"I was thinking the same thing," Logan said without hesitation. "If this were the old days, the Professor wouldn't want kids anywhere near combat. But now… he wants them able to survive."
Back when the school still thrived, Charles had drawn a clear line. Students came to learn control, discipline, and ordinary knowledge. What they became afterward was their choice. Only adults who chose to stay and serve trained for combat.
That world was gone.
Survival now demanded preparation. Even children needed to understand their abilities and how to protect themselves. If every one of them reached even a fraction of Laura's level, the next hunt wouldn't be one-sided.
"Good," Rowan said. "Then get some rest."
After completing a full sweep of both underground levels, Rowan and Logan finally retreated to their rooms. The road had been relentless. For the first time in days, they slept without listening for engines or gunfire.
Four days passed.
By routine, Rowan rode into the Bronx during the day to gather information, returned to study magic, and spent his nights focused on his other life. While his body navigated the Marvel world, his attention in the wizarding world never slowed.
Except today.
September first.
The day he left for Hogwarts.
"Peggy, let's go," Rowan said, securing the cage holding his enormous owl before locking the shop doors and pushing a cart stacked higher than his shoulders toward the alley's exit.
He'd named the owl Peggy for a simple reason—it ate like a monster. Without the inheritance left by the old wizard, feeding her would've been impossible. Still, she earned her keep. Over the past few days, Rowan had cleared out surplus potions and herbs at discounted prices.
The buyers weren't exactly friendly.
More than once, he'd caught wizards eyeing his shelves with ideas that involved Confundus Charms and quick fingers. Peggy, perched on the rafters with her massive wings half-spread, discouraged those thoughts efficiently.
Rowan pushed the cart out of Knockturn Alley, cut through Diagon Alley, and stopped before an unremarkable brick wall. A few precise taps with his wand, and the bricks shifted, opening into a wide archway.
He passed through into the Leaky Cauldron, nodded briefly to Tom behind the bar, and exited onto the Muggle street beyond. Instead of heading underground for the Tube, he waited by the curb.
Tonks had insisted on driving him.
About ten minutes later, an old dark-green car pulled up.
"Hey, Rowan," Tonks called as she stepped out of the passenger side. "You're ten minutes early."
"I prefer early," Rowan replied with a smile. "Keeps things calm."
"Wish I could learn that," she laughed, already hauling his luggage toward the trunk.
Rowan blinked as everything—including Peggy—vanished into the cramped space. "Extension Charm?"
He recognized it instantly. A refined spatial enchantment. Illegal for private use in theory, indispensable in practice.
Tonks closed the trunk and winked. "Auror vehicle. Fully authorized."
Rowan gave her a thumbs-up.
From appearances, she was nineteen and he was eleven. In reality, she acted her age—and Rowan felt far older than either of them let on.
"Morning, Rowan," said the young wizard behind the wheel, dressed in a bright green velvet suit. "Shame you're leaving. No more free meals."
"Morning, Aldo," Rowan said. "I'll be back on break. Not that long."
Aldo was another trainee Auror. Enthusiastic. Talented. Completely smitten with Tonks—and entirely friend-zoned.
"Ignore him," Tonks said, smacking the back of Aldo's head before turning to Rowan. "Hogwarts is a great place. Learn everything you can."
Aldo rubbed his head, unfazed, and pulled the car into traffic.
The road to King's Cross stretched ahead.
For Rowan Mercer, school was starting again.