King's Cross Station, built on the site of the final battle of Boudica, the Iceni Queen of ancient Britain, is one of London's iconic landmarks. It's the terminus of the London Railway, a nearly 150-year-old attraction and a symbol of Britain. But it's worth noting that this famous station...
Five-star reviewer Mr. Ryan's review is...
"What a strong smell!"
The stench lingering in the air clearly indicates that the station's sanitary conditions are less than ideal.
Coo-coo-coo!
Monday, a caged eagle owl atop the luggage cart he was pushing, cooed. Its black and red feathers stood out, and his once aloof eyes took on a sinister look.
"Monday, that's not my problem... In a sense, we're fellow sufferers."
Coo?
"Oh, if you're talking about this morning—I can't help it. Miss Pella was crying so hard. If I didn't offer you up for her caress and embrace, I'd be the one suffering."
Coo!
Ryan, suppressing the intense olfactory stimulation, engaged in friendly communication with his owl as he successfully located his destination—a pillar between platforms nine and ten. This was the entrance to Platform 9 and Three-Quarters, the Hogwarts Express. Wizards and witches could be seen wheeling their luggage through it.
But as always, the Muggles around them seemed completely oblivious.
"A Muggle-Repelling Charm? But it's quite unique, seemingly combined with a Disrupting Charm?" Ryan, already well-versed in the current state of the wizarding world, silently commented. After a brief hesitation, he heaved his suitcase and dove headfirst into the pillar.
The next moment, the scene before him was completely transformed. The pungent stench faded, and the air began to clear. A clamorous noise reached Ryan's ears, and before him, a steam train appeared, its hood emblazoned with the words "Hogwarts Express - 5972."
"Cool!" Ryan exclaimed—though, as he'd grown up at the Silver Lime Tree Orphanage, he'd never seen a train before. He looked around and saw a large number of wizards gathered on the platform. Some wore ancient wizard robes that looked like they belonged to the previous century, while others wore modern suits. Luggage, large and small, floated everywhere, and objects occasionally bumped into people's heads.
Ryan also heard a young wizard cry, "No! I forgot my Daisy!" followed by the comforting voices of her parents. Judging by the words of comfort, Ryan concluded that Daisy might be a short-haired cat.
Also nearby were two young wizards who seemed familiar, discussing something.
"What if I'm sorted into another house?" a young wizard asked worriedly. "I heard from my brother that Hufflepuff wizards get extra meals. I mean..."
Ryan took one look at the man's size and thought he might not be the right person for Hufflepuff. He didn't linger at the station, however, and quickly boarded the train with his suitcase. It was still early before the 11:00 departure time, and there were plenty of empty seats. Ryan chose an empty carriage in the middle of the train and sat down.
Seeing no one around, Ryan snapped his fingers, and his suitcase flew onto the luggage rack. Then, a book and a pocket flew out of the suitcase and landed in his hands. Ryan took out Mrs. Perla's special sandwich and milk from his pocket and, while enjoying his brunch, began to read.
He had to admit, the book he'd recently read, Traveling with Vampires, was truly well-written—despite some exaggerated self-promotion, it was detailed and engaging. Ryan had been fascinated by his reading lately. It reminded him of the vampires he'd encountered during his travels with four teachers to Northern Europe.
"That vampire lady who had a good relationship with Mrs. Rowena—I remember her name was..." Ryan recalled, reading.
"Excuse me, can I sit here?" A sweet female voice interrupted Ryan's reading half an hour before 11:00. He put down his book and turned. Then he saw a very beautiful Oriental girl, peeking out of the carriage door. She had long, cascading black hair and a delicate, beautiful face—she was clearly a beauty.
"Of course, please sit down." Ryan smiled and nodded.
The girl then confidently entered the carriage, carrying her suitcase. After putting her luggage away, she looked at Ryan. "Hello, my name is Cho Chang, a second-year Ravenclaw student—you can call me Cho." She hesitated for a moment, then gestured to the seat next to her. "My friend and I have an appointment. She'll be in this carriage soon... do you mind?"
"Of course not, Cho." Ryan nodded politely.
In a carriage with only two people, silence would naturally be awkward. It was obvious—neither Ryan nor Cho liked awkwardness, so they quickly fell into conversation.
Beep!
By the time the train whistle blew and finally departed for Hogwarts, the two had already become quite familiar with each other.
