Chapter 12
After Alan's trip to the burrow, there were only a few days left before the end of summer vacation. Alan, making use of the time, continued reading the books and practicing spells, making remarkable progress though still not reaching the level of those old professors at Hogwarts.
Time flew by, and finally September arrived. Alan, with too much enthusiasm, had already packed all of his things with a wave of his wand and was reading a book written by the old lady Bathilda. He had to say this old woman was really knowledgeable in all things.
"Maybe I should write her name in the list of people I visit before they die." Closing the book, Alan murmured that it was time to depart; though at the same time thoughts of Miss Bathilda were going on in the back of his mind, she was a woman even some like Dumbledore admired and respected for her knowledge of the vast magic, so she was certainly a woman who could help him grow a little bit faster.
Anyway, leaving that aside, Alan, picking up his luggage, walked out of the house, and traveling to a safe distance, he finally apparated directly to London.
Alan was planning to board the legendary Hogwarts Express, though there was a funny little excuse to ride the Hogwarts Express, which was that he wanted to see the Harry and Ron duo fly in the sky in Arthur's car.
Though if he had made his arrangements earlier, like taking the Knight Bus and arriving at Hogsmeade Village first, from there he could have taken a stroll to Hogwarts; moreover, once he would have arrived in his new office, he could've asked to make his house's fireplace connect to his office's fireplace, but taking the Knight Bus didn't suit his stomach yet.
Arriving at his destination, Alan pushed his luggage and finally made his way to platform nine and three-quarters, and from there he passed through the wall between the platforms and finally saw a dark red steam locomotive waiting on the platform packed with the crowd of young passengers and their parents and guardians.
"Seems like they aren't here yet." Alan glanced around in search of a certain group full of redheads; however, not finding them in the crowd, he shook his head and boarded the train with a little bit of difficulty, as, with his big appearance, the young student kept blocking his way to stare at him for a few seconds.
While at the same time, the old student began to speculate whether he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor or the Combat class professor, but instead of blocking his way to stare at him, they just nodded at him for a second before allowing him to walk forward.
Alan, breathing a sigh of relief, walked all the way to the end of the train. Compared to the other compartment, this part was filled with fewer students, so he entered an empty compartment box and sat down, finally feeling a little quieter as he took out the Daily Prophet to pass some time.
A few minutes later, the door of the compartment slid open, and two red-haired boys looking almost identical walked in with their luggage.
"Professor Alan," the two of them greeted Alan with a wide smile.
"Oh, Fred and George, you guys are here." Alan looked up and greeted the twins, but then, seeing it was just the two of them, he asked, "Where are Ron, Harry, and Ginny?" though at the same time, he could already guess where the duo of Ron and Harry was.
"Who knows? I haven't seen them since entering the platform; maybe they're having fun somewhere or are up to something adventurous. And about Ginny, she is with some new little friends of hers." George said, shrugging his shoulders.
"George, that's a great idea. Should we do it too next year?" Fred asked, suddenly getting a little excited.
"What? Like sitting with Ginny's little friend?" George teased, feigning ignorance, making Alan laugh in the process.
Fred opened his mouth, and just as he was about to say something, the door to the compartment slid open once again. "Fred, George, you were here." A dark-skinned boy walked in with a smile on his face.
"Lee, it's you, my friend. Come in; let me introduce you to someone." George, not wanting to hear his brother's retort, which can be quite brutal sometimes, pulled Lee inside the compartment, and then, making a gesture toward Alan with his hand, he added, "Lee, this is our combat professor, Professor Smith, and Professor, this is Lee Jordan; he's our good friend and a member of Gryffindor's house."
Lee Jordan, who looked a little reserved, nodded at Alan and then whispered something in the twins' ear, which caused them to smile immediately, and the next moment they were even rushing out of the compartment after bidding Alan a farewell.
Alan, looking at the departing figure, could only smile and then look out of the window to check whether the protagonists had made their way inside or not, and the two of them really did not disappoint him, and a few minutes later, giving out loud whistles, the Hogwarts Express finally started its journey.
"I hope Arthur is prepared for what is to come." Alan muttered as the fleeting figures of Arthur and Mrs. Weasley came into his sight.
Knock… Knock…
A few minutes later in the journey, Alan once again heard a knock on his door and saw two young kids standing behind the compartment's door.
"Excuse me, can we come in?" The girl once again knocked on the door and said,. Looking in the direction of the brown-haired girl and the round-faced boy, Alan immediately felt that he knew the two of them.
The boy, hearing no response from Alan, grew a little nervous and tugged on the brown-haired girl's sleeve while muttering, "Hermione, let's go; we'll look for another place to sit."