Why Are You So Confident, Your Excellency

Hearing Harley's words, Ron's pupils dilated instantly, his face a mask of disbelief.

"You're Harley Potter, that Girl Who Lived?" Ron blurted out.

"So it's true what the Daily Prophet said—you're actually a girl, and you're starting school this year! My mom thought the Daily Prophet was just making things up again! But how come I don't see the lightning-shaped scar on your forehead?"

"That's right, it's me." Harley nodded, a hint of displeasure crossing her face. "As for the scar, it was removed by a Potion. It was, after all, quite detrimental to my appearance."

It was clear that Ron had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask. But faced with a girl, he simply couldn't bring himself to voice them.

Seeing that Ron had fallen silent, Harley went back to eating her Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. She was quite fond of this snack with its endless variety of flavors.

Hedwig also flew back in through the open train window, rubbing her head against Harley to beg for food.

Before leaving the Dursley house, Harley had chosen to let Hedwig out first, considering that bringing an owl into the station would be far too conspicuous.

The intelligent bird had spent the entire morning playing outside and finally remembered to return to its owner for a meal.

After all, the high-quality nuts Harley fed Hedwig were generously donated by Dudley; an owl wouldn't find such delicacies in the wild.

Ron looked at Hedwig with envy. The Weasley family couldn't afford an extra owl, so Ron had only been left with his brother's hand-me-down rat.

Ron had originally wanted to pull the rat out, but thinking that girls generally hated rats, he had no choice but to let Scabbers remain in his pocket.

After finishing her lunch, Harley had intended to return to her reading, but someone knocked on the compartment door.

"Come in!" Harley called out, her voice slightly louder than usual, while silently giving the person a mental thumbs-up—

Now that's what I call having manners! Isn't knocking before entering the most basic part of etiquette?

A round-faced boy gently slid the door open and stepped inside. His eyes were red and swollen, and his face was still streaked with undried tears; he had clearly just had a good cry.

"I... I'm sorry!" The boy seemed a bit nervous when he saw Harley. "I wanted to ask, have you seen my toad? It's just a very ordinary-looking toad."

"I haven't seen it." Harley shook her head, and Ron, sitting beside her, shook his head vigorously as well.

The boy began to cry again: "I'm so sorry! Sorry to bother you! I've lost him again!"

With that, the boy ran out, but before leaving, he didn't forget to gently slide the door shut. The door didn't make a single sound as it hit the frame.

Harley felt a bit of regret. Such a well-mannered person had left a good impression on her. If she had the ability, she wouldn't have minded lending a hand.

But the Potion of the Witch Pathway didn't grant Harley any talent for divination. Although Harley could force herself to learn, the success rate was truly pathetic.

Just as Harley lowered her head, the compartment door was suddenly flung open, and the person's movements were incredibly rough. The sliding door slammed hard against the frame with a loud "bang."

Is there no end to this! And with such rough manners! Harley felt her temper rising, but she forcibly suppressed her annoyance and looked up at the doorway.

A young girl wearing Hogwarts robes was speaking to the round-faced boy from before:

"Neville, be brave! They responded to you so quickly, it's obvious they were just brushing you off and didn't look properly at all! Watch me, I'll help you get justice!" As she spoke, the girl looked into the compartment.

That pair of large front teeth and bushy brown hair immediately caught Harley's eyes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville has lost a toad!" the girl said, hands on her hips. "Don't just brush it off, please take your classmate's concerns seriously!"

"We already told him, we haven't seen it." Ron replied immediately, his tone not particularly friendly.

However, the girl ignored him and kept scanning the compartment. It seemed she wasn't planning on leaving until she had turned the place upside down.

Harley, on the other hand, ignored the girl and went back to her book after a single glance. There was no need to give a pleasant look to someone so arrogant and rude.

"Then why don't you stand up and check?" The girl remained as condescending as ever, looking at Harley. "You're so indifferent, so casual—it's hard for me to believe you!"

Harley was momentarily stunned by Hermione's tone. Was this girl an Arbiter?

No, no, no. Even a Sequence 9 Arbiter wouldn't be this confident; at the very least, they would need to be in the right to speak like that.

It would take at least a Sequence 7 Interrogator to demand help from others with such a sense of entitlement and self-righteousness.

Helping was a favor, not helping was a choice; surely one couldn't force others to do it?

Just as Harley was about to speak, there was a new commotion outside.

Two tall, sturdy boys suddenly appeared and shoved the round-faced boy named Neville aside, and Hermione was pushed directly into the compartment.

Following them, a pale-faced blond boy emerged from between the two.

"Red-headed Weasley, you must be Ron Weasley."

The boy looked Ron up and down and said in an arrogant tone, "Your whole Weasley family reeks of the same disgusting stench!"

"Draco Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ron stood up immediately.

He had wanted to let out a string of curses, but remembering that the famous Harley was also in the compartment, he became much more civilized.

"Nothing much. I was just looking for Harley Potter, and I happened to see you here making friends with the fool from the Longbottom family, with a Muggle-born sitting in the compartment as well."

Malfoy glanced at the dress Harley was wearing and let out a mocking laugh.

"The Weasleys can only find a sense of superiority by befriending people like this. After all, your family is dirt poor, though I suppose you're still better off than Muggles."

Upon hearing Malfoy's words, a look of astonishment instantly appeared on Ron's face, which then shifted into a strange expression mixed with anger and mockery.

The anger was naturally due to Malfoy's insult toward his family, while the mockery stemmed from the fact that the Harley whom Malfoy was looking for was sitting right there in the compartment.

"So, Mr. Malfoy, may I ask what business you have with me?" Harley wore a formulaic smile, though a hint of impatience lingered in the depths of her eyes.

"And by the way, I am the Harley Potter you are looking for."

"Oh, you're Harley Potter? The girl who lived? When my father told me about this, I thought he was pulling my leg!"

Malfoy maintained that same arrogant tone, though his gaze shifted toward Harley.

"You shouldn't be wearing such ridiculous Muggle clothing and befriending such disreputable people—"

Malfoy cast a glance at Ron and shook his head, "—you should be befriending wizards of the nobility like me!

You must understand, even among those born into wizarding families, there are differences! And aristocrats like us are the true elite of the wizarding world."

The smile on Harley's face was becoming difficult to maintain. If Ron and Neville, whom she had met earlier, were still within the realm of normal people, then why were Hermione and Malfoy so... confident?