Chapter Thirteen: Hogwarts Express

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Summer, August 1971

From the train window, his eyes locked onto the spot where his parents had disappeared. The platform was still crowded with families saying their goodbyes—tight hugs, laughter, tears, and words of encouragement filled the air. In contrast, his compartment remained empty, and a faint, almost ridiculous fear settled in his chest. What if no one came? Would he have to spend the journey alone? For a few seconds, he debated whether he should open the door and invite someone to join him. But no, better not. They'd only ask why he was alone. Why hadn't anyone come to see him off? Didn't he have a family?

His gaze drifted back to the platform, and he desperately wished the train would leave already, to take him away from this scene that seemed to rub in his face what he was missing. What would it feel like to have something like that? The thought drew a bitter, mocking smile. Who needs that anyway? he thought, with a mix of scorn and resignation that made him turn away. Frustrated, he dropped into the seat by the door, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to silence that feeling of loneliness that never seemed to shut up.

 Frustrated, he dropped into the seat by the door, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to silence that feeling of loneliness that never seemed to shut up

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He imagined his cousin Andromeda hiding among the crowd on the platform, quietly saying goodbye to him from a distance. It would've been nice... if only it didn't mean the risk of running into his parents or her sisters. The thought made the image painfully vivid: there she was, concealed behind a pillar, with that sad look and half-smile they sometimes shared over dinner when no one was watching.

He recalled his last visit to Number 12, Grimmauld Place, just days after returning from Hogwarts. Andromeda hadn't told him anything directly, but the signs had been there. There was something about her, a sadness that seemed to wrap around her, making her voice tremble as she talked about her final year at school. He'd sensed she was hiding something, but at the time, he hadn't known how to read it.

Night after night, her words echoed in his mind, like a riddle he needed to solve, searching through them for a reason, a clue as to why she hadn't trusted him with the truth. Since Bellatrix's wedding, Andromeda had never once mentioned the boy who, one afternoon in the woods, had given her a rose. Did she think he would disown her too, for loving a Muggleborn?

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