London, King's Cross Station, 7? platform.
It was late summer, and the continuous rain poured down from the eaves, with slender streams of water gurgling down the gutters.
In the distance, a green steam train slowed down as it approached, accompanied by a whistle, finally coming to a gentle stop in front of the platform.
After the train came to a complete stop, the doors opened, and a young man stepped out:
He had golden hair, deep blue eyes, and soft, handsome features… very much like a young Edward Fran.
He carried a small, yet exquisite, black leather case.
The young man walked out of the platform in the rain, followed the crowd through a thick wall, and entered the King's Cross Station lobby.
However, after only a few steps, he was stopped by a group of men in black suits and sunglasses.
This scene attracted the attention of many Wizards… Such a grand display, could it be the return of a young master from a pure-blood family?
But upon inquiry, it was discovered that the Ministry of Magic was apprehending a suspect, and everyone immediately dispersed.
The young man stopped, gazing at the black-clad men surrounding him, narrowing his deep blue eyes, and gripping the small black leather case in his hand.
The black-clad men made way, and a Ministry of Magic official with a ruddy complexion walked towards him, pulling out an identification card from his pocket and gently shaking it in the air.
The man's voice was as gentle as possible, seemingly afraid of scaring the young "suspect" in front of him.
"Hello, my name is Amos Diggory, and I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
"Hello, my name is Scamander… Rolf Scamander." The young man politely nodded, asking in a slightly bewildered tone:
"Mr. Diggory, is there something you need me for?"
Diggory scrutinized Rolf from head to toe, then said in a deep voice:
"According to Article 73 of the secrecy law, all Wizards traveling internationally must undergo routine inspections… Please cooperate!"
Rolf tightened his grip on the small black leather case with his right hand, seemingly a bit nervous, but he still smiled brightly, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, appearing harmless.
"Of course, no problem."
The young man took out his passport from his pocket, and the moment he handed it to Diggory, his pupils suddenly dilated, and his heart nearly stopped.
The latch of the black leather case suddenly sprang open, and a soft tentacle quietly probed out through the gap.
Fortunately, it was a Mimic Octopus, and its tentacle adhered to the case like a piece of black cloth, so Diggory did not notice anything unusual.
Rolf slowly pushed the tentacle back into the case, calmly fastening the latch as if nothing had happened.
After inspecting the passport, Diggory returned it to Rolf, pondering for a moment before asking, "So, Mr. Scamander, what is the purpose of your return to Britain?"
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry starts today." Rolf's gaze remained as steady as possible, and he said softly, "I am a first-year student."
Probably.
He silently added a sentence in his mind.
Rolf was indeed a new student, but he hadn't received an acceptance letter from Hogwarts!
Diggory narrowed his grayish-yellow eyes, scrutinizing Rolf, seemingly trying to discern something from his face, but the young man, with his head tilted up, smiled slightly at him, his eyes clear like a spring.
"This summer, you've been staying at the Romanian Dragon Reserve?"
"I also went to the Albanian Forest in between." Rolf quickly added, "With my grandfather."
"Albanian Forest?"
"Yes, there were many Magical Creatures dying mysteriously there, and rumors said it was the work of Vampires or Chupacabras." Rolf shrugged:
"The Albania Ministry of Magic invited my grandfather to investigate; he's an expert in that field!"
Diggory grunted, not asking any more questions; he clearly wasn't concerned about the minor incident in distant Albania, his full attention focused on the young man.
More accurately… on the case in Scamander's hand!
According to the Ministry of Magic's sealed archives, it was highly likely to contain countless dangerous Magical Creatures, enough to destroy the entire London.
Danger level five stars!!
Rolf appeared calm, but his inner thoughts were not as relaxed as his outward demeanor.
He was very much like a criminal stopped by traffic police for a strict DUI check… The key was that he really had "drunk," and it was a "heavy drinking" session.
Diggory glanced at the case in Rolf's hand, stroked his reddish-brown beard, and slowly said, "Mr. Scamander, you didn't bring any contraband, did you?"
Rolf's thumb and forefinger, holding the case, unconsciously rubbed together, and he said with a 'bewildered' expression:
"Such as?"
"Dragons from the Romanian Fire Dragon Reserve, or perhaps… Vampires from the Albanian Forest?"
"…"
"Mr. Diggory, I'm only eleven years old; how could I possibly carry such things with me? You're truly humorous!"
Rolf blinked his blue eyes, showing a perfectly timed hint of grievance, which, combined with his innocent appearance, made him seem even more pitiful.
Smuggling Dragons and Vampires was no small crime.
Once confirmed, he wouldn't need to go to Hogwarts for school; he could directly book a one-way ticket to Azkaban Academy… to continue his "further studies" there.
The accompanying female Ministry of Magic official also showed a hint of displeasure, feeling that her superior's mind wasn't quite right.
How could a smuggler be so good-looking… ahem, she meant, how could a smuggler have such innocent eyes!
Seeing Rolf's innocent and bewildered expression, the Witch was immediately overwhelmed with maternal affection, feeling so much heartache that she wished she could embrace him and dote on him.
He's truly handsome!
Diggory remained unmoved, persistently pressing on: "What's in the case?"
"Nothing… daily necessities."
"May I open it?"
"Sorry, that involves my personal privacy, you have no right… Ahem, I mean, since the Ministry of Magic requires an inspection, of course you may."
Seeing Diggory touch the wand at his waist, Rolf quickly changed his tone and handed over the case.
However, as he handed it over, he quietly pressed a button on the case.
Diggory took the case, immediately opened the latch, and lifted the lid, seeing: clothes, notebooks, maps, an alarm clock, a watch…
He repeatedly checked, and also had the black-clad men behind him cast various detection magic spells, but they found nothing, no hidden compartment from an Undetectable Extension Charm, nor any legendary dangerous Magical Creatures.
