Racing

"You two, wake up! Today's the first day of school," Oren said, shaking them. "Did you drink Draught of Living Death or something? You're sleeping like the dead."

In the end, Oren gave up on waking them. As he headed downstairs, he complained, "Honestly, I stayed up all night installing an invisibility device on the flying car with Mr. Arthur, and I didn't sleep this deeply."

Only Mrs. Molly was busy in the living room. Oren said, "Harry and Ron won't wake up no matter what I do. We're about to miss the time we agreed on with Hermione."

Oren stopped Mrs. Molly before she could carry a frying pan upstairs. "Forget it. Even if you wake them up, it'll take ages to get them moving. I can't break my appointment either. How about you call the Knight Bus for me?"

Mrs. Molly looked into Oren's expectant eyes and hesitated. "Child, are you sure? That bus might be a little fast."

"Sure, sure." Oren blinked his big eyes and nodded wildly.

"Sigh... all right." Mrs. Molly turned and went back into the kitchen, returning with a plastic bag.

"Take this. If you feel like throwing up on the bus, remember to use it."

Mrs. Molly and Oren stepped outside, and she used her wand to summon the Knight Bus.

"I'll have George and Fred bring your luggage. Just go without worrying."

Oren??? Why did that sound so strange?

Watching the bus's afterimage vanish as it launched forward, Mrs. Molly sighed and muttered, "This child... why would he choose to ride that thing?"

King's Cross Station.

"Bleurgh." Oren ended up using the plastic bag after all. Unfortunately, since he hadn't eaten anything, all he could throw up was stomach acid.

It took Oren several minutes to recover. The whole way, he'd felt like his body was flying ahead while his soul desperately chased after it. On a few stretches, he'd genuinely thought the bus had broken the sound barrier.

Once he felt more or less normal and could finally walk in a straight line, Oren entered the station with steady steps.

After greeting Mr. and Mrs. Granger, he boarded the train with Hermione and casually found a compartment near the back.

"Why are you alone? Where are Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked.

"They're probably still asleep. I came here on the Knight Bus," Oren said with a wicked smile. "I strongly recommend you try it sometime. It's fast and punctual."

Oren thought to himself: That wasn't exactly lying. It was only part of the truth. That baby bus really was fast. As for how even a roller coaster counted as a leisure ride compared to it, Oren chose not to mention that. He couldn't be the only one suffering. If he could trick even one person into trying it, that was a win.

"All right, I'll try it if I get the chance." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Oren challengingly. "I've already studied quite a bit of second-year material. Unlike certain people whose books are probably still sitting at Hogwarts, unopened."

Oren rolled his eyes at the little witch, leaned back, and decisively went back to sleep.

Hermione...

"Wake up, handsome. Wake up, we've arrived at Huanggutun."

"Ah! Fuck!" A bizarre nightmare jolted Oren awake.

"Oren, you're finally awake!" Hermione said anxiously. "I've looked all over several times, but I couldn't find Harry or Ron. The twins and Ginny are missing too. Hurry up and help me look!"

"You already looked and couldn't find them, so what's the point of looking again?" Oren said, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe they're not on the train at all."

"You're right. While there's still time, let's check the station entrance." Hermione grabbed Oren and rushed off the platform without giving him a chance to object.

"You really are here!" Hermione said happily. "Why aren't you going into the station?"

Harry and Ron stopped staring each other down. Harry said, "We can't get in."

"How is that possible?" Hermione turned and walked toward the entrance.

Bang! The little witch's forehead made intimate contact with the wall. In pain, she clutched her head and sat on the ground.

Quite a few people nearby looked over. After all, it wasn't every day one saw several foolish children taking turns running into a wall.

"Tsk. It was fine when we came in, but now we can't go back," Oren said after thinking for a moment. "How about we blow up the wall with a spell?"

"Don't," Ron stopped him. "There are too many people."

"Then what do we do? The Hogwarts Express has already left by now, hasn't it?" Hermione said, crouching on the ground with her head in her hands.

"The car!" Ron's eyes lit up. "We can take the flying car to Hogwarts!"

"Will that work? Won't Muggles spot us?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry. Mr. Arthur and I installed an invisibility device on it yesterday. Get in the car. I'll drive. Trust me, if the Hogwarts Express sees our taillights, I lose."

Everyone should have relaxed after finding a solution, but hearing Oren say that gave them all an inexplicable chill.

Back in the car, Oren said, "Fasten your seat belts. I'm going to race."

Hermione, sitting in the front passenger seat, tried to stop him. "Hey, hey, hey, don't do anything crazy. We just need to get to Hogwarts before dark."

Oren gave the little witch a look that said, Leave it to me.

"Invisibility device, activate!" Oren stomped on the accelerator and sent the car soaring into the sky.

