When the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station, Harry once again enjoyed the treatment of being the center of attention.
Originally, after his first year, his classmates had gradually grown accustomed to being schoolmates with the savior of the wizarding world.
But this year's situation was too special.
The matter between Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew was simply too legendary.
Moreover, the grudges and entanglements between these two men had always revolved around one core event: that incident twelve years ago that had shocked the entire wizarding world.
The Dark Lord, who had never failed before, had killed James and Lily Potter, but was defeated by their infant son Harry Potter, and had been without a trace ever since.
Now that old matters were being brought up again, and with such a massive reversal of events, naturally Harry, the central figure was once again pushed into the spotlight.
However, this time the main force observing him wasn't his fellow students on the train.
It was the parents who had come to pick them up.
Just like Mrs. Weasley had done years ago, they brought along their children who hadn't yet started school, all just to catch a glimpse of the savior.
"Look, that's Harry!"
"Don't block me—can I go up and see him? Just one look!"
"Don't be reckless. Looking from afar is fine, but you want to run up to him? He's not a monkey!"
"I don't want to see a monkey, I want to see Harry Potter!"
"How wonderful!"
Watching this scene, Ron couldn't help but reveal an envious look.
When would he be able to receive people's attention like Harry?
Born into a large family, Ron's position was extremely awkward.
With five older brothers who were all quite excellent, he happened to be the sixth child, stuck in a neither-here-nor-there position.
If he were the youngest brother, that would be one thing, but after him came Ginny, his younger sister.
That took away any chance of him being the baby of the family.
His oldest brother was a prefect and Head Boy, Charlie was a prefect and Quidditch captain, Percy was a prefect and Head Boy, Fred and George, the twins were mischievous and naturally absorbed most of their parents' attention, and Ginny was not only the youngest child but also the only girl in the family.
Under these circumstances, it was truly difficult for their parents to spare more love for Ron.
That's why Ron had seen himself in the Mirror of Erised as Head Boy and Quidditch captain, the center of everyone's attention. Originally, Ron had just felt unappreciated at home, but after coming to school and becoming good friends with Harry, this feeling became even stronger.
It wasn't until today, when Harry was once again in the spotlight, that Ron suddenly realized something.
Everyone in his dormitory seemed extraordinary.
Harry Potter, there was no need to say more about this one. The Boy Who Lived, the savior of the wizarding world, the nemesis of the Dark Lord.
Children from wizarding families like themselves had all grown-up hearing stories about Harry Potter.
Sherlock Holmes, this Muggle-born wizard, was equally impressive, recognized as the Lion King, a great detective.
Sometimes he received even more attention than Harry, especially this time, having uncovered the truth after twelve years and reunited Harry with his godfather.
Neville Longbottom, though seemingly dull and slow to react, it was precisely because of this that he attracted more attention.
Everyone knew Gryffindor had a round-faced boy with a poor memory who would search for his lost pet Trevor before every holiday.
Even Dean Thomas was something special. He enjoyed singing, dancing, rap, and basketball, and was quite popular among some of the girls.
Only he himself, apart from being able to eat, he couldn't find any other noteworthy characteristics.
According to Harry, even in eating he might not compare to Harry's Muggle cousin Dudley.
Living in such an environment for a long time, it would be impossible not to feel a little unbalanced.
But Ron had always hidden these small thoughts well.
Sherlock and Harry were both his best mates. Being envious was fine, but jealousy needed to be controlled, and as for hatred—
That was impossible.
Unless something unexpected happened.
Next, the group passed through the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, just like every year.
Except for the first-years, everyone else had experience.
They dispersed and staggered their exits, passing through the barrier in groups of two or three to the other side.
Even when some clueless first-years planned to rush through all at once, a shrewd old guard stopped them.
After exiting the station, not only Harry, but everyone spotted Sirius Black at first glance.
The reason was simple; he was too conspicuous!
Not only did he look different from the wanted poster in the newspapers, even compared to when they'd seen him this morning, he seemed like a completely different person.
His height of six feet two or three inches made him stand out like a crane among chickens in the crowd.
Not only was he tall and thin, but his appearance was handsome and elegant.
His newly groomed black hair was elegant and beautiful, his beard neatly was trimmed, and his gray eyes were bright and spirited.
Just standing there, his every movement carried an air of carefree and unrestrained charm.
Without exaggeration, at this moment Sirius Black was even more dazzling than those Muggle celebrities who lived off their looks.
"So handsome!"
Even as a fellow male, Ron couldn't help but exclaim when he saw Sirius.
Hermione, Cho Chang, and Ginny, the three young witches also stared at Sirius with surprise.
None of them had expected that this originally disheveled fugitive would look like this.
Among the girls, only Luna wasn't particularly concerned. She tilted her head and looked at Sherlock:
"Will you grow as tall as him in the future?"
"No."
Sherlock said with certainty, "Based on my parents' and my brother's heights, I should exceed six feet, but not by much."
He wasn't surprised by Sirius's current appearance.
Both Sherlock and Harry had seen what Sirius looked like before.
Thanks to the photo album Hagrid had given Harry, Sirius had been in his early twenties then, serving as best man at Harry's parents' wedding.
