The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

Before he could say anything more, Cho Chang had already grabbed his wrist, her palm carrying a faint scent of gardenias. "Don't be afraid, just follow my rhythm and keep Hogwarts in mind," she said, dragging her suitcase and leading the way toward the brick wall.

Julien could feel the strength in her fingertips, warm and firm. He obediently followed, watching Cho Chang's figure pass through the brick wall without hindrance, the silver-gray suitcase wheels leaving a brief afterimage on the wall before disappearing.

He took a deep breath and followed closely behind, passing through the thin magical barrier. The northern girl rolled her eyes at the one in front of her, then followed after her, clutching her bundle.

The world suddenly transformed. The red Hogwarts Express was billowing steam, and the white mist rising from its chimneys mingled with the sunlight, forming beams of golden light.

The platform was crowded with wizard families. Some children were already dressed in black wizard robes, excitedly greeting each other. The hooting of owls, the croaking of toads, and the admonitions of parents blended into a lively symphony.

"Goodbye! I'm off to see my classmates." Cho Chang waved to the two with a smile. "I hope you can come to Ravenclaw."

"Welcome to Platform 9¾," Julien said with a suppressed smile to the northern girl next to him.

The girl from the north stood there, staring blankly at everything before her, her icy blue eyes filled with shock.

"Thank you." The girl's voice was still cool, but there was a hint of sincerity in her tone. "My name is Liria."

"Shillem Julien Black, just call me Julien." Julien pointed to her package. "Your things are quite special."

Liria instinctively hugged it tighter, as if it were her only support. "It's important."

Just as the two were about to board the train, a young man in a neat uniform and top hat stopped them. He was handsome, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and his right little finger was missing.

He held a seemingly ordinary ticket clip in his hand, but Julien keenly noticed that runes were faintly flowing along the edge of the clip.

"New students?" The man's voice was calm and professional. "Please show me your tickets."

Did the Harry Potter novels actually include a ticket check? I don't think so. But it probably isn't important.

Julien didn't think much of it, and he and Liria both took out their tickets.

After a careful inspection, the man's gaze lingered on Liria for a few more seconds, especially on the animal skin bundle in her arms.

"First time riding the Hogwarts Express?" he asked Lyria, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"Yes," Liria replied briefly, instinctively feeling a slight unease about the man.

"We're all freshmen, so of course it's our first time," Julien said, somewhat puzzled.

"Have a pleasant journey." The man handed back the ticket, nodded slightly without saying anything, and then turned to walk towards the next group of students. His figure quickly disappeared into the steam and crowd.

"Who is he?" Liria asked Julien in a low voice.

"I don't know, maybe a ticket inspector." Julien shook his head, but a ripple of emotion stirred within him. The man didn't feel like an ordinary flight attendant; he seemed more like... some kind of surveillance.

"Never mind him," Julien patted Liria on the shoulder. "Let's find a carriage to sit in first. By the way, do you know which college you're going to?"

Liria shook her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her icy blue eyes. "I don't know. I just... it doesn't matter which academy it is."

The Hogwarts Express whistle sounded, long and resonant, as if urging those who hadn't yet boarded to hurry up and get on.

The platform was noisy with people, owls flapped their wings, toads jumped restlessly in their cages, and parents gave their last words of advice and hugged each other, some even secretly wiping away tears.

Julien sat by the window of the cubicle, his gaze piercing through the rising white steam, landing on the red-haired family not far away. It must be the Weasleys, no doubt. Otherwise, he wouldn't have seen such a large family of wizards gathered together.

Mrs. Weasley was adjusting her youngest son's collar, and he looked embarrassed and impatient. Two tall, identical boys were laughing and playing, while the youngest girl looked around excitedly.

Further away, a tall, handsome young man was walking slowly across the platform. He had light brown curly hair, a face that was almost perfectly handsome, and a gentle yet confident smile on his lips.

Behind him, Cho Chang, whom he had just met, was talking quietly with several Ravenclaw girls, occasionally glancing at his back with a slightly flushed face.

Julien understood: Cedric Diggory, the pride of Hufflepuff.

"This person does have a good appearance." The cold Liria spoke for the first time.

Julien noticed that Lyria's gaze was also following Cedric's profile.

"Indeed, doesn't he look like a vampire?"

"Hmph." Liria snorted coldly, rolled her eyes at Julien again, and said nothing.

Suddenly, Julien's gaze was drawn to several suspicious-looking adults at the edge of the platform.

They wore inappropriate dark trench coats, their eyes sharp as hawks, and they scanned the crowd as if searching for a specific target.

What alarmed him even more was that the ticket inspector with the severed finger was standing in the shadows at the entrance to platform 9¾, his eyes like knives, fixed on the group of people, his right hand always on his waist. It was clear that what he was about to pull out was no ordinary ticket clip.

"Who are they looking for?" Liria's voice came from behind, cold and icy.

Julien did not answer, but simply shook his head slightly.

Just then, his gaze caught sight of a small, thin figure—Harry Potter was standing at the edge of the crowd, dragging a worn-out suitcase, looking somewhat uneasy.

Julien felt a surge of warmth in his heart and instinctively wanted to push open the door, get out of the car, and greet them. But as soon as he opened the door to the cubicle, he found that the corridor was already blocked by a swarm of little wizards.

Some people were scrambling for window seats, while others were showing off their newly bought Chocolate Frog cards. The noise was so loud it almost lifted the roof off the carriage.

"Never mind, let's talk about it after the car starts moving," Julien muttered to himself, turning back to his seat.

The cubicle was small, with only two soft seats facing each other. Liria sat opposite Julien by the window, carefully placing the long, rectangular object wrapped in animal skin on her lap, cradling it in her arms as if it were some precious treasure.

Her cloak remained tightly wrapped around her, revealing only a pale yet delicate face, her icy blue eyes flashing with wariness and aloofness.

"Are you from far to the north?" Julien asked tentatively.

"Beyond Norway, further north lies the Land of Eternal Night," Liria replied briefly, her voice like a stream flowing beneath ice, but without specifying a location.

The two were chatting casually when the door to the cubicle was suddenly pulled open gently.

A figure darted in nimbly, moving as fast as a cat. She quickly closed the door, leaned against it, and cautiously peered into the corridor for a few seconds. Only after confirming that no one was following her did she let out a long sigh of relief.