"Devero, are you all right?"
Harry was the first to speak.
His face was full of concern.
The others were looking at Devero with concern, too.
Neville was still in shock.
He had just grabbed Crabbe by the collar.
He hadn't expected Crabbe to collapse like a sack of potatoes the very next second.
It had really startled him.
But.
After spending this time together.
They all thought Devero was a steady, helpful student.
And a very good one at that.
They hadn't expected him to do something like that.
Devero had mostly calmed down by now.
"I'm fine. Um, it's just..."
But he was still a little confused.
He didn't know how to explain his sudden impulse.
Suddenly, for some reason, Devero began breathing rhythmically.
Before long.
His mind felt clear.
The restless magic inside his body settled down.
The magic he'd spent casting spells just moments ago seemed to be gradually recovering, too.
Devero opened his eyes in disbelief.
Without realizing it.
He had just practiced the Zen Meditation Method?
It was that effective!
"It's all right, Devero. If I knew those spells, I'd have done the same to them!"
Ron said, patting Devero on the shoulder.
Neville nodded repeatedly, too.
"Yeah! Those spells are probably for older students! You're way better than them, Devero!"
"Thank you."
Devero came out of the pleasant shock brought on by the Zen Meditation Method.
He gave them a strained smile.
The method's effects had astonished him.
He even wanted to try it again.
But first, he needed to think about why his emotions had suddenly gotten out of control.
It seemed like some kind of physical reaction.
The instant he heard that word.
The magic in his whole body had boiled over.
Scalding magic had surged into his mind.
It had shattered Devero's reason in an instant.
All he'd wanted to do was beat Draco up.
He hadn't cared about anything else.
Now, he felt a little frightened in hindsight.
Thank goodness he didn't know many Dark Magic spells yet.
Just moments ago, he'd wanted to throw the Avada Kedavra curse right in that guy's face.
But he'd done that to a fellow student.
On the train to school, no less.
What kind of punishment would he face?
At the thought.
Devero felt anxious again.
"Wait a moment, everyone. Putting aside the fact that we just knocked three students into another carriage on the train to Hogwarts..."
Hermione waved to get everyone's attention.
"I just want to say, wasn't that a bit too much? You risk being expelled for something like this!"
Sure enough.
First-year Hermione was just like that.
Before the Troll incident.
She was still a stickler who treated the school rules as gospel.
Ron immediately jumped to his feet.
"Too much? It was absolutely justified! Did you hear what he called you? That word was like calling your whole family pigs, understand?"
Ron spoke with righteous indignation.
Neville nodded solemnly, which was unusual for him.
"Like 'Paki'?"
Hermione's expression changed at once.
It seemed she finally understood.
Why everyone had been so angry just now.
Harry hadn't understood, either.
He was simply angry because Malfoy had insulted his friends.
"No wonder... he... asked me that just now..."
Hermione murmured with her head lowered.
She must have already run into Malfoy before coming to Devero's carriage.
Suddenly.
She jerked her head up.
Her face was bright red, and anger showed in her eyes.
She looked like a little lion with its fur standing on end.
She seemed furious.
Without a word, she stood up.
She opened the carriage door and started to leave.
Devero stood and stopped her.
"What are you doing?"
Hermione struggled to push Devero aside.
"I'm going to teach them a lesson. Move, Devero."
But there was no way a girl like her could push Devero aside.
"Calm down. You saw what I did to them just now. And if someone has to bear the risk of expulsion, let it be me. I don't want you to get in trouble with the school over this, too."
As Devero spoke.
Whether it was because of the Zen Meditation Method or not.
His tone was completely sincere.
He looked Hermione in the eye, his gaze firm.
He seemed incredibly persuasive.
The stubborn Hermione from the original story.
After pushing Devero a few times.
She puffed out her cheeks at him.
Then she stopped trying to get back at Malfoy and the others.
Devero let out a breath of relief and sat down.
Then he felt a little puzzled.
Was Hermione really this easy to talk to?
Or could practicing the Zen Meditation Method make him more persuasive to some extent?
Devero decided to find a chance to test it later.
He truly didn't want one or two of the Golden Trio missing because of him.
