"Come on, spin around for me!"
Charles held a Chocolate Frog to Crookshanks's mouth, trying to get him to perform.
Crookshanks replied with a look that said, What the hell is wrong with you?
Hermione and Neville continued their search for the toad, while Harry kept Charles behind.
Harry asked him, "I never expected you to be a wizard, too. By the way, when you saw me earlier, why weren't you surprised at all?"
Charles held the Chocolate Frog to Crookshanks's mouth and turned to him. "Just like Hermione said earlier, your fame is known to everyone from Khitan to Ireland."
While Charles was talking, Crookshanks seized the Chocolate Frog and ran into Ron's pocket.
Harry was already immune to this sort of talk from him. He said happily, "It's great that you're coming to Hogwarts too. I wish we could be in the same house!"
Ron said angrily, "As long as I'm not in the same house as her."
Harry asked curiously, "Which house is your brother in?"
Charles sat to the side listening as Harry and Ron discussed the houses, then moved on to the incident at Gringotts reported in the Daily Prophet.
Harry felt there was something suspicious about it. He then remembered what had happened when Hagrid took him to Gringotts, and suddenly turned to Charles. "Oh, right, did you know Aunt Petunia defeated Hagrid? With her fists!"
Charles blinked. The ordinary housewife living across from him, who often brought over snacks, had punched down a Half-Giant ten feet tall with a ten-foot waist. What kind of script is this?
After describing Hagrid's build, Harry said excitedly, "That night, Hagrid made Dudley grow a pig's tail!"
Charles asked in surprise, "Really? Did you take a picture? If you did, then if he tries to bully you again, you can tell him you'll send the picture to The Times or The Sun!"
"How did I not think of that?" Harry looked deeply regretful, then continued, "Uncle Vernon was terrified at the time, and Aunt Petunia charged over like a madwoman."
"First, she kicked Hagrid between the legs. Hagrid doubled over in pain, and then I saw the most perfect uppercut in the world. Her fist struck Hagrid right on the bridge of his nose, and blood poured out like someone had turned on a faucet!"
Charles frowned slightly as he recalled how Petunia had instantly changed her expression in front of Dumbledore that day. This woman is probably not simple.
Before he could think further, the carriage door was yanked open roughly. The troublemakers had arrived.
Draco Malfoy swaggered into the carriage with two followers. He had come looking for Harry.
Malfoy habitually insulted the Weasley family, then glanced at Charles and said to Harry, "You'll soon find that some wizarding families are much better than others. Associating with wizards born to Muggles will only leave you smelling foul, Potter. Surely you don't want to make friends with the wrong sort of people. I can help you with that."
Malfoy held out his hand to Harry, but Harry ignored him.
"I think I can tell for myself who the wrong sort are, and who makes people smell foul," Harry said coldly.
Malfoy's blood pressure shot up, and a faint flush spread across his pale cheeks.
Charles smiled slightly. He realized that although he had only been sitting back and watching the spectacle, he had still been caught in the crossfire. He also realized that Malfoy was like a boy eagerly preparing to confess his feelings, only to be rejected and told, You're an idiot.
"If I were you, Potter, I'd be very careful." After catching his breath, Malfoy put on a solemn, fatherly expression. "You ought to be more polite, or you'll end up following the same path as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. If you spend all day hanging around people like the Weasley family, Hagrid, or this riffraff, you'll be influenced by them."
Harry and Ron sprang to their feet. Ron's face was as red as his hair.
Charles remained seated because Harry had pressed a hand to his shoulder.
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly at Malfoy. "Say that again."
Malfoy sneered. "Oh, you want to fight, do you?"
Harry stepped in front of Charles, blocking him from view, rolled up his sleeves, and said calmly, "Unless you leave right now."
He seriously assessed Crabbe and Goyle behind Malfoy. Both were much bigger than he and Ron, and there was little room to maneuver in the cramped carriage. He had to end the fight as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if Charles joined in, they might all be expelled immediately.
Goyle looked at Harry's somewhat skinny body and said confidently, "But we don't intend to leave. We've eaten all our food, and it looks like you still have some."
As he spoke, he reached for the Chocolate Frog beside Ron. Then he let out an "Ow!", clutched his stomach, and collapsed. His body curled on the floor like a boiled shrimp.
Charles curled his lip. Harry was serious now. Despite looking somewhat thin, he was quite strong for his age. Ever since he had grown taller than five feet, he had called himself "unbeatable against anyone under five feet tall in Surrey."
In the time it took to say that, Harry landed another straight punch on Crabbe's nose and knocked him out of the carriage.
Malfoy and Ron were both left staring in shock. The "Chosen One's" style seemed a little off.
Malfoy quickly understood the situation. His two followers had been beaten down, and apparently, he was next.
Charles stood up, pressed a hand to Harry's shoulder to stop him, and walked over to Malfoy.
"Charles..." Harry called out nervously. "It's only the first day of school. Go easy on him."
Charles merely turned and smiled at him. Then he walked over, put an arm around Malfoy's shoulders with great familiarity, and said earnestly, "I actually have a bit of a talent for divination. I can make a few prophecies from time to time."
Harry chimed in, "That's right. Whenever he says what the weather will be like tomorrow, that's exactly what it's like. He's never been wrong."
Malfoy's legs were trembling. Partly, it was from fear. Also, although Charles's hand seemed to rest casually on his shoulder, it was pressing down with considerable force.
Charles slowly whispered into his ear, "I just saw that your house exploded."
Malfoy immediately collapsed onto the floor. Charles smiled at him and said, "Come on, let's go. Honestly, how careless can those two be? They managed to walk straight into the carriage door. And you—how did you trip and fall while simply walking along?"
The annoying troublemakers finally left. Ron looked delighted as he said to Charles, "You're amazing! You scared him so badly he had to crawl away!"
Charles merely smiled. He glanced at the owl cage on the luggage rack, then turned to Harry and asked, "Could I borrow your owl tonight? I want to write my grandfather a letter to let him know I'm safe."
Before you continue