September 1st!
In the parking lot of King's Cross Station, Ethan stood with his suitcase, saying goodbye to his parents.
The suitcase was merely a cover, containing some clothes and a box enchanted with the traceless extension charm. Inside the box were numerous books, potion ingredients collected over time, and miscellaneous items such as a fire dragon's brain, frozen with a freezing spell, and the corpse of a Mortlap.
Ethan also carried with him the Swooping Evil and the Lethifold.
The Swooping Evil was relatively easy to manage. He simply transformed it into a small ball and slipped it into his pocket. In this dormant form, it resembled an ordinary object, completely lacking the dangerous aura of a magical creature. As long as it remained hidden, no one would suspect Ethan was carrying such a thing.
The fire dragon's brain was prepared specifically for the Swooping Evil. Normally, the creature only consumed the fresh brains of live prey, but it made an exception for dragon brains. Even when frozen, it devoured them eagerly. Interestingly, dragon brains were relatively inexpensive, costing only 16 Sickles per ounce, cheaper than dragon liver. While the brains contained magic, no use for them had been found in potion-making, and wizards generally did not eat brains.
The Lethifold, however, posed more of a challenge. Though it appeared as a cloak, any knowledgeable wizard would recognize it immediately, and its notorious reputation made it something Ethan could not reveal at Hogwarts. To conceal it, Ethan crafted a platinum pendant with a hollow compartment at the bottom. After much effort, he successfully cast the traceless extension charm on it, creating a space inside just large enough for the Lethifold.
Though too small for a person, this tiny space was perfect for the Lethifold, and with the pendant as a disguise, Ethan could carry it with him undetected.
Over the past month, Ethan had become more skilled in controlling the Lethifold. With its cooperation, he could manipulate it as a cloak at will. With a simple movement, the Lethifold would automatically pull a hood over Ethan, covering his face in a black mist. Though his features were hidden, his vision remained unaffected, providing perfect concealment.
The Lethifold cloak also possessed incredible magic resistance, particularly against dark magic. It could even automatically deflect certain spells, making it an invaluable tool. However, the Lethifold's near-impossible taming made such cloaks rare; otherwise, they would be highly sought after in the wizarding world.
Ethan had also been practicing magic, focusing especially on occlumency, and had made noticeable progress.
Name: Ethan Adrian
Age: 11
Bloodline: Wizard
Talents: "Super Soul" (A powerful soul enhances learning efficiency and casting speed), "Strong Body" (Increases physical fitness and magical adaptability through training), "Heart of Darkness" (Enhances black magic talent, allowing use without emotional influence), "Focus" (Greatly improves learning efficiency), "Animal Affinity" (Effective even with magical creatures).
Spells: Killing Curse (10), Cruciatus Curse (10), Imperius Curse (10), Occlumency (6), Shield Charm (4), Traceless Extension Charm (4), Energy Drain (4), Shadow Walk (3), Mark of the Demon (2), Transfiguration (2), Petrification Curse (3), Disillusionment Charm (3), Summoning Charm (3), Levitation Charm (2), Lumos Charm (2), Shrinking Charm (2), Flame Charm (2)...
As Ethan entered King's Cross Station, he followed the signs leading to Platform 9. The further he walked, the more bizarre the people around him appeared.
Some wore cotton jackets with shorts, while others sported full beards, long skirts, and high heels. It seemed as if everyone was in some kind of costume.
"It's like this every day," Ethan overheard a station worker telling another. "Not only do children ask about Platform 9 3/4, but you also see folks in the strangest outfits."
"Anything special today?" the other worker asked.
"No idea. Maybe it's the first day of school?"
As the two continued chatting, Ethan approached a nearby pillar and, without hesitation, walked straight into it. The station workers paid no mind, too engrossed in their conversation.
After feeling a momentary squeeze, Ethan emerged on the other side, his vision clearing. However, something unexpected greeted him.
"Ah!"
A girl lay sprawled out on a pile of presents.
Why was she blocking the entrance? And worse, he had bumped into her. Quickly, Ethan helped the girl to her feet, lifting her luggage as well.
Something about her seemed familiar...
"Big front teeth... It's you!" Ethan exclaimed.
The girl had the unmistakable features of Hermione Granger—prominent front teeth and bushy brown hair. He had met her once before, which is why she seemed so familiar.
It turned out that Hermione had been the one asking the staff for directions to Platform 9 3/4 earlier.
Recognizing Ethan, Hermione was about to greet him, but at the mention of "big front teeth," her expression darkened. That name brought back some unpleasant memories.
"Thanks!" she muttered curtly, grabbing her luggage and hurrying away, clearly not in the mood for small talk.
"You still remember that?" Ethan muttered with a sigh.
It had been about three years since their last encounter, at a summer camp with students from multiple schools. During an evening competition, Hermione had been leading the pack—until Ethan stepped in. Whether it was memory challenges or logic puzzles, he had outperformed her in every area. His parting words that day had been, "Don't worry, at least your front teeth are bigger than mine!"
She hadn't taken it well and had ended up crying in front of everyone.
But that was then. Ethan shrugged off the memory and boarded the red steam train with his suitcase.
By the time he arrived, many of the compartments were already full. It wasn't his fault—while other wizards had arrived via magical means, Ethan had to take a car, traveling several miles that morning to reach the station.
After searching through the carriages, Ethan finally found a relatively empty one. Only a young witch was inside, engrossed in a book.
"Excuse me, may I sit here?" he asked.
The little witch glanced up briefly, then returned to her reading without a word.
Taking her silence as agreement, Ethan opened the compartment door, placed his suitcase on the luggage rack, and sat down across from her. Only then did he recognize her as the girl who had sat opposite him at Florin's Ice Cream Parlor a while ago.