Despite all the anticipation, as the award ceremony approached, the excitement in the Stark household grew almost overwhelming.
Roy could hardly go a day without asking why it wasn't July 31st yet. Leanna, too, had completely abandoned her lab work for days, leaving everything in the hands of her graduate students (the disgruntled students could only curse their absentee advisor!).
Annie spent each day deciding what to wear for her first time attending such an event, and Hermione was no different.
She constantly lectured on the importance of the Order of Merlin, poring over every book about William she could find, reading passages aloud to anyone who would listen. Leanna was often her only captive audience.
Even A History of Hogwarts had updated itself with a brief entry on William Stark: "Order of Merlin, Second Class recipient; youngest recipient in history; Hogwarts Award for Outstanding Contribution."
Hermione spent days trailing William, pressing him for details on how he'd captured Tywin.
At last, July 31st dawned.
After breakfast, Roy checked his watch and announced, "Alright, time to go."
"How exactly are we getting there?" Ellis asked, curious about wizard transportation.
"Wizards usually travel by Apparition or Floo Powder, but the Wizengamot sent a Portkey for this event, which should be safer and simpler," Hermione explained, though she had yet to use one herself.
Everyone looked expectantly at William, who took out a gold coin engraved with an "M."
"We'll be using this," he said, holding it up.
They all gathered around, examining the coin with interest.
"Are your friends coming with us?" Leanna asked.
"No, they'll be arriving by other means. Let's go." William tapped the coin with his wand, and a burst of golden light engulfed everyone, including Boba Tea.
This was William's first time using a Portkey, and it felt as if a hook behind his navel was pulling him forward with irresistible force.
His feet left the ground, and they were all flying. He could feel Hermione beside him as they crashed shoulder-to-shoulder, and she let out a small shriek.
They hurtled through the air, completely unable to see, until William quickly raised his wand and cast a spell to slow their descent.
A soft blue glow surrounded them, and the Deceleration Charm brought them safely to the ground, standing upright without a single stumble.
"8:07, arrival from Charing Cross Road, London," announced a voice without emotion.
Roy whistled, shaking his head. "Convenient, but this mode of travel has a long way to go for comfort."
The others nodded in agreement. Without William's spell, they likely would have landed flat on their faces.
Ellis seemed invigorated, clapping a hand on William's shoulder and begging him to perform the Deceleration Charm again.
"Oh, really now!" Hermione protested. "Aren't underage wizards forbidden to use their wands outside of school?"
"I'm not so sure about that, miss," a voice drawled from nearby.
"Dumbledore isn't about to expel an Order of Merlin, Second Class recipient, even if he is a little…mad."
Two redheaded twins approached—George and Fred.
"Long time no see, William! Miss us?"
"Not in the least—I'd only ever miss Cedric." William grinned as he introduced Hermione to the twins. "This is George, and this is Fred. They'll be starting their third year soon, and they're both my friends."
"This is Hermione Granger…another good friend of mine."
The twins exchanged a wicked glance, and Fred smirked. "Oh? A 'good friend'? You know, loads of girls would love to be William's 'good friend.'"
"Besides…" George protested. "That's hardly fair of you, William. We're hurt! I'm Fred, not George."
William laughed, rolling his eyes. "Nice try, George."
George frowned, "How on earth can you tell us apart? Not even Mum and Dad can do that!"
"It's a secret."
"...Fair enough."
"Where's Cedric?" William asked, looking around.
"He's in the main hall with my dad and Mr. Diggory. Come on, let's go meet them there," George said.
They set off toward the hall together.
The main hall was filled with wizards arriving by every imaginable means of magical travel from all around the world.
Hermione followed close behind William, still worried. "William, do you remember the Ministry warning? If you keep casting spells outside of school, you'll be expelled!"
"What? You got a warning from the Ministry over the summer?" Fred looked curious.
"Yeah, my cauldron exploded and ruined my potion," William explained.
"Were you hurt?" Fred asked, concerned.
"No, I used a spell in time. Don't worry—the explosion was nowhere near strong enough to harm me."
Fred nodded, satisfied. After all, William's skill level was now miles beyond the average student, having spent two years repeating his first year with the Time-Turner.
"How's your summer invention going?" William asked.
George sighed. "Mum caught us."
"And the supplies?"
"She confiscated some ingredients, but we managed to hide most of it under Ron's bed," Fred grinned.
"No problem," William said with a chuckle. "Order of Merlin, Second Class comes with a reward of two thousand Galleons. That should be enough startup capital to hold us over for now."
"Wait, you don't have to turn in that kind of money?" George asked, clearly envious.
"Not at all. I'll deposit it in Gringotts right after the banquet ends—I'm not going to waste a second. If there's anything you want, we can afford to splurge a bit."
"Let's save it for now. We're planning to set aside some money to get Ginny new robes and books next year," George said.
"What about your brother Ron?" William asked.
"Oh, he can make do," Fred shrugged. "Didn't we have Cedric make him a new wand?"
"And with our Hogwarts map from 'Akali's Mysterious Shop,' we've done enough for him," George said with a wave of his hand. "Ron's got to learn that pocket money is earned, not given."
As they walked, William casually cast a few spells, including a Cooling Charm to keep the summer heat at bay.
Hermione trotted beside him, fuming as William seemed to ignore her protests. The boy treated his wand like an extension of his hand, casting spells freely.
With all the righteous fury of a future Ministry official, Hermione muttered indignantly, "They'll expel you one day—you just wait!"
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