Over the past month, Ryze had gradually realized something interesting.
His cousin Nymphadora seemed to be subtly influencing his thoughts about Hogwarts houses.
More specifically, she had been quietly mentioning the unpleasant atmosphere of Slytherin whenever the topic of Hogwarts came up. At the same time, she spoke quite highly of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
It didn't take much for Ryze to guess the reason behind her behavior.
She was worried.
She was afraid that if he entered Slytherin, he might be affected by the house's reputation and environment.
However, something else puzzled him.
Nymphadora had never once mentioned Gryffindor.
Not even casually.
When Ryze asked about it, she scratched her ear awkwardly before giving an answer that left him speechless.
"Well… I just don't feel the typical Gryffindor energy from you."
The defining qualities of Gryffindor were courage and nerve.
But during the past month, Ryze's behavior had been extremely steady and calm. He rarely acted impulsively, and he certainly didn't possess the reckless daring often associated with Gryffindor students.
Naturally, Nymphadora couldn't connect him with that house.
In response, Ryze simply shrugged.
"I'll just follow Hogwarts' arrangements."
That was the truth.
He had no intention of interfering with the Sorting Hat's decision.
Of course, he knew that a wizard's will could influence the Sorting Hat. If he strongly desired a particular house, the magical hat would likely respect the opinion of the young wizard.
But Ryze was a transmigrator.
Ever since childhood, he had learned how to hide his true thoughts behind a calm mask. Living with memories of another life meant he had developed the habit of carefully controlling his emotions and behavior.
Sometimes, even Ryze himself struggled to understand what he truly wanted.
Because of that, he was genuinely curious.
How would the Sorting Hat judge someone like him?
How would it interpret his overly complex mind?
Which house would it ultimately suggest?
In truth, it didn't matter much to him.
No matter which house he entered, it wouldn't affect his pursuit of magic. The only real difference would be the way he interacted with his future housemates.
With that thought in mind, time quickly arrived at September 1st.
Ted personally drove Ryze to King's Cross Station in London.
Standing outside the busy station entrance while holding Ryze's suitcase, Ted suddenly sighed with emotion.
"For the past seven years, Andromeda and I have brought Nymphadora here every year," he said. "I never expected that after she graduated, we'd still be coming back for you."
He chuckled softly.
"Hopefully by the time you graduate, we won't need to escort Nymphadora's children here as well."
Ted's tone carried both nostalgia and warmth.
As a Muggle-born wizard, Ted had first stepped into the wizarding world thirty years ago.
That moment had completely changed the course of his life.
Over the following decades, he personally experienced the darkest period the wizarding world had seen in this century.
Back then, his relationship with Andromeda had been under enormous pressure.
After all, he was a Muggle-born wizard.
And Andromeda came from the noble and pure-blood Black family.
Their romance had been opposed from almost every direction. If it hadn't been for the help of Alphard Black and the Order of the Phoenix, Ted might not have survived those dangerous years.
Now, life had finally settled down.
He had become a middle-aged man in his forties.
But when he looked back on the past, the memories that stood out the most were still those youthful days at Hogwarts—studying magic, sneaking around with Andromeda, and quietly building a life together despite the risks.
"Alright," Ted said with a smile as he lifted the suitcase again. "Follow me. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
He gestured confidently.
"I could probably walk there with my eyes closed."
As they walked through the station, Ted suddenly added another thought.
"Oh right—Nymphadora is here today too."
Ryze looked at him curiously.
"She's on duty," Ted explained. "Monitoring the platform. She arrived early this morning."
He grinned mischievously.
"She's probably already transformed into someone we wouldn't recognize."
Ted glanced around the crowded station.
"But I guarantee she's watching us from somewhere."
"Want to guess where she's hiding?"
Because they had arrived early, the three of them were in no hurry. They slowly walked through the station while playfully analyzing the people around them.
However, even after reaching the platform area, neither Ted nor Ryze managed to identify anyone suspicious.
Ted frowned stubbornly.
"She must not be responsible for this section," he muttered. "Otherwise I definitely would've spotted her."
"When we played this game when she was little, I could always find her."
Andromeda rolled her eyes.
"Nymphadora is a Trainee Auror now," she said calmly. "If she were still that easy for you to find, she wouldn't be very good at her job."
Eventually, the group stopped in front of the pillar between platforms nine and ten.
Without hesitation, Andromeda guided Ryze straight toward the solid barrier.
They passed through it.
On the other side was a completely different world.
The real Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
A massive red steam train stood proudly beside the platform, releasing white clouds of steam into the air.
Young witches and wizards hurried about with their luggage, owls hooted from cages, and families gathered for emotional farewells.
The scene looked exactly like the one Ryze remembered from the movies.
For a moment, he stood there in a daze.
Reality and memory seemed to merge perfectly together.
Ted patted his shoulder firmly.
"Go on," he said.
"Cherish your time at Hogwarts."
Every time I come here to send someone off, I feel like getting on that train myself."
He sighed.
"Unfortunately, I graduated over twenty years ago. If I want to visit Hogwarts now, I'd have to fill out a mountain of paperwork just to get permission."
Ryze nodded seriously.
He might currently be an eleven-year-old boy.
But inside, he was someone who had already lived an entire lifetime.
Because he had experienced youth once before, he could understand the nostalgia hidden in Ted's words.
But now he had been given another chance.
A second youth.
And this time, he had also stepped onto the path of magic.
Naturally, he would treasure his time at Hogwarts more than anyone else.
"Don't forget to write to us," Andromeda reminded him again.
"See you at Christmas."
She had already repeated the same advice several times over the past few days, yet she still couldn't help saying it again.
While Ryze waved goodbye to them, he suddenly noticed a strange figure waving at him from a distance on the platform.
The person made several subtle gestures.
Ryze immediately understood.
It was Nymphadora.
She had clearly transformed into someone else while carrying out her mission.
She must have noticed them long ago but deliberately waited until the final moment to reveal herself.
Her exaggerated hand gestures clearly meant one thing.
Don't forget to write to me.
Ryze couldn't help smiling.
The Tonks family really were warm and interesting people.
People like them shouldn't end up dying at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
With that thought lingering in his mind, Ryze quietly turned his attention inward.
Toward the mysterious system that had remained silent for an entire year.
"It's been exactly one year since I received you," he thought.
"You should react today… right?"
Inside his mind, the interface of the Rune System remained unchanged.
A single line of text still floated there.
"Waiting for the host to initiate the next stage before official activation."
Ryze sighed inwardly.
With no other choice, he boarded the Hogwarts Express.
From the outside, the train appeared to have only five carriages.
However, once inside, it became clear that the train had been enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
Each carriage contained nearly a hundred individual compartments.
And each compartment was surprisingly spacious, easily accommodating four adult wizards.
Ryze found an empty compartment near the middle of the train.
After storing his luggage, he took out a popular novel written by Gilderoy Lockhart from his bag and began reading.
Although Lockhart was infamous for stealing other people's achievements…
His writing style was undeniably engaging.
Even though Nymphadora had complained that the combat scenes in his books were poorly written, Lockhart had a talent for building atmosphere.
Readers often became so immersed in the adventure that they overlooked the flawed details.
In addition, the books contained useful information about magical creatures and ancient ruins, which still had some reference value.
Ryze relaxed in his seat and quietly read.
Just as the train was about to depart, a hesitant voice suddenly came from the doorway.
"Um… excuse me."
"Have you… seen my toad?"
Ryze looked up.
Standing in front of the compartment door was a round-faced boy, looking both anxious and embarrassed.
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