Chapter 120: Giving Ginny a Gift
School opening day.
Dylan woke up early in the morning.
The Hockwoods drove him to King's Cross Station.
"Be careful, dear," Maeve smoothed the wrinkles on her son's robe collar, the protective charm attached to her pearl earrings shimmering with a pale blue glow in the morning light.
—Dylan had cast it there for her, of course, his dad had one too.
"Don't worry, Mum, I will. You guys too, don't have too much fun, and make sure to earn more money. I have a lot of research that needs financial support," Dylan said with a smile.
"...That's the twenty-fifth time you've said that. Don't worry, son, your mum and I will earn enough money for you," Hubert said helplessly, looking at his son.
"Hehe, I believe in Dad's abilities!" Dylan waved at them.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Dylan pushed his luggage cart and rushed onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Morning mist mixed with the coal smoke from the steam engine rolled across the platform. The train was already parked on the tracks, but Dylan looked left and right and didn't see the Weasleys, including Harry.
Dylan wandered back and forth around the train twice, but still didn't find them on board.
"I already reminded them, how could they still be late?"
Dylan blinked, a pocket watch peeking out from his cuff, the silver chain swaying gently with the rhythm of the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters clock.
However, he didn't plan to stand there waiting for people. Instead, he found a carriage near the platform, strode in, and sat down.
He took out a book by Lockhart, preparing to read.
But before that—
He brushed the tip of his wand over the cover of Lockhart's new book for the third time.
—The posing author portrait on it was immediately silenced by a temporary Silencing Charm, stopping its noisy self-introduction.
Only then did Dylan open the book.
He had to admit that although Lockhart was cowardly, weak, hypocritical, and arrogant, he did possess a skilled Obliviation Charm and was particularly glib-tongued, good at climbing the social ladder.
—Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to acquire so many adventure stories.
After all, Lockhart wasn't that familiar with Legilimency.
"It's written quite well, but some details, perhaps because this guy didn't get them out of people's mouths, are a bit fabricated."
Dylan wouldn't study Lockhart's book too carefully. He only needed to skim through it.
Because a lot of it was Lockhart's self-praise and showing off, and Dylan had no intention of reading that part.
—He could boast about himself far better than Lockhart.
—During his days in the online forums, he had learned a lot about the charm of language.
"Hmm, it feels like picking bones out of an egg."
Despite only a rough understanding, Dylan quickly flipped through most of the book.
—This was also thanks to the reading speed boost he had received as a previous achievement reward.
Not quite reading ten lines at a glance, but reading three or four lines at a glance and basically understanding the meaning being conveyed was still possible.
And as his mental strength grew, it naturally complemented his reading abilities even more.
When he read, "The moonstone on the Yeti King's crown is actually a replica from shop number 93 in Diagon Alley, and the real one is in my possession."
Dylan scoffed and crossed out the entire exaggerated description with his quill, the still-wet ink of the annotation "Bullshit" twisting into a mocking grimace on the parchment.
"Whoosh—"
The train whistle suddenly let out a long, mournful roar.
Time flew by, and the train was about to leave.
Dylan looked up and out the window, just in time to see the Weasley family rushing out of the pillar in a hurry.
"Merlin's beard!" Mrs. Weasley's shriek startled the barn owl in the owl cage beside her.
Mrs. Weasley's left hand clutched Ginny's collar to prevent the little girl from getting lost, while her right hand waved her wand, making five suitcases juggle in mid-air.
As soon as she appeared, she immediately threw everything onto the train.
"Swish swish swish!"
The Weasleys' luggage crashed into the nearest carriage door like a meteor shower. Ginny's secondhand textbooks spilled from a gaping suitcase, the pages of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi rustling as Fred caught them with a Levitation Charm.
Through the window, Dylan could hear Mrs. Weasley's anxious voice, "Quick, quick, get inside!"
Percy's hair was unusually messy, his prefect badge askew on his wrinkled robes. He ran while trying to smooth out the soot-stained cuffs from the twins' fireworks with a Scouring Charm.
But the train was about to leave, so he had to hurriedly drag his two younger twin brothers into the carriage. Ginny also quickly boarded under Mrs. Weasley's direction.
Dylan didn't see Ron and Harry, knowing they must have been late, so he ignored it.
