Hogwarts: Undercover Death Eater Replaces the Dark Lord

……

Chapter 95: Going Home for Vacation (Part )

Unlike other grades, first-year wizards have to perform a ritual that echoes the beginning and the end. They have to follow the same rules as they arrived at Hogwarts Castle at the beginning of the school year and leave after the holidays.

So Lecos and a group of other young wizards gathered in the entrance courtyard in front of the auditorium, and then followed Hagrid, who had been waiting there for a long time, and walked down the long steps outside the courtyard to the shore of the Black Lake.

"Just like when we came here, no more than four people per boat!"

Hagrid exclaimed, pointing to a row of small boats moored to the shore.

Lycos, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle boarded a small boat, and the other young wizards followed suit, most of them sitting together according to their dormitories.

However, when Crabbe and Goyle sat on the same side, the boat almost tilted to one side due to the huge weight difference. Draco was so scared that he quickly switched positions with Crabbe and balanced the weight on both sides before the boat stabilized.

"Everyone aboard?" called Hagrid, who had gotten into a small boat all by himself and even then nearly went over the side.

"Now that everyone is in place, hold on tight! Let's go!"

After he shouted this, he wiped his eyes with some sadness, feeling that time passed too quickly, as if he would have to send the children he brought back home in the blink of an eye.

A fleet of small boats moved forward, unmanned and unrowed, driven entirely by magic.

Unlike the silence when they first came because they were unfamiliar with each other, now the little wizards are chatting with each other, talking about where they will travel during the holidays, or talking about the various interesting things that happened this school year.

It was the first time for Lycos to ride on this small boat.

He had only just traveled through this wonderful and dangerous magical world during the Sorting Ceremony, and had not experienced the journey at the beginning of the school year at all—

No owl, no Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, no Hogwarts Express, no boat ride across this Black Lake...

A dense curtain of ivy obscured Lycos's view as the boat carried them through the waterway below the cliffs and out of a hidden, open entrance.

Next, there is a vast lake as smooth as a mirror.

Lycos turned and gazed at the towering Hogwarts Castle, his expression a bit dazed. The massive castle sat atop a steep cliff not far away, seemingly towering above the heavens, the spire of the main tower reaching into the sky.

"Why are you so fascinated?" Draco suddenly asked, "It's not like we won't be coming back... We still have to stay here for six years!"

"But we'll be returning by carriage next year." Lycos smiled. "I want to experience how the four founders discovered this highland by boat and built Hogwarts Castle on this highland."

About a thousand years ago, the four founders of Hogwarts - Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff - arrived here by boat.

This is why every year new students have to take a boat to the castle, so that they can retrace the path of the founder.

"I really don't understand what you're thinking about all day." Draco curled his lips and turned to chat with Goyle.

Lycos smiled nonchalantly, still gazing at the Hogwarts Castle that was getting farther and farther away and smaller under the blue sky.

……

The boat soon arrived at the opposite shore of the lake.

The young wizards followed Hagrid's steps with great interest, walking up a steep and narrow path with dense woods on both sides.

"This road is really best walked during the day," Draco muttered. "It was pitch black when we came here, and we couldn't see the road clearly. Goyle almost fell..."

"Indeed." Goyle nodded very straightforwardly. "I was trying to protect Draco from falling to the ground, and he almost knocked me over."

"Goyle is right," Crabbe agreed frankly.

"Ahem!" Draco coughed loudly twice. "What are you talking about? What do you mean I knocked you over? It's because you two blocked out the already dim light. I can't see the road..."

"Yes, yes, Draco, you are right." Goyle and Crabbe nodded together.

Draco: "..."

While they were talking, the young wizards walked to Hogsmeade Station.

A crimson steam locomotive was parked beside the platform, with a sign on the train reading: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.

The senior students had already arrived. Although their carriages had to take a detour north of the castle, they were much faster than the boats, just as the senior students always arrived first at the start-of-term dinner.

After Lycos and his four companions got on the bus, they searched for a long time before finding an empty compartment.

Crabbe and Goyle dumped their luggage, plus Draco's, under the seats and slumped back in their chairs, breathing heavily.

On the other hand, Draco was in high spirits because he had handed all his luggage to Crabbe and Goyle. He even took out a chocolate frog from his snakeskin wallet and started to chew it.

Outside the window, the thick smoke from the steam locomotive swirled above the chattering little wizards. The first-year wizards were still loading their things onto the train one after another. Amid the buzzing voices of the crowd and the noise of dragging heavy luggage, the shrill hooting of owls rose and fell one after another.

In this chaotic atmosphere, before the train started, the door of the compartment where Lecos and his four companions were was suddenly opened.

A strand of golden hair caught his eye, like a ray of sunshine shining into Lycos's heart.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Cassandra asked with a faint smile on her face.

