Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 15 The Journey Begins at Platform 9

Time always slips away unnoticed. In the blink of an eye, London's weather went from cool to warm, and then back to cool. As the temperature shifted, the start of the school year arrived.

"In our time, if a wizarding apprentice wanted to attend Hogwarts, it was best to bring his own suit of armor. If he couldn't afford the armor, he should at least prepare a longsword. Magic was important, but good swordsmanship was equally important."

"Yes, you're right," Lupert said casually, picking up his suitcase.

Lupert was long immune to her master's strange remarks. In her eyes, her master should be a wizard who had lived for a very long time, but for some reason, he had become so young.

Immortality or rejuvenation? It doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't affect the fact that the master is an extremely powerful wizard.

"I'm really looking forward to the legendary Platform 9 and the Hogwarts Express. In the Middle Ages, students got to school by their own means, which meant some students didn't arrive until two weeks after the start of the semester. Plus, it wasn't safe; the letters would include the school's address, which was a potential problem..."

Rice was a little excited today because he was finally going back to that place.

Although all my old friends have passed away, that place remains a place where I have indelible memories.

"That would be a dream trip."

……

After much trouble, Hermione Granger and her family finally found Platform 9, which was mentioned on her acceptance letter.

Just as she was looking at the red steam train with a face full of surprise, a familiar figure came into her view.

"Rice?!" The little girl remembered the boy she had "picked up" at the campsite.

At that moment, he, like himself, gazed longingly at the steam-belching train not far away.

A stylish and beautiful woman stood beside him, carrying a small suitcase. She wore a baseball cap and a silk scarf around her neck. She wore a brown coat, and tight-fitting stockings clung to her shapely thighs, which, along with her mid-calf boots, made her legs appear slender and long.

"Rice's mother is so beautiful!" That was the first thought that popped into Hermione's head.

It's unclear what Lupet will think when he learns that he has been promoted to a higher level.

"The creations of Muggles are truly not to be underestimated."

This behemoth greatly shocked Rice.

He knew that there were many Muggles with such trains, that this type of train was almost obsolete in the Muggle world, and that Muggles had many other creations of the same or even far beyond the limits of his imagination...

Rice now understands why the wizards created a secrecy law.

Only by hiding can wizards have their own space to live, just like hiding a drop of water in the ocean.

Once the magical world is exposed, the wizards will face a fate beyond their control, just like the goblins and house-elves they have conquered.

Just as Rice was worrying about the gap between the wizarding and non-magical worlds, he heard Hermione's voice. Turning around, he saw the little girl he had met in Dean Forest waving at him.

"I never thought we'd run into each other here! Why did you leave without saying goodbye that night? Your parents were worried about you for ages."

Rice wanted to tell her that without him, her whole family would have become Lupert's meal that night. But then she thought, who can say for sure what will happen before it even happens? Maybe by some twist of fate, the Granger family wouldn't have encountered the werewolf.

Hermione didn't dwell on why Rice left without saying goodbye, but instead turned around and greeted Rupert.

Before she left, her mother taught her that she should be polite at Hogwarts, get along well with her classmates, and greet each other's parents when she met them, so as to be a well-mannered lady.

So she did as instructed.

"Hello, Auntie, I'm Hermione Granger. I met him once in Dean Forest. You must be Rice's mother? You're so beautiful!"

Hermione thought it was always a good idea to compliment a woman on her youth and beauty; when she said it before, those aunties were always happy, and she was sure it would work this time too—besides, Rice's "mother" was indeed beautiful.

Unfortunately, Lupert and Rice's situations are a bit special...

After glancing at Rice's expression and finding that he didn't seem to mind the form of address, Lupert felt relieved and didn't correct Hermione, instead going along with her words.

Of course, she wasn't crazy enough to call herself Rice's mother in front of him; instead, she used another ingenious method to change the subject.

"You're adorable too! Hurry up and get on the bus, or you'll miss out on seats—Hello, Mr. Granger!"

The adults started exchanging pleasantries, while the children huddled together and chatted.

"You received your Hogwarts acceptance letter too?" Hermione blurted out the question, then realized how silly it sounded and quickly added, "I mean, did you know you'd receive a letter from the magic school?"

"Know."

Not only did Rice know, but he also knew exactly how the letter was sent.

"Then she..." Hermione's eyes glanced at Rupert.

"Yes, she is a witch."

Hermione: !

She glanced at Rice with envy. In her opinion, having a wizard mother was incredibly cool! Moreover, children from wizarding families like Rice were immersed in a magical atmosphere from a young age, so they were definitely far ahead of her in terms of magic.

Fortunately, I read a lot of books during the summer vacation, so the gap between me and these children from magical families shouldn't be that big anymore.

Before Hermione could begin telling Rice about the books she had read during her holidays, the two sets of "parents" finally finished their small talk, boarded the Hogwarts Express with their children, and were lucky enough to find an empty compartment.

"Alright, we're leaving now. Hermione, you need to..." Mrs. Granger gave Hermione her tedious instructions while Rice was also assigning Lupert tasks.

"Find a place to stay in Diagon Alley, and continue gathering intelligence as usual. If anything comes up, just send me an owl mail." Rice pulled a bulging money pouch from his pocket. "Take this money for now, and send me a letter if you need more. The Restoration Charm is still active; if it wears off, contact me immediately..."

Both sides were handing over tasks to each other, except that the roles of parent and child were reversed on Rice's side.

A piercing whistle sounded, and the train was about to depart.

The Grangers quickened their pace, said their final goodbyes to their daughter, and then ran quickly off the car with Rupert.

The whistle sounded again, and the train slowly started moving, beginning its journey from platform 9.

(End of this chapter)