The train doors closed completely, and Dylan's eyes met Mrs. Weasley's.
He politely waved at her as a greeting.
Mrs. Weasley looked a bit surprised to see Dylan, but didn't have time to talk, so she just waved back, a wry smile on her face through the steam.
Then, she seemed to suddenly remember something, paused, looked around left and right, and soon a hint of anxiety appeared on her face as well.
"Whoosh—!"
The train started moving.
Dylan left the carriage door open, and a stern voice followed, "Unbelievable, they actually missed the Hogwarts train because they were playing around!"
The future Head Boy, panting, pushed his two younger brothers in, just in time to see Dylan.
They greeted each other, and seeing that Dylan's carriage was empty, Percy put his younger siblings there.
"Sit here nicely, I'm going to the prefects' carriage."
Percy put his younger siblings' luggage in, then tidied his hair, fixed his askew tie with a Transfiguration Charm, and with slightly trembling fingers, stuffed the twins' prank items into the seat pockets.
Only then did he pick up his luggage and turn to leave, looking displeased.
Dylan blinked, let the twins and Ginny sit down properly, then said, "Why are you so late? I've almost finished this book."
He held up his copy of Lockhart's bestseller, Year with the Yeti.
Fred and George sighed. "We were ready, but there were some problems on the way. Ron and Harry kept getting held up by things."
Dylan tilted his head. "What did Percy mean by playing around?"
The twins exchanged a look and scratched their heads in unison. "Well... we were playing Flying Chess last night, and we didn't notice it was past midnight. Everyone couldn't get up in the morning, especially Ron and Harry. Mum told us to hurry over first."
"Flying Chess? You guys play that too?"
"Dad got it for us, said we should try it out first, and then he'll research how to turn them into magical Flying Chess."
Dylan nodded. "You guys have quite the nerve."
Ginny sat to the side, looking a bit worried. "Will we get points deducted?"
School hadn't even started yet, and she was already facing point deductions, and the ones being deducted were her brothers...
"You haven't been sorted yet, and you might not even be in Gryffindor," Dylan chuckled.
"I will definitely get into Gryffindor!" Ginny said seriously.
"Alright, alright, I think you will too," Dylan patted Ginny's head. "I think Harry and Ron probably won't let Gryffindor lose points, they'll just get detention—maybe."
"Huh?" Ginny froze.
"I'm going to read for a while. I specifically saved this compartment, so you can sit here or go play with other friends," Dylan said, lowering his head to continue reading.
The twins nodded. "Ginny, you sit here nicely and don't run around. Your brother Dylan will look after you."
As soon as they finished speaking, without giving Dylan any time to react, they darted out of the compartment door.
Dylan opened his mouth, then closed it again, a twitch at the corner of his lips.
His gaze turned to Ginny.
The oak paneling of the carriage gleamed with a honey-colored luster in the midday sun.
The book Year with the Yeti on Dylan's lap turned on its own, but didn't flip over, instead standing up on one page.
—A piece of non-stick bubblegum, a prank left by George just before he slipped out the door, was stuck to the bottom right corner of the parchment page.
Ginny缩 in the velvet seat cushion, the sleeves of her brand-new robes were wrinkled from her fidgeting. Sunlight streamed through the window, turning the freckles on her nose golden.
She also noticed her older brother's prank and looked a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, Dylan, they're always like this."
Dylan shook his head. "This is non-stick bubblegum, it can be taken off directly. They wouldn't dare stick real chewing gum on my book."
Ginny blinked, recalling how well-behaved her two mischievous older brothers had been when Dylan was at her house some time ago.
She couldn't help but ask, "Dylan, are you very strict? Fred and George seem to be afraid of you."
Dylan smiled. "Do you think I'm strict?"
Ginny thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I think you have a very good personality, and you're also very considerate—much more considerate than my brothers."
"Thank you, I accept your compliment. Have some hot chocolate, and would you like to try a Fizzing Whizbee?"
Dylan conjured a cup of hot chocolate for Ginny with his wand and took out a rainbow-colored candy from his pocket.
"Fred specially made this. He added a little surprise inside—but don't worry, you won't turn into a frog this time."
Ginny looked at Dylan's slender white fingers, blinked, and the tips of her ears gradually turned a bit red, as if a Dyeing Charm had been cast on them.
