The taxi pulled up to the curb.
The tires splashed through a small puddle on the street.
Edward paid the driver.
He opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement.
He reached into the boot of the car and pulled out his school trunk.
He set it on the ground.
The taxi drove away.
Edward stood in front of St.
Jude’s Home.
The tall brick building looked exactly the same.
The iron gate squeaked when he pushed it open.
He dragged his trunk up the stone steps.
He opened the heavy front door and walked inside.
The hallway smelled of boiled cabbage and floor wax.
Matron Cole sat at her small desk near the stairs.
She was writing on a piece of paper.
She heard the door close and looked up.
She stopped writing.
She looked at Edward.
She looked at his neat clothes and his healthy face.
She did not smile, but the tight lines around her mouth softened a great deal.
“You are back,” Matron Cole said simply.
“Hello, Matron,” Edward said.
He left his trunk by the door and walked over to her desk.
“I am back for the summer.” Matron Cole stood up.
She looked him up and down.
“You grew taller.
They fed you well at that school in Scotland.” “They have very good food,” Edward nodded.
“How have things been here?” “Quiet,” Matron Cole said.
She sat back down.
“The boys behave themselves much better lately.
Ben makes sure they do their chores.
Go on, then.
Put your trunk in your room.
They are in the dining hall doing their reading.” Edward picked up his trunk and walked up the stairs.
He went to his old room.
The room was clean.
His bed sat empty in the corner, exactly how he left it.
He pushed his trunk under the bed.
He walked back downstairs and went into the dining hall.
A dozen boys sat at the long wooden tables.
They had notebooks and schoolbooks open.
Ben sat at the head of the table, tapping a pencil against a piece of paper.
Ben looked up.
His eyes went wide.
“Ed!” Ben shouted, dropping his pencil.
The other boys looked up.
They all smiled and pushed their chairs back.
They hurried over to him.
“You came back!” a younger boy named Thomas said happily.
“Of course I came back,” Edward smiled.
He patted Thomas on the head.
He looked at Ben.
Ben looked taller and a bit wider in the shoulders.
“How are the studies going?” Ben grinned.
“Good.
We do our homework every single day.
I make sure everyone finishes before dinner.
No one failed their classes this year.” “That is good to hear,” Edward said.
He walked over to the table and looked at the open notebooks.
The math problems were finished.
The handwriting was neat.
He nodded his approval.
“What about the training?” Edward asked, looking back at them.
“Did you keep up with the yard work?” “We run every morning,” Ben said proudly.
“We do the pushups and the squats.
Come look.” They all walked out the back door into the yard.
The summer sun warmed the dirt.
“Show me,” Edward said, crossing his arms.
Ben and three other older boys dropped to the ground.
They did pushups.
Edward watched their form.
Their backs were straight.
They moved smoothly.
They were much stronger than they were last year.
“Good,” Edward said when they finished.
“You kept your promise, Ben.
I am proud of you.” Ben smiled widely, wiping dirt from his hands.
Hearing Edward say that meant a lot to him.
Edward spent the rest of the day with them.
He helped the younger kids with a reading lesson.
He played a game of football in the yard.
He ate the plain orphanage dinner of boiled potatoes and thin gravy, but he did not complain.
He enjoyed the familiar routine.
The next morning, Edward woke up early.
He packed a small bag.
He put his wand and some normal clothes inside.
He walked downstairs and found Matron Cole in her office.
“Matron,” Edward said, knocking on the open door.
She looked up from her tea.
“Yes, Edward?” “I am going to visit my school friends,” Edward told her.
“They live outside the city.
I will likely stay with them for a few days.” Matron Cole frowned slightly.
“Are their parents expecting you?” “Yes,” Edward lied smoothly.
“They invited me for a summer visit.
They said they have plenty of room.” Matron Cole looked at him for a long moment.
She reached into her desk drawer.
She pulled out a small metal cash box.
She unlocked it and took out two ten-pound notes.
She held the money out to him.
“Take this,” she said.
“For food and train tickets.
Do not spend it on foolish things.” Edward looked at the money.
He knew the orphanage did not have much to spare, since he was no longer there to donate money every now and then.
Giving him twenty pounds was a very big deal for her.
