Summer Plans

The next morning, Edmund woke from a nightmare.

In the dream, countless Ravenclaw girls had thrown themselves at him one after another, dragging him into unspeakable things again and again.

Cho and Hermione had stood nearby, smiling as they watched Edmund with those girls. Then, when only Edmund remained, the two of them raised blades and began discussing how to divide him.

Even after Edmund finished washing up, his heart still had not fully settled.

Cho's voice kept echoing in his mind.

"At last, it is just the two of us."

Edmund shuddered and repeatedly told himself it had only been a dream.

Still, perhaps he should look for magic that improved his physical condition. If he met Dark wizards in the future, he might need to fight hand to hand as well.

Once Edmund packed his belongings, he did not need to worry about them anymore. The house-elves would send everything to the train.

When Cho and Edmund boarded the Hogwarts Express, both of them received a letter.

The letter warned them that they were not allowed to use magic during the holidays. Serious violations could even lead to expulsion.

Fred and George said they truly wished the Ministry would forget to send those notices to them.

"Actually, you do not need to worry that much," Edmund said.

His words drew the attention of the twins and Cho.

"That notice is tied to a contract charm layered on top of the Trace."

"Once the warning reaches you, the Ministry has a formal link to monitor magic used around you."

"If there are no other wizards nearby and magical activity appears around you, they naturally assume you used it."

After Edmund finished speaking, Cho, Fred, and George fell into thought.

"So you mean," Fred said uncertainly, "if there is an adult wizard nearby, even if I use magic, they cannot be certain it was me?"

"That is the idea."

At that moment, George suddenly remembered something.

"Fred, do you remember when we accidentally pushed Ron out the window last time? You instinctively used the Levitation Charm, but the Ministry never sent me a letter."

Edmund almost laughed.

What sort of childhood had Ron been living through?

With brothers like these, surviving to this day was already impressive.

"Exactly, George," Fred said. "Mum was home that day, and she gave us a proper beating afterward."

Once they understood the principle, the twins immediately brightened.

Their summer holidays would not be boring after all.

"Then what about you, Edmund?" Cho asked curiously. "You do not have any wizards living near you."

"Oh, when I received that first notice before, I had one of the house-elves in the kitchen sign for it. The notice charm never attached to my magical signature properly."

Cho and the twins stared at him, stunned.

They had never imagined there was such a method.

At that moment, Edmund stood up.

"I am going to greet Harry and the others. I will sit with them for a while too."

Cho did not suspect anything and nodded.

Edmund left the compartment and wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

In truth, he was going to find Hermione.

He still had not figured out how to explain Hermione to Cho, so for now he could only rely on careful scheduling.

When he reached Hermione's compartment, the young witch sat on his lap and chattered happily about the books she planned to read over the summer.

The atmosphere between them was warm.

Edmund listened to Hermione's plans while thinking about what he needed to do during the holidays.

If everything went smoothly, this summer would be very busy.

First, he needed to complete his alchemical assistant experiment. He already had a general idea, and as long as he worked hard for a few days, he should be able to finish it.

Second, he needed to wait for Dumbledore's reply. If Nicolas Flamel agreed, Edmund would spend some time in France.

Finally, there were a few things he was still hesitating over.

Although he had plenty of money, alchemy and ancient magical research burned through funds quickly.

If he relied only on the money earned through check-ins and card draws, it might not be enough.

He was considering whether he needed to bring some wizards under his influence to help him earn wealth.

His alchemical test products needed a place to be sold, and some magical items obtained through check-ins also needed to be dealt with.

The train passed one Muggle town after another and gradually reached London.

Edmund said goodbye to Hermione in advance. Before leaving, he gave her a protective necklace. In a crisis, it could automatically release a Shield Charm.

He had already given Cho an identical necklace earlier, while Hermione's had waited until now.

Hermione knew where Edmund was going. She pressed her lips together but said nothing.

After all, she had not been the first one.

At last, the train stopped at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in King's Cross Station.

It took Edmund and the others quite some time to leave the platform. An old wizard stood there, allowing only two or three people through at a time to avoid drawing Muggle attention.

After Edmund and Cho passed through the barrier, they saw a couple waving toward them.

Mr. Chang was broad-shouldered and stern-looking, while the woman beside him looked gentle and elegant.

"Dad! Mum!"

Cho ran over happily and threw herself into the woman's arms.

Seeing that, Edmund could not simply leave. He walked forward with a stiff smile and greeted them.

"You must be Edmund," Cho's father said.

His eyes kept measuring Edmund, as if he wanted to see what was so remarkable about the boy who had stolen his daughter away.

"Good afternoon, sir."

Edmund nodded stiffly under Mr. Chang's unfriendly gaze. He felt that this was more torturous than fighting Voldemort again.

"Do not scare the child."

Cho's mother slapped the back of Mr. Chang's head, and his cold expression instantly turned into wounded innocence.

"I am Cho's mother. You can call me Auntie Helen."

Edmund instantly understood the structure of this household.

He put on a look of surprise.

"So you really are Cho's mother? I was not certain just now. You look young enough to be her older sister."

Helen Chang was delighted by the compliment. She immediately became much warmer toward Edmund and repeatedly invited him to visit their home.

Edmund naturally agreed.

Only after parting from Cho and her parents did Edmund finally return home.

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