September 1st arrived so quickly that Gary only had time to skim through 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1' and still had many interesting ideas he hadn't yet tried on his wand.
"Gary!" In his sleep, he heard his mother urging him from downstairs, "Hurry down, grab breakfast, and head to the Potters' first!"
Mrs. Shafik had already packed his luggage neatly and placed it by the front door last night. Gary rubbed his eyes, his mind still groggy, and quickly got up to wash.
Then he put on the Muggle denim shirt his mother had prepared, picked up the wand box from under his pillow, and rushed out of the room.
His mother was already waiting at the top of the stairs, holding a bag of bread and two bags of milk.
"These are for you and James. Remember to finish them on the way to London," she instructed, looking at Gary's slightly crooked collar. She pulled out her wand from her dress pocket and pointed it at Gary's collar, muttering a strange spell.
His collar immediately became neat and proper. Gary felt the collar pressing directly against his throat, a little too tight.
He hugged his mother tightly. Gary felt very reluctant to leave his home and mother, where he had lived for eleven years, so soon.
Mrs. Shafik gently patted his back. "I've put the magic stabilizer in your backpack. It's a week's supply. From now on, I'll send you the potion by owl every week in advance."
He nodded in agreement. Mrs. Shafik cast a simple Levitation Charm on his luggage, making it easy for Gary to lift it with one arm.
"Go on. Remember to write to me after you arrive at Hogwarts." Mrs. Shafik had already sent Cardy, the snowy owl, to Hogwarts last night. Cardy was probably still on her way to the school at this time.
"I will, Mom." Gary looked around the room again, placed the wand box into his suitcase, and then picked up the case.
He opened the door and walked out. The fog outside was very thick, and Gary could barely make out the path in the garden.
He walked out of the garden along the damp path, turned right, walked fifty meters, and after passing two buildings, arrived at James's house.
He fumbled around for a while and finally found the door to James's house.
"Knock, knock, knock," Gary knocked on the door with his knuckles. He heard footsteps.
"Hi, just in time, Gary." The bolt was pulled back, and when the door opened, James's cheerful face appeared. His black hair was still messy, and there were a few drops of water on his face, probably morning dew.
"My dad is checking the car; he'll be done in a bit." James led Gary into the garden. Mr. Potter was tinkering under the car, a newly released Jaguar XJ6, very popular among Muggles, a stylish and elegant sedan.
Mrs. Potter looked worried, holding her wand poised, afraid that this big metal contraption would suddenly fall and crush her husband.
It was clear she didn't trust this kind of Muggle transportation.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter." Gary smiled shyly, "This is really a bother."
"No bother at all, no bother," Mr. Potter's entire upper body was hidden under the car, and his voice sounded muffled, "I was going to drive to the Ministry of Magic in London anyway to find Arthur and have him modify my car."
"That's right, Gary, if Mrs. Shafik wasn't rushing to France for a new fashion product launch this morning, it would have been more convenient for her to Apparate you two," Mrs. Potter had smooth, long brown hair, a gentle tone, and her big brown eyes held endless tenderness.
James and Mrs. Potter had little in common, neither in personality nor appearance; they inherited everything from his father, Mr. Potter, such as his bird's nest-like black hair, slender build, and lively, outgoing personality.
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"Done!" Mr. Potter, who had been singing "He Must Love You" while lying under the car, slid out. "We can go!"
The three bid farewell to Mrs. Potter, put their luggage in the trunk, got into the car, and set off for London.
Gary and James sat in the back, then took out the bread their mother had prepared and shared it with James and Mr. Potter. It was too early to depart, and the Potters hadn't had breakfast either.
James was gobbling his food, while Mr. Potter held a slice of bread in his mouth, both hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, his posture stiff.
"…Mr. Potter, do you have a Muggle driving license?" Gary felt a little uneasy looking at Mr. Potter's driving posture.
"What?" Mr. Potter turned the steering wheel, and the car rounded a bend, entering the village's main road. During this time, Mr. Potter kept making slight adjustments to the steering, causing the car to sway back and forth.
"Of course!" Mr. Potter took out his wand from the passenger seat. "I just haven't driven in a long time, and the weather this morning isn't very good."
It was still dimly lit, and thick fog enveloped Godric's Hollow, making road conditions poor.
Mr. Potter pointed his wand at the steering wheel, tapped it twice lightly, and mumbled an indistinct spell with bread in his mouth. Gary didn't hear it clearly.
Then Mr. Potter took both hands off the steering wheel, which startled Gary.
James was still thoughtlessly chewing his bread.
Just then, a large vegetable truck suddenly appeared from the opposite direction. It was already foggy in the early morning, and by the time the truck appeared, the distance between the two vehicles was already very close.
Before Gary could cry out, Mr. Potter extended his palm flat, placed his wand upright in his palm, and when the truck and the car were about ten meters apart, the wand suddenly spun to the right.
Surprisingly, the steering wheel also turned at the same time, moving exactly like the wand.
Gary finally swallowed the scream that had risen to his throat.
The car and the truck passed each other, narrowly missing.
Mr. Potter laughed triumphantly.
James finally swallowed the bread in his mouth. "Cool, Dad!" His face was flushed with excitement.
"What spell is that, Mr. Potter?" Gary looked with interest at the wand, which was automatically turning according to the road conditions.
"Oh… this spell is usually prohibited. You know, spells related to the Muggle World are very strictly restricted."
Mr. Potter stammered, so it seemed highly likely that this spell violated Ministry of Magic regulations, and Gary did not press further.
The group arrived in London around seven in the morning. The roads became congested as vehicles of students and commuters merged into a torrent.
After an hour of traffic in central London, they finally arrived at King's Cross Station.
"You know how to get to the platform, right?" Mr. Potter helped them take down their luggage.
"Just go through between Platform 9 and Platform 10!" James whispered. There were Muggles all around, and speaking loudly like that would draw too much attention.
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