"Um...where's your roommate?" Draco grumbled, a little intimidated by the overly oppressive little witch. "Why aren't you sitting with Millicent and Cressy?"

However, before Cassandra could say anything, Lycos made the decision for Draco.

"Stop talking nonsense and sit opposite me," said Lycos.

"Wait... why do you have to put me in such a difficult position when you're in a relationship?" Draco said aggrievedly, "Crabbe and Goyle are covered in stinky sweat. It's so uncomfortable for me to squeeze in with them!"

"What nonsense are you talking about... Besides, isn't it because they are helping you with your luggage that they are so tired?" Lycos asked back, "Hurry up and sit over there, so you can experience what Crabbe and Goyle feel."

Draco wanted to refute, but when he saw the increasingly dangerous look on Lycos's face, he didn't dare to say anything.

"You two, move aside and don't touch me!"

He kicked Crabbe, who was sitting outside, in the calf, then sat down in the corner of the seat with disgust.

Cassandra looked at this scene, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she sat next to Lycos very naturally.

……

Chapter 96 For the greater good

As the train was moving, I could hear the "clang" of the wheels pressing on the tracks, the "woooo" of the whistle, and the whistling sound passing through the wind.

The carriage where Lycos was was unusually quiet.

Draco, who originally wanted to chat about something, was intimidated by Cassandra's cold aura and didn't dare to say much. Crabbe and Goyle didn't dare to sleep either, so there was not even any snoring.

"What are your plans for the holidays?" Lycos felt that he could not remain silent any longer, so he asked for the sake of conversation.

"What a poor question." Cassandra chuckled softly. "Of course, I'm going home. What else is a little girl supposed to do if not go home?"

The corners of Lycos' mouth twitched. He always felt that the girl was still upset about his words "I'm not interested in little girls", otherwise there would be no need to emphasize the pronunciation of the three words "little girls".

"Well, it looks like everyone has to go home." He leaned back in the soft chair, a hint of confusion in his eyes, "But where is my home?"

The people present then remembered that Lecos came from an orphanage and had no family.

Cassandra seemed stunned as well and bit her lip.

"...I'm sorry." She said it unnaturally, as if apology was something she rarely said.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." Lycos himself seemed nonchalant and even made a joke: "The strong always have to learn to endure loneliness."

Cassandra understood what he meant.

As a miserable undercover agent, you have to learn to endure loneliness.

"Lex, seriously, you can come to my house during the summer vacation." Draco said, "I will ask my parents to treat you well."

"Thank you for your kindness, Draco, but forget it." Lycos shook his head. "I'm just a poor half-blood from an orphanage. There's no need for me to go to your Malfoy family and be looked down upon..."

He then changed the subject: "How about this, you lend me some more money, I can rent a house over there with the Muggles and spend the summer just having fun... That would be the greatest support for me."

Lycos was indeed out of money again.

In fact, he could have made a lot of money, for example, winning the gambling money organized by George and Fred... But in order to have a deeper cooperation with those two people, Lecos deliberately lost his own cost.

But there are also benefits, because under Lecos's operation, he maintained a good cooperative relationship with the twins Fred and George.

In the future, if you need to lure others away or make some big news, you can ask the twins to do it. They will be happy to play some bigger pranks.

So in this case, the money Lycos got from Draco was almost gone.

"It seems that making money needs to be put on the agenda." Lycos thought.

"No problem, it's just money!" Draco said in a tycoon voice, "I'm going home anyway, so I'll give you the rest!"

With a wave of his hand, he gave all his remaining pocket money to Lecos.

That’s a total of… three silver Sickles and five bronze Knuts.

Lycos: “?”

"I thought I'd be going home soon, so I squandered all my pocket money before the holiday..." Draco said weakly, "I just remembered it, otherwise I wouldn't tell you this."

"Forget it, you keep it for yourself. I'll think of a way..." Lycos covered his forehead helplessly.

At this moment, a clear voice rang in my ears.

"Are you short of money?" Cassandra looked at him with interest, as if she had discovered a new world.

"It's not that scarce..." Lycos said stubbornly.

Cassandra didn't say much, but took out an exquisite leather bag from her pocket and shook it gently.

Then she turned the bag over -

"Crash..."

Amidst the crisp sound of metal collision, the table in the box was covered with glittering gold coins, almost forming a small mountain. There were not even a few silver coins among them, let alone the least valuable copper coins.

Lycos fell silent for a moment.

Oh no, I met a rich woman...

……

In the sky, the sun gradually sank.

The countryside outside the window grew greener and tidier, and the Hogwarts Express passed through one Muggle town after another.

Lycos and the others took off their wizard robes and changed into Muggle jackets or shirts; Cassandra was already wearing a women's shirt and plaid skirt as an inner layer, and after taking off her robe, she perfectly blended into the Muggle outfit.

Finally, the train stopped at Platform 9 and 3/4 of King's Cross Station.

It took them a long time to get out of the platform.