Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

The train sped northwards, the rain becoming increasingly torrential, pouring down as if the sky had sprung a leak. Thick, heavy clouds completely obscured the sky, turning day into twilight. Layers of condensation formed on the train windows, blurring the outside view and forcing the lights inside the carriages to be switched on, even during the day.

As lunchtime approached, a trolley selling snacks slowly made its way down the aisle. Harry bought a large pile of cakes and shared them with the others for lunch. Jerry was a little disgusted, thinking, 'Lunch? Seriously?' But considering it was free, he decided to make do. After all, it was the first day of school, and the Hogwarts feast that evening would surely be lavish.

In the afternoon, Jerry also learned from Ron about the recent happenings within the Ministry of Magic and heard about Mr. Weasley receiving an urgent message from Alastor Moody that morning.

"Alastor Moody? Mad-Eye Moody?" Neville asked. "I heard my grandmother say that he's a very powerful Auror. Half the prisoners in Azkaban were put there by Moody!"

"That's right, who else could it be! But speaking of which, Mad-Eye Moody has certainly made a lot of enemies over the years. As he's gotten older, he's become more and more suspicious, almost to the point where he trusts no one," Ron nodded, wearing an incredulous expression. "This morning, he even said he was attacked by a trash can!"

Hearing this, Jerry knew that Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr.'s plan had begun!

To date, Voldemort's soul had been split seven times, forming eight soul fragments. One was hidden deep within Harry Potter's body, one remained within Voldemort himself, and the other six were made into Horcruxes.

The soul fragment sealed within Riddle's diary had been accidentally absorbed by Jerry; at the same time, the soul fragment within Ravenclaw's diadem had also fallen into Jerry's hands. As for the remaining four Horcruxes, Jerry wasn't in a hurry. Even if he collected those soul fragments now, it wouldn't be of use. Jerry still had too many mysteries and too many questions that hadn't been answered!

As time passed, the Hogwarts Express slowly decelerated, eventually coming to a smooth stop at Hogsmeade Station, shrouded in the darkness of night. There was a flurry of activity inside the carriages as students changed into their respective house robes, preparing to disembark.

The doors opened, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder in the sky, seemingly foreshadowing a greater storm to come.

Hermione carefully wrapped Crookshanks in her cloak, ensuring it wouldn't be affected by the cold wind and rain; while Jerry gently waved his wand, causing a soft light to spring from its tip, instantly forming an umbrella-shaped barrier above him and Hermione, shielding them from the rain.

In comparison, the other students could only grit their teeth and step off the train, heading forward with their heads lowered in the raging wind and rain. The rain poured down like a waterfall, as if buckets of ice water were being poured over their heads, causing them to shiver.

"Hagrid, long time no see!" Harry exclaimed, spotting the familiar, enormous figure at the other end of the platform. He waved excitedly. Hagrid turned around, his bearded face breaking into a warm smile. His rough voice sounded particularly clear in the rain: "Hello, Harry! Welcome back to Hogwarts!"

"This awful weather, the first years will have to cross the Black Lake in boats in the rain," Hermione said, hugging Crookshanks. They slowly weaved through the dense crowd, heading step by step towards the end of the dark platform. Outside the station, hundreds of carriages pulled by Thestrals were waiting quietly.

It's worth mentioning that, thanks to Jerry's kind "help," they all now had the ability to see these dark creatures, Thestrals.

Jerry and his group quickly and nimbly jumped into a carriage, the door closing with a heavy thud. Immediately afterwards, with a violent jolt, the entire carriage procession began to move slowly along the winding path.

The raging wind made the carriages feel like they were sailing on a stormy sea, tossing them violently. Harry pressed close to the window, his gaze piercing through the thick rain, and the outline of Hogwarts Castle gradually became clear. Countless brightly lit windows twinkled under the veil of rain, like stars, both mysterious and warm.

The carriage finally came to a steady stop at the foot of the stone steps in front of the castle, and the students couldn't wait to quicken their pace, almost leaping onto the steps leading to the entrance hall.

"Merlin's beard!" Ron muttered, shaking his head, sending droplets of water flying everywhere. "If this rain doesn't stop, Hogwarts is going to flood! I'm almost a drowned rat!"

Just then, a large, red balloon filled with ice water fell from the ceiling above, hitting Ron squarely on the head and turning him completely into a drowned rat.

Immediately afterwards, a second prank water "bomb" exploded violently at Harry's feet, and a stream of icy water instantly soaked his shoes and socks, sending a chill through him.

"Peeves!?" Harry roared furiously, his eyes locked on the culprit in the air.

Peeves was a small but cunning and agile poltergeist, wearing a hat with bells on his head and an orange bow tie around his neck. He was floating leisurely about twenty feet above everyone's heads.

Peeves laughed heartily, his eyes scanning the disheveled crowd below, eventually settling on the clean and tidy Jerry and Hermione.

"Peeves, if the water balloon in your hand lands on us or near our feet, regardless of whether you threw it or not, I'll freeze you with an ice spell and hang you on the Bloody Baron's axe rack!" Jerry warned, pointing his wand at Peeves floating in the air.

Peeves hesitated a little. He was very unhappy with Jerry's warning, but he was also afraid of the Bloody Baron, plus Jerry's relationship with Dumbledore… Damn it, this damned second-generation official, he really couldn't afford to offend him!

But could he just leave like that? Where would Peeves' face be? How would he get by in the Hogwarts ghost circles in the future?

"Peeves!" A stern and angry voice suddenly cut through the air.

Professor McGonagall strode out of the Great Hall. The ground was slippery, and she almost fell, but luckily she grabbed Hermione's shoulder in time to prevent it.

"Miss Granger, I'm so sorry," Professor McGonagall said quickly.

"It's alright, Professor McGonagall."

"Peeves, did you hear that? Get down here! Now, immediately, right now!" Professor McGonagall shouted sternly, adjusting the pointed hat on her head and glaring at Peeves in the air through her square spectacles.

"Alright, alright!" Peeves sighed, pretending to be helpless. Then he glared at Jerry, smiled provocatively, "Arrogant kid, I'm not afraid of you, I'm just giving little McGonagall face."

With that, he made a face at Jerry, threw all the remaining water bombs in his hand randomly into the air, and then with a flash, darted up the marble staircase, leaving behind a string of crazy and piercing cackles that echoed through the empty entrance hall.

Jerry: ? ? ?

It seemed he would have to go find the Bloody Baron tomorrow and borrow his axe to have a good talk with Peeves!