Chapter 186: Boarding the Train

All the fourth-year students noticed that the homework they had to do this term had increased significantly. Professor McGonagall told everyone during one assignment that this was because, as fifth-years, they would soon be taking the O. W. L. exams, which were very important for a wizard and well worth preparing for properly.

However, while Harry, a fourth-year, was worried about various assignments, Zhang Qiu, a fifth-year, didn't take the exams to heart at all; she continued to drift between various student societies. In addition to the S. P. E. W. which was gradually getting on track, she had also become the soul of the Tyris Arcane Society, establishing the keynote of "seniority first," selecting seventh-year Penelope Clearwater as the first Guardian, and stipulating that every subsequent Guardian must be a seventh-year student.

"If you want to choose the one with the greatest ability, then everyone will recommend themselves; but if you want to choose the one with the most seniority, then the conclusion is indisputable," she said.

Besides the Tyris Arcane Society, which Zhang Qiu had settled with Eastern wisdom, other societies were also in good order and continuing in full swing. Neville had established a high reputation in the Lionheart Society; almost everyone knew that he had volunteered to stay behind to guard Hogwarts, and the members of the Lionheart Society also identified with this concept. They often said, "The Triwizard Tournament only needs one champion, but Hogwarts needs all the Gryffindors." The centripetal force displayed by the members made Harry gasp in admiration.

Hannah's situation was quite good. Because Cedric intended to participate in the Triwizard Tournament, the Hufflepuff Defense Association, or rather, Deng Buliduo's Army, would be jointly managed and operated by her and Ernie Macmillan during the period when Cedric went to France. From this point of view, Harry believed that when Cedric returned from France and saw the well-run society, he might not necessarily intend to change the society's manager, so Deng Buliduo's Army would be half in Hannah's hands.

The reason it was said to be half was because Hannah and Ernie each had different connections. Although Hannah had learned many good tricks from Neville, Ernie also maintained close ties with the Silver-Blood families of Slytherin. Ma Erfu was struggling to maintain an alliance that was harmonious on the surface but discordant at heart. With the help of his friends in Torchwood, he spread his influence to the entire school as much as possible, which greatly aroused the wariness of other pure-blood descendants, so for the time being, he still retained leadership over the Silver-Blood families.

Harry was very willing to give Ma Erfu some off-field assistance in these matters, but time was already running out. A notice had already been posted in every corridor of the school. Deng Buliduo clearly told everyone that this Saturday afternoon, all students who met the conditions and voluntarily wanted to participate in the Triwizard Tournament would board the Hogwarts Express and set off for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

After lunch, almost all the students came to the platform in Hogsmeade Village. Among them were students who could compete, as well as friends and relatives seeing off the contestants. Naturally, there was no lack of those who intended to secretly bypass the age restriction and board the express train.

Deng Buliduo set a thin golden line on the platform, about ten feet away from the train. For some students who were seventeen years old, this was no different from an ordinary waiting line. They crossed it easily, smiling, waving their hands, and walked onto the train to find a place to sit.

As for some who did not meet the conditions, such as Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, who had secretly drunk Aging Potion, they were thrown out by an invisible force the moment they crossed the golden line, falling heavily to the ground ten feet away, and they even grew ridiculous white beards on their chins.

"I warned you," Deng Buliduo said with a smile. "Now, I suggest you go to Madam Pomfrey; she is already taking care of Miss Fawcett from Ravenclaw and Mr. Summers from Hufflepuff."

Just as the three of them looked at each other and then chuckled non-stop, a figure wearing a light blue school uniform crossed the golden line, then winked at them with a smile.

"This is impossible!" Fred said in surprise. "Zhang Qiu, aren't you only in your fifth year?"

"How did you get past?" George also widened his eyes.

"Believe it or not, I am actually seventeen years old," Zhang Qiu said with a smile, then waved at Harry, and walked toward a certain carriage.

Harry remembered that carriage; a very conspicuous ferret graffiti was drawn on the top of the door.

"But how did she get past?" Luo En asked in a low voice.

"Perhaps it's some kind of mysterious Heavenly Dynasty magic," Harry said vaguely. He wouldn't tell others that Zhang Qiu had spent two extra years in the past, so she was truly seventeen years old at this moment.

"Shall we go too?" Luo En looked around nervously and asked in a low voice.

"I still want to say goodbye to Neville." Harry walked to Neville's side, quietly pulled open a slit in the Invisibility Cloak, and looked at Neville under the cover of the crowd.

"We are going to be separated for a long time now," Harry said hesitantly. "I hope you have a smooth time at Hogwarts."

