Potter Cottage

Having just finished lunch and decided on their afternoon plans, Ryan suddenly thought of a topic Kate would be very interested in. She was one of Dumbledore's fans, after all—she had nearly joined Gryffindor because of him.

"Kate, do you know Dumbledore?"

Kate's attention was immediately captured. "Dumbledore? What does this place have to do with Dumbledore? Isn't the Dumbledore family from Godric's Hollow in England?"

Well, she even knew such obscure trivia.

"Dumbledore was only born in Godric's Hollow. After his father died in Azkaban, he moved here with his family. I saw the gravestones of his mother and sister," Ryan explained.

So Ryan patiently led Kate back the way they had come. They passed Abbott's gravestone, pushed open the little gate leading to the church, and lingered for quite some time by Dumbledore's mother's grave.

The troublesome part was that Potter Cottage lay outside the village, so they still had a ways to go.

On the way back, Ryan effortlessly carried Kate on his back, while the lion's mane kept tickling his neck.

After visiting Harry Potter's statue, they headed down the street opposite the church, which led out of the village. After walking for some time, they came upon rows of houses. In the middle stood a ruin, surrounded by tangled hedges and waist-high wild grass.

Most of the ruin still stood, completely covered in dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top-floor room had been blown apart.

"Is this the Potter family's old home?" Kate asked curiously.

"Yes," Ryan answered shortly, unable to stop himself from wondering whether coming here had been a mistake. Was the atmosphere wrong? Bringing a girl to a place like this?

This was more than just a tourist attraction. It was also a symbol of Voldemort's defeat and the coming of peace.

Kate placed her hand on the door, and a wooden sign rose from the ground before them, pushing through the tangled nettles and weeds like some strange, fast-growing flower. Golden letters on the sign read:

October 31, 1981

Lily and James Potter sacrificed their lives here.

Their son Harry was the only wizard ever to survive the Killing Curse.

This house, invisible to Muggles, has been preserved in its original state. These ruins commemorate Mr. and Mrs. Potter and serve as a warning against the violence that destroyed their family.

Beside the neatly written words were countless inscriptions, left by witches and wizards who had come to pay tribute to the place where the "Boy Who Lived" had escaped death.

Some had simply written their names in ink that would never fade. Some had carved their initials into the wooden sign, while others had left messages.

The magical graffiti glittered, and its contents were largely the same.

Good luck, Harry, wherever you are.

I hope you can read this, Harry. We're all behind you!

Long live Harry Potter.

Kate dragged Ryan over to leave a message as well, wishing Harry Potter good luck.

Honestly, the cheerful mood from earlier is completely gone, Ryan grumbled inwardly.

A small icy hand reached around from behind his head and mischievously slipped into his collar. "I'm very happy today. For the first time, I realized what kind of sacrifices our peaceful life today was built upon. It was very meaningful," Kate said, as though she had noticed something, trying to comfort him.

Seriously, I'm a transmigrator, a destined savior. How am I being comforted by a little girl? Though it might also be a side effect deliberately brought on by this Thinking skill. Ryan smiled.

Before they knew it, it was six o'clock. A black carriage emerged from the thin mist, accompanied by the jingling of bells.

"Are you Mr. Smith and Miss Lewinster? Welcome aboard. The first stop is Vampire Castle in Romania." A short Hook-Nosed Wizard in a black Wizard Robe descended the steps that had automatically emerged from the side of the carriage, smiling broadly.

The Hook-Nosed Wizard bent at the waist, gesturing for Ryan and Kate to get in.

What the hell? This is supposed to be disguised as a Muggle tour group? Do we have some kind of misunderstanding about what counts as a Muggle? Ryan thought, just as Kate abruptly jumped down from his back.

The entire carriage was Gothic in style, and its interior was larger than expected. The floor was covered in a blood-red carpet, while bat-like magical lamps flapped their wings in midair. It was a vampire-style three-room suite, complete with a bathroom, recreation room, and bedroom.

"Mr. Smith, Miss Lewinster, you will dine and spend the night in the carriage. There is tea in the recreation room, and you may help yourselves to the food." The Hook-Nosed Wizard followed them inside, shut the door, and opened a black coffin positioned directly opposite the recreation room.

"That coffin is actually the driver's seat," Kate said with a straight face.

The recreation room was filled with common games such as Gobstones and Wizard's Chess. Kate took Ryan by the hand and headed for the sofa, beginning to fiddle with the Gobstones.

Gobstones was a game popular among young wizards. It used special stones and was played similarly to Muggle marbles. The main difference was that when one side lost points, the stones sprayed a foul-smelling liquid into the loser's face.

Ryan was speechless. Seriously? Even if there was a bathroom, was getting sprayed in the face supposed to be cool?

"Don't want to play? It's still a long way to Romania, so how about Exploding Snap! Let's see who gets blown up first!" Kate suggested.

Ryan was speechless. Were these really the only games in the wizarding world?

"Let's look at the scenery instead. Look, isn't it beautiful?" Ryan pulled open the one-way window beside the sofa, only to be rendered speechless by the rapidly drifting scenery outside.

"What scenery? You can't see anything at all." Kate puffed out her cheeks.

"Mr. Ryan, once we reach the castle, the bat lamps will play beautiful music to remind you and your friend to disembark." The Hook-Nosed Wizard's voice came from the coffin, easing the awkward atmosphere.

We won't arrive until tomorrow morning, and you're only saying that now. Did you forget to mention it? Ryan immediately thought.

Ryan picked up the tea on the table and poured a full cup for both Kate and himself.

He opened a packet of Chocolate Frogs and took out the card. It bore the face of a man with half-moon glasses, a crooked long nose, and silver hair and beard cascading down his chest.

"It's Dumbledore! Ryan, you got him on your first try! You know, I only have three Dumbledores!" Kate exclaimed, her mouth full of Licorice Wands.

Albus Dumbledore

Current Headmaster of Hogwarts

Widely considered the greatest wizard of the modern age.

Dumbledore's best-known achievements include:

Defeating the Dark Wizard Grindelwald in 1945, discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and conducting groundbreaking alchemical work with his partner Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling.

Kate read the text on the back, then complained, "There's only one bad thing about this card. You know, Headmaster Dumbledore received the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting Technique in his seventh year at Hogwarts, but that isn't included. I even wrote them a letter to remind them, but I never got a reply."

It was the first time Ryan had seen Kate like this.