In the British wizarding world, September 1st is a very important day, especially for school-aged wizards over eleven.
This is the day Hogwarts begins!
Young wizards who have just turned eleven eagerly await this momentous occasion, counting down the days until it arrives.
Those between twelve and seventeen, however, often feel less enthusiastic — the start of school marks the end of their carefree summer vacation and forces them to confront their neglected holiday homework.
This was particularly evident with Kyle and the Weasley twins.
In the clearing before The Burrow, an excited Kyle stood at the front, while Fred and George lingered behind him, whispering nervously to each other as if they, not he, were the ones attending Hogwarts for the first time.
Originally, Chris had planned to take Kyle directly by Apparition, but they met Molly at the door just before leaving.
She had apparently anticipated this plan. Her first words to Chris were firm: King's Cross Station had too many Muggles, making Apparition too risky, and Kyle must travel with them — no exceptions.
Chris opened his mouth to protest but, seeing Molly's determined expression, could only nod in agreement.
Kyle rubbed his forehead resignedly.
He wanted to point out to Mrs. Weasley that nine people emerging from a single Ford would surely draw more Muggle attention than two people appearing suddenly. They weren't a circus troupe, after all, and the Ford was hardly a magical clown car.
But at eleven years old, his opinion carried little weight, and his concerns went unheard.
Just then, Molly approached him with a caring smile, "Dear, have you packed everything?"
"Of course." Kyle replied, tapping the large trunk at his feet, "I checked three times before leaving — nothing's missing."
"That's good." She nodded approvingly.
As they spoke, Arthur pulled up in what appeared to be a vintage car.
This was their transportation — a ninth-hand Ford from who-knows-where, though Mr. Weasley absolutely adored it, treating it like a treasure.
"What are we waiting for? Get in."
At Arthur's urging, Chris was the first to enter the car.
Seeing this, Kyle knew it was too late to object and could only resignedly follow, with the Weasley family right behind.
The car had been enchanted with an Undetectable Capacious Extremis (Extension Charm), so even with nine people plus a load of luggage, it didn't feel cramped at all.
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Arthur proved to be an excellent driver; throughout the journey, Kyle felt no bumps, sudden braking, or jerky starts — much better than a certain magical public bus.
Around ten o'clock, they arrived at King's Cross Station right on time.
Fortunately, Kyle's concerns proved unfounded — nobody paid any attention to the old, beaten-up Ford, and the group easily made their way to the barrier between platforms nine and ten.
Once there, they no longer needed to worry about being discovered by Muggles.
The area was protected by Muggle-Repelling Charms (Repello Muggletum); ordinary people would instinctively ignore everything happening here, and in special cases, nearby Ministry officials would handle any issues immediately — it was quite safe.
Everyone lined up skillfully, and under Molly's direction, they passed through the barrier one by one, arriving at the famous Platform 9¾.
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It was much livelier here than outside.
A deep red steam engine stood by the platform, with a sign that read: Hogwarts Express.
"Looks like I'm not late." A gentle voice came from behind Kyle.
Hearing this familiar voice, he whirled around to see his mother smiling at him.
"Mom?" Kyle exclaimed joyfully, "Didn't you have a mission..."
"Of course it's finished." Diana knelt down, adjusting his clothes, "Today is your first day of school — I wouldn't want to miss such an important occasion."
"That's great." Kyle said, beaming.
Having only Chris see him off to Hogwarts would have been disappointing.
Diana chatted with her son for a few more minutes, waiting until the last moment before helping him onto the train. Before he left, she gave him one final instruction.
"I assume your father has already told you about the general situation at Hogwarts, so I won't repeat it, but there's one thing I think he probably hasn't mentioned." She fixed Kyle with her deep blue eyes and said seriously, "Dear, your father and I graduated long ago, and we don't want to reminisce about our house life — so please don't let us receive any letters from professors, including Dumbledore, alright?"
"Don't worry, Mom." Kyle smiled, "I won't break any school rules, so they'll have no reason to send letters home."
"Of course, dear." Diana kissed his cheek and watched him board the train, "And don't forget to tell us your house placement."
"I will." Kyle nodded before turning to board.
A few minutes later, as the train slowly pulled away from the platform, Diana finally lowered her gaze.
Not far behind her, Chris had just finished talking with a middle-aged man and walked to his wife's side.
"Was Mr. Diggory bragging about his son again?" Diana smiled.
She clearly knew the man her husband had been talking to.
Amos Diggory worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with Chris, and also had a child at Hogwarts — a year older than Kyle, in the same year as the Weasley twins.
Unlike the mischievous twins, Diggory's son excelled in every way, much like Percy had. As a result, Amos, ever the proud parent, would praise his son's achievements to anyone who would listen, all year round.
Once or twice would have been fine, and people would have gladly joined in the praise, but his constant repetition exhausted everyone's patience.
Consequently, Amos had become one of the Ministry's least popular figures, especially among parents whose children at Hogwarts earned average grades. Unless absolutely necessary, they avoided him entirely.
Even if they happened to run into him, they would hurry past with downcast eyes, avoiding conversation whenever possible.
When they couldn't avoid him — such as in the elevator or, in Chris's case, working in the same department — they would exchange brief pleasantries before quickly finding an excuse to leave, never letting him steer the conversation to his favorite topic.
And this time, Chris clearly couldn't escape the interaction.
"Cedric is indeed excellent." He smiled wryly, "But never mind that — did you really complete your mission?"
Though he didn't know the specifics of the Department of Mysteries, he knew that missions there typically lasted months at minimum. Cases resolved in just two days were virtually unheard of.
"Of course not." Diana said, narrowing her eyes, "But my colleagues are understanding — it's just a small leave of absence, they won't mind."
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