Ron

The train rumbled into motion, setting off toward Hogwarts.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"

Harry looked toward the door, where a shy boy with flaming red hair and light freckles stood.

"No," he answered.

The boy thanked him, stowed his luggage, and sat opposite Harry. He gazed out at the scenery with an unconcerned air, though he kept sneaking glances at Harry.

That red hair... he must be from that family, Harry thought.

"Hello," Harry greeted him first. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Ronald Weasley. You can call me Ron." Ron held out his hand and shook Harry's like a little adult.

Weasley?

Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Weasley? You mean your surname is Weasley?"

"Yeah." Ron looked rather confused.

Shouldn't I be the one asking questions? Asking about the Savior's glorious deeds? Why is the Savior asking me instead...?

Yet Harry was thinking of Deputy Headmistress Matilda Weasley, also the Head of Gryffindor, who had looked after him so much at school, as well as his good buddy Gareth Weasley.

A silence suddenly fell between them, and Ron decided to break it first.

"So, do you really..."

At that point, Ron suddenly remembered Mother's warning and quickly swallowed the question of whether Harry really had a scar.

"Really what?" Harry asked.

"Did you really live with Muggles?" Ron awkwardly changed the subject. "That's what I heard. Is it true?"

"Yes." Harry nodded. "I lived with my uncle and aunt. Their whole family are Muggles."

"What were they like?" Ron asked.

"Not very nice. They were very opposed to magic." Harry spread his hands and said with a hint of envy, "I wish I had two older brothers."

"You'll know how annoying the two of them are once you do," Ron said, shuddering at the thought. "Also, not two—five. I have five older brothers, and a younger sister."

"Wow..." Harry exclaimed sincerely.

A big, thriving family like that had always been his dream.

Heaven knew how badly he had wished for a few brothers named Potter, brothers who would stand up and protect him whenever someone bullied him.

But Ron looked a little unhappy. "I'm the sixth person in my family to go to Hogwarts. At home, Mother always tells me to follow their examples—my eldest brother Bill is Head Boy; my second brother Charlie is captain of the Quidditch team; my third brother Percy just became a Prefect; and even though Fred and George are always causing trouble, their grades are always excellent. Everyone thinks they're cool."

"So you feel under a lot of pressure." Harry nodded in understanding. "Because your family expects you not to do worse than them."

"No," Ron said irritably. "If you have five older brothers, you never get anything new. I wear Bill's old robes, use Charlie's old wand, and have Percy's unwanted rat."

As he spoke, he pulled a fat sleeping rat from inside his robes.

"Look, this rat's called Scabbers," Ron said helplessly. "He's really old and sleeps all day. Percy got an owl as a reward for becoming a Prefect, so he gave me this extra rat."

By then, Ron realized he had said a little too much. He closed his mouth and looked out the window.

He did not want his new friend to think badly of him because of any of this.

"Look, Ron." Harry tugged at his clothes and said, "These are my cousin Dudley's old clothes. See? They're so baggy they look like maternity wear—I've been wearing the old clothes he didn't want ever since I could remember. I've never had anything new—you see, Dudley is the same age as me, but he's very fat, while I'm small and skinny, so I can wear his clothes..."

The rarest thing in the world was being understood.

Harry's words made Ron feel that he was not quite so unlucky after all. He did not think Harry was merely being polite; he truly understood Ron's circumstances.

Sharing the same embarrassing experiences could quickly bring two people closer.

While they talked, the train had already left London.

At the same time, a rattling sound came from the corridor.

A smiling, dimpled woman pushed open the compartment door and asked, "Anything from the trolley, my dears?"

It was lunchtime. The train had departed promptly at eleven, and Harry had angered Uncle Vernon, so he had not had a chance to eat lunch.

He really was hungry.

"No, I brought sandwiches. Thanks." Ron lowered his head, speaking awkwardly.

Harry stood up, walked into the corridor, and said, "One of everything, please."

Even though he had spent six years at school a century ago, he was still only sixteen. Deep down, he was still a child.

He had some resistance to snacks, but not much.

The vendor picked out one of each item from the trolley for him. When Harry paid at the end, he gave her one Galleon, three Sickles, and four bronze Knuts.

He carried the snacks back into the compartment. Ron stared fixedly at the pile in Harry's arms without even blinking.

Harry naturally knew that his new friend was craving some.

"You really are hungry," Ron said with certainty.

"Yeah, starving." Harry pulled out a Pumpkin Pasty and handed it to Ron.

"No, mate." Ron took a sandwich from a paper box. "Mother packed me sandwiches to eat on the train... She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"I'll trade you one. Here, trade you one." Harry offered him the Pumpkin Pasty.

"You won't like it," Ron sniffed. "She has five of us kids to look after. She doesn't have time—"

"It's fine," Harry said with a smile.

He finally persuaded Ron. In fact, after Ron took a bite of the Pumpkin Pasty, he never touched the sandwich again. Harry tactfully avoided mentioning it and set his own portion on the table.

"Really good." Harry took a bite of a Cauldron Cake, then pulled out a box of Chocolate Frogs.

"You actually bought Chocolate Frogs too?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Harry opened a Chocolate Frog. "I bought these in Diagon Alley before. They come with cards too—but I'm not that interested in the cards. The Chocolate Frogs themselves are pretty good."

"Then do me a favor, mate," Ron said quickly. "If you get Agrippa or Ptolemy, make sure you save them for me."

"Don't worry," Harry agreed with a nod, turning over the card.

"Oh, it's Dumbledore!" he said softly.