I Have a Talent for Divination

"Come on, do a spin for me!"

Charles held a Chocolate Frog to Crookshanks' mouth, trying to get him to perform.

Crookshanks gave him a look that said, Seriously?

Hermione and Neville continued on their toad-finding quest, leaving Charles behind with Harry.

Harry asked him, "I didn't expect you to be a wizard too. By the way, why weren't you surprised when you saw me just now?"

Charles placed the Chocolate Frog by Crookshanks' mouth and turned to him, saying, "Just like Hermione said, your fame is known from Qidda to Ireland."

While he was talking, Crookshanks snatched the Chocolate Frog and ran into Ron's pocket.

Harry was immune to these words and said happily, "It's great that you're coming to Hogwarts too! I hope we can be in the same house!"

At this, Ron said a little angrily, "As long as it's not the same house as her."

Harry asked curiously, "Which house are your brothers in?"

Charles listened to Harry and Ron discuss houses, then they talked about the incident at Gringotts reported in the Daily Prophet.

Harry found the matter a bit strange and remembered Hagrid taking him to Gringotts. The next moment, he suddenly turned to Charles and said, "By the way, did you know Aunt Petunia beat up Hagrid? With her fists!"

Charles blinked. The ordinary housewife next door, who often brought him pastries, had defeated the ten-foot-tall, ten-foot-wide half-giant with her fists? What kind of plot was this?

After Harry described Hagrid's physique, he said excitedly, "That night, Hagrid gave Dudley a pig's tail!"

Charles asked in surprise, "Really? Did you take a picture? If you did, and he tries to bully you again, you can say you'll send the photo to The Times or The Sun!"

"How did I not think of that!" Harry looked regretful and continued, "Uncle Vernon was terrified, and Aunt Petunia charged forward like a madwoman."

"She kicked Hagrid between the legs first, and he doubled over in pain. Then I saw the most perfect uppercut in the world, hitting Hagrid right on the bridge of his nose. Blood poured out of his nose like a faucet!"

Charles's brow furrowed slightly. Recalling how Petunia's face had changed instantly in front of Dumbledore that day, he thought this lady was probably not simple.

Before he could think further, the compartment door was roughly pulled open. The troublemakers had arrived.

Draco Malfoy, with his two cronies, swaggered into the compartment. He was looking for Harry.

Malfoy habitually insulted the Weasley family, glanced at Charles, and said to Harry, "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are much better than others. Hanging out with Muggle-borns will only make you stink. Potter. You don't want to be friends with outcasts, do you? I can help you with that."

Malfoy extended his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry ignored him.

"I think I can tell for myself who the outcasts are and who stinks to be around," Harry said coldly.

Malfoy's blood pressure shot up, and a faint blush spread across his pale cheeks.

Charles smiled slightly, realizing he had been caught in the crossfire while just observing. He also realized Malfoy was like a young boy excitedly about to confess, only to be rejected and told he was a loser.

"If I were you, Potter, I'd be very careful," Malfoy said, regaining his composure, looking earnest. "You should be more polite, or you'll end up like your parents. They were also ignorant. If you hang around with people like the Weasley family, Hagrid, or this guy all day, you'll be influenced."

Harry and Ron shot to their feet, Ron's face as red as his hair.

Charles remained seated because Harry had put a hand on his shoulder.

Harry narrowed his eyes and said to Malfoy, "Say that again."

Malfoy sneered, "Oh, you want to fight, do you?"

Harry stepped in front of Charles, blocking him, and rolled up his sleeves, saying calmly, "Unless you get out right now."

He seriously assessed Crabbe and Goyle behind Malfoy. Those two were much larger than himself and Ron. The space was cramped with little room to maneuver. The fight had to be resolved as quickly as possible, or if Charles intervened, they might all be expelled.

Goyle looked at Harry's slender frame and confidently said, "We don't intend to leave. We've eaten all the food. It looks like you still have some here."

As he spoke, he reached for the Chocolate Frog next to Ron, then let out a yelp, clutching his stomach, and collapsed onto the floor, his body curled like a cooked shrimp.

Charles curled his lip. Harry was serious. Despite his slender build, his strength was considerable among his peers. Ever since he grew taller than 1.5 meters, he had claimed to be "unbeatable among those under 1.5 meters in Surrey."

In that short time, Harry landed another straight punch on Crabbe's nose, knocking him out of the compartment.

At this point, Malfoy, like Ron, was dumbfounded. The "Chosen One's" style seemed a bit off.

Malfoy quickly understood the situation. His two cronies were beaten, and it seemed he was next.

It was then that Charles stood up, put his hand on Harry's shoulder to stop him, and walked up to Malfoy.

"Charles..." Harry called nervously, "It's only the first day of school, go easy on him."

Charles just smiled back at him, then went over and intimately slung an arm around Malfoy's shoulder, saying sincerely, "You know, I actually have a bit of a talent for divination. I sometimes make predictions."

Harry chimed in, "Yeah, whatever he says the weather will be like tomorrow, it always is. He's never wrong."

Malfoy's legs trembled. Partly from fear, and partly because Charles's hand, though seemingly casually placed on his shoulder, was pressing down with considerable force.

Charles slowly whispered in his ear, "I just saw that your house exploded."

Malfoy immediately fell to the ground. Charles smiled and said to him, "Let's go. How could those two be so careless? They bumped into the compartment door just walking. And you, you actually fell down while walking."

The annoying guys left. Ron looked very pleased and said to Charles, "You're amazing! You scared him so much he crawled away!"

Charles just smiled, glanced at the owl cage on the luggage rack, and turned to Harry, "Can I borrow the owl tonight? I want to write a letter back to Grandpa to let him know I'm safe."