Molly Weasley woke before the sun had properly risen, something that had become a habit over the years whenever one of her children was preparing to leave for Hogwarts.
Normally the house would still be quiet at this hour, but today the Hogwarts Expresswas leaving far earlier than usual and she had no intention of allowing anyone to miss it because they refused to wake up on time. Letting out a small sigh as she pushed the blankets aside, she got out of bed, slipped on her robe and stepped out into the narrow hallway of The Burrow, already planning the quickest way to wake the children before the morning descended into the usual chaos.
As she made her way toward the staircase she paused slightly in surprise when she noticed Percy already standing near the landing, fully dressed and holding a book in his hands as though he had been awake for quite some time. The boy looked up immediately upon noticing her and straightened a little. "Good morning, Mother," he said politely.
"Good morning, dear," Molly replied with a small smile, though she could not help feeling relieved that at least one of her children had managed to wake up without being dragged out of bed. "Since you're already up, could you go and wake your brothers for me? Fred and George will sleep through a thunderstorm if no one checks on them."
Percy nodded seriously, clearly pleased to be entrusted with the responsibility. "Of course, Mother."
Satisfied, Molly continued down the hallway while Percy headed toward the twins' room. She reached the door to Ron's bedroom and knocked firmly before opening it without waiting for a reply. The room was dim and cluttered as usual, with trunks and half-packed belongings scattered around the floor in preparation for the journey back to Hogwarts. On the beds, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.were still very much asleep.
"Ronald Weasley, wake up," she said firmly as she stepped inside. "Harry, dear, you too. The train leaves at six thirty this year and we have no time to waste."
Ron groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow while Harry stirred slightly, clearly struggling to wake up at such an early hour. Molly shook her head fondly at the sight before clapping her hands once to hurry them along. "Up, both of you. You can sleep on the train if you must, but right now you need to get dressed."
Once she was satisfied that the boys were at least somewhat awake and attempting to sit up, Molly stepped back into the hallway and made her way toward the final door at the end. She paused briefly before opening it and stepped into her daughter's room where Ginny Weasley was still fast asleep, curled beneath her blankets.
"Ginny, dear," Molly said gently as she moved closer to the bed. "It's time to wake up."
[ Ginny POV ]
"Ginny, dear… it's time to wake up."
I heard my mother's voice through the haze of sleep.
"Mmm… okay…" I murmured sleepily, barely moving.
"You don't want to miss the train on your first year, do you?"
My eyes snapped open instantly.
"Of course not!" I replied quickly as I pushed the blanket aside. "I could barely sleep last night anyway. I was too excited."
"Good," my mother said warmly. "Then hurry along."
"I will, Mum," I said while climbing out of bed. "I'll be ready soon."
With that I began getting dressed as quickly as I could, my mind buzzing with excitement. Today I would finally be boarding the Hogwarts Express and beginning my first year at Hogwarts.
[ Tom POV ]
"Avada Kedavra."
A flash of green light burst from my hand.
This time the curse did not travel in the usual straight line. Halfway through its flight, the beam split apart and branched outward into a second stream of lethal magic before dissipating into the darkness of the diary.
I nodded slightly in satisfaction.
Why had no wizard ever attempted something like this?
The modification itself was not particularly complicated. Any sufficiently skilled wizard should have been able to experiment with the structure of the curse and attempt variations. Yet no such development appeared in the records I had inherited.
Of course, the technique was far from efficient.
The chained version of the killing curse placed nearly three times the strain on my magic compared to a normal cast. However, the potential advantages in battle were obvious. Against multiple opponents, a branching curse would force enemies to divide their attention and remain constantly on guard, creating openings that could be exploited.
I cast the curse several more times, refining the structure of the spell and familiarizing myself with the altered flow of magic. After roughly a dozen attempts I stopped, allowing the energy within my soul to settle.
The curse was not merely draining my magic.
It also produced a strange state of exhilaration followed by exhaustion, a sensation that made me want to cast it again and again despite the cost.
Interesting.
With a casual thought I shaped a reclining chair out of the dark space of the diary and sat down while organizing my recent observations.