"Those who walk the same path are merely travel companions, while those who forge ahead on different paths are true friends," Neville said.

"Is this also what your grandmother said?" Luo En asked curiously.

"No, this is what I said myself," Neville chuckled softly.

Under the cover of the Deathly Hallows, Harry and Luo En easily avoided the monitoring of the golden line, and then they walked into the train. Only then did Harry notice that the train had become different from the way it looked when he was at school.

Each carriage had become much larger, and now, instead of two rows of soft and comfortable sofas, there were four single beds with upper and lower bunks, with a small table in the middle, and a row of wardrobes on the side.

"Oh, I just realized," Luo En said. "We must have a place to stay when we arrive at Beauxbatons."

"And we have to take a shower." Harry was carefully reading a small booklet at the head of the bed. "It says that the carriage closest to the front of the train is the bathroom, and it supplies hot water twenty-four hours a day. Then, the dining car is at the back of the train..."

"Watch out, someone is coming." Luo En hurried to get the Invisibility Cloak, but it seemed to be too late.

"Harry? Are you here?" It was Cedric. "I'm really curious how you got on, but shouldn't you let the professors know?"

"Are you planning to tell them?" Luo En's tone was somewhat unfriendly.

"I won't volunteer to say it, but I do suggest you go and have a word with Deng Buliduo," Cedric said sincerely. "You can't let other professors think you're skipping class, right? Besides, when the day comes to select the champions, you'll still have to come out."

"That's true, thanks for your suggestion." Harry closed the booklet and walked toward the carriage where Deng Buliduo was.

"Ah, Harry." Deng Buliduo didn't seem surprised by his arrival. "I knew you would do this."

"Yes, Professor." Harry looked into his eyes and said seriously, "I have made up my mind."

"You know his target is me; in fact, you don't have to take this risk." Deng Buliduo rubbed his fingers. "If you don't get on this train, you can still live your own life. Voldemort won't mind, and Sirius will take good care of you."

"But the starting point of the whole plan is me," Harry said. "And, rather than living aimlessly in a world ravaged by the Dark Lord, I would rather fight him to the death when I have the chance."

"He shouldn't know about the Twin Wands and the Time-Moment yet, and Zhang Qiu has come too," Harry continued. "We can use the Time-Moment to defeat him, or banish him to the afterlife."

"You have great ideas, child." Deng Buliduo sighed softly. "I hope things can go as we wish."

Harry pursed his lips. He saw an indescribable sense of fatigue from this old man, so he didn't say any more ideas or plans, just said goodbye to Deng Buliduo, and then returned to his carriage.

"What did you talk about secretly with Deng Buliduo?" Luo En asked, lying on the bed.

"Nothing much, mainly just letting him know our determination." Harry lay down opposite him, feeling vaguely uneasy in his heart.

"You must have talked about some plan, right? Do you really intend to tell me nothing?" Luo En raised his eyebrows with some dissatisfaction. "I still know nothing about those things, only that you intend to participate in this competition and then duel with the Dark Lord!"

"That's fine, Luo En." Harry said hesitantly. "I hope you can spare no effort to help me win this competition. As for the other parts of the plan, to be honest, I don't know them too well either; it's better to play it by ear when the time comes."

"Do you want me to sign up too, and become the second champion of Hogwarts?" Luo En's eyebrows raised even higher, almost disappearing into his hair. "I would certainly be happy to do that, but we all know that this possibility is very slim. Your plan, in fact, you could tell me. If you don't want to say it at school, that's fine, but you're still hiding it now, which makes me feel that perhaps I might as well stay at Hogwarts and run the Lionheart Society with Neville."

Harry suddenly realized that Luo En might not be purely curious or acting foolish, but rather that he hoped to gain more of Harry's trust. And his own behavior of bringing him on the train while keeping silent about various information made Luo En feel that Harry was treating him like a fool.

"Luo En, tell me, if someone disguised themselves as me, what questions would you ask to distinguish them?" Harry said seriously, and also pointlessly.

"What are you talking about... ah!" Luo En suddenly seemed to realize something. "Then the first question is, what was the Christmas present I gave you; the second question is, you have to say something that only the two of us know, for example, the license plate number."

"That's right, you suspect that I was disguised by someone else, that makes sense." Luo En patted his head with some annoyance. "Was I too curious about those plans? Actually, I shouldn't have asked, but I couldn't help it, I'm really sorry."

"In fact, I really don't know what to do." Harry showed a smile, half-reluctant and half-sincere. "But I can tell you what I know, anything, if you can come up with any brilliant ideas based on this, that would be great..." ===== CHAPTER 187 =====