At the end of August, Loren slowly finished reading the first-year textbooks he'd brought back. He treated the subsequent Standard Spells volumes like storybooks, too daunting to try practicing on his own.
Bates had grown used to Loren's slightly obsessive magic practice. Many household chores were now done by Loren using safe household spells, which freed Bates from tiring work.
Meanwhile, Bates didn't know what to do with himself. He pulled his beard and sucked his teeth, sampling the "wine" Loren had brewed—really just water with a magical twist.
Finally, Bates couldn't stand it any longer. They packed their bags, entrusted the sheep to the mayor's care, and left for London a few days early.
With some free time to spare, Loren wanted to visit Harry or meet Hermione in advance. But he simply couldn't remember their addresses.
Harry seemed to live on Privet Drive—but where was that? The Grangers ran a dental clinic, but Loren had no clue where it was located.
Maybe he could send a letter by the little spectacled owl and follow it secretly, but that felt silly, so Loren gave up. School was about to start anyway.
Bates walked again through the bustling streets of London. The last time he'd seen such a scene was decades ago. London had changed—he sighed at how different this world was now.
He wandered for a few days, quietly making a personal decision he kept to himself.
The two had a good time buying many clothes.
Bates thought that even if Hogwarts had uniforms, it was wise to have winter clothes with thicker linings. Soon, Loren's two large trunks were full.
Finally, the first day of school arrived. They woke early, ate breakfast, and hurried to King's Cross Station.
Bates looked at the crowded station, muttering, "Platform nine and three-quarters… sounds strange."
Loren stopped at platform nine.
Then Bates noticed the little boy beside him, looking a bit lost. He guessed this must be the spot.
"Hey! Boy, cheer up!" Bates said with no hint of sadness.
Loren sniffled, "I was just wondering how to comfort you, old man."
"I don't need comforting, you rascal. You've taken care of yourself since you were little—I'm not worried about you at all." Bates grinned.
Loren was a bit speechless.
"Remember to write back, okay? This is goodbye for now, little guy." Bates's tone softened.
"I'll miss you, Grandpa Bates!" Loren's words sounded truly childlike. Then he pushed his cart and slammed through the ticket barrier.
Bates watched Loren disappear into the crowd, unnoticed by anyone around.
"What a magical kid," Bates said softly, his voice a little choked.
He turned away, his usually straight posture suddenly slumping. His face looked sad.
After a few steps, he wondered if Loren could see him past the ticket gate. Forcing himself to be cheerful, he walked out of the station.
Bates slumped onto a bench outside, tears suddenly flowing as he covered his face with shaking hands.
"This is hateful… makes an old man like me embarrassed," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Loren walked heartlessly through the gate, following the crowd onto the crimson steam locomotive. He stowed his luggage with a heavy heart and found an empty carriage by the window.
He spotted the red-haired twins pushing and shoving past, and a plump man carefully carrying a toad… some faces matched memories—familiar but not exact, yet distinct.
After watching a while with no one coming to share the compartment, Loren closed his eyes, planning to sleep.
Sleeping on trains was an old habit—rest before arrival, no worries about pickpockets here, and to stay refreshed.
He hoped to wake in time for the Hogwarts Express's famous "peanuts, melon seeds, and mineral water" snack cart. Magic snacks fascinated him.
After squinting, Loren was suddenly awakened by someone tapping his face with a sleeve.
Opening his eyes, he saw Hermione, her face puffy, standing before him.
"Loren Morgan! I finally found you!"
"For over a month! I waited for your letter every day, but you didn't write until school started!" Hermione said, tugging Loren's robe sleeve over his head.
Loren quickly grabbed her hand, warning, "If you keep hitting me like that, your hair will fall out early."
"Unexpected situation! The little owl was just bought and isn't trained yet. We need to take it to Hogwarts for lessons from the other owls," Loren explained, pointing at his spectacled owl, jokingly shifting focus.
Poor Cathead was pecking at breadcrumbs on the shelf, suddenly implicated but helpless, just tilting its head in protest.
Hermione accepted this—after all, carrier pigeons, kittens, puppies, and owls all needed training to deliver messages. It made sense.
She sat across from Loren, ready to share everything she'd learned about the magical world and Hogwarts.
Before she could start, Loren interrupted: "Do you think this Hogwarts Express is powered by magic or by machinery? What's the energy source?"
Hermione's attention snapped to Loren's question, and she began explaining her thoughts.
Loren responded in bits and pieces, occasionally spinning stories or making excuses.
"I think it runs on coal—special coal. Washed coal won't work."
"Washed coal…" Hermione repeated skeptically.
Whenever Loren stumbled, he deftly changed the subject—his trick was to keep moving fast enough that her questions couldn't catch him.
Seeing Hermione's bright eyes fixed on him, Loren felt his nonsense made sense. His vanity and poor taste were greatly satisfied. Is this what teasing little kids feels like? He'd experienced it now.
As for consequences? He didn't care. Happiness was enough.
Soon the much-anticipated snack cart arrived.
Loren bought a little of everything and invited Hermione to try them with him.
Hermione resisted the wasteful spending—her mother had packed snacks—but she was still a child and soon gave in. Loren was just too persuasive.
Though she indulged, Hermione insisted on paying Loren back half, despite his repeated refusals.
From strange-flavored beans and pumpkin pies to licorice wands and other odd treats, they enjoyed the tastes.
The strange beans didn't taste like the awful booger flavor Loren expected, much to his regret.
When it came to the chocolate frog, Hermione couldn't take it—it looked too much like a real frog.
Loren bit off half the frog's head in one chomp, the hind legs still twitching, making Hermione nearly scream.
Before she could shout, Loren stuffed a frog leg into her mouth—the broken limbs still moved inside.
She wanted to spit it out, but the chocolate melted quickly, filling her mouth with sweetness and aroma.
Hermione failed to resist and finally accepted it, fascinated by the wizard cards inside.
But things didn't end there.
Seeing Loren pull out a cockroach from the box and stuff it in his mouth, with white juice spurting on the corners of his lips, Hermione broke down and screamed.
"Ah!" she shouted, then immediately clamped her hand over her mouth, remembering her earlier chocolate frog ordeal. Tears threatened to spill.
Loren laughed outright at her reaction.
Outside the compartment, Neville was searching for his toad when he saw the scene: a very cheeky boy grinning wickedly, and a little witch on the verge of tears but not daring to cry next to him.
Remembering her grandmother's teachings and the honor of her parents, Hermione's fists clenched tightly.