Time flew by. Unwittingly, Hector had spent both winter and spring in this world, and even the scorching heat of summer was now drawing to a close.
Over the past year, Hector had mastered nearly every spell written in the textbooks for Charms, except for the Patronus Charm. He had desperately wanted to learn it, but without the oppressive presence of a Dementor, even with his mastery of magic, he could not figure out how to cast it.
He had asked Aberforth multiple times to help him find a Dementor to practice the Patronus Charm, or failing that, a Boggart would do at a pinch. Every single time, Aberforth would readily agree, but nothing ever came of it.
Whenever Hector asked, the answer was that he was looking, but simply couldn't find one. When pushed into a corner, Aberforth would pretend to have amnesia, practically wearing his shamelessness on his sleeve with a "what are you going to do about it?" expression.
It wasn't that he forbade Hector from practicing; it was just that he couldn't find any practice targets, which drove Hector to lose his temper with him on several occasions.
During the past half-year, Hector had run into a pair of red-haired twins. They were tall and thin, looking as though they had been cut from the exact same mold. He first encountered them at the Hog's Head, where the two had sneaked over to buy butterbeer to avoid being discovered. Finding a corner to sit down, they spotted Hector slipping out of the kitchen.
Hector had actually noticed them long ago; their bright red hair was simply too conspicuous, and he didn't even need to guess to know they were the Fred and George brothers.
Of course, Fred and George never expected to run into a kid even younger than themselves at the Hog's Head. They padded over, hemming little Hector in on the left and right.
"Whose house is this little squib from, sneaking all the way over to Hogsmeade?"
Fred asked first, while George chimed in right beside him like a straight man in a comedy duo.
"Definitely not a Gryffindor. Never seen you in the common room. Come on, out with it, which house are you in?"
"I'm not a Hogwarts student yet. I'm going to Hogwarts next year."
"Oh, is that so?" Fred and George said in unison.
"Oh right, I'm Fred, and he's George. Nice to meet you," Fred introduced himself quite politely.
"How come you're out here all by yourself? It's dangerous here," George took over the conversation, turning to Hector.
"This is my grandfather's pub. By the way, I'm Hector, nice to meet you too."
Fred and George's eyes lit up almost simultaneously. The two made up their minds to get on Hector's good side—not for any other reason than the delicious food and tasty butterbeer at the Hog's Head.
As if by mutual agreement, they sat a bit closer to Hector, and their conversation broadened considerably. Fred chattered endlessly about his glorious exploits of night-walking at Hogwarts, while George chimed in from the side, occasionally slipping in a pitch for his own joke products.
It felt just like watching a television show: a wonderful drama constantly interrupted by ill-timed commercial breaks. Even if you deliberately tried to interrupt, Fred and George always managed to steer the topic right back to the commercials.
Aberforth brought out butterbeer for the two Weasleys, along with some complimentary snacks. Fred and George thanked him very politely, then pulled Hector in to share the feast.
"I really hope you get sorted into Gryffindor," Fred said, taking a large gulp of iced butterbeer. "Gryffindor is definitely the best house."
George ate a few bites of the snacks Aberforth had provided and sighed.
"I have to say, Hector, your grandfather's cooking is better than a house-elf's." George let out an uninhibited burp and patted Hector on the shoulder.
"You've got to come to Gryffindor. We'll look out for you when you do."
Before leaving, the two high-fived Hector, and George pulled out some homemade magical joke products, handing them over.
"Don't refuse. Consider it payment for those plates of food."
Fred leaned in too, pressing down on Hector's hand as it reached into his pocket for money.
"We're friends, right?"
Fred blinked, and George immediately followed up.
"See you in two months, Hector. We'll be waiting for you in Gryffindor."
"What if I get sorted into Slytherin?"
"Won't happen. We believe in you; you're absolute Gryffindor material." The two of them bolted away without looking back, leaving only their retreating figures behind.
Hector looked at the joke products in his hands. The homemade wrapping paper had a large 'W' drawn on it.
See you in two months, then, Hector thought to himself.
Time truly flew, and two months vanished in the blink of an eye. One morning, Hector came downstairs to find Aberforth waving a letter in front of him.
Hector's lingering sleepiness vanished instantly. He bolted forward and snatched the letter right out of Aberforth's hand.
The classic envelope bore the Hogwarts wax seal, featuring a large, iconic 'H' surrounded by the symbolic animals of the four houses.
Flipping it over, the envelope was addressed in emerald-green ink: "Mr. Hector Dumbledore, Third Floor, Hog's Head, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts."
The contents of the letter were just as described in the original book.
Deeply thrilled, Hector carefully tucked the letter back into its original envelope. Behind the counter, Aberforth held a glass, looking at Hector with a smiling expression.
"Definitely a moment worth celebrating. I actually thought this letter would arrive a bit sooner."
Aberforth poured a large mug of pumpkin juice for Hector.
"So, a toast to Hector."
Aberforth clinked glasses with Hector, drinking alcohol quite uncharacteristically early in the morning.
Receiving the letter meant the new term was truly just around the corner, Hector thought.
The night before the start of term.
"Off to Hogwarts tomorrow, Hector." Aberforth asked with a smile as he watched Hector skillfully use magic to pack his trunk.
"How are you feeling?"
"Not bad, a little bit nervous, I suppose." Hector always felt he hadn't packed enough things. He had made a very long list and was checking them off one by one.
Aberforth found it somewhat amusing. He stepped forward, patted Hector on the shoulder, and said,
"Don't worry, Hogwarts is right near home. If you forget anything, just send an owl; it won't take long for it to reach you."
Hector nodded. With a gentle tap of his wand, the list suspended in the air vanished in an instant.
