Night draped itself over the Hawthorne residence, the windows glowing warmly against the darkness outside. After dinner, David settled by the fireplace, animatedly recounting the day's events to Emily and Lily, his voice filled with wonder and excitement.
"You absolutely can't imagine—those shops were like something out of a fairy tale! Quills that write by themselves, books that bite, and Ollivander, the wand seller, his eyes were as big as brass bells…"
"Kevin!" Lily suddenly pounced on her brother, her eyes sparkling with eager curiosity. "Quick, do some Magic for me! Turn a pillow into a cat like Professor McGonagall!"
Kevin smiled wryly and spread his hands. "That… I still need to study it." Seeing his sister's pout, he quickly pulled out a box of Chocolate Frogs from his bag. "Want to try this first?"
Lily's attention was immediately captivated by the jumping chocolate. Emily quietly opened A Compendium of History of Magic that Kevin had brought back, her fingertips gently caressing the gilded title.
"Oh, right, we should name it." Kevin carried the snow-white owl to the oak dining table. "Once I start school, it will be our messenger."
The little creature tilted its head, its amber eyes gleaming in the candlelight. It slowly turned its head, almost one hundred and eighty degrees, curiously observing everyone in the room.
"Can it understand us?" Lily stood on tiptoe, her nose almost touching the owl's beak. "Is it as smart as the owl that delivered the letter yesterday?"
The owl suddenly ruffled its fluffy feathers, letting out two short 'hoo-hoo' calls, and then shook its head with a serious air. This human-like gesture made the whole family burst into laughter.
"Speaking of which," David put down his coffee cup, "it's surprising that the Wizarding world still uses such a primitive method of communication. Wizards have invented flying brooms and transforming furniture, yet they can't come up with a more efficient way to send messages than owls? They clearly have telephones, which are—"
"Dad!" Lily suddenly shrieked, startling the owl, which flapped its wings and flew to the chandelier. She held up the wizard card that came with the Chocolate Frog, her small face flushed with excitement: "The person on the card is gone! The frame is empty!"
Kevin took the card; the frame was indeed empty.
"This is Nicolas Flamel," Kevin explained softly, "the owner of the Philosopher's Stone, the greatest Alchemist in history." Just then, the card suddenly shimmered with golden light, and a white-haired old man reappeared in the frame. He wore a robe adorned with star patterns, playfully winked at Kevin, and then raised a beaker in his hand, the liquid inside constantly changing into rainbow-like colors.
Lily gasped: "He… he just smiled at me?"
Kevin nodded, but his gaze couldn't move away from the familiar face in the card. Sure enough, it was Nicolas Flamel from three years ago.
"Hoo!" The owl suddenly swooped down from the chandelier, landing precisely on Kevin's shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. It affectionately groomed Kevin's hair with its beak, seemingly reminding its master of its presence.
"So, have you thought of a name?" Emily asked with a smile.
Kevin gazed into the owl's translucent, amber-like eyes and suddenly had an inspiration: "Let's call him 'Phobos,' the Greek deity representing 'light.'"
As if approving the name, Phobos let out a long hoot, spreading his snow-white wings. Under the light, he resembled a glowing cloud, incredibly beautiful.
Lily watched in fascination, unable to resist reaching out to touch him, but he deftly dodged her hand.
"It seems he's very pleased with the name." Emily smiled as she gathered the scattered Chocolate Frog wrappers into the trash can.
After tidying everything, Kevin took his wand and magic books upstairs to his room, ready to try out magic.
Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk.
He chose a simple spell, the Wand-Lighting Charm.
After reading the explanation in the book and silently reciting it a few times, Kevin took a deep breath and raised his black walnut wand.
"Lumos!"
Kevin saw blue-glowing magic surge into the tip of his wand, and then a dazzling white light burst forth from the wand's tip, illuminating the entire room as bright as day. Startled seagulls outside the window flapped their wings and flew away, while Kevin's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
"It worked on the first try. It seems my talent is indeed good."
Over the next few hours, soft incantations continuously echoed from the room.
When the sun's first rays appeared on the horizon, Kevin finally closed his book. His eyes were sore from fatigue, but a satisfied smile played on his lips. Phobos had long since fallen asleep nearby, his snow-white feathers gently rising and falling with his breathing.
"This is what magic feels like." Kevin gazed at the lingering magical glow on his fingertips.
He gently caressed the dancing runes on the parchment scroll, suddenly realizing that this was just the beginning. Hogwarts Castle, the moving staircases, the Forbidden Forest full of secrets… and the riddle left by the old couple, all awaited him somewhere in the future.
Over the next few weeks, Kevin immersed himself in the ocean of magic.
By the end of August, Kevin's trunk was already stuffed with notes and new books mailed from Flourish and Blotts, such as Basic Alchemy, Decoding Runes, Hogwarts: A History, and so on.
At dawn on September 1st, as the sky just began to show the first hint of light, all the lights in the Hawthorne house were already on. Emily was busy in the kitchen preparing sandwiches, the aroma of frying bacon filling the entire house.
"Kevin, are all your things ready?" David checked his son's trunk.
"All ready, Dad." Kevin patted the bulging trunk, and Phobos impatiently flapped his wings in his cage.
After breakfast, the family got into the car and drove to London. In less than four hours, they arrived at King's Cross Station in London.
David had prepared a luggage trolley for Kevin and placed all of Kevin's luggage on it.
The platform was bustling with people. David pushed the luggage-laden trolley and stopped in front of the wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten.
"Is this it?" Emily nervously clutched her handbag.
Kevin nodded.
"Remember to write, son" Emily suddenly stepped forward to straighten his collar, her voice choked with emotion.
