Chapter 16: The Hogwarts Express
Chapter 16: The Hogwarts Express
On the morning of September 1st, Sherlock packed his things and boarded a train from the Surrey station to London.
The distance from his home to the city center wasn't far, and it only took him thirty minutes to reach King's Cross Station.
With the ticket Professor Mcgonagall had given him, Sherlock easily found the wall between platforms nine and ten.
There were already quite a few people gathered there who clearly stood out as being a bit special.
For example, a group of children pushing trolleys, most of which carried owls, and some adults dressed in rather peculiar attire.
They wore dark robes, and some even had pointed hats that you'd only see in a theater, drawing the attention of many passersby.
"I told you, Severus, to put away that damn hat when we get to the Muggle station! These Muggles will just think your fancy hat is weird!"
Beside the witch with the pointed hat, her husband, dressed in a suit from the waist up and beach shorts from the waist down, glared at her and muttered under his breath.
The witch unhappily took off her hat.
"Why do I feel like everyone is staring at us?"
"Nonsense! I dressed specifically to blend in with Muggles, didn't I, Vicky?"
Hearing her father's question, the fifth-year Hogwarts student covered her face, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
She had already warned her parents at home, but it still ended up like this.
Sherlock couldn't help but find the family's antics amusing, but being professionally trained, he managed to keep a straight face.
To avoid drawing attention, the Wizards sending their children off to school didn't gather in one place.
Instead, they wandered around the station casually, waiting for each person to separately pass through the magic wall.
Even those dressed in the strangest outfits would go unnoticed by Muggles as they entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The Muggles who had been watching them would suddenly lose interest, as if nothing had happened.
This was the effect of the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Wizards used this magic during large gatherings or when they couldn't avoid Muggles to ensure their actions and identities remained hidden.
The Wizards, along with their children, entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in an orderly manner. Soon, it was Sherlock's turn.
He didn't carry much, just a simple suitcase.
As for the owl he had bought to send letters, he had already sent it to Hogwarts the previous day.
Holding his suitcase, Sherlock took a deep breath and started running toward the seemingly ordinary wall.
Just as his nose was about ten centimeters away from the wall, he instinctively closed his eyes, but didn't slow his pace.
The next moment, he felt as if he had passed through something, yet nothing had really changed.
But the sounds around him were different.
The calls of animals filled the air—owls, cats, and even the squeaks of rats.
The bustling chatter of people reached his ears, mostly parents giving last-minute instructions to their children.
Sherlock opened his eyes.
Steam from the train billowed over the chattering crowd, and cats of all colors wove between people's feet. Wizards, dressed in both modern clothing and medieval robes, were saying goodbye to their children at the platform.
Sherlock saw a scene that was vastly different from the ordinary world, and the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile. He shrugged and, carrying his suitcase, boarded the Hogwarts Express alone.
There were many empty compartments at the front, but Sherlock kept walking to the back of the train, eventually finding a compartment and settling down.
The journey from the train's departure to reaching Hogwarts would take at least a full day.
Taking advantage of this time, he did nothing else but pull out a quill and parchment from his suitcase, placing them on the table. He then leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.
Sherlock was trying hard to recall the plot of the original story, but he had never memorized much of it. In the entire Harry Potter series, he had only read the first book in its original English edition. The other six parts, he had only learned about through movie trailers and short video explanations.
This led to a very limited understanding of the original plot's progression.
He still remembered the ultimate ending clearly.
Good triumphed over evil, and the Boy Who Lived defeated the Dark Lord Voldemort.
However, when it came to the specific details of each story, he truly couldn't recall much.
After thinking for a long time, Sherlock finally took the quill and wrote two words on the parchment.
"Chamber of Secrets", "Basilisk."
These were the only impressions he had of the second Harry Potter book.
The general idea was that a Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts was opened, releasing a giant snake named "Basilisk." This snake attacked students throughout the entire school year.
However, no one in the castle died from these attacks, and the plot seemed to be connected to the Dark Lord Voldemort.
As for what else happened, he couldn't remember a thing.
Unable to recall more, Sherlock decided to stop straining his brain. He drew out his wand and lightly tapped the parchment with the words "Chamber of Secrets" and "Basilisk" on it.
The paper instantly disintegrated into a pile of tiny pieces.
The Reducing Charm was one of the more advanced basic spells, and it was one of the spells Sherlock could now use proficiently.
He opened the window and threw the paper shreds outside. Suddenly, he noticed a Ford Anglia flying above the moving train!
Inside the car, he could clearly see the cheerful faces of Harry and Ron.
Harry seemed to have spotted him as well and waved excitedly.
Sherlock's eyes widened slightly. Only then did he remember that Harry and Ron driving a flying car to school was part of the original story.
He squinted as he watched the car ascend into the sky, gradually becoming a small black dot, and couldn't help but mutter, "Well, it's the young ones who know how to have fun."
Then he mumbled to himself, "Did they make it safely to their destination? I think so."
Indeed, Harry and Ron were having a blast!
"I just saw Professor Forrest on the train!" Harry exclaimed happily.
Ron, sitting in the driver's seat with the air of an experienced driver, whistled.
"He must be impressed by us now!"
"Not just the professor, everyone at Hogwarts will be impressed by us!"
(End of Chapter)
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