Cedric and Cassandra stared at the handful of Galleons in Alistair’s palm, both momentarily speechless at the way he’d escaped having to demonstrate a spell.
Once Cedric recovered, he quickly tried to smooth things over for his new friend.
“Most first-years don’t know much magic yet, and underage witches and wizards aren’t supposed to use spells freely outside school anyway.” He was clearly worried that Professor Ilona might think less of Alistair for not showing off some impressive piece of magic, and Alistair understood the intention immediately.
While taking sweets from the trolley, he gave Cedric a grateful look and silently decided that having a Hufflepuff upperclassman around was already proving useful.
Ilona, however, only smiled and said, “Sometimes wealth can be more powerful than magic.
I’d say that was a very effective spell.” She glanced over the three students and added, “You’re all quite talented.
The future of the Wizarding World will eventually rest in the hands holding your wands.” Cedric and Cassandra were both visibly pleased by the praise, while Alistair busied himself dividing the snacks he’d bought among everyone in the compartment.
Had he looked more carefully at Ilona at that moment, he might have noticed something strangely familiar in her gaze.
The woman sitting across from him was not truly Ilona at all, but Vinda Rosier, concealed beneath the effects of Polyjuice Potion.
Vinda had already submitted an application to Hogwarts under Ilona’s identity and received a response from Dumbledore, who had invited her to travel to the school so they could speak in person before making a final decision.
If the meeting went well, Ilona would become Hogwarts’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Vinda’s praise of Cedric and Cassandra hadn’t been empty politeness either.
For students only eleven or twelve years old, both of them had shown surprisingly smooth control over simple spells.
As she quietly studied the three children, an old memory surfaced, and once again she found herself thinking about how strongly Alistair resembled the Grindelwald bloodline.
Gellert had once possessed the same strange ability to gather exceptional witches and wizards around himself, even when they initially approached him for entirely different reasons.
Some had been drawn to his ideals, others to his strength, ambition, intelligence, or sheer presence, yet in the end many had become personally devoted to him.
Now Cedric had already started treating Alistair like a younger friend, while Cassandra had chosen to sit beside him despite barely knowing him.
“Professor Ilona, would you like a Chocolate Frog?” Alistair’s voice pulled Vinda from her thoughts.
She looked at the sweet in his hand and smiled.
“Of course.
Why wouldn’t I?” Taking it from him, she added with obvious amusement, “I have to admit, that spell of yours—Galleons, Lots of Them—is remarkably useful.” Cedric burst out laughing around a mouthful of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, only for his expression to collapse a second later.
“Ugh!
Wasabi!” he groaned, glaring at the bean as though it had personally betrayed him, while Cassandra continued eating a Chocolate Cauldron with considerably more dignity.
Curious, Alistair picked up one of the Every Flavor Beans and tried it for himself.
The taste was strange enough that he couldn’t identify it, but at least it wasn’t anything truly horrible, and more importantly, it definitely wasn’t earwax.
He leaned comfortably against the seat, watching the countryside rush past the window while eating magical sweets and quietly enjoying the journey.
For someone who had spent years knowing this world only through books and movies, even something as simple as sitting on the Hogwarts Express with Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott’s beans felt unreal.
Whatever dangers might be waiting in the future, Alistair had no intention of letting them ruin every good moment along the way.
For now, he was perfectly content to enjoy the ride.
By the time the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into Hogsmeade Station, night had completely fallen.
Before Alistair even stepped off the train, he spotted an enormous figure through one of the corridor windows, standing outside with a lantern in hand.
The tangled hair, thick beard, and massive build made him instantly recognizable as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.
Alistair knew Hagrid was fundamentally kindhearted, but he also remembered the man’s enthusiasm for creatures that most sensible people would classify as extremely dangerous.
That alone was enough for Alistair to decide that friendly distance would probably be the safest policy.
There was no reason to dislike Hagrid, but there was also no reason to volunteer for one of his future creature-related adventures.
When Alistair, Cassandra, and Cedric stepped onto the platform, however, Hagrid wasn’t the first person to speak.
A stern witch wearing square spectacles emerged nearby and called, “Excuse me, is Madam Ilona here?” Vinda, still wearing Ilona’s appearance, calmly stepped down from the train and approached her.
“I’m here.
Ilona.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The other witch gave a polite nod and introduced herself.
“Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.
Professor Dumbledore asked me to meet you here.
I’m afraid the Headmaster couldn’t come personally; as you can imagine, the first evening of term keeps him rather occupied.” Ilona smiled graciously and waved away the apology.
“There’s nothing to apologize for, Professor McGonagall.
Hogwarts’s reputation wasn’t built by one person alone, and I’m sure both Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff have more than enough to manage tonight.” McGonagall’s expression softened slightly at the compliment, but the moment lasted only a few seconds.
Her eyes suddenly narrowed as she spotted two familiar red-haired boys nearby.
“Fred!
George!
Put those down immediately!
What exactly do you think you’re doing?” The identical twins were holding what looked suspiciously like fireworks and wearing matching expressions of innocence.
“Professor, there’s no reason to worry,” one of them said cheerfully.
“They’re only fireworks.” The other nodded with exaggerated sincerity.
“We thought the first-years might appreciate some extra light.
It’s terribly dark out here.” McGonagall was not amused.
“Put them away.
Now.
You should be grateful the opening feast hasn’t begun yet, or Gryffindor would already be losing points.” The twins exchanged identical looks before reluctantly putting away their fireworks.
McGonagall returned to Ilona with a restrained sigh.
“This way, please.
I’m sorry about the interruption.
Some students require considerably more supervision than others.” Ilona merely smiled and followed her without complaint.
As the two women walked away, Alistair couldn’t shake the feeling that McGonagall gave him one brief, measuring glance before turning her attention forward again.
He had no idea whether she’d simply noticed a new first-year or whether there was something more behind the look, but he decided not to dwell on it.
There would be plenty of time to worry about Hogwarts professors after he was actually inside the castle.
Once McGonagall and Ilona disappeared into the darkness, conversation quickly returned across the platform.
Hagrid raised his lantern and called in a booming voice, “First-years!
First-years, over here!” Cedric turned toward Alistair with a slightly regretful expression.
“Looks like this is where we split up for a while.
Remember what I told you?
First-years take a different route to the castle.” He smiled reassuringly and added, “I’ll be waiting for you inside.” “All right,” Alistair replied.
“I hate losing my personal Hogwarts guide this soon, but if it’s tradition, I guess I don’t have much choice.” Cedric laughed, and Alistair continued, “I’ll find you as soon as I get into the castle.” Apparently touched by how naturally Alistair had begun relying on him, Cedric gave him a quick hug before heading off with the older students.
Alistair watched him leave, still amused by how quickly their friendship had developed.
Then he turned around and found Cassandra staring at him with a very strange expression.
Alistair raised an eyebrow.