Charlie pushed his luggage trolley through the bustling crowds at King's Cross Station.
Storm stood majestically on top of the suitcase, looking around proudly and drawing surprised glances from plenty of passersby.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters..." Charlie glanced down at the ticket in his hand, his brow furrowing slightly.
He walked back and forth between platforms nine and ten several times, but couldn't find any sign of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Ask a staff member? Forget it. This was obviously a secret of the Wizarding World. If he asked, they'd just think he was crazy.
Just as Charlie was hesitating, a familiar figure entered his field of vision.
The black-haired boy he'd seen at the wand shop—Harry Potter—was pushing a trolley loaded with luggage, looking just as lost as Charlie.
Even more eye-catching was the fact that Harry was talking to a family with bright red hair.
The red-haired woman was short and plump, with a kind face, and was accompanied by five children with the same red hair.
Charlie pushed his luggage closer and watched as one of the red-haired boys pushed his trolley straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten.
Just as Charlie was starting to feel surprised, the boy magically disappeared into the wall.
"Wall-passing technique?" Charlie couldn't help exclaiming.
Could his old dream of learning to walk through walls and sneak into the women's bathhouse finally come true?
Hearing him, the red-haired woman turned to look at Charlie.
She immediately noticed Charlie's luggage and the owl perched on his suitcase, and smiled knowingly.
"You're a new student going to Hogwarts too, dear?" she asked warmly.
Charlie nodded.
"Yes, ma'am. I can't find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
"Oh, don't worry," the red-haired woman said kindly.
"You just need to walk straight toward the wall between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop, and don't be afraid," she explained.
"If you're nervous, you can jog through."
Charlie nodded gratefully.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Harry had already gone ahead, pushing his trolley toward the wall and disappearing into it.
Charlie took a deep breath and followed close behind.
He closed his eyes and charged forward, pushing the trolley.
The collision he'd expected never came. When he opened his eyes, the sight before him left him awestruck.
A red steam engine stood beside the platform, with "Hogwarts Express" written on its front.
The platform was packed with students and parents. The owls' calls, the clattering of suitcases, and the chatter of people all mingled together.
"Wow..." Charlie couldn't help exclaiming.
There was something truly magical about seeing a steam locomotive combined with magic.
Harry stood a short distance away, looking just as amazed as Charlie.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled at the same time.
"Hey, want to find a compartment together?" Charlie asked.
Harry nodded. "Sure."
They loaded their luggage onto the train together and found an empty compartment. After stowing their luggage, they sat down facing each other.
"I'm Charlie White." Charlie held out his hand.
"Harry Potter." Harry shook his hand, watching Charlie's reaction a little nervously.
Charlie simply nodded, showing no particular surprise.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little more at ease.
"Did you live in the Muggle world before this too?" Harry asked.
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I only found out I was a Wizard a month ago."
"Me too!" Harry said excitedly.
"I grew up in a Muggle family. I didn't know I was a Wizard until Hagrid came and told me."
"Hagrid's the Gamekeeper at Hogwarts."
They exchanged smiles, finding common ground in an unfamiliar place.
Outside the window, Mrs. Weasley was giving the red-haired Twins a stern talking-to.
"...You two had better behave yourselves this year, understand? If I get another letter saying you blew up a toilet—"
"Blow up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet," one of the Twins said.
"But that's a great idea. Thanks, Mum!" the other chimed in.
"That is not funny!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.
Watching the Twins' backs, Charlie couldn't help exclaiming,
"Now that's what I call real talent. Even an incompetent ruler would have to admit, 'You're even more incompetent than me.'"
I can't even imagine how many Tyrant Points blowing up a school toilet would earn.
Harry looked at him in confusion. "What's an incompetent ruler?"
"Uh, nothing. Just a joke." Charlie quickly changed the subject.
Before long, the compartment door slid open, and the Twins and the red-haired boy Charlie had seen earlier walked in.
"Hey, is there room in here?" the red-haired boy asked. "The other compartments are all full."
"Of course," Harry and Charlie said at the same time.
After the three of them sat down, the Twins introduced themselves.
"I'm Fred Weasley."
"I'm George Weasley."
"And this is our little brother. His name's Ron."
"Charlie White."
"Harry Potter."
"Wait, are you Harry Potter?"
Harry nodded, his cheeks turning pink.
"Really?" Fred asked in surprise. "Do you really have that... scar?"
Harry pushed up his fringe, revealing the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. The Twins and Ron all stared, wide-eyed.
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed involuntarily.
Harry was clearly uncomfortable. He still wasn't used to being treated like some rare animal.
Seeing Harry's face turn red, Charlie spoke up at just the right moment.
"Fred, George," Charlie suddenly said.
"When you go blow up a toilet, can you bring me along?"
The Twins froze for a moment and blinked. Clearly, they hadn't expected a handsome new student who looked like an aristocrat to be one of them!
Fred looked Charlie up and down and asked suspiciously, "Why do you want to join us?"
"Because pulling pranks makes me stronger, and I can learn new magic too."
"Haha, that's a brilliant excuse, George. Next time Mum asks why we're pulling pranks, we'll say that."
Charlie shrugged. These days, no one believed the truth.
He could only change his answer.
"Fine. Because it's fun. Blowing up a toilet sounds thrilling, way more interesting than reading those boring textbooks."
George grinned. "Haha, I like that reason!"
Fred and George exchanged a glance, then said in unison, "Welcome to the Weasley Prank Squad!"
"But we can't tell you about our secret plan just yet," Fred said mysteriously.
"We'll tell you once we get to Hogwarts," George added.
The two stood up to leave. Fred looked back just before going. "Remember, we're professionals."
"Amateurs won't be able to keep up with us," George added with a wink.
Charlie made an OK sign. "Don't worry. I definitely won't slow you down."
The Twins left, satisfied, and returned to their own compartment.
The compartment fell quiet again, with only Ron, Harry, and Charlie left inside.
Ron looked at Charlie with admiration. "You really dare to get up to mischief with Fred and George? They're the biggest troublemakers in the school."
"Mum gets letters of complaint about them every year."
Harry nodded too. "Sounds like fun. I've never had friends like that before."
Charlie leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs. "Life's short. Enjoy yourself while you can."
Ron and Harry both thought Charlie was interesting. His easygoing attitude was new to them.
As they were chatting, the train whistled and began to pull away slowly.
Charlie looked out the window at the scenery drifting by, feeling a little gloomy.
Right now, all he could do was ride the train, which meant his Tyrant Points weren't going up at all.
He could earn Tyrant Points by taking a dump in public on the train, but that would be way too ridiculous.
[This Servant agrees with Your Majesty doing that, but if anyone asks why, Your Majesty mustn't mention me.]
Charlie: ...
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