HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

This ginger cat is as big as a small tiger. Its face looks flattened, giving it a fierce appearance.

Lyra thought the cat looked a little strange, but Hermione clearly adored her new pet, stroking it gently incessantly, while the cat purred contentedly in Hermione's arms.

However, the cat's thick and fluffy fur reminded Lyra of Hermione Granger from before, and she couldn't help but smile: "Oh, this cat is so cute."

"Is there something wrong with the girl's taste...?" Ron muttered under his breath, and Harry quickly nudged him with his elbow.

Everyone enjoyed dinner to the fullest. Because there were so many of them, Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, pushed three tables together in the restaurant, and the five delicious main courses and the enormous deluxe chocolate pudding left everyone stuffed.

Mr. Weasley happily announced that the Ministry of Magic would send two cars to take everyone to King's Cross Station the next day, and Mrs. Weasley reminded everyone to pack their luggage in advance.

In order not to be the one who drags everyone down tomorrow morning, everyone fought off their sleepiness and went upstairs to check what they needed to bring.

Lyra was staying in the room to Harry's left, while Percy and Ron were staying in the room to his right. Harry had just closed and locked his trunk when he heard an angry sound coming from the room to his right, so he quickly went out to see what was going on.

"It was originally on the bedside table; I took it, polished it, and then put it here—"

"I haven't even touched it! Understand?"

Percy and Ron were both incredibly loud, arguing fiercely over their missing student council president badge. Harry quickly found an excuse to leave the awkward situation. He planned to go downstairs to the pub to find Ron's rat tonic, which Ron thought might have been left on the table.

"Harry has the right to know..."

Harry was drawn to the Weasleys' conversation downstairs. He heard them mention his name and couldn't help but eavesdrop.

“Arthur, the truth will terrify Harry… We can’t be sure Black is chasing Harry… At Hogwarts, Dumbledore will protect Harry…”

"Black has gone mad... He's hunting Harry... Harry has to be wary of him... Dumbledore has agreed to station Dementors at the school..."

After the Weasleys finished their conversation and went back to their room to sleep, Harry, preoccupied with his thoughts, found Ron's rat tonic and went upstairs to his room.

He kept replaying the news he had just heard in his mind: the vicious fugitive Black was hunting him, and Dementors would be stationed at the school to protect him and capture Black...

In the shadows of the stairwell landing, Harry encountered Lyra and the twins, who were hiding there. Fred whispered to Harry, "We took the badge and modified it." Now the badge says "Big Head Boy," the same initials as the School Council President.

Harry watched Lyra laughing heartily at the twins' antics, forced a few laughs along, then gave the rat tonic to Ron before locking himself in his room.

Harry lay on his back in bed, staring silently at the ceiling, his mind filled with memories of the happy times he had spent with Lyra during the summer vacation, but—

Whether it's the academically gifted and privileged Ravenclaw or the ever-funny Weasley twins, they're both better than him.

He was the only one who had lost both parents, lived like a house-elf in a relative's house, and was now being hunted down by a vicious fugitive.

*

A large group of people setting off at the same time to catch a train was destined to be a chaotic morning.

The group struggled to carry their luggage down the narrow stairs of the Leaky Cauldron and into the car sent by the Ministry of Magic.

Everyone's owls were kept in their own cages, placed on top of the luggage. But Harry's Hedwig and Percy's brown owl squawked in discontent, while Lyra's long-eared owl quietly ate its jerky.

Hermione was comforting the cat, who was forced to stay in the wicker basket, on the train: "It's alright, Crookshanks, I'll let you out once we get on the train."

“Don’t you dare let them go,” Ron snapped. “What will happen to my mice? Poor Scabbers is dying of illness—”

Lyra overheard their conversation, hugged Bell, who was locked in a cage, and silently decided that once she boarded the train, she would find a carriage that was far away from Ron and the others.

She had originally planned to let the puppy out once they got on the train. Although dogs don't seem to catch mice, the mouse was sick, so it was better to be careful. Ron seemed to really cherish his mouse.

Fortunately, the journey went very smoothly. When we arrived at King's Cross Station, there were still twenty minutes before the train was due.

Mrs. Weasley kissed each of the children goodbye, and even gave Harry a special hug, which made him blush again.

As soon as they got on the train, the twins pulled Lyra to find Lee Jordan, Ginny went to find her roommate, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed to the innermost carriage.

As Lyra listened to George, Fred, and Lee Jordan share their experiences in Egypt—which she had already heard yesterday—she let her two beloved pets out of their cages.

The long-eared owl flew happily out of the train window. Lyra wasn't worried; it would fly back to Hogwarts on its own. She sat by the window, holding the puppy, admiring the clouds outside. Whether it was because she had gotten up too early or because the puppy was so warm in her arms, Lyra fell asleep without realizing it.

*

"What's going on...?"

The car has stopped...

"...Don't you guys feel a little cold?"

"Is the train broken...? That's strange..."

"I don't know... there's something moving..."

Leila woke up to a commotion. She guessed she must have slept for a long time; it was already dark, but strangely, none of the car lights were on.

Looking out the window, it was raining heavily, the wind was howling, and the raindrops were pounding against the car window. She suspected she might have been woken up by the cold, because it felt chilly inside the car, and her exposed arms were icy cold.

“Something seems to have gone wrong. I’ll go check it out.” George stood up, and Lee Jordan followed him out.

"Don't move, I'm going to check on Ginny, I'll be right back," Fred said to Lyra, then opened the door and went out.

Leila stayed alone in the dark for a while, then gently stroked the puppy to comfort it, sensing that it was a little uneasy.

The carriage door suddenly opened, and someone stumbled in, seemingly hitting a table leg. Leila recognized the familiar sound in the cry of pain—

"Draco?"

"It's you—" The platinum-haired young master gasped in pain, as if he had just suffered a serious fall. "Where did those two red-haired monkeys go—"

At that moment, the swallow-tailed dog in Leila's arms suddenly stood up and barked wildly at the carriage door, as if there was something outside.

Amidst the mournful barking of dogs, the carriage door slowly opened.