In the British Wizarding World, September 1st is a very important day, especially for wizards who are over eleven but have not yet graduated. This is the day Hogwarts opens for the new school year. Young wizards who have just turned eleven eagerly await this day, hoping it will come quickly. However, wizards aged twelve to seventeen might not feel the same way, as the start of school means the joyful summer vacation officially comes to an end, and they must confront the assignments they have forgotten over the summer. This is certainly not good news.

This is particularly evident in Kyle and the Weasley twins. In the clearing in front of the Burrow, Kyle stands at the forefront, visibly excited, while Fred and George behind him wear anxious expressions, occasionally huddling together to whisper as if it were their first time going to Hogwarts. Yes, Kyle is here too. Originally, Chris planned to take him there using Apparition, but just before they departed, they happened to run into Mrs. Weasley, who was knocking on the door.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to have anticipated this plan; her first words upon seeing Chris were that there were too many Muggles at King's Cross Station, and Apparition could easily be noticed, making it unsafe. She insisted that Kyle must go with them. Chris wanted to say more, but seeing Mrs. Weasley’s firm attitude, he had to swallow his words and nodded in agreement.

Kyle, on the other hand, rubbed his forehead in frustration. He wanted to tell Mrs. Weasley that, from a Muggle's perspective, having nine people get out of a Ford would be far more shocking than just two unexpected additional people. After all, there is no Ganges, and the Ford isn't some diamond-emblemed magical car that can fit as many as you want. But unfortunately, he was only eleven, his voice was weak, and he was ignored.

Just as he was thinking this, Mrs. Weasley suddenly came to Kyle's side and asked with concern, “Dear, have you packed everything?” “Of course,” Kyle replied, snapping back to reality as he kicked a large trunk by his feet. “I checked three times before we left; I haven’t forgotten anything.” “That’s good,” Mrs. Weasley said, nodding with a smile.

While they were talking, Mr. Weasley pulled up in a vintage-looking old car that seemed to have been salvaged from somewhere. This was their mode of transportation for the trip—a nine-handed Ford that Mr. Weasley was extremely fond of, treating it like a treasure. “What are we waiting for? Get in!” At Mr. Weasley’s urging, Chris was the first to sit in the car. Seeing this, Kyle realized it was too late to say anything; he could only follow suit, and then came the Weasley family.

The interior of the car had been enchanted with the Undetectable Expansion Charm, so even with nine people and a pile of luggage, it didn’t feel cramped at all. Mr. Weasley was a skilled driver; throughout the journey, Kyle didn’t feel any significant bumps or sudden stops, far better than some buses. Around ten o'clock, they arrived at King's Cross Station right on time. Fortunately, the situation Kyle had anticipated did not occur; or rather, the people around didn’t seem to care about an old, beat-up Ford at all. The group smoothly reached a pillar between platforms 9 and 10.

Once they got here, they no longer had to worry about being spotted by Muggles. With the Muggle-Repelling Charm nearby, ordinary people would subconsciously disregard everything happening here, and even if there were rare exceptions, members of the Ministry of Magic nearby would handle it immediately, making it very safe.

Everyone lined up skillfully, and under Mrs. Weasley’s direction, they passed through the pillar in front of them and arrived at the famous Platform 9¾. It was much livelier here than outside. A deep red steam train was parked beside the platform, with a sign reading: Hogwarts Express.

“It seems I’m not late after all,” a gentle voice came from behind Kyle. Hearing this familiar voice, Kyle turned around abruptly to see Diana smiling at him. “Mom?” Kyle exclaimed in surprise. “Weren’t you supposed to have a task…” “Of course I’ve completed it,” Diana said, crouching down to tidy up Kyle’s clothes. “Today is your first day of school; I don’t want to miss such an important day.”

“That’s good,” Kyle replied, feeling happy. If Chris had come alone to send him off to Hogwarts, it would have indeed been a regret. Diana exchanged a few more words with Kyle, and only when it was almost time for the train to leave did she send him aboard, finally reminding him, “I think Chris has already told you about the general situation at Hogwarts, so I won’t repeat it. However, there’s one thing I think he hasn’t mentioned.”

Diana gazed at Kyle with her deep blue eyes and said seriously, “Dear, your father and I graduated a long time ago, and we don’t want to reminisce about our school days, so please don’t let us receive any letters from any professors, including Dumbledore, okay?” “Don’t worry, Mom,” Kyle smiled and replied. “I won’t break any school rules; they have no reason to send letters home.” “Of course, dear.” Diana lightly kissed Kyle’s cheek as she watched him board the train. “Also, don’t forget to let us know your house results.”

“I will,” Kyle nodded and then turned to board the train. A few minutes later, the train slowly departed from the platform, and Diana finally withdrew her gaze. Not far behind her, Chris had just finished a conversation with a middle-aged man and stepped over to Diana.

“Is Diggory bragging about his son again?” Diana laughed. Clearly, she knew the man Chris had been speaking with. Amos Diggory, like Chris, worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and had a child studying at Hogwarts as well. However, his child was a year older than Kyle and in the same year as the Weasley twins.

But unlike the mischievous twins, that child excelled in every aspect, much like Percy back in the day. Thus, Diggory, the proud parent, almost always boasted about his son whenever he spoke with others throughout the year. Once or twice was fine; people would chime in with compliments, but it was unbearable when he kept talking. Consequently, Diggory gradually became one of the least popular figures at the Ministry, especially among parents with children studying at Hogwarts who were average in their grades; unless necessary, they would avoid crossing paths with him.

Even if they encountered him occasionally, they would lower their heads and hurry past, avoiding conversation whenever possible. Those who couldn’t escape, such as encountering him in an elevator or colleagues like Chris from the same department, would exchange a few pleasantries before quickly finding an excuse to leave, never giving him a chance to change the subject.

And this time, Chris clearly couldn’t avoid it. “Cedric is indeed very impressive,” Chris said with a wry smile. “Forget about that; has your task really been completed?” Although he didn’t know the specifics of the Department of Mysteries, he was aware that tasks appearing there usually took at least a month; situations that could be resolved in just two days were nearly impossible.

“Of course not,” Diana squinted and replied. “But my colleagues are very easygoing; I just needed to take a short leave, and they won’t say anything.”