We left the manor shortly after ten, as I had little intention of pushing through crowds. I was certain the wizarding side of the station would be quiet at that hour—and indeed it was. The Muggle side of London's King's Cross Station was as busy as ever, which was hardly unusual. The pleasant summer weather helped, with temperatures reaching fairly high numbers.
Had it not been for cooling and cosmetic charms, I would definitely have been drenched in sweat.
Vespera and I headed straight between platforms nine and ten. Near the wall, I became distinctly aware of several types of magical wards—and I was certain they were single-use, active only until the entrance to the wizarding world closed. One of them was directed against Muggles, keeping them from noticing people passing through. Absolutely no one reacted to the wizard who dashed through the wall right ahead of us.
"Shall we go?" Vespera asked after a moment. "Or are you going to keep examining that wall?"
"We can go, I was just curious," I nodded. "I read a book on magical wards, so I've started looking at them a bit differently."
Vespera gestured for me to go first, so with Styrax on my shoulder and a shrunken trunk in my pocket, I walked through the wall at a calm pace.
I immediately stepped aside to keep Vespera from bumping into me and looked around.
Compared to the Muggle side, it was almost deserted here. Only a small cluster of wizarding families with children chatted nearby—though I didn't recognize any of them.
"If you like, I can find out the exact spells used on that wall for you," Vespera offered as soon as she stood beside me.
After a moment's thought, I shook my head.
"Not yet. In time, I'll figure it out myself once I study them more closely..." I replied calmly. "But thank you, Auntie," I added with a smile.
I scanned the train to see if I could spot anyone familiar through a window. Theodore and Tobias might have arrived early like me to avoid the crowds. The Malfoys definitely wouldn't have; they notoriously loved making an appearance—pure extroverts. Whereas with Agnes, it was fifty-fifty... But given that her mother had died, hm.
"Alright, Patrik," Vespera nodded with a slight smile. "If you need anything... anything at all, let me know immediately, alright?"
"Of course, Auntie," I nodded without hesitation.
"Good. Go find yourself a nice compartment, and don't forget to pull your trunk out of your pocket before expanding it. We wouldn't want it tearing your robes," she reminded me hurriedly.
Her blue eyes welled up with tears, and as she finished speaking, she took a step back. She nervously gripped her wand in her palm, fixing her gaze on the Hogwarts Express.
With a sigh, I stepped toward her—did she really think I wouldn't hug her goodbye?
Without hesitation, I embraced her around the waist and pulled her close. She immediately returned the hug, and I felt her gradually relax in my arms. Fortunately, I wasn't tall enough yet to have to bend unnaturally, so we just stood there for a moment in a quiet embrace.
"Mrs. Rosier, what a surprise!" a guy called out a short distance away.
Vespera reluctantly and slowly let go of the hug, allowing me to examine the man walking casually toward us.
He was roughly my height and wore simple black robes, clearly tailored to allow free movement. Despite the plain appearance, the fabric looked far higher in quality than standard pieces from Madam Malkin's. A broad, genuine smile played on his face—one that instantly revealed he wasn't just pleased to see my aunt, but perhaps a bit too pleased.
He didn't seem arrogant or unpleasant. Quite the opposite; he radiated a natural warmth, so I decided to give him a chance. Vespera could certainly use a little love in her life... And if I ended up gaining a few extra cousins down the line because of it, I'd consider that a pleasant bonus.
"I'll write to you, Auntie," I said with a smile as I stepped back from her and headed straight for the train.
As I passed the stranger, I leaned toward him and whispered quietly, "Good luck."
"Thanks!" he blurted out a bit too loudly, then stepped confidently toward my aunt.
Before I disappeared entirely inside the carriage, I caught Vespera's voice—cold enough to freeze hell itself without missing a beat.
"Smith, does privacy mean nothing to you?" she asked curtly.
I didn't catch Smith's reply. But judging by my aunt's tone, I concluded that this man had certainly not made a good impression on her.
A pity.
As I boarded the train, an odd feeling accompanied me. A vague urge to keep walking further, as though something were guiding me forward. It vanished only near the very end of the train—right outside a compartment that was already occupied. Styrax chose that moment to leap from my shoulder and wander off, clearly intent on exploring the train for himself.
Judging by the silhouette, it was a girl. I couldn't see her face clearly enough, but Agnes came to mind. So I didn't hesitate long; I knocked quickly and slid the door open before getting an answer.
It really was her.
The first thing I noticed was her scowling, hostile glare. She held her wand ready to throw a curse on a second's notice, but as soon as she realized it was me, the tension drained out of her completely.
