A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 494: On the Train

Early the next morning, the students packed their luggage and crowded the hall, waiting for the carriages to take them to the station. Harry held a trunk in his left hand and Heidestrand Vira's cage in his right, watching as Madame Maxime and Fleur headed toward the lawn where Beauxbatons' carriage stood.

"Fleur said she plans to replace a job in England at this sensitive time... what could she be thinking?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged, equally unsure. His gaze shifted past the crowd, catching Hermione and Krum exchanging final goodbyes. Krum said something, but Hermione shook her head in discomfort.

"They're all in their last year at school, aren't they?" Harry suddenly realized.

"Right, which means our House Cup triumph was top-notch," Ron grinned satisfactorily. "Plus, with the reward from 'Future World,' I've almost saved up a thousand Galleons... that's a hefty sum," he said, flush with excitement.

"I heard you're aiming to be an Auror?" Collins teased from behind him.

"Yeah," Ron turned slowly to face her.

"You better step up then... or you'll struggle once you're in," Collins said.

As Ron mulled over her words, Harry's eyes widened.

"Collins, you haven't already—"

"I'm glad you've caught on, Harry," Collins smirked, her thick eyebrows standing out like caterpillars. She happily stated, "I'm already a prospective Auror; Ms. Bones herself replied to me—"

"That's impossible!" Ron exclaimed.

Collins smugly produced a letter from her pocket. "Arrived this morning... a bit messy but understandable. I reckon she's been busy these days."

Harry stared dumbfounded at the scrawl before him, the writing unmistakably familiar.

It was from Sirius.

"Hold on—" Ron also noticed something, squinting as he scrutinized the note, seemingly confirming.

Harry hastily patted Ron's back, awkwardly blurting out, "Collins, do you greatly admire Ms. Bones?"

Collins snorted, pleased, as she tucked the note away. "Of course, my aim is to be the next Minister for Magic."

At that moment, Hermione returned, overhearing the last sentence. Clearing her throat behind Collins, she remarked, "So, I have competition?"

Collins turned, appraising Hermione. "You also aim to be Minister for Magic?"

The sparks in the two girls' eyes seemed to ignite a fire, making Harry and Ron shiver. Hermione squared her shoulders, locking eyes with Collins.

"What are you thinking? Wanting to make history, becoming the first Muggle-born Minister for Magic?" Hermione stated without hesitation.

"We already had one, Nobby Leach, he was the first," Hermione replied without missing a beat.

"Then the first female Muggle-born Minister for Magic?" Collins instantly retorted.

"I'm not particularly interested in that title; I just feel certain things need doing..." Hermione gazed at Collins, casually asking, "By the way, do you have house-elves at home?"

"Yes," Collins replied.

"Do you get along with them?" Hermione followed up.

"Alright, I guess—" Collins looked bewildered.

"We've got some common ground then. I established an organization, well, it's on hiatus... but if you're interested..." Hermione drew Collins aside into a corner.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

"Is Hermione thinking—"

"Quite likely..."

They stared intently at Collins and Hermione, the hall abuzz, drowning out their conversation. Harry and Ron could only observe the expressions of the two girls. After a while, Hermione returned, looking triumphant.

"You succeeded?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Oh, well, sort of?" Hermione shook her head. "She's quite interested, but she strongly resists that name."

"That's odd," Ron said dryly. "Why can't a Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare be called 'Ouch'?"

"I've told you! It's not 'Ouch,' it's S.P.E.W.!" Hermione said, annoyed.

At that moment, the carriage without a driver approached, and they hastily jumped aboard. Harry stared at a spot on the reins, lost in thought. "There's something there, isn't it? A creature called... um, Thestrals?"

It was strange he hadn't noticed this in almost four years. But once he knew the name from the book, he noticed many peculiarities—the faint sound of breathing, the clop of hooves, all so obvious.

Hermione also stared at the blank space. The carriage moved forward, pulled by an invisible force.

"I've only seen these creatures in pictures... of course, I'm not feeling sorry about it; they don't have a good reputation... it's connected to their traits, only those who've seen death can see them, perhaps it's a unique invisibility principle..."

"Luna can see Thestrals," Ron suddenly said, then explained, "I overheard Ginny talking about it."

Hermione glared at Ron, sarcastically saying, "You're not discreet at all," her tone a bit sharp toward Ron.

"I didn't mean to," Ron shrugged. "It was just after Christmas, she was planning a birthday present for Luna..."

Harry suddenly remembered his experience at 'Future World No.1 Shop' before school started. Luna came with her dad, and despite knowing her for so long, she never mentioned her mom.

