Chapter 584: Harry's Protective Charm
Chapter 584: Harry's Protective Charm
The day after the End-of-Term Feast, Hogwarts officially began its holiday period.
Kyle and his friends arrived at the platform, ready to board the train for their journey home.
Ratton perched on Kyle's shoulder like a bully, eyeing every owl that passed by.
Perhaps due to Kyle's frequent feeding of dragon liver, Ratton had grown even larger, resembling a small monster.
This caused quite a commotion wherever Kyle went, as every owl that caught Ratton's gaze would let out a piercing screech and flutter frantically in their cages.
Even Autumn's owl wasn't spared.
"Hey, Kyle, can't you control him?" Autumn asked, soothing her own owl in its cage, "Saya has already been startled three times on this trip."
"Sorry, but Ratton doesn't like staying in the cage," Kyle replied.
Kyle shifted his shoulder, and the massive owl immediately spread its wings and flew towards the train.
To accommodate certain individuals, they didn't opt for the more spacious Head Boy compartment but chose a regular carriage instead.
As soon as they sat down, Cedric complained in an exaggerated tone, "Oh... these seats are so hard."
Fred and George's faces darkened instantly.
They knew exactly what Cedric meant.
"Sorry about that..." Fred drew out the word, "We couldn't become Head Boy... so you had to come to the regular compartment."
"If you don't mind," George quickly removed his robe, folded it twice, and placed it on an empty seat, "How about sitting here? It might not be as comfortable as velvet, but it should be fine."
"I think you misunderstood me," Cedric flashed a mischievous smile, "I was just complaining about the facilities on the Hogwarts Express, it has nothing to do with you guys."
"Of course, if you didn't put a biting ball in your robe, I wouldn't mind making myself more comfortable either."
He had just seen George stuff something cushion-like into his robe as he folded it. It was one of Zuko's old jokes. When someone sat on it, it would transform into a ball with sharp teeth, and being bitten by it was quite painful.
"Tsk..."
Seeing that Cedric didn't fall for it, George pouted and put his robe away.
"You're not the same person you used to be, Cedric," Fred said with a pained expression, "Even we wouldn't say such harsh words."
"I don't think so," Cedric raised an eyebrow, "If I hadn't become Head Boy, you would have said the same."
"I guarantee you, we wouldn't," George said earnestly.
"Because we would have started making fun of you from the moment we left the castle," Fred added with a playful smile.
Soon after they settled in, the train started moving, heading towards King's Cross Station with a whistle.
Unlike the rainy weather on their arrival, the sky outside the carriage was clear, and the warm sunshine bathed everyone in a pleasant glow.
Strangely enough, it seemed like every year, the weather was rainy during the start of term but turned completely opposite when it was time for the holidays.
In the carriage, the conversation naturally drifted to the words Dumbledore had spoken at the feast the night before.
The impact of those words was undoubtedly significant, and even in their compartment, they could hear occasional mentions of "Dumbledore" and "madman" from outside.
It seemed like the majority viewed him as an old lunatic who had uttered nonsense.
"Do you think the headmaster anticipated things would turn out this way?" Fred asked, "It seems like not many people chose to believe him."
"I bet he knew.
"Kyle said, 'But what he wants isn't something everyone believes, and it's not realistic. He just wants everyone to be prepared so that when that day comes, we won't panic and lose our footing.'"
"Maybe," George shrugged noncommittally.
Then they began speculating about what measures Dumbledore would take during the holidays to stop Voldemort. As noon approached, the corridor became livelier.
The feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed to continue, and it had been going on until now. Kyle could hear occasional arguments, and this time, students from other houses joined in.
The topic was also related to Dumbledore.
Almost all Slytherins thought Dumbledore was crazy, and they openly mocked him in the box and corridor.
Some students were immediately displeased upon hearing this and began to argue, which gradually escalated into quarrels.
The prefects had no choice but to leave the box and come to the corridor to maintain order.
Fred and George weren't idle either. They went to find Harry to inquire about the Death Eaters from that night.
The journey ahead seemed a bit dull. The train carried them southward. Outside the windows, hills and forests became less frequent, and they could gradually see villages, indicating that the train was approaching its destination.
At this moment, Kyle and the others returned to the carriage.
Fred and George were already waiting there, along with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who were playing Snapfire Cards.
As Kyle entered, the cards in Harry's hand had just exploded, leaving his hair standing on end and smoke rising from his head.
Harry quickly ran his hand through his hair and stood up, saying, "Kyle, I was just looking for you."
"What's the matter?" Kyle asked, thinking Harry was going to talk about what happened that night, but he mentioned someone else's name instead.
"Do you know where Sirius lives?" Harry asked, "I remember he mentioned it to me, and you've been there."
"I have been there," Kyle nodded, "It's strange, didn't he tell you? He seemed to have said that he would take you there last semester."
"That's right," Harry sighed, "We had agreed that I could stay with him during the holidays this year. But just yesterday, when I went to ask him for the address, he changed his mind!"
"Changed his mind? That's impossible..." Kyle was puzzled.
Sirius was eager to live with Harry, and he had even arranged a job for him after graduation. It was impossible for him to change his mind.
"That's true," Harry said softly, "He said this year was dangerous and wanted me to stay at the Dursleys'... But he had clearly stated before that even if Voldemort came, he could ensure my safety."
"Hmm... Just listen to this; he's boasting," Kyle bluntly exposed Sirius's exaggeration.
If they really encountered Voldemort, all Sirius could probably do was use his life to buy Harry time to escape.
"So..." Kyle continued, "You want to find him yourself?"
Harry nodded, "Yes."
"I think he might have something to do," Kyle recalled the days before the holiday when Sirius suddenly disappeared for a period.
It seemed that Sirius might have other things to do during this holiday, and without him around to protect Harry, it would be safer for Harry to stay with his aunt and uncle.
Because Lily Evans's protection charm hadn't disappeared, but this protection charm was only effective when Harry lived with his only blood relative, the Dursley family.
(End of Chapter)
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