"Every week!" Lily rushed over and gave him a tight hug.
Kevin took a deep breath, gripped the trolley handle, and charged towards the seemingly impenetrable brick wall. The moment he made contact, he felt a strange warmth envelop his entire body, as if passing through a soap bubble, and then the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.
"Wow!" Lily's astonished voice faintly came from the other side of the "wall," "Kevin really disappeared!"
David put his arms around his wife and daughter's shoulders: "Let's go, it's time for us to go home." His voice was filled with pride and reluctance, "That child has known how to take care of himself since he was little."
At this moment, Kevin was standing on a brand new platform. The deep red Hogwarts Express was spewing steam, and the platform was crowded with students in black robes. The hooting of owls, the admonitions of parents, and the sound of luggage wheels intertwined into a wonderful symphony.
A smile unconsciously appeared on Kevin's lips. His journey of magic was finally about to officially begin.
Kevin walked through the noisy carriage corridor, his ears filled with the excited chatter of students and the hooting of owls. He chose an empty compartment by the window, neatly placed his luggage on the luggage rack, and then put the cage containing Phobos by the window. The snowy white owl was tilting its head, surveying the unfamiliar environment.
"It's truly a pity…" Kevin couldn't help but sigh softly as he looked at the scene outside the window. He opened Unlocking Runes and unconsciously stroked the pages with his fingers, "It won't be until this time next year that the Boy Who Lived will step onto this train. Malfoy's provocation, Ron's Chocolate Frog cards, Hermione searching for Neville's toad… these classic scenes are all beyond my reach."
Kevin took a pack of Chocolate Frogs from his bag. The first frog had barely jumped out of the packaging before it hit the carriage window with a dull thud. Kevin couldn't help but chuckle, which reminded him of Ron's awkwardness in the original story.
Just as he was unwrapping another snack, the compartment door was suddenly gently knocked.
"Excuse me, is there any space here?" A black-haired boy stood at the door, his gray eyes carrying a gentle smile. The Hufflepuff badge on his chest shimmered brightly, "Hello, I'm Cedric Diggory, a second-year Hufflepuff."
Kevin's gaze lingered on the boy's face for a moment. Cedric Diggory, the excellent Hufflepuff student who died young in the original story.
"Of course, please come in." Kevin quickly put away his scattered snacks. "Hello, Cedric, I'm Kevin Hawthorne, a first-year student this year."
Cedric's gaze lingered on the spine of the book for a moment: "'Unlocking Runes'? If you hadn't said anything, I would have thought you were a third-year senior from another house, preparing for Ancient Runes Class? It seems Ravenclaw would suit you very well."
He winked mischievously, "Ravenclaw's thirst for knowledge shines brightly in you, but I think you could also come to our Hufflepuff."
During the rest of the journey, Cedric introduced various aspects of Hogwarts like a diligent tour guide: the magic of the Great Hall ceiling, the moving staircases, and more.
"Hufflepuff's common room is right next to the kitchen," he whispered, a cunning smile on his face, "House-elves always leave some scones by the fireplace to keep warm after curfew."
Just as Cedric continued to introduce the benefits of joining Hufflepuff to Kevin, the carriage door was suddenly pulled open violently.
"Look who it is!" Two red-haired teenagers squeezed in one after another, their faces bearing identical mischievous smiles, "Cedric is abducting new students again?"
"George, Fred, watch your language." Cedric shook his head helplessly, turning to Kevin, "These are the Weasley brothers, Gryffindor's 'prank experts'."
"This is Kevin Hawthorne, a first-year student this year," Cedric then said to the Weasley brothers.
"We prefer to be called 'Happiness Engineers'!" the twins retorted in unison.
"Hi, first-year!" The two red-haired teenagers leaned against the doorframes in sync like looking in a mirror, their faces bearing identical mischievous smiles.
The one on the left took a step forward: "I'm George."
The one on the right immediately followed: "I'm Fred."
Then, as if by magic, they pulled out a handful of colorful candies from their pockets, "Want to try our latest 'Nosebleed Nougat'? Guaranteed to surprise you!"
As Kevin took the candy, he noticed Cedric's imperceptible shake of his head. He understood and put the candy in his pocket: "Thanks, I'll save it for after dinner."
"A wise choice." George sighed dramatically, "Last time Cedric ate our 'Bubblegum', he wouldn't speak to us for a whole week."
"That's because you made me blow soap bubbles for an entire class in front of Professor McGonagall!" Cedric protested, a mixture of laughter and tears in his voice.
"Why did you just say 'Cedric is abducting new students again'? Isn't he only a second-year this year?" Kevin asked the Weasley brothers.
"Well—" George drew out the sound, suddenly pulling a color-changing candy from his pocket and tossing it into the air, "Because our Cedric is Hufflepuff's 'secret weapon'!"
Fred deftly caught the candy, making it disappear in his palm as if by magic: "Last year on the train, he alone convinced three first-years to voluntarily ask to go to Hufflepuff during the Sorting Ceremony!"
Cedric's ears instantly turned crimson. He fidgeted uncomfortably with his Hufflepuff badge: "I just… felt that first-years should understand the advantages of each house."
"Listen!" George exaggeratedly clutched his chest, "As expected of our 'Hufflepuff Treasure', how righteous!"
Cedric finally couldn't help but bury his face in his hands, his voice muffled through his fingers: "Merlin, can you please not mention that nickname in front of a new classmate!"
Kevin also couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
The setting sun streamed through the carriage window, casting a warm golden glow on the four of them. Kevin looked at the lively faces before him. Although he had missed the main characters of the original story, he was writing his own Hogwarts story. And this story, perhaps, would be even more exciting than the original.