"To Hogwarts, and the Golems – Part 3"
In just one month, the young ones managed to gather everything they needed. Astoria and Luna joined the group to help out—or at least to lift everyone's spirits while they worked tirelessly.
During those weeks, the children spent nearly every day together, going through page after page of notes, checking runes, experimenting with new materials, and testing spells until nightfall. Between laughter and heated debates, they found several legal loopholes they could use to their advantage.
The result of their effort was so polished that anyone would have thought it had been created by professionals. That dedication and the intelligence they showed in redesigning the golems made their parents tremendously proud.
Above all, Harry had an ace up his sleeve he'd been keeping secret. It was a letter of recommendation from none other than Nicolas Flamel. Years earlier, his grandfather had suggested he contact Flamel to learn about alchemy. From France, the old man had immediately taken an interest in Harry's research and sent him a wealth of information about alchemical techniques. That was one of the reasons the golem project had advanced so quickly.
From time to time, the two of them exchanged notes on alchemical creations and theories. And this time, Flamel had asked for a complete copy of their research on the golems. Harry hadn't hesitated for a second—he considered Flamel something like a half-mentor.
Nicolas returned the favor by providing exclusive data on alchemical tools registered under his own name, as well as official authorizations to use them in their creations. That assistance required a complete redesign, but it also turned their project into something fully legal and ready for the market.
After Edward did one final detailed review, everything was in perfect order. Even the International Confederation of Wizards had nothing to object to—unless they felt like drafting a brand-new law just to ban their work.
"We did it!" they all shouted at the same time, hugging each other and jumping up and down with pure excitement. Astoria and Luna joined in too, smiling proudly at their friends' success.
"You really put your hearts into this," Sirius remarked, watching them with a broad grin.
"All of this in just one month. You're incredible," added Tonks, who had somehow ended up as Sirius's unofficial assistant. Her mother had sent her to learn the value of hard work… though in reality, she had ended up as Sirius's partner-in-mischief, giving Remus even more headaches.
"Alright, now tell me the truth," Sirius said, folding his arms and eyeing them with a mischievous look. "You worked this hard right before going to Hogwarts for a special reason, didn't you?"
The four exchanged glances for a second and then, as if by silent agreement, smiled with wicked delight.
"Obviously, we did it to annoy Dumbledore," Daphne confessed first, and the others burst into laughter.
"I knew it!" Sirius declared, raising a fist in triumph.
Meanwhile, Remus only shook his head, though deep down he wasn't going to argue. After all, the old headmaster had brought this on himself.
"I hope you make that old man's life impossible from now on," Sirius said with a grin that looked far too satisfied.
"Tsk… And to think I already graduated Hogwarts and won't get to see it firsthand," Tonks lamented, crossing her arms with mock indignation.
—
"At last, I can get some rest," Harry murmured as he let himself fall onto his bed with a long sigh. He knew that the next day would be the big one: he'd board the Hogwarts Express and finally see the school his parents had loved so much.
Even though he was excited, he also felt a tight knot in his chest at the thought of being away from his mother for so long.
"It's going to be a great year," he told himself, glancing at his feet and then turning to look at a small rune-covered sphere resting on his nightstand. He studied it for a moment before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
—
After saying goodbye to their parents, Daphne, Hermione, and Harry climbed onto the train, looking for Draco, who had arrived early to save them a compartment.
"This year is going to be amazing. I hope we finally get to learn attack spells," Daphne said, pulling out her wand with obvious excitement—and waving it a bit too close to everyone's faces.
Harry and Hermione both stepped back at the same time, just in case.
"You're going to hurt someone with that," Hermione complained, shielding her face behind a book like an improvised shield.
Daphne shrugged and tucked her wand away again, smiling mischievously.
"Too bad my father found our bombs," she sighed, a little disappointed.
"Don't worry," Harry said calmly, smiling. He slipped a hand into his robe and pulled out a small red sphere.
"An apple?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
Harry looked down at it, frowned, and started checking all his pockets nervously.
"Aunt Wanda caught you, didn't she?" Hermione said, her tone resigned and her stare sharp as a blade.
"Yeah…" Harry admitted with a defeated smile.
"Hahaha," Daphne laughed mercilessly while Hermione just shook her head.
When they finally reached the compartment, Draco was sitting there calmly—but he wasn't alone. Three boys stood in front of him, speaking in that mocking tone you could recognize from miles away.
