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By the time they got back to the estate, night had already fallen. A small house-elf, wobbling under the weight of a load of books and a cauldron, followed closely behind the Augustus family.
On Augustus' shoulder, a pure white snowy owl strutted proudly back and forth, as if the entire estate were about to become its domain.
"Alright, Zani, put Augustus' books, cauldron, and other magical items in the suitcase and pack them up. Then prepare dinner for us." Clovey waved his hand at the house-elf.
"Yes, Master," Zani obediently nodded, and disappeared with the items in an instant.
After enjoying the lavish dinner prepared by the house-elf, Augustus returned to his room, opened his suitcase, and took out all the books. He settled into a chair and began reading.
For Augustus, reading had become a habit ingrained deep within his soul since his days as a magic apprentice. Quick reading was one of the most basic skills any competent wizard had to master.
The allure of knowledge was endless, and no matter when or where, absorbing knowledge was always the most important task for a wizard.
The next day, Augustus donned a simple white robe and arrived at the dining room early. His eagle owl, having returned from an early hunt, flew in right behind him. His parents had already been there for some time.
"Son, today's your first day at school. Your mother and I wish you the best. After breakfast, we'll take you to the station." Clovey smiled at Augustus, who was walking over.
After finishing breakfast, the huge carriage that had taken them here slowly rose into the air and then suddenly sped off, disappearing quickly into the clouds.
By the time the carriage safely landed at King's Cross Station, it was already noon. The station was packed with people, but oddly, no one seemed to take any notice of such a large carriage.
Stepping out of the carriage and carrying his black suitcase, Augustus and his family's striking appearance often made people look twice, especially Augustus' white eagle owl perched proudly on his shoulder. Its majestic presence turned a few heads, considering how rare such an eagle was.
They arrived at the space between platforms 9 and 10. To others, it seemed like an empty stretch of railing, but to Augustus, there was a huge white light portal shining brightly.
"Alright, then. Goodbye." Augustus turned to Clovey and Aurora, waving as he pushed his suitcase and walked toward the ticket checkpoint between platforms 9 and 10.
"That's odd. I thought the kid would ask me how to get to the platform, but he knew exactly what to do," Clovey muttered with a sigh to Aurora as they watched Augustus disappear into the crowd.
A crimson steam locomotive puffed its thick smoke through the bustling crowd, while various colorful cats weaved between people's feet. Amidst the hum of conversation and the clatter of heavy luggage, owls screeched loudly, calling out to each other. This busy scene unfolded before Augustus' eyes.
"Really lively, huh?" Augustus chuckled as he watched the chattering kids in the crowd. He pushed his suitcase onto the train and began searching for an empty seat. As he walked, he overheard a round-faced boy saying, "Grandma, I lost the toad again."
"Oh, Neville," a woman sighed. A boy with messy, wild hair was surrounded by some kids.
"Let us see, Ali, hurry up!" One of them opened a box to reveal a furry, long-legged creature, causing the surrounding kids to scream and run back in fright.
Navigating through the crowded train, Augustus reached a compartment near the back with only two people inside. He opened the door and stepped in.
For Harry Potter, today was a stroke of luck. First, he couldn't figure out how to get onto the platform, and then a kind family helped him. Now, as he boarded the train, he unexpectedly ran into the same family again and was quickly becoming friends with their youngest son.
They were chatting about the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead when the door to the compartment suddenly opened again.
The bright sunlight flooded the compartment as the door swung open, revealing a boy dressed in a white robe, with a light cloak and a rather dashing appearance.
His golden hair was almost blinding in the sunlight, and his silver eyes gave him an air of mystery. Perched on his shoulder was a pure white eagle owl, looking just as proud as its owner.
"Excuse me, is there room here?" A cold yet smooth voice rang out in Harry's ear. It seemed like this boy was a first-year student too, which made Harry feel oddly pleased.
"Of course, come on in!" Harry stood up, moving aside to let the boy in.
Augustus smiled at Harry and stepped in, placing his suitcase in the overhead rack. Once everything was settled, he sat down. Harry, grinning widely, introduced himself, "I'm Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley. We're both first-years."
At the mention of Harry Potter, Augustus' usual calm expression flickered with a hint of surprise, though it was gone almost as quickly as it came. "Ah, hello. I'm Augustus Julius. Nice to meet you, I'm also a first-year."
Harry was slightly pleased by how casually Augustus responded to his name. In the magical world, Harry was often treated like a celebrity, but this made him feel a bit more normal.
"Oh my gosh, Augustus? The Augustus family? The one that produces all those Ministry of Magic officials?" Compared to Harry's lack of knowledge about the wizarding world, Ron's reaction was much more exaggerated.
"Well, if you're talking about the Julius family, I suppose that's right." Augustus replied, his expression calm as ever. There was no sign of pride.
"Your eagle is beautiful. What's its name?" Ron asked, eyeing the white eagle owl perched on Augustus' shoulder with envy.
"Her name is Chelsea." Augustus leaned back in his seat, lazily stroking the owl's feathers.
"I have a rat too," Ron said, pulling a fat gray rat out of his pocket, which was sound asleep. "His name's Scabbers. He's pretty useless now, sleeps all the time.
Percy got a new owl when he became a prefect, so Dad gave me Scabbers." Ron's ears turned red as he quickly turned away and stared out the window.
Augustus looked at the rat lying on the table, its eyes closed and oblivious to everything, and couldn't help but smile a little.
"....."