The students looked from Wade to Abigail, then obediently filed out.
Professor Abigail casually cast a *Muffliato* towards the door, then asked, "Wade, what can I do for you?"
The professor still had a smile on her face, but her expression seemed subtly tense.
Wade sat opposite her and said, "Actually, it's nothing important. I just wanted to thank you, Professor. It's a good thing you arrived when you did, otherwise, I wouldn't have lasted much longer."
Abigail raised an eyebrow.
Perhaps it was a misconception, but she felt that the emphasis in Wade's words was on "when you did," rather than "thank you."
Was he suspicious of why she appeared so promptly in a crisis, when no other professors had arrived yet?
Maybe she was overthinking it... but Abigail still felt she needed to explain.
"Actually, I was already on the train... Remember? I said I wouldn't be staying at school for the holidays."
The professor playfully winked and said,
"I wasn't a Hogwarts student in the past, but I've long heard about this school, including this unique magical train. Since I had the chance, I naturally wanted to experience it."
"It's just that I was too excited last night and fell asleep shortly after getting on the train, which is why I didn't appear earlier."
"So that's how it was." Wade smiled, relieved. "Thanks to your curiosity, everyone was safe... Professor, your Patronus looks like a Doberman?"
"It's... it is..."
For some reason, Abigail's smile suddenly stiffened at this ordinary question, and she unnaturally changed the subject:
"Yours is an eagle, right? Very majestic, it seems to suit you. Who taught you?"
"It was Remus." Wade paused, then said, "Remus Lupin, he's my tutor."
Hearing Lupin's name, even though Abigail controlled her expression, the brief glance she shot at Wade betrayed her thoughts.
Wade could almost read her mind—You hired him as your tutor? Do you know he's a Werewolf?
He felt a slight pang inside, lowered his eyes, and asked, "Professor, did you study at Ilvermorny before? What kind of school is that?"
"Oh... Ilvermorny..."
Abigail unconsciously adjusted her hair and said, "Ilvermorny was founded based on Hogwarts, and it also has four houses—Thunderbird, Wampus, Horned Serpent, and Pukwudgie. New students also go through a Sorting Ceremony..."
"Which house were you in, Professor?" Wade asked.
"Me? I was in Wampus House. Actually, when I stood above the Gordian Knot—oh, that's Ilvermorny's Sorting Ceremony—both the Wampus and Thunderbird statues responded to me, but in the end, I chose Wampus House..."
As if recalling her pleasant school days, Abigail unconsciously smiled.
Wade responded with a word or two now and then, while silently observing her.
He wasn't entirely ignorant of Ilvermorny—among the thousands of books in the Hogwarts Library, there were many Wizard travelogues and Magic notes, and quite a few mentioned other Magic schools around the world.
Hogwarts was widely recognized as the oldest and best Magic academy, but other schools each had their unique characteristics. Ilvermorny, as an imitator, was mentioned most frequently.
Some praised it as the most democratic and inclusive Magic school, while others scorned its co-founder being a Muggle named James Stewart, who even became the headmaster.
In contrast, Ilvermorny's Sorting Ceremony was highly praised, with many believing its dual-choice mechanism was superior to Hogwarts' old hat.
Wade remembered that Ilvermorny's Wampus and Thunderbird were essentially the equivalents of Hogwarts' Gryffindor; Wampus symbolized warriors, and Thunderbird represented a love for adventure.
While it might be an oversimplification, the choice of house largely indicated the traits a student possessed, and these traits would be continually resonated with, assimilated, and strengthened by those around them throughout their years of study.
Wampus... courage...
Wade secretly wondered: Was Dumbledore's wait-and-see approach because he saw that Abigail was, in essence, a "Gryffindor"?
Someone who can summon a Patronus can't be all bad, right...? People like Umbridge, who are happily evil, must be extreme exceptions...
Wade muttered to himself, while asking, "Does Ilvermorny not have a train to the school? How do students get there?"