Every time I fully exhausted my magic reserves, my overall magical saturation increased by approximately two percent.
The speed of this growth was absurd.
Even the original Tom Riddle had struggled to achieve similar results despite performing weekly rituals designed specifically to accelerate magical development.
The diary itself was unusual.
The same could be said of the Resurrection Stone.
The stone appeared capable of capturing fragments of souls and using them as a source of empowerment for its wielder. Unfortunately the battle with the horcrux had damaged it. From what I could determine so far, the artifact had originally enhanced several aspects of the mind.
It improved focus, strengthened mental discipline, and helped resist the lingering imprints created by repeated spellcasting.
A fascinating tool for anyone studying advanced magic.
All of this only reinforced my earlier decision to remain cautious.
If the stone possessed abilities that were never mentioned in the stories I remembered, then the same could very easily be true for the Elder Wand as well. And if that was the case, there was no guarantee that Albus Dumbledore was unaware of those hidden properties.
Remaining patient would be the wiser approach.
As I considered my plans for once I arrived at Hogwarts, I felt a familiar shift within the connection linking me to the diary.
Ginny had finally awakened.
A small smirk appeared on my face.
Now I could finally begin putting the next stage of my plans into motion.
{ King's Cross }
"Harry! Ron! Quick, grab your luggage. We have to move fast. It's already six twenty-seven, we've only got three minutes to make it!"
I heard Arthur shout as the Weasley family hurried through the crowd inside King's Cross Station, pushing their trunks toward the barrier leading to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Behind him, Molly Weasley had clearly lost her patience.
"This is exactly why I told you boys to wake up earlier!" she snapped at Ron and Harry while hurrying forward. "If you had gotten out of bed the first time I called you, we wouldn't be running through the station like this!"
Ron muttered something under his breath while Harry looked embarrassed, both of them struggling to drag their trunks through the crowd.
I observed the scene quietly from within the diary.
Moments like these were rare. Ginny's mind was already restless from the excitement of her first day at Hogwarts, making it effortless for me to nudge her thoughts slightly. A faint push of irritation toward Ron and Harry was enough to ensure she would not question the situation too closely.
Even if she became a master Occlumens one day, discovering such a subtle influence would be nearly impossible.
When the family finally reached the barrier, the situation had grown even more chaotic.
Over twenty students and their families had gathered around the entrance to Hogwarts Express, all trying to pass through the concealed passage at nearly the same time. The crowd pressed together impatiently as trunks bumped into legs and parents hurried their children forward.
Arthur pushed ahead and called out, "Follow me, kids."
That was my cue.
I slipped out of the diary and immediately cast a disillusionment charm over myself before positioning myself behind the Weasley family.
As the crowd shifted and pushed forward, I nudged Harry slightly with a precise flick of magic.
His glasses slipped from his face and fell to the ground.
Before he could reach them, someone in the crowd stepped directly onto the lenses and continued walking without even noticing.
Harry bent down quickly to grab them while Ron stopped beside him.
"Harry, you alright, mate?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine," Harry replied while getting back to his feet. "Let's move."
The moment he started forward again, I interfered once more. A subtle push of magic caught his foot against the edge of his trunk, sending him stumbling forward and hitting the ground face first.
By the time he managed to stand again, the rest of the Weasley family had already disappeared through the barrier.
Perfect.
As Harry and Ron hurried toward the entrance, I quietly altered the wards guarding the passage. A temporary barrier formed over the enchantment, invisible to anyone else but completely blocking the two boys.
Then I stepped through the barrier myself and entered Platform Nine and Three-Quarters before dissolving back into mist and returning to the diary.
Behind me, the Hogwarts Express prepared to depart while Harry Potter and Ron Weasley remained stranded on the wrong side of the platform.
- To Be Continued -
Hey so sorry for the delay, I got really drunk last night and could not upload a new chapter but here is the chapter I promised yesterday.
The word count is around 2k....
I'll upload two chapters tomorrow or wednesday. We hit 300 power stones last week so I'm aiming for 500 this time around...
Take care and cya