On the Train

"Of course."

Cedric, the warm-hearted older boy, was friendly to everyone. But realizing there were others in the compartment, Cedric scratched his head and added,

"At least I don't mind. You don't mind either, right?"

The Weasley twins exchanged a glance, shrugged, and said to Aisling in unison,

"No problem."

"Wait."

Roy's expression darkened, his face turning fierce and giving off an unmistakable keep-away vibe.

Wasn't this the girl who had stared at him in the wand shop? A mischievous idea sprang into Roy's mind.

Seeing Roy suddenly turn hostile toward Aisling, Cedric thought the two had some sort of grudge and was just about to speak when Roy's actions cut him off.

Roy stood up, all traces of his earlier friendliness gone. He circled Aisling, who stood at the door, once. His fierce gaze scrutinized the pretty young witch before he finally stopped in front of her without saying a word.

Roy stared at Aisling expressionlessly. The two stood very close in the crowded compartment, and Roy could even smell the expensive perfume drifting from her.

Aisling, who usually remained perfectly composed, was beginning to panic under Roy's stare. Cedric and the twins beside her could not figure out what Roy was up to either. In the silent compartment, they could even hear Aisling's nervous breathing.

Remembering the scene from her prophecy, Aisling lost her composure for once. A hint of panic appeared on the ice queen's serious face, her fair cheeks flushed slightly, and her cold voice trembled.

"W-what is it?"

"Heh heh—"

Just as Aisling worried that Roy might attack her, a wicked grin suddenly appeared on his serious face. He held out his hand to her.

"Roy Smith. This is the second time we've met, Miss Aisling."

Aisling suppressed her panic, her aloof expression returning. She reached out and shook Roy's hand.

"Aisling Greenhilde. Just call me Aisling."

Roy plopped down between Fred and George and gestured for Aisling to sit as well.

Cedric gallantly helped Aisling put her luggage on the rack. Faced with Cedric's help, Aisling gave him a smile and softly thanked him.

"I'm Cedric Diggory. I remember now—I think I saw you at the wand shop that day."

Cedric had remembered now and recognized Aisling, greeting her warmly.

"I remember you, Cedric. Your father, Mr. Amos, is an official in the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Nice to meet you."

At this point, Roy threw an arm around Fred and George and introduced them to Aisling.

"This is Fred, and this is George. They're twins."

"No, I'm George."

"Right, right, I'm Fred."

Fred and George suddenly started shouting, while Aisling watched the two jokers with amusement.

"You can't fool me. He's Fred. Ahem, anyway, these two are Weasley boys. They have three older brothers studying at Hogwarts, all excellent students, but once it got to these two, any connection to being good students was completely gone."

Aisling held out her hand and introduced herself politely to the twins.

"Aisling Greenhilde. Just call me Aisling."

Fred and George dropped their unserious act and gallantly held out their hands to greet Aisling.

Picking up the topic they had interrupted earlier, they continued chatting about their summer.

The twins had a great time at home over the summer. Aside from riding their broomsticks and playing Quidditch with their siblings every day, they hid in their room researching prank products.

Cedric was practically the perfect child from someone else's family. Not only had he previewed the first-year textbooks at home, but he also constantly helped his parents with chores.

As for Roy, he said he had been studying magic the whole time.

Speaking of studying magic, Cedric took out the enchanted little accessory Roy had mailed them and praised Roy's handiwork.

"This thing can glow in the dark, and no matter how you throw it, it flies back into your hand. How did you do that?"

Fred and George also pulled out the little things Roy had given them from their pockets and curiously pressed him about how he had done it.

"One you gave us can spray out a huge cloud of smoke, and the other can shoot out little flames. George and I studied them for ages but couldn't figure it out."

Roy waved his hand smugly and said with a rather pretentious humility,

"I just researched it by reading books. It wasn't that difficult. If you read more, you can do it too."

Aisling was very curious about these things and asked the others,

"May I take a look?"

Cedric and the twins all handed Aisling the little trinkets Roy had given them.

Aisling accepted the magical toys Roy had made and examined them carefully in her hands. Looking at Roy chatting and laughing so carefree, she could not help but feel deeply shocked.

She knew a little about alchemy herself and could tell that Roy's little toys were covered in intricate magical runes, their designs remarkably ingenious. Without using expensive alchemical materials, they balanced functionality and endurance. Engraving such complex magical runes required immense magical power and control—far beyond what even she could manage.

She silently returned Roy's toys to the three of them. It seemed that even Roy himself did not know just how technically sophisticated his creations were. Aisling listened to the four of them chatting without revealing anything.

"So, you went to Knockturn Alley too?"

Hearing the twins brag about how they had rescued Roy from a dark wizard, Cedric looked at Roy in surprise and asked.

"That's right. Thanks to the help of these two great red-haired baboons, I wasn't kidnapped by a dark wizard."

With sarcasm in his voice, Roy reluctantly confirmed it for the brothers.

Fred and George embellished their tale of Knockturn Alley and vividly acted out how they had defeated a dark wizard.

Aisling listened with interest to the stories about Roy in the compartment, only occasionally speaking up to offer a comment or two.

It was already past noon when a plump witch pushed a trolley full of snacks to the compartment door, knocked, and asked whether they wanted to buy anything.

Roy had no money, and he had brought a pile of snacks from the orphanage, so there was no need to buy any. Fred and George were broke too, and Mrs. Weasley had prepared corned beef sandwiches for them.

Cedric bought some snacks, placed them on the table, and invited everyone to share.

No one stood on ceremony. Roy twisted open a bottle of chilled pumpkin juice, took out plenty of snacks from his trunk, and tossed them onto the table for everyone to share.

"Muggle snacks. I brought loads, so don't be polite."

Seeing this, Aisling also pulled out a pile of exquisitely packaged and obviously expensive snacks from her trunk to share with everyone.

Cedric recognized the snacks and was stunned by Aisling's wealth.

"I know this Belgian chocolate. One box costs several Galleons."

Roy grabbed an elegantly wrapped piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth. Sure enough, the flavor was much richer than ordinary chocolate.

Fred and George, meanwhile, worked very hard at stuffing all kinds of the expensive snacks Aisling had brought into their mouths.

Watching the two wolf them down, Aisling smiled and said to Fred and George in a gentle tone,

"If you like them, I can give you some."

Even the brothers, who were usually thick-skinned, felt a little embarrassed when faced with the noble Aisling, who treated them so kindly. They casually patted their chests and declared that they would not eat for free, promising to help her whenever she needed something.

"Tch—trying to win people over at such a young age. And these two are really hopeless. A few lousy snacks were enough to buy them off."

Seeing the twins' almost fawning expressions toward Aisling after getting such a bargain, a trace of disdain flashed across Roy's face.

Aisling noticed Roy's subtle change in expression. A playful smile appeared on her face as she said the same thing to him.

"If you like them too, I can give you some."

"Then thank you very much, generous Miss Aisling. I won't take them for nothing either. If you need anything in the future, just tell me. Even if I have to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, I, Roy, will help you."

Roy immediately put on an even more fawning smile than the twins and made a solemn promise to Aisling. He also casually slipped several expensive chocolates into his pocket.

Watching Roy put on such a rapid change of face, Aisling snorted inwardly. He might be talented, but he was still just a childish boy.

Recalling the scene from her prophecy, Aisling calmly responded to Roy's promise.

"You said it. I'll remember that."