Christmas break at Hogwarts was about to begin in two days.
The Thestral-drawn carriages pulled the students who had finished breakfast away from the castle and back to the Hogsmeade station. The scarlet steam engine was already waiting. With a loud whoosh of the whistle, the Hogwarts Express roared to life, moving as if a speed enchantment had been cast upon it.
"Is that speed close to two hundred miles an hour?"
Unlike the sluggish trip to Hogwarts, the return journey to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was truly express.
Lynn was genuinely astonished by a travel speed that rivaled a high-speed train.
"I was shocked last year too. I thought something was wrong with the train," Cho Chang said, resting her chin on her hand as she looked out the window.
The high-speed rush of the train lifted the snow on both sides of the tracks, and behind the blinding white "rapids" was a silver-painted canvas of winter.
"I told my parents you were coming for dinner, and they're really happy to have you, Lynn. Just don't do anything weird."
"Me?" Lynn pointed to his nose. "What would I do... Oh, I know! I won't try to swear a blood oath with your dad and become 'sworn brothers.' Don't worry, I won't try to snag that deal."
"What are you even saying?"
Cho was startled by this extremely odd idea. I think of you as a friend, and you want to be my dad's brother?
"Maybe your uncle and I will hit it off right away," Lynn chuckled. "By the way, Cho, what kind of work does your father do here?"
"Ancient magical ruin excavation, and the identification and cataloging of ancient runes. But these aren't the kind of runes used in modern-day Alchemy; they're special magical texts known as Ancient Magic from over a thousand years ago."
"Almost all records of Ancient Magic in Europe have been lost. Dad came here to try and uncover the secrets of Europe's ancient magic. My mum is involved too."
"But since I was born, Mum has mostly stayed at home. Digging around ancient ruins is hard and dangerous work. Dad says Ancient Magic is completely different from the magic most witches and wizards use."
"I don't understand it completely, but I know for sure that Ancient Magic is incredibly powerful. It can violate many of the fundamental rules of modern magic—for example, changing the weather over a large area, turning the dead of winter into spring. That's something modern magic simply can't do."
"Sounds amazing." Lynn paused to recall any useful memories, but came up empty. He'd been the 'Senior' student at Hogwarts, but he hadn't played the game seriously. The female characters were ugly, looking like troll half-breeds, and covered in blackheads—it was just too much to look at.
"Can anyone still use it now?" Lynn asked Cho, thinking of the legendary student Fred and George had mentioned.
"Of course. About a hundred years ago, a verified user of Ancient Magic appeared at Hogwarts. The Forbidden Forest wasn't always this large. Records prove that he restored the Forest after it was damaged by poachers at the time, greatly expanding its size and making it the safest sanctuary for many magical creatures."
"It's a shame he disappeared."
"His name? What was his name?"
"No one knows. He used magic to erase his own name, probably because he didn't want anyone to disturb his life. His traces exist in the world, but no one knows who he was. That's the power of Ancient Magic."
"I see..."
Lynn could roughly understand now. This was probably why Voldemort dared to stir up trouble in England in a world where the 'Senior' student existed. If not for a special source of information, it wasn't impossible for the Senior's existence to be dismissed as an exaggerated legend.
Both the Weasley twins and Cho had access to this piece of the truth.
"What are you two talking about?"
Harri, waking up groggily, rubbed her eyes and lifted her head from Cho's lap. She must have been up late last night doing Merlin knows what, as she still had faint dark circles under her eyes at breakfast.
"A legendary student who once attended Hogwarts," Lynn summarized simply.
"Oh."
Harri, not particularly interested, swung her little feet and made a face.
"Lynn, my legs are asleep."
"Then walk it off?"
"Can't move." Harri shook her head. "You play with them."
With that, she forcefully kicked her feet up and rested them on Lynn's leg.
"Don't tell me you read this in yet another hentai manga?"
"Heh heh," Harri stuck out her small tongue. "No white thigh-highs, but I do have white, long cotton socks!"
She pulled her robes up slightly, revealing the white, over-the-knee cotton socks.
"Ugh, they reek!" Lynn's face was full of disgust as he pinched his nose and fanned the air.
"No way! I just changed them yesterday afternoon!"
"You said yesterday? Do you want to look at your fleece-lined snow boots before you say that to me? They were practically smoking when you took them off to sleep!"
"That was because it was cold when we first got on the train!"
Harri, absolutely refusing to admit her feet smelled, whined. "It's nothing like the manga, though..."
"Is there any chance the one you read was one I glanced at and immediately tossed aside because I found its fetish too messed up?"
"So, this isn't actually fun?"
Harri, who had only intended to tease Lynn, was a little dejected. This wasn't how she thought it would go at all.
"Speaking of fun..." Lynn paused slightly, then narrowed his eyes, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth that made Harri shiver.
"What are you planning?!"
Harri, sensing imminent disaster, tried to pull her legs back, but it was too late!
Her ankle was instantly grabbed, and her wiggling toes thrashed about, but to no avail.
Lynn curled his right hand into a fist, extending his middle knuckle, and let out a villainous hee-hee-hee laugh.
"Let's play a game."
He breathed on his right hand.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Lynn!"
Harri, panicking fiercely, hugged Cho tightly, her face filled with terror.
"Don't be scared, Harri. I'm just here to give you a little check-up."
Harri's body went rigid as something hard poked the sole of her foot. She forced a strained smile onto her pale face. "Lynn, can't we just talk this out nicely? Don't use your hands..."
"Let me check if your Kidneys are in good shape—"
"Aah! Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!!!"
"That's your Liver!"
"Mum! Mum, save me!"
The teary-eyed, crying girl and the boy with a wildly evil grin formed a rather memorable masterpiece. Meanwhile, the quiet girl next to them, with an expression that was half-laughing and half-crying, was the sole witness to the farce.
"All talk and no game."
Lynn tossed her foot away, washed his hands, and leaned forward, still looking somewhat satisfied. "How about we try a new game when we get back after Christmas? It'll be absolutely brilliant."
"No!"
Harri wiped her tears away, shaking her head tearfully.
"It's one you can win. Fair and square. Give it a try; it's genuinely fun."
"Competing in what?" Harri asked suspiciously.
"Reaction speed."
"It's on! But if you lose, no take-backs!" Harri instantly felt confident when she heard they would compete in reaction time.
"So, are you done crying now?"
"Yes, I'm done."
Harri pulled up her robes and wiped her face. At least she wouldn't have to be comforted.
"If you're done crying, get ready to get off the train. Change out of your robes. We're about to arrive."
"And change your socks! They absolutely stink. If I get athlete's foot on my hand, you are finished, Harri!"
"Cho! See? Lynn is bullying me!"
"Who's bullying who! Don't throw your stinky socks at me!"
"It's a Christmas gift! Gifts are put in socks," Harri declared self-righteously. A small jet of water shot from her wand tip; after washing her feet, she flicked her wand, and the water on the floor instantly vanished. She was getting quite skilled with these small spells now.
"What kind of messed-up book are you reading? Are you sure you got that from me?"
"The Energetic Dragonborn Maid."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Why would I ever own something so utterly twisted?!"
Just as Lynn was having an existential crisis, the Hogwarts Express gradually slowed down and finally stopped at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Outside the window were the eagerly awaiting parents, bringing with them the warm scent of home.