A full-school joint trip was no small matter. It meant that nearly all underage wizards in Britain who had just turned eleven would leave the country, without exception. If a "mushroom bomb" went off here, the British wizarding world would probably take over a decade to recover.
Even with Dumbledore and the Ministry giving their dual guarantees, the next day, owls went absolutely berserk, flying toward the school like mad. Not only traditional wizarding families but even Muggle-born wizards' parents were frantically contacting the school. This wasn't some small group of thirty people, what if something went wrong?
In the end, Dumbledore's reputation won over all doubts, and the entire Hogwarts student body participated in the exchange.
The only ones unhappy were a few Slytherin Quidditch players. Not because they disliked the exchange, but because they had just received a shipment of new flying broomsticks, and before they could show off, this year's Quidditch schedule was thrown into chaos, possibly even canceled. It was like stacking 500 layers in a game of "Dog Head" only for the enemy's crystal to explode mid-surrender, victory achieved, yet why did it feel so unsatisfying…
Of course, no one was more annoyed than Malfoy. The Nimbus 2001 wasn't cheap, and to acquire seven of these brooms, his father had even sold some belongings in Knockturn Alley rather than tapping into the family vault.
Yes, the Malfoys were rich, but not all that money was free to spend, purebloods were noble by birth, they boasted.
Almost every pureblood family passed down their wealth and traditions across generations. That meant strict rules: a reckless heir could endanger the bloodline, unless, of course, your family was like the Weasleys.
Even a family like the Gaunts, steadily declining for generations, ended up holding onto two treasured artifacts, not by chance. Ancestral property couldn't be moved lightly. At most, you could use a small portion, unless you were like young Sirius with no one supervising. Otherwise, relatives would enforce the rules.
As for the fact that Voldemort's diary wasn't being read or sold and ended up with Ginny, that was a separate story. Who came first? That, no one could say.
No matter what Harry and the other Quidditch players thought, preparations for the exchange moved quickly.
Snape being privately mocked as the "gatekeeper" didn't warrant comment. These kids had no idea what terrifying threats they might have faced without him, well, thanks to Allen neutralizing the Basilisk, no terrifying attack was coming. Awkward, but still, thanks to Snape for his selfless contribution.
While the whole school buzzed with excitement, none were more enthusiastic than Professor Lockhart. As he proclaimed in class:
"Indeed, coming to Hogwarts was the perfect choice. My adventure stories shouldn't be shared only with a British audience, they are a treasure for all the people of the world. With this knowledge, they can avoid countless detours in future adventures. During this exchange, I will use Lockhart's most charming smile to impart my precious magical experiences to our international friends and, through books, ensure they remember the things that might save their lives someday."
Allen wasn't sure how others felt, but he almost threw up hearing this. If he didn't know Lockhart's true nature, he might have believed it. But now… Allen suspected he was simply trying to sell books.
Save lives? With what? Thirty ways to defeat a succubus?
Heh. Let the fantasy novelist gather material, Allen wasn't buying it.
Yet, some people believed him, including Hermione…
To carry her massive stack of books, she had Allen make a bag capable of folding space, and even that wasn't enough the first time. That's when Allen saw a mountain of books about Lockhart.
So much potential as a bestselling author, and he still had to court disaster, maybe Allen would even end up having to suffer through the "Little Era" series someday…
But now, with Voldemort's curse in play, Allen bet everything he owned that Lockhart would be gone within a year. Unfortunately, though everyone kept quiet, no one was willing to bet on the "one year" option.
After a week of preparation, the professors left behind were: the Divination teacher who never wanted to move, the future Care of Magical Creatures professor yet to get promoted, the perpetually stern Potions master, and the Herbology professor worried about her greenhouse plants. Hagrid swore he could help, but the head still wasn't comfortable leaving the precious plants to him.
Everyone else, along with the full student body, assembled at the miniature castle recently used for experiments, which had been temporarily enlarged with immense magic.
After waving farewell, all except the supervising professors climbed onto the platform. Even with the castle magically expanded, the space was still cramped. Too many people, not enough room.
Dumbledore, of course, wouldn't place the students directly in harm's way, though he didn't know the Basilisk no longer existed.
The excitement of the first trip was quickly tempered by the tight conditions. Soundproofing charms became essential; everywhere, protective barriers blocked noise. Students passed the time with various games and amusements.
Yet among the crowd, one second-year student held the room's attention: Hermione, engrossed in a book nearly as thick as a brick.
Influenced by her, others moved back a little, though no one actually studied. Respect for the bookworm ≠ personal effort…
This gave Allen and friends more space for their card games, not because they left Hermione out, but because after losing five rounds, she refused to continue. Worth noting: starting from the second round, the others deliberately went easy on her, but she still couldn't win…
And so, amidst the noise and chaos, the first day of the "trip", ahem, exchange, came to an end.••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
150+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria