Finally, the day had come.
September 1st. The first day of the Hogwarts term.
I woke up early in the morning and washed my face in the bathroom with hollow eyes.
We were currently in a luxury hotel in London.
Of course, if I had wanted to, I could have just Apparated directly to Hogsmeade, but as I've said before, long-distance Apparition is not very good for a young body.
And most importantly.
It doesn't matter to me, but Harry is a new Hogwarts student, after all. Shouldn't he get to ride the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross Station at least once?
Meanwhile, I looked up at the mirror and couldn't help but feel a sense of unfamiliarity with my own appearance.
"...Do I really have to go this far just to go back to Hogwarts?"
My hair, reflected in the mirror, was dyed black. I didn't want to use dye, so I had used an illusion spell.
Since it wasn't a physical dye, someone with a high level of magical skill might be able to see through it, but who would pay that much attention to a mere hair color?
I had tried to change my conspicuous golden eye color as well, but my 'Eyes' were already intertwined with various ancient magic formulas, so I was reluctant to tamper with them.
The reason for this ridiculous disguise was simple.
It was because of the letter Albus had sent me yesterday.
Seeing me sweep back my black hair with a cynical look, Deek spoke from behind me.
"Master, from what Deek can see, this is a situation of Master's own..."
"Deek, I know, so be quiet."
"Oh, Master. Deek was wrong. Deek has a bad mouth."
Though he said that, Deek didn't punish himself at all. Having lived with me for so long, he had become quite different from other house-elves.
I sighed and took the letter I had received yesterday out from my robes.
[Sir. What on earth have you been up to? An undersea earthquake in the Atlantic Ocean has caused a tsunami. The Muggles, unable to explain the cause of the earthquake with their science, had the Muggle Prime Minister recently ask the Minister for Magic, Fudge, if this incident was related to magic. Fudge has considered this a violation of the International Statute of Secrecy and asked me this morning for a way to identify the culprit. In any case, Sir. Because of this incident, the Ministry of Magic will be on high alert for some time. For that reason, simply using the now-expunged name 'Aisen Knightly' could be problematic. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would use a pseudonym at Hogwarts. Also, if possible, please disguise your appearance as well. Wishing you good health, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.]
There was no room for excuses; it was my fault. No, how was I supposed to know the Muggles would ask the Ministry of Magic about this?
Could it be that the upper echelons of the Muggle government are just blaming the Ministry of Magic for everything that can't be explained by science?
In any case, whether it was a lucky guess or true insight, the Muggle government had come up with a very effective solution.
The result of that was the reflection in the mirror before me now.
The most distinctive features of my appearance were, after all, my ash-blue hair and golden eyes.
If my hair had been black like this back then, Albus probably wouldn't have recognized me when we first met in the cave.
Meanwhile, my pseudonym had been chosen by Harry.
Seeing me as I came out after washing my face, Harry grinned and greeted me.
"Good morning, 'Aisen Potter'."
"Good morning to you, Harry Potter. And who gave you permission to call your master by his name?"
I lightly snapped my fingers, and a magical force bonked Harry on the head.
Harry's surface thoughts, which I sometimes sensed, were unstable. Was the biggest reason for this the absence of a family?
Harry, who had grown up without receiving any familial affection from the Dursleys, considered us his new family.
And yet, perhaps because we were not connected by any legal relationship, Harry often felt a sense of anxiety.
That's why he had reacted so strongly when we were discussing my pseudonym yesterday.
"Master, if you're using a pseudonym, can't you use the same last name as me?"
I'm using a pseudonym to avoid attention, so wouldn't using the last name of The Boy Who Lived attract more attention instead?
I had thought about it for a moment, but after using Legilimency, I just agreed. The desire I felt from Harry at that moment was a true wish that I was his father, or perhaps his brother.
It might get a little troublesome, but it's better for my disciple to be happy, isn't it? In any case, the one who would have to deal with the trouble would be Albus, not us.
So I didn't even change my first name. The name Aisen itself probably wasn't that rare.
In any case, Albus can always suffer.
I let out a single sigh and said.
"Let's just get to King's Cross. If we're late, we'll miss the train."
King's Cross Station, London.
As befitting a place where various modes of transportation intersect in the heart of London, the station was bustling with people.
And in that environment, the sight of two children carrying an owl and a parrot was sure to attract attention.
Of course, the pure white owl was Hedwig, and the bright red parrot was Ardeura.
What a strange sight it must have been, with the birds perched on their shoulders without a single cage.
And yet, not a single one of the numerous Muggles, rushing on their busy way to work, gave the two children a second glance.
This was because Harry's master had cast a spell to interfere with the Muggles' perception.
King's Cross Station, Platform 9.
Harry looked around at the splendid high-speed trains lined up around them.
Then, he took the ticket for the Hogwarts train out of his pocket and expressed his confusion.
"But Master. What on earth is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?"
"It means you have to go through the third of the four pillars between Platform 9 and Platform 10."
Harry looked around and soon found the pillar Aisen had mentioned.
...It was quite small.
Harry asked.
"That small pillar is the only entrance to the Hogwarts Express platform?"
"It's pretty strange when you think about it, isn't it?"
Following the grumbling Aisen, Harry walked into the pillar.
For the record, all their luggage was stored in Aisen's magic bag. He wasn't particularly surprised that all that luggage had vanished.