"The Malfoy heir… How sad, alone again," sneered a boy with black hair, freckles, and expensive-looking clothes, his voice dripping with contempt. "Looks like not even the neutral faction wants anything to do with your disgusting family."
"Leave me alone, Luis. I'm waiting for my friends," Draco said evenly, though his eyes betrayed his irritation.
"And who would want to be friends with a traitor like you?" Luis taunted, tilting his head with a vicious little smile.
"Excuse me, but you're blocking the doorway," Harry said calmly and firmly, appearing behind him as if from nowhere.
"And who are you? Can't you see I'm talking?" Luis retorted, while his two companions—big boys with the vacant look of typical thugs—stepped forward, trying to intimidate Harry with their bulk.
"You're bothering my friend," Harry replied, without moving an inch.
Luis looked him up and down with a sneer, then turned his gaze to Daphne and Hermione.
"The Greengrass heiress…" he muttered, frowning. Then he looked back at Harry and Draco. "So you must be Harry Potter, the famous Boy Who Lived. Huh, it seems that supposed scar doesn't even exist. Maybe it's all just one big lie."
He shifted his eyes to Hermione, wearing a cruel smile. "Ah, and you must be the Mudblood of the group."
But he didn't have time to say another word. His body suddenly lifted off the floor as Harry raised one finger, his stare ice-cold.
Then Harry pointed toward the door. Luis shot through the air and landed outside the compartment with a dull thud. Harry slowly turned his head to the other two boys, who no longer looked nearly as brave.
"Get out, or I'll make you fly too," he said calmly, without changing his tone.
They nodded at once and hurried to grab Luis, who was groaning in pain as all three of them ran off down the corridor.
"You'll see, Potter! This isn't over!" Luis yelled as they disappeared.
Harry stepped into the compartment with the others following him.
"Luis Carrow," Draco explained with a sigh. "Son of the current patriarch of the Carrow family. Now that his father's the head of the pure-blood faction, they brought him back from a boarding school in America."
"And those were Crabbe and Goyle. They used to be my friends when we were little." He didn't add anything else.
"Don't pay any attention to them," Daphne said gently, sitting down across from him. Harry settled beside her, and Hermione sat next to Daphne.
"I know," Draco murmured. "He just wants me to snap so his family has an excuse to go after mine."
"That makes me think… If it weren't for your mother, maybe you'd be that boy," Daphne teased, crossing her legs.
"Shut up," Draco muttered, though after a moment he added quietly, "…but maybe you're right."
The others burst out laughing while Draco looked away, annoyed.
At that moment, a woman pushing a trolley full of sweets appeared in the doorway.
"Hello, dears. Would you like anything?" she asked with a warm smile.
"All of it!" Daphne exclaimed, her eyes shining as she leaned over to look at everything on the cart.
Before she could pick something, Harry tapped her on the head with two fingers.
"Ouch! Why'd you hit me?" Daphne protested, rubbing the spot.
"He's getting into the habit," Hermione commented, giving Harry an accusing look.
"If you buy everything, there won't be any left for the other students," Harry said, ignoring the two girls' murderous glares.
"Oh, don't worry," the woman said in the tone of a seasoned vendor. "I have plenty more. After all, there are hundreds of students on board… and quite a few with deep pockets who buy everything in sight."
"Then all of it, please," Daphne repeated, smirking at Harry as if daring him to object.
In the end, the four of them wound up surrounded by piles of sweets.
"Astoria is going to be so jealous," Daphne said with a satisfied grin as she bit into a licorice wand.
"My parents are going to be so mad," Hermione sighed, though she didn't stop eating a handful of biscuits.
"You can just use a tooth-repairing potion," Draco commented calmly as he opened a chocolate frog. When he looked at the card inside, he groaned. "Ugh, Dumbledore again," he muttered before tossing the picture out the window.
Harry watched it for a moment, feeling an odd sensation that the portrait was looking back at him. But a soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Hi… sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for my toad, Trevor. Have you seen him?" asked a short, chubby boy with a friendly face and eyes brimming with tears.
He was neatly dressed, though his clothes looked a bit disheveled, probably because of him.
"He always runs away," he explained in a trembling voice, wiping his cheeks with his sleeve.
"It's okay, we'll help you look for him," Hermione said, standing up right away.
"Ugh… I don't like toads," Daphne muttered, making a face of disgust.