boyutpedia Chapter 241 The Guardians of the Platform
Chapter 241 The Guardians of the Platform
Chapter 241 The Guardians of the Platform
The number of passengers on the platform gradually dwindled, and departure time drew ever closer. Karen's concentration increased, her Eye of Truth acting like the most sophisticated radar, scanning for any unusual magical fluctuations at the entrance.
Finally, just minutes before departure, a group of people rushed in from the station entrance, catching Karen's attention. Red hair, lots of red hair!
Mr. Arthur Weasley was wearing that ill-fitting Muggle suit, Mrs. Weasley looked anxious, Percy stood tall trying to maintain order, and Fred and George ran around trying to cause some trouble (but were stopped in time by Mrs. Molly).
Ron, his red hair disheveled, his face flushed and anxious from running, stood beside Harry Potter, equally panting and with his glasses askew. Behind them was a little red-haired girl, Ginny, clutching her luggage, her face pale, looking both nervous and frightened.
"They're here!" Karen's spirits lifted. Under the illusion spell, her body remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the entrance.
The Weasleys rushed through the wall one by one. Ron, pulling Harry along, brought up the rear.
It's now!
Cullen's True Sight clearly captured that, just moments before Harry and Ron were about to crash into the wall, an extremely faint figure, carrying a peculiar magical frequency, appeared out of thin air for a fleeting instant less than a meter from the wall! The figure was short, wearing a tattered pillowcase, and its large, bat-like ears were exceptionally clear in the magical vision. It extended a slender finger, pointing it at the wall!
In Karen's view, the magical structure of the entrance wall, which had been steadily flowing with magic, was instantly forcibly distorted and solidified! The magical aura of the entrance abruptly extinguished, turning into a solid, ordinary brick wall devoid of any magical fluctuations!
"Bang! Bang!"
Harry and Ron crashed hard into the solid brick wall, letting out a cry of pain as they fell to the ground in a sorry state, their luggage scattered all over the floor.
"Ouch!"
"Merlin's beard!"
"Petrificus Totalus! (Petrificus!)!" Karen acted immediately! The instant she detected the magical fluctuations,
His wand was already pointed at the source of the magical burst! An invisible binding spell was shot out precisely!
"Ah!" A short, terrified scream rang out!
Less than half a meter from Harry and the others' feet, the air rippled violently like water! A small, thin figure wearing a dirty pillowcase, with bat-like ears and tennis ball-sized green eyes, was abruptly "bumped" out of invisibility by Cullen's petrification charm! It remained terrified, its body stiff as it fell forward.
Dobby's huge, fearful eyes stared incredulously in the direction where Karen had disappeared. It seemed to be able to vaguely sense Karen's presence. It had never expected that someone could so accurately see through its invisibility and magic, and counter it the instant it finished casting its spell!
"Evil wizard! Stop Dobby! Dobby must protect Harry Potter!" it wailed in a shrill, piercing voice.
Filled with despair and self-reproach, it then unleashed a powerful surge of magical energy, instantly distorting space with a crack! With a crisp pop, Dobby vanished from its spot, leaving behind only a rapidly dissipating ripple of magical energy and a faint smell of dust in the air.
Seeing that Dobby had so quickly broken free of the petrification curse and teleported away, Karen had no choice but to dispel the illusion curse.
He rushed forward quickly.
"Finitelncantatem! (Stop the curse immediately!)!"
A precise, concentrated beam of blue light shot from the tip of Karen's staff, striking the wall instantly. Like boiling water splashed on snow,
The sealed and solidified magical structure instantly disintegrated and dissipated under the power of the rules of Zhou Liting!
The invisible magical barrier at the entrance in the wall disappeared, and the sense of spatial fluctuation reappeared.
Then he ran towards Harry and Ron, who were still sitting on the ground in a daze.
"Harry! Ron! Are you alright?" Karen reached out and pulled them up, one in each hand. His movements were swift and powerful.