When she took the candy, her fingertips brushed against the faint wand callus on the boy's palm, a mark earned in the backyard of the Burrow while helping the twins test Extendable Ears.
—Or maybe it was from conducting some evil experiments.
The candy wrapper rustled in her palm, suddenly turning into a fluttering robin before changing back to its original form before she could cry out.
"They always like to play these tricks," Dylan lightly tapped his wand, fixing Ginny's suitcase, which was about to slide off the seat, with a Levitation Charm.
Through the gap in the lid, the secondhand Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 could be seen, the name "Roger Davies" written on the spine in faded ink.
"Oh dear, they ran off to play without even helping me put my luggage away. It almost fell off," Ginny pouted. "If it breaks, Mum won't have money to buy me a new one."
Dylan paused, looking at Ginny. "Your clothes are very pretty. Did Mrs. Weasley have them specially made for you?"
"Yes, but this is the only one. Mum said she'll send me another one later. She told me to wear this one first."
Ginny jumped off the seat, placed the suitcase directly at her feet, then sat back down, touching her new clothes with a smile on her face. Dylan also smiled slightly, then with a flick of his wand.
"I didn't give you a greeting gift before, and your birthday just passed, and I didn't give you anything. Consider this my compensation."
As a gift box inlaid with moonstone patterns appeared on the small table, the bubblegum the twins had used for their prank suddenly turned into an emerald green frog, plopping into Ginny's cup of hot chocolate.
"...Looks like George and Fred left an extra little surprise."
Dylan narrowed his eyes, making a mental note of those two rascals, then with a light wave of his wand, the cocoa stain that had splashed on his book immediately turned into a fluttering robin, flying out through the gap in the carriage door.
"Huh? A gift?" Ginny was taken aback.
The gift box bloomed with silver-blue lotus flowers as the Anti-Theft Charm was解除, revealing three female wizard robes, the sleeves still swaying slightly with the movement of the train.
"This... is for me?" Ginny's eyes widened, her worn leather boots unconsciously scuffing against the suitcase under the seat, which actually contained a spare robe that Molly had made from old curtains and her previous school uniform.
It was so that Ginny wouldn't be completely without clothes in case of a special situation.
Dylan smiled. "Yes, if you consider me your older brother too, then accept it. Girls should wear new clothes."
Ginny was stunned by Dylan's words. Although her reason told her she shouldn't accept someone else's gift just like that, but—
It had already been bought, and it was girls' clothing. Dylan couldn't wear it himself.
In the end, Ginny thanked him and accepted the gift.
On the way, Ginny was very happy and didn't disturb Dylan's reading. Instead, she sat opposite him, watching the quickly disappearing scenery outside the window, entertaining herself.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came, and the door of Dylan's carriage was pulled open from the outside. The twins' voices rang out.
"Hey! Dylan, look outside! It's Harry, it's Harry and them!"
Fred, with some black marks still on his face, appeared before Dylan.
George's head also popped out from behind. "I really can't imagine, they actually drove over!"
Dylan glanced at the two idiots.
Seeing that they didn't mention their prank, he also turned to look out the window.
At first, he couldn't see anything, but soon, a Ford Anglia flew past the window, swaying left and right, crooked, but always moving in the same direction as the train.
Ginny, one hand still touching the gift box beside her, looked at the car in the air, a car she knew very well, and was completely dumbfounded.
"Who... who's driving?"
"My guess is, probably your brother."
Dylan saw the people sitting inside when the car suddenly dived downwards.
Only Harry and Ron.
Ginny's mouth fell open. "Don't tell me my mum and dad aren't up there either."
"You guessed right, they're not," Dylan shrugged.
Ginny felt her eyelids twitching like they were dancing.
"Oh no! They really won't get into any trouble, will they?!"
Ginny didn't understand why her parents would allow Harry and Ron to drive over by themselves.
What if something happened?
For a moment, Ginny couldn't help but worry about the two in the car.
After all, one was someone she had always admired, and the other was her own older brother.
But while worried, a hint of doubt couldn't help but rise in her heart.
"Aren't they being too reckless?"
And completely different from Ginny's attitude.
The two idiot twins stared at the Ford Anglia flying crookedly in the air, their eyes full of envy.
"These two are totally cheating!"
"They didn't even ask us to come along! That's too much!"
