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Chapter 494: On the Train
Chapter 494: On the Train
Chapter 494: On the Train
The next morning, the students packed their luggage and gathered in the entrance hall, waiting for the carriages to take them to the station. Harry carried his trunk in his left hand and held the cage with Hedwig in his right, watching as Madame Maxime and Fleur walked toward the lawn where the Beauxbatons carriage was parked.
"Fleur said she plans to find a job in Britain during these sensitive times... What is she thinking?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged; he couldn't answer that question either. His gaze swept over the crowd, and he saw Hermione and Krum saying their final goodbyes. Krum said something, but Hermione shook her head hesitantly.
"They are both in their final year at school, right?" Harry suddenly realized.
"Exactly, which means our trophy has real value", Ron said with satisfaction. "More importantly, with the reward from Future World, I've saved nearly a thousand Galleons... That's a lot of money", he said with a flush of pride.
"Rumor has it you want to become an Auror?" Colin asked with a hint of challenge in his voice from behind them.
"Yeah", Ron slowly turned around and looked at him.
"You'd better step up your game... Otherwise, you'll have a tough time once you get in", Colin said.
Ron was still pondering this when Harry's eyes widened.
"Colin, you can't have—"
"It's great that you realize it, Harry", Colin said with a narrow-eyed smile, making her thick eyebrows stand out even more, like two caterpillars. She said cheerfully, "I'm already a trainee Auror. Miss Bones wrote me back personally—"
"That's impossible!" Ron shouted.
Colin triumphantly pulled a letter from her pocket. "It arrived this morning... It's a bit messy, but understandable. I'm sure she's been very busy these past few days."
Harry stared in disbelief at the letter she was waving in front of him. The handwriting was not just messy; it looked like it had been chewed by a dog. The worst part was, Harry recognized the handwriting.
It was Sirius' handwriting.
"Wait a minute—" Ron also noticed something and squinted at the letter, still trying to confirm.
Harry quickly patted Ron on the back and said loudly, "Colin, you really admire Miss Bones?"
Colin grunted and put the letter away, satisfied.
"Of course, my goal is to become the next Minister of Magic."
At that moment, Hermione returned and heard the last part. She cleared her throat behind Colin. "So, I have a competitor?"
Colin turned around and sized up Hermione with a scrutinizing gaze. "You want to be the Minister of Magic too?"
There seemed to be sparks in both girls' eyes, making Harry and Ron shiver with apprehension. Hermione tried to stand tall and meet Colin's gaze.
"What do you think? Do you want to make history and become the first Muggle-born Minister of Magic?"
"There already was one, Nobby Leach, he was the first", Hermione said without hesitation.
"Then the first female Muggle-born Minister of Magic?" Colin said immediately.
"I'm not particularly interested in that title. I just think some things need to be done", Hermione stared at Colin's face and asked casually, "By the way, do you have a House-elf at home?"
"Yes", Colin said.
"Do you get along well with them?" Hermione followed up.
"Pretty well, I guess—" Colin was confused.
Hermione sighed with relief. "Then we already have something in common. I started an organization, well, it's on hold for now... but if you're interested..." She pulled Colin aside to a corner.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances.
"Does Hermione really want to—"
"Probably..."
They watched Colin and Hermione intently. The entrance hall was noisy, and they couldn't hear what they were saying, so Harry and Ron could only observe the girls' expressions. A few moments later, Hermione walked back with a triumphant look.
"You succeeded?" Ron asked in disbelief.
"Well, what can I say?" Hermione shook her head. "She's quite interested, but she's very resistant to the name."
"That's unusual", Ron said dryly. "Why can't a House-elf rights organization be called 'S.P.E.W.'?"
"I told you! It's not 'Spew,' it's S.P.E.W.!" Hermione said irritably.
At that moment, the horseless carriage rumbled toward them, and they hurriedly climbed aboard. Harry stared at the empty space where the reins should be. "There's something there, right? A creature called—uh, a Thestral?"
It was strange that he hadn't noticed this before, but once he learned the name from a book, he could see many anomalies—faint breathing, the sound of hooves on the ground, things that were so obvious.
Hermione also stared at the empty space. The carriage began to move forward, pulled by an invisible force.
"I've only seen them in pictures... Of course, I don't feel sorry. They don't have a great reputation... It has to do with their nature. Only those who have seen death can see them, perhaps due to a unique invisibility principle..."
"Luna can see Thestrals", Ron said suddenly, then explained, "I overheard Ginny talking."
Hermione glared at Ron sarcastically. "You're not shy about it." She was still angry with Ron, and her tone was sharp.
"I didn't mean to", Ron shrugged. "It was right after Christmas, and she was planning a birthday gift for Luna..."