His foundation was there, and now that he'd recovered his original appearance, it was only natural.
Come to think of it, Sirius was only thirty-four years old this year.
Though twelve years of imprisonment had subjected him to torment and trauma, once he regained his freedom, these experiences actually added a mature appearance to him.
Compared to his appearance in that old photograph, he was even better now.
"Even more handsome than Lockhart!"
Ginny couldn't help but say.
Hearing her words, even Hermione, who had once been a fervent fan of Lockhart, couldn't help but nod.
"Harry, over here!"
Sirius had naturally spotted Harry early on. Seeing Harry walking slowly, he simply strode over and pulled him into an embrace.
After releasing Harry, he turned to a woman who had followed him over and said, "Sorry, madam, I already have a son."
The woman looked at Harry, then at Sirius, her gaze moving back and forth between the father and godson, and said softly,
"Actually, it's not impossible—"
Sirius and Harry looked at each other.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
However, the woman eventually left with regret.
Seeing this, Sirius couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
To fulfill his promise to Harry and bring Harry home in the best state of mind, after parting with Harry this morning, he'd had Remus Apparate him directly to London.
In the half-day it took the Hogwarts Express to travel from the Scottish Highlands to London, he had prepared everything.
The only thing he hadn't expected was that these Muggle women would be so forward.
While waiting for Harry, more than one person had come up to chat with him.
It was extremely exasperating. But he'd only been locked up for twelve years, had the times really progressed to this extent?
"That wasn't the only woman who approached you, was it, Mr. Black?"
Sherlock suddenly spoke, saying something that surprised everyone.
"Yes, I've only been waiting here for a quarter of an hour, and she was already the third one."
Sirius's smile carried a hint of helplessness. "So, Sherlock, how did you figure that out?"
"It's quite easy to analyze from your movements and demeanor though the number you just mentioned should only be women."
"What do you mean?" Sirius's expression immediately changed.
"There are a few men over there who've been watching you too. From the cigar ash at their feet and the time you just mentioned, it's not hard to determine that they also want to..."
Sirius immediately turned his head and indeed saw several men quickly avert their gazes.
But one of them, a round-faced man with a buzz cut and a goatee smiled at him in a friendly manner when he looked over.
Sirius: "..."
Even though he'd spent twelve years in Azkaban, at this moment Sirius couldn't help but feel a chill.
Had he been isolated from the world for too long?
How had the world changed to become like this!
"Because Mr. Black's charm is too high, he can attract not only women but also men."
Luna said with a completely serious expression.
Sirius: (ಠ_ಠ)
What was with this girl?
Was she complimenting or insulting me?
Sirius took a deep breath and pretended not to hear Luna's words. His gaze swept over Harry's friends one by one, and he said quite happily.
"Harry, you're much better at making friends than James ever was."
He truly meant this, though he didn't say the second half of the sentence.
After all, James had fallen in love with Lily at first sight back then.
Even though he'd been a popular figure at school with plenty of witches who fancied him, James had stayed true to his heart.
Though the process had been fraught with difficulties, he'd ultimately ended up with the one in his heart.
Looking at Harry, though, there were actually four girls around him.
Even if two of them stood a bit farther away based on positioning, that was already better than his father.
This was the difference between having a son and having a daughter.
If Harry were a girl instead of a boy, Sirius would definitely be annoyed seeing several boys surrounding her.
But Harry was Harry, not a girl, and seeing several girls around him only made Sirius feel gratified.
As parents continued arriving to pick up the young wizards, the group gradually went their separate ways, each heading home.
Sirius was in no hurry to leave. Whenever a parent arrived, he would take the initiative to approach them and greet Harry's friends' parents.
For wizards, he only needed to stand there and state his identity, that was enough to show he'd regained his freedom.
For Muggles, his explanation was that he'd rushed back from a distant place and had only recently met Harry.
But regardless of whom he faced, Sirius would proudly tell everyone that he was Harry's godfather.
The Holmes couple truly regarded Harry as their own child.
So, when this tall, handsome man suddenly appeared claiming to be Harry's godfather, they were quite surprised.
Mr. Holmes even stared at Sirius's face with a thoughtful expression.
"Does this mean Harry won't be spending the holiday with us this year either?"
Mrs. Holmes said with some regret, "I was thinking that if you didn't return to Privet Drive, you could continue staying with us. I'd already prepared the room."
"Thank you, Mrs. Holmes."
Hearing Mrs. Holmes's words, Harry's eyes became slightly wet. "But I've already promised my godfather that I'd live with him. It was also my parents' wish."
"Well then—"
The Holmes couple naturally understood what a godfather meant.
In Harry's current situation, Sirius was clearly the first-choice guardian, ranking even before Harry's aunt and uncle on Privet Drive.
It was only natural for Harry to live with him.
"I wonder where Mr. Black lives?"
At this moment, Mr. Holmes suddenly asked.
Sirius smiled slightly: "Not far from here, actually. Grimmauld Place. I think you should know it."
"That's wonderful, we're going in the same direction. Why don't we give you both a ride?"
Sirius paused slightly, then cast a questioning look at Harry.
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