Abigail chuckled, "Ilvermorny is built on a mountaintop, surrounded by dense forests, so transportation like trains can't reach it."
"Students usually use Floo Powder to arrive at a village near the school, then ride broomsticks up. In recent years, Magic carpets have also become popular... As for students from Muggle families, the school has special Magic carriages for pick-up and drop-off..."
Abigail talked on, forgetting the time, until a broadcast on the train announced that students should prepare to disembark. She suddenly snapped out of it.
"Ah, it's already this late... You should hurry and pack your luggage." Abigail said.
"Alright, Professor, I'll see you next term." Wade said, "I'm really looking forward to the new format of Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
Previously, because Dumbledore hadn't returned and the Chamber of Secrets' modifications weren't fully complete, the Werewolf, Vampire, and other Magic Golems never had the chance to meet the students.
Next term, this course was sure to become even more exciting.
Hearing his words, Professor Abigail paused, then smiled and said, "Happy holidays, Wade."
"Happy holidays to you too, Professor."
...
The train slowly arrived at King's Cross Station, which was already bustling with people.
Although parents had already learned through the Book of Friends that the train was safe, they still rushed to the station, waiting anxiously.
"Anthony, darling, are you alright?"
"Miles... Miles... Has anyone seen Miles Blatch?"
"Ginny, my dear, let me see how you're doing!"
Before the train had even fully stopped, parents on the platform began calling out, eager to find their children in the crowd.
As soon as the doors opened, students rushed out, running to their parents, some burying their faces in their mothers' arms, sobbing loudly.
Wade also spotted his father in the crowd; he was standing very close to the tracks, peering into the train on tiptoe, his eyes searching anxiously.
Suddenly, he saw Wade walking over with his suitcase, and his gaze immediately fixed on him.
The man's lips trembled slightly, wanting to call his name, but no sound came out. He took two steps forward, his legs buckling, almost causing him to fall.
Wade reflexively swayed and was instantly in front of his father. He spread his arms and embraced him.
"Dad, don't worry, I'm fine." Wade said in a steady voice.
He felt his father's body trembling slightly, then his father hugged him back tightly, with so much force it was as if he feared Wade might fly away from the spot.
Behind them, Harry, who was a couple of steps slower with his suitcase, watched the father and son with envy. Michael, standing next to him, narrowed his eyes.
Was it his imagination… did Wade just Apparate?
—When did this guy learn even such difficult Magic?
Michael immediately looked around nervously, afraid of being seen, because Apparating without permission was illegal.
Of course, the penalty for such behavior wasn't severe, usually just a fine.
Fortunately, everyone around them was immersed in joy and relief, with no shortage of crying students and angrily shouting parents. No one else saw Wade's Apparition, and even the explosive sound went unnoticed.
This was because many parents had Apparated directly from the station with their children, and older students also showed off by using this method to go home.
"It's good that you're okay… Thank heavens you're okay… I only heard your train was attacked after I got to the station…" Ferdinand said in a hoarse voice.
"It was just a group of hungry Dementors." Wade said casually, deliberately downplaying it. "They're under the Ministry of Magic's jurisdiction, so they wouldn't dare do anything to us, at most just drain some happy emotions."
Ferdinand shook his head, still shaken.
He wasn't one of those Muggle parents completely ignorant of the magical world; he knew how dangerous and uncontrollable Dementors were.
Not far away, the Granger couple were quickly calmed by Hermione, smiling reassuringly, "Haha, so that's what it was… Your mother and I thought something terrible had happened to you!"
"Even Ministry of Magic employees shouldn't just intercept student trains!" Mrs. Granger said in dissatisfaction. "That's barbaric!"
"Alright, alright, I already said I'm fine!" Hermione linked arms with her parents and walked towards the station exit. "Let's go, I'm starving!"
She walked a few steps, then turned back to wave to her friends.
