Chapter 388: On the Way
Chapter 388: On the Way (Please Subscribe, Favorite, and Vote)
The next morning, when Liam woke up and was getting ready to leave, he found the entire house in chaos. Mrs. Weasley was in a temper, worried that everyone's slow movements might make them miss the train.
"The main problem is Mad-Eye Moody", Hermione said. "Right now, Mad-Eye is complaining that we can't leave because Sturgis Podmore hasn't arrived, which means we'll be short one guard."
"Guard? For who?" Liam felt a bit confused.
"For me, although I don't want it", Harry said with a hint of resignation. "I think Voldemort is lurking, waiting for the right moment, but Mad-Eye seems to believe he'll jump out from behind a trash can to try to kill me."
Eventually, everything was sorted out, and the guards who were supposed to come had arrived. Everyone stepped outside into the weak September sunlight. The weather was beautiful, clear and crisp. Due to their strained relationship with the Ministry of Magic, they couldn't borrow a car, so they had to walk to King's Cross Station.
Fortunately, the distance wasn't long. After a twenty-minute walk, they arrived at King's Cross Station. The journey was uneventful, with no major incidents, and certainly nothing like the sudden attacks Mad-Eye Moody had anticipated.
Mad-Eye Moody had already reached the station and was helping everyone with their luggage. He wore a porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, and all the luggage was piled on the cart he was pushing. After approaching the group, he whispered that everything was normal and then limped through the archway, pushing the cart.
Liam and the others followed to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where they began unloading the trunks from Mad-Eye's cart. Just as they were finishing, Fred, George, and Ginny arrived with Lupin, and everything went smoothly with them as well.
After boarding the train and greeting Harry, Liam pulled his luggage and headed to the front of the train with Hermione. Unlike their usual practice of sitting in the back compartment, this time they had to go to the Prefect carriage at the front to receive instructions from the male and female Prefects-in-Chief, and then occasionally patrol the corridor.
When they arrived at the Prefect carriage, the two Prefects-in-Chief were already there. Liam noticed that this year's male Prefect-in-Chief was their acquaintance, Cedric, which was a welcome change.
As the train started moving, the Prefects gradually assembled. Among the new Prefects this year, Ravenclaw had Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil, Slytherin had Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, and Hufflepuff had Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. Upon seeing Liam and Hermione, Hannah walked over to greet them and mentioned that she hoped the Study Group content would be more aligned with the O.W.L. exams.
"That's definitely the focus this year", Hermione whispered reassuringly. "I spent half the summer vacation organizing O.W.L. exam materials, and I plan to share them in the Study Group once school starts."
After a few minutes of chatting, everyone was present. The two Prefects-in-Chief gave the new Prefects a brief rundown on the Hogwarts Prefect system and then assigned tasks. Liam and Hermione were assigned to patrol the rear carriages.
"Have you heard that traditionally, Slytherin and Ravenclaw Prefects patrol the front of the train, while Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Prefects patrol the back? Is that true?" Liam asked Cedric about a piece of gossip he had heard from Percy as they were leaving.
"Yes, it's true. The directors' compartments are at the front of the train, and they are mostly used by Slytherin students. To avoid conflicts, we've been separating everyone this way for about half a century", Cedric shrugged. "Of course, I think the idea that some Pure-blood Wizards are superior because of their blood is a complete lie. I don't understand why they would fight over such a lie."
After saying goodbye to Cedric, Liam and the others began their patrol. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Hermione leaned in close to Liam and complained, “I may hate Malfoy, but at least he’s qualified to be a Slytherin Prefect. But what does that cow Pansy Parkinson have to be a Prefect? She’s dumber than a concussed mountain troll.”
“Maybe Slytherin thinks Pansy better represents their house’s girls,” Liam joked, trying to calm Hermione, who seemed a bit ruffled. He understood why Hermione was upset; as a fifth-year female Prefect, no one would want to be compared to a dunce.
After dealing with a few students playing with enchanted frisbees in the corridor, Liam and the others made their way to the compartment where Harry and Ron were. Upon entering, he noticed everyone inside looked rather annoyed.
“What happened?” Liam asked, taking a bite of the sandwich Mrs. Weasley had given them that morning.
“Don’t even get me started. Malfoy came by to provoke us and show off his new Prefect badge,” Ginny replied irritably.
“The other Slytherin Prefect is Pansy. They could only pick someone like her,” Hermione chimed in, sitting down and picking up a cauldron cake from the pile of snacks. “It’s strange, aren’t the Malfoys core Death Eaters? Why is he so active right now, and why is he bothering to provoke Harry?”
Since the compartment was just the five of them, they could discuss more confidential matters.
“Maybe his father is now allowed to kiss the Dark Lord’s robes again. He might think his good days are coming. Or perhaps his family has some secret deal with the Ministry of Magic. Didn’t Harry see Lucius Malfoy talking privately with Fudge?” Ginny analyzed rationally.
The group then began discussing the recent clashes between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, all a bit worried that the Ministry might have too much influence over the selection of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. As they talked, the train continued its northward journey, the weather remaining unpredictable. Raindrops tapped sporadically on the windows, and the sun lazily peeked out, only to be quickly hidden by passing clouds. Night fell, and the compartment lights turned on.
After a holiday away from school, everyone was eager to see Hogwarts Castle. But it was a moonless night, and the rain-soaked windows were dirty, so all they could see outside was pitch black.
“We need to change into our robes,” Hermione finally said. Everyone scrambled to open their trunks and put on their school uniforms. Liam and Hermione carefully pinned their Prefect badges to their chests, then exchanged satisfied nods.
The train slowly decelerated, and the noise of people gathering their belongings and pets filled the air as everyone prepared to disembark. Liam and Hermione said their goodbyes to Harry and the others and hurried to the compartment exit to maintain order. By the time they reached the carriages, most students had already left Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
In the rain, everyone was eager to get into the carriages quickly. Liam and the others saw Malfoy and his gang, including Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson, shoving a few timid second-year students aside to claim a carriage for themselves.
“Waterproofing,” Liam said, sending Hermione to find a carriage while he tried to say a few words. But by the time he pushed through the crowd, the carriage had already left. Liam could only cast a rain-repelling spell for the drenched Hufflepuffs.
“That’s the kind of behavior—” Hermione had found an empty carriage, and Liam joined her, still annoyed by Malfoy’s actions. “I’m going to report him. He’s only had that badge for three minutes, and he’s already using it to bully others even more.”
“I support you on this. We can’t let everyone think Hogwarts Prefects are like that,” Liam agreed.
Since they were a bit late, there were few people left. After waiting a few minutes with no one else boarding, the carriage started its journey to Hogwarts.
(End of Chapter)
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