Chapter 9: Hogwarts Express

In the British wizarding world, September 1st is a very important day, especially for wizards who are over eleven years old but have not yet enrolled in school.

School starts at Hogwarts on this day.

The little wizards who just turned eleven have been looking forward to it day and night, hoping that this day will come soon.

But wizards between the ages of twelve and seventeen may not necessarily think so, because the start of school means that the happy summer vacation life has officially come to an end, and they must also face the homework for summer vacation that has been forgotten.

This is not good news.

This is especially true for the twins Fred and George.

In the open space in front of the Burrow, Kyle, who was standing at the front, was very excited, while Fred and George behind him had nervous faces, and they would gather together and whisper from time to time as if they were the ones who were going to Hogwarts for the first time.

Yes, Kyle was here too.

Originally, Chris planned to take him directly to apparate there, but before setting off, he happened to meet Mrs. Weasley who came to knock on the door.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to have guessed that he was going to do this. The first thing she said when she saw Chris was that there were too many Muggles at King's Cross station, and it would be easy to be seen when using apparition. It was too unsafe so Kyle should go with them.

Chris wanted to say something more, but seeing Mrs. Weasley's resolute attitude, he could only swallow those words again and nodded in agreement.

Kyle on the side rubbed his forehead helplessly.

He wanted to tell Mrs. Weasley that in the Muggle's eyes, nine people getting out of a Ford was much more terrifying than two people suddenly appearing in front of them.

After all, this was not Ganges River, and the Ford was not a sacred car with a diamond logo where you can fit in as many as you want.

But it was a pity that he was only eleven years old, so he was ignored.

Just as he was thinking about it, Mrs. Weasley suddenly came to Kyle and asked with concern: "Dear, have everything been packed?"

"Of course." Kyle, who came back to his senses, kicked a big suitcase beside his feet box said: "I checked three times before going out. Everything is here."

"That's good." Mrs. Weasley smiled and nodded.

While talking, Mr. Weasley drove a vintage car that looked very old and parked in front of everyone.

This was their mode of transportation for this trip, a second-hand Ford they found somewhere, but Mr. Weasley liked it so much that it was treated as a treasure.

"What are you waiting for? Get in the car."

At Mr. Weasley's urging, Chris got into the car first.

After seeing this scene, Kyle knew that it was too late to say anything, so he had no choice but to get in, followed by the Weasley family.

The car was cast with a traceless expansion spell, so even if there were nine people sitting in it, plus a lot of luggage, it didn't feel crowded at all.

Mr. Weasley's driving skills were very good. Kyle did not feel any obvious bumps along the way, nor did he brake suddenly or nod his head at the start. It was much better than a certain bus.

They arrived at King's Cross Station on time at about ten o'clock.

Fortunately, what Kyle expected did not happen, or the people around him didn't care about a broken and old Ford car at all. The group of people arrived at the middle of the ninth and tenth platforms, in front of a pillar smoothly.

Once you get here, you basically don't have to worry about being discovered by Muggles anymore.

There is a Muggle-Repelling charm nearby, and ordinary people will subconsciously ignore everything that happens here. Even if there are special circumstances, members of the nearby Ministry of Magic will handle it as soon as possible, so it is very safe.

Everyone lined up skillfully, and under the command of Mrs. Weasley, they passed through the pillars in front of them and arrived at the famous Platform 9 and 3/4.

It was much livelier here than outside. There was a dark red steam train parked next to the platform, with a sign hanging on it that read: Hogwarts Express.

"It seems I'm not late." A gentle voice came from behind Kyle.

Hearing this familiar voice, Kyle turned around suddenly and saw Diana looking at him with a smile.

"Mom?" Kyle said in surprise: "Didn't you still have tasks before..."

"Of course, it's completed." Diana knelt down and arranged Kyle's clothes: "Today is your first time going to school, so important I don't want to miss the day."

"That's good." Kyle was also very happy. It would indeed be a shame if Chris was the only one to send him off to Hogwarts.

Diana spoke to Kyle for a few more words, then put him on the train just before departure, and finally gave him instructions: "I think Chris should have told you about the general situation of Hogwarts. Well, I won't repeat it, but there is one thing I think he didn't say."

Diana looked at Kyle with her deep blue eyes and said seriously: "Dear, it's already been a long time since your father and I graduated, and we don't want to recall our school life, so please don't let us receive letters from any professors, including Dumbledore, okay?"

"Don't worry, Mom." Kyle smiled: "I won't break school rules. There will be no reason for them to send letters home."

"Of course, honey." Diana kissed Kyle lightly on the cheek and watched him get on the train: "Don't forget to tell us your sorting ceremony result."

"I won't." Kyle nodded, then turned and got on the train.

A few minutes later, as the train slowly pulled away from the platform, Diana withdrew her gaze.

Not far behind her, Chris just finished talking to a middle-aged man and came to Diana's side in a few steps.

"Mr. Diggory is showing off his son again?" Diana laughed.

Apparently, she also knew the person who was talking to Chris.

Amos Diggory, like Chris, works in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic and also has a child attending Hogwarts. But he is one year older than Kyle, and in the same grade as the Weasley twins.

But unlike the naughty twins, the child was excellent in all aspects, almost like Percy.

Therefore, during this year, Diggory, a maniac about showing off his child, would praise his son almost every time he talked to people.

Once or twice was enough for people to agree with him and praise his son with a few words, but they can't bear it when he keeps talking about it all the time.

Therefore, Diggory has gradually become one of the most unpopular personnel in the Ministry of Magic, especially to those parents whose children are studying at Hogwarts but have average academic performance. They will never meet him unless necessary.

Even if they bump into him by chance, they would just pass by with their heads down and not talk to each other if possible.

If they really couldn't avoid it, such as meeting him in the elevator, or a colleague like Chris who was in the same department as him, they would immediately find an excuse to leave after a few words of greeting, never giving him a chance to change the subject.

But this time, Chris obviously couldn't escape.

"Cedric is indeed excellent."

Chris smiled bitterly: "Forget it, let's not talk about it, has your mission really been completed?"

Although he didn't know the specific situation of the Department of Mysteries, he knew that the tasks that could appear there were at least months in length. It was almost an impossible situation where it could be completed in two days.

"Of course not." Diana squinted her eyes and said, "But my colleagues are very easy to talk to. It's just a short leave. They won't say anything."

(End of Chapter)