Dylan woke up bright and early.
The Hawkwoods drove him to King's Cross Station.
"Be safe, dear." Maeve smoothed out the wrinkles in her son's robe collar. The protective charm on her pearl earrings glimmered faintly blue in the morning light.
Naturally, Dylan had cast that charm for her—and for his dad too.
"Don't worry, Mom, I will. You two take care too—don't have too much fun, and make sure to earn plenty of money. I've got a lot of research that needs funding," Dylan said with a grin.
"This is the twenty-fifth time you've said that. Relax, son, your mom and I will make sure you've got enough funds," Hubert replied, looking at his son with a helpless smile.
"Heh, I believe in you, Dad!" Dylan waved to them both.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Dylan pushed his luggage cart and dashed through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Morning mist mingled with the steam locomotive's coal smoke, swirling across the platform. The train was already stationed on the tracks, but as Dylan glanced around, he didn't spot the Weasleys—or Harry—anywhere.
He circled the train, wandering back and forth twice, but still couldn't find them onboard either.
"I reminded them, and they're *still* late?"
Dylan blinked, his sleeve revealing a pocket watch. Its silver chain swayed gently in rhythm with the ticking of the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters clock.
He wasn't about to stand around waiting, though. Finding a compartment near the platform, he strode in and took a seat.
Pulling out one of Lockhart's books, he prepared to flip through it.
But first—
For the third time, he brushed the tip of his wand over the cover of Lockhart's latest book.
The author's portrait—previously striking dramatic poses—fell silent, its incessant self-introduction muted by a temporary silencing charm.
Only then did Dylan open the book.
He had to admit, Lockhart might be cowardly, weak, hypocritical, and arrogant, but the guy had mastered the Memory Charm and had a silver tongue to match. He was a pro at climbing the ladder by clinging to others' coattails.
How else could he have racked up so many "adventures"?
After all, Lockhart wasn't exactly skilled at Legilimency.
"It's well-written, sure, but some details… maybe he didn't pry them out of someone's mouth properly. Feels a bit half-baked," Dylan mused.
He didn't bother diving too deeply into Lockhart's books—just a quick skim was enough.
A good chunk of it was Lockhart's self-aggrandizing nonsense, and Dylan had zero interest in slogging through that.
After all, he was far better at bragging than Lockhart ever could be.
Back in his forum-warrior days, he'd picked up a thing or two about the art of language.
"Hmm, it's like digging for treasure in a pile of bones."
Even with just a casual read, Dylan managed to get through most of the book in no time.
Thanks to a reward from an earlier achievement—Reading Speed Boost—he could manage three or four lines at a glance and still grasp the general meaning.
Plus, with his mental strength steadily growing, reading came even more naturally to him.
When he reached the part about "the moonstone on the yeti king's crown being a knockoff from Diagon Alley's shop at 93, while the real one's in my possession," Dylan snorted and crossed out the whole exaggerated passage with his quill. The still-wet ink of his "Nonsense" scrawl twisted into a mocking grimace on the parchment.
*Woo—*
The train's whistle let out a long, resonant blast.
Time flew, and the train was about to depart.
Dylan looked up and out the window, just in time to catch the Weasley family bursting through the pillar in a frantic rush.
"Merlin's beard!" Mrs. Molly's shriek startled the barn owl in the cage beside her into flight.
She gripped Ginny's collar with her left hand to keep her youngest from falling behind, while her right hand waved her wand, juggling five suitcases midair like a circus act.
The moment they appeared, she hurled the luggage onto the train.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
The Weasley family's bags crashed into the nearest train door like a meteor shower. Ginny's secondhand textbooks spilled from a torn suitcase, and as Fred caught them with a Levitation Charm, the pages of *One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi* flapped wildly.
Even through the window, Dylan could hear Mrs. Molly's frantic voice: "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Get inside!"
Percy's usually neat hair was a mess, his prefect badge pinned crookedly to his rumpled robes. He ran while trying to use a Cleaning Charm to fix the sleeve the twins had singed black with their fireworks.
But with the train about to leave, he gave up and hurriedly shoved his twin brothers into a compartment. Ginny scrambled aboard under Mrs. Molly's direction.
Dylan didn't see Ron or Harry anywhere. Knowing they were definitely late, he stopped paying attention.
