King's Cross Station

The days flew by. As the start of the Hogwarts term approached, North and Eileen had both returned to London, planning to see Anna and Snape off to school together.

Unfortunately, the day before term began, word suddenly came from the Potions laboratory on the archipelago that a major development had occurred with an experimental new potion, and Eileen was summoned back in a hurry.

So the next day, only North accompanied the two pseudo-children to King's Cross Station.

Incidentally, the archipelago Balk Nagel had found was now halfway through its transformation, and Anna had officially named it the Dawn Archipelago. It could also be called Wizard Paradise.

Over the past two years, North had also learned to drive a Muggle car and had a driving licence bearing his own name. Because they had storage rings, though, Anna and Snape had hardly anything to carry in their hands.

Anna carried only a small suitcase for appearances, with an Undetectable Extension Charm cast on it. Inside were her and Snape's owls, along with plenty of snacks that Elisa and North had packed for her.

"Miss, please take good care of yourself once you get to school. I'll visit you when I have time.

"And if you come into conflict with any of the Slytherin students, we've made full preparations. Even going to war with You-Know-Who wouldn't be a problem. The Acolytes all over the world stand behind you.

"Besides that, I hope you'll enjoy your life at school. You don't need to worry too much about the Dawn Archipelago. Father and the rest of us will take care of everything.

"As for Asia, the cooperation with the great red nation is progressing smoothly, with no major changes expected in the short term.

"And over in the United States..."

North talked on and on throughout the drive. Anna knew he was trying to put her at ease, so she simply sat in the front passenger seat, smiling as she listened to his report.

Snape, sitting in the back, listened closely too. Ever since the Prince family had signed a contract with Anna, almost all of the Acolytes' intelligence had been made available to them, not to mention that his mother, Eileen, was now one of the people involved in the Dawn Archipelago's core project.

North also seemed to be training him as Anna's personal assistant. Over the past two years, he had arranged just as many Muggle and wizarding lessons for Snape as he had for Anna, and often made his reports without avoiding him.

The three arrived at King's Cross Station at ten in the morning. The train to Hogwarts wouldn't depart until eleven, so they didn't see many wizarding families.

"Miss, if anything happens at school, contact me by Two-Way Mirror or owl. I hope you have a pleasant, carefree time at school."

"Don't worry, North. Besides, Severus will be there too."

Anna waved goodbye to him and passed through the wall to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, full of anticipation.

Snape, however, stayed where he was. He knew North had more to say to him.

"Severus, I don't usually ask you for anything, but what I'm about to tell you concerns the young lady. Please make sure you remember it."

He cast a silent, wandless spell, preventing their voices from being heard outside.

"I don't think I've ever told you that there's something unusual about the young lady's body."

Snape frowned at this but didn't ask any questions. North composed himself and continued.

"Actually, only my father, Madam Daina, and the other Acolytes who frequently visit Nurmengard know about this. As for me, I only learned it from my father after I chose to follow the young lady and received the butterfly mark, because I would be staying by her side for a long time.

"For the young lady, simply casting spells in class isn't a problem. But if she repeatedly casts spells that consume a great deal of magic, or if her emotions become too intense, there's a strong chance her body will develop adverse symptoms. At best, it would result in a minor magical outburst...

"So I hope that if anyone foolish enough comes looking for trouble with Miss Anna, you'll make sure she acts as little as possible, or deal with the trouble for her yourself.

"This is a request from me, my father, and those Acolytes."

With that, North pulled a small purse from his pocket. It gave off the magical fluctuations of an Undetectable Extension Charm.

"There are some well-preserved herbs in here. You can use them as you please.

"There are also three bottles of soul stabilizer inside. If the young lady really does accidentally trigger a magical outburst, you'll need to give her the stabilizer."

This was essentially payment for the commission in advance.

Snape took the purse, put it in his pocket, and nodded to North.

"I will.

"Then, while we're on the subject, I'd like to ask: what exactly is wrong with her body?"

North shook his head, unwilling to divulge it.

"If you want to know, you can ask the young lady. I don't think she'll keep it from you."

Meanwhile, Anna passed through the dark passage, and the scene before her brightened as she arrived safely at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

There weren't many young witches and wizards on the platform. They carried their luggage onto the train, looking for companions or empty compartments.

Anna knew North must have something to say to Snape, so she didn't wait for him on the platform. Instead, she began looking for someone, carriage by carriage.

"Hey! Anna, over here! I'm here!"

A little red-haired head poked out of a carriage nearby. After looking around, she waved excitedly at Anna.

"Dear Lily, happy first day of school!"

Anna broke into a smile and walked toward her compartment.

"Oh, you too! We'll be classmates from now on! I wonder if we'll be sorted into the same house. Oh, where's Severus?"

The two sat down in the compartment and began chatting cheerfully.

"Severus hasn't come into the station yet. Someone's talking to him, so he'll probably be in shortly.

"As for houses, I don't know where I'll be sorted either, but Severus will definitely be in Slytherin!"

After all, he was Slytherin's former head of house. If he were sorted into another house in this life, Gryffindor for example, his face would probably twist with rage, haha.

"But I heard other people say Slytherin produces nothing but bad wizards."

Lily recalled the rumours she'd heard when she went shopping in Diagon Alley with her parents some time ago. She bit her lip, her face full of worry.

"Lily, whether someone is good or bad doesn't depend on which house they come from, but on the choices they make from the heart.

"Salazar Slytherin, who founded Hogwarts a thousand years ago, was a true dark wizard. But in those days, he was also willing to shelter young witches and wizards hunted by the Church. He taught them too, showing them how to protect themselves better. Do you think he was a bad person?"

To keep the tragedy of friends falling apart from happening again, Anna felt she needed to change Lily's way of thinking.