Dumbledore's First Army
"Alright, we don't have time to dwell on those trivial matters." Dumbledore suddenly snapped out of his reverie and said to Xiwen and Newt, "Grindelwald's plan is about to begin, and our task is to stop him by any means necessary!"
Dumbledore handed Xiwen a fine, light brown train ticket with the words written in gold lettering:
"London (King's Cross Station) to Berlin (Friedrichstrasse Station), one-way ticket. Platform 3 3/4, The Sublime Magic Express."
"Wait, what do you need a train ticket for?" Xiwen asked, startled.
"This isn't for you," Dumbledore smiled and said to Xiwen. "Please give this to Doctor Strange. Strange for me, and tell him to remember to meet on the train on time."
'In the end, isn't this still for me...' Xiwen's lips twitched, and he thought to himself.
He then chuckled rather maliciously and asked Dumbledore, "So how does Strange, as a ghost, carry such a ticket?"
"Just tell him the departure time and station location," Dumbledore said with a playful wink and a smile.
"I doubt the train ticket inspector would be so bored as to make things difficult for a ghost!"
Under the vast sky, the silver peaks rise and fall, the rolling mountains are covered in white snow, and the snow in the fog is as soft as velvet draped over the Alps, the world is a silvery white.
An old, green train stretched along the gentle slopes beside the silvery-white peaks, appearing and disappearing amidst the mountains and mist. Its green exterior was also stained with white snowflakes as it sped along the road, slightly obscuring its old and worn appearance.
Despite its worn exterior, the interior of the carriage is quite exquisite. The interior features red leather upholstery, as well as brass, gold leaf, and Walnut Wood veneers, creating a luxurious feel.
However, this luxurious carriage environment did not make Xiwen feel happy.
At this moment, Ghost Xiwen was floating up and down in the carriage with his arms crossed, looking listlessly at the snow-covered Alps outside the window and the occasional cedar trees flashing past the train.
"So, it's just the few of us going to fight against Grindelwald's 100,000 followers?" Xiwen finally couldn't resist asking.
"Hey, Ghost Brother, you can't say that! In fact, we only need to deal with Grindelwald and his squire." The man standing next to Xiwen smiled and said warmly. "Besides, you're not exactly a 'person,' so what you're saying isn't entirely accurate."
The man bore a resemblance to Newt, and his sharp suit made him look very handsome.
As he spoke, he seemed to subconsciously want to reach out and affectionately put his arm around Xiwen's shoulder, but then he saw Xiwen's somewhat transparent body and awkwardly lowered his hand, instead touching his nose.
When Newt's brother Theseus said he wasn't human, Xiwen wasn't angry, nor did he object. After all, he was currently only a ghost, so saying he wasn't 'human' wasn't entirely wrong.
Until he saw a House-Elf pushing a cart filled with very appealing tea, coffee, sandwiches, and small cakes.
Xiwen glanced at the food so close yet unattainable, feeling extremely frustrated.
He glanced again at the few people in the carriage, feeling even more frustrated, sensing that the future of confronting Grindelwald was extremely bleak...
"Doctor Strange, actually we have more than just these few people. There are other members who haven't arrived yet," Newt said to Xiwen, seeing his sullen expression.
"I hope so," Xiwen nodded noncommittally, speaking casually.
To be honest, Xiwen was already somewhat regretting joining Dumbledore's "plan." He didn't have a very high opinion of this so-called "Dumbledore's Army" anymore, and always felt that the team had an unprofessional feel, as if it had been hastily assembled.
"Your last name is Strange?" At that moment, a brown-skinned man approached and asked Xiwen.
"Uh, that's true." Xiwen nodded hesitantly, looking at the brown-skinned man in front of him with some confusion.
"What is your relationship with the Lestrange family?" The brown-skinned man's expression turned serious as he asked solemnly.
Xiwen stared blankly at the man before him, wondering what was wrong with the name of his junior brother that he had casually borrowed. Was it simply because Strange and Lestrange differed by only two letters?
"I can confirm that the surname Strange has absolutely nothing to do with Lestrange!" Xiwen said helplessly.
'They're surnames from completely different worlds, how could they possibly have anything to do with each other!' He found it utterly absurd and muttered to himself.
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was tense, Newt quickly stepped over and stood between them.
"Kama, Doctor Strange is a ghost from the East, and certainly has no connection with the Lestrange family," Newt said to the brown-skinned man Kama Karma.
"Indeed, I even just picked out the English surname Strange randomly," Xiwen nodded innocently in agreement.
Kama's expression calmed down, and she bowed slightly to Xiwen, saying, "I'm sorry, I overreacted."
Theseus then approached.
"Mr. Ghost, don't mind him. He just has some kind of PTSD!" He casually put his arm around Kama's shoulder and said to Xiwen. "Ten years ago, he even tried to kill Credence and my fiancée Leta."
When Leta's name was mentioned, Theseus's expression clearly became somewhat melancholy.
Kama, however, didn't notice any of that and simply retorted earnestly, "I don't have post-traumatic stress disorder."
"No, you do," Theseus said.
"..."
Newt ignored the bickering two and looked at Xiwen, explaining, "Kama had his reasons for doing this. His father made him sign Unbreakable Vow to avenge the previous head of the Lestrange family."
"Revenge?" Xiwen was taken aback.
As Pure-blood families that both originated in France and developed in England, the Rosier family and Lestrange family are quite familiar with each other. The Rosier Family's understanding of the Department of Mysteries largely comes from the Lestrange family, with whom they often intermarry.
Xiwen had also heard a bit about the story of the previous head of the France branch of the Lestrange family — Corvus Lestrange IV, the head of the Lestrange family, who once used Imperius Curse to forcibly take a beautiful witch and even made her bear him a son...
"So you are...?" Xiwen looked at Kama with a strange expression and asked.
Kama also stopped her conversation with Theseus and said in a heavy tone, "That's right, the woman Lestrange took away was my mother!"
"Fine, I forgive you then." Xiwen put his hand to his forehead.
He never imagined that, as the heir to the Rosier Family, he would witness firsthand the outrageous deeds of the friendly Lestrange family.
Fortunately, he's currently operating under the identity of the Soul Body Stephen Strange, otherwise Xiwen feels he would be even more embarrassed...
Suddenly, the entire carriage was illuminated by green flames.
The fireplace in the carriage, connected to the Floo Network, lit up, attracting the attention of everyone present!