A Bite of Hogwarts - chapter 43

“I think that you might need a little help? Miss Alina.”

The silver-haired girl fruitlessly attempted to move the trunks again, and just when she was about to look for help, a boy spoke up next to her.

Alina turned around and saw a tall redheaded boy with glasses standing next to her, pushing a cart similar to hers.

“You are?”

The girl slightly frowned. She didn’t remember knowing anyone like this.

“Don’t be afraid. My name is Percy Weasley, the Prefect of Gryffindor. My mother asked me to come over and help you put away your luggage and get to your seat.”

Percy kindly smiled as he pointed at his chest. On it was a shining silver ‘P.’

The boy placed his hand on the girl’s large black trunk and pushed…to no avail.

Percy slightly frowned and waved behind him.

“Hey, Fred, George, I found the girl. Come and lend a hand!”

Wait for a second! If this boy was Percy Weasley, then Fred and George he had called over…

Alina suddenly turned around and saw the pair of twins pushing their carts over. Was this that terrible pair of genius pranksters who were only the ones in the history of Hogwarts to make Peeves salute to them?

The girl suddenly recalled a fan story she had read in her previous life called ‘The Storms Over Hogwarts Stir Again,’ which was a story that took place twenty years after Harry Potter defeated Voldemort. The plot of chapter 11, ‘Waterfall in Reverse,’ had particularly touched her.

In that particular world, George could no longer use the Patronus Charm, because summoning one’s Patronus required thinking back to one’s happiest memories.

But George’s happiest memories were all related to his time with Fred, and when Fred died, George’s entire world seemed to collapse. All his memories regarding Fred became packed with despair.

“Hey! Greetings! I am George Weasley.”

Before Alina could get lost in her thoughts, one of the redheaded twins spoke up, extending a hand in greeting.

“Eh? I am Alina Kaslana…”

Alina came back to her senses and nodded. She was about to shake the offered hand when the other twin hit his brother on the shoulder and jokingly scolded.

“Hey, Fred, I don’t mind you advertising for me in front of girls, but can you not steal my words on our first introduction?”

“I say, George, I’m creating an opportunity for you. You’d better not cry once I start going after Angelina. Besides, you don’t think she’ll be able to differentiate the two of us next time, do you?”

‘George Weasley’, who was really Fred, massaged his arm while grabbing the shoulder of the actual George and joking.

“Fine, I guess that makes sense.”

George blinked, and then he seriously nodded. He then extended a hand to Alina and introduced himself.

“Hello! I am now Fred, Fred Weasley. Although I think that you’ll take me to George next time we meet.”

“…”

Alina speechlessly glanced at the twins. Mrs. Weasley had probably not beaten these naughty twins to death after so many years primarily because they were her own flesh and blood, right?

“Enough, you two! Act like an upper-year student in front of new students, please!”

Percy Weasley frowned as he patted one of the large black trunks and unhappily interrupted, “Save the chatter for later! Why aren’t you helping me with this already? Mother and Ginny are waiting for us.”

“Yes, oh, great Prefect. You’re not going to dock us points, are you?”

“Hey, be more respectful! He might be Head Boy next year.”

The twins glanced at each other, but while their mouths were still teasing, they quickly let go of their carts and came up to help Percy with Alina’s heavy trunk.

With the help of the three Weasley brothers, Alina finally managed to get her two large trunks pushed into a corner of the compartment.

“Thank you, but why did your mother, Mrs. Weasley, have you come and help me?”

Alina massaged her wrist as she asked in confusion.

The three Weasley boys looked at each other, and then Fred poked Percy and whispered, “Prefect, you explain.”

“Mm.” Percy Weasley looked the girl in the eyes and directly answered, “Student Alina, you have a very loving father.”

Benitez?

“Stupid Father, I told him to go back on his own.”

Alina’s eyes softened as she murmured in a complicated tone of voice.

The girl raised her head, looked up at the three gasping boys, and gratefully voiced her thanks.

“Thank you.”

Although she didn’t know the exact details, she could take a good guess. Benitez had probably run into the entrance wall while the Weasley family was watching.

“Fred? George? Percy? Are you on the train?”

The voice of a middle-aged woman came from outside.

“Fred and George are with me, mother. We’ll come down now.”

Percy called out. He nodded at Alina before calling over his young brothers and jumping down from the train.

Alina sat by the window, and as she watched the laughing family of redheads on the platform, she opened her luggage and began to write…

[Stupid Father, didn’t I say…]

The girl thought it over, shook her head, and erased the words to restart the letter…

[I’m on the train now. The Weasleys are very nice people. Relax. Don’t miss me.]

Alina gave the letter to Food Reserve, patted the small owl on the beak, and then left the carriage to find an empty place to release the small laughing owl.

“Go on. Help me deliver this letter to Father Benitez.”

After doing this, Alina turned and began to walk toward the family of redheads, preparing to thank Mrs. Weasley for all her help.

Phwee—

The train whistle resounded across the platform.

“Hurry!”

Mrs. Weasley hastily hugged her children and then sent them onto the train.

The four boys of the Weasley family poked their heads out of the window and kissed their mother goodbye. Their little sister seemed to be crying.

“…”

Alina raised her hand and took half a step forward. With one last envious look, she slowly put down her hand and boarded the train.

As the Hogwarts Express began to sway, Alina began to recall the scenes of the Magic World she had seen in the movies, which flickered through her mind like she was riding a carousel. In the end, her mind stopped on the scene of the endless railroad track.

There was ample time in life; she thought the saying went?

Alina shook her head as she teased herself. She knew long ago that she could never resist this dream.

Like it had said on the base of Fred Weasley’s statue: ‘Only when he was gone could we differentiate between him and his brother George, but we wished that we never could.’

If one said that, in another Magic World, cruel sacrifices made one awaken from the fairy tale into the real world…

Then what Alina wanted was to make everything except herself return to being a fairy tale.

Those unfinished goals, those past regrets; she would let them all get another try.

As the train whistle blew, all the stories returned to the first year of the fairy tale.

…

With these beautiful dreams of the future, Alina returned to her train compartment, pulled open the door, opened her trunk, and began to put on her Hogwarts uniform.

Swoosh! The compartment door was pulled open.

A boy with a somewhat emaciated face and a pair of green eyes behind glasses was standing outside. He spoke in an anxious tone, “I’m sorry, the carriages up ahead are full. Can I come—”

“No.”

“But…”

The boy’s expression froze as he scanned the empty compartment, his voice dwindling away.

“Leave.”

Alina held her clothes in one hand and pointed out with the other, raising an eyebrow at the ‘hero student’ as she coldly spoke.

“Do you not see that a lady is changing clothes?”

Okay…it seemed that her first objective on the first day of this fairy tale was to not beat up the main character.