The final days at school were unusually relaxed. Unsurprisingly, Wang Yong had claimed the top spot in the entire grade.
Then, as if all at once, their wardrobes stood empty, their belongings neatly packed into suitcases.
Every student received a notice: a warning not to use magic during the holidays. Concerned, Wang Yong specifically asked Xiao Yi about it. She told him that only one entity could reside within his body at a time, and that she had already erased all traces of the Ministry of Magic's surveillance charms.
Hagrid was in charge of guiding them across the lake by boat. Now, they were comfortably seated on the Hogwarts Express, chatting and laughing as the lush countryside slid by, becoming greener and tidier with every passing mile.
As the train passed through Muggle towns, they munched on Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, shedding their wizard robes in favor of jackets and short shirts. At last, the train pulled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station.
Wang Yong had been sitting with Susan the entire ride. Susan noticed something different—it was usually her clinging to Wang Yong, but this time, it felt like he was the one reluctant to let go.
It took a long time for them to filter off the platform. A shriveled old guard stood by the ticket barrier, allowing only two or three students to pass at a time, so that a mass exodus through the solid wall wouldn't alarm the Muggles.
Outside the platform, Susan's parents were already waiting. She blushed slightly, hugged Wang Yong, only to realize he was holding her far tighter than she expected—then suddenly kissed her, hard, on her soft lips.
"Goodbye."
"Come visit me in a few days, okay?" she beamed, her smile lighting up Wang Yong's heart in the warmth of early June.
Wang Yong waved, watching as she disappeared into the crowd with her parents.
Back in his original world, he was alone. Just thinking about not seeing Susan for a long time left a faint heaviness in his chest.
Suddenly, someone slapped his shoulder—hard.
"Quit staring, she's gone," said Ron.
Wang Yong turned to see him grinning.
"Make sure you come to my place this summer, alright? Hermione and Harry'll be there too. I'll send an owl."
"Will do." Wang Yong smiled. "I thought you guys might be holding a grudge against me."
"You rascal." Ron punched his shoulder again. "You could've left Gryffindor a little dignity, you know."
Wang Yong laughed and threw an arm around his friend. "Then you guys need to step up your game!"
Wang Yong hadn't wanted to create friction with the story's original protagonists—but the House Cup was a one-time opportunity, just like many others. Some things had to be fought for.
Yes, he'd stolen much of their glory. But in return, he silently promised to give them greater safety.
Hermione and Harry stood a bit behind them, watching. Especially Hermione—she'd been a little shy around him lately.
The group exited together.
"There he is, Mum! Look, it's him!" It was Ginny—Ron's little sister—but she wasn't pointing at Ron, or at Wang Yong.
"Harry Potter!" she shrieked. "Mum, I saw him!"
"Ginny, hush now. It's rude to point at people," said Mrs. Weasley with a warm smile as she looked down at them. "Busy year, wasn't it?"
"Very," Harry replied. "Thanks for the sweets and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, it's nothing, dear."
"And Wang Yong—you've grown so tall!" she added with a grin.
"Mhm." Wang Yong nodded politely.
Then they all watched as Harry was whisked away by his grumbling Uncle Vernon.
"Poor guy," Wang Yong murmured.
Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "Hard to believe people like that actually exist."
After that, Wang Yong returned home.
He dropped off his suitcase, shut the door, and went straight to his room.
"Xiao Yi, is it ready?"
"Mhm," came her soft reply, and then—space and time twisted.
Wang Yong vanished from the magical world.
Back in his native world, he reappeared at the door of his rented apartment.
Feeling his body restored to its original state was an uncanny sensation. Strange, yet exhilarating.
With a wave of his right hand, a sleek black wand appeared.
He glanced around—no one nearby, no cameras either. Then he pointed the wand at the door.
"Alohomora!"
Without a key, the door clicked open.
"Whew. Magic really is convenient," he muttered, his mind wandering uncontrollably to the idea of sneaking into a beautiful woman's apartment using that spell...
His eyes darted mischievously. It suddenly occurred to him—now that he'd returned from the magical world, the women here were completely defenseless against him.
He stepped through the doorway of this place he'd been away from for over a year. A wave of nostalgia hit him. Though more than a year had passed in the wizarding world, here in his original world, barely any time had gone by.
Xiao Yi's power was impressive, no doubt. Good thing his lifespan was now practically endless. Otherwise, after a few more world-hops, he'd be in his eighties!
He spent a few days in his native world, quickly growing bored. Everything here was far too normal. No school crushes, no childhood sweetheart-type beauties, no tsundere class rep types.
No zombie virus outbreaks either. It was... painfully mundane.
Unable to help himself, Wang Yong asked Xiao Yi about the next world.
"Dance, dance, dance?"
"That's right."
"What should I prepare?"
"Not much. Just spend the next six months becoming fluent in Japanese, okay?"
Wang Yong's face fell. "You've got to be kidding."
Xiao Yi's clear, cheerful voice rang in his heart. "It's settled. I'll help you this time. But in that world, you better make a good haul, understand? Otherwise I'll be running at a loss."
"Thank you, merciful, suffering-saving Xiao Yi Bodhisattva," Wang Yong flattered shamelessly.
"Hmph~"
The next six months passed. Wang Yong started his senior year of university. He found himself craving a quieter life. With his power, he could settle anywhere he liked—but peace and simplicity were becoming more important than anything else.
So, he casually took the civil service exam and was posted to a quiet, scenic town. The job was easy, leaving him with plenty of free time to travel across worlds and handle other matters.
Strangely, he felt full of ambition and energy in those other worlds—but the moment he returned home, all motivation vanished.
"Forget it. Let this world develop on its own," he said. "I'll just treat it as a control variable."
After locking down a stable job, Wang Yong went to a big jewelry shop to exchange some gold. Thanks to his ability to transmute materials, gold had become no more precious than dirt to him.
Whenever a shop owner raised suspicion, he simply used a Confundus Charm to fog their memory.
After cashing out around a million yuan, Wang Yong returned to campus—ready to begin his next journey.