The train doors slammed shut, and his eyes met Mrs. Molly's.
He gave her a polite wave in greeting.
Spotting Dylan, a flicker of surprise crossed her face, but with no time to chat, she waved back through the steam, offering a wry smile.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she froze. Her gaze darted around, and soon a trace of worry creased her face.
*Woo—!*
The train lurched into motion.
Dylan left the compartment door open. A stiff voice followed close behind: "I can't believe they missed the Hogwarts train because they were goofing off!"
The future Head Boy, panting, shoved his younger brothers inside and spotted Dylan.
After a quick greeting, Percy—seeing Dylan's compartment was empty—ushered his siblings in.
"Sit here properly. I've got to head to the prefects' carriage."
Percy dumped their luggage inside, then tidied his hair. With a flick of his wand, he fixed his crooked tie using a Transfiguration Charm. His fingers trembled slightly as he stuffed the twins' prank supplies into the seat crevice.
With an annoyed huff, he grabbed his own bag and stormed off.
Dylan blinked, motioning for the twins and Ginny to settle in before speaking. "How'd you get here so late? I've almost finished this book."
He held up Lockhart's bestseller, *Year with the Yeti*.
Fred and George sighed. "We were ready, but there was a snag on the way. Ron and Harry always get held up by something or other."
Dylan tilted his head. "So what did Percy mean by 'goofing off'?"
The twins exchanged a glance and scratched their heads in unison. "Well… we were playing wizard chess last night and lost track of time 'til the early hours. No one could get up this morning—especially Ron and Harry. Mum made us rush over first."
"Wizard chess? You play that too?"
"Dad got it for us. Said we should try it out first, then he'd figure out how to turn it into magical wizard chess."
Dylan nodded. "You guys sure are laid-back."
Ginny, sitting quietly to the side, looked worried. "Are we going to lose points?"
School hadn't even started, and she was already facing the possibility of point deductions—and it'd be her brothers' fault…
"You haven't been sorted yet. You might not even end up in Gryffindor," Dylan said with a chuckle.
"I *will* get into Gryffindor!" Ginny insisted earnestly.
"Alright, alright, I think you will too." Dylan patted her head. "I bet Harry and Ron won't get Gryffindor docked points—just detention, maybe."
"Huh?" Ginny froze, wide-eyed.
---
---
"I'm going to read for a bit. I specifically claimed this compartment, so you guys can sit here or go find other friends to hang out with," Dylan said, lowering his head to dive back into his book.
The twins nodded. "Ginny, you stay put and don't wander off. Your big brother Dylan will keep an eye on you."
Before Dylan could react, they darted out of the compartment door.
Dylan opened his mouth, then closed it again, the corner of his lips twitching.
His gaze shifted to Ginny.
The compartment's oak paneling gleamed with a honeyed sheen in the midday light.
*Year with the Yeti* lay open on Dylan's lap, though it didn't flip forward—instead, one page stood upright.
A piece of non-stick bubblegum—George's parting prank—was stuck to the bottom-right corner of the parchment.
Ginny shrank into the velvet cushion, her brand-new school robe sleeves crumpled from her fidgeting. Sunlight streamed through the window, turning the freckles on her nose golden.
She'd noticed her brothers' mischief too and looked a little embarrassed.
"Sorry, Dylan. They're always like this."
Dylan shook his head. "It's non-stick bubblegum—it comes right off. They wouldn't dare use real gum on my book."
Ginny blinked, recalling how, when Dylan had visited the Burrow, her two troublemaking brothers had been unusually well-behaved.
Curious, she asked, "Dylan, are you really strict? Fred and George seem kind of scared of you."
Dylan smiled. "Do you think I'm strict?"
Ginny thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I think you've got a great personality—and you're really thoughtful. Way more than my brothers."
"Thanks, I'll take the compliment. Want some hot cocoa? And how about a Fizzing Whizbee?"
With a flick of his wand, Dylan poured Ginny a cup of hot cocoa and pulled a rainbow-shimmering candy from his pocket.
"Fred made this one special. He added a little surprise—but don't worry, it won't turn you into a frog this time."
Ginny watched Dylan's pale, slender fingers as he handed it over. She blinked, her ear tips turning faintly red, as if hit with a Coloring Charm.