Besides, it wasn't as if he needed to attend classes at Hogwarts.
He was a top talent in wand-making, Potions, and magic.
Getting a Potions Master title by working with Snape was practically guaranteed.
Getting expelled.
That would only scare little kids like Harry and Hermione.
It wouldn't hold Devero back.
He wouldn't care even if he were expelled as soon as he arrived at Hogwarts.
It was just a shame he'd miss out on things like the Trait Upgrade Card he could get at Hogwarts.
And he'd lose a steady source of eighty or a hundred blue traits each year.
For now, he was perfectly comfortable living a simple life.
Before long.
The gloomy atmosphere in the carriage faded.
The five of them were rather cramped together.
But with Harry's snacks.
And Devero and Hermione putting on the occasional spell demonstration.
They had a wonderful time chatting.
After all.
Just as the original story said.
People who had barely known one another.
After going through something unusual together.
Could hardly help becoming friends.
And beating up an arrogant young man who spouted discriminatory insults.
Was surely one such experience.
"Hey, Devero, do you know what kind of test the Sorting Ceremony involves?"
Harry asked.
He looked a little worried.
Clearly, he wasn't very confident in himself.
Without Draco Malfoy around to bother them.
The atmosphere in the carriage had become much more relaxed.
Naturally, they began discussing the Hogwarts life that awaited them.
"Will the Sorting Ceremony be scary?"
There was a note of unease in Ron's voice.
"I heard it might cause serious physical harm."
Neville and Harry both looked worried at that.
I don't know any magic yet. What if we have to fight something? I...
Hermione looked grave, too.
Clearly, she was thinking about the same thing.
Devero only smiled and said nothing.
He thought to himself.
What harm could a hat possibly do? Ron's brothers have really pulled one over on him.
But he didn't say it aloud.
He only smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, Ron. The Sorting Hat is just an ordinary magical object. It won't hurt you."
But the words of a young wizard who had never been to Hogwarts weren't very convincing.
Then.
They chatted about which houses they each wanted to join.
Ron and Neville both said they hoped to get into Gryffindor House.
It was full of courage and a spirit of adventure.
Besides, most of their families had gone there, too.
Harry said glumly that he might end up in Hufflepuff.
Hermione, meanwhile, was torn between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
Her intelligence made her a good fit for Ravenclaw.
But the courage deep in her heart made her yearn for Gryffindor.
As they chatted, the others asked Devero which house he wanted to join.
"Me? I'll most likely end up in Ravenclaw."
Devero said with a smile.
The reason was simple.
Devero was actually very interested in Professor Flitwick, Ravenclaw's head of house.
Professor Flitwick wasn't just a top dueling champion!
He was also the Charms teacher!
If he could get on the professor's good side,
maybe he could even ask him for some extra lessons
and learn more advanced spells.
At the thought,
a flicker of anticipation crossed Devero's eyes.
Of course,
Devero was currently at risk of being expelled.
Those plans still seemed a little far off.
Still,
he didn't share those worries with the others.
Instead, he carried on chatting happily with everyone.
At Hermione's reminder, the group had put on their Hogwarts school robes.
The sky outside gradually darkened.
They munched on snacks
and chatted excitedly.
Devero chimed in now and then,
sharing some of his experiences and interesting stories from Diagon Alley.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were captivated by his stories.
The carriage was filled with laughter and cheer.
After a while,
Devero pretended to close his eyes and rest.
He began trying out the Zen Meditation Method he had obtained earlier.
The feeling was much like it had been after he attacked Malfoy.
His mind suddenly felt clear,
as though everything had fallen still.
He could even clearly sense the magic flowing through his body.
Following the guidance of the wisdom of the sages in his mind,
Devero abruptly drew his spiritual power out of his body.
It began to spread throughout the carriage.
But the other children didn't notice anything unusual.
Devero should have been very excited at that moment,
yet he was strangely calm.
He simply continued to explore and circulate his spiritual power,
training it.
And so,
to everyone else, Devero seemed to have truly fallen asleep.
By the time it was completely dark,
a hiss rang out.
The train gradually came to a stop.
Only then did Devero slowly open his eyes.
He knew they had finally arrived—at Hogwarts!
Before you continue