It showed she actually cared.
He took the money.
“Thank you, Matron.
I appreciate it.” “Just be back before the end of the week,” she said gruffly, looking back down at her papers to hide her face.
Edward walked out the front door.
He walked down the street until he reached a quiet, empty alleyway.
He made sure nobody was watching.
He pulled his ash wood wand from his pocket.
He held it out over the curb, pointing it straight ahead.
BANG.
A massive, triple-decker purple bus appeared out of thin air.
It screeched to a halt right in front of him.
The tires smoked.
The doors opened.
A young man in a purple uniform stood on the steps.
“Welcome to the Knight Bus,” the conductor said brightly.
“Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard.
Where are we heading today?” “Little Hangleton,” Edward said, putting his wand away.
“That is a long ride,” the conductor said.
“Three hours.
Hop on.
That will be eleven Sickles.” Edward stepped onto the bus.
He reached into his pocket and handed the conductor the silver coins.
The inside of the bus did not have normal seats.
It had brass beds.
Edward walked to a bed near the back and sat down.
“Take it away, Ern!” the conductor yelled.
BANG.
The bus shot forward.
It moved incredibly fast.
The buildings outside the windows turned into a blur.
The bus swerved around corners.
The brass beds slid across the wooden floor.
Edward sat perfectly still on his bed.
He used his physical balance.
When the bus jerked left, his body naturally shifted right.
He stayed completely rooted in his spot, reading a comic book while the other passengers slid around and groaned.
Three hours later, the bus screeched to a halt in front of a dark, overgrown village.
“Little Hangleton!” the conductor called out.
Edward stepped off the bus.
The purple vehicle vanished with a loud pop.
The village looked old and dirty.
The sky was cloudy.
Edward walked down a dirt path leading away from the houses.
He walked into the thick, wild woods.
He used his sharp eyesight to look for the path.
He walked through tall weeds and dead vines.
After twenty minutes, he found it.
A ruined shack sat in the middle of a clearing.
The roof had caved in completely.
The walls were covered in dark green moss.
The front door hung off its hinges.
It smelled like wet dirt and rotting wood.
This was the Gaunt shack.
Edward walked inside.
The floorboards were soft and rotten.
He stepped carefully.
He did not pull out his wand.
He just looked around the small, dirty room.
He walked to the center of the room.
He crouched down.
He looked at the floorboards.
He saw a small gap between two pieces of wood.
He reached his fingers into the gap.
He pulled.
The rotten wood snapped easily.
Underneath the floorboards was a small hole in the dirt.
A dark wooden box sat inside the hole.
Edward picked the box up.
He opened it.
A heavy gold ring sat on a piece of old velvet.
A black stone with a crack down the middle rested in the gold.
It was a Horcrux.
It held a piece of Voldemort’s soul.
It was also a very deadly trap.
Edward looked at the ring.
He did not touch the gold.
Suddenly, a quiet whisper filled his mind.
It was a smooth, tempting voice.
Put the ring on, the voice whispered.
Wear it.
It will give you power.
It will show you your loved ones.
Just slip it onto your finger.
and you can meet them It was a confundus charm.
It tried to push his hand forward.
It tried to make him curious.
Edward just smiled.
His mind was an fortress.
His Occlumency walls were made of thick steel.
The whisper bounced right off his shields.
He felt no desire to put the ring on.
He knew if he wore it, a terrible curse would rot his hand and kill him.
“Not today,” Edward said out loud.
He held the box open.
He opened his system storage.
He dropped the box, the ring, and the dark magic straight into his hidden space.
The whispers vanished instantly.
Time stopped inside the storage.
The curse could not harm anyone ever again.
Edward stood up.
He brushed the dirt from his knees.
He made a mental checklist in his head.
The diary was waiting for Ginny.
The locket was stuck in Grimmauld Place.
The cup was locked in the bank.
“Two down,” Edward nodded to himself.
“Three to go.” He walked out of the shack.
He walked back through the woods to the village road.
He pulled out his wand and called the Knight Bus again.
The ride back to London took another three hours.
When Edward got off the bus, the sun was going down.
He walked down the street to the Leaky Cauldron.
He went inside.