Diggory grumbled, somewhat disappointed, as if the beautiful future of promotion and salary increase had thus moved away from him.
"Apologies, Mr. Scamander, the inspection is complete… Welcome back to London, and I wish you a pleasant sorting tonight."
Rolf breathed a sigh of relief, took the small black leather case, thanked him cheerfully, waved his hand, and smiled, "Then goodbye, Mr. Diggory, and to all of you from the Ministry of Magic."
He quickened his steps, his previously heavy stride finally becoming light; fortunately, he had arranged for someone to magically reinforce the case beforehand, which could block any magic detection, otherwise, he would have…
Just got off the train, and he's already in Azkaban!
With a hint of relief, Rolf carried the small black leather case and strode towards Platform 9 3/4, stopping again when he was still about ten meters away.
Not far away, a brown-haired girl stood alone in front of a wall, with large and small bags of luggage neatly arranged beside her, perfectly blocking the platform entrance.
The girl crossed her arms, raised her head, and stared blankly for a moment, then carefully took out a wand, waved it in the air, and mumbled a spell.
"Alohomora!"
But there was no reaction.
The girl immediately chanted again, rapidly reciting other spells, but none had any effect.
She angrily ran her fingers through her hair, making her already bushy curly hair even more disheveled, like a vault that had just been ransacked by a Niffler.
A voice suddenly spoke. "Are you performing an impromptu show?"
The brown-haired girl froze, then turned her head towards the sound; it was a young man with a smiling face, as handsome as could be.
He carried a small black leather case, and with a pair of expressive blue eyes, he was observing her with interest.
The girl hesitated, then tentatively asked, "Are you a Wizard too?"
"Yes, a new student this year." Rolf straightened his clothes, a most brilliant smile appearing on his face, and slowly walked towards the girl.
He had to make a good impression on his new classmate!
"Are you performing a wand dance? I haven't been back to Britain for a long time; is this the latest trend in the Wizarding World? It's quite interesting…"
The brown-haired girl's face immediately flushed crimson. "I'm casting magic to find the entrance to Platform 9 3/4!"
"…"
"Sorry, I thought you were performing… street art." Rolf quickly apologized.
The girl glared at him angrily; that was a standard spell-casting motion!
Standard!!
"So, did you find the entrance?" Rolf asked again.
The girl hesitated, then lifted her fair chin, and nodded slightly, "Almost!"
Rolf cast a suspicious glance at her; you've been waving your wand around for ages, looking like you're directing traffic… Are you sure you've found the entrance?
"Give me a little more time, I'll find it right away." The girl seemed full of confidence, she stretched her neck, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously:
"I'm telling you, according to my deduction… the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 was intentionally hidden by the school, and you have to pass a series of tests to get in."
Tests… Rolf paused for two seconds, looking at the girl's confident expression, which made him feel a little less confident himself.
Did he remember wrong, wasn't it just walking through this wall in front of him to enter Platform 9 3/4?
"Hmm… Why would the school do that?" Rolf raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, it's to test new students and then sort them based on their performance… You know about sorting, right?" The brown-haired girl said with a serious expression, her face stern:
"I read in 'Hogwarts, A History' that every new student has to be sorted."
"Being able to use magic to find the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 probably means good performance, which could lead to being sorted into the best house!"
Seeing the young man's doubtful gaze, the girl raised an eyebrow, confidently saying:
"Don't disbelieve me, I just cast magic to show my learning progress during the summer… I tried some simple spells at home just for practice, and they all succeeded!"
She lifted her chin, as proud as a large white goose, and spoke rapidly like a machine gun, seemingly eager to prove:
She wasn't a silly, ridiculous idiot performing a "wand dance," but an excellent new student who had grasped the school's intentions and was attempting to complete the test!
After listening to the girl's imaginative ramblings, Rolf said meaningfully, "Aren't you overthinking it?"
"Overthinking what?!" The girl pouted, "I bought many magic books during the holidays, and I've memorized all the textbooks!!"
"Wow… you're amazing." Rolf nodded slightly, "But what does that have to do with the platform entrance?"
"…"
The brown-haired girl pursed her lips, puffed out her cheeks, and clenched her fists; that annoying tone, she really wanted to hit him!
Seeing her mortified, Rolf quickly said, "I think I've found the entrance."
The girl's face was full of disbelief.
"Really, this… unknown young lady, if you don't believe me, let's bet a Galleon!"
Rolf, carrying the black leather case, stepped over the girl's luggage and walked towards the wall, and under her gaze, he walked straight through the wall.
The brown-haired girl's eyes widened, her face full of incredulity; the last time she made that expression was when she received an acceptance letter delivered by an owl.
A moment later, Rolf came back through the wall, only his head visible.
"You lost, that'll be one Galleon." He grinned, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask, what's your name, classmate?"
The girl's expression was somewhat dazed, and after a moment, she quietly said:
"Hermione Granger."
The young man carrying the black case paused, then narrowed his deep blue eyes, the smile on his lips growing wider.
"Hello, my name is Rolf Scamander!" Rolf extended a hand, gently holding it upright in front of the girl.
"Nice to meet you, welcome to the Wizarding World!"
Hermione also extended a hand and gently shook his, and suddenly, a "ding" sounded in Rolf's mind.
[Detected a young house Witch, triggering side quest 1:
Capture Hermione Granger, reward:
Enviable hair volume, saving you from the terrible curse of male pattern baldness among British men.
Side quest 2:
Achieve 100% domestication of Hermione Granger, reward:
Super memory talent.
(Quest not completed)]
...