Fortunately, Marius's magical power had already grown to rival that of a senior Hogwarts student. So when Professor Quirrell was caught completely off guard, Marius's ambush succeeded beautifully.
And the moment he unleashed his spell, Marius activated his enhanced physical body, vanishing like a gust of wind from the steps of Gringotts. No way was he going to stick around and risk getting caught up in the chaos.
Strike fast, vanish faster—Merlin's beard, that was exhilarating!
No one had expected someone to cast a spell inside Gringotts, of all places. For several stunned seconds, everyone instinctively turned toward the victim of the sudden magical blast.
Even Quirrell himself didn't realize what had happened at first. But as soon as he felt the breeze against the back of his head—his now exposed head—his face beneath the hood went utterly pale.
Beneath the shredded fabric, Voldemort's twisted visage was just beginning to show through.
Panic surged through Quirrell like wildfire. He hastily threw his arms behind his head to cover the exposed back, thankful that at least the front of his cloak was still intact. In a storm of flailing limbs and desperate awkwardness, he bolted from Gringotts in full retreat.
Had anyone seen what was beneath that hood… he'd have been ruined—both in body and in soul.
Somewhere, not far from the hustle of Diagon Alley, the quiet alleys were about to be filled with Voldemort's thunderous fury.
Meanwhile, back inside the bank, Marius received a rather unexpected system notification:
"Congratulations, Host! [You have successfully repelled Quirinus Quirrell (Voldemort-possessed). Reward: +1 Mind Level!]"
In the blink of an eye, the stat panel flickered, showing that Marius's spiritual/mental strength was now the highest of his three attributes—at a solid Level 3.
Marius froze briefly in surprise. Then a grin stretched across his face.
Not bad at all. A surprise bonus.
As for the rest of Gringotts? The goblins were only just now recovering from the shock. The hooded attacker had long since vanished, and now even the victim had sprinted away. No one knew who to question or what to report.
――――――――――――
With his business at the bank complete, Marius returned to London and headed straight for the Granger residence. When he arrived, he found Hermione already prepped and fully packed.
Her suitcase was huge, towering next to her like a small mountain. Just then, Mrs. Granger came out pushing a second trolley.
"Dear Marius, I've prepared your luggage as well. Let's head off together, shall we?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Granger." Marius nodded politely and took hold of the cart, moving to stand beside Hermione.
"Are we really going to take the train to Hogwarts today?"
Hermione's eyes sparkled with excitement, though she was trying hard to look calm and composed.
Marius couldn't help but chuckle. "We are. Take a guess—which platform do you think we're leaving from?"
"I know this one!" Hermione said instantly. "I read about it—Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, right?"
"Bingo. I almost feel like giving you a round of applause, Miss Granger." Marius's smile was devilish.
Just as Hermione began to lift her chin proudly, Marius added, "Since you're so confident, I'll leave the navigation to you."
"No problem," Hermione said firmly. "You've helped me a lot these past weeks. It's only fair I return the favor."
The Grangers beamed as they watched the two children chatter and head off. Soon, they arrived at King's Cross Station.
But not long after stepping inside, Hermione's pride began to wilt.
"Umm… I guess Hogwarts must build a new secret platform every year to keep it hidden?" she mumbled, glancing helplessly between platforms 9 and 10.
Marius's grin grew wider.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters probably just isn't finished yet," Hermione added, now scowling. "Quit grinning! If there's no platform, how are we supposed to get to Hogwarts?"
Satisfied with the teasing, Marius was about to let her off the hook when a familiar voice called out nearby.
"Hey! You're that guy from Gringotts, aren't you? Uh… Sorry, what was your name again?"
Marius turned to see a sheepish-looking Harry pushing a trolley.
"I'm Marius Cloud," he replied with a nod. "And this is Hermione Granger."
"Nice to meet you both," Harry said, clearly relieved to spot familiar faces. Then, rubbing the back of his neck, he asked, "So… uh, do you know where Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is? I've been searching everywhere…"
Hermione jumped in at once. "We've been wondering the same thing!"
"Oh…" Harry's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"I need to correct that," Marius said calmly. "We haven't been wondering—you have."
Hermione scowled. "What's that supposed to mean? You don't know where it is either!"
"Did I ever say I didn't?" Marius replied innocently. "Did I?"
Hermione opened her mouth… and promptly closed it again. "Well… not exactly…"
"Exactly."
Marius motioned for both of them to follow. "Come on now, children. Just stay close behind me."
And with that, he strode confidently toward the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 and vanished through it. Hermione and Harry exchanged stunned glances.
Hermione, choosing to trust Marius, ran after him.
Harry hesitated—then braced himself and followed.
The trio emerged onto the hidden platform… and Marius immediately turned, waving them off.
"Well, this is where we part ways."
Harry blinked, startled. "Wait—can't I sit in your compartment?"
Marius raised an eyebrow. "You've got eyes, haven't you—even with those glasses on. Don't you think it's obvious?"
"Obvious?" Harry asked, confused.
"You'd really intrude on a romantic private moment between me and Hermione?" Marius huffed. "Some people have no sense of subtlety."
Marius was only trying to tease and make fun of Hermione.
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T/N:
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