Chapter 184 I Won't Be Alone

Chapter 184 I Will Not Be Alone

"Aren't you scared?" Harry asked with a complicated expression.

Henry thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Scared? A little, but there wasn't time for me to be scared."

Ron whispered from the side, "If it were me, my legs would have gone weak with fear."

"Me too," Hermione said with a look of agreement.

"My legs went weak later," Henry laughed. "But that's another story."

They all laughed, but there was a hint of lingering fear in their smiles.

Harry was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why tell you? So you can go on an adventure too?" Henry asked.

Harry opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Henry continued, "Voldemort is gone, at least temporarily. Quirrell is dead too. It's all over. What good would it do to tell you this except to make you worry?"

Hermione nodded thoughtfully.

"You're right, there was nothing we could do to help back then."

Ron muttered from the side, "There's nothing I can do to help now."

Hearing Ron's words, everyone laughed again.

Harry leaned back in his seat, looking out at the night view.

"So, Voldemort really disappeared?" he asked.

"It's at least temporarily gone," Henry said.

Harry turned and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

Henry considered his words for a moment, then said, "Voldemort was no ordinary man. He did many extraordinary things to ensure he didn't truly die. I'm not sure if he really disappeared completely."

"You mean—he'll come back?" Harry's expression changed.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out," Henry said, nodding.

The cubicle fell silent again.

Ron whispered, "This—this is terrifying."

"What should we do?" Hermione tried to appear calm.

"We'll handle things as they come," Henry laughed. "Go to class, study, live your life. Let Dumbledore worry about Voldemort. All we can do is prepare."

"What are you preparing?" Harry asked.

"Be prepared for anything that might happen," Henry said.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, while Harry remained silent for a long time.

Then he asked, "Henry, you said Voldemort will come back. Are you afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid," Henry said with a smile, "but being afraid won't help, and besides, I won't be alone."

He looked at Harry.

"You won't be alone either."

Harry paused for a moment, then laughed.

The night outside the window grew darker, and the distant mountains were no longer visible. Only the occasional village had lights twinkling in the distance.

Ron leaned back in his seat and let out a long sigh.

"Honestly, Henry, you're amazing," he said. "If it were me, I probably would have fainted just from seeing the mysterious man, let alone confronting him."

"You didn't faint when you saw the troll last year," Harry reminded him.

"That's different! Trolls may be ugly, but at least they look like something. The Mysterious Man—just thinking about it is terrifying," Ron said, shuddering.

Hermione shrugged and continued reading.

After the train had been moving for a while, the announcement came on.

"Dear students, the train is about to arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage in your seats; it will be escorted to the castle. Upperclassmen, please disembark in an orderly manner and follow your prefects to the castle."

A commotion broke out in the carriage, and footsteps and voices could be heard in the corridor.

Several people stood up and began packing their things.

Ron stuffed Lockhart's book into his bag, muttering, "It might be fake, but it's still pretty good."

Hermione glared at him.

"You still don't believe me?"

"I was just saying," Ron said, somewhat helplessly.

Harry packed his things and then looked at Henry.

"Henry, thank you for telling us this."

Henry smiled, but said nothing.

They walked out of the cubicle and followed the flow of people toward the car door.

On the platform, Hagrid was holding up a lamp and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"First-year students! This way! First-year students! — Hi, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Henry, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Hagrid—" they said together.

The new young wizards, their faces filled with tension and excitement, followed Hagrid down the path leading to the castle.

Henry and his companions followed the flow of people toward the castle.

The night wind blew by, carrying the chilly air unique to the Scottish Highlands.

Ron, walking beside Henry, suddenly whispered, "Henry, what do you think we'll do if Voldemort really comes back?"

Henry didn't answer immediately, but looked into the distance, where the first-year students were following Hagrid toward the small boat, their excited chatter faintly audible.

"Are you scared?" he suddenly asked.

Ron thought for a moment and nodded honestly.

"Fear? How could I not be afraid? That's a mysterious person."

"You should be afraid," Henry said. "It would be strange if you weren't."

He paused for a moment, looking at the lights of the castle in the distance.

"But being afraid doesn't mean you can't do anything."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, looking at him.

Henry stopped and turned to look at him.

Harry and Hermione stopped and came over.

"Think about it," Henry said, "who defeated Voldemort at his most powerful moment?"

Harry paused for a moment.

"—It was me? But back then I was just a baby."

"It's not you," Henry interrupted him. "It's the love between Lily and James Potter, the wisdom of Dumbledore, and the courage of all those who dared to defy him. Voldemort alone cannot fight against everyone."

He looked at the three of them: "If he really comes back, he won't just target one person. He'll deal with everyone who opposes him, and will we choose to resist or submit?"

"Of course we'll resist!" Ron said immediately, his voice trembling slightly but his tone firm.

Harry nodded.

"The book says that when Voldemort first rose to power, many people chose to remain silent, and as a result, his power grew stronger and stronger," Hermione said. "Although there were few who resisted, it was precisely because of them that he did not achieve complete victory."

"Hermione is right." Henry smiled affirmatively at Hermione. "Resistance doesn't guarantee victory, but not resisting guarantees defeat."

"Besides, you are not alone. I am here, Dumbledore is here, and all those who are willing to rebel are here. With us together, there is nothing to fear."

Ron was silent for a moment, then said softly, "That sounds reasonable."

"He's always been right," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione smiled too.

They continued walking, their steps lighter than before.

As they reached the castle gate, Henry suddenly stopped and turned around.

"By the way, Ron."

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, looking at him.

Henry said, "You just said you'd faint if you saw Voldemort, but I don't think so."

"Why?" Ron was taken aback.

"Because when you found out about the trolls last year, your first thought was to save Hermione, not to run away," Henry said.

"That—that was an accident." Ron blushed.

"It wasn't an accident," Harry laughed from the side. "That's just how you are."

Ron wanted to argue, but found himself unable to do so.

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