On the Train

Hiss—

The sound of steam bursting forth came from the deep red Hogwarts Express engine. White smoke drifted upward, and the crowd buzzed with chatter.

Children were saying their final goodbyes to their families, or had already met up with their companions and were talking about the interesting things that had happened over the holidays.

"Oh, Neville!! You left Trevor behind!" An old woman with a handbag over her arm hurried to the train, holding a fat toad in her hands.

A round-faced, chubby boy poked his head out of the window. "Oh, Gran, you scared me to death. I thought he'd run away again."

"You lost him; he didn't run away!" the old woman corrected him. Then she added, "Once you get to school, remember to take care of yourself."

"I will!" Neville nodded.

"No, you won't! What I mean is, remember to find a teacher when something happens. Don't run around like a headless fly."

"Oh... all right..."

The train gradually began moving. Mothers waved at the carriages, while younger brothers and sisters cried and laughed as they ran alongside the train. Once it picked up speed, they were left behind, still waving relentlessly at their older siblings heading to Hogwarts.

"All right, don't worry about it." Mu En looked at Chris as he lowered his arm.

"It can't be helped. Just thinking about how I won't see my child again until Christmas makes me feel empty inside." Chris smiled, though his gaze remained fixed on where the train had vanished.

Then his expression darkened slightly, and he waved a hand. "She's never been somewhere so far away before."

After saying that, he shook his head. "Forget it. Let's go. Want to grab a drink?"

"Alcohol or coffee?" Mu En asked. "I think alcohol."

"I still need to drive." Chris changed the subject. "Aren't you worried? Come to think of it, Pete was brought here by a neighbor rather than his family."

"I'm not worried." Mu En shook his head. "I'm going to Hogwarts myself in a while."

"What?"

"That's right. Hogwarts' headmaster said there was an idle position for me, and I accepted." Mu En nodded as he and Chris walked out of King's Cross Station. "So I told you not to worry too much."

A weight suddenly lifted from Chris's heart. "All right, then. If you're there too, I can rest easy."

"The Hogwarts teachers are all quite good. Even if I weren't there, you could still put your mind at ease."

"It just feels different when there's someone you know."

On the train, Harry and Hermione found an empty compartment. After entering, Harry put his trunk up on the rack first, then helped Hermione put her luggage up one piece at a time.

"Harry, is that all your luggage?" Hermione looked curiously at Harry's case. It looked just like an ordinary suitcase—brown leather with brass clasps.

It was no different from the one her father used every day.

"This was a Christmas present last year. One of Uncle Mu En's friends gave it to me," Harry explained. "There are some spells on it, so it can hold quite a lot."

"Oh, all right. I thought all your clothes were in that little cloth bag," Hermione said.

"No, I only keep a few personal items in there now."

Harry did not want to say too much about it. It might make him seem as though he was showing off. As for things given to him by others, things unrelated to his own abilities, he did not think there was anything worth showing off about.

If he was going to show off, it should be something he had earned through his own abilities.

The two sat facing each other in the compartment, chatting idly. They were both nervous about their upcoming journey to Hogwarts.

Although the books said there would not be much difference between young wizards born to ordinary people and those from the Wizarding World, neither of them quite believed it.

Not much difference? Unless the Wizarding World's children their age had learned absolutely nothing since birth!

Was that even possible?!

"By the way, Hermione. I think it's better not to use the word 'Muggle,'" Harry suddenly said seriously. "Uncle Mu En told me that Muggle is actually a derogatory term wizards use for non-spellcasters. It's just become commonplace now."

Hermione immediately closed her mouth. She had just used the word Muggle.

With Harry's reminder, she immediately remembered what that fellow at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions had called her father that day.

"All right, Harry, you're right." Hermione looked somewhat annoyed. "All those books kept calling people Muggles... so I just..."

"It's nothing. Uncle Mu En usually calls them ordinary people or non-spellcasters," Harry said, recalling the first time Mu En had said those words to him.

"Don't use the word Muggle" was one of the first things Uncle Mu En had ever told him with such seriousness.

Bang—

The compartment door was suddenly yanked open roughly, and a familiar, detestable face appeared in the doorway.

Thin cheeks, blond hair slicked back, and that irritatingly arrogant expression still hanging on his face.

And his taste in clothes was rather outdated.

"Harry Potter, I've finally met you." Draco Malfoy slowly walked into the compartment. Behind him stood two short, fat boys, one on either side, both particularly ugly. They stood beside Draco like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe, and this is Goyle," Draco introduced them casually.

"I've been looking for you ever since I got on the train."

Harry stood up and blocked the compartment. "Are you here to give me a gift? No need. I've already accepted your apology."

Red veins immediately appeared on Malfoy's pale face. He nodded through gritted teeth. "Fine, fine, fine!! That's right, I'm here to give you a gift. A—lesson!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Crabbe and Goyle lunged from both sides.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out.

Draco said smugly, "I want to tell you not to think you can oppose the Malfoy family just because you're the famous Potter."

Thud—

The next moment, crimson blood splattered across Draco's pale face.

Harry's fist smashed into Crabbe's nose. He immediately reeled back in pain, blood flying everywhere.

Harry was not all that strong, but then again, neither of those chubby boys had particularly fierce dispositions.

But Goyle's fist came swinging in as well. Harry raised his arms in front of himself to block it, feeling a sharp ache. In return, he landed a hook squarely in Goyle's stomach.

In the blink of an eye, the two chubby boys were rolling on the floor and howling.

Malfoy wiped the blood from his face before finally coming back to his senses. His expression turned even paler. Staggering backward, he hurriedly crouched down and tried to help the two boys up.

The three of them practically crawled and stumbled out of the compartment.

Hermione had not even reacted yet. She had only seen the two boys charge at Harry. She had just stood up to help, and then the two of them had fallen.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Everything's fine." Harry rubbed his forearm reassuringly, then sat back down on the compartment sofa.

Seeing that Harry was all right did nothing to ease Hermione's worry. "Goodness, you made them bleed. That breaks school rules, doesn't it? They... they won't send you back, will they?"

"They won't. It's fine," Harry said easily. "Don't worry. Even if it really did break some school rules, it wouldn't be enough to send a Young Wizard home."