Neville Longbottom

As they chatted, the train finally began to move slowly, leaving Platform 9.

Neville rummaged pitifully through his pile of luggage, seeming to search for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"Trevor, my toad." Neville's chubby round face looked miserable. "He always runs off. Maybe I should face reality—maybe he just doesn't like being with me."

"How could a pet not like being with its owner? Don't you think so, Hedwig?" Gemini gently stroked Hedwig's little head.

Hedwig hooted softly, thoroughly enjoying Gemini's caress.

The potion bought from Eeylops Owl Emporium had helped her grow back her beautiful feathers. Combined with Gemini's complete control over his own abilities, she no longer rejected his approach.

Hermione was quite enthusiastic and stood up at once. "I'll go ask around in the other compartments."

Before Neville could say anything, Hermione left the compartment. For a moment, only Gemini and Neville remained.

Although Neville was still somewhat afraid of Gemini, it was much better than before.

He had realized that Gemini was not some violent person. On the contrary, Gemini was quiet by nature, and his demeanor was as gentle as a spring breeze. He was a very mild person.

"Gemini, are you and Hermione both from Muggle families?" Neville asked, gathering his courage. Then he quickly waved his hands. "I'm just asking. I don't mean to look down on you."

"Hermione is from a Muggle family. As for me, I'm not really sure."

Gemini smiled helplessly. "I grew up in an orphanage and don't have many clues about my parents. I only know that my mother was called Anastasia. I don't know her surname. She was British, while my father was a Chinese merchant."

"The headmaster said my parents sent me to the orphanage. At first, they only hoped to leave me there temporarily, but then they seemed to have something urgent to deal with and left. About two months later, he received a letter from my mother saying that my father had died and that her circumstances were no longer suitable for raising me. From then on, I stayed at the orphanage."

"But I think that was probably just an excuse." Gemini thought for a moment. "I guess they were just ordinary people. You know, just as wizards value pure blood, Muggles also value bloodlines. They just care about race and skin color instead. Aside from children with congenital disabilities, mixed-race children were the most commonly abandoned at the orphanage. Besides, the Muggle economy hadn't been very good these past years. Unemployment and all that—there were plenty of children."

"Still, although those adults rejected mixed-race people, they were fascinated by the looks my Eurasian heritage gave me. Shallow people are always the easiest to deal with. Children who were Black or Black-and-white mixed-race had grown up under other people's discrimination since childhood."

Gemini smiled gently. "Thanks to this face, I could thrive wherever I went. Looking at it that way, although my parents sent me to the orphanage, they weren't completely without value."

Neville stared blankly at Gemini. After a long while, he finally asked hoarsely, "Va... value?"

"Mm." Gemini nodded with a smile. "If I get the chance, I really should thank them. Whatever their character was like, their genes were at least quite excellent."

"That's not right, is it?" Neville looked at Gemini in disbelief. "I mean, how can something like this be measured by value? Even if they abandoned you, even if you hated them... what exactly are you..."

"Ah... I think I understand what you mean." Gemini suddenly realized, then broke into a bright smile. "There's no need for that, is there? It's too troublesome. It would only make me unhappy, and it wouldn't change anything. Wearing yourself out over cheap emotions that cost nothing is far too pointless."

Neville gaped at Gemini, not knowing what to say.

This person...

Did he have no emotions?

"No, that's wrong, Gemini." Neville gathered his courage and refuted Gemini with a serious expression. "Those aren't cheap emotions..."

Before he could finish, Neville saw Gemini raise a long finger and wag it at him.

"Neville, what do your parents do?"

The smile was warm, the voice gentle, but the words made Neville's heart turn cold.

"I think I've heard of them—the brave and fearless Longbottoms." Gemini turned his head, resting his chin on one hand as he gazed leisurely out the window. He spoke unhurriedly. "When I asked you that question, your pupils contracted, your face turned paler, sweat appeared on the tip of your nose, and your back stiffened unconsciously."

"Without a doubt, you're afraid I'll ask about your parents, aren't you? So what are you afraid of?"

"Are you afraid I'll mock you because of them?"

"Mock your great parents, who were tortured into insanity while protecting you?"

"Of course I wouldn't do that." Gemini turned around and spread his hands with a smile. "Neither emotionally nor morally would I allow myself to do something so despicable."

As he spoke, Gemini reached out and poked Neville's chubby little face. "But I will laugh at you, Mr. Longbottom. Just now, you felt ashamed of your parents, didn't you?"

Gemini lowered his eyelids and leaned toward Neville with ill intent, smiling like a crafty little fox. "Right? Right? Carrying such warped and twisted feelings, and you still had the nerve to lecture me about right and wrong. Hmm~ Mr. Longbottom, what feelings do you have toward your parents? Even hatred, perhaps..."

"I don't!" Neville abruptly rose to his feet and glared at Gemini indignantly, his voice involuntarily cracking.

"Really?" Gemini folded his arms and sat back down by the window, looking utterly calm. "Then—if you don't, you don't~"

Neville's face immediately flushed scarlet. He panted heavily a few times, then turned and left the compartment.

"Hoo?" Hedwig tilted her head and glanced at Gemini.

"Isn't it normal for children to quarrel?" Gemini smiled gently and smoothed Hedwig's feathers. "He just thinks I'm too cold-blooded, but that isn't the case."

"Hoo~"

Hedwig rubbed against Gemini's palm and narrowed her eyes comfortably.

Gemini did not think there was anything wrong with being this way. He had been like this in his previous life as well.

In his previous life, he had not been an orphan. But his father had cancer, his mother had asthma, and both had passed away when he was twelve or thirteen.

His parents' relatives kept far away, and with no money to go out and have fun, he naturally lost his circle of friends as well.

Then he suddenly realized that, without wealth or capital, if he could discard some unnecessary emotions, life would become easier.

Since no one cared about him, he did not need to care about anyone else.

From then on, Gemini had remained this way.

No friends

No lover

Until, after one drunken night, he reached into the water to fish for the stars in the river.