Food Made with a Family's Love is the Most Delicious

"Fancy some exciting snacks, dear?"

A round-faced witch pushing a trolley appeared at the compartment door, the cart piled high with all sorts of oddly shaped treats.

Harry's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood: "Of course!"

Charlie stood up too, pulling out his money pouch. He hadn't eaten since leaving the orphanage, and his stomach was already growling.

The two each bought a big pile of snacks. The trolley witch grinned from ear to ear, counting the Sickles in her hand.

Ron stared at the table full of snacks, swallowed hard, then awkwardly pulled a brown-paper-wrapped sandwich from his bag.

"My mum made it for me," Ron muttered quietly.

"She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

He unwrapped it, revealing a dry, unappetizing corned beef sandwich. It really didn't look tempting.

Harry noticed Ron's embarrassment and felt a surge of sympathy. It reminded him of the Dursleys' place, where the food he got wasn't much better.

"Want to swap?" Harry offered. "I'll get sick of all these sweets if I eat too many."

This was the first time he'd ever shared his things with a friend, and his eyes were full of anticipation.

Ron looked at the cake in Harry's hand, a flicker of longing in his eyes, but he shook his head.

"Forget it. That sandwich is cold and dry—not good. You two go ahead."

Charlie spoke up then.

"How could it not be good? Food made by family is the most delicious."

He pulled out the biscuits Grandma White had given him. The packaging was simple but heartfelt, tied with a little bow.

"I grew up in an orphanage," Charlie said, his voice a bit soft.

"The orphanage was poor, but Matron always made all sorts of treats for us in different ways."

"She said even without fancy delicacies, as long as the food was made with care, it could fill the emptiness in your heart."

Ron and Harry were stunned, clearly moved by Charlie's words.

Harry thought about his own treatment at the Dursleys', and his eyes grew a little teary. He envied that feeling of being treated with genuine care.

Charlie opened the biscuit package, and a sweet aroma immediately filled the air: "Here, try some. They taste great."

He proactively shared the biscuits with the two of them.

Ron, touched by Charlie's words, stopped being shy and broke his sandwich into three pieces: "Don't think less of it, alright?"

Harry took the biscuit and sandwich, feeling a warmth in his heart.

Ron and Harry both picked up the biscuit and sandwich, savoring them slowly.

"These biscuits are really good!"

Ron gave a very face-saving compliment, and Harry nodded in agreement.

Soon, the large sandwich and the generously made biscuits left them both feeling full.

"Full, full—can't eat another bite."

At that moment, Charlie set the biscuit and sandwich aside, picked up the last Pumpkin Pasty from the table, and took a big, satisfied bite.

Harry was stunned.

"Charlie, didn't you say..."

"Oh, I just wanted to taste what this pasty is like. I'll eat the biscuit and sandwich later."

Harry and Ron: ...

Charlie squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

Food made by family was indeed delicious, but on his first day in the magical world, shouldn't he get to try more of its specialty treats?

Sure, Britain was a culinary wasteland that gave birth to ancient-god-tier food like Stargazy pie, but magical-world snacks were still pretty good.

[Your Majesty, doesn't your conscience ache for tricking your study companion? Tyrant Points +2]

Hey, an unexpected bonus.

Ron and Harry gloomily tore open Chocolate Frogs. They were already full, so this was just a little after-dinner dessert.

Soon, a knock came at the compartment door.

"Excuse me, have you seen a toad?"

The door slid open, and a round-faced boy walked in, his eyes full of tears.

His cheeks were chubby, and he looked utterly helpless.

"His name is Trevor. My toad Trevor is missing."

The boy's voice carried a sob.

Charlie shook his head.

"Your toad's not here."

"But there are plenty of frogs on the table."

Ron had just unwrapped one, and the Chocolate Frog immediately hopped onto the table, lively and bouncing.

The round-faced boy's eyes lit up instantly, his gaze locked tightly on that Chocolate Frog.

Charlie smiled and invited, "Want a taste? They're not bad."

The round-faced boy promptly forgot all about the toad, took the Chocolate Frog Charlie handed him, and spoke while eating.

"Thanks, I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

"I'm Charlie White."

"Ron Weasley."

When it was Harry's turn, he was a bit nervous: "Harry Potter."

Neville bit into the Chocolate Frog with no particular reaction, just nodding: "Hello, Harry."

That made Harry happy—looks like Hogwarts was the place to be, where no one overreacted to his name.

Neville continued munching on the Chocolate Frog with relish, completely immersed in the joy of sweets.

Soon, there was another knock at the door.

"Neville!"

A small girl with bushy brown hair walked in. She spotted Neville at once and said with a wrinkled nose:

"Neville, are you still looking for your toad or not!"

Neville snapped back to reality, still holding chocolate in his mouth:

"Oh right, I still need to find my toad!"

This guy was so into his Chocolate Frog he'd completely forgotten about the toad.

The little girl shook her head helplessly and turned to the others:

"I'm Hermione Granger. Have any of you seen Neville's toad?"

Before Charlie and the other two could answer, she suddenly noticed the faint scar on Harry's forehead, and her eyes went wide.

"Wait, are you Harry Potter?"

Neville was stunned upon hearing this, nearly dropping his Chocolate Frog:

"Harry Potter?!"

Well, great—so he'd been so absorbed in his Chocolate Frog that he hadn't registered Harry's introduction at all.

Harry nodded with some resignation:

"Yes, that's me."

Hermione got a bit excited and rattled off like a string of beans:

"I've read about you in A History of Modern Magic, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. You must know loads of magic. I've tried a few spells at home, and they all worked. No one in my family is magical, so I really treasure this hard-won opportunity. I've memorised all my textbooks. Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?"

Charlie quickly cut in.

"Whoa, hold on. Aren't you looking for a toad? That toad's called Trevor, right?"

Good grief, this little girl looked cute enough, but once she started chattering, it was terrifying.

Charlie pulled out his wand.

"Accio Trevor."

Over the summer break, he'd drawn the Summoning Charm. It was only Level One with low proficiency, but it was enough for now.

Shouts came from outside the compartment.

"A flying toad!"

"Idiot, someone's casting a spell."

Amid a commotion of chaos outside, a plump toad flew in through the window and landed squarely in Neville's arms.