"Hey, Agnes," I greeted her and stepped inside.
I quickly took the shrunken trunk from my pocket, enlarged it, and stowed it overhead. Then I took a seat across from her.
"Hi, Patrik," she answered with a smile. "How are you?"
Honestly, she didn't look great. There were distinct signs of exhaustion under her eyes, and her face appeared paler than usual. Bloodshot veins showed in her blue eyes, and it struck me that she had lost some weight.
Even so, she was smiling. And that smile was genuine.
Instead of answering, I just sighed inwardly and moved to the seat beside her.
Without a single word, I followed Vespera's advice and pulled her close with a swift movement. She gasped in surprise and went rigid for a moment, but within seconds, she returned the embrace.
Fortunately, she didn't cry. We just sat there for a while until I felt her gradually relax.
"I'm here for you, Agnes," I said quietly.
"Thank you," she whispered, nodding with a grateful smile. "How were your holidays? What did you do? You were incredibly stingy with words in your letters, Patrik..."
She uttered the last words with a hint of reproach.
"Really nothing special, Agnes..." I shook my head with a smile. "I spent most of the break studying and training so you lot wouldn't stand a chance of beating me," I added with a smirk. "Only toward the end did I hang out more with the guys... We missed you. There was no one to keep them in check."
Agnes smirked playfully and shook her head.
"Do you think all I did all summer was ski, snowboard, and eat pancakes in the Alps?" she retorted, amused. "I definitely learned some new magic, so I think you're in for a very unpleasant surprise!"
"Honestly? I thought that instead of training, you were mostly dipping your sleeves in syrup," I teased her with a mock smile.
"Pfft," Agnes scoffed. "Just you wait. Before you know it, you'll be flat on the ground. And just so you know, in the Alps they mostly used whipped cream, jams, and chocolate fillings."
She made me laugh. I instantly pictured her with chocolate smudged around her mouth like a mustache.
"I see," I nodded solemnly. "So sleeves soaked in whipped cream and chocolate around the mouth."
For a second, she looked as though she was actually going to hit me with a spell. But then her shoulders slumped in defeat, and with a small smile, she confessed:
"I admit... sleeves were in whipped cream, and there was chocolate around my mouth. But only once!"
"Of course. Only once," I nodded with a grin. "So what did you learn, then? Any hints?"
Agnes merely shook her head, an amused smile on her face.
"Oh, come on, Agnes... Don't be like Theodore," I tried to persuade her. "At least a small hint?"
She pondered for a moment, then finally nodded with a mischievous smirk.
"Things are going to get pretty hot for you."
After a few minutes of quiet conversation, during which Agnes already seemed much more at ease, Theodore and Tobias joined us in the compartment. And just as I expected, right before departure, Draco arrived as well.
Fortunately, none of them was insensitive enough to start prying about the death of Agnes's mother. From her reaction, it was clear she appreciated that immensely.
The atmosphere in the compartment was completely relaxed, with friendly chatter revolving around everyday matters. None of us yet knew who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be. According to Draco, the only ones who knew were Dumbledore and Bones, but they were keeping that information to themselves. Otherwise, Lucius would have certainly passed it on to his son.
The most interesting topic we eventually turned to was the anticipated dueling tournament, for which we were all diligently preparing. And with that, naturally, the discussion turned to elemental spells.
"I think Blanár will be quite dangerous," Theodore said thoughtfully. "He's definitely powerful, but I don't think he's invincible... I've been practicing Bombarda." He cast a glance at me and added with a faint smile, "I took inspiration from your duel."
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"Though the earth element has certain limitations in Hogwarts. For a professional duel, it's not exactly the most advantageous element."
"Why? That stone wall looked decent enough," Draco asked, adding quickly at Agnes's raised eyebrow, "I mean... until Patrik blew it sky-high."
"Earth is definitely a powerful element, but Theo is right," I nodded in agreement. "In an environment like Hogwarts, it's at a disadvantage... In an open field, he'd have a massive upper hand. He could split the ground, summon spikes, or unleash a host of other attacks."
I paused briefly.
"Except at Hogwarts, it won't come so easy to him. The castle itself maintains its structure, so summoning a simple wall is fine, but impaling someone on short notice or raising a sufficiently durable barrier is a problem. He's essentially fighting half against the castle itself... whereas other elemental spells face no such restrictions here."
"Exactly..." Theo confirmed. "I read that the earth element is the finest destroyer of entire armies."
"What about wind?" Draco asked curiously, a spark in his eyes.
I had the feeling wind magic interested him for far more personal reasons than mere curiosity.