He had been traveling with that bag for four years now; there was no way he would be surprised by it at this point.
And what appeared after passing through the pillar was a steam locomotive, painted black and red. On one side of the train, the words 'Hogwarts Express' were written.
The secret path to Hogwarts, the place of learning where all the excellent wizards of Britain gather.
Seeing that path for the first time, Harry felt a chill run down his spine and said.
"Master, this is a steam engine!"
You're telling me we're going to school on a steam engine that probably existed a hundred years ago?
His master also opened his mouth wide and said.
"No, how can they still be using the same train from a hundred years ago? By Merlin's beard! That thing was state-of-the-art back in the 19th century, a hundred years ago. Why are they still using this?"
Don't tell me that train is over a hundred years old.
Though it was surely maintained by magic, it was only natural that a look of suspicion crept into Harry's eyes.
But that was brief.
Harry soon looked around and let out a gasp.
Everywhere he looked, it was full of wizards his own age!
Of course, he had seen a street full of wizards in Diagon Alley, but seeing wizards his own age was a different atmosphere altogether.
As Harry was looking around, Aisen, who was standing next to him, hurried him along.
"Harry, let's go. It's better to go and find a seat."
And, until the train departed, absolutely nothing happened.
There was the small incident of a boy named Ron joining their compartment and being shocked to find out Harry's identity, but by now, Harry was used to that sort of thing.
Ron had also rudely asked about his parents, but Harry decided not to apply his own standards to a young kid who didn't know any better.
His master also showed a brief look of interest upon hearing Ron's red hair and the name Weasley.
It seemed he had some connection with the Weasley family in the past, so Harry made a mental note to ask about it later.
About an hour and a half after the train had departed.
Just as they had run out of things to talk about and were beginning to doze off, they heard a rattling sound from the corridor outside their compartment.
Soon, a witch opened the door and said kindly.
"Anything off the trolley, dears? Would you like some... oh my."
But the woman, who had been about to introduce the various snacks on her cart, suddenly's eyes lit up as she said.
"Goodness me. I never imagined I'd see such a special guest here."
At those words, Ron reflexively turned his head towards the most special guest of all, 'The Boy Who Lived,' but Harry knew very well that he was not the most special guest on this train.
Look. Isn't the meaningful smile of the witch pushing the snack cart, and her gaze, directed at his master?
Seeing Aisen awkwardly avoiding the witch's gaze, Harry decided to follow the witch out into the corridor for now.
The snack trolley was abundant with all sorts of food. And Harry had a lot of money, and no one to stop him from buying snacks.
"From here to here, I'll take it all."
Just as Harry, with his arms full of various pumpkin pasties, chocolates, and candies, was about to go back into the compartment, the witch stopped him.
"Just a moment, dear. Since you've bought so much, shouldn't I throw in a little bonus?"
The witch smiled mischievously, and then suddenly fiddled with something under the snack cart.
"Where is this... ah, right."
Click!
And then, at the very bottom of the snack cart, a hidden compartment popped out.
And then, from that compartment, she took out a wrapper that looked like a Chocolate Frog and handed it to Harry.
"Here you go, dear. Be sure to share it with your friends inside, will you?"
With a face that was barely suppressing a laugh, the witch pushed her cart and disappeared into the next compartment.
Ron greeted Harry, who entered the compartment with his arms full of snacks.
"Wow, my goodness! What is all this!"
Since Harry and Aisen had already eaten a hearty breakfast made by Deek, they weren't particularly hungry, but snacking was a different matter entirely from meals.
After they had made a dent in the snacks, Harry's eyes fell on the Chocolate Frog that the trolley witch had given him as a bonus.
Why was this particular chocolate in a secret compartment?
Seeing Harry looking at the wrapper with curiosity, Ron said.
"Huh, the wrapper on that Chocolate Frog looks a little different!"
"What does?"
"Look here, the color of the wrapper is a bit darker, and the pattern is simpler!"
Come to think of it, though it wasn't a big difference, it was true.
Aisen, who was sitting next to him, also said with curiosity.
"Come to think of it, the wrappers on Chocolate Frogs these days are a bit different."
"What? These days? What do you mean?"
"It's nothing."
After hearing his master's words, Harry examined the wrapper and saw the year 1897 written on one corner.
Don't tell me this is a Chocolate Frog that was produced in 1897?
Whatever it was, he would find out when he opened it.
And when he opened the Chocolate Frog, there was no actual chocolate frog inside.
A deflated Ron said.
"What, I guess it's a defective one? She said it was a bonus, but she just gave you something useless!"
But Harry saw that there was a card attached underneath the wrapper.
"No, wait. There's a card here!"
And as he picked up the card and saw its contents, Harry couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Unlike other Chocolate Frog cards, the part where a picture should have been was just a golden background with nothing on it.
Not only was there no picture, but even on the back, there wasn't much of a description.
—Order of Merlin, First Class —Award for Special Services to the School —If you value your life, do not seek to know more.
And at the bottom of the picture area, the name, embossed in silver-blue, 'The Unknowable One,' was the only thing written.
Ron saw it and exclaimed.
"Wow, I've collected over 500 Chocolate Frog cards, but I've never seen one like this!"
Harry could only look at Aisen and give an awkward smile.