Chapter 32: Hogwarts Express Problem Solved

The Hogwarts Express in the 1970s was extremely chaotic. For safety reasons, Gary and his three companions did not go looking for trouble with that group of Wizards, but they were determined to convey this paper to Headmaster Dumbledore.

Kona spent the entire day hunched over, catching up on homework. She borrowed everyone's assignments, thinking and writing, drawing on the strengths of all.

The train finally arrived at the station, and large numbers of young Wizards disembarked the Express at the Hogwarts platform, walking onto a rough, muddy road. At the end of the road, about a hundred carriages were waiting for the young Wizards.

These carriages resembled medieval coaches, except they had no horses.

Inside the carriages, there was a faint smell of mildew and straw.

After the four boarded the same carriage and closed the door, the carriage began to move bumpily.

This time, there was no dinner waiting for them in the Castle. The Great Hall was empty, and many students, after a day of travel, chose to return directly to their dormitories to rest.

Gary and his three companions were also dizzy after a day on the train. They quickly finished dinner in the Great Hall and returned to their dorms.

After Christmas, the academic pressure suddenly increased dramatically, accompanied by small tests in certain subjects. Everyone was overwhelmed, not only dealing with exams but also writing essays for various subjects. Students from all four Houses complained bitterly, feeling as if the school wanted to drain all their energy after the joyful Christmas holidays.

Gary and Alfrina's paper progress was forced to be delayed. Fortunately, there were no holidays during this period, and the Hogwarts Express was not used again.

They were so busy that they didn't even have time to bother Snape. Sometimes, when they saw him, he was always with a group of Slytherin students, but Avery and Mulciber were no longer around.

As March began, various subjects were nearing their conclusion, and the frequency of assignments and exams suddenly decreased.

"Now this is the life a first-year should enjoy," Howard said at 8 PM on Friday night in the Library. He had finished all his weekend homework, put away his quill, stretched with a big yawn, patted his belly, and comfortably narrowed his eyes.

"Do you think this is good enough?" Alfrina, sitting opposite Gary, pushed the several pages of parchment in front of her over.

Gary saw the title read "Discussion on the Safety Hazards of the Hogwarts Express." He quickly skimmed through it. From his perspective, it was written quite well, with detailed content, sufficient arguments, and clear logic.

"Excellent, Alfrina," Gary praised her, looking at her smug expression as she slightly narrowed her eyes. "How about we finish this article together this weekend and hand it to Professor Dumbledore on Monday morning?"

There wasn't much left to the paper, and two days were plenty of time. After they finished their homework, the Library was already closing. They returned to the common room, discussed the division of labor for the content, and then went to rest.

Ravenclaw had only one Quidditch match left this season, against Hufflepuff. Previously, Ravenclaw had lost both matches, and Hufflepuff had also lost both matches. This match was a battle for both sides' dignity.

After two hours of intense battle, Hufflepuff's Seeker ended the match, winning with a significant score of 200-20.

Howard and Kona had intended to go to the final match of their House team to cheer on the players, but it turned out to be another crushing defeat.

Some busybody Gryffindor students even coined a phrase for them: "There's no need to watch Ravenclaw's matches; when you wake up, it's another loss!"

This infuriated the Ravenclaw students, but they were helpless against Gryffindor. Like Slytherin, they had not tasted defeat yet. The school scheduled the confrontation between these two Houses after the final exams, aiming to create a sufficiently exciting and spectacular final.

After two days of hard work, Alfrina and Gary's work was finally completed. On Sunday night, Alfrina carefully transcribed the paper with a quill in the common room.

The final draft of the paper consisted of seventeen pages of main text, with an appendix containing all of Gary's interview materials. After asking Miss Lucy to bind the parchments with a spell, Alfrina handed the thick stack of parchments to the teachers' table in the Great Hall on Monday morning.

"What is this?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously when he saw Alfrina place the parchment on Dumbledore's dining table.

"A paper about the Hogwarts Express, Professor," Alfrina respectfully replied.

Dumbledore had just put a Muggle hard candy in his mouth, showing a satisfied smile. He was a little surprised to hear Alfrina's words. He opened the paper and quickly scanned it.

"The problem you've raised seems quite serious," he said gravely. "I will investigate this matter thoroughly." He put the paper away, first looked at Alfrina, then at Gary sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw long table, and then rose and left the teachers' table.

The paper was very effective. During the Easter holidays, Dumbledore personally rode the Hogwarts Express and witnessed the chaotic situation in the carriages with the students. After returning to school, he convened a meeting with the school governors, singling out the Hogwarts Express. A single route was established from King's Cross Station to Hogwarts. The former Hogwarts Express was renamed the "King's Cross Station - Hogsmeade Express" for use by non-school Wizards.

At the same time, a ticket gate and two ticket inspectors were set up at the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, implementing a one-person, one-ticket system. Tickets were developed by the Ministry of Magic with anti-counterfeit markings. The ticket inspection system was only implemented at a few specific times when young Wizards were on holiday or returning to school, which did not require much manpower and effectively ensured the safety of the students.

Fifty points each—this was the reward for Gary and Alfrina's half-semester of hard work. Ravenclaw's sapphires quickly surpassed Slytherin to rank first, which delighted Professor Flitwick immensely.

Classes were nearing their end, but exams had not yet arrived. This was the most relaxing time for Hogwarts students. They could pursue their interests and do what they wanted.

What the Ravenclaw quartet wanted to do was find Snape and teach him a lesson. Five months had passed since he put the hiccuping Potion in the apple pie, but the vengeful Howard had never forgotten about it.

They waited in the Library every day, observing Snape's movements while reading. He spent most of his extracurricular time with Lily. The two would go to the Library to review their studies, then to the Great Hall for dinner, and then bid each other farewell before returning to their common rooms.

The space for the four to act was very limited. There were quite a few Hufflepuff students on the way from the Great Hall to the Slytherin common room, which gave the Ravenclaw four a huge headache. Snape was not as gluttonous as Howard, so the plan of putting something in his food was naturally unfeasible.

"Doesn't he like Potions?" Kona suddenly said, biting her pen. Her eyes were fixed on a Potions ingredient practice sheet, which contained the ingredients and dosages for every Potion learned in the first year. Lucy had given it to them, and it was very helpful for reviewing Potions.

-----------------------

If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at

"https://www.patreon.com/Amon0_0"

Or Just search Amon_The_Error in your patreon and you can find the advance chapters there