They stayed in the cabin until the afternoon. Lily pulled out a pocket watch from her robe, checked the time, then stood up and led Jon out of the safe house.
Outside was a dense forest. They seemed to be in a remote mountain range, a well-hidden location.
"Are we heading to Hogwarts now?" Jon asked.
Even though Lily slowed her pace for him, Jon, still in his growth phase, had to quicken his steps to keep up with her.
"Yes," she replied.
"Then why not use the magic you used to help me escape?" he asked.
"The Ministry of Magic can track apparition points to find where people reappear. The safe house can hide our location briefly, but to get to Hogwarts, that magic won't work."
Jon tilted his head in confusion and continued questioning. "So we're walking all the way to Hogwarts? Or do you have some other means of transportation?"
Lily's expression remained calm. "We just need to walk a bit further. Hogwarts will come to us."
…
Half an hour after they left, Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Jr. arrived at the safe house in the woods with a team of Aurors.
Looking at the extinguished fireplace and the cups with traces of chocolate, this Hogwarts Charms professor's face darkened.
"Fantastic. Just great. Every year, the same thing happens. That woman managed to sneak away with another Mudblood right under our noses."
The Aurors kept their heads down, no one daring to meet the gaze of the man who held Voldemort's favor.
Barty's eyes, now cold, bore no resemblance to the gentle demeanor he had shown Jon earlier.
"I'd love to know why, after all this time, the Auror Office still hasn't figured out how to counteract these safe house enchantments!"
One young wizard among the Aurors swallowed nervously, speaking with a trembling voice, "Professor Crouch, we've already devoted most of our resources to breaking these spells. If it were last year's spells, we'd be able to breach them, but they keep adding new layers of magic. This year's safe houses have been reinforced with new charms, so our previous methods are useless."
Barty's cold gaze shifted to the young wizard, then gradually softened, and a smile crept onto his face.
"What's your name?"
The young wizard, mistaking Barty's smile for friendliness, failed to notice the pitying looks his fellow Aurors were casting at him.
He stammered, "I-I'm Andrew Williams, Professor. I even took your Charms class during my last two years at Hogwarts."
Barty idly twirled his wand between his fingers, his voice laced with a chilling gentleness. "I don't recall the name 'Williams' in any pure-blood family. And the Ministry would never hire Mudbloods… So, you're a half-blood?"
"Y-yes, Professor…"
"Crucio!"
The pleasant smile on Barty's face twisted into a grotesque snarl.
Under Barty's wand, the young wizard writhed on the ground like a shrimp in boiling water, his body convulsing as he screamed from the soul-rending agony. His cries startled a flock of birds from the surrounding trees.
"AAAHHH!"
"A filthy half-breed with tainted blood—what makes you think you're worth anything?" Barty's boot stomped down repeatedly on the young Auror, venting his pent-up rage from the day.
"In the entire Auror Office, the only one qualified to speak to me is your head, Lucius Malfoy! Understand, half-breed?!"
…
The sun had sunk halfway below the horizon, draping the surrounding buildings in a soft orange glow.
After leading Jon out of the forest, Lily soon arrived at a nearby Muggle town. Once clear of the woods, she shed her gray robe, revealing a simple shirt and jeans underneath. She cast a spell to turn her dark red hair to a deep brown.
Walking down the town's streets, they looked like a mother and son out for a casual stroll, drawing no attention.
Since leaving the safe house, Jon had walked nonstop for two or three hours. Though still a child, he was exhausted from the journey.
Fortunately, after reaching the town, Lily no longer seemed intent on continuing. She found a bench along a quiet street for them to rest.
Jon was still curious about Lily's earlier remark: "Hogwarts will come to us."
In the original story, the castle built by the four founders had obviously been taken over by Voldemort. The Hogwarts Dumbledore led, still in exile and constantly on the run, must have found a new way to continue teaching.
Jon resisted the urge to question her further, figuring he would get answers soon enough. Instead, he voiced another question that had been on his mind.
"Professor Potter, am I the only student going to Hogwarts today?"
Lily kept her right hand tucked in her jeans pocket, ready to draw her wand if needed.
"I'm not the only professor tasked with escorting Muggle-born students to Hogwarts. And I was originally assigned more than just you today."
Her expression dimmed slightly as she spoke.
"Before I came to find you, I visited the home of another student, a girl named Hermione Granger. By the time I arrived, her parents no longer remembered they ever had a daughter."
Jon froze on the spot.
Hermione Granger—he recognized that name instantly. She was a key member of the main group in the original story. Lily's words hinted at a darker reality…
Jon took a deep breath, casting a complex look at the witch beside him.
"You mentioned that if a student like me were taken by the other Hogwarts, those people would erase any memory of us from everyone we knew. Does that mean this Hermione Granger…"
Lily's voice was calm, though beneath the surface it held a mixture of anger, regret, and helplessness that she could barely hide.
"Yes. She signed the acceptance letter and was taken by another Hogwarts professor, like Bartemius Crouch."