He was off to Hogwarts tomorrow; for Hector, it was hard not to feel nervous about the unknown.
"Relax, Hector. You'll do very well at Hogwarts." Aberforth leaned down, looking into Hector's bright blue eyes, which possessed the distinct traits of the Dumbledore family.
"Besides, I'm still around. If anything happens, you can always tell me. I'll always have your back."
Hector nodded.
"I know, Grandpa."
Aberforth straightened up.
"Good. Get some rest early."
Aberforth walked toward the door. When he reached the threshold, he looked back at Hector, who was sitting in a chair in a daze, and said,
"Oh, right, you won't need to go to King's Cross Station tomorrow." Aberforth paused.
"Albus suggested it, and I thought it made sense, so I didn't refuse. But I figured you probably wouldn't want to miss the rest of the ceremonies."
"So, tomorrow evening, I'll take you to the Hogwarts station myself." Aberforth looked at Hector.
"If you really want to take the train, I can send you to the station instead. It might be nice to experience it."
Hector snapped out of his thoughts, considered it carefully, and decided there was really no need to go through all the trouble of traveling to London just to ride the train back.
Coming back by train was fine, but rushing to London would likely involve using Floo Powder or the Knight Bus—methods of pure torture. As for Apparition, Hector had begged Aberforth all summer to teach him, but Aberforth had firmly refused on the grounds that Hector was far too young.
"Never mind, Grandpa. Straight to Hogwarts is fine."
Aberforth nodded and helped close the door for Hector.
With a flick of Hector's wand, the trunk snapped shut automatically. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
How time flies; tomorrow is already the first day of term. Hector touched the wand at his waist. In the blink of an eye, he had been in this world for almost a year. Over this nearly year-long period, Hector had grown accustomed to spending every day side by side with Aberforth. This old man, who was rarely mentioned in the original books, had taken up a very significant part of his life. Therefore, when the wheels of the plot were about to roll over him, Hector naturally wanted to do something to change it. Yet, his own strength still seemed far too limited for now. Facing an uncertain future, Hector still felt a bit uneasy.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate, Hector sighed internally, and closed his eyes.
The next evening, Hector came downstairs and greeted Aberforth, who was already waiting by the door.
Aberforth was dressed extremely formally. Even while still some distance away, Hector could catch the faint scent of cologne on him.
"All set?" Hearing Hector's voice, Aberforth turned his gaze to the neatly dressed boy.
"Full of spirit, young man. That's the way." Aberforth smoothed out the wrinkles on Hector's robes, then loaded his luggage onto the carriage.
"Get in, we're leaving."
Hector climbed into the carriage, and Aberforth sat down beside him. Looking toward the front of the carriage, Hector spotted a dark, skeletal creature standing there. Noticing Hector's gaze, the creature let out a very strange sound in his direction.
"That's a Thestral." Following Hector's line of sight to the front of the carriage, Aberforth waved his wand, and the Thestral began to pull the carriage forward as if obeying a command.
"Fascinating creatures. Only those who have witnessed death firsthand can see them. I'm sorry you can see them, Hector."
The carriage pulled by the Thestral was both fast and smooth. Perhaps because the journey was so short, Hector arrived at the station in no time at all.
"Good evening, Hagrid." Aberforth got down from the carriage first and greeted Hagrid, who was standing on the platform holding a lamp.
Hagrid froze, looking quite surprised to see Aberforth in such a place, but he politely replied,
"Evening, Aberforth. What brings you here?"
"Dropping off my grandson. This is Hector. Hector, this is Hagrid."
Using a Levitation Charm, Hector lowered his luggage from the carriage, straightened his robes, and extended his hand toward Hagrid.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hagrid."
Hagrid quickly set his lamp on the ground, wiped his massive hand hard against his clothes a few times, and then firmly grasped Hector's small hand.
"Just call me Hagrid. I'm the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. Mighty glad to meet ya, Hector."
With that, Hagrid widened his eyes and looked at Aberforth.
"I don't think I ever heard Professor Dumbledore mention..." Hagrid glanced at Hector again. "Another Dumbledore! Now that's something to be excited about."
Aberforth let out a hum. He was always like this when it came to Albus Dumbledore.
"That's so Albus, isn't it?" Aberforth said irritably. "Always so full of secrets."
Hagrid chuckled, then turned his attention back to Hector.
"Just leave your luggage right here, Hector." Hagrid picked up his lamp from the ground. "Give it just a minute, they'll be here soon."
As if to verify his words, a faint light appeared in the distance. Soon, that light grew closer and closer, and Hector could already hear the whistle blowing from afar.
Aberforth also saw the rapidly approaching train and realized it was time for him to leave. He glanced toward the Hogwarts castle in the distance and said to Hector,
"I suppose this is as far as we go, Hector." Aberforth looked at Hector, who had turned back around.
"You wouldn't mind giving this old man a hug, would you?"
Hector opened his arms and embraced Aberforth tightly.
"Remember to write to me," Aberforth patted Hector's head. "Though of course, if you want to come back and see me, that would be even better."
Hector smiled. The train was drawing closer, and its roaring whistle filled the air.
Aberforth climbed back onto the carriage, glanced at Hector once more, and said,
"See you around, Hector." He flicked his wand.
Under the last rays of the setting sun, the carriage drove off into the distance as the roaring train arrived.
That carriage was truly fast—or so Hector always believed.
He gazed into the distance at Aberforth's retreating form, which was quickly swallowed up by the young wizards in robes pouring off the train. Looking away, Hector turned his gaze to the Hogwarts castle standing proudly before him.
See you around, Grandpa.
Hello, Hogwarts.