The Black Bloodline of Hogwarts

"Oh? What's he doing there?" Cassian's eyes lit up.

"I don't know about that; that's something you should investigate. I only caught a glimpse of it from afar." Julien didn't mention anything about Falling Star Bay.

"Is that so?" Cassian stared at him for a long time, so long that Rozier cleared his throat impatiently.

"Okay, this news is very important to us."

The operative from the Bureau of Mysteries concluded, "If you discover anything unusual, feel free to contact me. Need this? It's very useful."

As he spoke, he pulled a small, glowing golden toad from his pocket. "This is..."

"No need, thank you," Julien interrupted him. "If there's anything, we'll contact Susan Burns."

"Ahem, well... um, either way is fine." This time it was Cassian's turn to feel a little awkward.

"Oh, one more thing," Cassian said, turning to leave, then stopping.

"Wolfgang isn't just a member of the Moonshadow Council. He's the nephew of Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf leader—by blood, not by blood. This means..."

"What does it mean?" Liria pressed, even in the North, Fenrir's name was often used by adults to scare disobedient children.

"It means he can remain sane during a full moon," Cassian's voice was as soft as a sigh, "It means he's ten times more dangerous than an ordinary werewolf. It means..."

He paused, then continued, "Actually, the Moonshadow Council didn't accept werewolves before. But now, if the council is really looking for something, they have a perfect hunter."

Cassian then turned and disappeared into the surging crowd, as if he had never been there.

A sharp whistle blew, and a figure waving a signal sign appeared. Then came a long, heavy sigh before the train departed, as if offering a gentle sigh of relief to all those about to say goodbye.

Julien, Rozier, and Liria exchanged a glance; without a word, a profound understanding formed between them.

"Let's go," Rozier gestured for everyone to go inside, "We have the whole school year... to figure this out."

"Hopefully, we can make it through the whole school year." Julien unconsciously clenched his fist.

Just then, a little girl with red hair quietly slipped out of the class monitor's compartment and ran towards the back of the carriage, peeking into the compartments that passed by every now and then, as if looking for someone.

What made the shy Ginny so bold? Julien found it quite interesting, and suddenly noticed that Ginny was clutching the black notebook tightly in her hand.

The train glided slowly, soon leaving King's Cross Station behind.

Julien found an empty carriage, put his luggage away, and the three of them sat down. The scenery outside the window rushed past.

"So," Rozier closed the carriage door, her star brooch gleaming in the dim light, "the French Riviera. You really didn't find anything?"

Julien remained silent for a long time, as if he were reminiscing.

Outside the window, the outline of the Scottish Highlands began to emerge in the distance, the grey-blue mountains resembling a sleeping giant.

“I’ve found it,” he finally said. “A door. A sunken city. And a…” He looked at Rozier, “a ghost that looks a lot like you.”

Instantly, the two women's expressions changed drastically, especially Rozier's.

Rozier: "Looks like me?"

Liria: "A ghost?"

The train entered the first tunnel, and the carriages were plunged into brief darkness.

Julien felt a familiar burning pain on the inside of his right wrist—the hound totem faintly appeared under his skin, as if responding to some distant call.

After a while, the three of them sat down in silence.

Julien noticed that Rozier's hand was unconsciously stroking the star brooch, and that a feather on Liria's cloak was moving without wind.

Clearly, both of them were processing the unbelievable information Julien had just shared.

"Whoosh!" The cubicle door was suddenly pulled open. A girl with long, fluffy brown hair appeared in the doorway; it was Hermione, followed by a tearful Ginny.

"So you're here after all," Hermione said anxiously. "Julien, something terrible has happened! Harry and Ron are missing; they didn't get on the train!"

"Oh right!" Julien slapped his forehead. He clearly knew that Harry had spent the summer at the Burrow, but he hadn't thought that the entrance to Hogwarts would be closed by the house-elf Dobby this year, preventing Harry and Ron from getting in. Instead, they secretly drove a Ford Anglia modified by Mr. Weasley to Hogwarts.

Later, they were spotted by some Muggles along the way, and eventually ran into the Whomping Willow, causing a huge commotion. How could I have forgotten to warn them?

Wait a minute, Julien thought again. Ron's old wand was broken by the Willow, but it was a key prop in dealing with Lockhart in the Chamber of Secrets later. Luckily, they didn't remind them. Hahaha.

"Oh dear, could they have run into a dark wizard?" Rozier and Liria were still immersed in Cassian's warning and Julien's summer adventures, so they immediately thought of this possibility.

"Oh no, what should we do?" Upon hearing this, Ginny's tears welled up again.

"No, Ginny," Hermione quickly reassured Ginny.

"Julien, you agree, right? Hey, Julien, Julien!" Hermione was completely bewildered by Julien's ever-changing expressions.

"Don't worry," Julien said, gesturing for Hermione and Ginny to sit down. He then bent down and looked directly into Ginny's eyes. "Don't worry, Ginny. Harry, and Ron... they always manage to get through this, don't they?"

"Really?" Ginny asked uncertainly.

"Really, otherwise why would Harry be called 'The Boy Who Lived'?"

Hermione sat next to her with a look that said, "Let's see how you fool the kids."

Just then, Percy and his twin brother rushed into the cubicle.

"Julien, do you really not know what happened? I remember you were walking behind me." Percy, who had lost his usual seriousness, asked anxiously.

Julien shrugged; he could understand Percy's feelings. "I really didn't know. I met up with Rozier and Liria right after I entered the station and didn't see what happened next."

"Yes, yes, we were also near the platform entrance, but we didn't see them enter the station," Rozier quickly added.

“I said, no rush, Percy,” one of the twins standing next to him, George or Fred, interrupted lazily, “even if they didn’t get in the car, there are other ways. If it were me, I’d fly to school in Dad’s beat-up car; we might have already crashed into a Muggle weather balloon.”

Julien couldn't help but marvel at how the twins always managed to get closer to the truth unintentionally, just like last semester when they hit Quirrell on the back of the head with a snowball.

"Huh?" Percy Weasley, who had already sat down, suddenly looked up. "This is a serious violation of the 'Law on the Reasonable Restraint of Underage Wizards,' this really deserves expulsion, their wands will be broken! The Ministry of Magic will—"

Before Percy could finish speaking, Ginny started crying again.

"Can you please stop showing off your 'Magical Law' knowledge at a time like this?" George/Fred said, displeased. "Don't scare Ginny; this kind of bluff could make the front page of the Daily Prophet!"

"Bullshit! Can't you two be serious for once!" Percy's face flushed red. "You can't just say things like that, it concerns the Weasley family's reputation! Dad will be investigated by the Ministry of Magic because of this—"

The carriage was filled with the sounds of arguing, and no one noticed that outside the window, a gray falcon flew past at great speed, much faster than an owl, carrying a letter sealed with black wax in its talons, heading towards Hogwarts Castle. It was an urgent letter from the Ministry of Magic.