Before the Hogwarts Express departed, Conna and Fleur took the Thestral carriage and left the school.
The Thestral flew higher and higher, and Conna leaned out from the carriage to wave to Kael, catching a glimpse of Snape standing by a tower as they passed.
But in an instant, Snape was gone, as if he had never been there.
"What's wrong?" Fleur noticed Conna staring at the castle and couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing." Conna shook her head, wondering if she had seen it wrong.
The Thestral was swift, and in less than a minute, the carriage became a blurry black dot and disappeared.
On the grounds, Kael lowered his hand and turned to ask, "How are you heading back, taking the train? There should still be time if you hurry."
"Although it would be nice to relive the school feel, I'll choose Apparition." Bill shrugged, "The train's really slow. Ever since graduating, I can hardly tolerate wasting half a day traveling."
"I'll be waiting for you at Grimmauld Place." He laughed and patted Kael, "To celebrate your graduation, mom's prepared a lavish dinner. I can hardly wait."
With that, he strode towards the school gate.
Kael found himself hesitating.
Honestly, he also wanted to Apparate back directly—convenient and simple—but thinking he wouldn't be coming back to school next year made him feel there was no need to rush...
Oh well, just a chance to unwind.
After some hesitation, Kael headed to Hogsmeade Station and boarded the train promptly at 8:59.
One minute later, all the carriage doors were closed, and with a loud whistle, the train slowly left the station.
Having arrived late, most of the carriages were full.
Cho was seated with several Ravenclaw girls, exchanging small trinkets.
Kael didn't disturb her and went straight to the spacious Prefect carriage, found a seat by the window, and daydreamed while watching the scenery outside.
Without many familiar faces, the whole journey felt dull until noon when Kael heard some familiar loud chatter.
"Ron, you should know that a Prefect's duty includes maintaining order in the carriages, yet you let those younger students run around unchecked."
"I didn't ignore them—they were just chasing after the food trolley. You're being too strict."
The familiar trio walked into the Prefect compartment, with Harry remaining silent beside them.
Being a Quidditch Captain granted Harry Prefect privileges without the actual responsibilities, so even if he wanted to assert control, no one would listen.
But looking at it differently, it's quite liberating, plus he didn't have to waste time dealing with trouble-making students.
"Oh, Kael, you're here too."
As soon as they entered, Harry noticed Kael by the window, and the trio naturally sat down together.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, "Lots of people are looking for you outside."
"Looking for me?" Kael asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, plenty of seventh-year students. I guess they want to swap some mementos with you."
"Glad I didn't go out." Kael joked half-heartedly, "I don't have that much stuff to give away."
Harry chuckled, probably guessing that Kael was here to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Just like when Harry first enrolled, he was quite popular, but didn't really enjoy the attention; more often he preferred being alone...or with Hermione and Ron.
"Where's Conna?" Hermione glanced around.
"She's busy elsewhere and didn't take the train this time," Kael said.
He didn't mention Conna's trip to France—not due to a lack of trust in Hermione. If there's anyone who wouldn't side with Voldemort, it's certainly Hermione, given her close relationship with Harry; she had even been to the Order of Phoenix headquarters.
The main reason was it wasn't necessary, and besides, they didn't genuinely care about Conna's whereabouts, just casual curiosity.
Sure enough, after hearing Kael's response, Hermione simply nodded and stopped asking.
The trio chatted for a while longer, mostly Hermione scolding Ron for neglecting his Prefect duties, while Harry played the invisible role nearby.
Feeling slightly awkward, Harry left for a bit, and upon returning, his hands were full of snacks.
Harry piled them onto the table.
"We just bought some Cauldron Cakes and chocolates," he said to Kael, "Have some as well, that's all there is on the train."
Ron had long been hungry, eagerly grabbing a Chocolate Frog and stuffing it into his mouth.
Hermione also picked up some Cauldron Cakes.
Seeing Kael motionless, Hermione thought he was being shy and handed the cake over.
"Don't be shy, eat as much as you like."
"No, there's a misunderstanding." Kael shook his head, "Actually, I've brought lunch."
"You brought lunch?" Harry and Ron simultaneously paused, thinking they'd heard wrong.
If they recalled correctly, wasn't this train starting from Hogwarts? How did Kael bring lunch...
But in the next second, they got their answer.
Kael opened his suitcase and skillfully took out several bulging paper bags.
Kael opened the paper bags, revealing whole roasted chicken, fried pork chops, fragrant wheat cakes, baked potatoes, even seasoning sauces like black pepper and orange jam, occupying the other half of the table.