The immense joy of acquiring the Philosopher's Stone left Wang Yong completely exhilarated, his heart racing with excitement. The fear of being chased by Hagrid, the plans he had meticulously devised, the sleepless nights of practice, and the consequences that might follow if Dumbledore or Nicolas Flamel discovered his actions—all of these worries faded from his mind.
He was completely immersed in a euphoric state, overwhelmed by the unbelievable achievement of obtaining immortality, something sought after by countless people. And yet, he had acquired it so effortlessly, in his very first world-crossing. It seemed that every world had its own unique points. Some people in the immortal cultivation world struggled endlessly just for one thing—countless ways, myriad techniques, but the only question they asked was: Can I attain immortality?
And here he was, achieving that goal in the Harry Potter world in such a manner. It was unbelievable, yet somehow, it felt entirely justified.
Wang Yong let out a sigh of relief, as if some tight string inside him had finally loosened. From now on, when crossing into other worlds, he wouldn't need to be so focused on achieving a particular goal. The most important thing was to enjoy the experience of the new world, to experience different lives. He could afford to slow down a bit, study more comprehensively, and understand more.
That day, his potion experiment went as smoothly as if he'd taken Felix Felicis, with no errors whatsoever. His perfect technique was almost on par with Snape's.
…
The next day, a small cat came running in, holding a newspaper in its mouth. The headline of the Prophet read: "Hagrid, the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, Chased a Mysterious Wizard, Causing a Muggle Subway to Derail, Resulting in Four Deaths and Several Injured. An Emergency Response Team Is On the Way."
Wang Yong couldn't help but twitch his lips. As expected, people had died.
He flipped the newspaper and continued reading. The article stated that Hagrid had chased a mysterious person into the Muggle London Underground system, causing significant casualties among the Muggles. However, Dumbledore managed to cover it up, claiming that Hagrid had been pursuing a dark wizard, and so he was not sent to Azkaban.
Since the incident had been hidden by Dumbledore, Hagrid was seriously injured, and the mysterious wizard—himself—disappeared without a trace. The mysterious dark wizard was now on the Ministry of Magic's most-wanted list.
"Looks like Dumbledore still holds considerable influence," Wang Yong thought as he tossed the newspaper aside. At this point, Dumbledore was the president of the International Confederation of Wizards, his reputation was at its peak, and since no wizards had died in the incident, it had been swept under the rug.
He recalled that in Harry Potter's fifth year, when he had conjured a Patronus in front of Muggles, he nearly ended up in Azkaban, all because Dumbledore's influence had waned. But now, Dumbledore was still strong.
However, The Daily Prophet was starting to question Dumbledore's actions. What was he trying to do? Why was Hagrid chasing this person? Everything was still shrouded in mystery.
But Wang Yong considered another issue: had Voldemort realized that the Philosopher's Stone had been stolen?
This first installment of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone had been turned into a tangled mess by him. How would things unfold now? Would Voldemort attempt to carry out his resurrection plan early, just like in The Goblet of Fire?
Wang Yong smiled helplessly. He had originally planned to quietly watch the plot unfold, but unexpectedly, he had disrupted everything from the very start.
Perhaps Dumbledore could cover it up? Wang Yong thought with a bit of luck. After all, Dumbledore was still alive and well, and no matter what huge blunder he made, Dumbledore would cover for him.
He pushed the thought aside. His existence wasn't meant to drive the plot, nor was he here to babysit Harry Potter, though he did admire him. And as for Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, he was acting normal toward all students except Harry.
Wang Yong continued to ponder how Voldemort would approach things. The four Muggle deaths briefly made him feel a tinge of guilt, but that soon disappeared without a trace.
On September 1st, the day Hogwarts opened for the new school year, Wang Yong had arranged to meet Susan and the Weasley family at King's Cross Station.
The next day, with a heavy suitcase in hand, Wang Yong arrived at Platform 9 3/4. Clearly, he had arrived a bit too early. He wandered around outside the platform.
Soon, he saw a small, skinny boy with black hair pushing a trolley, looking confused, followed by a family laughing heartily behind him.
Wang Yong immediately recognized who it was, a smile spreading across his face.
The boy, too, seemed curious as he looked at Wang Yong, noticing the owl cage he was carrying.
He approached him. "Excuse me?"
"Are you also a new student at Hogwarts? I am, too. I'm just waiting for my companions," Wang Yong replied.
"Oh, do you know how to get through this platform?"
"You just run straight through the gap between Platform 9 and Platform 10," Wang Yong smiled.
"Really?" Harry looked at him suspiciously.
"Okay, just wait a moment and come with my companions," Wang Yong said.
"Alright."
Soon, Wang Yong saw Susan and the Weasley family approaching, and he waved his hand, calling out loudly, "Over here! Over here!"
Mrs. Bones, who had accompanied Susan, had light blonde hair like her daughter, though she had clearly gained some weight.
"Mrs. Bones, Susan."
Mrs. Bones nodded at Wang Yong, smiling slightly, while the little girl smiled back at him.
"Mrs. Weasley," Wang Yong said, giving Ron's shoulder a hearty punch.
"Yong!" Ron returned the gesture, punching Wang Yong back.
"Two troublesome boys. I remember when Yong was so well-behaved," Mrs. Weasley laughed, shaking her head.
Wang Yong quickly joined Percy and the others, helping carry the suitcases onto the train. As they passed through a wall, they immediately saw a deep red steam engine parked next to a platform crowded with passengers.
The train's sign read: Hogwarts Express, 11:00.
Wang Yong turned around and saw that the ticket gate had transformed into an iron archway with "Platform 9 3/4" written on it.
The steam from the locomotive swirled above the crowd, which was filled with people and cats darting between their feet. Among the buzz of conversations and the clatter of heavy luggage being dragged, owls hooted loudly, their calls echoing.
The first few carriages were packed with students. Some leaned out of the windows to talk to their families, while others were playing around in their seats.
Wang Yong and Susan walked toward the back of the train, looking for an empty seat. After stowing their luggage, they made room for Susan's things as well.
Harry, trailing behind, had trouble lifting his suitcase, which kept dropping heavily onto his feet.
Wang Yong was about to step in to help when Fred and George, the twin brothers, came to the rescue.
After a while, Harry managed to get his suitcase into the compartment, only to hear one of the twins exclaim, "Oh my goodness, could it be—?"