The last few days of vacation spent at the Lovegood's house were like a stolen moment of leisure for Marcel.
He no longer clung to his notebooks, but instead accompanied Luna in the back hills, catching fish and insects, and then napping in the shade of a tree.
But the start of the school year came quickly, and Marcel had to end his true holiday.
Xenophilius sent Marcel and Luna to King's Cross Station and, after watching them pass through the barrier, hurried back to work.
But perhaps because they had arrived too early, there was almost no one on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Well, except for Hagrid's enormous figure, which could be seen from afar.
Marcel led Luna closer and only then discovered that there was another person blocked by Hagrid's wall-like body.
"Good morning, Professor Hagrid," Marcel said, patting Hagrid's arm. "Oh, and Professor Lupin... I'm looking forward to your classes."
Luna, beside Marcel, also nodded slightly to the two of them as a sign of politeness.
"Oh—Marcel, how did you know—" Hagrid looked at Marcel in surprise.
"It's nothing. When I saw The Monster Book of Monsters in Flourish and Blotts, I was already mentally prepared," Marcel said calmly, shrugging.
"Haha! I heard those books gave the bookstore manager a headache for a while!" Professor Lupin, opposite Hagrid, said with a big laugh.
Although Lupin should have still been quite young, he had quite a few wrinkles on his face. His hair was graying, his clothes were tattered, and his worn-out robes were full of patches. He looked exhausted.
But the mischievous spirit in his speech faintly revealed his inner untamed and calm nature.
Lupin clearly already knew a lot about this low-key yet talented student. He chatted enthusiastically with Marcel, occasionally making a small joke, not treating him like a child at all.
It was worth mentioning that Marcel gave Hagrid a lot of suggestions for his course arrangements, but it was really uncertain whether Hagrid would listen.
Luna stood by, quietly watching Marcel's profile. Gradually, the number of students around them began to increase.
"Alright, get on the train! Marcel... and Miss Lovegood," Lupin said with a smile.
When Marcel followed Lupin onto the Hogwarts Express and was about to lead Luna towards the back, she tugged at his sleeve.
"I'm going to my friend's. Are you coming?" Luna said softly.
Marcel looked at Lupin's back walking ahead, then at Luna, and couldn't help but ponder for a moment.
"Luna, I have something to do..." Marcel said. "Take this. If you encounter a Dementor, open the cork."
He said, and stuffed a milky-white potion bottle into Luna's hand.
"And, keep these chocolates. Eat some if you feel unwell. They're very effective."
Marcel watched Luna walk into a compartment, then continued towards the back.
Although he really wanted to keep Luna by his side, perhaps staying far from there was the most appropriate choice. After all, something unpleasant was likely to happen in a little while.
A short while later, the train began to move slowly, puffing steam.
At this time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who had been delayed for a little while by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, also arrived. They walked down the corridor looking for an empty compartment, but all the compartments were full.
As they walked, they found that they had reached the last carriage.
"Oh—Marcel!" Hermione said in pleasant surprise.
Harry was also very happy. Only Ron's face was a little down.
Marcel stood up and welcomed the three of them in. He naturally reached out, put his arm around Ron's shoulder, and pulled him to his side.
"Hey, don't worry about it so much," Marcel said softly. "I know what you're thinking, but no matter what, it's all in the past..."
"Oh—I guess so," Ron responded in a low voice.
It was clear that the expression on his face seemed to have relaxed slightly.
"Marcel, who is that?" Harry asked, pointing to the man in the corner.
Lupin was probably a little tired from the hurried journey. After chatting with Marcel for a while just now, he had said he wanted to take a short nap.
At this moment, he was sleeping lightly, leaning against the window.
"The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this term, Mr. Lupin," Marcel said softly. "Trust me, he is a qualified professor."
"Oh, I hope so... I mean, if it's as you say, I hope he can last longer," Harry couldn't help but say.
"But he looks very weak?" At least Ron was willing to speak near Marcel, although he still looked a little cautious. "Oh right, Harry, what did you want to tell us in the corridor just now?"
Harry told them about the argument between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him.
