Time did not speed up or slow down according to people's wishes.
A week had passed since the "planned" trial.
Despite the deliberate suppression, news of Malfoy's "vindication" had yet to spread. However, The Daily Prophet had published the news that very day, and it was now only a matter of waiting for the swift owls to deliver the newspapers to households across the country.
Notices would also be sent to various institutions, announcing Malfoy's return.
Malfoy himself had embarked on his journey back to school early that morning.
The Hogwarts Express usually operated only at fixed times, such as the beginning and end of the school year. This was because those periods saw a large influx of students, requiring trains with sufficient passenger capacity to meet demand.
Operating at other times would result in considerable waste.
After all, a wizarding train consumed magical energy. That did not mean it could be squandered recklessly.
However, at Lucius's insistence, the express train departed despite having only one passenger.
It was all for a certain degree of pomp and ceremony, as well as to demonstrate the formality of Malfoy's return.
Narcissa also didn't want her son to use the Floo Network, which would leave him looking grimy afterward.
A return announcement should always be made in a formal manner.
Before dawn, the scenery outside the train window remained dim and silent, accompanied only by the metallic clatter of the wheels grinding against the rails.
It seemed extremely cold outside. The frigid air had condensed into a layer of mist clinging to the inside of the train window.
Malfoy stretched out his index finger and gently rubbed the glass several times. With the help of the dim light inside the compartment, the scenery outside immediately became clear.
Endless forests and mountains stretched along the railway, shrouded in thick fog and creating a faintly gloomy atmosphere. Except when passing through a few sharp bends, the train moved smoothly for most of the journey.
In the pitch-black dawn, he saw two or three owls flapping their wings, lowering their flight paths, and flying alongside the train.
Then a sliver of dawn emerged from the clouds, piercing the dark sky and pouring down freely.
The darkness gradually gave way to brightness—so intense that it hurt his eyes.
At that moment, the train suddenly shook violently several times.
It abruptly came to a stop with a dull thud, as though it had collided with something.
An owl flying alongside the window was startled and quickly fled into the nearby forest.
The scene was strangely reminiscent of a horror story.
A train carrying only one passenger travelled through the darkness, then suddenly malfunctioned and came to a halt.
What would happen next?
Nobody knew.
However, horror stories were frightening because their audiences were ordinary people.
For wizards, the true source of fear was unknown magic.
It seemed that some kind of malfunction had occurred on the train, something extremely rare.
Malfoy closed his eyes and waited for a while, but the train still did not move.
A hint of doubt surfaced in his mind.
He raised his hand and released a dim, pale-yellow spherical object from his sleeve.
At the centre of the object was a black eyeball that rotated within its socket, emitting a faint yellow glow in the darkness of the carriage.
It was a trophy he had acquired during his travels and adventures.
The object allowed its user to share part of their field of vision with others.
Of course, the Patronus summoned through the Patronus Charm possessed a similar function. However, a Patronus was rather conspicuous and unsuitable for use in dark environments. It could also increase the risk of exposing one's position.
Shortly after the object rose into the air and gained a slightly higher vantage point, Malfoy saw the situation at the front of the train.
The engine had been smashed to pieces.
The dark-red metal plating had broken into several sections, while the wheels were jammed against the twisted tracks.
Several enormous Giants were still wielding uprooted tree trunks, recklessly smashing them into the front of the express train.
The tremendous impact caused the entire carriage to shake violently.
Then Malfoy suddenly heard the howls of Werewolves.
Their sharp cries pierced through the train windows as though they were trying to shatter the glass.
After several violent tremors, the shrill roars drilled into his ears and seemed to spin wildly inside his head.
On the plains some distance away, dozens of Werewolves— their bodies covered in thick fur—were roaring and charging madly toward the train.
"Lumos!"
Malfoy immediately rose from his seat and cast a light spell before moving toward the front of the train.
Could this be an ambush arranged by Lord Voldemort, targeting students returning to school?
No matter how he looked at it, both the timing and the target seemed wrong.
Indeed, it was unwise to expect too much intelligence from Werewolves.
This must have been an accident.
They had probably smelled the presence of strangers, and only a small number had come over. Their actions were spontaneous.
If this had truly been a planned attack, there would certainly have been more than enough Werewolves for a single teacher to handle.
The Werewolves who served Lord Voldemort mostly lacked wisdom and sound judgement. They acted primarily on instinct, though they could understand simple commands when necessary.
Perhaps they had been lying in wait to attack students travelling on the train back to school.
However, the timing was clearly wrong.
They had encountered the wrong people at the wrong moment, and Malfoy had no intention of becoming entangled with them.
He steadied himself and quickly moved through the carriages until he reached the front of the train.
Then he opened the window.
A biting, icy wind immediately rushed inside, feeling like sharp knives scraping across his face.
Malfoy paid it no attention.
Instead, he extended his wand and waved it several times.
Faint, inconspicuous rays of light flashed from the wand's tip before shooting outward.
Acting on defensive instinct, the Giants raised the trees in their hands to shield themselves. Their broad branches covered their bodies.
The spell's faint light was difficult to notice in the darkness before dawn, but it was still blocked by the thick tree trunks.
However, the Giants could not understand the meaning of the spell.
Otherwise, they would never have chosen to defend themselves in this way.
Because the incantation was—
"Restore to its original state!"
A powerful force suddenly erupted from the tree trunks in their hands.
The Giants' grip broke, and the trees flew toward the misty jungle in the distance.
The Giants stared blankly at their empty hands, their eyes vacant. They seemed completely unable to understand what had just happened.
Why did the weapons I painstakingly pulled out of the ground suddenly fly away again?
Then something even stranger happened.
The broken pieces of iron scattered beside the tracks suddenly leapt into the air of their own accord.
It was as though an invisible hand were rapidly piecing them together.
In an instant, the fragments were restored to their original state.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The train's sudden whistle startled the attackers once again.
The Werewolves, frightened by the noise, retreated like a receding tide.
Seeing that the train had begun gathering speed, the Giants instinctively moved aside and took several steps backward.
After all, no formal resistance organisation had yet been established.
Malfoy had no intention of wasting too much time on them.
At that moment, he felt inexplicably melancholy.
This meant he might miss breakfast at Hogwarts.
The somewhat ceremonial return he had planned would probably have to be postponed, although it could still take place in the evening.
There might even be some trouble during his first lesson.
"Being late on the first day back at school is not a good sign."
Malfoy returned to his seat, gazed out of the window at the receding scenery, and sighed inwardly.
The Werewolves serving Lord Voldemort mostly lacked wisdom and judgement. They acted primarily on instinct, though they could understand simple commands when necessary.
However, the timing had clearly been wrong.
They had encountered the wrong person at the wrong time.
The entire incident had consumed a considerable amount of his time.
It was foreseeable that the Hogwarts Express route might no longer be safe.