Hogwarts: I Am an Exemplary Wizard-Chapter 585 - 583: Harry’s Protective Magic

The day after the end-of-year banquet marked the official start of the holiday for Hogwarts.

Kael and the others arrived at the platform, ready to board the train for their return journey.

Ladon perched like a thug on his shoulder, casting a glance at every passing owl.

Perhaps it was because Kael regularly fed it Dragon Liver that Ladon’s size had grown again, now resembling a small monster.

This also led to chaos wherever Kael passed, because every owl stared at by it would let out piercing screams and flap fervently within their cages.

Even Cho’s owl was not spared.

"Hey, Kael, can’t you keep it in check?" Cho said, soothing her owl in its cage, "Seiya’s already been startled three times on this trip."

"Sorry, but Ladon doesn’t like being cooped up in a cage."

Kael shifted his shoulder, and the massive owl promptly spread its wings, heading toward the train.

To accommodate some, they opted not to sit in the more spacious and comfortable Prefect compartments, choosing a regular carriage instead.

As soon as they sat down, Cedric complained in an exaggerated tone, "Oh... the seats here are really hard."

Fred and George’s faces turned dark instantly.

They knew very well what Cedric meant.

"Truly sorry..." Fred drawled, "We couldn’t become Prefects... forcing you to come to the regular compartment."

"If you don’t mind." George swiftly removed his robe, folded it, and placed it on an empty seat, "How about sitting here? It’s not as comfortable as velvet cushions, but it should be alright."

"I think you misunderstood." Cedric smirked mischievously, "I was merely complaining about the Hogwarts Express facilities, it’s not about you.

"Of course, if you haven’t stuffed a Chomping Ball in the robe, I wouldn’t mind some added comfort."

He had seen George slip something resembling a cushion inside while folding the robe.

That was an old joke from Zonko’s Joke Shop, once someone sat on it, it would turn into a ball with sharp teeth, giving quite a painful bite.

"Tsk..."

Seeing Cedric wasn’t fooled, George pouted and put away the robe.

"You’ve changed, Cedric." Fred said dramatically, "Even we wouldn’t say such a thing."

"I wouldn’t agree." Cedric raised an eyebrow, "If today’s situation were reversed with me not becoming a Prefect, you’d surely say the same."

"I can assure you, we wouldn’t." George replied seriously.

"Because we’d start teasing you the moment we left the castle." Fred laughed.

Soon after they settled, the train started and began its journey toward King’s Cross Station amidst the sound of whistles.

Unlike the rainy weather on the way in, the sky outside was clear, and the bright sunshine was warm on the skin.

Curiously, it seemed to be the same every year, with rainy days when school starts, but the opposite during holidays.

As they sat in the carriage, their conversation naturally turned to Dumbledore’s speech at last night’s banquet.

The impact of that speech was undoubtedly huge, even inside the compartments they could hear words like "Dumbledore" and "madman" from outside.

Most seemed to regard him as an old madman who had uttered nonsense.

"Do you think the Headmaster anticipated it would turn out this way?" Fred asked, "Not many seem to believe him."

"I bet he knew." Kael said, "But he wasn’t expecting everyone to believe, which isn’t realistic. He just wanted everyone prepared should the day come when chaos ensues."

"Perhaps." George shrugged, ambivalent.

They then speculated on what measures Dumbledore might take during the holidays to counter Voldemort, and as it neared noon, the corridor grew more lively.

The feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed unabated, persisting till now, and Kael could occasionally hear bouts of argument.

The topic also revolved around Dumbledore.

Almost all the Slytherins deemed Dumbledore crazy, openly mocking him in the compartments and corridors.

Some students disagreed upon hearing this and began arguing back, which gradually escalated into rows.

There was no choice, as Prefects, they had to leave the compartment to maintain order in the corridor.

Fred and George weren’t idle either; they went to find Harry to gather information on the Death Eaters from that night.

The journey continued somewhat monotonously, with the train carrying them southward. Outside the window, hills and woods became scarce, as they started seeing villages, indicating the train would soon reach the station.

At this point, Kael and company returned to their compartment.

Fred and George were already waiting there, along with Harry, Hermione, and Ron, engrossed in a game of Exploding Snap.

When Kael entered, Harry’s hand just blew up a card, his hair stood upright amid the smoke billowing from his head. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Harry quickly ran his hand through his hair, standing up to say, "Kael, I was just looking for you."

"What’s up?" Kael asked,

He thought Harry might bring up the events of the other night, but instead, Harry mentioned a different name.

"Sirius, do you know where his house is?" Harry asked, "I remember him mentioning that you’ve been there."

"I have indeed been there." Kael nodded, "Strange he didn’t tell you?

"Last semester, he mentioned wanting to have you over."

"That’s right." Harry sighed, "We had agreed I could stay with him during this holiday, but just yesterday, when I asked for the address, he backtracked!"

"Backtracked? That’s unlikely..." Kael seemed perplexed.

Sirius couldn’t wait to live with Harry, he even arranged his post-graduation job, it’s impossible for him to backtrack.

"It’s true." Harry whispered, "He said this year is dangerous, and I should stay with the Dursleys... despite previously claiming he’d ensure my safety even against Voldemort."

"Well... take that with a pinch of salt, he was boasting." Kael bluntly exposed Sirius’s bluff.

In reality, if faced with Voldemort, Sirius could probably only use his life to buy Harry time to escape,

"So..." Kael continued, "Are you planning to find him yourself?"

Harry nodded, "Yes."

"I reckon he might have something pressing." Kael recalled Sirius disappearing for a while before the holiday.

He probably has other matters to attend to this holiday, without him there to protect, Harry is safer staying with his aunt and uncle.

Because Lily Evans’s Protective Charm isn’t gone, but it only works when Harry is with his only blood relatives, which is the Dursleys.