Harry Potter

Harry did not enjoy being the center of attention, especially when everyone who knew his name wanted to see the scar on his forehead. It made him feel like an animal in a zoo.

But he did not have the courage to refuse. Or rather, this could at least help him get familiar with others sooner.

So when he noticed Ron staring at his forehead with flickering eyes, he swept aside his hair and let him take a look.

"Merlin's socks..."

Ron could not help but exclaim in admiration, his eyes still fixed firmly on Harry's forehead until Harry's face turned a little red.

Vaughn tapped him on the head with his Wand.

Ron cried out in pain, clutching his head as he complained, "What are you doing?"

"Because you were rude."

"I... I was just curious..."

Ron turned his face away sheepishly and looked outside the window.

Harry sat awkwardly beside him, his wandering eyes having nowhere to settle until they finally landed on the Wand in Vaughn's hand.

Having received help from the Weasley family twice in a row, Harry felt that they were very nice people.

The timidity in his heart finally faded somewhat. He watched for a while before curiosity got the better of him and he asked:

"Um, Vaughn... can I call you Vaughn?"

Vaughn, who was grooming Guoguo Tea's fur, nodded. "Of course you can, Harry."

"Vaughn, that thing you used just now was..."

"The Levitation Charm. It's a very basic spell that can make objects float. It's in our First Year textbook."

"That's amazing..." Harry blinked his green eyes, then looked a little dejected. "I tried for a month and didn't learn anything."

Vaughn did not think much of it. "I've been practicing spells at home since I was eight. You, on the other hand, grew up in Muggle Society. Don't compare yourself to me, Harry. Many Muggle-born Young Wizards are about the same as you."

What he did not say was that he had learned the Levitation Charm after reciting it only twice.

There was nothing to show off about in front of a child.

That made Harry feel a little better. He was about to enter a new environment, and he was afraid he would not be able to keep up with his classmates.

Thinking of this, Harry noticed that he had neglected Ron. He hurriedly shifted the topic to Ron, wanting this new friend to show off a little too and bring them closer. "Ron, you must know lots of spells too, right?"

Ron: "..."

Harry watched Ron's face visibly turn red as he stammered without being able to say a word. Vaughn across from them even laughed aloud, and Harry realized he seemed to have done something stupid.

This was so awkward!

Fortunately, the compartment door was pushed open again just then, and a smiling woman with dimples asked:

"Dear, would you like to buy some snacks?"

She pushed a trolley piled full of things.

Harry immediately jumped up. He had never had friends and did not know how to get along with people his own age, but putting himself in their shoes, he felt that buying snacks for everyone was a good idea.

Perfect—he had money!

When Harry returned, the huge pile of snacks in his arms immediately caught Ron's attention. Ron stared as Harry dumped the snacks onto the seat, then warmly invited them to share.

"Come on, come on, I bought a lot. I can't finish it all by myself."

Ron still wanted to play it cool. "Mum packed sandwiches..."

But Vaughn had already cheerfully picked up a pumpkin pie and torn open the wrapper. He was not a child; there was no need to be shy about this. At worst, he could treat Harry another time.

Seeing Vaughn eat his food, Ron also bashfully accepted a pie before finally digging in with gusto. Harry was delighted. For the past eleven years, he had never shared anything with anyone. Nor had he had anything—or anyone—to share with.

This felt wonderful!

Harry and Ron chatted as they ate, and soon the conversation became lively. They discussed Chocolate Frog cards and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, while Vaughn occasionally chimed in.

But most of the time, he simply watched them with a smile, his thoughts turning in his mind.

In his previous life, he had once considered this: given the environment Harry had grown up in, what would have happened if there had been no Ron and no Hermione?

The outcome was almost foreseeable—

Harry would either have fallen into corruption as the Savior, immersed in everyone's attention and praise, becoming a useless wastrel who accomplished nothing.

Or he would have followed Voldemort's old path.

But that was only a what-if. The reality was that Harry met two lifelong friends on this train to Hogwarts, at the turning point of his life, and they filled his parched, barren heart with love once more.

Dumbledore always said that love was the greatest power.

But in Vaughn's eyes—

Destiny... was the most awe-inspiring power!

I really want to grasp it in my hand!

His fingers gently brushed over his Wand as Vaughn turned to look outside the window. The train had just passed the last stretch of neat farmland. The fields stretching toward the distant horizon gradually grew desolate, followed by dusky mountain shadows, scattered forests, and rivers winding across the land.

After an unknown amount of time, the compartment door was pushed open for the third time. A round-faced boy stood at the door, sniffling as he asked, "Excuse me, have you seen a toad? His name is Leif. I lost him."

Harry and Ron shook their heads blankly.

"I'll help you look!" Vaughn got to his feet. "Come on, Guoguo Tea. Smell his scent."

Guoguo Tea jumped down from the table and followed behind him.

The round-faced boy blew a snot bubble in gratitude. "Thank you, thank you. I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom."

"Don't mention it. Just call me Vaughn."

Vaughn was not actually that helpful. He just wanted an excuse to wander around.

And, while he was at it, let his younger brother and Harry properly build their friendship.

Watching Vaughn leave with Neville, Harry sighed. "Your brother really is a good person, Ron."

Ron's face scrunched up like a chrysanthemum. "He's not! I don't even know how many times he's scared me since we were little. Fred and George are just as awful as him!"

Harry did not agree. "You're brothers, so of course he'll fool around with you. But look at how he treats me and that boy. Before today, I always thought every older brother in the world was like Dudley."

They had talked about Dudley earlier, and Harry had practically described him as a demon.

Compared to Dudley, Ron actually began to feel that Vaughn was practically an angel, and he could not help boasting. "...He's not that bad, of course. Actually, other than scaring me, Vaughn is good at everything. He's been able to brew potions since he was eight. Everyone has heard of him—the famous genius."

"He's also the one who earns the most money in our family. Look, this new Wand of mine? He bought it for me."

Harry looked at Ron cradling the Wand like a treasure and felt very envious.

No one had ever given him a gift like that.

Elsewhere, unaware that his younger brother was showing him off to Harry, Vaughn quickly found Leif with Guoguo Tea's help. After sending off the tearfully grateful Neville, he was just about to leave when he heard someone call to him.

"Vaughn... Weasley?"

He turned around. Not far away, Hermione Granger, with her bushy hair, was staring at him with sparkling eyes.