The next morning, we arrived at King's Cross Station.
We passed through the barrier onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, where the scarlet Hogwarts Express stood waiting, steam billowing from its engine.
Almost immediately, I spotted Blake standing near one of the carriages with Kipp and Liri beside her.
The moment Liri noticed me, she disappeared with a soft pop and reappeared at my side.
"Master," she said with a small bow. "Liri has already placed Master's trunk inside the train. Your school robes are with Miss Blake."
I smiled and patted her lightly on the head.
"Thank you, Liri. You've done a good job."
She beamed proudly.
"I have one more thing for you to remember. Once Salvius Manor is fully reconstructed, decorate and furnish it according to the plans I left behind. Most importantly, make sure the training room is completed exactly as specified."
"Yes, Master. Liri will do exactly as Master instructed."
"Good."
Kipp also bowed toward Blake before the two house-elves disappeared with simultaneous pops.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hadn't accompanied us to the station today. Arthur had already returned to work, while Mrs. Weasley stayed home to prepare for Bill's departure and look after Ginny and Ron.
The twins wasted no time disappearing into the crowd in search of Lee Jordan and the rest of their friends, while Percy headed off to find a quieter compartment where he could read in peace.
Blake and I boarded the train together and found an empty compartment near the middle.
Before long, the familiar faces began arriving one after another.
The first to enter were Adrian Pucey and Graham Montague.
"Hey, Alastair. Blake," Adrian greeted with an easy smile.
Montague nodded in greeting.
We returned their greetings before I asked, "How was your Christmas?"
Adrian shrugged.
"Nothing particularly exciting. Other than attending the Yule Ball, I hardly left home. Father has been busy with work ever since."
Montague gave a similar answer.
"It was much the same for me, although I did visit Diagon Alley a couple of times."
A few minutes later, the compartment door slid open again.
Nyx walked in first, followed closely by Selene.
"There you all are," Nyx said as she dropped into an empty seat. "We've been looking through half the train."
"You mean you got lost," Selene corrected calmly.
"I did not."
"You asked three different third-years where the Slytherins were."
"They all gave different directions."
Selene merely sighed before sitting beside Blake.
Soon the compartment filled with lively conversation as everyone shared stories from their Christmas holidays.
Nyx enthusiastically described the Yule Ball from her perspective, though she quickly moved on to recount the rest of her holiday.
"You know what's worse than formal dancing?" she said dramatically. "Being dragged to three different family dinners where everyone keeps asking what you're doing at Hogwarts."
Selene gave her a flat look.
"They were asking because you kept exaggerating everything."
"I was not exaggerating."
"You told your aunt you were already learning advanced curse-breaking."
Nyx crossed her arms.
"I said I was interested in it."
"You said you were already better than most curse-breakers."
Nyx paused.
"...Details."
Selene shook her head before adding her own account.
"My holidays were quieter. Father had me reviewing family records and practicing controlled spellcasting. He says precision matters more than power."
Nyx groaned.
"See? That's exactly what I mean. You had to study during the holidays."
"It was productive."
"It was boring."
"It was necessary."
Their usual back-and-forth drew a few amused looks from the others.
Graham (Montague), who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"I spent most of my time training as well. Father arranged for a private instructor to help refine my dueling techniques."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It was," Graham (Montague) admitted. "But useful."
Nyx leaned forward with interest.
"Did you at least get to do anything fun?"
Graham (Montague) thought for a moment.
"I suppose improving is its own reward."
Nyx leaned back with a sigh.
"You're worse than Selene."
Selene didn't even bother responding.
One by one, the rest of our friends also found the compartment, until it had become just as crowded and noisy as it had been before the holidays.
As the whistle echoed through the station and the Hogwarts Express slowly pulled away from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Blake stood up.
"I'm going to find Tulip and Badia. "
I nodded.
"Go ahead. We'll probably be here the whole trip."
Blake smiled before leaving the compartment, gently sliding the door shut behind her.
After Blake left, I looked around the compartment at everyone else.
"Now then," I said, drawing a chorus of groans.
"I know that look."
"So do I."
"We've barely gotten on the train."
"And you're already acting like Professor McGonagall."
I ignored the complaints.
"How were your holiday assignments?"
To my satisfaction, no one looked guilty.
"Finished."
"Completed."
"Even the essay for History of Magic."
One by one, everyone confirmed they had completed all of their holiday homework.
That wasn't particularly surprising. We had created the Study Club precisely because we wanted to improve ourselves.
"Good."
I nodded before asking my next question.
"What about your practical training? Did your families teach you anything over the holidays?"
The atmosphere became noticeably quieter.
Adrian spoke first.
"I learned a couple of family spells."
Graham nodded.
"The same here."
Nyx and Selene also confirmed they had spent part of the holidays learning spells passed down within their respective families.
No one asked what those spells were.
Nor did anyone volunteer the information.
Legacy spells were exactly that—family legacies. Sharing them casually would have been disrespectful to generations of ancestors.
Instead, everyone simply acknowledged that they had made progress.
"What about the spells we've already been practicing?" I asked.
"I've finally stabilized Levitation and Stinging hex," Adrian replied proudly.
"My Disarming charm is much stronger now," Selene added.
"I've been working on my hand movements," Graham said.
The conversation continued for several minutes as everyone discussed their progress, occasionally asking each other for advice without revealing family secrets.
Eventually, Warrington spoke.
"My father tried to teach me some basic Dark Arts."
"I refused, of course."
He shrugged.
"As we discussed before the holidays, I told him I'd study them in later years."
Montague nodded in agreement.
"My parents hinted at the same thing."
Nyx sighed.
"My family did as well. They said I was old enough to begin learning the basics if I wished."
"And?" I asked.
"I told them I'd wait."
Selene gave a small nod.
"My father Disagreed with that decision, but he didn't push it."
A quiet sigh escaped me.
Thankfully, they had all remained sensible.
Dark magic wasn't simply another branch of spellcraft like Charms or Transfiguration. Even if some Dark spells had legitimate uses, young witches and wizards lacked the experience and mental discipline to approach them safely.
There was a reason I had insisted none of them touch Dark Magic before our fourth year.
It wasn't about fear.
It was about having enough maturity to understand exactly what they were wielding.
Seeing that they had all honored that agreement, I couldn't help feeling relieved.
Perhaps the trust we had built over the past semester ran deeper than I had realized.
Watching the countryside begin to roll past the window, I couldn't help but smile.
The holidays were over.
Second semester was about to begin.
A/N: New Month begins, show you support on P@treon.
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