Chapter 323: The Crimson Train
The next day was the start of the new school term. When Wade came downstairs, neatly dressed, he saw their neighbor sitting in the living room.
The one-eyed Alastor Moody was holding a fork with a piece of sausage and carefully inspecting it.
As soon as he heard footsteps, his blue magic eye swiveled around and looked straight through the back of his head to fix on Wade.
"No need to get up so early, kid," Moody said gruffly. "No need to worry about traffic—I'll be taking you to the station."
Wade was surprised. "Mr. Moody?"
"Yeah," Moody grunted. "Dumbledore told me his plan. He's thought it through pretty well, but not well enough—train stations, crowded places like these are perfect for observing people."
"So, you should thank Alastor—he's really considerate."
Fiona cheerfully placed a golden-brown slice of toast onto Moody's plate and said, "Buttered toast, just right."
Moody sniffed, gave it a careful look, and then said, "Smells good. You're an excellent cook, Mrs. Grey."
"Actually, it's thanks to Coco and the others at home!" Fiona said. "Would you like some egg custard, Alastor?"
"Sure, thank you very much."
Moody was always polite to Fiona—whether it was because he felt obligated after being offered food or just gentlemanly manners was unclear.
Fred asked Wade, "Have you packed everything?"
"Yeah," Wade replied. "It's just that Eva doesn't want to go into the cage. You can just let her fly over to me tonight."
"That works—it'll save a mess on the train," Fred said.
Before leaving, Wade hugged his parents. When Fiona's eyes started to glisten with tears, he smiled and winked. "Don't worry, Mom. If you miss me too much, I can come back tonight."
Fiona knew he meant "fly back," and she immediately burst into laughter through her tears but still shook her head. "Follow the school rules, Wade. You don't want to get caught by the teachers and expelled!"
She hugged him tightly for a long moment before finally letting go.
Lately, the tense atmosphere had been looming over them, and even the usually carefree Fiona had started to feel the pressure. That made parting even more difficult.
As always, Fred reminded him, "Stay safe, Wade."
Wade nodded, grabbed Moody's arm, and with a loud pop, they disappeared from the spot.
No matter how much time passed, the nauseating feeling of Apparition never seemed to change.
Wade steadied himself against the wall, took a moment to recover, and finally started feeling better.
Looking up, he realized—they had arrived at Platform 9¾.
The deep red steam train stood at the platform, billowing smoke from its top. The platform was crowded with students saying their goodbyes to their parents. Various animals were making a chorus of noises from their cages, adding to the overall chaos.
Moody observed for a moment before suddenly snorting coldly, "More people are keeping rats again… Dumbledore really should add another school rule—ban all rodent pets on campus!"
Wade glanced around and saw quite a few girls and first-year students carrying hamster cages. Inside were chubby little pets, some of them even sleeping.
It seemed like everyone had already forgotten the disgust Peter Pettigrew had once brought upon them.
But the scene also reminded Wade of the pet Fiona used to have—Miss Millie.
Though Wade never liked such pets, he had to admit that it had brought Fiona a lot of joy.
"They're probably magic puppet pets," Wade observed carefully for a moment before saying, "I've already seen several identical white hamsters."
"Magic puppet pets?" Moody paused for a moment, then asked strangely, "Do those things even need to be put in cages?"
Wade thought for a second. "…Personal preference, maybe?"
Moody shook his head in confusion. "…Go find a compartment."
Since Wade had arrived early this time, Michael and the others hadn't shown up yet. He randomly picked an empty compartment. Moody did a quick sweep of the space, ensuring it was safe, before letting Wade enter.
"Always stay alert, kid!"
With that final piece of advice from the retired Auror, and after making sure Wade was settled, Moody disappeared with a loud pop.
Wade took a book from his pocket and placed it on the table. Just as he started reading, he suddenly felt an incredibly intense gaze fixed on him.
Turning his head, he saw—through the glass—the flattened face of Harry, staring at him mournfully.
"…"
Wade was speechless for a moment before finally opening the window. "...Harry? What are you doing?"
"Just wait!"
Harry ran around to the door, hurried inside the compartment, and slapped a crumpled piece of paper onto the table in front of Wade. Then, he forcefully smoothed it out, pressing it flat again.
Even so, the newspaper remained wrinkled, and a distorted face came into view.
Harry's voice carried an eerie tone. "Wade, this is the noble, elegant, and kind Madam Umbridge?"
Merlin knows how shocked he had been when he first saw the newspaper!
He couldn't comprehend what kind of mindset Wade must have had to shower such a person with praise.
Wade cleared his throat and retorted unhappily, "Harry, how could you judge someone by their appearance? Are you saying that just because someone is ugly, they don't deserve to be considered elegant?"
Harry, who had been keeping a stern face, suddenly faltered. He was momentarily stunned, even felt as if he might not have a solid argument after all.
He sat down beside Wade, and racked his brain for a while but still couldn't come up with a good response.
Wade chuckled quietly, then flipped open his book and continued studying The Magical Creatures Research Handbook.
The blood and wolf fur that Claire had given him couldn't go to waste. However, to analyze them more thoroughly, he first needed to establish a stronger theoretical foundation.
The compartment remained quiet until just before the train was about to depart. That was when Harry heard the loud and boisterous voices of the Weasley family outside.
Like a gust of wind, he dashed out of the compartment, and soon after, Wade could hear him greeting the Weasleys.
This young wizard, who often seemed shy in the original story, now appeared much more lively and confident—not the boy from the plot who longed for love yet often shied away from it.
A little while later, Michael, Theo, and Ryan also found the compartment. After exchanging greetings, they quickly filled up the luggage racks with their belongings.
The long whistle of the train sounded, and the conductor began closing the doors one by one.
At that moment, Hermione also stopped by, bringing back souvenirs from her trip to France—
A small metal tower that could breathe fire. The flames were only slightly warm and wouldn't burn anyone.
"France has some fascinating magic as well! I bought several magic books and even rewrote my History of Magic essay," Hermione said excitedly.
"If I ever get the chance, I'd love to visit Beauxbatons Academy of Magic! By the way, you all got The Monster Book of Monsters, right? I wanted to study ahead, but I haven't been able to open it properly."
"Stroke the spine," Wade said. "Like you're petting a cat."
Hermione blinked in surprise. "That's all it takes?"
"Of course," Wade replied. "The book behaves just like a little creature."
"I'll give it a try! If it works, I should be able to finish reading it before we even get to school!"
Just as quickly as she had come, Hermione left in a hurry.
Wade smiled. As the train swayed gently, he could feel his heartbeat quickening.
By tonight at the latest… he would finally get his hands on the Time-Turner he had longed for!
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