Chapter 5: On the Train

As Harry struggled forward with his heavy suitcase through the crowded platform, Wade had already found an empty compartment and settled in. Taking advantage of the solitude, he changed into his school robes and pulled out "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" to read.

Over the past month, Wade had skimmed through all the books he bought, and in terms of content, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" was his favorite. Of course, this preference might have been influenced by the author—Newt Scamander, the protagonist of another Harry Potter film series. He had a deep love for magical creatures and owned a magical suitcase Wade envied greatly.

After a while, the compartment door suddenly opened. A brown-haired girl stood at the entrance, looked around, and asked, with her chin slightly raised, "Excuse me, is anyone else coming here?"

Wade glanced at her notably prominent front teeth and said, "No."

"Oh."

The girl dragged her suitcase inside, sat down, and said, "Hello, I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger."

Wade put down his book, extended his hand, and said, "Wade Gray."

"You're reading 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'? So you're a first-year student too? I am! By the way, I've memorized everything in this book, and all the other textbooks as well," Hermione said rapidly, with a hint of pride. "Oh, and I've practiced several simple spells, and they all worked. Like this—Lumos!"

The tip of her wand lit up with a gentle glow.

"Though I haven't memorized the books, but—" Wade also drew his wand, "Lumos!"

Two small light bulbs glowed in harmony, as if confirming their like-mindedness. Hermione smiled broadly, whispering with a touch of longing, "It's magical, isn't it?"

Wade nodded silently.

Hermione suddenly remembered something and quickly explained, "Oh, I'm a Muggle-born, which means no one in my family knows magic. This kind of little trick might be quite common for you, right?"

Wade said, "No, my parents don't know magic either."

"Then we can help each other at school," Hermione said happily. "I mean, those kids from wizard families must have learned some magic from their parents, right? I really don't want to be the worst student."

"No need to worry about that," Wade couldn't help but laugh, "I'm sure not many can memorize the textbooks. You might be the only one. That's truly impressive, Miss Granger."

"Well, it's actually not that… uh… I mean, some content is quite difficult, and there are spells I didn't dare to try at home because the book says mispronouncing them can have terrible consequences," Hermione said, blushing and stammering.

As she spoke awkwardly, the compartment door was pushed open again. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and looked toward the door.

A round-faced boy hesitated at the entrance and asked tentatively, "Excuse me, may I sit here?"

"Of course, come in!" Hermione was the first to respond warmly.

The boy awkwardly placed his suitcase and, after sitting down, nervously twisted his fingers, looking like he wasn't used to socializing.

Hermione took the initiative and said, "Hello. I'm Hermione Granger, and he's Wade Gray. We're both first-year students—what's your name?"

"Neville," he said. "I'm Neville Longbottom. Uh, also a first-year."

"Oh, are you from a non-magical family too?" Hermione asked curiously.

Neville lowered his head, "No… my parents are both wizards."

"Then you must know a lot of magic?" Hermione said. "I've only mastered Lumos and Reparo, a few simple spells, but I'm a bit unsure about the Petrification Spell, is it Petri-ficus To-ta-lus, or Petrifi-cus Tota-lus?"

Hermione blinked, seemingly not understanding what he was asking.

Neville said miserably, "Actually, I haven't even mastered Lumos!"

"Oh." Hermione was a bit disappointed but also slightly pleased. She straightened her posture a bit and said, "Well, it's okay, I can teach you—I mean—we can learn from each other…"

Neville looked like he was about to cry.

"Neville," Wade suddenly said, "what's in your pocket that's moving?"

Neville looked down, "Ah, it's my pet, it always likes to run around."

He took out a blackish-Gray toad from his pocket and happily introduced it to them, "Look, its name is Trevor."

Wade and Hermione both leaned back slightly, trying to subtly distance themselves from the unsightly creature without Neville noticing.

The squat toad stretched its legs, and with a sudden hop, leaped from Neville's hand. Neville hadn't closed the compartment door when he came in, so Trevor unhesitatingly bounded towards freedom and disappeared after a couple of jumps.

Neville stared at his empty palms for two seconds and let out a wail, "Trevor!"

He chased after it, and Wade heard the boy accidentally bump into the compartment walls.

The two remaining in the compartment exchanged glances.

Hermione whispered, "Although the letter mentioned it… I originally thought no one would actually have a toad as a pet!"

Wade nodded in agreement. He knew that some golden, pink, or emerald green toads could actually be considered pretty, but how could anyone really like something so Gray and bumpy?

Neville truly loved his toad, though.

After a while, the boy returned, wiping tears away and sobbing, "I couldn't find it—everyone said they hadn't seen it—"

Wade reassured him, "The train is enclosed. We can find it when we get off. I'm sure no one would steal a toad."

Neville wasn't comforted and continued to cry, tears pattering down.

Seeing his sorrow, Hermione sighed helplessly and stood up, "I'll help you look for it."

She glanced at Wade, and Wade shook his head.

Hermione and Neville left, and the once noisy compartment immediately quieted down. Wade gazed out the window as the rolling hills slowly moved backwards.

He knew that if he went with Hermione to look for the toad, he would meet Harry and Ron, and eleven-year-old children easily become friends. Thus, the trio would become a quartet.

But after much consideration, Wade still felt no need to cling to the protagonists because what attracted him wasn't the whimsical elementary-school-like adventure against the Dark Lord that year; magic itself was fascinating enough.