King’s Cross Station.
Will immediately spotted the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
A Concealment Charm had been placed on it, and with his [Wizard’s Eye], he could clearly see the flow of magic surrounding the barrier.
He could also perceive the traces of magic emanating from the witches and wizards moving through the crowd.
Carrying his trunk, Will walked straight into the barrier.
Just as described in the books, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was filled with steam from the scarlet locomotive.
The station was bustling with witches and wizards shouting farewells, owls hooting, pets chasing one another, and the constant hissing of the train.
The countless sounds blended into an overwhelming cacophony that immediately put Will in a bad mood.
He preferred peace and quiet.
As he made his way through the crowd, he noticed several familiar faces.
A round-faced boy following an elderly witch.
A family of red-haired wizards.
A girl with bushy brown hair and rather prominent front teeth.
And, of course, the skinny boy with round glasses…
Harry Potter.
Without paying them any further attention, Will boarded the train.
After searching through several compartments, he finally found an empty one.
Satisfied, he sat beside the window, placed his trunk on the opposite seat, took out a book, set it on the table, and began reading.
The title was Secrets of Curses: The Life of a Curse-Breaker, written by a former Hogwarts Curse-Breaker.
It recorded his fifteen years of experience working in Egypt, along with his research into various ancient curses.
Will had deliberately left all of his Dark Arts books at home.
He had no intention of letting the professors discover that he had already begun studying forbidden magic.
A book on curses was already considered close enough to the line.
“The curses of Egypt are too numerous to count.
Most scholars believe this is due to the unique burial customs of the ancient pharaohs and their diverse religious beliefs.
Egypt alone worshipped multiple sun gods.
“Ironically, many pharaohs designed their curses only to target wizards, completely overlooking Muggles. As a result, some tombs were plundered by ordinary people, and certain mummies even became prized collectibles among wealthy European Muggles.”
[You have acquired new Curses knowledge.]
[Curses Experience +1]
[You have acquired new Curses knowledge.]
[Curses Experience +1]
As Will turned another page, the compartment door slid open.
A young girl stepped inside.
Her leather trunk was the same style as his, evidently purchased from the same shop.
She had a delicate oval face, fair skin, and a calm, composed expression.
Her dark blue dress made her complexion appear even paler.
Overall, she was very beautiful.
“Is anyone sitting here?” she asked calmly.
“I couldn’t find any other empty compartments.”
Will glanced up.
“Please, come in.”
He lowered his head and returned to his book.
To him, an interesting book on curses was far more appealing than chatting with a stranger.
The girl didn’t seem bothered by his indifferent attitude.
She placed her luggage aside and quietly sat opposite him.
Silence filled the compartment.
Will continued reading without acknowledging her, while she sat quietly across from him.
Before long, the train began to move, gradually leaving the platform behind.
The silence didn’t last long.
The compartment door opened once more.
A boy and a girl stood outside.
The girl had bushy brown hair, slightly prominent front teeth, and freckles across her face.
She wasn’t particularly beautiful.
The boy was slightly plump and stood half-hidden behind her, looking rather timid.
Hermione Granger.
Neville Longbottom.
“May we come in?” Hermione asked between breaths.
“Most of the other compartments are full, and we don’t have much luggage.”
Only then did Will finally look up.
The moment Hermione recognized him, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Will Behrens! What are you doing here? I mean… you’re a wizard too?”
She couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Will had been her classmate throughout primary school and had always ranked ahead of her academically.
She had assumed they would never meet again after receiving her Hogwarts letter.
She hadn’t expected to run into him aboard the Hogwarts Express.
“Hello, Miss Granger.”
Will looked at the girl sitting opposite him.
“I don’t mind if you come in, but our other passenger should have a say as well.”
“Please, go ahead,” the girl replied coolly.
Although her tone remained calm, she couldn’t help studying Will with curiosity.
Noticing her gaze, Will looked back at her.
She immediately looked away and instead turned her attention to Neville, seemingly wondering why he kept hiding behind Hermione.
Hermione struggled to lift her heavy trunk onto the luggage rack, panting from the effort.
Seeing this, Will quietly drew his wand and gave it a gentle wave.
The trunk floated smoothly into the air and settled neatly onto the luggage rack.
Neville’s trunk followed right behind it.
