Jane Yu had finally earned access to the prefects' compartment.
Still, as she dragged her luggage toward the compartment, her mind wandered. Within three short minutes, she had considered jumping off the train three times and plotted five different escape routes out of Britain without being discovered.
Alas, despite all she had learned from Grindelwald, she had somehow overlooked the most vital spell of all—one to conceal her location.
With Dumbledore's GPS, LeMay's crystal ball, and Scamander's magical creatures, her whereabouts were as exposed as if she were standing under a spotlight.
With a deep sigh, Jane pushed open the compartment door, only to find that the prefects and the male and female student council presidents were already gathered.
As she entered, all eyes turned to her, faces lighting up with expressions ranging from surprise to astonishment.
Jane recognized many familiar faces among her fellow prefects—Ron and Hermione, who had boarded before her; Macmillan and Abbot; Goldstein and Patil...
And, of course, her Slytherin companions and future colleagues—Draco Malfoy, who, as usual, was locked in a standoff with Ron, his chin held so high it nearly grazed the compartment ceiling. The moment he spotted her, his eyes widened, glowing almost as brightly as his platinum-blond hair.
He seemed on the verge of saying something but hesitated, glancing at the crowd, and shut his mouth again.
Cedric Diggory, the student council president who had been about to remind them of the prefects' responsibilities, paused mid-sentence and exclaimed, "Jane, you're back?"
That was all it took to open the floodgates. After all, anyone who could read had seen the summer's headlines about the Gringotts explosion.
"Dragon-riding adventures!" Ron and Hermione began recounting the thrilling tale as they saw it, "Crossing seas and mountains unscathed, surviving in the wild—it was absolutely incredible!"
Once the commotion settled, Jane began her first patrol as a train prefect, now officially granted the privilege of nighttime patrols.
However, her duties were soon overwhelmed by enthusiastic students who appeared out of nowhere, tugging at her robes and persistently requesting photos or autographs. Daphne Greengrass eventually pulled her into a compartment to escape the chaos.
Inside the small compartment, there were only Daphne, Blaise Zabini, and Jane. Theodore Nott was conspicuously absent.
After some pleasantries, Daphne began recounting her summer, sighing regretfully, "My father took my sister and me to France. We even picked out a house and paid the deposit, but then you disappeared, and Grindelwald broke out of prison! We had to come back!"
Blaise, who had feigned illness all summer, still wore the pale complexion created with his mother's makeup. Speaking in a weak voice, he said, "Ahem—a new contagious disease, very debilitating—we were so unwell that my mother and I couldn't receive visitors, regrettably declining visits from the Nott and Malfoy families."
His makeup skills had improved significantly, with blush so exaggerated it made his cheeks look like a monkey's bottom.
Jane finally understood why it was just the three of them here. The Zabini and Greengrass families were classic neutral parties, avoiding entanglements.
Daphne rolled her eyes at Blaise's exaggerated coughing and continued, "There's no helping it. Theodore's father is too loyal. Considering that, even as friends, we have to observe him cautiously. Fortunately, our family has little to no dealings with the Nott family, unlike with the Malfoys. Still, using 'overseas travel' as an excuse is more convenient."
She leaned in close to Jane and whispered, "Most of Slytherin, except for those families already loyal to the Dark Lord—you know who I mean, the Malfoys, Notts, Goyles, and Crabbes—want to avoid another war disrupting their stable lives."
"From what I know, if not for Grindelwald, you'd see fewer people at our table this term. Many families were planning to settle abroad, claiming that the landscapes in America, France, and Germany are far more beautiful than Britain's."
Just like her own failed transfer attempt.
Jane thought, sparing three seconds of sympathy for the runaway Slytherin sweethearts caught in Grindelwald's reappearance.
"So they had to come back to school," Blaise shrugged, more makeup powder falling from his face, making him look progressively less composed. "Parents think it's safer for their kids to stay at Hogwarts than risk Death Eaters knocking on their doors. Of course, some believe the Ministry's claim that the Dark Lord's return is a lie."
At that moment, there was a knock on the compartment door. Jane opened it to find Theodore standing there, expressionless.
An awkward silence filled the compartment.
Daphne and Blaise simultaneously averted their gazes, one looking up and the other down, while Theodore stared straight at them.
With uncharacteristic boldness, Theodore stepped inside, surprising the three of them. His assertive demeanor made Jane briefly wonder if he had been replaced by someone else.
"My father ordered me to 'extend warmth' to you," he said bluntly, causing both Daphne and Blaise to shudder. "Of course, I'm not the only one. Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe are also coming."
"Ack—cough, cough, cough!" Blaise collapsed dramatically, coughing as if his lungs would burst. "I feel gravely ill—"
"You... you just said it outright?" Daphne stammered, staring at Theodore in disbelief. "Merlin—you're a true hero. It's a shame you didn't throw your name into the Goblet of Fire—you're wasted here—"
Realizing Theodore's different stance from his father, the two began awkwardly scratching their heads and stammering apologies.
"And how do you plan to report back to your father?" Jane asked.
In response to their apologies, Theodore let out a cold snort through his nose. He then turned his gaze to Jane and said, "One can't even cast a basic fire spell without burning themselves; the other skips classes claiming to be sick. Two useless pureblood fools."
Daphne accidentally set her robe on fire, and Blaise, who had just sat up, collapsed again, pouring a potion into his mouth. Steam rose from his nose and ears as he whimpered, "Well, a bad reputation is still better than being forced to join them. At least they won't bother with two pureblood buffoons."
Theodore let out a faint chuckle before continuing, "My father and Draco's father have been ordered to persuade Fudge, stalling for time to gather strength."
"The Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge, might be sent by Fudge to Hogwarts to interfere here."
He spoke with a detached tone, as if discussing something unrelated to him. Yet his words were laden with implications.
"She's a cruel person—clearly, you need to be cautious."
Having been shattered into pieces over the summer, Jane finally managed to piece herself back together on the first day of school.
Understood.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—Umbridge—was likely to clash with her.
Perhaps even tasked with digging up Dumbledore's secrets from her.
Well, she planned to give Umbridge an additional task.
Getting the Senior Undersecretary to sign her withdrawal notice—surely that wasn't asking too much!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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