The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

Years of training had made Cassian faster than the man in black before him; with a flick of his right wrist, his wand was already drawn. At that moment, the man in black had only drawn his wand halfway out.

The man in black paused for a moment. He glanced back and forth between the two sides, seemingly trying to find the right direction to launch a surprise attack, since there were carriages on both sides and Cassian could only block one end.

Just then, a cart slowly pushed over, completely blocking one of the passageways for the man in black.

"Need some snacks? Chocolate frog, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Magic Wand, Pumpkin Juice..." The woman pushing the cart was in her thirties, her voice long and drawn out as she called out her wares.

"Hello, Mrs. Witherspoon." Cassian nodded slightly, then turned again, blocking the other end of the passage.

"Oh, it's Cassian, kid. Wherever you are, things never stay peaceful," Winnie Witherspoon said, her eyes fixed on the man in black.

In the eyes of the man in black, Mrs. Witherspoon's aura was even stronger than that of the young man, as if she posed a greater danger.

The man in black sighed and raised his hands: "Alright, I'll get out of the car."

He turned and opened the train door, Cassian hesitating whether to stop him, now that he had the upper hand. Winnie said, "Let him go. I know. He's here to see Rozier."

After opening the train door, the man in black jumped off the speeding train (about the speed of a bicycle).

"Rozier? Which Rozier?"

“Elizabeth Rozier,” Winnie said, “sneaked out of home this year to attend Hogwarts. Dumbledore agreed.”

"Alright, then let Dumbledore take care of this."

"By the way, Cassian, why did the Department of Mysteries send you out again? Is it something important?"

"It's nothing really. We've noticed unusual fluctuations in magic all over the place this year. The department sent me to check on the young wizards. Besides, Harry Potter is starting school this year, isn't he?"

"So what did you discover?"

Cassian subconsciously touched the ticket scanner in his pocket. "Hmm, there are quite a few surprises. More than I expected," he said, without elaborating.

Winnie Witherspoon didn't press the matter. "You've become quite eccentric ever since you joined the Department of Mysteries." With that, she pushed the cart away. "Alright, get out of the way. I'm off to do business."

"Chocolate Frog~, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans~, Licorice Magic Wand~, Pumpkin Juice..."

-----------------

Back to the last carriage.

Julien's attempts to dissuade them failed to calm Liria and Rozier down. The two continued to glare at each other, magic surging in the small space, the temperature in the cubicle fluctuating wildly, and even a thin layer of frost forming on the windowpane.

Suddenly, a loud "quack" broke the silence and startled everyone.

Suddenly, a golden toad popped out from the gap in a suitcase in the corner of the cubicle. Its round body landed in the center of the floor, and it puffed out its cheeks and croaked twice.

Liria instinctively took a half step back, a hint of surprise flashing in her icy blue eyes, and her hand holding the wand that emitted a cold blue light unconsciously loosened.

Rozier was also taken aback. The faint light at the tip of his wand dimmed as he stared at the toad tilting its head and looking at them. His brows furrowed and then slowly relaxed.

"Oh, this is probably... Neville's toad?" Julien realized first and bent down to grab it, but the toad nimbly jumped to Liria's feet and croaked again.

"Who is Neville?" The two women asked at the same time, then fell silent.

Liria looked at the small creature at her feet, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing, her voice softening: "There are no toads like this in the Evernight Forest of the North. There are only glowing moss and cold-resistant snow wolves there."

She slowly sat down, her fingertips gently brushing the feather decorations on her cloak. "I come from an ice and snow tribe in Northern Europe. Our people survive by relying on ancient natural magic. We guard the magic stone tablet to protect a contract, a contract with Dumbledore."

"I wasn't even born when the Rozier family came knocking on our door." Her voice trembled slightly. "They wanted to seize the stone tablet for Grindelwald. My grandmother used her last magic to block the curse to protect the tribe, but she never woke up again. So, the Rozier family are invaders, they are robbers!" As she spoke, Liria's voice rang out again, as if she was about to lose control of her emotions.

However, Rozier did not erupt at this moment. She remained silent for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the snake-shaped brooch, her eyes reddening.

"Because of my parents' business dealings, I was born on a plantation in Belgium, not in my ancestral home in Germany. I was taught from a young age that 'pure-blood supremacy' is paramount, and I have personally witnessed members of my family using dark magic to harm Muggle merchants."

She looked up sharply, her eyes resolute. "But I despise those shady dealings. I secretly hid the magic notebook my mother left behind, and this summer, taking advantage of the family's chaos, I ran away to London to apply for Hogwarts because Dumbledore is here."

She turned to Liria, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about. But my family's history has never been a source of pride for me, but rather a shackle." She looked into Liria's eyes, her voice tinged with apology, "I didn't know... your tribe had suffered such things. I can't deny the evil deeds those people committed. But I will never become like them."

Liria pursed her lips, said nothing, but gently shook her head, the hostility in her eyes having mostly dissipated.

Just then, the cubicle door was suddenly pushed open, and there was that girl with brown curly hair again, her face full of anxiety. When she saw the toad on the floor, her eyes lit up, and then her gaze fell on Julien, instantly switching to an expression of surprise, joy, and grievance.

"Julien!" She strode in and grabbed Julien's arm. "You...you...you're a wizard too! We can go to class together again!"

"No! Did you already know all along?!" No wonder Julien never told her which middle school he would apply to, or when he would bring a surprise or something.

So... this guy...

Thinking of this, her eyes reddened, and her nose twitched slightly: "But why didn't you tell me? You didn't tell me when I was at St. George's Elementary School, you didn't tell me when I received my acceptance letter, and even though we were on this train, you didn't contact me right away!"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, her voice trembling with tears: "I thought... I thought you didn't want to be friends with me anymore, especially after you found out I was going to Hogwarts, I was worried I would never see you again."

The toad seemed to sense Hermione's emotions, croaked again, and jumped to her feet, rubbing against her.

Seeing Hermione's reddened eyes, Julien quickly explained, "It wasn't that I deliberately kept it from you. My grandfather said to keep it a secret, and I wanted to find you as soon as I arrived, but here..."

He looked at Liria and Rozier, "There's been a bit of a mishap here too."

"Hmph! What a jerk!" Rozier and Liria said simultaneously again. They exchanged a glance, then turned their heads away.

However, a slight, mocking smile appeared on both of their lips. The atmosphere in the cubicle finally eased completely, and the Scottish Highlands scenery outside the window seemed exceptionally bright.