Chapter 181 School Opening

Chapter 181 School Opening

During the rest of the holiday, Henry led a dull and boring life, spending his days either studying or appearing in front of the media with his grandmother.

Doing this once or twice is novel, but after a while it just becomes boring.

Almost in the blink of an eye, it was time for school to start.

King's Cross Station, September 1st.

The platform was bustling with noise, filled with students dragging suitcases and carrying owl cages.

Parents stood by, some giving their children final words of advice—"Remember to write letters," "Wear more clothes when it gets cold," "Don't eat too many snacks"; some were secretly wiping away tears, but pretending to be just soothed by the smoke and waving away the unseen smoke; some were busy taking pictures, the flashes clicking, which made several owls nearby hoot in dissatisfaction.

Henry carried his suitcase and walked through the crowd.

Lucy had already magically loaded most of his luggage onto the train; he only needed to take his personal belongings, namely his wallet with the Unseen Stretch Charm, which contained a few books and a bunch of snacks.

Diana gave it to him this morning, saying he would definitely get hungry on the train, so it was always a good idea to bring it with him.

Henry opened it and saw that it contained everything, all kinds of snacks that ordinary people could buy in the world.

"Henry!"

A familiar voice came from the crowd, piercing through the surrounding noise.

Henry turned around and saw Ron and Harry running toward him.

Ron's hair was redder than when they last met, probably because his mother had just cut it. The red stubble stood up straight, making him look like an angry rambutan.

He was dragging a tattered suitcase, and on top of it sat a mouse named Banban, tilting its head and surveying its surroundings.

Harry followed behind him with a smile on his face. Although his hair was still messy, he looked much more energetic than when he was at the Dursleys' house.

"You've come," Henry said.

"Of course!" Ron ran up to him, panting. "My parents dropped us off at the platform and left, telling us to find our own seats. My mom also told me to keep an eye on Harry and make sure he doesn't get lost."

Harry chimed in, "Actually, what she really said was, 'Ron, keep an eye on Harry, and keep an eye on yourself, so you don't both get lost.'"

Everyone laughed when they heard Harry's addition, even Ron himself laughed.

"Where's Hermione?" Henry asked.

"She shouldn't be here yet," Ron said, standing on tiptoe and looking around. "She always arrives right on time; I don't know why she likes to be so precise with her arrival."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a voice came from behind him.

"Who said I was on time?"

They turned around and saw Hermione standing not far away, dragging a huge suitcase.

The box was almost as big as her, and it was piled with several books on top, looking like it was about to collapse.

Her hair was still so fluffy, but she looked radiant.

"I arrived a while ago," Hermione said, walking over and dragging the huge suitcase in front of them. "I just went to prepare some things first."

"What did you prepare?" Ron asked curiously, his eyes fixed on the bulging bag in her hand.

Hermione pulled several notebooks out of her bag and proudly showed them to them.

"These are my notes, which I compiled during the summer vacation. They are my preview notes for second-year courses—I'm giving each of you a copy."

She handed the notebook to Henry, Harry, and Ron.

Ron took the notebook, flipped through two pages, and his face turned green.

That green was purer than Slytherin's scarf, and more frightening than a booger of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean.

Henry was also surprised to find that he actually had a share of this stuff.

Oh my god.

"This... so much?" Ron asked politely, declining the question.

"Not many," Hermione said. "Just over a hundred pages, about fifteen pages per subject, just right."

Ron's face turned even greener. He flipped through the thick notebook, looking at the dense handwriting on it, and he seemed to be petrified.

"Hermione," he said with difficulty, "you did this all summer?"

"Of course not," Hermione said. "I also read more than a dozen books, helped my mother with chores, and previewed the second-year Potions class materials. The notes were just something I did on the side."

Ron's expression was beyond what could be described as green.

Harry, suppressing a laugh, took his own book and flipped through it.

The handwriting is neat and the organization is clear. Each subject has detailed key points and annotations.

The timeline of magical history is clearly drawn, the list of materials for potion-making is readily available, and even the Defense Against the Dark Arts includes introductions to various dark wizards.

"Thank you, Hermione," Henry said, taking the notebook and flipping through it. "Very well organized. These notes must have taken you a lot of time."

"It's alright, I need to kill time during summer vacation anyway." Hermione's face flushed slightly.

"Recreation?" Ron finally snapped out of his daze. "You call this recreation?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Reading and studying is a must. Didn't you do anything during your summer vacation?"

Ron opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He recalled what he did during his summer vacation: sleeping, eating, playing around with George Fred, and occasionally being dragged by his mother to do chores.

study?

What is that?

"I—I did a little too," he said weakly.

"What did you do?"

"Anyway, I wasn't thinking about you," Ron said.

Hermione blushed, but this time not from embarrassment, but from anger.

"Ron Weasley!"

Harry was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight, attracting the attention of passersby.

"Alright, alright," Henry said. "If we keep making a scene, the train will be leaving. Let's get on."

They walked together toward the train.

"Let's find an empty cubicle," Ron said, looking around as he walked. "Ours last year was pretty good; it was by the window, spacious, and had a view."

"I found that place last year; you came later," Harry reminded him.

"Then I'll trouble you to find another one. You have experience," Ron said seriously.

Harry, without hesitation, took the lead and walked towards the middle of the train.

They walked through several carriages, where many people were already sitting in the compartments.

Some were reading, some were chatting, some were eating snacks, and some were already dozing off.

A Ravenclaw girl is sticking various badges on the windowpane, while a Hufflepuff boy is helping her hand something over.

Finally, near the middle, they found an empty cubicle.

The window faces the platform, and you can see the bustling crowds outside.

The cubicles aren't large, but they can easily accommodate four or five people.

There was still space on the overhead luggage rack, just enough to put my suitcase.