Harry suddenly remembered their experience at Future World's first store before the term started. Luna had come with her father, and during all the time they had known each other, she had never mentioned her mother.
“I hope we never have to see it in our lifetime,” Ron said hopefully as they got off the train, “though it’s a bit unlikely—still, one can hope!”
Harry and Hermione managed a slight smile.
The sky was clear, but the three of them felt a bit melancholic.
They found an empty compartment on the train, which had stopped early at Hogsmeade Station. Harry placed Hedwig’s cage in the corner, as far away from Ron’s screeching Pig as possible—Pig’s noise was disturbing Hedwig’s nap. Hermione’s Crookshanks curled up on the seat beside her, looking like a fluffy ginger cushion.
“Did Krum invite you to spend the summer with him?” Harry asked, recalling what Hermione had mentioned earlier.
“Yes,” Hermione replied, “but I declined. You know, given the circumstances…”
At that moment, the compartment door was pulled open from the outside.
Fred poked his head in, grinning. “Fancy a game of cards?” He slipped inside. “Don’t push me, George.”
“I’m not—this door seems to be stuck!” George slammed the door shut, making a loud clanging sound.
“Ouch!” A muffled cry sounded right next to George’s ear. The door closed.
George took a few steps back, staring at the door in surprise.
“There’s something there,” he said firmly.
No one needed to be told; they all noticed the anomaly. A plump, frightened face appeared at the window.
“It’s Crabbe!” Harry shouted, and an idea struck him. He immediately drew his wand and began scanning the air around them.
"What—" Ron and Hermione panted, Ron's mouth still full of cauldron cake, but their long-standing rapport made them draw their wands simultaneously.
A half-glimmering wand emerged from the air, and Harry’s eyes widened. Before anyone could react, it was as if a box of fireworks had been ignited in the compartment. Spells shot from different angles, filling the small space with blinding light and deafening noise.
When everything quieted down, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked down at the unconscious Draco and Goyle in the corner, while Fred squatted beside them, examining them.
“They seem to have used a Disillusionment Charm, which had an interesting reaction with the curses on their bodies…”
Draco and Goyle were covered in bruises and boils, and sprouted various types of hair, looking quite pitiful.
George opened the compartment door, glanced both ways, and said, “The fat one ran off—who used the Hairy Growth Curse?” He examined Draco on the floor.
“I did,” Harry said.
“Remarkable effect, Fred, don’t you think? Maybe we can develop a Hairy Man series?” he mused.
In the end, they moved Draco and Goyle to the next compartment and returned to play Exploding Snap.
Fred and George Weasley were in high spirits. By the fifth round, Harry couldn’t help but ask, “What’s got you so cheerful?”
“Is it that obvious?” Fred and George exchanged a glance and asked in unison.
“Yes, stop being mysterious,” Ron grumbled, his face plastered with sticky notes. “We could use a bit of fun.”
“Alright, then,” George said seriously, “we couldn’t wait any longer.”
“Couldn’t wait for what?” Harry asked, holding his breath.
“A prank on the professor… we talked about doing it on the professor’s next birthday, remember?” Fred smiled. “But then we thought, why wait a whole year? It would be such a waste.”
“What did you do?” Harry asked, his breath catching. “The professor will definitely notice.”
“Not necessarily,” Fred countered. “We took inspiration from ‘Mick’s Magical Misadventures’… a shock box, complete with handmade springs and a terrifying doll. I don’t think the professor can spot it in advance.”
“What kind of doll?” Ron gasped.
“A Noseless one,” Fred said without hesitation.
Ron started coughing violently, cake crumbs flying everywhere. “The Dark Lord?”
“You guessed it. Isn’t it a brilliant idea? We think it won’t go out of style for another couple of years,” George grinned.
Hermione looked up from her magical notebook, surprised at the twins. They must have put a lot of thought into it…
Meanwhile, Felix sat cross-legged on the train’s roof, propping his chin with one hand, boredly watching the scenery rush by. He extended his other hand and tapped the bald doll’s head, which immediately began to swing back and forth on its spring.
“Pretty well-made, and quite bold… I hope a few Death Eaters show up during the rest of the journey to give me some practice,” Felix mused, though he wouldn’t admit that he had been genuinely scared for a moment.
…
The Hogwarts Express passed through one village after another, through towns and cities, and finally arrived at King’s Cross Station without any incidents. As they exited the platform, Harry bid farewell to his friends, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure. He turned his head, but the person seemed to vanish.
Strange, was it the professor? Or was it just his imagination?
“What are you waiting for?” Uncle Vernon glared at Harry—or rather, at the cage holding the owl, his face twitching.
Harry followed him, feeling oddly calm. Compared to the troubles ahead, the Dursleys weren’t so unbearable after all.
(End of Chapter)
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