The Hogwarts Express was scheduled to depart at eleven o'clock. Tangmu arrived early. When he boarded, only a few students were scattered across the carriages.
He deliberately chose the last carriage to avoid disturbances from passersby as the train filled up.
In the second-to-last compartment, Tangmu picked an empty booth, stored his luggage on the rack, and pulled out Mastering the Myriad Mysteries of Magic to read.
Andeluosuo's voice echoed in his mind.
"So the Hogwarts Express is hidden inside a Muggle station? Aren't they afraid of being discovered?"
Tangmu chuckled.
"This place holds the record for the largest mass use of Muggle-Repelling Charms in magical history. The Ministry of Magic reapplies the spell annually. Honestly, it's probably the spell their employees are most skilled at."
"We didn't have such a department in my time," Andeluosuo sighed. "Convenient, really. And more importantly—it restrains those vile Dark Wizards."
"Restraint is a form of self-preservation," Tangmu pointed out. "Modern Muggles are far more advanced than centuries ago. If the magical world were exposed, most wizards wouldn't fare well."
Andeluosuo fell silent.
Though he didn't despise Muggles, his wizarding pride ran deep. As the strongest wizard of his era, his arrogance surpassed most.
He never imagined that Muggles, once worshipping wizards as gods, could advance to threaten magical society.
No wonder the books said the Ministry of Magic was founded to keep the magical world hidden from Muggles.
With Andeluosuo quiet, Tangmu settled into peaceful silence, immersed in his book. Today wasn't a training day—he'd only opened the learning space briefly to let this "ancient man" observe the modern world.
As the train grew livelier and departure time neared, the compartment door slid open.
A girl with curly golden hair, long lashes, and big blinking eyes stood there, startled to find someone inside.
Still, she stepped in and asked shyly, "Um… may I sit here?"
"Of course," Tangmu said with a polite nod, standing to help lift her suitcase onto the rack.
His sharp eyes noticed something: though the suitcase looked ordinary, its corners bore faint golden trim, and one corner had a complex, ornate crest.
A family crest.
Tangmu realized—this was likely a daughter of a pure-blood family.
After thanking him, the girl sat opposite Tangmu, sneaking glances at the boy who had returned to reading.
He's so good-looking!
The thought flashed before she could stop it, startling her. A faint blush crept over her cheeks, making her slightly chubby face pinker. She looked away—but her eyes soon drifted back.
Everyone knew: anyone named Tangmu Lideer wasn't lacking in looks.
His dark, slightly wavy hair and focused, intense eyes held her gaze as he read. His finely sculpted features sparked admiration mixed with a twinge of jealousy.
Why is a boy's face more delicate than mine? It rivals my little sister's…
Seeing Tangmu wasn't inclined to chat, the girl fidgeted before gathering her courage.
"Hello… I'm Dafuni Gelingelasi, a first-year at Hogwarts."
Tangmu was surprised a pure-blood would initiate conversation. He closed his book and replied politely, "Tangmu Lideer. Also a first-year."
Lideer…?
Dafuni searched her memory but couldn't recall that surname. She hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Are you… a half-blood? Or maybe… Muggle-born?"
"Honestly, I don't know what I am," Tangmu shrugged. "I was abandoned by my parents after birth. Maybe they were Muggles. Maybe Squibs. Either way, it doesn't matter."
A faint smile played on his lips. "What is it, Miss Gelingelasi? Regretting sitting with me?"
In Cantankerus Nott's Sacred Twenty-Eight, the Gelingelasi family ranked among the most prominent pure-blood houses—paragons of purity and elegance.
Tangmu assumed this girl would be like the Malfoys, ready to launch into a blood-purity speech.
But her response surprised him.
"No, no, please don't misunderstand!" Dafuni waved her hands frantically. "I don't care about that stuff. My mother says all pure-blood families have Muggle ancestry somewhere. I was just curious… I've never really interacted with Muggles."
"I see. Then I misjudged you," Tangmu said candidly. "My apologies."
"It's alright," Dafuni replied sincerely, smiling. "My younger sister loves Muggle fashion magazines, but she only has an old one she found years ago. If it's not too much trouble… could you help me buy a few more someday? I'll pay, of course."
"No problem. But you'll have to wait until Christmas."
Tangmu recalled a detail: Dafuni's sister—Asituoliya Gelingelasi. A quiet girl, not well-known. Eventually married a Malfoy, if memory served. Had an illness and… died young.
He didn't mention this. He continued chatting along the topic Dafuni opened.
Most of the conversation was Dafuni asking about the Muggle world and Tangmu answering. When something interesting came up, she took out parchment and a quill to jot it down—saying she'd write to her sister later.
It was clear Dafuni deeply cared for her younger sister.
At some point, the train began moving, speeding westward toward the Scottish Highlands, the rhythmic clatter of wheels fading into their lively conversation.
Suddenly, Andeluosuo's voice popped into Tangmu's mind.
"I'll bet one Galleon that girl likes you. No—she's clearly smitten with your looks. She's practically drooling."
[^1]: In the Wizarding World, the Muggle-Repelling Charm prevents non-magical people from noticing or accessing magical locations, such as the Hogwarts Express platform. The Sacred Twenty-Eight is a list of prominent pure-blood families compiled by Cantankerus Nott.