When she took the candy, her fingertips brushed the shallow wand callus on his palm—a mark from testing Extendable Ears with the twins in the Burrow's backyard.
Or maybe from experimenting with something more sinister.
The candy wrapper rustled in her hand, suddenly morphing into a fluttering robin before snapping back to normal just as she yelped.
"They love pulling these tricks," Dylan said, tapping his wand to steady Ginny's luggage, which had nearly slipped off the seat, with a Levitation Charm.
Through a gap in the suitcase lid, a secondhand copy of *Standard Spells, Grade 1* peeked out, its spine inscribed with faded ink: "Roger Davies."
"Ugh, they didn't even help me put my stuff away before running off to play," Ginny huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "If it broke, Mum couldn't afford to buy me a new one."
Dylan paused, then looked at her. "Your clothes look nice. Did Mrs. Molly have them made for you?"
"Yeah, but just this one. Mum said she'd send me another later, so I'm wearing this for now."
Ginny hopped off the seat, plunked her suitcase by her feet, then sat back down. She ran her fingers over her new outfit, a smile spreading across her face.
Dylan smiled too, then waved his wand.
"I never got you a proper welcome gift. Your birthday just passed, and I didn't send anything, so consider this my way of making up for it."
A gift box inlaid with moonstone patterns appeared on the small table. The twins' prank bubblegum suddenly turned into an emerald-green frog, which plopped into Ginny's hot cocoa with a splash.
"...Looks like George left an extra little surprise after all."
Dylan narrowed his eyes, mentally noting the twins' antics, then flicked his wand again. The cocoa splashed onto his book transformed into a fluttering robin and zipped out through the compartment door's crack.
"Huh? A gift?" Ginny blinked, startled.
The box bloomed with silver-blue lotus petals as its anti-theft charm lifted, revealing three witches' robes. Their sleeves swayed faintly with the train's motion.
"These… are for me?" Ginny's eyes widened. Her worn leather boots unconsciously scuffed the suitcase under the seat, which also held a spare robe Molly had patched together from old curtains and a hand-me-down uniform.
Just in case she ever ran out of clothes in a pinch.
Dylan grinned. "Yep. If you see me as a big brother too, then take them. Girls deserve to wear new clothes."
Ginny was momentarily stunned by his words. Logic told her she shouldn't just accept gifts like this, but—
He'd already bought them, and they were girls' clothes. Dylan couldn't wear them himself.
In the end, she thanked him and accepted the gift.
For the rest of the trip, Ginny was in high spirits. She didn't disturb Dylan's reading, instead settling into the seat across from him, gazing out at the scenery whizzing by and entertaining herself.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and the compartment door slid open. The twins' voices burst in.
"Hey! Dylan, look outside! It's Harry—it's them!"
Fred's face still bore some sooty smudges as he appeared in front of Dylan.
George's head popped up behind him. "Can you believe it? They drove here!"
Dylan glanced at the two goofballs.
Seeing they didn't mention their prank, he turned to look out the window.
At first, there was nothing to see, but soon a Ford Anglia zoomed past—tilting and swaying midair, wobbling unsteadily yet keeping pace with the train.
Ginny's hand rested on the gift box beside her. When she spotted the all-too-familiar car in the sky, she froze, dumbfounded.
"Who… who's driving?"
"I'd guess your brother," Dylan said.
As the car took a sharp dive downward, he caught sight of its occupants.
Just Harry and Ron.
Ginny's mouth fell open. "Don't tell me Mum and Dad aren't up there too."
"You're spot on—they're not," Dylan said with a shrug.
Ginny felt her eyelids start to twitch.
"Oh my gosh! They're not actually going to get hurt, are they?!"
She couldn't fathom how her parents had let Harry and Ron drive all the way here on their own.
For a moment, Ginny couldn't help but worry about the two people in the car.
After all, one was someone she'd always admired, and the other was her own brother.
But alongside her concern, a flicker of doubt crept into her mind.
"Aren't they being a bit *too* reckless?"
In stark contrast to Ginny's attitude, the twins—those two clowns—stared at the Ford Anglia wobbling through the sky with eyes full of envy.
"Those two are totally cheating!"
"They didn't even bring us along! That's outrageous!"
"This is a chance to show off in front of the whole school!"
"And now Harry and Ron are the ones stealing the spotlight!"
