Cyrus arrived early at King's Cross Station, sitting quietly on a bench near Platform 9 to wait.
She remembered that when Severus had brought her into Diagon Alley, they had entered by tapping a specific spot on a wall, so it should be much the same here. Since she couldn't use a wand, she simply waited nearby. Surely others would also be taking the train to Hogwarts; she was in no hurry.
"Hey George, look! That dog is so cool!"
"Goodness Fred, it's definitely taller than you when it stands up!"
"Hey there, I'm George."
"And I'm Fred."
"Is this your pet? I've never seen a magical creature like this before."
Two identical red-haired boys grinned broadly as they looked at her, even reaching out as if to pet Angus. But seeing Cyrus put her hand protectively in front of the dog, they stopped. The two boys then focused their attention on Cyrus's forehead.
"Is that some special costume you're wearing, or a magical item?"
"Want to see some of our inventions? We guarantee they'll amaze you."
Cyrus had not the slightest inclination to humor them, and the two had no intention of shutting up. At that moment, a middle-aged woman's roar echoed through the station: "George! Fred! How many times have I told you not to go bothering strangers? I told you to bring Ron with you—why on earth did I find him in the ladies' restoom?!"
"Uh-oh, run! See you on the train!" The two bolted like a gust of wind, rushing straight toward a solid wall and vanishing through it.
Moments later, a plump woman approached, pulling along a short, sobbing little boy. They were all red-haired. Seeing the wizard robes the girl was wearing, the woman looked visibly relieved, then offered a gentle, apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry, dear. Those are my two mischievous boys. I'll have a word with them. Did they frighten you?"
Faced with such overwhelming warmth, Cyrus gave a stiff, mechanical shake of her head. She stood up and walked toward the wall, passing through it without the slightest hesitation, taking Angus and her luggage with her.
When she spotted the two red-haired twins heading in her direction from not far away, Cyrus immediately turned and hurried onto the train. She walked down the aisle until she reached the very end, sliding open the door of the rearmost compartment.
After stowing her luggage and locking the compartment door, she sat down by the window. Angus hopped up onto the bench and sat right beside her, and Cyrus stroked his smooth fur. It felt as though they were completely cut off from the rest of the world, savoring a hard-earned peace.
Ten minutes after the train began to move, a rapping sound came from the glass door. Three figures crowded outside. Cyrus frowned as she watched the twins through the window, each holding a young Black boy in a headlock while pulling all sorts of comical faces at her.
Cyrus stood up, unlocked the door, and then sat right back down. She didn't say a word, simply watching as the three boys filed in and sat across from her. The Black boy in the middle looked distinctly embarrassed, completely trapped by the twins with no way to escape.
"We finally found you! We practically searched the whole train!"
"Yeah, didn't you get bored sitting all by yourself?"
Seeing that Cyrus completely ignored them, they straightened up in their seats, their tones turning sincere. "Sorry, we were being really rude earlier. I'm George Weasley, just call me George."
"I'm Fred, Fred Weasley. Really sorry about before."
"This is our new friend, Lee Jordan. We're all first-years starting this term."
"Um... hello... my name is Lee Jordan, just call me Lee."
"Cyrus."
"And this is my friend, Angus."
Seeing the girl finally respond, the three boys relaxed noticeably. Then they started chattering away again, George and Fred speaking almost in unison:
"Cyrus? Haha, really suits your personality."
Noticing the three of them staring curiously at Angus, Cyrus checked the dog and saw no signs of agitation.
"He's a breed originating in Germany, called a German Shepherd. He's not a magical creature; he's just a dog from the Muggle world."
George: "Whoa, my dad would love him. He's completely obsessed with Muggle stuff!"
Fred: "So cool. Now I want one too."
Jordan couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch the dog, but the twins stopped him the moment his hand moved. Abruptly changing the subject, they asked, "Cyrus, why are you wearing bandages on your face? Are you hurt?"
"…………"
Seeing Cyrus fall silent once more, the three of them began telling various jokes in an attempt to ease the awkward atmosphere. All three were naturally witty and humorous, but Cyrus showed zero reaction, looking as though she couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying.
Cyrus watched as the three of them talked over one another, never imagining the world could be so noisy. The Weasley twins... yet another pair of figures overlapping with the illusion. When their conversation shifted to the Sorting Ceremony and their hopes of getting into Gryffindor, Cyrus pulled her mind back from its distant drift.
She knew that Hogwarts was divided into four houses, having learned as much from the school history books beforehand. But when she heard Jordan and the others mention that Dumbledore was also a Gryffindor—and saw the undisguised envy and adoration on Jordan's face—she couldn't help asking, "What kind of person is Dumbledore?"
"You don't know? He's the greatest wizard in the world! His achievements are even printed on Chocolate Frog cards." With that, Jordan pulled out a small golden card. The front was blank, but the back featured a biographical sketch of Dumbledore.
"Albus Dumbledore, current Headmaster of Hogwarts, widely considered the greatest wizard of modern times." Cyrus scanned the text, her gaze coming to a halt on a single sentence:
*"Defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945."*
Truly a brilliant and magnificent accomplishment. Cyrus gained a deeper understanding of Dumbledore; a hazy, information-scarce memory could never fully capture a real person. The outside world's view of him was entirely one-sided—yet a man this powerful was willing to serve as headmaster of a mere magical school... She looked away and asked next:
"What about Severus Snape?"
Seeing the blank expressions on all three faces, she said nothing more, handed the card back to Jordan, and retreated once again into her undisturbed solitude.
Shortly after, George and Fred produced a box of candies from their pockets, grinning mischievously as they offered them to Jordan and Cyrus. Cyrus watched the twins howling with laughter while Jordan frantically tried to dig something out of his throat, completely at a loss for how to react.
Fortunately, the train slowly ground to a halt. Had they arrived? A man the size of a giant, Rubeus Hagrid, was holding a lamp and leading Cyrus and the others toward the boats to cross over to Hogwarts. His eyes lit up with undisguised fondness the moment he caught sight of Angus.
Cyrus finally realized who the old man had meant when he spoke of a tall friend who loved animals. Hagrid's hand, which was larger than Cyrus's entire face, reached out toward Angus. "Haha, what's this little fellow's name?"
To the twins' utter astonishment, a scratch suddenly appeared across Hagrid's palm. The giant probably hadn't even registered what happened, staring blankly at his own hand, having only felt a brief, itchy sting. Cyrus swiftly pulled back her dagger, shot him a freezing glare, and climbed into a boat.
George and Fred sat at the back of the small boat, exchanging significant glances. They had clearly seen the girl pull out a dagger just moments before. They felt profoundly grateful for their own restraint, while quietly muttering that they shouldn't have stopped Jordan earlier. Yet this little interlude did nothing to slow down their hyperactive brain cells, and before long, they were back to telling jokes.
Cyrus felt a flicker of annoyance, remembering how her dagger had only managed to leave a scratch on the man's palm—a thick-skinned giant, indeed. She had read relevant materials beforehand: giants possessed exceptionally high physical and magical resistance, though their intelligence left much to be desired.
Recalling Hagrid's appearance, she thought: a half-giant, then. Her memory supplied a matching image of someone devoted to small animals, honest, and prone to letting slip things he shouldn't. Her first impression of Hagrid's rough demeanor was thoroughly unfavorable.
As Cyrus sat in the wooden boat and gazed up at the magnificent architecture ahead, she began to feel that something wasn't quite right. She sensed the looming castle growing larger and larger before her, accompanied by a faint, lingering resonance—as if something were calling out to her. But when Cyrus tried to pinpoint it, the feeling vanished. Was it simply because she had seen it within the illusion?