After learning Ryan was from a Muggle family, Cho had intended to teach him the basics of the wizarding world. However, after a brief exchange, she was surprised to discover that Ryan was no stranger to anything in the wizarding world; in her opinion, he was quite knowledgeable!
When discussing certain topics, Ryan gave Cho the impression not of a newly enrolled wizard, but rather of her father, a curse-breaker at Gringotts—elegant, calm, and wise. When Cho asked Ryan where he got all this knowledge, he replied, "I bought some books at Flourish and Blotts."
Ryan held up Walking with Vampires book, indicating that he had done some preliminary study.
"You're amazing," Cho exclaimed. "You'll definitely be sorted into Ravenclaw."
However, Cho, possessing a strong competitive spirit, didn't want to be outsmarted by a newly enrolled wizard. So, she quickly changed the subject to her own strengths.
"Do you know Quidditch?"
"Yes, I do..."
Ryan hesitated slightly—of course, he couldn't be unfamiliar with Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world. But he was certainly unfamiliar with the girl in front of him, and...
"That's good to know."
Seeing Ryan's hesitation, Cho seemed even more excited. Of course, her excitement wasn't just because she surpassed Ryan in knowledge, but...
"So, do you know the Tuthill Tornadoes?" Cho practically danced with joy. "I've supported them since I was six! Look at this! It's a custom-made team emblem!"
Cho pulled a badge from her pouch. The background was sky blue, with two Ts emblazoned on it. Along with it came a stack of cards. The cards were gold, each bearing a winged golden orb—the Golden Snitch. Ryan noticed that the top card depicted a young athlete soaring across the field on a broomstick, his name outlined in gold below.
"Hector Lamont?" Ryan clearly didn't recognize him.
"Well, he's Scotland's Seeker at this year's Quidditch World Cup—Merlin's Beard. He was just three millimeters away from catching the Golden Snitch... If he had, Scotland would have won the championship!" Cho said regretfully, then began to educate Ryan about Quidditch and the Tuthill Tornado.
"It's said that Tuthill is likely to sign this outstanding Seeker this summer... I daresay, there are few in the world who are better than him!" But as soon as Cho finished speaking, they heard a voice objecting.
"Cho, that's not right."
"Everyone knows Mr. Lamont is old!"
Two voices came one after another. Ryan and Cho turned and saw two red-haired boys looking at them with smiles.
"Oh..." One boy was surprised when he saw Ryan's face. "You were with Professor Flitwick in Diagon Alley..."
"It's me." Ryan now recognized the two twins he had encountered outside Flourish and Blotts. "I'm Ryan Elias."
"George Weasley."
"Fred Weasley."
After exchanging names, the Weasley twins approached the carriage. "There are two seats available. Do you mind interrupting your 'date'?" They winked at Cho, only to receive a roll of the eye.
"No, I'm afraid not, George—I promised to save a seat for Marietta." Cho shook her head in denial.
"Actually, I'm Fred, and he's George." Fred cheerfully high-fived his brother, while George grinned. "As for your friend Marietta—we just saw her take a seat in the carriage up ahead... I bet she's missed her date again."
Cho's expression changed. She said, "Sorry," and quickly left the carriage. The Weasley twins calmly put their luggage away, lowered their shoes, and sat down. A moment later, Cho returned, looking furious. "I even saved her a seat! She actually said the kittens the new students brought were adorable..."
And with that, the carriage was finally full.
Cho and the Weasley twins were indeed quite close.
All three were Quidditch ace players on campus—the twins were already on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and Cho would be joining the Ravenclaw team this year. So, after taking their seats and exchanging names, the four naturally resumed their previous conversation.
"Lamont failed to catch the Golden Snitch in the final six games of last season. Tuthill was truly in trouble when they signed him!"
"Every year he's won the championship, every year he's a runner-up. He only managed some success in the first half of his career thanks to Darren O'Hare's influence... And he still dares to call himself the 'God of Chasers'? It's hilarious!"
Ryan discovered that wizards undoubtedly had a touch of English football in their blood. It's just that their bloodline was centered around Quidditch, not football.
Both the twins and Cho were undoubtedly quite kind and friendly people. But when discussing their favorite team, they were quite passionate. They were only one beer bottle away from being labeled British football hooligans. However, just when bloodshed seemed inevitable...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A sudden knock on the door interrupted the argument.
"Excuse me," a small, fluffy, brown head poked in. "Excuse me, have you seen a toad?"
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Author's note
If you want to read more chapters of this story, please visit patreon/achmz . You can read this story up to chapter 30! Thank you for your support!