r18novel Chapter 4 The Hogwarts Express
Chapter 4 The Hogwarts Express
Nighttime, Hawthorne's house.
After dinner, David sat by the fireplace, excitedly recounting his day to Emily and Lily.
"You absolutely can't imagine, those shops are like they jumped out of a fairy tale! Quill pens that write by themselves, books that bite, and Ollivander who sells wands, with eyes as big as bells..."
"Karen!" Lily suddenly pounced on her brother, her eyes sparkling. "Show me some magic! Turn this cushion into a cat like Professor McGonagall did!"
Karen chuckled wryly and shrugged. "This... I'll have to do some more research." Seeing his sister pout, he quickly pulled a box of chocolate frogs from his bag. "Want to try this first?"
Lily's attention was immediately drawn to the bouncy chocolate. Emily, on the other hand, quietly opened the "Essentials of the History of Magic" that Karen had brought back, her fingertips gently tracing the gilded title.
"Oh, right, we should give it a name." Karen 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 gently turned its head, almost a full 180 degrees, curiously observing everyone.
"Can it understand us?" Lily stood on tiptoe, her nose almost touching the owl's beak. "As intelligent as that mail-delivering owl from yesterday?"
The owl suddenly shook its fluffy feathers, let out two short "coo-coo" sounds, and even shook its head in a serious manner. This action was so human-like that the whole family laughed.
"Speaking of which," David put down his coffee cup, "the wizarding world is still using such primitive methods of communication. Those wizards invented flying brooms and shape-shifting furniture, but couldn't they think of a more efficient way to send messages than owls? They have telephones, for example—"
"Daddy!" Lily suddenly screamed, startling the owl, which flapped its wings and flew to the chandelier. Holding up the wizard picture card that came with the Chocolate Frog, her face flushed with excitement, she exclaimed, "The person in the picture card is gone! The frame is empty!"
Karen took the picture; the frame was indeed empty.
"This is Nicolas Flamel," Karen explained softly, "the owner of the Philosopher's Stone, the greatest alchemist in history." Just then, the picture suddenly flashed with golden light, and an old man with white hair reappeared in the frame. He wore a robe adorned with star patterns, winked playfully at Karen, and then raised the beaker in his hand, the liquid inside constantly changing rainbow colors.
Lily gasped, "Was he... was he smiling at me just now?"
Karen nodded, but her gaze couldn't leave the familiar face in the picture. Sure enough, it was Nicolas Flamel from three years ago.
"Coo!" An owl suddenly swooped down from the chandelier and landed precisely on Karen's shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. It affectionately groomed Karen's hair with its beak, as if reminding its owner of its presence.
"So, have you decided on a name yet?" Emily asked with a smile.
Karen gazed into the owl's amber-like eyes and suddenly had an idea: "Let's call it 'Phoebus,' the god of 'light' in ancient Greek mythology."
As if acknowledging the name, Phobos let out a long cry, spread its snow-white wings, and under the light, it looked like a glowing cloud, incredibly beautiful.
Lily was so engrossed in watching that she couldn't resist reaching out to touch it, but it deftly dodged her.
"It seems quite pleased with the name," Emily said with a smile as she collected the scattered chocolate frog wrappers into the trash can.
After tidying up everything, Karen took her wand and magic books and went upstairs to her room, ready to start experimenting with magic.
Standard Spells: Beginner's Guide by Miranda Goschak.
I chose a simple spell, the Light-Glowing Spell.
After reading the explanation in the book and reciting it in her mind several times, Karen took a deep breath and raised her black walnut wand.
"Lumos!"
Karen saw the blue-glowing magic surge into the tip of her wand, instantly illuminating the entire room with a dazzling white light. Startled seagulls outside the window fluttered into the air, and Karen's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.
"I succeeded on my first try. It seems I do have some talent."
Over the next few hours, soft incantations could be heard continuously coming from the room.
As the sun peeked over the sea, Karen finally closed his book. His eyes were tired and sore, but a satisfied smile played on his lips. Phoebus had already dozed off beside him, his snow-white feathers rising and falling gently with his breath.
"This is what magic feels like." Karen gazed at the lingering magical glow on her fingertips.
He gently stroked the dancing runes on the parchment scroll and suddenly realized that this was just the beginning. Hogwarts Castle, the moving staircase, the Forbidden Forest full of secrets... and the riddles left by the old couple were all waiting for him somewhere in the future.
For the next few weeks, Karen immersed herself in a sea of magic.
By the end of August, Karen's suitcase was overflowing with notes and new books ordered from Flourish and Blotts, such as *Basic Alchemy*, *Runic Deciphering*, and *Hogwarts: A History*.
At dawn on September 1st, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, all the lights in the Hawthorne house were already on. Emily was busy preparing sandwiches in the kitchen, the aroma of frying bacon filling the entire house.
"Karen, is everything packed?" David asked, checking his son's suitcase.
"Everything's ready, Daddy." Karen patted the bulging box, while Phobos flapped his wings impatiently in the 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.
David prepared a luggage cart for Karen and put all of Karen's luggage on the cart.
The platform was crowded with people. David pushed a trolley piled high with luggage and stopped in front of the wall between platforms nine and ten.
"Is this it?" Emily nervously gripped her handbag.
Karen nodded.
"Remember to write." Emily suddenly stepped forward and straightened his collar, her voice slightly choked.
"Every week!" Lily rushed over and gave him a big hug.