After he finished, Ron looked as if he had been struck by lightning, and Hermione covered her mouth with her hands.
"Sirius Black escaped to come after you? Oh, Harry... you have to be careful. Be very careful! Don't go looking for trouble, Harry..." Hermione urged repeatedly.
"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, annoyed. "Trouble usually finds me."
"I don't think you need to worry so much," Marcel said calmly. "Hogwarts is very safe. You just have to not run around."
But to expect the three little lions to be quiet was clearly a bit unrealistic.
It wasn't long before the trio started discussing some of the interesting shops in Hogsmeade.
"Ron, you know a lot about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked sharply. "I've read that it's the only all-wizarding village in Britain..."
"Yeah, I think so," Ron said carelessly. "But that's not why I want to go. I just want to go to Honeydukes!"
"What's that?" Hermione asked.
"It's a sweet shop," Marcel said casually. "It's full of strange and wonderful sweets, but I have to say, a few of them are quite good."
"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In Historic Sites of the Wizarding World, it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack is supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain—"
"Are you afraid of ghosts?" Marcel asked in return. "Didn't you go to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party?"
"No! I'm not afraid. I'm just curious..." Hermione said, turning her head away. "To get out of school for a little while and explore Hogsmeade, that would be great, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose so," Harry said glumly. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out."
"What do you mean?" said Ron.
"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't."
"You're not allowed to go?" Ron said in surprise. "But... maybe... Professor McGonagall or someone else will give you permission."
Harry gave a dry laugh.
Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor, was a very strict person.
"—or we could ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle—"
"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose! And Marcel also said..."
"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask for permission," said Harry bitterly.
"Marcel will probably go too, right?" Ron immediately turned his head and looked at Marcel expectantly. "In that case, Black wouldn't dare—"
The grudge in his heart seemed to have been completely washed away by the thought of fun.
"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," said Hermione sternly. "Black's already killed a lot of people in a crowded street. I don't want anything to happen to Marcel and Harry..."
As she spoke, she fumbled with the straps of Crookshanks' basket.
That was the pet cat Hermione had just bought in Diagon Alley. She thought Crookshanks was very cute, but Ron clearly didn't think so.
"Don't let that thing out!" Ron shouted.
But it was too late. Crookshanks leaped lightly out of the basket, stretched, yawned, and then jumped onto Ron's lap.
The lump in Ron's pocket trembled, and Ron angrily shooed Crookshanks away.
"Get off!"
"Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily.
"Oh, by the way," Harry said, looking at Crookshanks, who had jumped onto Marcel's lap, and asked curiously, "What about your owl? Why do I never see it?"
Marcel shook his head at the words.
"You mean Malfa? I don't always see her either... she likes to fly around. She spent the whole summer vacation in the Forbidden Forest."
The three little lions immediately looked at Marcel in surprise, but Marcel remained calm.
He stroked Crookshanks' fur and said faintly, "Malfa is an owl with a strong sense of self. Perhaps she was caged for a long time before, and now she really likes the feeling of freedom."
The Hogwarts Express chugged steadily north, and the scenery outside the window gradually turned into continuous woods. The surroundings also became darker.
At the same time, the clouds overhead grew thicker.
Outside their compartment door, people kept walking back and forth. Crookshanks was now lying comfortably on Marcel's lap, its squashed face turned towards Ron, its yellow eyes always fixed on Ron's pocket.
At one o'clock, the food trolley rattled up to their compartment door.
"Do you think we should wake him up?" Ron said awkwardly, looking at Professor Lupin, who still looked tired in his sleep. "He looks like he could use something to eat."
"Don't worry, I have plenty of food in my trunk. We can talk about it when he wakes up."
Marcel stopped Hermione, who was about to go over and wake Lupin, and gestured for them to just take care of their own stomachs first.
"The professor told me before he went to sleep that he was just a little tired."
In the afternoon, it began to rain, and the outline of the continuous low hills outside the window gradually blurred in the rain.
At this time, they heard footsteps in the corridor outside again. A few people seemed to be slowly approaching...
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