The pub was busy with people eating dinner.
Edward walked up to the bar.
Tom the innkeeper was wiping glasses.
“A room for the night, please,” Edward said.
“Certainly, lad,” Tom smiled.
He handed Edward a brass key.
“Room eleven.
Up the stairs and to the left.” Edward paid for the room and ordered a bowl of stew.
He sat at a small table and ate his dinner.
The stew was warm and filling.
He went up to his room.
It was simple, with a wooden bed and a small window.
He locked the door, changed into his sleep clothes, and went to bed.
The next morning, Edward woke up early.
He walked out the back door of the pub and tapped the bricks.
He entered Diagon Alley.
The street was quiet.
The shops were just starting to open.
Edward went straight to Gringotts Bank.
The tall white building shined in the morning sun.
He walked inside and went to the exchange counter.
He pulled three thick bundles of twenty-pound notes from his pocket.
It was a lot of cash he got from the gacha rolls over the year.
He placed the bundles on the wood.
“I need to exchange this for Galleons,” Edward told the goblin.
The goblin took the money.
He counted it quickly.
He handed Edward a heavy leather bags filled with gold coins.
Edward dropped the bags into his pocket, letting them fall into his hidden space.
He left the bank.
He had plenty of gold.
Now, it was time to prepare for his summer trip.
He walked down the street to a shop called Quality Quidditch Supplies.
He walked inside.
The shop smelled like polished wood and leather.
In the center of the room, resting on a velvet stand, was a brand new broomstick.
A sign next to it read: NEW ARRIVAL – THE NIMBUS 2001.
It was sleek and black.
The silver footrests shined brightly.
It looked incredibly fast.
Edward walked up to the counter.
“I will take the Nimbus 2001.” The shop owner looked surprised.
“It just came in this morning, lad.
It is very expensive.” Edward placed a heavy bag of gold on the counter.
“I will take it.” The owner smiled widely.
He packed the broom into a long, sturdy case.
Edward took the case and walked out of the shop.
He quickly stored the broom in his hidden space while no one was looking.
Next, he went to the apothecary.
He bought several first-aid potions, burn healing pastes, and basic antidotes.
He packed them safely away.
He left Diagon Alley.
He walked back out into Muggle London.
He spent the next few hours walking through a large shopping mall.
He bought things he might need for any type of world.
He bought heavy hiking boots.
He bought thick winter coats, warm gloves, and hats.
He bought light, comfortable clothes for hot weather.
He bought a large, durable backpack for appearances.
Then, he went to a grocery store.
He bought huge bags of rice, dried beans, beef jerky, canned fruit, bottled water, ice cream of different flavours, chocolates, and a lot more .
His storage space stopped time, so the food would never go bad.
He bought enough supplies to last him for several months.
He walked into a quiet, empty alley behind the store.
He stored all the bags in his space.
By late afternoon, his shopping was completely finished.
He had money, food, clothing, medicine, and a flying broom.
He was completely prepared.
He walked back to the Leaky Cauldron.
He went up the stairs to room eleven.
He stepped inside and locked the door behind him.
He pulled the curtains closed.
The room grew dim.
Edward took a deep breath.
He felt a strong thrill of excitement in his chest.
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out the World Walker’s Door.
It was a small brass key.
“System,” Edward said out loud.
“I want to use the key.” A blue screen popped up in the air.
WORLD WALKER’S DOOR ACTIVATED.
SELECT TIME FLOW FOR CURRENT WORLD.
“Stop time,” Edward said clearly.
TIME STOP SELECTED.
THE CURRENT UNIVERSE WILL FREEZE UNTIL THE USER RETURNS.
Edward squeezed the brass key.
A freestanding wooden door appeared in the middle of his rented room.
The door looked incredibly old.
The wood was dark and heavy.
A brass handle sat on the right side.
Edward put his hand on the brass handle.
He did not know what was on the other side.
It could be a city, a jungle, or a desert.
It could be peaceful, or it could be a war zone.
He turned the handle.
He pulled the door open.
A bright, swirling white light filled the doorway.
He could not see anything through the light.
Edward smiled.
He stepped forward and walked through the door, leaving the wizarding world completely behind.