Chapter 6 Hogwarts Express
Della used her eyes to make ordinary people grant her requests again. She really had no other choice because Quasi could not hide his magic and could not always send her to the platform. Although she assured Quasi that there would be no problem, in fact, there were still some problems.
She had come here early in the morning in order to have enough time to find the way, but after walking for more than half an hour, she couldn't even see the shadow of the station. She had no choice but to look at several people who were strolling leisurely, but they all answered that they didn't recognize her.
Della guessed that the problem might be with the three-quarters platform. Although it felt a little imprecise, she still asked the next person to take her to Platform 9 of King's Cross Station.
"Thank you, sir. I'll be leaving first." Della, who was wearing a black robe, smiled and said to the man in front of her with a dull look in his eyes. Then she carried her small handbag and walked towards platforms 9 and 10 which were already in her sight.
This platform looked no different from any other. Della stood in front of it, looking at it coldly, her dark pupils as empty as the man who had just sent her here.
Thinking about the experience of going from the small town to Diagon Alley a few days ago, Della walked slowly to the platform and tentatively stretched out her hand to the wall in front of her. Her hand sank into the wall instantly when it touched it. There was no suction but a jelly-like touch.
Seeing that her guess was verified, Della walked in. After a short period of darkness, a bright train platform appeared before her.
Different from the cold white light of King's Cross Station, the entire Platform Nine and Three Quarters is shrouded in a bright orange atmosphere. As soon as you enter the platform, you can see the words "Hogwarts Express 5972" written on the red and black train platform.
It was still early, and the quaint train was waiting quietly. There was still an hour before the actual departure time, but the staff that Quasi had mentioned were already waiting there to place the luggage.
After checking the notice and registering her luggage, Della entered the train under the conductor's instructions. The train was empty, and Della's every step could even make an echo. Every compartment was open, and she could see the large and bright windows inside.
There were a few people sitting in a few compartments. Della glanced at all the compartments. She didn't really want to talk to anyone at the moment, and she felt that she needed some quiet time for a long time, so she walked towards the last carriage with a clear goal and chose a compartment in the middle to sit down.
Because the black robe was too heavy, the hidden Maggie tried several positions before setting off before finally choosing a comfortable and convenient one. At this moment, he was sliding his body slightly, rubbing the snake head and sitting down, then he stared at Della in front of him without saying a word.
Della tilted her head in the direction of the snake's head and interacted with Maggie. Staying quietly with Maggie like this was Della's normal life before.
The footsteps and voices became louder and more rapid as the departure time approached, and outside the non-soundproof train windows one could faintly hear the goodbyes of parents and children.
Della couldn't hear the voices clearly. Those vague voices reminded her of the way Aunt Mason said goodbye to her. She felt that these voices seemed to contain Aunt Mason's voice.
She was still staring out the window expressionlessly. Della did not close the compartment. Occasionally, footsteps would stop here, but perhaps because there was a strange depressing atmosphere in the compartment where Della was, the children passing by did not step into the compartment.
Della was still alone in the compartment until the train departed. She maintained this posture, looking out the window at the buildings receding.
If only I had brought a book with me when I got on the bus, Della thought.
As the train started, the scenery in front of us changed rapidly, from fields filled with sunshine to muddy fields in the pouring rain, and even a section of mountains covered with ice and snow. It was really hard to imagine what kind of place Hogwarts was when the train arrived.
However, no matter how thrilling the scene outside was, the little wizards in the car could not sit still, and cheerful footsteps were often heard. However, except for a brown-haired girl who called herself Hermione Granger who was looking for a toad, no one had ever stopped in Della's small private room.
Until Draco Malfoy, who was walking in the train with Goyle and Crabbe, discovered this familiar girl who had been humiliated by him.
The sudden stop in the footsteps of the three of them was very abrupt. Della's expressionless face turned around and saw the eye-catching light gold. There was no emotion in her dark pupils, as if she was just seeing the air without any ripples.
The pale, delicate face was still in front of him. The girl's upright sitting posture gave her a different kind of nobility, but her dark, emotionless eyes seemed to have an icy spell that made people feel cold. This made Draco stunned for a moment, but the humiliation that had been brewing for a long time soon broke through the stagnation.
"One room per person? Mudbloods are mudbloods, no one wants to get close to a filthy wizard like you."
Draco raised his neck and walked into the compartment arrogantly, "I can't believe how someone like you could get into Hogwarts. I feel sick when I think about being a classmate with you!"
Della quietly looked at the light-blond annoying guy who was approaching her with an arrogant look on his face. There was not a ripple in her dark eyes. "I don't understand what a mudblood is." She said this expressionlessly.
Hearing the girl's crisp words, Draco snorted coldly and stopped approaching her. This time he raised his head higher and squeezed out the words from his throat with gritted teeth, "I'm talking about disgusting things like you who were born by Muggles and polluted the wizarding world."
Della didn't say anything else, just looked at him expressionlessly with her black eyes. Draco was not satisfied that the girl was indifferent to his humiliation. He walked quickly towards Della, swinging his hands more vigorously, as if he wanted to use a little violence to make the girl realize her own status.
"Fizz!"
"what!"
Maggie, who had been lurking around the girl's neck, suddenly jumped out, raised his snake head and showed his sharp fangs, scaring Draco so much that he screamed, took two steps back in a mess, and sat down on the sofa chair diagonally to the right of Della.
"Fizz!"
Maggie continued to intimidate, leaning forward, even though she had no intention of actually moving closer to the boy whose face was already distorted with fear. Draco still shouted and backed away on the sofa using his hands and feet, his original arrogant expression completely replaced by fear.
When he retreated to the cubicle door and leaned his back against the wooden board, he climbed down from the chair in a panic, staggered a few times, and pushed his two frightened followers away from the cubicle.
The bad boys' movements attracted some curious eyes from the children. Since Crabbe and Goyle were blocking the door of the small compartment, Maggie's hissing was drowned out by the noisy train environment.
When their eyes finally penetrated this small compartment, they could only see the girl pursing her lips with an innocent look on her face. There seemed to be a trace of grievance in her slightly wrinkled eyes. Thinking of the word "Mudblood" they heard before, the children seemed to have guessed something. Some of them looked away with disdain, while others gave her sympathetic looks.
However, none of the children had any intention of coming in to comfort the pitiful-looking girl. Only Harry, who had just changed his clothes and went out for a walk, stepped into the private room tentatively.
"Hey...Della..." Harry shyly raised his hand to greet the black-haired girl he had met before.
Della looked at him and waved hello at him with a smile. Looking at the empty private room and thinking about what the girl had just experienced, although Harry didn't quite understand, he felt sorry for this poor girl who was bullied. Even though the two had only met once a few days ago, Harry still stammered and invited the girl to his and Ron's private room.
He saw the girl pause before a wider smile spread across her face, and Harry looked into the girl's eyes which suddenly lit up, the strange thought that she had just come alive flashed through his mind.
Della accepted his invitation, and the two of them walked quietly in the carriage. Harry felt a little awkward, but when they arrived at the door of the private room where Ron was, a chocolate frog jumped onto Della's shoulder. Meeting Ron's confused gaze, Della burst out laughing, and the originally stagnant atmosphere became lively at this moment.
Most of the time, Ron told them some things that were common sense in the wizarding world, and occasionally he would tell them about his dissatisfaction with his brothers teasing him. Time passed in this not-so-heated conversation, and when the whistle sounded, the conversation came to an abrupt end.
Hogwarts, here we are.