Chapter 420: The New Semester Begins

The vacation is drawing to a close in the blink of an eye.

John is set to return to school.

Hermione will continue her internship at the Ministry of Magic.

But John has already made an arrangement with Dumbledore: from now on he'll be a day student.

A dormitory bed is still reserved for him, but he doesn't have to live at school every day.

He can return to the Muggle World at any time to spend the night.

This makes Hermione very happy, since she certainly doesn't want to start a long‑distance relationship right after getting engaged to John.

You think that's against the rules?

Hogwarts advocates boarding education, originally out of concern that students traveling to and from the Muggle World might expose the existence of the Magical World, or that the long journey could delay studies and bring danger.

But John's situation clearly doesn't fall under those concerns.

So Dumbledore made an exception for John, allowing him to come and go between the school and the Muggle World freely.

Of course, if anything goes wrong, John is responsible.

Morning.

"Have you packed everything?"

"All packed, don't worry; if I forget, I can just come back and get it at any time."

Hermione chuckled softly and shook her head, while adjusting John's collar.

Although John could Apparition directly to the school, on the first day he still wants to ride the train to Hogwarts with his friends.

It's an essential sense of ceremony.

"Alright, let's go."

After Hermione checked that John's outfit was fine, she nodded in satisfaction.

She doesn't have work today, so she goes with John to King's Cross Station.

When they arrived at the station, Titus and the others were already waiting.

Seeing the two of them arrive together didn't surprise them at all.

"Hey sister‑in‑law!"

The three shouted in unison.

Hermione instantly covered her face and whispered to them, "Keep your voices down!"

"You're acting like a gang big sister; if the Ministry of Magic colleagues see us later, they'll think I'm part of a mafia!"

As a result, Titus and the others laughed even harder.

At that moment Luna arrived as well; she's in her seventh year this year.

She smiled and greeted the group.

"What game are you playing again? Can I join?"

Every new term they always stage some antics, and Luna inevitably joins in.

So she naturally assumes they're playing something again.

"This time it's a Mafia game—this is the gang boss, this is the big sister."

Titus got into character instantly, pointing at John and Hermione and saying,

Luna, without hesitation, turned and shouted to John and Hermione, "Boss, big sister..."

Hermione quickly covered Luna's mouth, not letting her finish.

"No, Luna, don't just repeat whatever they say."

Now even John couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Hermione immediately glared at him in annoyance.

John finally restrained his smile and pulled Hermione back beside him.

"Ahem, alright, enough teasing."

"The train is arriving at the platform."

A red steam locomotive slowly rolled onto the platform, and amid the swirling steam, the Hogwarts Express came into view.

The group laughed and said goodbye to Hermione, then hoisted their luggage and boarded the train.

John stayed until the end and looked at Hermione.

"Then I'm off too; after the evening banquet I'll head back, I won't go home for dinner."

"Alright, be careful on the way, don't cause any trouble again."

"How could I?"

"That's exactly your talent."

They both smiled, then John bowed his head and gave Hermione a gentle kiss before turning and boarding the train.

The train slowly started, and Hermione stood on the platform waving.

Having his fiancée see him off at the station feels oddly wonderful.

It's like those sibling‑romance plots in movies and TV shows.

The older sister earns money to fund the younger brother's college, they pledge eternal vows at the station, part reluctantly, and then the clueless writer forces the brother to fall for the campus beauty, abandoning his faithful wife—a melodramatic twist.

Incredible.

Where's the wonder?

After the train set off, Titus and the others stuck their heads out of the carriage to wave goodbye to Hermione.

Only after the train left the platform did they pull their gaze back and squeeze into a private compartment.

Luna went to sit with Ginny, who still has one more year to study.

Next year, there will be no senior friends at Hogwarts.

Ah, except for Neville, he's now a teaching assistant at Hogwarts as well.

But it's still not as good as a close peer from the same year, who can stay with you until graduation.

At that moment, an unexpected person entered the private room.

"Classmate Meilik, long time no see, I heard you got engaged, congratulations."

The newcomer was Astoria.

Her Blood Curse symptoms are not obvious now; even her weakness is not apparent.

But after taking John's Magic Potion, it's clearly noticeable that her gaze is far more spirited than before.

"Regarding the Magic Potion, I've heard Draco mention it, and our whole family will keep your favor in our hearts."

"If there's anything you need our family to help with, feel free to ask me."

John waved his hand casually, "Don't be so formal; friends helping each other is only natural."

"Jor has mentioned your care for her to me a few times."

Astoria gave a faint smile.

"Jor also mentioned you in a letter, saying you got a wife and forgot your sister, and she complained to me a few times."

"Huh?" John couldn't sit still upon hearing that.

Defamation!

Such pure defamation!

After saying that, Astoria also left.

The private room fell silent for a few seconds, then Titus burst out laughing first: "Your sister was actually right."

"Having a wife made you forget not only your sister but also your brother as well."

"No way!" John retorted outright.

However, Ryan and Ethan mercilessly sided with Titus, nodding in unison: "Yes."

John rolled his eyes in irritation.

"But John, what's Jor's situation now?"

"At your engagement banquet before, didn't she separate from you, saying she switched to an Artificial Human body?"

Titus asked curiously at that moment.

"Hmm, but an Artificial Human isn't a perfect solution."

"The soul issue is tricky; as an Artificial Human, she lacks magical ability, so even sending her to Hogwarts to study is impossible."

"Moreover, she's an undocumented person in the Muggle World, so she can't even attend a Muggle school."

"I intend to wait until we find a truly suitable solution for her, then resolve her household registration issue."

The group fell silent for a while; they all understood that if it were that easy to find, it wouldn't have been delayed until now.

But they said little else; unable to help, they could only let it be for now.

As time passed, the train slowly pulled into Hogwarts' platform.

They returned to the Castle once more.

Having fought the great battle last year, returning this year still evokes countless emotions.

The inspection and defense measures originally set up around the Castle's perimeter have been removed, and the stationed Auror Squad has vanished.

The Castle has regained its former tranquility and solemnity.

For the next two years, they will spend their final peaceful days within the Castle.

No war, no conspiracies, only textbooks, wands, and occasional pranks.