10

Chapter 10: How Many Bowls of Noodles Did Draco Eat?

One hour later.

With Augustus's help, George and Fred finally completed all their homework. Each of them embraced Augustus, expressing their gratitude.

"Brother, from today on, you're our half-brother!"

"I promise, you'll be a perfect Ravenclaw!"

Hermione, rolling her eyes, felt exasperated. If Augustus hadn't been so helpful, she wouldn't have stayed in this compartment.

"Compared to Ravenclaw, I feel more likely to be sorted into Slytherin."

Augustus, feeling slightly overwhelmed, managed to free himself from their embraces and corrected their assumptions.

"Another pure-blood, a future big client!"

Fred and his friends didn't harbor the same animosity towards Slytherin as most Gryffindors did. To them, Slytherins were just wealthy families, managing most of the business.

Besides, the Weasley family, though one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, was somewhat less affluent. In the presence of pure-bloods like the Slytherins, there was no need to feel inferior.

"Fred Weasley, this is my brother George."

Fred seemed to recall something and introduced himself and his brother to Augustus and Hermione.

"The famous Weasley twins."

"My name is Augustus, and this is Miss Hermione Granger."

Augustus stood up and shook hands with them.

"Listen, George, our reputation is so significant that even young wizards not yet in school have heard of us."

Fred boasted, and his exaggerated expression made Hermione's mouth twitch. Though she wanted to laugh, she was too annoyed to do so. Instead, her shoulders shook in suppressed amusement.

Just as they were chatting, a loud commotion erupted outside the carriage. The noise grew louder, threatening to drown out their conversation.

"Why don't we step outside and see what's going on?" Hermione suggested anxiously.

Augustus wasn't usually one to meddle in such matters, considering it might just be a childish scuffle. However, the familiar accents in the commotion caught his attention.

The Weasley twins, eager to investigate, quickly pulled Augustus along.

"It's so dull staying in the carriage reading!"

"Let's go see the excitement!"

...

As expected, Augustus soon spotted the distinctive platinum-blonde hair in the crowd. Behind him was a group of irate pure-bloods, while across from them stood a red-haired boy. Harry was positioned between the two parties, with men on either side.

"Augustus is here!"

Seeing Augustus, the group of pure-blood boys and girls seemed to find reassurance and made way for him.

"Cool!"

Fred started to speak but was interrupted when George nudged him. Upon closer inspection, Fred realized that one of the main figures in the argument was his brother Ron.

Ron, noticing Fred and George, grew confident and raised his voice.

"It must be you! The Malfoy family is full of dark wizards. Neville's toad is missing, and only you have been wandering around the carriage. Who else could it be but you?"

"What's going on?" Augustus asked quietly.

Pansy Parkinson approached to explain.

"Draco was searching the carriage with Goyle and Crabbe when he encountered Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Ron Weasley, who were looking for Neville's missing pet. Ron immediately accused Draco of taking it."

"You saw everything that happened next."

Pansy and other pure-blood students were visibly angered. They were the new generation of pure-bloods, akin to Gellert Grindelwald's acolytes. They couldn't tolerate their peers being falsely accused.

"Weasley, I was merely looking for someone in the carriage!"

"Do you think everyone is like your Weasley family, causing trouble all the time?"

Draco, though not making rapid progress, had improved. He no longer boasted about pure-blood superiority but still harbored some disdain for the Weasley family.

"Looking for someone, you say? Who can vouch for that?" Ron challenged.

"Goyle and Crabbe can vouch for me!"

Ron scoffed.

"Everyone knows they're your followers. With you here, they wouldn't dare tell the truth!"

As Draco began to explain, Augustus knew that Draco's explanations wouldn't suffice. As the saying goes, no one cares how many bowls of noodles you've eaten—proof is what matters. Unfortunately, it was too late for such tactics now.

Draco's anger flared, but Augustus approached and patted him on the shoulder.

"Draco, calm down."

"Get out of here!"

Draco, furious, turned to see who had spoken. When he met Augustus's gaze, he appeared like a distressed animal finding comfort.

"Augustus, you're finally here. I assure you, I really didn't..."

"I believe you!"

Augustus's reassurance bolstered Draco's spirits. Augustus then addressed the crowd.

"I apologize for the disturbance. Please return to your carriages to avoid crowding the passage."

His polite and elegant words won many over, but to Ron, it seemed like an attempt to cover up their conspiracy. He felt like a justice envoy ready to expose the Malfoys.

"No one is allowed to leave until you hand over the toad!"

Augustus sneered inwardly. Blocking the passage based on speculation and forcing people to stay without evidence was reckless.

The Weasley twins signaled Ron desperately, but he was too absorbed in his self-righteous stance to notice.

"Mr. Longbottom, can you describe what your toad looks like?"

Augustus aimed to resolve the situation quickly. Ignoring Ron, he addressed Neville directly.

Neville, blushing, stepped forward and stammered, "Trevor is a golden-backed toad with thirteen warts on its back."

"Alright, Mr. Longbottom, please wait a moment!"

Augustus took out his wand, focused on Trevor's description, and cast a spell.

"Accio Trevor!"

Whoosh!

A fat toad flew from the adjacent carriage into Augustus's hand, causing a wave of exclamations.

"The Summoning Charm! So impressive!"

"I thought it only worked on inanimate objects. Augustus can summon living things!"

"Not necessarily. I've seen Professor Flitwick use it on a cat under a bed!"

"You think Augustus is as skilled as Professor Flitwick? Amazing! If we can learn this, finding materials won't be an issue!"

"I wouldn't compare myself to Professor Flitwick," Augustus said, overhearing the Weasley twins. "The Summoning Charm can be used on living things, but if not controlled properly, it can cause harm."

"You're putting a lot of pressure on us older students!"

"Anyway, I can't do it," Fred said with a grin, echoing George's sentiment.

Augustus handed Leif to Neville.

"Mr. Longbottom, is this your toad?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Neville hugged Leif with a look of relief and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect Leif to be in our compartment. I apologize for the trouble."

"You should apologize to Draco."

Augustus turned to Draco, who looked relieved.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I misunderstood you."

Neville, not having suffered at Draco's hands as in the original, felt guilty but relieved when Draco forgave him.

Ron, however, felt more embarrassed as he tried to avoid the situation.

As he attempted to sneak back to his compartment unnoticed, Augustus's voice cut through the tension.

"Mr. Weasley, are you not going to apologize for your behavior?"