"Grindelwald himself used wind magic," I answered. "Naturally, like any element paired with high affinity, it's extremely dangerous... but personally, it feels at a slight disadvantage compared to the rest. Though I suppose that's a matter of preference. Elemental magic is mostly about affinity, imagination, and hard training."
A brief silence fell, broken by Agnes in a firm voice and with her signature smirk: "Fire is the best anyway!"
"Definitely not," I immediately disagreed with a smirk. "Water can solve everything. Got a headache? Drink water. Want better skin? Drink water. Someone annoying you? Drown them."
Amused laughter broke out among my friends, Agnes joining in, but the topic was far from finished. We kept breaking down the individual elements—their utility, combat possibilities, difficulty, and so on. Everyone clearly had their favorite element, and I was very curious to see what they would throw at me.
We arrived in Hogsmeade around six in the evening, just as dusk was settling in. The carriages drawn by Thestrals were already waiting. Apart from me, only Theodore could see them; he raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity. Neither of us asked the other whom he had seen die, though.
It was better that way.
With smiles on our faces, we took our seats at the Slytherin table. Most of the time I ignored the others—entirely innocently, of course, not because I was conceited—but now I quickly looked around at everyone.
Daphne, Pansy, and Tracey Davis had all grown quite a bit over the summer. And by all appearances, the older guys had noticed too.
Alexander Mulciber and Augustus Rookwood nodded in greeting to me. There was no trace left of our conflict from last year. They looked almost exactly as before.
Thomas Blanár was sitting a short distance from Farley. I managed to notice he had lost weight, but I was far more interested in the prefect. She certainly looked very good.
I let my eyes skim the other tables until I reached the staff table. Almost instantly, I noticed the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
And right away, I understood why Madam Bones had placed her here. She had a sharp, cold gaze and hair pulled back into a strict ponytail. Her clothes were utterly plain, yet even from a distance, she radiated a certain gravitas and discipline. She looked like a witch who knew how to take care of herself.
Finally.
"Does anyone know her?" I asked the others, though my gaze turned directly toward Draco. He undoubtedly had the best grasp on these things.
"No," he shook his head. "I've never seen her before."
The others shook their heads in agreement.
"She looks capable, though," Agnes smiled contentedly. "If we had another teacher like Quirrell, I'd set his turban on fire."
"A second teacher wouldn't have a turban, Agnes," Draco smirked at her.
"Their clothes, then," she shrugged with a smile.
"It might even have done Lockhart some good," Theodore chimed in with a grin.
"I read about him. Father knew him from school... and was by no means surprised!" Agnes blurted out, though the smile vanished from her face instantly.
Before we could continue our conversation, a loud clap echoed from Dumbledore. All the tables fell quiet at once. A moment later, the doors swung open and McGonagall entered alongside the fidgeting, nervous little first-years.
"Please, please, let her be in Slytherin," Greengrass whispered.
In the silence of the Great Hall, almost everyone near us heard it. A few students turned toward her in amusement, but most of the attention remained fixed on the first-years slowly making their way forward.
I scanned the new students. A few looked frightened, others tried to appear confident, but most carried the same uncertainty in their eyes that I expected from first-years.
And then I saw her.
A red-haired girl in shabby, hand-me-down robes—Ginny Weasley.
In that instant, I tuned everyone else out.
I needed to deal with Riddle's horcrux as soon as possible. According to what Draco told me, their parents had gotten into another fight in Diagon Alley, so I hoped Lucius had slipped her the diary once again. However, I certainly had no intention of relying on Potter to stop the Basilisk at the end of the year...
The risk of my dying, or any of my friends dying, was simply too high to leave things to chance.
***
Author's note:
And Year Two is officially underway!
I mean, who would actually risk having a Basilisk freely slithering around Hogwarts... killing people with just a glance? Patrik certainly isn't about to leave that to chance.
Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the elemental magic discussion in this chapter! Is Patrik right about Water magic being the ultimate solution, or are you on Team Agnes with Fire? Or would you prefer a different element altogether?
Drop your thoughts in the comments below—I'd love to read them! See you in the next chapter!
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
93. Arania Exumai
94. Favors and Frustrations
95. Power and Glory
96. Morning Drills and Slytherin Deals
97. Thrill of the Fight
98. Calculated Risk
99. Flight and Fortune
100. Calculated Arrogance
101. GW: A Cunning Kind of Courage
102. GW2: My Best Friend
103. Pride Before the Haircut
104. Fire and Thunder
105. Better to Be Feared
106. A Serial Killer Under the Bed
107. The Legacy of Rookwood Castle
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