"This is a chance to show off in front of the whole school!"
"But now that chance can only be snatched by Harry and Ron!"
The train soon entered a desolate, uninhabited area.
The magical flying car also followed, flying over a snowy mountain, but it flew into the clouds, and its specific figure and location could no longer be seen.
Dylan knew that Harry and Ron would be fine in the end, so he calmly read his book. As for the twins, they had long since disappeared.
Only Ginny sat in her seat, her face worried and anxious, concerned for Harry and Ron.
After some more time passed, the fantastic scenery with magic became more and more frequent.
Hogwarts was almost there.
After getting off the train, there was a buzz of discussion in the crowd.
Ginny looked back every few steps, wanting to see the magical flying car, but the result naturally disappointed her.
Finally, Dylan led her back to Hogwarts after meeting up with Neville.
Of course, Ginny went to wait outside the Great Hall with the first-year students.
And Dylan went into the golden-red hall with Neville, found the Gryffindor table, and sat down casually.
Soon, Hermione appeared and walked quickly over after seeing Dylan.
But even when the Sorting Ceremony was about to begin, Hermione hadn't seen the other two.
She couldn't help but lean over and whisper to Dylan, "What's going on? Where are they?"
Dylan was still reading even while sitting in the hall. Hearing Hermione's words, he shook his head.
"They'll probably be back in a little while, it's alright, don't worry about it."
Hermione's lips twitched.
How could she not worry about it?
The more Dylan said that, the more she worried!
"Why are there still professors missing from the teachers' table?" Hermione glanced over and noticed that Professor Snape hadn't entered.
"Could it be that magical flying car we saw on the way..." Hermione's eyes widened as she thought of something.
Neville had heard a bit about it from Dylan on the way, but at this moment, he didn't know how to explain it to Hermione.
Until the Sorting Ceremony began, and the first-year students entered, one after another being sorted into the four houses.
Hermione noticed that Professor Snape, who hadn't appeared at first, strode to Professor McGonagall in his robes and whispered a few words to her.
Professor McGonagall's originally kind smile instantly collapsed.
Next, her movements as she placed the hat on the first-year students' heads clearly sped up.
"Gryffindor!"
"Next."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Next."
"Slytherin!"
"Hurry down."
Professor Snape, standing to the side, twitched his face.
Until the Sorting Ceremony was completely over.
Professor McGonagall turned back, gave Professor Dumbledore a look, and then left the hall with Professor Snape, exchanging a few words as they went.
After all the students were seated, old Dumbledore gave his usual opening speech, and at the same time introduced the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, then stood up and also left the hall.
"Oh, dear..." Hermione looked at Dumbledore's departing figure with a bit of a headache.
School had only just started.
Why did she already have a feeling that Gryffindor's points were about to be deducted into the negatives?
"Hopefully my usual performance in class can make up for this loss."
The opening ceremony ended quickly.
After everyone had eaten, they returned to their respective house common rooms under the guidance of the prefects.
Ginny followed Percy—the twins had already disappeared and were probably chatting with others somewhere.
She occasionally turned her head, wanting to catch a glimpse of Dylan.
Only after Percy led everyone into the Gryffindor common room did Ginny glance at Dylan, and seeing him nod in response, she quickly lowered her head and went back to the dormitory with her roommates to tidy their beds.
Dylan didn't explain much to Hermione and returned to his dormitory on his own.
Neville stayed behind to talk to Hermione.
Finally, after a while, Harry and Ron returned to the common room.
At this time, since it was just the beginning of the school year, many people were not in the dormitory but stayed in the common room, chatting with friends they hadn't seen for a long time.
Seeing them return, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing, surged forward, and surrounded the two of them.
"Hey, Harry! You guys weren't expelled, were you?"
The question came from someone, but as soon as it was uttered, Harry and Ron's vision went black.
"No, no, we weren't expelled, and we didn't make Gryffindor lose points either."
Harry and Ron explained for a long time until Percy walked over with a stern face. The two quickly squeezed out of the crowd and returned to their dormitory.
As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw Dylan reading alone in the dormitory.
"Merlin's trousers, Dylan, I wish I could be as carefree as you~!"
Ron wailed miserably.
"You can't even imagine the punishment we received!"
(End of chapter)
.....
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