King's Cross — The Journey Begins
Keith finished packing his luggage quickly, while Rias carefully folded her clothes before closing her suitcase.
Keith simply picked up both sets of luggage—Rias didn't even get the chance to lift hers—and stored them inside his portable dimensional storage with a flick of his fingers.
A soft chirp came from his shoulder.
A magnificent golden-red baby bird perched there proudly.
Ho-Oh
The Pokémon egg Keith had obtained from Borgin and Burkes' mysterious "sign-in reward" had hatched into Ho-Oh itself.
Still young, still small, but glorious.
Keith stroked her feathers.
"Go play with Darkrai or Giratina in the dimension."
Ho-Oh nodded cheerfully and flew into the dimensional gateway like a flash of rainbow light.
Rias only smiled—she had long accepted that Keith's life was full of impossibilities.
Hand in hand, they walked toward King's Cross Station.
Meeting Helena — Platform 9¾
On the way to the barrier, they encountered Helena Prince, carrying her luggage neatly.
Rias hugged her friend immediately.
Keith greeted Helena politely, and her cheeks turned warm pink.
Helena put her luggage away using her own spatial storage pouch—Keith recognized Snape's handiwork instantly.
He simply nodded in acknowledgement.
The three of them passed through the barrier and stepped onto Platform 9¾, where steam, owls, and voices filled the air.
Searching for a Compartment
Inside the Hogwarts Express, Daphne, Cassandra, and Susan were wandering the corridor, searching for any empty compartment.
Daphne looked irritated.
Cassandra looked nervous.
Susan looked worried.
Keith waved to them.
"Come with us. We'll look together."
They eventually found a compartment—but someone was already inside.
A 14-year-old girl, beautiful and mature for her age, sat reading intensely. Her figure and composure gave her a calm, older-sister aura.
Keith knocked politely.
"Is this compartment taken?"
The girl looked up.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Keith.
A faint blush colored her cheeks.
"…No. You may sit."
Keith snapped his fingers lightly.
The compartment expanded, becoming wide enough for all of them to sit comfortably.
Daphne, Cassandra, Susan, Helena, Rias, and Keith settled in.
The girl closed her book and introduced herself.
"Penelope Clearwater."
A Ravenclaw prefect.
She kept glancing at Keith—trying not to stare but failing.
Hermione Joins
A few minutes later, there was another knock.
A girl with bushy brown hair peeked inside.
"Excuse me—every compartment is full. Is there any room here?"
Before anyone answered, she saw Keith.
Her face instantly flushed.
Keith smiled warmly.
"There's space. Come sit."
The girl nodded shyly and sat beside Daphne.
"I'm Hermione Granger."
She spoke confidently but couldn't hide the way she kept looking at Keith from the corner of her eye.
Conversation began naturally—Daphne and Rias were analytical, Susan was friendly, Helena was sharp, Cassandra was curious, and Penelope listened quietly.
Keith guided the conversation smoothly.
He asked Hermione about her interests, her dreams, and why she was fascinated by magic.
Before long, Hermione was eagerly discussing spells and theories, and Keith subtly steered her thoughts toward a particular conclusion.
Hermione:
"Ravenclaw… yes, I think that truly fits me.
Knowledge over glory. Wisdom over adventure."
Keith nodded softly.
He had succeeded.
Keith's Thoughts
Hermione Granger—originally one of the Golden Trio...
But Harry is now Helena.
Neville is the Boy-Who-Lived.
And the timeline is already changing.
Keith didn't care about canon.
He only wanted his loved ones safe…
and to guide people like Hermione toward their best future.
If that meant shifting her path toward Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor…
So be it.