At last the day arrived for Julian to return to Hogwarts and begin yet another thrilling year of dealing with something that might very well try to kill him. Unlike the previous year, however, he was starting this one with magical power equal to that of an average seventh year student, at least in raw output. He had managed that thanks to the boost he received from digesting the energy provided by the Nazgul ring, this time doing it slowly so he would not overfill himself the way he had before.
Even though that sounded like a lot of power, it was worth noting that in terms of actual magical skill, he was only on the level of a fourth year because most of his efforts had gone into strengthening his foundation rather than broadening his technical ability. That was something Julian intended to change this year, since he wanted to raise his magical skill to the same level as his raw power, meaning roughly that of an average seventh year. Unfortunately, that would not be an easy goal. The difficulty of each year's studies increased sharply after third year. Put simply, the first three years at Hogwarts were basically the adjustment period for learning magic.
Fourth year was when students moved beyond the novice stage and into the real average level expected in each subject. Naturally, it was a noticeable jump in difficulty, and sadly plenty of students got stuck there for one reason or another. Julian woke at dawn as he usually did, but this time he dressed himself in his Hogwarts uniform and then transfigured it to look like ordinary clothes so no muggles would become suspicious. He had already sent Dotty and Dusk to Hogwarts with Helena, since there was no chance they would be allowed on the train.
"Looks like it's just you and me for now, Steve," Julian said to the niffler, who was currently stuffing his hoard into his stomach pouch. He waited for Steve to finish before tossing the creature into his luggage and pulling his wheeled trunk out of the room. Ollivander was already waiting to take him to the station, smiling faintly. "It has truly been a privilege learning from you, Mr. Ollivander," Julian said honestly as he held out a hand for a handshake. Ollivander's smile widened as he firmly accepted it. "And it has been my honor to help guide you toward whatever grand adventure is surely waiting for you," he said with no small amount of pride.
After that, they apparated to King's Cross Station, and Julian quietly made his way through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. The platform for the Hogwarts Express was already lined with aurors ready to make sure nothing unusual happened while the students boarded, though apart from that it was still mostly empty. 'Oh, looks like I get first pick this time. Nice,' he thought with a smile as he boarded the train and chose a compartment near the back, since that was where he preferred to sit.
Most people, for some reason, liked to grab compartments as far toward the front of the train as possible, but Julian preferred the rear because it spared him the constant annoyance of people opening the door to check whether the compartment was taken yet. 'I wonder if Daphne and Tracy will come looking for me once they get here,' he mused while watching more and more students arrive on the platform, say goodbye to their families, and board the train. He spotted a few familiar faces such as Lee Jordan and Seamus Finnigan, but most of those he noticed were upper years or first years.
'Now that I think about it, I never really paid much attention last year to anyone outside my little group of friends. Not that I plan to start now, but I hadn't really noticed it until this moment,' Julian thought as he watched students who were clearly older than him and yet recognized very few of them. Before long, though, he saw Hermione, Daphne, and Tracy all step onto the platform at nearly the same time. He watched with amusement as Hermione scanned the train, spotted him sitting by the compartment window with a smile on his face, and pointed him out to the other two girls.
The moment they noticed him, Daphne and Tracy brightened and began dragging their trunks toward the compartment he had chosen. Soon enough, the door slid open and the three girls appeared. "Good morning, everyone. I hope all of you had a pleasant summer," Julian said with a smile before casting the levitation charm on their trunks and guiding them up onto the overhead shelves. "Daphne and I heard a rumor that you've been rather busy over the summer. Something about freeing the lord of House Black and correcting a wrong that had gone unaddressed for a decade, if I remember right?" Tracy asked with a teasing smile.