The three young witches and wizards stared at Will in surprise.
“H-You’ve already learned magic?” Hermione blurted out.
“I mean, I tried a few simple spells at home. Lumos worked, and a couple of others had some effect, though most of them failed. But… how did you do that? You didn’t even say the incantation!”
Her questions came one after another without giving anyone a chance to answer.
Then her eyes fell on the book in Will’s hands.
“You’re reading? Secrets of Curses: The Life of a Curse-Breaker… ‘Among the curses of Egypt, the most terrifying is the Curse of Tutankhamun…’ I don’t remember reading that. I’ve already memorized all of our first-year textbooks, so… this isn’t one of them, is it?”
Will rubbed his forehead slightly.
This was exactly like Hermione.
The girl in the ink-blue dress looked at Hermione in surprise upon hearing that she had memorized every textbook.
Neville’s mouth hung open in astonishment.
With his poor memory, he couldn’t even imagine memorizing all of them.
“It’s simple,” Will replied calmly.
“I used silent casting. As for this book, it’s about curses. You can buy it at Flourish and Blotts.”
After answering, he lowered his head and continued reading, quickly becoming absorbed in the book again, as though the three people in front of him were far less interesting.
“That’s not simple at all.”
The girl sitting opposite him finally spoke.
“Silent casting is an advanced spellcasting technique. Many adult witches and wizards who have already graduated from Hogwarts can’t perform it reliably.”
She studied Will with renewed interest, her bright eyes fixed on him.
However, seeing that he had already buried himself in his book again, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed across her face.
“Behrens…”
She repeated his surname thoughtfully.
“I’ve never heard of a wizarding family by that name. Have either of you?”
It was obvious she came from an old pure-blood family.
Neville scratched his head and thought for a long moment before answering uncertainly.
“I… don’t remember Gran ever mentioning one. I don’t think there is a Behrens family.”
“So you’re both from wizarding families?” Hermione asked curiously.
Neville nodded.
“Yeah. My whole family are witches and wizards. You can call me Neville… Neville Longbottom.”
He sat down beside Will, deliberately leaving a little space so he wouldn’t disturb him while he read.
The girl nodded as well.
“I’m Sylvia Lestrange.”
“You can call me Sylvia.”
Then she looked toward Hermione.
“You haven’t introduced yourself yet.”
Hermione blinked before realizing she had forgotten.
“I’m Hermione Granger. Both of my parents are Muggles.”
“No one in my family knows anything about magic, so when the Hogwarts letter arrived, everyone was completely shocked.”
She looked at Neville and Sylvia.
“You both grew up in wizarding families, so… you must already know a lot of magic.”
Her voice unconsciously became less confident.
“Actually…” Neville said awkwardly, his face turning red.
“I don’t know any magic. Gran absolutely refuses to let me use my wand.”
He lowered his head.
“I’ll probably be the worst student at Hogwarts.”
“Oh…”
Hermione suddenly felt a little better, though she tried not to show it.
“We can learn together.”
“You don’t need to worry,” Sylvia said reassuringly.
“Most young witches and wizards don’t know any magic before starting Hogwarts.”
“Nearly everyone only bought their wand this summer. Before getting a wand, they generally aren’t taught magic.”
She then turned back to Hermione.
“You’ve actually learned a few spells already, even as a Muggle-born. That’s well ahead of most first-years.”
Her gaze drifted toward Will.
“And you seem to know Mr. Behrens.”
“He was my classmate in primary school,” Hermione explained.
“Until today, I had no idea he was a wizard too.”
Saying that somehow restored much of her confidence.
At the same time, she noticed Sylvia’s obvious curiosity toward Will.
Looking over at him again, however, he remained completely engrossed in his book.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
Back in primary school, girls often gathered around Will.
Unfortunately…
Will rarely paid any attention to them.
Whenever he picked up a book, the rest of the world simply ceased to exist.
Sometimes Hermione even thought he was more of a bookworm than she was.
She still couldn’t understand what was so fascinating about him.
What she really wanted to know was how Will had learned so much magic before even entering Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, judging by the way he was reading, he had no interest whatsoever in talking to anyone.
She could only wait until he finished.
[Someone is curious about you.]
[Charm Experience +1]
[Someone has developed a favorable impression of you.]
[Charm Experience +1]