"Hope we never see one in our lives," Ron said hopefully as they got off. "Though it's a bit unlikely—what I mean is, a high hope!"

Harry and Hermione shared a faint smile.

The sky was cloudless, yet the trio felt a bit melancholic.

"They found an empty compartment on the train to Hogwarts before it made its stop at Hogsmeade Station. Harry placed Hedwig's cage in the corner, as far away as possible from Ron's noisy pygmy puff that had already disturbed Hedwig's nap. Hermione's Crookshanks curled up in the vacant spot next to her, looking just like a ginger cushion.

"Is Krum inviting you over for the summer?" Harry inquired, recalling Hermione mentioning it earlier.

"Yeah," Hermione replied, "but I declined. You know, given the circumstances..."

At that moment, the door was pulled open from outside.

Fred poked his head in, grinning, "Up for a game?" He darted in, "Watch it, George."

"I didn't—this door seems jammed!" George struggled to shut it, resulting in a banging noise.

"Ouch!" A yelp came close to George's ear. The door shut.

Startled, George took a few steps back, staring at the door in astonishment.

"There's something there," he asserted.

Without his prompting, everyone in the compartment noticed the anomaly: outside the window, a round, startled face emerged from the air.

"It's Crabbe!" Harry exclaimed, realizing something and swiftly withdrew his wand, scanning the air around them.

"What's—" Ron and Hermione panted, Ron still with a large chunk of Cauldron Cake in his mouth. Yet, their long-standing understanding made them both draw their wands simultaneously.

A half-glowing wand was thrust out of the air; Harry widened his eyes. Suddenly, it seemed as if someone had set off a box of fireworks inside the compartment. Spells shot from different angles, bursts of light and noise erupted in the confined space.

Once everything quieted down, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked down at Draco and Goyle, unconscious and bewildered, sprawled in the corner. Fred crouched beside them, inspecting.

"They seem to have used a Polyjuice Potion, and it had a peculiar reaction with the curses on them..."

Draco and Goyle were covered in bruises, various patches of hair, and boils, looking rather pitiful.

George opened the compartment door, quickly glanced around, then turned back, "The chubby one fled—who cast the Hair-Growth Charm?" He gestured towards Draco on the floor.

"I did," Harry confessed.

"Marvelous effect, Fred, don't you think? Perhaps we could start a series of 'hairy people'?" He quipped.

Finally, they moved Draco and Goyle to the next compartment and returned to playing Exploding Snap.

Fred and George were thoroughly engrossed. By the fifth round, Harry couldn't help but ask them, "What's so amusing?"

"Are we being that obvious?" Fred and George exchanged glances, simultaneously asking.

"Yeah, don't keep us in suspense," grumbled Ron, his face covered in scraps of paper, "we could use some fun."

"Alright then," George said seriously, "we can't wait."

"What can't you wait for?" Harry inquired.

"The prank on the professors... Remember we said we'd try it on the next professor's birthday? But then we thought waiting a whole year would be a shame."

"What have you done?" Harry held his breath, "The professors will surely replace out."

"Not necessarily," Fred countered, "we took a leaf out of 'The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle'... a surprise box, complete with springs and a terrifying doll, all handmade. I doubt he'll catch on ahead of time."

"What kind of doll?" Ron was taken aback.

"The Noseless One," Fred said matter-of-factly.

Ron started coughing violently, cake crumbs flying everywhere. "V... Voldemort?"

"You guessed it. Great idea, isn't it? We figured it won't go out of style for another year or two." George grinned.

Hermione looked up from her magical scrolls, surprised by the twins' ability to come up with such a scheme; it must have taken a lot of effort...

Meanwhile, Felix sat cross-legged on the train roof, one hand propping up his chin, idly watching the rapidly passing scenery. He extended his other free hand and flicked the bare head of the doll; it immediately started swaying back and forth on its spring.

"Finely crafted, and surprisingly bold... Hopefully, the upcoming journey will offer a few Death Eaters for me to practice on," Felix remarked, scratching an itch at the thought that, for a moment, he had indeed been startled.

...

The Hogwarts Express passed through villages and towns, finally stopping at King's Cross Station without any mishaps. As Harry bid farewell to his companions upon exiting the platform, he caught sight of a familiar figure. He turned, and the person seemed to vanish suddenly.

Strange. Was that the professor? Or did his eyes deceive him?

"I say, what are you waiting for?" Uncle Vernon glared at Harry—or rather, at the cage containing the owl, muscles twitching on his face.

Harry followed him, oddly unaffected internally. Compared to the troubles ahead, the Dursleys seemed more bearable now.

Just one chapter's worth of words today. I initially intended to segue into the summer break, but got stuck repeatedly.

>

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