Chapter 10

After boarding, Kain found that the first few compartments were nearly full.

With no choice since he was just making it in time for the train, finding a seat was not easy.

Using a levitation charm to handle his luggage, Kain walked to the back of the train where he finally found a relatively spacious compartment.

There was only one boy in the compartment, about his age, who, although not as handsome as himself, certainly looked better than the Weasley twins.

"Knock, knock…"

Kain politely knocked on the compartment door, asking, "Hello, may I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Of course, please sit," the boy replied hastily.

"Thank you."

After entering, Kain placed his luggage on the rack and then extended his hand to the boy, introducing himself, "Hello, I'm a new student this year, Kain Jobber."

The boy seemed preoccupied and didn't respond immediately. After coming to his senses, he quickly shook Kain's hand, "Oh… sorry, Cedric Diggory, a second-year student at Hogwarts."

Cedric?

Kain was somewhat surprised to meet a "familiar" face so soon after boarding the train—the future champion of Hogwarts, no wonder he looked so impressive.

Kain recalled that his family also lived near Ottery St. Catchpole, but for various reasons, they had never met.

Not even once.

Kain had attempted to visit Cedric a few times, but the Diggory home was always closed up, and eventually, Kain gave up.

It was unexpected that their first meeting would be on a train…

Noticing that Cedric seemed troubled, Kain didn't press further, simply greeting him before pulling out a book he bought from Flourish and Blotts, "Standard Spells, Grade 1" to read.

Cedric continued to gaze out the window.

It had started to drizzle outside, typical weather here that came without warning. Kain looked out briefly but wasn't bothered; he was used to it and actually enjoyed reading in this ambiance.

Influenced by Kain, Cedric stopped daydreaming and also started reading a book, "The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection."

Studying defensive spells on the Hogwarts Express was quite normal for Hogwarts students.

After all, no one knew how long this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would last. It was wise to get a head start in case the professor was gone after a couple of lessons.

For a while, the only sounds in the compartment were the flipping of pages and the distant noise from the corridor.

However, this quiet did not last long.

Cedric had barely read two pages when the compartment door opened again.

"We've finally found you, Kain."

"We saved you a seat, but you ditched us, making us wait like fools until now."

"I think you owe us an apology."

Fred and George stood at the door, each delivering a line of reproach with an almost comically aggrieved expression.

"I can apologize," Kain replied coolly, closing his book, "but only if you swear on a pile of dragon dung that what you just said is true."

Instantly, the anger on Fred's face turned to conflict, "Um, can I swear on the Headmaster's name instead?"

George was equally perturbed, "Or Professor McGonagall works too."

"No," Kain shook his head, "It has to be on dragon dung."

…

"Oh, George, I think Kain might not be familiar with the Hogwarts Express since it's his first time; that's why he couldn't find us."

"Yes, Fred, we can't blame him. We should have checked outside more carefully."

The twins exchanged a look, tacitly dropping the subject as if nothing had happened and squeezed into the compartment.

Inevitably, they also noticed Cedric.

Fred cracked a grin, "Look who it is, I can't seem to remember."

George arched an eyebrow, "Of course, it's Hogwarts' good boy, the light of Hufflepuff, Mr. Cedric Diggory."

At their words, Cedric's face turned red with embarrassment, the mortifying string of titles making him visibly squirm.

But he had no retort.

Those nicknames—good boy and Hufflepuff's light—originated from his father, and had become well-known throughout the Ministry of Magic over the summer.

And naturally, included their families.

Thus, during the summer, nearly half of the letters Cedric received were signed with the nickname "Hufflepuff's light."

The rest were from Muggle-born classmates who were unaware of the nickname.

It was precisely because of this that he had chosen the most secluded compartment, hoping to avoid detection, but still, the most troublesome pair had found him.

"Please, leave me alone!" Cedric clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture,

 "I can lend you my homework."

As he spoke, he placed a stack of parchment on the table.

The twins had intended to tease him further, but the offer was too good to resist.

These were homework assignments from the top student of the year!

George quickly hugged the parchment to his chest, adopting a serious tone, "What are you talking about, Cedric? We know you didn't mean it, we were just joking."

"Right," Fred nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, we're not going to mock you for that."

…

Fred and George left with smiles on their faces, looking as if they had found a galleon.

With them gone, Cedric breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Kain, somewhat embarrassed, "Sorry, I…"

"I should be the one apologizing," Kain interrupted, "After all, they came for me. If not for that, you wouldn't have been discovered."

Cedric shook his head with a wry smile, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

He could hide on the train, but once at Hogwarts, there was no avoiding it. It was just a matter of time.

Moreover, the sudden arrival of the Weasley brothers wasn't entirely bad, as it gave Cedric a possible solution to his problem.

That was homework.

As the top student, his assignments were highly sought after, a fact made evident by the twins' reaction. Using his homework to silence both Hufflepuff and Gryffindor seemed feasible.

If he could control them, this problem would be 80% solved.

As for Ravenclaw and Slytherin, given their dispositions, they were unlikely to join such commotion, at least most of them. Even if a few did, it wouldn't matter much.

As long as his own house didn't stir things up, and there were no overly energetic Gryffindors involved, the issue would fade in three days.

Just three days, it would pass quickly.

With that thought, Cedric felt the situation might not be so bad after all.

…

(End of Chapter)