Chapter Four: The Journey to the Start of School

In the end, Xiwen did not devote all his time to practicing magic. Sandrine insisted on taking him to various social events: attending dinner at Malfoy Manor; gathering at number 12 Grimmauld Place with the Blacks; visiting the Selwyns’ courtyard to meet relatives; touring the grand estate of the Greengrass family...

Sandrine also invited other families to visit their attic, calling it “normal socializing.”

“Making friends with peers from other families is beneficial. Once school starts, you can look out for each other. And since there are only so many pure-blood families, you might even find a girl you like and she’ll become your little girlfriend!” Sandrine said.

“Mother, I’m only eleven!” Xiwen protested helplessly.

“What’s the big deal about being young? Your grandfather’s generation arranged engagements when they were children,” Sandrine dismissed his concern. “How about that Elthiona from the Greengrass family? She’s quite adorable and has a good temperament...”

Unable to withstand his mother’s chatter, Xiwen could only retreat to his room to quietly review his textbooks.

...

Amidst the endless social gatherings and relentless magical practice, two months passed in the blink of an eye.

...

“When you get to Hogwarts, remember to study hard; if you don’t understand something or encounter danger, seek out Professor Slughorn—he’ll be happy to help a young pure-blood wizard like you. If other families’ children give you trouble, tell me and I’ll have words with their parents. Use the owl often to keep in touch with home, and don’t get so absorbed in studying that you forget about me...” Sandrine, rarely so talkative, kept repeating her instructions.

Xiwen nodded one by one, assuring her he understood.

Suddenly, Sandrine spoke with unusual seriousness: “Don’t get too close to Gryffindor’s head, Dumbledore. He was closely associated with the Dark Lord Grindelwald in his youth—he’s an untrustworthy dark wizard. Be very careful not to let him use you!”

Xiwen regarded his mother with surprise, but still nodded.

Finally, the two reached the spot between Platform 9 and Platform 10 at King’s Cross Station. Many adults and children in robes were already queueing up, pushing carts piled with luggage, ready to charge through a barrier. Xiwen glanced at the cat cage in his hand, then at the others’ bulging bags, fully appreciating the convenience of the Undetectable Extension Charm.

Waving one last time to his mother, Xiwen accelerated toward the metal barrier.

He felt darkness for an instant, then brightness returned. Looking back, he saw he had passed through a cast-iron archway labeled “Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.” Above the scarlet steam train’s billowing smoke, a sign announced: the Hogwarts Express would depart at eleven o’clock.

“Xiwen!” someone suddenly called his name from behind.

Xiwen turned to see a pale-skinned boy with shoulder-length platinum hair approaching.

“What a coincidence, Abraxas,” Xiwen waved. He had met Abraxas Malfoy during Sandrine’s so-called normal social gatherings before school started. Abraxas, also a pure-blood, had been quite friendly, and the two got along reasonably well.

“Didn’t you bring any bags? Just a cat cage for school?” Abraxas asked in confusion.

Xiwen took out a pocket watch and shook it at him: “Undetectable Extension Charm.”

Abraxas looked at Xiwen’s watch with envy. “Lucky you. I should have my father buy me one too.”

“Let’s board first. Shall we sit in the same compartment?” Xiwen asked.

“No problem,” Abraxas replied.

...

Both arrived early and easily found an empty compartment. Abraxas, a little bored, struck up conversation, and Xiwen responded absently.

Not long after, the compartment door was knocked.

“Come in,” Xiwen called.

A freckled little girl opened the door and entered. Seeing that the two boys inside were her age, she visibly brightened and asked softly, “Are you both first-year students too?”

Xiwen glanced at her and gave a confirming answer.

“My... my parents are both ordinary people, and don’t know much about this school. May I sit with you and ask some questions?” she asked.

Xiwen was about to agree when Abraxas, upon hearing her mention her parents were ordinary people, frowned and said disdainfully, “You’re not welcome here, Mudblood. Stay away from us!”

The girl’s face flushed red with fright. Covering her face, she sobbed and fled the compartment.

Abraxas waved at the air, then closed the compartment door, muttering with disgust, “What bad luck, running into a Mudblood right at the start.”

Though Xiwen knew pure-bloods often looked down on wizards from Muggle backgrounds, he believed there was no real difference among humans. He disliked the derogatory term “Mudblood.” Frowning, he was about to voice his opinion to Abraxas when the compartment door opened again.

A girl wearing black-rimmed glasses entered. She wore a robe with a blue collar and a blue badge pinned to her chest, bearing the word “Prefect.”

She spoke sternly, “I am Miranda Goshawk, Ravenclaw Prefect. I just saw a first-year girl run out of here crying, so I assume she was bullied by you.”

Abraxas turned away, giving a subtle snort. Noticing the Prefect’s deepening frown, Xiwen hurried to offer an explanation for Abraxas. “Senior, my friend isn’t comfortable with strangers, so he spoke a bit harshly to the girl just now. I apologize on his behalf.”

Miranda Goshawk’s expression softened somewhat. “Since you haven’t yet started school, I won’t pursue this further. But I must warn you: ‘Mudblood’ is a banned term at Hogwarts. If you’re caught using it again, you will definitely be punished by the professors!”

Xiwen replied, “Understood, thank you for the reminder, senior.”

After Miranda left, Xiwen looked at Abraxas and said, “Abraxas, I suggest you stop using ‘Mudblood’—it’s forbidden here.”

Abraxas looked at him in surprise. “That’s not something I’d expect from the heir of the Rozier family.”

Xiwen said, “Breaking school rules just to score petty points in conversation isn’t worth it.”

Abraxas, still unconcerned, muttered, “My father’s a school governor. I doubt they’d do much to me over such a minor rule.”

Xiwen finally lost interest in talking and took out “Theory of Magic” to read.

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door.

The compartment door opened to reveal a boy wearing a Slytherin Prefect badge. He apparently knew Abraxas and greeted him warmly.

“Abraxas, I saw Goshawk leave your compartment earlier, so I came to see what happened. Who’s this?”

“Xiwen Rozier, the only son of the Rozier family. He doesn’t get out much, so you haven’t met him,” Abraxas introduced. “Xiwen, this is Ignatius Prewett. Looks like he’ll be our future Prefect.”

“Hello, Prefect Prewett. Want to sit and have something to eat?” Xiwen pointed to the empty seat beside him.

“Hello, Rozier. Prefect is too formal—just call me by my name,” Prewett said, sitting down without hesitation. “I saw Ravenclaw’s Goshawk leave your compartment just now. Did you have a disagreement with her? Her face looked rather grim.”

Abraxas replied dismissively, “Nothing important. She wanted to stick up for a Mudblood.”

Ignatius said, “That’s a minor issue. If she tries to cause you trouble again, come to me and I’ll back you up.”

Hearing their exchange, Xiwen sighed inwardly. Clearly, prejudice against non-pure-bloods was deeply rooted among the pure-blood families.

Not wanting to dwell on it, he turned to Abraxas and asked, “Are you so confident we’ll all be sorted into Slytherin?”

Abraxas replied, “My family has been Slytherin for generations—so has yours. I can’t imagine what my family would think if I weren’t sorted into Slytherin.”

After a brief conversation, Ignatius left the compartment to continue his patrol. Xiwen prepared to resume his reading, but the door opened yet again.

A pretty girl with golden hair entered.

“I asked Prefect Prewett and finally found you, Xiwen!”