The next day, Zhang Xiao got up early, excited and nervous. He was no stranger to that feeling; he had experienced much the same thing when he got married and when his child was born.
The only way for those feelings to ease was to wait until the event was over-or had truly begun.
Outside the window, everything was still shrouded in the darkness before dawn.
Unable to sleep, Zhang Xiao could only pick up a book and read, then wave his wand around for a while, or pace his room out of boredom.
By the time he got into the car and arrived at King's Cross Station, he could barely remember how he had endured those hours.
Having packed his luggage into his Heaven and Earth Bag long ago, Zhang Xiao followed his parents onto the platform.
From the moment they entered the station, Zhang Xiao kept looking around, hoping to spot young witches and wizards pushing luggage trolleys with animals aboard. Unfortunately, he had no luck.
"Here we are." In a rare departure from his usual attire, Zhang Chengdao wore a suit. His well-proportioned figure made him look especially handsome in it.
Beside him, Li Qingshu was dressed like a stylish city woman. The two of them stood out in the crowd.
Li Qingshu stroked Zhang Xiao's head and pointed a short distance away.
"Xiaoxiao, do you see the brick barrier between platforms nine and ten? Just run straight into it."
Zhang Chengdao added from beside her:
"That's the entrance to a passage concealed by a Glamour, along with a few unobtrusive but very practical arrangements.
"For instance, a simple Attention Diversion makes ordinary passengers unconsciously overlook the witches and wizards going in and out.
"Unless you cause some sort of accident that draws everyone's attention back here." Then Zhang Chengdao added, "Excellent imagination."
Zhang Xiao nodded. He already knew all of that. Turning around, he meant to say goodbye to his parents and tell them to head home, but for some reason his brain took a strange turn, and he began to sing:
"Goodbye, Mum and Dad, tonight I'm sailing far away~ Don't worry about me, I've got joy and wisdom for oars~"
The couple froze in unison, then both burst out laughing and scolded him fondly:
"Who knows where you learned all this nonsense? All right, we won't go through with you, then. Study hard at school, listen to your teachers, get along with your classmates, go to bed early and get up early, eat on time, don't be picky..."
As she spoke, Li Qingshu's eyes reddened, and she seemed to grow sadder with every word.
Zhang Chengdao fell silent for a moment too, then gave Zhang Xiao a firm push in the back.
It was like the moment before a fledgling took flight, when its parent gave one final push with all its strength, sending its child into the boundless sky.
With that push behind him, Zhang Xiao plunged headfirst into the brick barrier. Darkness flashed before his eyes, then light filled his vision again.
A scarlet steam engine stood beside a platform packed with travellers.
The sign on the train read "Hogwarts Express," and he was standing beneath the sign for Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Thick smoke curled above the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wove between people's feet.
Amid the hum of conversation and the clatter of heavy luggage being dragged along, owls screeched back and forth.
The first few carriages were already full of students. Some leaned out of the windows to talk to their families, while others fooled around in their seats.
Looking down, he saw a toad hopping over his foot. He scooped the toad up and headed toward the train.
As he passed a round-faced boy calling tearfully for Trevor, he deposited the toad straight into the boy's hands, leaving only his departing figure for the boy to stare at in stunned delight.
Once aboard, Zhang Xiao headed straight toward the rear, passing every occupied compartment. Only when he was nearly at the end of the train did he find an empty one.
He flopped into a seat, stretched comfortably, then took a small hardbound book from the pouch hanging at his waist and began to read intently.
Before long, the door opened. Zhang Xiao looked up to see a skinny boy with round glasses and a mop of untidy hair standing in the doorway, struggling to drag a large trunk.
The boy looked at Zhang Xiao with emerald-green eyes and asked apologetically:
"Hello, is anyone sitting here? Everywhere else is full."
Zhang Xiao looked up and paused, then couldn't help smiling. Fate was sometimes that wonderful: it always found ways to make its presence felt when you least expected it.
Right now, for instance, Harry Potter was standing before him.
"Of course you can sit here. Do you need a hand?"
Harry dragged his trunk inside, panting, and nodded hurriedly.
"Yes, thank you very much."
Zhang Xiao drew his wand, pointed it at the trunk, and softly recited:
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The heavy trunk floated upward little by little, as light as a feather suspended from an invisible thread.
Under Harry Potter's astonished, admiring gaze, Zhang Xiao easily guided the trunk into the overhead luggage rack.
Once they had both sat down, Harry Potter couldn't resist asking:
"Was that magic you just used?"
After ten years of being bullied, young Harry felt deeply grateful for the magic that had changed his fate, and he was eager to see more of it.
His awe of the unknown had kept him from even taking out his wand to practise over the summer. Zhang Xiao was different; he was an old hand.
"Yes, a very simple little spell. First-years can pick it up in no time."
Zhang Xiao slipped his wand back into his belt and spoke cheerfully, then offered Harry his hand.
"No need to be so formal. Hello, I'm Zhang Xiao. I'm Chinese. Just call me Zhang."
Harry Potter hurriedly held out his own hand and shook it, exclaiming:
"Harry Potter. I'm British. Wow, I never knew Hogwarts had students from China too!
"I used to go to... to a Muggle school, and there were Chinese students in my class. They all got really good marks. I think Chinese people must all be very clever!"
He remembered how absorbed Zhang Xiao had been in his book when he opened the door, which only strengthened his conviction. Reading even on the train-no wonder he could do magic before school had even started.
Harry had given his name, but unlike usual, it hadn't been met with astonishment and enthusiastic attention. He couldn't tell whether he felt disappointed or relieved. Then he silently admonished himself. Harry, Harry, are you really going to feel pleased with yourself over some "great feat" you can't even remember?
Feeling a little ashamed, Harry decided to act like a normal student getting to know a new classmate. He pointed at the book in Zhang Xiao's hands.
"Sorry, were you reading before? Am I interrupting?"
Zhang Xiao fought back a smile. Young Harry's thoughts were hardly a mystery to him. He raised the book to reveal its cover.
"Dragon Ball. It's a very popular comic. Want to read it together?"
Harry was rather overwhelmed by the invitation. No one had ever invited him to share something before.
Often, he had only been able to rummage secretly through the rubbish and pick out things Dudley no longer wanted to discover what interesting new toys the world had invented.
So he gladly accepted Zhang Xiao's invitation, and before long, Harry Potter was immersed in Sun Wukong's adventures.
Excitement surged through him. He wished he could be like Sun Wukong and master powerful magic through dedicated training.
"Whoooo!" The train gave a long, loud whistle and slowly began to move. Before long, a little red-haired boy opened the compartment door and asked with the same opening line:
"Hello, is anyone sitting here? Everywhere else is full."
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