Karen took a deep breath, gripped the cart handle, and charged toward the seemingly impenetrable brick wall. The moment he made contact, he felt a strange warmth envelop him, as if passing through a soap bubble, and then the scene before him abruptly changed.
"Wow!" Lily's exclamation faintly came from the other side of the "wall," "Karen really is gone!"
David put his arms around his wife and daughter's shoulders. "Let's go, we should go home." His voice was filled with pride and reluctance. "That child has known how to take care of herself since she was little."
At this moment, Cullen stood on a brand new platform. The crimson Hogwarts Express puffed out steam, and the platform was crowded with students in black robes. The hooting of owls, the nagging of parents, and the clatter of suitcase wheels intertwined into a wondrous symphony.
Karen's lips unconsciously curled into a smile. His magical journey was finally about to officially begin.
Karen walked through the noisy train corridor, surrounded by the excited chatter of students and the hooting of owls. He chose an empty compartment by the window, carefully placed his luggage on the luggage rack, and then placed the cage containing Phobos by the window. The snow-white owl tilted its head and surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings.
"What a pity..." Karen sighed softly, gazing at the view of the platform outside the window. He opened "Runic Deciphering," his fingers unconsciously tracing the pages. "This time next year, the boy who survived the ordeal will finally board this train. Malfoy's provocation, Ron's Chocolate Frog card, Hermione searching for Neville's toad... I'll never experience any of those classic scenes."
Karen took a bag of Chocolate Frogs out of his bag. The first frog jumped out of the packaging and crashed into the car window with a dull thud. Karen couldn't help but chuckle, as it reminded him of Ron's embarrassing moment in the original story.
Just as he was opening another bag of snacks, there was a gentle knock on the cubicle door.
"Excuse me, are there any seats available?" A dark-haired boy stood in the doorway, his grey eyes holding a gentle smile. The Hufflepuff badge on his chest gleamed. "Hello, I'm Cedric Diggory, a second-year Hufflepuff student."
Karen's gaze lingered on the boy's face for a moment. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff prodigy who died young in the original story.
"Of course, please come in." Karen quickly gathered up the scattered snacks. "Hello, Cedric, I'm Karen Hawthorne, a freshman this year."
Cedric's gaze lingered on the spine of the book for a moment: "Runic Deciphering? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were a third-year student from another house, preparing for an Ancient Runes class? It seems Ravenclaw would be a good fit for you."
He winked playfully. "Ravenclaw's thirst for knowledge shines through you, but I think you could also come to Hufflepuff."
For the rest of the journey, Cedric acted as a competent tour guide, introducing all sorts of things about Hogwarts: the magic on the Great Hall ceiling, the moving staircase, and so on.
"The Hufflepuff common room is right next to the kitchen," he said in a low voice, a sly smile spreading across his face. "The house-elves always leave some scones by the fireplace to keep them warm after curfew."
Just as Cedric continued to explain the benefits of joining Hufflepuff to Karen, the carriage door was suddenly yanked open.
"Look who's here!" Two red-haired boys squeezed in one after the other, their faces bearing identical mischievous grins. "Is Cedric kidnapping new students again?"
"George, Fred, watch your words." Cedric shook his head helplessly and turned to Cullen. "These are the Weasley brothers, Gryffindor's 'pranksters'."
"This is Karen Hawthorne, a freshman this year," Cedric said to the Weasley brothers.
"We'd rather be called 'happy engineers'!" the twins retorted in unison.
"Hey, freshmen!" Two red-haired boys leaned against the door frame in unison, as if looking in a mirror, with identical mischievous smiles on their faces.
The one on the left took a step forward: "I'm George."
The one on the right immediately chimed in: "I'm Fred."
Then, as if by magic, the two pulled a handful of colorful candies from their pockets. "Try our newly developed 'Nosebleed Nougat'? We guarantee it will surprise you!"
As Karen took the candy, she noticed Cedric give a barely perceptible shake of his head. He understood and put the candy in his pocket. "Thanks, I'll save it for dinner."
"A wise choice." George sighed insincerely. "After Cedric ate our 'bubble gum' last time, he wouldn't speak to us for a whole week."
"That's because you made me spit soap bubbles in front of Professor McGonagall for an entire class period!" Cedric protested, both amused and exasperated.
"Why did you just say 'Cedric is kidnapping freshmen again'? Isn't he only a sophomore this year?" Cullen asked the Weasley brothers.
"Well—" George drawled, then suddenly pulled a color-changing candy from his pocket and tossed it into the air, "because our Cedric is Hufflepuff's 'secret weapon'!"
Fred caught the candy with perfect understanding, then magically made it disappear from his palm: "Last year on the train, he single-handedly convinced three freshmen to volunteer for Hufflepuff at the Sorting Ceremony!"
Cedric's ears turned bright red instantly, and he fidgeted with his Hufflepuff badge. "I just... felt that freshmen should know the strengths of each house."
"Listen to that!" George exaggeratedly clutched his chest. "No wonder he's our 'Hufflepuff Treasure,' so upright!"
Cedric finally couldn't help but bury his face in his hands, his voice muffled as he spoke through his fingers: "Merlin, could you please stop mentioning that nickname in front of the new classmates?!"
Karen couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The setting sun streamed through the car windows, bathing the four people in a warm golden light as they listened to their laughter. Cullen gazed at the vibrant faces before him. Though he had missed the original protagonists, he was writing his own Hogwarts story. And this story might be even more captivating than the original.