Chapter 117 "Back To School"

On September 1st, Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, delivered his usual cup of hot tea to Room 13.

Sleepy Matthew welcomed the gesture and thanked him.

Last year, Matthew hadn't experienced such hospitality during his stay at the Leaky Cauldron.

This year he paid for the service, which made him feel appreciated.

After Tom left, Matthew checked his wallet, finding ten galleons left - sufficient for his return to school with nothing else to spend on.

Once dressed, he returned his toad to its cage and packed his textbooks from the past two days into his suitcase.

Then, he left Room 13, descending the stairs.

...

Soon, the three friends assembled in the Leaky Cauldron's restaurant, ready to have breakfast.

Neville headed to the counter to place their orders.

Engrossed in the Daily Prophet, Hermione suddenly exclaimed, "Bad news, Matthew!"

"What's the matter?" Matthew asked casually, still feeling a bit drowsy.

"It's about the Azkaban fugitives!" Hermione replied, her face serious.

"Fugitives from Azkaban?" Matthew took a sip of hot tea. "Has the Ministry of Magic disclosed their identities?"

"No, Minister Bagnold insists on keeping their information classified for now... The Ministry of Magic will continue their efforts to arrest them!" Hermione shook her head.

"What a joke." Matthew shrugged. "They've been on the run for almost two months; they'll unlikely be caught anytime soon."

Matthew couldn't help feeling dissatisfied with the Ministry of Magic, especially after the "smuggling" incident.

Though it was resolved, there were still loose ends, and the Ministry's reliability was questionable.

"The Ministry claims they'll station some Dementors at Hogwarts to better arrest the suspects and protect the school," Hermione continued reading the newspaper. "But what exactly are Dementors?"

Neville chimed in, "Dementors are extremely evil creatures. My dad told me they're terrifying and ugly, and no one likes them!"

Matthew raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Principal Grindelwald allowed Dementors at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, reading further. "With Principal Grindelwald's permission, but he warned them not to contact or interfere with the lives of Hogwarts staff and students... under their own risk, I guess."

"That sounds like our lives won't be affected in any way," Matthew said nonchalantly.

...

After breakfast, they prepared to leave and gathered by the fireplace in Matthew's room.

Matthew retrieved some Floo powder from the Barkeeper, Tom.

They didn't need any guidance as they were familiar with using the Floo Network.

They stepped into the fireplace, and with a shout of "King's Cross Station," the flames transported them swiftly.

In King's Cross Station, the fireplace room connected to almost all fireplaces in Britain, with wizards and witches popping up every few seconds.

Matthew sometimes wondered why they didn't use the Floo Network directly to reach Hogwarts.

Nevertheless, they took the train, perhaps for a sense of ritual or other reasons.

Soon, Neville and Hermione joined him in the fireplace room.

Neville seemed a little choked by the ashes, coughing non-stop.

The trio headed to platform 9¾.

As they looked up, they spotted the Hogwarts Express, a bright red steam locomotive puffing smoke.

The platform was crowded with young wizards and their families preparing to board the train.

"Let's go to the back of the train. It's less crowded there, and we can find an empty compartment," Hermione suggested, pushing the cart ahead.

Neville and Matthew followed her lead.

They reached the end of the train and found a relatively empty compartment.

They placed their luggage on the luggage rack, including Neville's owl cage and Matthew's toad cage.

Hermione held Crookshanks in her arms until they entered the compartment and then released him.

"Crookshanks, you need to exercise more," she said affectionately.

Her pet, however, didn't seem to appreciate the advice.

It lazily walked to the corner of the compartment and lay down, showing no interest in moving around.

The train's loud whistle signaled its imminent departure.

The guard closed the doors, and the locomotive started moving, breathing steam.

The train picked up speed, and soon, the station was out of sight.

"This long summer vacation is finally over," Matthew said, stretching in his seat. "I can finally return to Hogwarts!"

"I hope the summer vacation could be longer," Neville whispered.

Hermione was about to say something when the compartment door swung open, and a tall wizard entered.

A stranger...

His presence surprised the three Hogwarts sophomores in the compartment.

Until then, aside from the witch selling snacks, they hadn't encountered any adult wizards on the train.