King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

The two looked at each other and continued leaning against the window, watching the lively scene unfold.

"Do you think they'll start fighting?" asked Vivian, who loved a good show.

"Probably not. Haven't you seen the Aurors already arriving to keep order?"

The gathering outside was quickly broken up by the Aurors, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion. The two groups, who had been arguing and seemed ready to fight, were separated.

"Phew, I really thought they were going to fight. I didn't expect them to just throw insults. So boring," said Vivian, watching the dispersing crowd with a bored expression.

Anduin looked at the girl and felt as if he were seeing an old lady from his past life — the type who watched chaos unfold from afar, quietly munching on seeds, as if the world falling apart had nothing to do with her.

"Which house do you think we'll be sorted into? The Bulstrode family always seems to go to Slytherin, so I'll probably end up there too," Vivian asked casually.

"I don't really care, but I think Ravenclaw would be best. I heard Ravenclaw has its own private library." Anduin had also read a bit about the different houses; he just wanted a quiet place to study.

"Ha, just looking at you, I can tell Ravenclaw is perfect for you. As soon as you walked in, I saw you reading. I've heard Ravenclaw students are all super smart."

"If you do get into Slytherin, be careful. The magical world is really unstable right now, and I've heard that a lot of people who worship the Dark Lord are in Slytherin," Anduin said gently, warning her.

"Not necessarily. In fact, a lot of Slytherin families are neutral — like the Bulstrodes. Many of them don't believe the Dark Lord will actually win," Vivian replied nonchalantly.

"Is it because of Dumbledore? I've heard he's the greatest wizard of our time." Anduin wasn't particularly interested in Slytherin's inner politics — he was Muggle-born, and it was nearly impossible for someone like him to end up in that house.

"It's not just that. Our family patriarch says the Dark Lord's pure-blood ideology is way too extreme. He's set on eliminating Muggle-borns. You know, a lot of pure-blood families do business with Muggles, and . . . " Vivian lowered her voice and leaned in toward Anduin. "And many pure-blood families have intermarried with Muggles, one way or another. Otherwise, they wouldn't have survived for so many generations."

Anduin had thought about that before. After all, constant inbreeding would lead to children with mental issues or physical deformities.

"Don't say that in Slytherin, or you'll definitely get into trouble." Anduin stared silently at this girl who blurted out anything without a filter.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid."

Just then, their conversation was abruptly interrupted.

A boy was knocking on the door.

"Hey, mind if I squeeze in?" the boy asked with a smile, scratching his head. "All the other compartments are full."

"Of course not, there's still plenty of space here. What's your name? I'm Anduin Wilson, and this is Vivian Bulstrode." Compartments like this could seat six, so three people wouldn't feel cramped.

"Charles. My name's Charles McKinnon," he replied with a slightly shy smile.

Charles was tall — possibly taller than Anduin, he thought — but he was a bit on the slim side.

The moment Vivian heard Charles's name, she kept looking at Anduin, winking at him. Her meaning was clear: this was someone from the McKinnon family they'd just been talking about.

Anduin glanced sideways at Vivian and helped Charles with his luggage. As soon as he sat down, Vivian launched into conversation with him.

Thankfully, it was just small talk. Anduin was genuinely afraid Vivian would blurt out, "Were you the one who almost got into a fight outside just now?" He could already imagine how awkward the rest of the ride would be.

"Hey, have you heard? The Minister of Magic, Harold Minchum, is about to resign. Everyone says he's done nothing but post more and more Dementors around Azkaban, and he hasn't been able to stop the Dark Lord from rising in power. Lately, the Death Eaters have been getting bolder and bolder. I heard they even attacked Sirius Black in Diagon Alley last month," Vivian said, holding up a copy of The Daily Prophet for them to see.

That definitely happened in Knockturn Alley, thought Anduin with a sigh. He noticed that Vivian seemed to know a little bit of everything — her information was way too accurate. She'd make a perfect gossip reporter in the future.

"It's about time for a change. Passive defense only leads to more pointless casualties. Those damned Death Eaters are pulling every trick in the book," Charles said, clearly disgusted with them. Once the topic came up, his former shyness disappeared and he spoke with visible anger.

"Don't worry — they won't be running wild for much longer." Although Anduin didn't remember every detail of the Harry Potter storyline, he did know that Lord Voldemort would die shortly after Harry's birth.

Charles McKinnon heard Anduin's words and took them as a kind gesture, replying with an awkward smile, "Our family has always been committed to fighting You-Know-Who. A few of us even joined the Aurors. Those Death Eaters attacked my uncle once — broke one of his legs. He's still recovering at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He's absolutely sure one of the Death Eaters who attacked him was Travers, but the Ministry said there was no evidence and didn't even investigate. It's infuriating."

Charles McKinnon vented bitterly to Anduin and Vivian about the Ministry and the Death Eaters. From that, Anduin realized that there must be divided opinions within the Ministry itself — which explained why they weren't fully resisting Lord Voldemort. It seemed this shift in ministers had something to do with that.

"That's terrible! Your uncle saw the Death Eater with his own eyes and they still couldn't arrest him?" Vivian exclaimed, incredulous.

"Most Death Eaters wear masks when they operate. Sometimes, even if you recognize them, there's nothing you can do," Anduin explained to Vivian, as he had experience dealing with Death Eaters himself.

Charles McKinnon nodded after hearing Anduin, though he couldn't help but wonder how Anduin knew all of this.

While the kids were busy discussing national affairs, the train officially began to move.

"The train finally started. I heard it takes several hours to get there," Vivian muttered again.

'Several hours?'. Anduin couldn't understand why, in a magical world with such convenience, the trip still took hours, or why they used something as outdated as a steam train. So he turned to ask the two sitting beside him.

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