"Goodbye, Chief."
"Chief, remember to write to me."
"Chief, I've got a surprise ready for your Christmas gift. Goodbye."
Once Shawn's other followers had gone their separate ways, only Harry remained behind him, having just said a reluctant goodbye to Draco.
Harry, who had looked so "sad" a moment ago, was now excited again, watching Shawn expectantly.
Shawn led Harry toward the exit, smiling and nodding at those who were still looking at him in astonishment.
He silently vowed never to come to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters again. It was embarrassing every time.
Once they emerged onto the Muggle platform, they found a corner, and Shawn took Purple Shadow and Harry away by Apparition.
The Black family home.
When Shawn led Harry into the house through the front entrance, whose doors had long since been replaced with black-and-gold ones, Harry's first sight was a corridor of understated, old-fashioned elegance.
A row of wall lamps lit the corridor, neither brilliantly nor dimly, lending it an air of mystery instead.
Shawn led the way inside. At the end of the corridor, beside the staircase leading upstairs, hung his grandmother's magical portrait, naturally.
Shawn was not in the habit of covering his grandmother's portrait with curtains, so Walburga immediately spotted her grandson's return.
"Oh, darling, you're back from Hogwarts. By my reckoning, it must be Christmas now, mustn't it? That damned Kreacher has been slacking off again. He hasn't even had the sense to decorate the house in advance.
Hmm? Darling, who is that behind you? Noble, jet-black hair, yet green eyes. Another disgrace who has sullied his noble bloodline. Darling, how could you make friends with someone like that..."
Shawn's head ached. His grandmother was usually quite pleasant, but whenever bloodlines and the like were involved, she became a completely different person.