Chapter 60: Farewells
Chapter 60: Farewells
The next morning, Ved found himself awakened by his father an hour earlier than his set alarm.
"It snowed last night, Ved," Ferdinand said, still carrying a chill in his voice. "Get up, we need to leave early today."
Ved sat up in bed, ruffling his messy hair, and pulled open the curtains. He saw about two inches of snow on the windowsill, and the yard outside was blanketed in white. There were footprints around the car where Ferdinand had been clearing the snow earlier.
Ved quickly got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, only to hear his parents arguing in the kitchen.
"Listen, dear," Fiona was saying. "It's too cold today, and there's no need for all of us to go to the station. I'll go and see Ved off myself—"
"But I want to go too," Ferdinand insisted. "He won't be coming back for another six months after he returns to school—"
The discussion went on for a while, but in the end, Ferdinand insisted that Fiona stay home. He usually indulged her every whim, but when he made a decision, there was no changing his mind.
When the two emerged from the kitchen, Ved pretended not to have heard their disagreement. After breakfast, he asked, "Mom, can you help me with Miss Ava first? When the weather improves, she can fly to Hogwarts on her own."
"Of course!" Fiona readily agreed and immediately started planning. "I can make owl treats for her myself. General Budd's food is almost gone, and I think Millie might need to go on a diet. Her running wheel is broken too—"
Millie was Fiona's pet hamster, a shy little creature who usually didn't require much attention.
Seeing that she had shifted her focus from farewells to her pets, Ferdinand breathed a sigh of relief. They quickly finished their breakfast, and Ferdinand picked up Ved's large suitcase, stuffing it into the trunk of the car.
"Goodbye, Mom," Ved said, turning to wave as he got into the car. Fiona stood at the door, waving vigorously.
The car pulled away slowly.
As Ferdinand had predicted, the snowy roads were slippery, and everyone was driving slowly. Even so, there had already been a collision, and two cars were pulled over to the side, with scattered parts lying in the snow.
It was quiet in the car, and as Ved gazed out the window, his eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of a gray car that seemed to squeeze out of the air and appear beside them.
"Ah!"
"What is it?" Ferdinand glanced at the rearview mirror, noticing his son's surprised expression.
"Nothing... I just thought I saw a car rear-ending another..."
"Hmm, that's not uncommon." Ferdinand kept his focus on the road ahead, not taking his eyes off the road for a moment.
Ved watched as the gray car kept pace with them for a few minutes before suddenly disappearing from his field of vision. When he spotted it again, it was barely keeping up with the car in front as it sped through an intersection, the light turning red just a second later.
No one on the street seemed to notice, not even Ferdinand, the seemingly jumping car.
"If an ordinary person could see that, they'd probably think it was a ghost story, huh?" Ved couldn't help but think.
The slowly moving car finally arrived at King's Cross Station, about fifteen minutes before the train's departure. Ferdinand took Ved's suitcase out of the trunk and placed it on a hand cart, pushing it all the way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Here, Ferdinand slowed down and eventually came to a stop.
Ved held onto his father's hand.
"Let's go in together, Dad," he said.
Ferdinand gave a bitter smile. "I'm afraid not, Ved. I'm not a wizard, so I can't—"
"You can," Ved interrupted him. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters isn't restricted by magic; even Muggles can enter. It's just that the Ministry of Magic has placed a spell here that usually makes Muggles ignore it."
"So... I..." Ferdinand took a deep breath and stared at the brick wall in front of him as if he were facing a monster. "...I can also... enter this platform..."
"Yes, come on in."
Ved held his father's hand and led him forward. Ferdinand's expression was tense as they approached the brick wall, and he couldn't help but close his eyes, anticipating impact—
But nothing happened.
However, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.
A deep-red train was parked alongside the platform, its doors open wide. Students in Hogwarts uniforms hung out of the windows, bidding farewell to their parents below. The platform was packed with people; some students rushed by, while others hugged their parents tightly, reluctant to let go.
Cats wandered casually on the ground, and owls in cages turned their heads to survey their surroundings. Older students gathered in groups, already discussing holiday homework, while others struggled to break free from their mothers' embraces, protesting, "Stop kissing me, Mom—I'm not a little kid anymore—!"
"Have you packed your Contact Book?" A stern-looking elderly woman asked the child beside her. "Don't lose it, and remember to keep in touch every day."
The child beside her, who looked rather dopey, obediently replied, "I know, Grandma."
"Dad, can I have another Contact Book, please?" A girl begged, clinging to her father's arm. "I have lots of friends at school—my little sister hasn't started yet, so you can buy one for her in a few days—"
"No way—!" A noticeably younger girl next to them jumped up and down, shouting, "That's mine—you can't have it!"
Looking around, it seemed that out of every three people, at least one was talking about Contact Books. Some eagerly took out their paper and quills to start writing, becoming engrossed in their "online chats." Others would frequently check their Contact Books for new messages, and to ensure prompt replies, they even kept a portable quill in their breast pocket or tucked behind their ear.
Ferdinand watched this scene with a sense of fascination. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was different from Diagon Alley; it had once been the starting point of his magical dreams, but it had ultimately shut him out. As a child, he had fantasized countless times about the journey he would embark on here, only to finally step through at the age of thirty-two.
After a while, Ferdinand tore his gaze away and said in a subdued, slightly trembling voice, "Let's go, Ved—let's find you a compartment."
They walked along the platform and found an empty compartment. Ved placed his suitcase inside and stepped down from the train to bid his father farewell.
"Ved—"
Ferdinand placed his hand on Ved's shoulder, wanting to say something, but the words caught in his throat.
Should he tell his son to study hard?
—Ved already studied harder than anyone else.
Should he remind him to get along with others?
—Ferdinand himself had said this countless times already.
Should he tell him… that his parents would always be his support, and that no matter what problems he faced, he could seek help from his family?
—But Ferdinand knew that when it came to wizards, he and his wife were powerless. Even if Ved did turn to them for help, what could they do besides share in his pain?
After a long pause, Ferdinand's hand tightened slightly on Ved's shoulder. "We are always proud of you, Ved—no matter what challenges you face, don't be afraid, don't hold back, and if you're in trouble, seek help from your teachers promptly—understand?"
Ved nodded and looked into his father's eyes, asking softly, "Dad, you didn't really want me to come to Hogwarts, did you? Why didn't you stop me?"
"I... couldn't, Ved." Ferdinand gave a bitter smile. "I wanted to, but I couldn't—because I once heard that if underage wizards can't learn to control their magic, they'll generate a kind of dark force called the Dorea Potentia, which will destroy them—destroy everything—"
So, he could only see his son off with a heart full of worry, as if sending him into a death trap…
Unable to stop him.
Powerless to prevent it.
(End of Chapter)
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