Chapter 45 — Third Year
I reach King's Cross a little earlier than usual. The station feels the same as always—crowded, noisy, full of people rushing in every direction—but Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is calm in its own strange way. The scarlet train waits with its windows open, steam drifting around the wheels. I climb aboard, find an empty compartment, and settle my trunk by the window. The familiar smell of the Hogwarts Express makes my shoulders relax. It feels great to be back with friends.
I do not stay alone for long. My roommates and other friends come and fill the seats and adjoining compartment quickly, and the noise rises as everyone talks over everyone else. Being here, like this, reminds me why I do not want to leave Hogwarts too soon.
This year will be different. Elective subjects begin, and I have chosen all of them. Most students think I'm crazy or how I will cover all these classes but I have my reasons. I want to stay in the castle after I graduate. I am three years ahead of Harry, which means that after the year of the Triwizard Tournament, fourth year for Harry, I would normally leave. That would mean leaving Harry, and Dudley too, alone to face things he should never have to face alone. If I take enough subjects, build the right path and stand out enough, maybe I can stay at Hogwarts as an assistant or apprentice. I have changed my strategy of being less noticeable and avoiding limelight as being Harry's cousin will be enough to render all those efforts meaningless. So I have decided to be outstanding. Anything that keeps me close when the worst begins.
And the worst will begin soon, as soon as Harry arrives, I know that too well.
Horcruxes. The word itself makes my stomach tighten. I have already destroyed what I could, and found ways to reach the others. The Slytherin locket is with Kreacher, the House-Elf of the Black family. I know exactly how to retrieve the locket and destroy it. The Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw sits in the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. I could destroy both without much trouble.
I do not plan to get that gaunt ring now, as I don't have enough power to destroy its protective spells. But I am confident it will be possible in a few years.
But two Horcruxes remain difficult. The diary and the snake.
The diary will come to Hogwarts, through Ginny, credit to Lucius Malfoy, three years from now. At least that one I can deal with. I have already made friends with Ginny, and Harry trusts me. When the diary appears, I can take it before it harms anyone. That part is simple enough and needs just patience.
Nagini is the problem. I know she is somewhere far away, deep in dark forests where dark wizards hide. I know she matters more to Voldemort than any other Horcrux. But I cannot go searching for a giant snake in the middle of cursed woods filled with things worse than Death Eaters. I will wait. When Voldemort returns, Nagini will come to him. That is when I will strike.
As we reach Hogsmeade Station, the train slows with a long hiss of steam. Students stand, stretch, and reach for their trunks. I glance out of the window and see Hagrid on the platform, holding his lamp high and calling for the first-years to follow him. His voice carries across the crowd, warm and familiar. Watching him, I make a quiet decision. I should become better acquainted with Hagrid this year.
There are several reasons.
First, if Dumbledore remains the same man I know him to be, he will almost certainly send Hagrid to fetch Harry for Hogwarts next year. It would be easier for everyone if I built a friendly bridge now. I think about Dumbledore, and I realise my thoughts about him have started to darken. His actions in Sirius's case trouble me more than I expected. In my last life, I brushed it off as part of the story, something written for drama, and I never questioned it deeply. But living through it now, learning wizarding law properly, and seeing how the Ministry works, I find it almost impossible to believe that a man with such power and authority could make such a "mistake." It feels deliberate, not careless.
I also suspect that Dumbledore sending Hagrid to fetch Harry is not only for nostalgia or sentiment. It seems more like shaping Harry's mind from the very beginning—surrounding him with softness, humour, wonder, and no real sense of strategy or danger. Perhaps Dumbledore wants Harry to grow into someone who follows, not someone who questions. Someone who will walk the path Dumbledore chooses, even if that path ends in sacrifice. At least, that is what I fear.
Still, I try not to judge him too harshly. Maybe he truly is losing his sanity after everything he has endured. He lost his family early, carries guilt for it, and the only person who understood him, his lover, he later defeated and has imprisoned for fifty years. His brother barely speaks to him. To lose both family and love, and then carry the burden of guiding an entire world and thousands of children for decades, maybe it has really worn him down until he is loosing his mind
Maybe he is not evil. Maybe he is simply slipping.
I digrees. Let's get back to Hagrid.
Second, Hagrid knows every tree, creature, and path in the Forbidden Forest. I think getting acquainted with Hagrid will help me more than any book or professor when it comes to the Forbidden Forest. He knows every creature in i. Their habits, their moods, what they like and what they avoid, and which actions they treat as threats. His knowledge is practical, earned by living beside them, not by reading from a safe distance. I know there is our professor who has lost or broken nearly every bone through his research, but Hagrid understands the forest in a far more natural way. I will need that knowledge. If I want to work with magical animals safely, he is the best guide I could have. There are magical ingredients in the forest that could help both my potion practice and, later, maybe even some sort of business.
I do not need money at the moment, my vaults are full, all thanks to Bellatrix, but one should always think ahead. Opportunity matters, and magical materials are valuable if gathered safely.
I would never harm any creature, and I know Hagrid would not allow it anyway. But some creatures shed feathers, skin, or other parts naturally. With Hagrid's help, I could collect them without trouble.
In return, I could help him as well, give him a few suggestions on grooming or clothes, perhaps. If Harry and Dudley see him next year looking the way he does now, they may faint on the spot. It would be good to ease the shock.
Hagrid is a gentle giant, soft-hearted with both children and animals, and he deserves to be seen as he truly is.
As I step off the train and walk toward the carriages for the older students, another thought comes to me. This year, I may also deal with one more danger, the one that sleeps deep below the school.
The Basilisk beneath Hogwarts is a threat that should not be left waiting for Harry to face alone. I will find a chance to deal with it safely. But the biggest headache is how to open the damn magical entrance as it only opens by Parsletongue.
End of Chapter 45 — Third Year