Before long, Fred and George caught up from behind.
"Why are you heading back so early?"
"Can't you just use the Floo Network with Ron and the others later?"
"We wanted to," Kael said, "but what about the carriage? You can't just stuff it into the fireplace, can you?"
"The carriage... oh, how did I forget that you came by Thestral Carriage," Fred said, slapping his forehead.
"By the way, how did you get it out?"
"We tried before, but no matter what, the Thestrals wouldn't leave the school gates. If pushed, they would let out a piercing screech."
"Luckily, we ran fast enough, or we would've been caught by Hagrid."
As expected of Fred and George, the students who gave Professor McGonagall the biggest headache, daring to even think about the Thestral Carriage.
"Do you even need to ask?" Kael glanced at them. "Of course, it was with Professor Dumbledore's permission."
Upon hearing that the Thestral Carriage was obtained through normal, legitimate means, the two immediately lost interest.
They walked all the way to the entrance of Diagon Alley, passed through the barrier, and arrived in the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron, then Apparated from there to a secluded alley beside Grimmauld Place.
A Muggle stared at the suddenly appearing group in shock, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Kael flicked his wand, and the Muggle's eyes immediately became unfocused, as if nothing had happened, and he nonchalantly walked out of the alley.
"Your Forgetfulness Charm is really proficient," George said.
"Just a simple trick."
The Thestral Carriage was parked nearby. Kael was the first to jump into the carriage, pulling Conna up after him.
"Not going to say goodbye?" Fred asked.
"Didn't we already do that before heading to Diagon Alley? We'd better head back soon," Kael said.
"By the way, remember, if a werewolf really comes out one day, don't be a hero; let Kreacher handle it.
"That old house-elf?" George said skeptically, "Can he really do it? I'd hate for him to end up as a werewolf's snack; we wouldn't know how to explain that to Sirius."
"Of course, he can," Kael said. "House-elves aren't just good at cleaning and cooking. They have unique magic, no less powerful than a werewolf.
"Remember Dobby? Back in school, he used just one finger to send Lucius Malfoy flying."
"So cool!" Fred said with eyes beaming. "Do you have a picture?"
"I don't carry a camera around all the time."
"What a pity," George sighed. "We wanted to put a picture in the most prominent spot in the shop."
"Then you'd better put something else there," Kael patted the Thestral's back.
"Alright, don't be sloppy. I don't want to waste time brewing Wolfsbane Potion for you."
"Don't worry." The two waved, "See you after graduation."
The next second, the carriage soared into the air, carrying Kael and Conna toward Hogwarts.
Grimmauld Place grew smaller and smaller, disappearing into the gray clouds in just a few seconds.
"Kael, are you also a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" Conna asked curiously from inside the carriage.
"Sort of," Kael thought for a moment and said, "but I didn't receive an official invitation from Professor Dumbledore, so my status is like Harry's, an outsider, technically."
"That's still great," Conna whispered. "The atmosphere there is really nice, Mrs. Weasley is wonderful, everyone feels like family... Can I join?"
"That's not for me to say," Kael replied. "It would need Professor Snape's approval, but judging by how he wanted to send you to Beauxbatons before, he probably won't agree to you joining the Order of the Phoenix."
"Makes sense," Conna sighed. "Seems like I'll have to wait until after graduation to try and change his mind."
"It's all the same, really," Kael said casually. "The so-called Order of the Phoenix is just a name, like Aurors, Beaters, or D.A.
"If you like the people-being-together atmosphere, you can always move to Ottery St Catchpole. There's plenty of space next to my house and the Shabby Residence; you could even build a manor if you wanted."
Conna tilted her head, "Are you ready to be neighbors with Professor Snape?"
"If he agrees..." Kael said with a laugh.
And so, Kael and Conna chatted, admiring the scenery passing below the carriage. When they grew bored, they'd glance at the "Daily Prophet" they got from Diagon Alley.
As the sky grew gradually darker, they finally caught up with the scarlet Hogwarts Express, arriving at the school a step ahead.
"Thank you for your hard work," Kael said, patting the Thestral's wing and feeding it a fresh wart hog leg.
Ever since the number of Fantastic Beasts around Kael increased, he's kept such things stocked in his trunk, since they're not expensive, and buying in bulk comes with a discount.
"Lucky I visited Nicolas's manor this holiday," Kael said with some relief as they climbed the steps outside the castle.
"Why do you say that all of a sudden?" Conna asked in confusion.
"Look at this..." Kael handed over the newspaper he had.
The Ministry of Magic hadn't achieved any noteworthy success with the Death Eaters lately, and Fudge's reputation had been increasingly dwindling.
To turn things around, he visited Hogwarts several times during the holiday, seemingly wanting to pull the old trick of portraying a close relationship with Dumbledore to the outside world.