Ron swore that this was definitely his most unforgettable holiday.
The situation had been tense the previous month, and he was constantly on edge every day. After the Godric's Hollow incident, for some reason, the Death Eaters suddenly quieted down.
Originally, he thought he could finally relax a bit, but within a few days, he was sent to the Ministry of Magic, beginning days of work as soon as he opened his eyes... even the house-elves had break times, but he did not.
But he finally managed to endure it.
Although he still hadn't done his homework, and there were only three days left until the start of term, compared to the work at the Ministry of Magic, the so-called homework seemed to be no difficulty at all.
For the first time, Ron found doing homework to be a very easy task. Not only did he finish it on time, but he also found time to help Harry draw up a complete planetary diagram.
To be honest, Harry was dumbfounded at the time and at one point thought that a Death Eater had used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Ron and infiltrate No. 12 Grimmauld Place.
...
"Hurry up, move quickly."
On the day of the start of term, Mrs. Weasley got everyone up early in the morning and urged them to hurry down for breakfast.
"Mom, aren't we using Floo Powder to go to school? What's the rush?" Ginny came down, yawning and half-awake, and asked.
"The plan has changed." Mrs. Weasley added two sandwiches to her plate, "Connecting to the Floo Network could disrupt some of Hogwarts' protective magic, so you'll take the train instead."
"Take the train?" Ron instantly woke up, "What if the Death Eaters attack? At least Harry should be sent over."
"No, no need." Harry, standing nearby, shook his head repeatedly, "Taking the train is just fine."
He always didn't want to appear different from others; everyone else was taking the train, and he didn't want to be the only one sent over. The mere thought of it made him uncomfortable.
Besides, he genuinely wanted to take the train, especially this year.
Just like how adults never tell young wizards entering school how the Sorting Ceremony actually works, almost all seventh-year students choose to take the train to Hogwarts in their last year, just like they did the first time six years ago.
Harry thought the same; ever since the term was about to start, he hoped to take the train. Even last night in bed, he was tossing and turning, wondering if he should share his thoughts with everyone.
He just wasn't sure if Sirius would agree, and this situation was a pleasant surprise for him.
Harry was genuinely worried that Mrs. Weasley would take Ron's advice and Apparate him to Hogsmeade.
Fortunately, that did not happen.
"Don't worry about that," she said, "This year, Minerva, Filius, and Pomona will all be on the train traveling with the students to Hogwarts, and there will also be three senior Aurors from the Ministry of Magic escorting, so it's very safe."
"Professors will ride the Hogwarts Express too?" Hermione asked in surprise.
She rarely encountered professors riding the Hogwarts Express; only twice in six years.
One was Slughorn, but he had ulterior motives, wanting to connect with students he was interested in on the train.
And the other was Lupin. His reason for riding the train was simpler... it was the cheapest way, requiring no money.
Didn't expect three professors this year, and they're all heads of houses, except for Snape; the rest of the heads are there.
"Exactly, it was agreed upon before the holidays," Mrs. Weasley continued, "Although the Death Eaters haven't been active lately, just to be safe, the professors decided to follow through with the plan."
"Hurry up and eat, the car is already waiting outside."
Everyone immediately sped up their eating.
"How strange, why didn't Professor Snape participate in this escort?" Hermione wondered as she ate her fried egg sandwich.
"Isn't it obvious? The professors must not trust him," Ron said matter-of-factly, "Maybe they've already figured out he's a Death Eater and expelled him."
Saying this, Ron suddenly laughed,
"With Malfoy gone, if Snape gets expelled too, that would be perfect, hehe..."
Even Harry beside him couldn't help but chuckle.
Yes, he could hardly imagine how wonderful Hogwarts would be without Malfoy and Snape.
After quickly finishing breakfast, everyone was hurried outside by Mrs. Weasley.
"Luggage, wands... got everything? Didn't forget anything?"
"Ginny, your robe..."
"Hurry up, Ron,"
"Harry, take your owl, she doesn't look too well."
"Yes." Harry looked at Hedwig in the cage.
She had been caged for two months, and usually, she could only fly around the house a few times; of course, she wasn't in high spirits.
He could already imagine that when they returned to Hogwarts, his fingers would definitely be pecked at.
But there was no time to worry about that now.
Amidst the hubbub, they finally stuffed all the luggage into the car.
Mrs. Weasley came to the car window.
"Arthur, be careful on the road."
"Don't worry, I know," Mr. Weasley said, "Besides, with Kael and Sirius along, there's no need to worry."
Since everyone else was busy, the task of escorting them to the station fell to Kael... actually, he wanted to go himself.