Meeting Aunt Molly at the Station

King's Cross Station.

Pedestrians in all manner of clothing wore the same hurried expressions.

After seeing Harry and Ron off, Molly was about to take Ginny through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten to the platform to send the children off when she turned around and saw a frail-looking boy pushing a trolley toward them.

Judging by the things on the trolley, he was probably a Hogwarts student as well.

And for some reason, the moment Molly saw him, she felt strangely moved. So she took the initiative and asked:

"Child, are you looking for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters too?"

"Yes, ma'am," Silan replied with a gentle smile.

"Oh, this way." Molly stepped aside with Ginny, carefully studying the boy.

His hair and eyes were deep brown, almost black, though they gleamed faintly gold under the weak sunlight. He was thin, and his clothes did not fit him very well. His life was probably not an easy one.

Yet for some reason, his face gave her a familiar, affectionate feeling.

The feeling made no sense at all.

It was not overwhelming, but it was remarkably tenacious, as though it had grown from deep within her bloodline. Once it appeared, it seemed to take root in her heart and linger there, impossible to shake off.

Molly found it rather strange.

Why did she feel this way toward a child she had never met?

"Don't worry. Just run straight at it—that's important. If you're scared, then take a little run-up." Molly pointed at the barrier.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Looking at the slightly plump woman standing before him with a little girl, Silan gradually realized who she was.

She was probably Molly Weasley.

Luckily, this was King's Cross Station on the first day of school. The plot point was obvious enough; otherwise, Silan would not have recognized Molly.

By blood, Molly should have been Silan's aunt.

But from a social standpoint, Silan had never met this aunt of his and could not possibly have recognized her in the vast crowd. He could hardly walk up, announce his surname, and stage a tearful station "family reunion."

So Silan merely thanked her politely, then pushed his trolley into a light run and prepared to pass through the barrier.

The more Molly looked at Silan's face, the more familiar it seemed. Suddenly, an almost absurd thought sprang into her mind.

This child looks so much like my brother Fabian!

Molly shook her head, as if trying to drive the absurd thought from her mind, but it was useless.

The more she resisted it, the stronger the thought became, until it consumed all her attention. Under some strange impulse, she asked:

"Child, what is your name?"

"Silan Prewett, ma'am!"

Silan turned back and bowed slightly in respect. After answering, he passed through the barrier.

"Prewett? Prewett?!"

The surname so deeply etched into Molly's heart became, the moment it left Silan's lips, like a derailed steam train crashing into her mind with terrifying force.

She stood rooted to the spot.

How could it be Prewett?

Although the surname was not uncommon throughout London, there were far too few wizards named Prewett!

This child looked like a first-year Hogwarts student, so he was probably around eleven.

Wasn't that exactly when Fabian had died?

Together with Silan's familiar face and Professor McGonagall's letter...

All the clues came together, then exploded in Molly's heart.

A bold thought forcefully leaped into Molly's mind.

Could he be my brother's child?! My nephew?!

Molly stood there in a daze for quite a while before realizing that she needed to find Silan.

As long as she found him and asked for his father's name, wouldn't she know?

"Ginny, hurry!"

Molly grabbed Ginny's hand and quickly passed through the barrier, arriving at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Her eyes widened as her gaze darted through the crowd, searching for that figure, but after looking for a long time, she still could not find him.

She could not help thinking that if Silan really was her nephew, then the Prewett family would have an heir.

The thought filled her with immense joy, but it soon turned into bitterness and guilt.

One look at the boy's clothes and the school supplies he had bought, which were even worse than Ron's, was enough to tell her that his life had probably been far from good.

As his aunt, she had allowed this child to suffer so much. For all these years, she had not even known of his existence, let alone fulfilled even the slightest responsibility as an aunt.

Remembering Silan's gentle smile and polite manner, Molly felt even more guilty.

He was still so young, yet he was so gentle and courteous. That was truly rare. He must have endured many hardships unknown to others.

The thought made Molly feel even more guilty.

[I don't understand. Why do you always make women feel guilty? Guilt Points +190]

Silan was dumbfounded.

He had only given her his name.

He had not gone up to claim kinship, told her he was her nephew, then sobbed and wailed about his miserable life. How had she become this guilty?

Fabian had died not long after Silan was born.

Although Molly was his aunt, she had no idea he existed and had never seen him. So even if he had lived poorly, she did not need to take the blame upon herself and feel guilty over it.

After thinking about it for a while, Silan shook his head helplessly.

The only explanation was that Molly was simply a kind and gentle person by nature.

Her brother's death and the severing of the family name had both caused her deep pain.

Those emotions were like bitter wine left to age for years, growing heavier over the span of a decade. Silan's appearance had given those feelings an outlet, and all the intense emotions accumulated over the years had poured onto him, transforming into guilt.

Having understood the cause and effect, Silan prepared to board the train.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was packed with travelers, and a red steam train stood near the platform.

Platform Nine and Three-Quarters—Hogwarts Express (Wizards, please do not take the wrong train)

Travelers of all sizes slowly filed into the train like ants entering a nest.

Seeing the sign hanging from the train that read "Hogwarts Express, Eleven O'Clock," Silan felt his heart surge.

Who had not dreamed of this moment?

At the lowest, unluckiest moment of your life, a door leading to a distant world suddenly opened for you, shattering all your trivial routines, terrible relationships, and hopeless future.

Then it told you that time was short. Did you still want to keep taking part in all these boring activities?

And then it reached out, pulled you from the stagnant mire of your life, and laid before you, without reservation, a magnificent world you had never seen and another way of living.

Who could resist being captivated by that?

Silan let out a long breath and took that step.

Home was behind him, and the world lay before him.

Hermione squeezed through the crowd with her luggage, only to discover that the front carriages were already full of students. Left with no choice, she carried her things toward the rear of the train.

Along the way, she saw cats of all colors weaving between people's feet. The buzz of the crowd mixed with the cries of owls, making the noise unbearably irritating.

After pushing through for quite some time, Hermione finally found a carriage with hardly anyone inside. With some difficulty, she began hauling her trunk toward the train door.

When she reached the door, Hermione tried to lift the trunk onto the step, but the moment she raised it, it felt far too heavy. It nearly slipped from her hands and crushed her foot, when a hand suddenly shot out and caught it.

"Thank you." Hermione let out a breath of relief and thanked him.

"No need to thank me, Hermione."