The train soon sped into a desolate, uninhabited stretch of land.
The magical flying car trailed behind, soaring over a snow-capped mountain before disappearing into the clouds, its exact position and shape no longer visible.
Dylan, knowing Harry and Ron would be fine in the end, calmly returned to his book. The twins, meanwhile, had already scampered off somewhere.
Only Ginny remained in her seat, her face etched with worry and agitation as she fretted over Harry and Ron.
Some time passed, and the train's windows began to reveal more and more fantastical magical scenery.
Hogwarts was drawing near.
After disembarking, the crowd buzzed with chatter.
Ginny kept glancing back every few steps along the way, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magical flying car, but of course, she was met with disappointment.
Eventually, Dylan led her along, and after meeting up with Neville, they made their way back to Hogwarts.
Naturally, Ginny joined the other first-years waiting outside the Great Hall.
Dylan, meanwhile, entered the gold-and-red hall with Neville, found a spot at the Gryffindor table, and sat down casually.
A little while later, Hermione appeared. Spotting Dylan, she hurried over.
But even as the Sorting Ceremony was about to begin, she still hadn't seen hide nor hair of the other two.
Leaning over, she whispered to Dylan, "What's going on? Where are they?"
Dylan, still reading his book despite being in the Great Hall, gave a slight shake of his head at her question.
"They'll probably be back soon. It's fine, don't worry about it."
Hermione's mouth twitched.
How could she *not* worry?
The more Dylan brushed it off, the more it gnawed at her!
"Why are there still professors missing from the staff table?" Hermione glanced over and noticed that Snape hadn't taken his seat yet.
"Could it be that magical flying car we saw on the way…" Her eyes widened as a realization hit her.
Neville, who'd heard a brief mention of it from Dylan on the way, wasn't sure how to explain it to Hermione either.
The Sorting Ceremony began, and the new students filed in, one by one being assigned to the four houses.
Hermione noticed that Snape, who'd been absent earlier, now swept in, his robes billowing as he strode over to Professor McGonagall and murmured something to her.
McGonagall's usual kind smile vanished in an instant.
After that, she sped up noticeably as she placed the Sorting Hat on the first-years.
"Gryffindor!"
"Next."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Next."
"Slytherin!"
"Move along."
Snape, standing nearby, twitched his face in irritation.
Finally, the Sorting Ceremony concluded.
McGonagall turned, exchanged a look with Dumbledore, and then left the hall alongside Snape.
Once all the students were seated, Dumbledore gave his usual start-of-term speech, introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and then stood up and exited the hall as well.
"Oh, no…" Hermione groaned, rubbing her temples as she watched Dumbledore's retreating figure.
School had barely started.
Why did she already have a sinking feeling that Gryffindor's points were about to plummet into the negatives?
"I just hope my classroom performance can make up for this deficit."
The opening ceremony wrapped up quickly.
After dinner, the prefects led everyone back to their respective common rooms.
Ginny trailed behind Percy—the twins had long since vanished, probably off chatting with someone somewhere.
Every now and then, she'd glance back, trying to catch sight of Dylan.
It wasn't until Percy ushered everyone into the Gryffindor common room that Ginny looked at Dylan again, saw him nod in response, and then hurriedly ducked her head, following her roommates to the dorms to sort out their beds.
Dylan didn't bother explaining much to Hermione and headed back to his own dormitory.
Neville stayed behind, chatting with Hermione.
Quite a while later, Harry and Ron finally stumbled into the common room.
Since it was the first night back, plenty of students lingered in the common room instead of their dorms, catching up with friends they hadn't seen all summer.
The moment they spotted Harry and Ron, everyone froze, dropped what they were doing, and swarmed over, crowding around the two.
"Hey, Harry! You guys didn't get expelled, did you?"
The question came from somewhere in the mob, and it made Harry and Ron's vision go dark for a second.
"No, no, we didn't get expelled, and we didn't lose Gryffindor any points either."
Harry and Ron explained themselves for what felt like forever until Percy approached, his face stern as ever. The two quickly shoved through the crowd and bolted back to their dormitory.
Pushing open the door, they found Dylan alone inside, engrossed in a book.
"Merlin's pants, Dylan, I wish I could be as carefree as you!" Ron wailed.
"You have no idea what kind of punishment we just went through!"
*(End of Chapter)*