Magical Food

The compartment was very quiet. Harley was still flipping through her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

After all, she could not directly buy books about Dark Magic, so Harley could only read books on Defense Against the Dark Arts and infer information about this world's Dark Magic in reverse.

This quiet atmosphere made Ron, who sat across from Harley, very uncomfortable.

Harley's silent reading made it impossible for him to start a conversation. Yet Ron did not want to imitate Harley and find himself a book to read.

On one hand, influenced by his older brothers, he had absolutely no interest in reading.

On the other hand, he did not want his shabby secondhand books to affect the impression the girl across from him had of him.

So Ron could only awkwardly stare out at the fields and pastures beyond the window, silently praying that the train would reach the school soon.

Fortunately, at around twelve forty-five, a clattering sound came from the corridor, followed by someone pulling open the compartment door.

"Dear, would you like to buy some food from the trolley?" a smiling woman asked.

Harley did not quite understand why so many people had not even learned to knock before entering a room. Was that not the most basic etiquette?

Still, she politely looked up, preparing to refuse. In her experience, no matter which kingdom's train it was, the food sold aboard was rarely good value for money.

But when Harley saw the strange-looking food on the trolley, she was tempted. She simply asked, "Hello, may I ask what food you have for sale?"

"Oh, dear, there's plenty. Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs..." The woman listed a long string of names Harley had never heard before.

"Child, are you Muggle-born? Then I recommend trying Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs.

You could say they're the most iconic magical foods sold on the train."

Magical food? Harley pondered the term and could not help feeling curious. Could supernatural power be applied to food as well?

Would eating these foods enhance one's supernatural power, or was it something else?

"Ma'am, I'll have a little of everything," Harley said, taking a wallet from the backpack beside her.

After paying eleven Silver Sickles and seven Bronze Knuts, Harley bought a large pile of food.

The saleswoman thoughtfully threw in a bag to make it easier for Harley to carry. After all, such a pretty girl clutching a pile of snacks was hardly elegant.

Then the saleswoman looked at Ron across from Harley. But Ron's face reddened as he shook his head and muttered that he had brought food with him.

Harley first picked up a snack called a Chocolate Frog. She gently tucked her hair behind her ear and unobtrusively pinched her earlobe.

When she opened the wrapper, a frog suddenly leaped out. Fortunately, Harley was quick enough to grab it tightly in one hand.

Watching the chocolate frog struggle continuously, Harley revealed a thoughtful expression and decided to use a mysticism ritual.

With a light flick of her small hand, Harley let a wand slide out of her sleeve.

Of course, this wand had not been bought from a wand shop. Harley had ordered some herbs and wood from a herbalist through an owl.

After a simple ritual, the wood had become special wands. They could assist a Witch in performing stronger rituals, or serve as substitutes to preserve her life.

Harley pointed the wand at the Chocolate Frog. At the same time, she took several small bottles from a pouch and dripped a few drops of liquid onto the wand.

Ron watched Harley's smooth, practiced movements from the side and could not help opening his mouth wide.

As the ritual proceeded, delight appeared in Harley's eyes, and the corners of her lips rose unconsciously.

The saleswoman had called these foods magical foods, which had made Harley curious. Did they contain supernatural power?

After activating Spirit Vision, Harley indeed saw a faint halo within the Chocolate Frog. There was not much of it, but it truly possessed magical power.

After noticing the Chocolate Frog trying to escape, Harley performed a simple ritual.

Though she could not determine exactly how this Chocolate Frog had been made, or why it contained magical power.

Harley felt that it belonged to the Mother Pathway or the Moon Pathway, and was even more advanced than that—

She had never heard of any Beyonder from those two Sequences selling special food. At most, they cultivated unusual herbs and concocted special Potions.

This made Harley look forward to magic even more. Originally, she had only planned to leave Hogwarts after finding a way to recover her strength and seek the possibility of advancing to Sequence 2.

After all, the Demoness of Unaging had an infinite lifespan, so Harley naturally had to find herself some goals. She had no faith, so there was no need for her to devote her life to the Primordial Demoness.

But now, Harley began planning to complete all seven years of schooling before sneaking into other magic schools for a look.

With such a rich magical system, did it not have more potential than the Sequences?

Having planned out her future, Harley began enjoying the delicious food. Ron watched eagerly from beside her, swallowing saliva while holding a bulging paper box.

It seemed that Mr. Weasley did not have much spending money. Perhaps his family was not well-off, or perhaps his household was strict and gave him no allowance.

Harley swiftly came to that conclusion.

But Ron soon stopped looking at Harley and quietly ate his sandwich instead. This improved Harley's impression of him slightly. At least the boy before her was not completely lacking in manners.

Although her first impression of the boy had not been good, his later behavior had, to some extent, changed Harley's opinion of him.

At the same time, Harley needed to maintain a good image, lest that Monster at the demigod level continue spying on her—

If that old man had a personality as vile as the Mentor of Deceit or the Parasite, there was a very high chance of that happening.

Therefore, Harley decided to share some of her food, and perhaps exchange it for some information while she was at it.

"Would you like some?" After swallowing the last bite of her Chocolate Frog, Harley picked up a Pumpkin Pasty and asked.

"N-no, it's fine," Ron stammered. He raised the sandwich in his hand. "My mum made me corned beef sandwiches, though I don't really like corned beef."

"Don't be polite." Harley smiled slightly. "I can tell you don't like that.

I happened to buy quite a lot of food, and I definitely can't finish it all myself, so share some with me.

In exchange, you can tell me some common knowledge about the magical world. After all, I live with Muggles right now."

As she spoke, Harley held the pasty out in front of Ron.

Ron looked at the Pumpkin Pasty in the slender hand before him. After hesitating for a moment, he accepted it.

Out of gratitude, Ron began sharing little facts about life in the magical world with Harley, such as the cards in Chocolate Frogs and the strange flavors of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

Unfortunately, Ron talked about whatever came to mind, so his knowledge was not very systematic. Harley had to keep asking guiding questions.

After talking for a long time, Ron's mouth was dry. As he drank Pumpkin Juice, he suddenly remembered something. "We've talked for so long, and I still haven't asked your name!"

Harley suddenly felt a little awkward. Her first impression of the boy had been poor, so she had forgotten to introduce herself.

An apologetic expression appeared on her face, and she gave a slight bow. "I'm terribly sorry. I forgot to tell you my name.

My name is Harley Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ron Weasley."