Vincent, Who Listens to Reason

"Waaaaah…"

The Hogwarts Express departed.

Hermione, just stepping out, stumbled, nearly falling flat on her face in the aisle.

"How unlucky…"

She took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door of compartment V.

As she expected, Vincent and Cho were both inside.

Still just the lone boy and girl.

"Excuse me—"

She didn't go in. "Have you seen a toad?

It's Neville's entry gift."

Vincent, who had been resting his chin on his hand, shifted his gaze from the window.

Cho offered a small dried fish to Gugu, who was flapping its wings energetically.

"You can come in and look around."

Hermione, having received permission, then entered.

She wasn't curious about the relationship between the two, simply adding a "playboy" label to Vincent, who was also a new student.

"Can I open the suitcase to take a look?"

"Of course," Vincent proactively unzipped it.

There was a pretty good chance the toad had burrowed inside.

Hermione didn't rummage through his luggage, only giving it a quick glance through the gaps.

"This is…" She quickly zipped up the hidden compartment.

That hard, silver, unidentified object was definitely a small commodity of the Wayne Family, widely sold in continental Europe.

"I didn't know there was this thing inside."

Vincent knew his parents would prepare some self-defense weapons for him.

In a few more years, this would be illegal.

"I didn't see anything," Cho said tactfully, pulling up Hermione's slender arm.

They'd seen what they should see, and what they shouldn't see.

"Me neither," Hermione actually said the same thing.

Her parents were both dentists, and her luggage also contained many dental care tools.

Was it strange that the son of a weapons dealer had a gun?

Not strange at all.

To thank them for their discretion, Vincent decided to let Cho play with Gugu as she pleased until they arrived.

As for Hermione, he proactively took on the task of finding Trevor.

"Let's go look together." She was really a little worried.

It was hard to guarantee there wouldn't be a second Neville among the young wizards.

Vincent walked out of the compartment indifferently. "Okay, but it'll be slow."

Cho hugged Gugu tightly in her arms. "I'll go to the back and ask around."

The last few compartments were mostly occupied by students who were almost late.

People like Vincent and Hermione were very rare.

The two, politely knocking and asking, had arrived in the middle of the train.

"Excuse me, have you seen…

Oh, you're casting a spell? Don't mind if we take a look, do you?"

In compartment J, which wasn't closed, the two boys who seemed to be having a meal were a little dazed.

The older boy behind the girl had been staring at them the whole time.

The red-haired boy holding the wand swallowed the food in his mouth and cleared his throat.

"Sunshine daisy butter mellow, turn this fat rat yellow—"

With a "clatter," the snack box that the little rat was burying its head in fell down.

The boy with glasses looked at him, and they could both see the strong sense of embarrassment in each other's eyes.

"Are you sure this is…"

"Let's go."

The older boy pulled the girl away.

The two boys in the compartment continued to chat while eating snacks.

For a moment, they both thought these two were coming to cause trouble.

"Harry, just ignore them."

"Okay, Ron."

In the aisle.

Hermione shook off Vincent's large hand, "What are you doing?"

"Don't forget we're here to find Trevor."

Although it would be a shame not to say hello to Mr. Potter, he really didn't want to relive that kind of high-handed, showy display.

Hermione, following behind him, narrowed her eyes and stared intently at his back.

She didn't want to show off or anything; it's just that ever since she was little, when she saw classmates struggling with problems, she would enthusiastically demonstrate the solution process to them.

Vincent's attitude made it clear that the matter of finding Trevor was just "hush money" for her.

The label of snobbery was attached to his back along with her gaze.

Having already arrived at compartment D, the two were unaware that the other's impression of them was deteriorating.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you..."

Vincent quickly sidestepped as he opened the compartment door, dodging a dark shadow flying towards his nose.

Inside, a pale-faced, blond boy drawled, "Shite, don't let that toad get away!"

The other two chubby boys immediately stood up.

"It's Trevor!"

Hermione, seeing it hopping further and further down the aisle, excitedly grabbed Vincent's arm, "Hurry, I don't want to have to search all over again with you."

"Hold on--" the blond boy called out to the two who were about to leave, "Trevor? Are you talking about the ugly toad that ran into my compartment?"

That annoying tone made Vincent stop in his tracks.

He stood in the compartment doorway, looking down at the two chubby boys who were already over five feet tall.

"I don't think Trevor is ugly, at least not as ugly as these two."

The blond boy jumped down from his seat, still drawling, "What, is that ugly toad your pet?

Heh, an outdated antique."

His undisguised look of disdain made even Hermione feel very uncomfortable.

This kind of annoying person should naturally belong in Slytherin.

"No." Vincent walked inside.

Since they were bound to run into each other at school sooner or later, he might as well have a good talk now.

Two chubby followers, plus a little brat who might just have a foul mouth, shouldn't take up too much time.

The blond boy walked forward with a haughty expression, "Do you know the Malfoy Family?"

Vincent and Hermione both shook their heads at the same time.

"So you're Muggle-born."

He raised his proud little head, "Go home quickly, Hogwarts isn't a place for you to stay."

The two chubby boys chuckled and praised their own noble pure blood.

The three of them acted like nobles in the Middle Ages who could trample commoners at will.

"Vincent, don't..."

Even though Hermione was angry inside, she still held tightly onto his right arm, which was clenched into a fist.

"Poor fellows--"

Vincent's expressionless face became exceptionally sharp: "Is your bloodline all you have left to boast about?"

The blond boy, seemingly not seeing the scene he had expected, waved his hand dismissively, "Throw them out."

The two grinning chubby boys didn't care about the height difference and each put their hand on Vincent's shoulder, who was blocking the door.

Hermione didn't hesitate any longer and let go of his arm.

"Get out of here--"

Vincent quickly grabbed their wrists, "What, are you his watchdogs?"

He twisted their thick arms back and slammed them together hard, "Do you know the Wayne Family?"

"Bang--Bang--"

After two loud, heavy thuds, the blond boy took a small step back.

"Turns out you're just a coward."

For every step Vincent took forward, he retreated two steps back.

"Go home already, even Muggle-born wizards are better than you."

He returned every sarcastic remark with a face of complete calm.

When the boy from the Malfoy Family had nowhere left to run, his back against the train window, Vincent suddenly shook his head with a smile.

"What are you laughing at!"

"What do you think?"

Hermione's eyelids twitched from outside the compartment.

"Hiss—"

She even sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Agh—"

This scene was just too bloody.