Neville pulled a fat gray toad from his pocket, and Harry instinctively shifted a few steps farther inside the compartment.
Neville seemed completely oblivious to everyone's distaste. He held his precious toad in both hands and was about to speak when, the next moment, the squat toad kicked off fiercely and leaped straight from Neville's hands toward the still-open compartment door.
"Trevor!"
Neville screamed instinctively. His clumsy body had barely risen when the toad leaped again and landed at the doorway. It looked as though its next jump would take it out of everyone's sight when a slightly helpless voice suddenly rang out.
"Trevor Accio."
"Ribbit."
The toad, which had been about to vanish, was swiftly pulled backward through the air toward the terrified Hermione.
"Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa)."
Damon cast another spell, holding the toad in midair. He had no desire to come into contact with it.
"Trevor!"
Neville breathed a sigh of relief and hurried forward to seize the toad in his hands. Hermione stepped aside and shut the open compartment door to keep it from escaping again.
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
Faced with Neville's thanks, Damon had intended to respond with a smile, but the toad shoved right in front of him made him lean far back.
Neville finally seemed to realize that not everyone treasured his toad. He obediently returned to his seat and wrapped both hands tightly around Trevor, making sure it could not move again.
Hermione and Harry secretly breathed sighs of relief, then immediately grew excited again.
"The Summoning Charm! You know the Summoning Charm too!" Hermione no longer looked as proud as before. "You must be from a wizarding family, right?"
"No, I'm an orphan. I taught myself all this from spellbooks."
"Oh! Sorry." Hermione apologized at once.
Damon nodded and did not continue the subject. After all, someone who had truly lost his parents was sitting beside him—Harry looked at Damon, who had also lost his parents, and suddenly felt that they were somewhat alike.
But Harry had it a little better, at least he still had the Dursley family—oh, that was worse than having no one at all.
While they talked, the train had already left London.
They were now speeding through fields dotted with cattle and sheep. For a while, they fell silent, watching the fields and pastures sweep past the windows.
Unable to suppress her restlessness any longer, Hermione said to Damon, who was reading:
"Magical Defense Theory? I've already finished the whole book. I have to say, some of the theories in it are quite profound. I don't fully understand them yet, but I've memorized all of it. There will be plenty of time to figure it out slowly later."
Snap.
Damon closed the book and turned to the brown-haired girl. The midday sunlight shone through the train window onto her eyelashes, lending her an almost sacred air. "No. Your inability to understand it has nothing to do with whether the theory is profound."
"In fact, I think this book is entirely empty theorizing. The magical theories in it are far too detached, without any practical reference value at all—at least not for young wizards like us."
As Damon spoke, his tall figure in a white shirt was likewise bathed in warm light. Combined with the confidence of his words, not only Hermione, but even Harry and Neville beside him were left slightly dazed.
They subconsciously exchanged glances—both were first-years, so why did he seem so much more mature and polished than them?
Hermione's gaze lingered on Damon for several seconds, and she looked somewhat stunned.
In truth, a wave of resentment rose in her heart—after all, she had spent a great deal of time and effort carefully studying that material, only for Damon to dismiss it as worthless.
At the same time, her rationality told her that Damon might not be entirely wrong.
Her competitive spirit rose, and she continued:
"Then what do you think is truly effective theory?"
Damon was just about to answer when a loud clattering noise came from the corridor. A cheerful, dimpled woman pushed open the compartment door and asked:
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
Harry had not eaten anything that morning, so he sprang up at once. Damon also set down his book and rose, saying to Hermione:
"There's plenty of time. We can talk later."
To him, two rookies who had not even mastered much magic pecking at each other over magical theory were far less appealing than snacks from the wizarding world.
"Three of every snack, please, ma'am."
"Are you sure, dear?" The Trolley Witch looked doubtful, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "All these snacks together aren't cheap. They'll cost two Galleons and three Sickles—"
"Three Galleons. Keep the change."
Without hesitation, Damon handed over three Galleons, gathered up all the food, and piled it onto his seat.
Harry was still wandering around the snack cart, muttering nonstop:
"I'll have this too, and that. Hmm, I'll try this one too."
Then he caught sight of Damon's utterly decisive purchase and froze.
"Harry, eat mine." Damon held out the snacks, his tone casual. "I bought all this to share with everyone—if you don't mind."
"Er—okay—I mean, thank you."
Hermione watched Damon sit back down and seemed somewhat displeased.
Her eyes widened as she said angrily:
"You're far too extravagant! Honestly! Didn't you say you were an orphan? Did you run away from some fallen noble family?"
"I used to be fairly famous in the Muggle world. That helped me make quite a bit of money."
Damon smiled without saying more, casually handing Neville a pack of Chocolate Frogs.
"What are those?" Harry could not help asking. "They aren't real frogs, are they?"
"No, they're not. Look at the card inside. I'm collecting them."
Neville opened the Chocolate Frog, took out the card, and showed it to Harry.
The card bore the face of a man with half-moon spectacles, a crooked long nose, and silver hair and beard flowing down his chest. The name beneath the picture read: Albus Dumbledore.
"Oh, it's Dumbledore!" Harry said.
"Is Dumbledore really the most common card?"
Damon drew a Dumbledore card as well. He always felt that the old bumblebee's gaze at him was strange, even unsettling—according to what he knew, Dumbledore was a thorough Machiavellian.
That was to say, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even if it meant disregarding certain morals and making sacrifices.
From the very moment he met Harry Potter and discovered Voldemort's Soul Fragment within him, Dumbledore had already decided to let Harry die at Voldemort's hands. Only through their later interactions had he gradually changed his mind.
For the Greater Good.
That was a principle shared by both men, not something exclusive to Grindelwald. In fact, although the elderly Dumbledore had become much softer-hearted, there were still times when he followed this principle—even if the price was his own life.
Once that old bumblebee discovered his talent, what sort of thoughts would he have?
Still, there was no need to worry too much. No matter what, Dumbledore could be considered a good person.
All Damon had to do was keep improving his strength and avoid becoming a sacrifice to defeat the Dark Lord in that extremely unlikely scenario.
As Damon thought about this, he turned the card back over, only to find that Dumbledore's face had suddenly disappeared.
After that, Neville and Harry discussed the cards from the Chocolate Frogs. Hermione picked up a Cauldron Cake while keeping her eyes fixed on Damon, waiting for an opportunity to resume their earlier conversation.
As for Damon, he simply savored one strange new food after another at an unhurried pace.
Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, pumpkin pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, Fizzy Lifting Drinks, Caramel Owl Eggs, Magic Jelly, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans—uh, forget that one.
Damon set down the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, his expression complicated.
He had no intention of eating shit, not even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance!
"Oh no! I got owl-droppings flavor!"
Neville suddenly screamed beside him, and the compartment erupted in laughter.
Before you continue