Harry, clutching his throbbing forehead, his glasses askew, recognized Karen and his face filled with shock and bewilderment: "Karen? You—what are you doing here? Just now—the wall—"
Ron rubbed his shoulder, wincing in pain. "Damn it! That wall was clearly there just now. Karen? Was that you?" He had also seen Karen, and the wand in Karen's hand that she hadn't yet put away.
"No time to explain!" Karen spoke rapidly, grabbing their luggage from the ground and shoving it back into their hands. "The train is about to leave! Hurry up!" Without another word, he pushed the two still somewhat dazed people toward the wall that had just regained its magic.
"Quick! Go through!"
Harry and Ron were pushed by Cullen and instinctively took a step. A familiar sense of time travel washed over them, and the two stumbled and fell into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
On the platform, the Weasleys were in a state of extreme anxiety. Arthur and Molly were pale, Percy looked utterly astonished, Fred and George peered cautiously towards the wall, and Ginny was on the verge of tears.
"Harry! Ron!" Madam Molly practically pounced on them, hugging them tightly. "Merlin, thank goodness! You scared me to death! What happened? What happened to the wall—"
"It's Karen!" Ron shouted, still shaken, pointing at Karen who had just passed through the wall. "Karen's outside! The wall suddenly solidified, we crashed into it, and it seemed like that house-elf was causing trouble again. Karen chased it away, and then Karen used some kind of spell, and the wall became solid again! He told us to come in quickly!"
All eyes immediately focused on Karen.
"Karen?" Mr. Arthur looked at him in surprise. "You—you were outside just now?"
“Yes, Mr. Weasley,” Cullen said calmly. “I saw Harry and Ron about to run into the wall, which had been temporarily enchanted by that house-elf. I used a spell to break it.”
"That little elf again?" Mr. Arthur frowned, looking at the wall. "Still doing this at the station entrance? Too dangerous!"
"Whoosh!" The Hogwarts Express let out its final, long, and loud whistle, and with billowing white steam, the wheels began to turn slowly.
"No time! Get in the car!" Percy was the first to react and shouted anxiously.
"Quick! Children, get in the car!" Madam Molly didn't have time to ask any more questions and pushed Harry, Ron, and Ginny towards the nearest car door.
The group practically lunged into the carriage. The doors slammed shut behind them. Then, the train shuddered violently and slowly began to move. On the platform, the Weasleys' figures shrank rapidly, their faces filled with worry and confusion.
The carriage was filled with heavy breathing for a moment. They quickly found a compartment, where Harry and Ron slumped into their seats, rubbing their sore spots with lingering fear. Fred, George, Percy, and Ginny, having recovered, crowded around and bombarded them with questions:
"What exactly happened?"
"Did you guys run into the wall? It looks painful!"
"Karen, how did you end up with them?"
Karen straightened his clothes, which were slightly disheveled from running, and sat down in the seat opposite Harry. Harry and Ron looked at him, still shaken, their eyes filled with gratitude and lingering fear.
"It was Cullen!" Ron spoke first, pointing at Cullen. "Just now outside, after you went over, the wall suddenly became real! Harry and I crashed into it solidly! It hurt like hell! Then Cullen suddenly appeared, I don't know what kind of magic she used..."
The wall turned back to normal! He even pulled us up and pushed us in!
Harry nodded vigorously, rubbing his forehead. "Yes! Thanks to you, Cullen! Otherwise we would have definitely missed the train! And—we thought we saw Dobby just now? You know, the house-elf? It looked like it got hit by something?" He looked at Cullen, seeking confirmation.
Karen nodded and said calmly, "It was me. After reading your letter, I guessed that Dobby might try again to stop you from returning to Hogwarts, and this entrance was the most likely place for him to strike. So I arrived early, used some minor magic to hide myself, and kept watch nearby." He omitted the details of the "Eye of Truth," only stating the result, "I saw it suddenly appear, cast a spell on the entrance, and seal the passage. I immediately used a Binding Charm to try to catch it, but it only held it for a moment. It was very alert and immediately Apparated away."
