168: Chapter 166 Departure

Amidst the cheers of the crowds lining both sides, the four of them walked into the station.

The butler, following the Queen's orders, led the Soldiers closely behind to ensure the safety of the four new students before they entered the station.

The station had already been cleared in advance.

Aside from a few news anchors arranged by the Queen and cameramen carrying their equipment, there were only Soldiers stationed in every blind spot.

"Will someone attack us?" Klaisi asked in confusion, looking around at the Soldiers.

"The few of us and Her Majesty the Queen are currently the humans with the deepest contact with Hogwarts."

"In our eyes, this event is just a new semester of recruitment for Hogwarts, but in the eyes of others..."

"It's an opportunity for the Kingdom to rise and return to the top of the world?"

"Yes." Toby said as he walked, "So it's hard for the Kingdom to guarantee that its old enemies won't do something."

"They would dare to offend Hogwarts? That giant crater on the outskirts of London is still there."

"The world never lacks madmen who think they have everything under control."

During their chat, the four of them approached the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Wino, dragging a rolling suitcase, waved to greet them.

"Good morning, Mr. Wino. Congratulations on successfully passing the assessment." Although they served different masters, Toby showed no outward hostility.

"The same to the four of you." He shook hands with each of them in turn, and when he reached Misha, he specifically bent down to look her in the eye.

After the pleasantries, he stood up. "The letter says the train departs at nine. It's eight now. When do we enter the station?"

"I'm not sure," said Toby, who was responsible for external communication in the group of four.

"Good morning, everyone."

The group turned to look. Accompanied by the Queen, Ms. Rowling was walking toward them.

"Your Majesty!"

They hurriedly bowed in greeting. After the Queen responded with a gesture, she then greeted Ms. Rowling.

"Long time no see, Ms. Rowling," Toby said.

"It hasn't been that long."

About to "revisit her old haunts," Ms. Rowling appeared very excited. Her posture and tone almost failed to maintain her usual elegance and composure.

Toby, who knew about the relationship between Ms. Rowling and Dumbledore, was not surprised, while the others looked at her with curiosity.

What kind of connection did this Ms. Rowling, who was thought to be writing fiction but was actually writing an autobiography, have with Hogwarts?

Clearly, no one was going to give them an answer right now.

The Queen wore a kind smile, like a grandmother worried about her grandchildren going on a long journey, reminding them to stay safe and so on.

But she was soon interrupted by a faint light emanating from the five people's pockets.

They hurriedly pulled out their Interview Letters. Before they could check what was wrong with their tickets, the old man's figure quietly appeared beside them.

"Quick! This way!"

In the distance, the cameramen and live-stream hosts ignored the Soldiers' attempts to stop them and rushed toward the group.

Catching the situation out of the corner of her eye, the Queen gave a subtle wave, and only then did the Soldiers let them through.

"Dum—"

Just as the host opened his mouth, he suddenly found himself unable to speak.

Dumbledore, having lowered his staff, ignored them. "The train is at nine; no need to come too early."

"And Rowling, I said I would come to pick you up."

"Sorry, Grandpa, I was a bit..." With an apologetic smile, Ms. Rowling stepped quickly to his side and took his arm with both hands.

"Alright, it's understandable since you haven't been back for a long time." The old man lightly tapped her head with his staff.

"This term's new students," he said, looking at the five standing in a row. "Bear in mind the precautions mentioned in the Interview Letter. If you violate them, you risk being expelled from the school."

"As for the Entrance Exam, it could start at any time."

"Finally, I sincerely wish you all good results on the exam."

After saying this, the old man led Ms. Rowling straight into the wall and disappeared.

This scene was accurately captured by the cameras that were constantly focused on him.

The five new students looked at each other. Except for Misha, who was either carefree or unaware of what she was facing, their clenched fists were trembling slightly.

"Let's go."

With the Queen's encouragement, they no longer hesitated and stepped toward the wall.

Toby walked at the front. At the moment he was about to collide with it, his eyes instinctively closed.

The expected pain of impact did not come.

When he opened his eyes in a daze, he saw a 19th-century-style platform. On the straight tracks, a black and red locomotive, constantly billowing steam, pulled more than a dozen carriages.

Passengers dressed in styles from the last century were busy boarding the train.

Who were they?

He desperately wanted to know the origins of these passengers, but the reminder in the Interview Letter not to have contact with strangers stopped him from approaching them to chat.

"Oh my god!" Klaisi, who followed him in, scanned the surroundings like a monkey seeing a human for the first time. "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters! Look! The Hogwarts Express!"

"The Interview Letter says that loud noises are strictly forbidden in public places," Wino, who came in behind, warned in a low voice.

"Where do we go now?" Leon, holding Misha's hand, asked in a hushed voice.

"Get on the train."

The five of them took out their Interview Letters, which served as their tickets.

"Mr. Dumbledore has considered everything; they are all sleeper tickets," Wino said, looking at the tickets.

"Let me see... Why am I in the same room as you?" Klaisi looked at Wino with dissatisfaction.

"You'll have to ask Mr. Dumbledore." He wasn't angry and walked toward the end of the train according to the carriage number on his ticket.

"Hurry up! No one knows what will happen if we delay!" Leon urged.

Although he was reluctant, Leon's words made sense. Klaisi helplessly chased after Wino, looking back with every step.

"The three of us are in Room 7 of Carriage 3. Let's go." Toby checked their three tickets and led the two forward.

"This is it."

Looking up at the sign above the carriage door, he turned back and instructed, "Keep your voices down. Do not have contact with any strangers other than the train staff."

"Mm." Leon nodded solemnly, and so did Misha.

With Toby in the lead, the three of them boarded the train carriage in a line, turned right, and arrived in front of a room with "Number Seven" carved above the door.

Toby, who had ridden most of humanity's modes of transportation, was a bit nervous at this moment.

Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he reached out and pulled open the door.

What appeared in his view was a simply furnished room.

Two bunk beds on each side were separated by a square window. Below the window sat a small wooden table and two wooden chairs, with the table fixed to the wooden wall of the carriage.

Seeing no one inside, the two adults breathed a sigh of relief, led Misha in between them, and closed the door behind them.

"It has a private bathroom! Misha has never ridden such a high-class train!"

Misha, who was good at reading the atmosphere, saw the two relax and began wandering around like she was on a wilderness adventure. After a moment, she pushed open a wooden door on the right.

"Indeed." Leon, who was stuffing his suitcase under the bed, turned back and said in agreement.

Even in the modern industrial age, most second-class seats on trains and high-speed rail still do not have private bathrooms.

As for whether first-class seats had them, Leon didn't know; he had never ridden in the expensive first-class section.

Toby stopped Misha from entering the bathroom and cautiously stepped through the door himself, looking around.

It wasn't that he was being overly cautious.

Mr. Dumbledore had said that the Entrance Exam could start at any time. Although he was certain there would be no life-threatening danger, Misha was still a child, and it was best if she didn't get hurt.

He was thick-skinned and tough; a little blood or a scratch wouldn't matter.

After scanning for a while and finding nothing unusual, he touched the faucet and other fixtures.

"There's actually hot water." Toby discovered in surprise. A square iron box hanging on the wall could dispense boiling water. "The instant noodles I brought will come in handy!"

"Even without hot water, you can eat them dry." Leon poked his head through the door. "Should we go check on Klaisi and the others?"

"The Interview Letter didn't say we couldn't explore the train, right?"