Chapter 60: The Farewell
The next morning, Wade was woken up by his father an hour earlier than his alarm was set for.
"It snowed last night, Wade," Fred said and his body still carried a chill as he urged, "Get up quickly. We need to leave early today."
Wade sat up in bed, ruffled his messy hair, and pulled back the curtains.
The snow on the windowsill was about two inches thick, and the yard was a vast expanse of white. Footprints circled the car, left by Fred when he cleared the snow this morning.
Wade quickly got dressed, went downstairs to eat breakfast, and overheard his parents arguing in the kitchen—
"Listen, dear, it's too cold today. There's no need for all of us to go to the station. I can take Wade by myself—it's enough," Fred said.
"But I also want to see Wade off. Once he goes back to school, we won't see him for another six months," Fiona argued.
They debated for a while, but in the end, Fred insisted that Fiona stay at home. He usually gave in to her on most things, but once he made up his mind, no one could change it.
When they emerged from the kitchen, Wade pretended not to have heard their quarrel. After breakfast, he asked, "Mom, can you take care of Eva for me? She can fly to Hogwarts on her own once the weather gets better."
"Of course!" Fiona agreed happily and immediately began planning.
"I can make owl food myself. Bard's feed is running low anyway, and there's also Millie. I think she might need to lose weight—the running wheel I bought for her was chewed up."
Millie, Fiona's pet hamster, was a shy little creature that usually didn't need much attention.
Seeing her shift her focus from the farewell to the pets, Fred breathed a sigh of relief. They quickly finished breakfast, and Fred took Wade's large suitcase and stuffed it into the trunk.
"Goodbye, Mom," Wade said before getting into the car. Fiona stood at the door, waving vigorously.
The car slowly drove away.
Just as Fred had anticipated, the snow made the roads slippery, and all the cars were moving slowly. Even so, there was still an accident—two cars had collided and were pulled over to the side, scattered debris littering the snowy ground.
Inside the car, it was quiet. Wade stared out the window when suddenly, out of nowhere, a gray car seemed to materialize beside them as if squeezed out of thin air.
"Ah!"
"What's wrong?" Fred glanced at the rearview mirror and caught sight of his son's surprised expression.
"It's nothing… I think I saw a car rear-end another one..."
"Yeah, that happens a lot," Fred said, keeping his focus on the road ahead to avoid being caught off guard by any sudden accidents.
Wade watched as the gray car beside them drove parallel for a few minutes before suddenly disappearing from view. When it reappeared, it barely made it past the intersection just as the light turned from green to red.
No one on the street seemed to notice, including Fred, who did not notice the car that seemed to leap forward like it was jumping through space.
—If any ordinary person had seen this, they would probably regard it as a ghost story, right?
Wade couldn't help but think.
The car slowly made its way to King's Cross Station, with about ten minutes left before departure.
Fred took Wade's suitcase out of the car, placed it on a trolley, and pushed it all the way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. As they neared the platform, Fred's pace slowed until he had to stop.
Wade grabbed his hand.
"Come in with me, Dad," he said.
Fred gave a wry smile and said, "I can't, Wade—I'm not a wizard, I can't—"
"You can," Wade interrupted. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters doesn't have magical restrictions. Even Muggles can enter. It's just that the Ministry of Magic has cast spells here, so Muggles usually overlook it."
"So—I—" Fred took a deep breath and stared at the brick wall ahead as if it were some kind of monster. "I can also—enter this platform—"
"Yes, you can. Come with me."
Wade held his hand and led him forward. Fred looked tense, and just before they were about to hit the brick wall, he couldn't help but close his eyes—
Nothing happened.
But suddenly, the noise around him grew louder.
A deep red train stood beside the platform, with all its carriage doors open.
Children in Hogwarts uniforms were leaning out of the windows, bidding farewell to their parents on the platform. The station was crowded; some children were running hurriedly, while others hugged their parents in reluctant goodbyes.
Cats roamed freely on the ground, and owls in cages swiveled their heads, looking around.
Older students huddled together, already discussing their holiday assignments. Some students struggled to free themselves from their mothers' embraces, saying, "Don't kiss me like that, Mom—I'm not a little kid anymore—"
"Have you packed your Book of Friends?" an elderly woman with a stern appearance asked the child beside her. "Don't lose it, and remember to stay in touch every day."
The rather naive-looking child beside her obediently replied, "I know, Grandma."
"Can I have another Book of Friends, Dad?" A girl clung to her father's arm, pleading, "I have so many friends at school—my little sister hasn't started school yet, so you can buy her one in a few days—"
"Don't even think about it—" shouted a younger girl nearby, jumping up and down. "It's mine—you can't have it—"
Looking around, at least one in three travelers was talking about the Book of Friends.
Some people were eagerly pulling out sheets of paper, already engrossed in their "chats," while others repeatedly checked their book for new messages. To ensure quick replies, they even kept pens clipped to their chest pockets or ears.
Fred watched this scene almost in a trance—Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was different from Diagon Alley.
This platform had once been his dream gateway to the wizarding world but had ultimately barred him from entering. As a child, he had imagined countless times the journey he would begin from here, only to finally set foot on the platform at the age of thirty-two.
After a while, Fred looked away and said in a restrained, slightly trembling voice, "Let's go, Wade—let's find you a compartment."
They walked along the platform for a while and found an empty compartment. Wade stowed his suitcase inside, then stepped off the train to say goodbye to his father.
"Wade—"
Fred placed his hand on Wade's shoulder, wanting to say something, but he couldn't find the words.
Should I tell him to study hard?
—Wade is already working harder than anyone else.
Should I advise him to build good relationships with others?
—Fred had already said that countless times.
Should I tell him...that his parents will always be his support, that no matter what problems he faces, he can always seek help from his family?
—But Fred knew all too well that when it came to the wizarding world, he and his wife were powerless. Even if Wade sought their help, what could they do other than share in his pain?
After a long pause, Fred's grip tightened slightly. "We're always proud of you, Wade—no matter what challenges you face, don't be afraid, don't hesitate. If you run into trouble, seek help from your teachers—do you understand?"
Wade nodded, looked into his father's eyes, and softly asked, "Dad, at the beginning—you didn't actually want me to come to Hogwarts, did you? Why didn't you stop me?"
"…I couldn't, Wade," Fred said with a bitter smile.
"I wanted to, but I couldn't—because I once heard that if a young wizard doesn't learn to control their magic, it can turn into a dark force called an Obscurus—destroying themselves—destroying everything—"
So all he could do was worryingly watch his son step into what he saw as a death trap—a slaughterhouse in the guise of a school...
Unable to stop him.
Powerless to help him.
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