"It's that little lunatic again!" Fred angrily slammed his fist on the chair.
"It almost made you miss your train!" George said through gritted teeth.
"Intercepting mail, disrupting the Dursleys' dinner party, and now they want to lock you out of the house and make you miss your train? What on earth is it trying to do?" Percy frowned, his face serious as he analyzed the situation. "This is outrageous! It must be reported to the school!"
Ginny looked worriedly at the red mark on Harry's forehead: "Harry, are you alright? Were you badly hurt?"
“I’m fine, Ginny, thank you.” Harry managed a weak smile, but his brow remained furrowed. “Dobby—it said it wanted to save me, but everything it did almost ruined me—” He turned to Karen, his eyes filled with confusion and a longing for understanding.
“As I said in my letter, its behavior is distorted, Harry,” Cullen explained. “It’s bound by a contract, may know some danger, and wants to protect you, but its master clearly wants the danger to befall you. This conflict leaves it bewildered, forcing it to carry out its understanding of ‘protection’ in extreme, even self-destructive ways.” He paused, then took the carefully prepared bronze spinning top-viewing lens from his pouch. “Take this, Harry.”
He handed the small, exquisite bronze top to Harry. The top was etched with fine runes, and in the center was a tiny, almost invisible sensor.
"What is this?" Harry asked curiously as he took it. It felt cool to the touch and heavy with a good texture.
“A little gadget, a spyglass, which I made myself,” Cullen said. “If it starts glowing near you, or spins on its own, it means something with strong malice or lies is approaching you. Carry it with you, put it in your pocket, or hang it around your neck—just in case.” He explained its function casually, but his gaze subtly swept towards the spotted cage covered with cloth that Ron had placed at his feet. The bronze top remained silent in Harry's hand, showing no reaction.
Karen thought to herself: Either Peter is hiding too well, his disguise is so perfect that he has avoided even this level of malicious detection; or he is indeed in a deep sleep or in a harmless state and poses no threat for the time being.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Ron leaned over to take a look.
"Karen made it herself? That's amazing!" The twins also showed expressions of admiration.
"Thank you, Cullen! This—this is so useful!" Harry gripped the viewing mirror tightly, feeling much more at ease. This made him happier than receiving ten signed Lockhart books.
In the brief lull of everyone's admiration and praise for the viewing mirror, Karen's "Eye of Truth" quietly activated once more, his gaze quickly and discreetly sweeping over everyone in the room, lingering for a moment on Ginny. Sure enough! Among her brand-new, seemingly bulging, secondhand textbooks and stationery, Karen "saw" an extremely faint, ominous, dark spot of light, spreading slowly like ink droplets in clear water! This aura was of the same origin as the crowned Horcruxes and soul fragments he had encountered, but more—naive? Or rather, it possessed a deliberately restrained, alluring, and corrupting power. However, while Ginny's life energy fluctuated slightly due to tension, it remained generally vibrant and bright, showing no signs of being absorbed or contaminated.
Karen felt a little relieved. Good, the diary was indeed with her, but the infiltration had only just begun, and they might not even have truly started communicating yet. The goal was clear, and the plan was feasible.
"Alright," Cullen said, a relaxed smile spreading across her face. "The crisis is over for now, and the spyglass has been sent out. I need to go find my roommates; they're in the front box. Harry, Ron, you two get some rest and calm down. See you at Hogwarts." He stood up, nodded to the Weasleys, and then opened the carriage door.
It blended into the noisy flow of students in the corridor.
The box door closed, shutting out the outside noise. Harry looked down at the heavy, slightly cool bronze top in his hand, then touched the still-throbbing bruise on his forehead, a mix of emotions swirling within him. Dobby's warning hung like a dark cloud.
But Karen's timely help and this practical gift were like a ray of light piercing through the dark clouds. He carefully placed the spyglass into the inside pocket of his robe and kept it close to his body.