Playing Mahjong?

"I heard that wizards used to get to school however they liked. Some rode Flying Broomsticks, while others went straight to Hogsmeade using Floo Powder. But after the International Statute of Secrecy was introduced in 1692, they were forced to stop, because too many wizards were being exposed to Muggles, which created a lot of extra work for the Ministry of Magic." Charles McKinnon seemed to know a lot about the history and launched into a lengthy explanation.

So that was how it worked. But how could they pass the several hours on the road? Read a book? Anduin glanced at his two companions and decided that keeping his head down and ignoring them the whole way would be rather rude.

"Hey, since we're going to be on the road for ages, want me to teach you a game?" Anduin suggested.

"Sure. We've got nothing else to do. What are we playing, Wizard Chess or Gobstones?" Charles had acted cynical at first, but the moment he heard they were going to play a game, his childish side came right out.

"It's a mysterious game from a great country in the East. It's usually played by four people, but three works too. I'll teach you." Anduin took a set of Mahjong tiles out of his luggage and began enthusiastically recommending the game.

Anduin was sure they wouldn't be able to resist Mahjong's charms.

But where could they find a table? His Transfiguration was only so-so, and he couldn't conjure one yet.

"Got it." Anduin looked at the little table by the compartment window, drew his wand, and cast a Lengthening Charm.

The small table at the edge of the compartment instantly extended by a section.

"There, that'll do." The Mahjong set Anduin carried around was a compact one, about the size of Japanese Mahjong tiles. The table was a little small, but it would do in a pinch.

The three of them gathered around the table, and Anduin began his lesson. He'd taught the kids at the Orphanage how to play before, so he had plenty of experience. In just a few words, he explained the rules. He'd bought these tiles to play with foreigners and had worried they wouldn't be able to read Chinese, so he'd picked up an International Mahjong set. Even the Wanzi tiles had Arabic numerals marked in the corners, so there'd be no trouble figuring them out.

"That's pretty much how it works. Let's play a couple of rounds, and I'll teach you as we go."

"This sounds so complicated. Is it even fun to play with all these little square tiles?" Vivian felt her head spinning after Anduin's explanation and couldn't help complaining.

"We've got plenty of time. Let's give it a try first," Charles said, trying to persuade Vivian. He seemed to find the game interesting.

Charles found a suitcase about the same height as a chair, set it on the floor, and sat in the middle of the aisle facing the table. Anduin and Vivian took the chairs on either side. With Anduin guiding them, the three started playing Mahjong.

With Anduin's guidance, the two of them quickly grasped the basics. In half an hour, Vivian had won two hands, and Charles had won one. Anduin had deliberately let them win so they could get a better feel for the game.

"Haha, I won again! This game's so fun!" Vivian pushed her tiles over with a cheerful grin, no longer looking at all troubled.

"How about we make it a contest? When the snack trolley comes by, whoever has the lowest score has to treat the rest of us," Charles suggested excitedly. He was having just as much fun.

That was how kids were: spend enough time playing together, and they gradually grew more familiar and started trusting each other.

"Yeah, yeah! I feel like I'm on a lucky streak right now," Vivian chimed in.

Anduin chuckled to himself. I was going easy on you, and now you're getting cocky. Let me teach you a lesson and show you what it's like to get crushed.

The three of them tidied up their tiles and began another round.

A little while later, there was a knock at the door. The three turned around and saw a middle-aged woman selling snacks, asking if they wanted anything.

Anduin's face had turned rather grim. They'd been playing for nearly two rounds, and he'd lost almost every hand.

What the hell? Are these two really playing Mahjong for the first time? How are they so good? Am I just terrible? Anduin grumbled to himself.

Vivian was especially ridiculous. It was as if she'd suddenly discovered a whole new world. She kept winning hand after hand and often caught Anduin's discards, making him regret teaching them how to play.

"Haha, Anduin, hurry up! You lost the most, so you have to buy us snacks!" Vivian's eyes crinkled into crescents as she called to him with a giggle.

"Yeah, yeah. Damn, how are you so lucky?" Anduin helplessly pulled out his wallet and bought one of everything.

Then the three of them began to feast in the carriage.

"Try these Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They come in all sorts of flavors." Charles had a Licorice Wand in his mouth as he held out a handful of sweets to Anduin.

"Ugh." Anduin almost threw up after trying one. He'd gotten an earwax-flavored one.

As for how he knew it tasted like earwax, don't ask. He was just guessing.

Vivian and Charles burst out laughing at him, without a shred of sympathy.

Anduin didn't have the courage to try any more of those sweets, so he started eating a Chocolate Frog instead.

Of all the snacks, Chocolate Frogs were the most tolerable to him. The others were either too sweet or tasted strange, like those Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

Inside was a card introducing a famous wizard and their achievements. The one Anduin had was illustrated with Hengist of Woodcraft, who was said to have founded Hogsmeade, the only all-wizard village in Britain.

As he studied the card, Anduin gazed out the window, growing ever more excited about the wizarding world.

The three of them kept snacking and chatting.

Vivian still talked a mile a minute, and every other sentence was about her family and what its members had done. Anduin's ears were practically numb from hearing about it, but he still had to smile politely.

Honestly, when it came to a girl like Vivian, Anduin thought someone with good people skills might call her "spirited," while someone with no tact would probably just call her a "chatterbox."

Once Charles had gotten comfortable with the other two, he gradually opened up. Apart from his ever-present hatred of the Death Eaters, he talked most about Quidditch. When he learned that Anduin and Vivian weren't very familiar with the wizarding sport, he began frequently explaining the rules to them. He also knew all there was to know about the Quidditch Teams and players from different countries.

Anduin couldn't quite understand why there was a barbaric sport like Quidditch in the wizarding world. As he listened to Charles describe the various Quidditch fouls and how this or that player had been killed or maimed by a Bludger in some match, he couldn't help feeling that the wizarding world was strangely divided: on one hand, it had convenient applications of magic; on the other, so much of it was primitive and barbaric.