The voices nearby silenced the Gray father and son for a moment. Then, Wade stepped aside and introduced the two behind him to his father:
"Dad, these are my friends—Harry Potter and Michael Corner. Harry, Michael, this is my dad."
"Hello, boys." Ferdinand finally smiled, extending his hand proactively. "I'm Ferdinand Gray."
"Hello, Mr. Gray!"
Harry shook his hand stiffly, noticing that the man's fingers were as cold as ice.
He couldn't help but glance at Wade again, feeling envious of being cared for and worried about by one's parents.
Michael followed suit and shook his hand, grinning, "Hello, Mr. Gray, thank you very much for your invitation. By the way—that coat looks fantastic!"
"Thank you, Michael, and Harry. Wade has mentioned you both to me many times." Ferdinand said with a smile.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, would you mind if I conducted an interview with you?"
A sudden, overly enthusiastic voice came from beside them. Wade turned to see a reporter.
He wore glasses, looked quite young, and had on a dark grey vest with many pockets, seemingly carrying a lot of things. The vest also had the capital English letters FMC emblazoned on it.
Wade knew that FMC was a news media company founded by Marchioni, short for "Flowing Mirror Corporation." Marchioni had mentioned it several times in his letters, saying it was developing very well.
Of course, since Wade had been at Hogwarts, which had a closed-campus system, he hadn't truly experienced this for himself.
At that moment, he noticed that this reporter's attire was quite similar to a Muggle reporter's, with dark circles under his eyes. The only difference was that he wasn't carrying a camera; instead, a small blue bird perched on his shoulder.
This little bird was the Master Mirror of the Streaming Mirror, which was the Ministry of Magic's camera.
Upon recognizing Harry Potter, the reporter's eyes lit up. He immediately pushed his way to the front and said with even more enthusiasm, "Is that Mr. Potter? Mr. Potter, could you tell us about the train attack?"
"What?" Harry looked momentarily bewildered, then said awkwardly, "I... I'm not really sure..."
Wade reached out to block the reporter, saying, "Excuse me, we're not comfortable giving interviews, and I hope our names don't appear on the Streaming Mirror."
The reporter frowned, "May I ask who you are?"
"Wade Gray," Wade said.
"Ah… Mr. Gray…"
The reporter opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Wade's calm gaze, he gave up.
Having interviewed many people, he could clearly discern from a person's eyes who was a "soft persimmon" that could be squeezed for information, and who was resolute and wouldn't be swayed.
"Okay, though it's a bit of a shame…" The reporter poked his notebook with the tip of his pen and said cheerfully, "Happy holidays to you all! I hope I'll get a chance to interview you next time."
After speaking, he unhesitatingly turned to his next target.
"Hello, I'm a reporter from Streaming Mirror Media. Would you mind if I interviewed you?"
This time, the person he stopped happened to be Percy Weasley.
Upon hearing "reporter," the young man's eyes immediately lit up, and his face quickly turned as red as his hair. He straightened his clothes, forced a smile, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Of course."
Not far away, Mrs. Weasley was still holding her young daughter, comforting her with a pained expression, not noticing that her third son was being interviewed. Ron, beside her, was complaining that his mother wasn't paying enough attention to him.
The twins, however, immediately noticed the situation. They grinned conspiratorially, silently mimicking Percy's manner of speaking.
"Let's go," Wade said.
The group pushed their luggage carts to the magical wall. There were only three or four people ahead of them.
A ticket inspector stood nearby, holding a pocket watch, checking the time occasionally and allowing people through one by one. This was to prevent a large crowd from rushing out simultaneously, which would alert even the most oblivious Muggle.
Soon, everyone in front had passed through.
"It's your turn. Be discreet, and don't..."
The ticket inspector said blankly, looking up to check if anyone was acting out of line. When he saw Harry, he froze.
Everyone was already used to this situation. They pushed their carts and quickly walked through the wall with their heads down, entering the Muggle world.
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