rubbed his forehead.

After returning from the headmaster's office yesterday, he had spent the entire time trying to carve runes onto the locket with the Sword of Gryffindor.

It was even more troublesome than he had imagined.

The sword was too large, and it was not especially light either. Silvan found it difficult to hold it while carving even smaller runes onto a locket no bigger than his palm.

So he could only lay the sword flat across the table, leaving its tip hanging over the edge, then hold the locket against it and scrape it back and forth.

Silvan rarely did this. Even though he