"Forward! Why are we still going up?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Don't rush." Oren somehow produced a pair of sunglasses. "The altitude's too low. I can't stretch my legs down there."

A bad feeling flashed through the three children's hearts.

Whoosh! The flying car shot forward, and the three children were pinned hard against their seats by the crushing acceleration.

"Hit the brakes, please!" Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Oren's arm.

"How am I supposed to brake? Rub against the air? This car's going very fast. Just endure it. We'll be there soon."

"And let go already. Your washboard-like ribs are digging into me. It hurts."

Harry pointed outside. "What's that ring of white mist around the car?"

"That's a vapor cone," Oren said excitedly. "We're about to go supersonic. I just hope this car's sturdy enough not to break apart in midair."

Before long, a flying car appeared near Hogwarts Castle. It drifted to a sudden stop, knocking off nearly half the Whomping Willow's branches, blasted it with exhaust, and came to a steady halt before the castle gates.

The doors opened, and the three children tumbled out of the car in a heap.

Oren calmly got out, blew a bubble with his gum, and began chatting with Dumbledore and several professors who had come out to investigate.

Oren: "Didn't expect that, did you, Headmaster? I, Oren, am back!"

Dumbledore: "Er... child, what exactly are you...?"

"Don't worry, Headmaster. We were invisible. Not even radar could detect us," Oren said with a mischievous smile. "Enough useless talk. Let me borrow your office for an experiment."

Without waiting for an answer, Oren dragged the unwilling Dumbledore away, leaving the three children with an enraged McGonagall.

Inside the headmaster's office, the two stared at a teacup. Oren said, "I learned this from Mr. Arthur."

"Er... what's different about it from an ordinary teacup?" Dumbledore examined it closely, his nose almost touching it.

The teacup suddenly leapt up and viciously bit his crooked nose. Even as a great white wizard, Dumbledore had been caught off guard by Oren's trick.

Ignoring Dumbledore wrestling the cup on the floor, Oren said, "Very successful. We can begin the next experiment."

Dumbledore got to his feet, clutching his nose. "What other experiment?"

Oren drew a long blade and slapped it onto the table. "Enchant it."

"With what enchantment?"

"Fiendfyre!"

"Fiendfyre?!"

Dumbledore stood beside Oren with a grave expression. Ignoring his bright red nose, he gripped his wand tightly, terrified that Oren would set his office on fire.

"Whew, done." Oren waved the long blade now burning with blue flames. "It cost quite a few spider souls, though."

Dumbledore wiped cold sweat from his forehead. It was impossible to tell whether it came from the heat or his nerves.

He understood now. Whenever Oren got hold of something, he'd first tinker with it on a small scale. Once the experiment succeeded, he would immediately use it to do something outrageous.

"Look, Headmaster! You can tell at a glance this is a divine weapon for breaking magic and armor. One swing can deal at least 114514 points of damage."

Dumbledore's mouth twitched. "Child, do you have any more experiments planned?"

"No." Oren shrugged. "I'm going to find Snape. It's been a long time since I dueled him."

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. After seeing Oren out, he prayed in his heart that Merlin would protect Snape.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Oren began pounding on Snape's office door. "Professor Snape, I know you're in there. Stop hiding and come out for a duel!"

Snape opened the door, but before he could start spitting venom, Oren yanked him so hard that he stumbled.

Oren dragged Snape all the way to an empty classroom.

The two exchanged a glance, then both cast silent spells in an attempt to ambush the other. After a fierce exchange, Oren patted the dust from his robe and said, "Professor Snape, it's only been one holiday. Why have you gotten so weak?"

Apparently feeling that wasn't enough mockery, Oren raised both hands before him like crab claws. "If you're bad, practice more!"

Snape's face turned frighteningly dark. Combined with his black robes, if it were nighttime, he would have been optically invisible.

Snape cursed in his heart: Ordinary spells can't handle this brat anymore. He's no ordinary little wizard. Next time, I have to hit him hard.

Oren hummed a tune as he arrived at Gryffindor Tower. In the common room, the three children were sprawled across the sofas.

Oren: "What happened to you guys?"

Hermione: "Professor McGonagall gave us a scolding."

Ron: "She said she's going to write to my mum too."

Harry...

Hermione: "Why are you so happy?"

Three pairs of resentful eyes fixed on Oren.

"I dueled Snape."

Light returned to Harry's eyes. "You won?!"

"Hehehe, it was fifty-fifty." Oren held up five fingers.

"Tch." ×3

The three children didn't believe him at all and ignored Oren as they continued sighing.

Oren: "Is it really that serious? Muggles didn't see you, and you didn't lose any points. Do you really need to sit here sighing?"

"Hmph." ×3

Hermione: "Easy for you to say."

Harry: "I feel like my soul was nearly flung out of my body."

Ron: "I still feel sick. I might not be able to eat anything tonight."

Oren...