Chapter 624: The Last First Day of School
Chapter 624: The Last First Day of School
During their time studying in Silvermoon City, Liam and his companions had developed a good personal friendship with Lady Elastron. On one hand, the immortals' sense of isolation made them eager to find kindred spirits. On the other hand, Liam and his friends cast spells not by relying on the Weave of the Ferren World but by manipulating magic power and elements directly, much like Legendary Casters and the powerful arcanists of old. This thrilled Lady Elastron, as she found herself with a companion to discuss the path of magic.
Additionally, the stories Liam and his friends shared about various worlds greatly benefited Lady Elastron. Especially after Liam gifted her a large collection of historical records from multiple worlds, she immersed herself in absorbing the wisdom of these peoples to the point of neglecting sleep and meals. Liam believed that with these examples, the process of establishing the Silver Moon Federation would be smoother in the future.
After another two months, once they felt they had mastered the new knowledge, Liam and his companions decided to leave this world temporarily. Upon learning of their departure, Lady Elastron came to see them off.
"Take care, my friends. I hope we will meet again soon." Liam had already told her that he would return from time to time, so this farewell was not tinged with much sadness.
"Yes, we will be back soon. The next time we return, we will bring more useful things. I hope to see an even more beautiful Silvermoon City."
After the final farewell, Liam and his companions left the city they had called home for eight months. They followed the trade route for half an hour before choosing a spot in a nearby forest to leave this world.
This journey earned them only 120 offset points, but the gains were significant. Liam and his companions had mastered a comprehensive new system of magic, and with enough time, they could rival true Legendary Mages of the D&D system.
"That world is indeed powerful", Hermione said upon their return. "Can you imagine? The entire Northern Lands have only over a million people, yet they have three or four Legendaries. In all of Europe, with its hundreds of millions of people, we probably have about the same number of Legendaries."
"So, traveling and exploring is always a good thing. It helps us recognize our shortcomings so we can strive to catch up", Liam smiled. "Let's spend the rest of the summer organizing our new knowledge."
For the remainder of the summer, Liam and his companions spent almost all their time at their family manor, studying the new knowledge. They only ventured out to a nearby hill to collect their ordered newspapers and letters, otherwise, they severed all contact with the Magic World.
The situation outside had deteriorated, with frequent reports of ordinary people being attacked. Besides studying, Liam and Hermione, sometimes joined by Rose Crystal and her Undead Daughter, patrolled London in an attempt to prevent such attacks.
However, these blind actions, lacking intelligence, were not very effective. Over an entire month, Liam and his companions only managed to intercept and kill two Death Eaters. From interrogations, they learned that most of the Death Eaters causing trouble were Dark Wizard Mercenaries hired by Voldemort from Eastern Europe, given only orders to conduct random attacks and a few safehouses.
Liam and his companions immediately raided one of the safehouses, but it was empty. Other Death Eaters likely knew of the attack, and after waiting until morning without seeing anyone return, they had to abandon the effort.
With the plot changing drastically, altering the future, Liam had lost his previous grasp on what was to come. He did not know Voldemort's next move and could only remain vigilant.
Amidst this tense situation, the first day of school finally arrived. This year was different from previous years; several Aurors stood guard at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, wands at the ready, patrolling the area.
Many parents were on the platform to see their children off, but each face bore a look of anxiety. The number of students preparing to board the train this year was visibly smaller than in previous years.
After getting into the car, Liam also noticed the significant changes this year. As soon as they headed to the Prefect compartment, they found the Student Council President was already there. When they entered, the Student Council President handed them a Carriage Number. They needed to sit in the corresponding carriage, and in case of any emergency, they would need to communicate with the Aurors and Hit Wizards to protect the students.
"So much time has passed already", Liam said with a sigh, looking out the window at the steam-filled Platform Nine and Three-Quarters as they placed their luggage and sat down. "This is probably the last time we'll be riding the Hogwarts Express to school."
"Yeah, I still remember our first meeting on the train six years ago. I was a bit panicked because I couldn't find an empty compartment, and then I happened to run into you and Neville in one", Hermione reminisced. "You know, seeing a familiar face in a completely new place was a great comfort to me."
"Even if that familiar face was just someone I'd met a few times before", Liam added. "I was really surprised back then—"
Before he could finish, the compartment door suddenly opened, and Mad-Eye Moody stepped in, his magical eye scanning the room. He then turned to the young Auror behind him and said, "Alright, everything's fine here. We can check the next place."
Then, he looked at Liam and the others and said, "By the way, you're Prefects. Don't just sit around chatting. Stay alert."
"Professor, didn't you retire?" Hermione asked curiously, because his participation in Order of the Phoenix activities had been more of a hobby for a retired person, but now he was commanding Aurors to inspect the compartments, which didn't seem like something a retiree would do.
"Yes, I did retire. But with the recent worsening situation, the Ministry of Magic has rehired a lot of people to fill the gaps, so I'm back. Now I'm a special advisor in the Ministry of Magic's Auror Office", Mad-Eye explained. "Alright, I need to continue my patrol. You'd better stay on your toes."
With that, Mad-Eye left the compartment. Hermione, looking at the closed door, turned to the others and asked, "How likely do you think it is that this train will be attacked?"
"Not sure, but—" Liam paused, suddenly remembering something. "Do you know where the Slytherins are sitting today?"
"Probably in the first two carriages. I remember those Pure-blood Wizards tend to stick together", Hermione said after a moment's thought.
"If that's the case, the chances of a Death Eater attack are higher. At least they wouldn't have to worry about collateral damage", Liam said. "Now, with so many foreigners in the Dark Lord's ranks, they can't tell which children are Pure-blood Wizard descendants and which aren't. But if these Pure-blood descendants are all in a few specific carriages, that problem is solved."
"You have a point", Hermione nodded. "Given their history of using Imperius to control children to kill their own grandparents and sending Werewolves to attack children, it wouldn't be surprising if the Death Eaters tried to eliminate those they consider unworthy of learning magic on the train. But—"
Hermione was still a bit skeptical. After traveling through multiple worlds, she was no longer the innocent student from the books. From a leader's perspective, she thought Voldemort wouldn't send his followers to attack the Hogwarts Express just to remove those deemed unworthy of learning magic.
However, just as she was about to discuss this with Liam, the train jolted violently, followed by a shrill sound of metal scraping. Hermione quickly braced herself against the seat to avoid falling.
"The train is under attack. Ministry of Magic personnel and Prefects, follow the emergency protocol and secure your compartments. Aurors, head to the front of the train", a man's voice echoed through the train. The attack was real.
"They actually came. I wonder why", Liam muttered, gripping his wand and rushing out of the compartment with Hermione. The corridor was in chaos, with many students screaming and running around. Some older students were trying to maintain order, but it wasn't going well. The scene was apocalyptic.
(End of Chapter)
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