"Lynn, why are you packing? You couldn't have been expelled from school for selling flying brooms privately, could you?!"
As soon as Edgar returned to the dormitory, he saw Lynn stuffing things into the Undetectable Extension Trunk. He was immediately startled, his face filled with panic.
William, who had been reading, looked up at once. He pushed up his glasses and put down his book with a serious expression.
"What? How could the school expel a student for that? You made those brooms yourself, and you've already had points deducted as punishment! No, I have to go talk some sense into Professor McGonagall!"
He made a move to head out as he spoke.
"Stop, stop, stop! Hold it right there!"
Lynn quickly reached out to stop his two drama-queen roommates, caught between laughter and tears.
"What kind of nonsense are you thinking? Who's being expelled? I'm going abroad! Abroad to participate in a competition!"
He helplessly explained to his roommates how Dumbledore had invited him to represent Hogwarts in the International Freshman Alchemy Competition in Switzerland, emphasizing the generous prize money and the circumstances behind it.
The tense atmosphere in the dormitory dissipated instantly, replaced by envy and excitement.
"Oh—so that's how it is!"
William realized the truth and picked up his book again, his tone returning to its usual calm.
"Then I wish you success. Bring back a good ranking."
Edgar leaned in, winking and nudging him.
"Not bad, Lynn! You've made it to international events! Don't forget to bring us some local specialties from Switzerland. I heard the chocolate and cheese there are good!"
Ollie, who had been sitting quietly, didn't speak, but his eyes darted between William and Edgar before he gave Lynn a slight nod.
The meaning was clear: he wanted both William's blessings and Edgar's requested specialties.
The day of departure arrived quickly.
Lynn and his three roommates, who had come to see him off, arrived early at the open lawn in front of the castle to wait.
The early morning mist had not yet fully dissipated, and crystal dewdrops hung from the blades of grass.
Suddenly, a slight "crack" echoed in the air, accompanied by a few flickering sparks.
A second later, Dumbledore's tall figure appeared on the lawn, wearing magnificent robes printed with stars and moons, a gentle smile on his face.
Appearing with him were a man and a woman wearing formal wizarding robes, with Ministry of Magic badges pinned to their chests.
"Dad? Mom?!"
As the figures of the two became fully clear, Edgar let out an incredulous cry.
The witch and wizard couple looked over at the sound, their faces showing the same surprised expression.
"Son?! What are you doing here?"
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lynn finally figured out what was going on.
It turned out that Edgar's parents, Mr. Edward Burns and Mrs. Anna Burns, were indeed ordinary employees of the Ministry of Magic, as Edgar had said, and they both happened to work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Since Switzerland was hosting an international event, the British Ministry of Magic needed to send someone to assist the Hogwarts contestants with transnational procedures and coordination, and this task had fallen to them.
Being able to see their son along the way was a purely unexpected joy for them.
After the pleasantries, the moment of departure arrived.
Mr. Edward Burns took a dirty-looking empty beer can out of his pocket and said to Lynn and Dumbledore,
"The Portkey approved by the Ministry. The time is almost up. Please, everyone, touch this object. It might be a bit uncomfortable for the first time, so please be prepared."
Lynn, Dumbledore, and the Burns couple all placed their fingers on the beer can.
Edgar and the other two waved goodbye nearby.
"Have a safe trip, Lynn!"
"Remember the specialties!"
The next second, Lynn felt as if a hook had jerked violently behind his navel. His feet left the ground instantly, and his whole body felt as if it were being stuffed into a giant rubber tube, dragged along in a rapid spin by a massive force, the surrounding scenery blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors.
He heard the gasps of Edgar's parents; only Professor Dumbledore seemed to remain composed.
This dizzying sensation lasted for several dozen seconds.
Just as the surrounding scenery condensed from distorted ribbons of color into solid objects, Lynn felt his stomach churning uncontrollably.
"Blegh~ ugh~ blegh~"
He bent over and dry-heaved onto the neatly paved stone ground beneath his feet. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten much that morning.
"Child, urp, are you okay—ugh~"
Beside him, Anna Burns's face was terribly pale. She suppressed her discomfort, patting Lynn's back with one hand while asking with concern.
But clearly, her own condition was not optimistic either; before she could finish speaking, she couldn't help letting out a muffled sound of nausea.
"I'm... I'm fine, Ma'am—blegh—I'm just... not quite used to it."
Lynn waved his hand, trying to show he was fine, but then another wave of dizziness hit, making him bend over again.
This experience was a hundred times worse than the Phoenix's Apparition.
Edward Burns, standing nearby, was in slightly better shape, but he kept his mouth tightly shut, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he clearly struggled to endure the intense nausea.
He looked around, and after confirming they had reached the correct location, he muttered with a hint of resentment,
"Merlin's beard! Which 'master' made this Portkey?
How can the quality be this abysmal?
The Portkeys I used on my previous business trips were at most a bit dizzying. I've never experienced this... this feeling of having my internal organs flung out!"
As an employee who frequently handled international affairs, he clearly had certain standards and expectations for the comfort of a Portkey, and this experience had undoubtedly fallen below the bottom line.
Amid the pathetic dry-heaving and complaining, Professor Dumbledore—the only one who remained composed—was surveying the surrounding environment with great interest, as if the bumpy journey just now had been an interesting sightseeing trip.
Hearing Edward's complaint, he turned his head, his eyes twinkling with amusement, and commented in a gentle tone as if savoring a Sherbet Lemon,
"Oh, it was indeed... quite a novel experience.
I must say, the gentleman who made this Portkey has a very... personal touch when it comes to creating a 'dynamic sense' of spatial distortion."
His words were subtle and polite, but the underlying meaning was just short of saying directly—the skill of the person who made this Portkey was truly exceptionally poor.
Lynn was young and had a good physical foundation. Combined with the subtle regulation of his body by the "Perfect Bodily Control" ability, the churning sensation subsided after a while.
He straightened his back and took a few deep breaths of the cool air at the foot of the Alps. Feeling much clearer-headed, he finally had the chance to look up and carefully examine their new surroundings.
They seemed to be standing in the center of a small square. Beneath their feet were smooth, polished gray stone bricks, with stubborn moss growing in the cracks.
How to describe it? It had a very medieval Swiss architectural style.
Timber-framed houses were closely packed together, with dark wood outlining neat or asymmetrical geometric patterns on light-colored walls, full of the rustic charm of the handcrafted era.
Most of the roofs were exceptionally steep, covered with heavy dark gray slate tiles, obviously designed to handle large amounts of snow in winter.
Many windows protruded from the walls, forming exquisite windowsills adorned with flower boxes overflowing with blooming geraniums or pansies.
"Tsk," Lynn clicked his tongue softly. "This place... you wouldn't even need a filter for photos. I just wonder if the Wizards here have secretly cast Fortifying Charms on these old houses; they look like they've been around for ages."
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