The train spewed plumes of steam as it traveled down the track.
In the carriage, after Kael and the others arrived, Conna and Cho stopped looking at the magazine with Luna and instead started asking each other about their holiday experiences.
Speaking of which, Cho was quite annoyed.
"Cedric, that liar!"
She huffed, "He told me before that Beauxbatons Academy of Magic was in the Pyrenees Mountains. We went there, but couldn't find the place he mentioned on the map at all.
We spent the whole day wandering in circles and found nothing!"
"That's quite normal."
Kael said, "Although I'm not sure about the specifics, the locations of the three major Magic Schools in Europe are protected to prevent their teaching methods from being leaked, and to protect students and the schools themselves from any harm."
"Just like Hogwarts, if a Beauxbatons student came to visit, they'd only see a bare cliff."
Cho and Conna were left wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
While they knew about the school's protective Magic, they had always thought it was to prevent detection by Muggles... like the Muggle Repelling Spell at the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.
They hadn't expected it would work on Wizards too.
"But why was Cedric able to..." Cho puzzled.
"Maybe he met someone before." Kael pondered, "If a professor or someone from the school mentioned Beauxbatons' location, the protection would lose its effect."
Or if a student led him there, it would similarly be unaffected, somewhat like the Fidelius Charm."
Cho thought for a moment, recalling that Cedric had mentioned he came across an Old Wizard in France who told him the location of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.
That's probably why.
Cho felt a bit discouraged; why hadn't she encountered something like that...
"Fidelius Charm?"
At that moment, Ginny lifted her head from The Quibbler, and said pensively, "I think my dad mentioned that Charm before, but I can't quite remember."
"A type of vow charm, usually used to hide important secrets."
"Does the school teach this Charm?" Ginny's eyes lit up with interest.
"No." Kael shook his head, "This Charm's difficulty far exceeds the level of normal students, and forcing its use without enough proficiency can even backfire.
So, unless professors believe you're capable, even if you ask, they won't teach it."
"Oh..." Ginny looked a bit disappointed.
"Ginny, do you have a secret?" Fred grinned mischievously at her.
George came over too, "Tell us, we promise we won't spread it."
"That's what you said last time." Ginny glared at the two, annoyed, "If I'd mastered the Charm before the holidays, I wouldn't have had Percy nagging at me for two months!"
Fred and George, knowing they were guilty, quickly shrank their necks back.
The Hogwarts Express continued northward, with the scenery outside growing more desolate, and as the clouds thickened, the sky darkened.
People came and went, rushing past their compartment door.
"No fireworks allowed in the corridor, which House are you from!"
Outside, Percy's voice could be heard.
But not only did those people not respond, they made even louder noises, laughing and running away further.
Percy chased after them, shouting loudly, "Stop, I'm the Head Boy!"
At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Cedric slipped in like a thief.
"Oh... the Prefect's back." Fred asked with a grin, "Do you have any orders to pass on?"
"I'm here with a message." Cedric shut the door behind him.
"You two should run." He looked at Fred and George with a serious face, "Percy knows you've tampered with his badge, and from the looks of it, he's out to kill you, then hang you out of the train as a warning!
If we hadn't just run into someone playing Fibbon Fireworks in the corridor, he might have walked in right now."
Fred and George exchanged glances, laughing.
"Why run, let him come." Fred said, not seeming worried at all.
"Do you think we're afraid of Percy's big head?" George laughed, "Let me tell you, not a bit."
As they spoke, they even took out sweets to share with others, showing no sign of unease.
The commotion outside gradually quieted.
They heard Percy's voice again, "Too arrogant, Slytherin, not even the Head Boy is taken seriously. I'll definitely tell Professor Snape..."
Though the voice was faint, hearing it meant he was nearby.
Fred suddenly slapped his thigh, "I almost forgot, Lee Jordan wanted us to find him after getting on the train."
"I've remembered too," George nodded, "He said there's something important he wants to discuss."
"Right now there's not much else going on, so let's go quickly."
"Alright."
The two got up simultaneously, walking casually to the compartment door and peeking outside.
"Fred, George!" Percy's roar came from nearby.
The two swiftly pulled the door open and darted out.
Due to their rushed movement, George bumped his head on the doorframe, grimacing in pain, but still clutching his head, he hurriedly followed Fred.
Laughter burst forth in the compartment.
Cedric sat down where they previously were, shaking his head bemusedly, "I thought they really weren't afraid."
Ginny giggled, "A few weeks ago, they tried to trap Percy in a Pyramid, and when Percy found out, he gave them a thorough beating.
If you observe closely, you'd notice George occasionally rubs the left side of his rear.
Because Percy thought he was the ringleader, he gave him an extra whack... though it was indeed the case."
The laughter in the compartment grew louder.
Especially Cedric, who laughed heartily; seeing the Weasley Brothers in trouble was more delightful to him than finding money.
At one o'clock, the hefty witch pushing the food cart arrived at the compartment door.
Kael hadn't eaten much since morning, so he bought a large stack of cauldron-shaped cakes.
He bought the largest portion, enough for all six of them.
Though the cakes tasted average, they were better than chocolate and sweets.
After eating the cakes, they chatted for a while longer, and by three or four o'clock, it began to rain, and the undulating hills outside became shrouded in mist.
As a Prefect, Cedric was supposed to help maintain order in the carriage, but Percy was too diligent, and outside, they constantly heard his voice; most young wizards barely showed their heads before being reprimanded back.
He went but couldn't make any difference.
Cedric seized the chance to rest, playing Exploding Snap with Kael in the comfy compartment.