Ron Weasley! The Golden Trio?

"Harry, it's great to see you here," Cro said with a smile, greeting Harry Potter. Then, his gaze shifted to the boy standing next to Harry with a smudge of dirt on his nose.

"And this is...?"

Just as Harry was about to introduce him, the boy stepped forward and spoke up.

"Ron Weasley! If you're Harry's friend, then you're my friend too!" Ron introduced himself confidently.

Cro raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly but without much warmth. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Weasley. But... as much as I hate to say it, I think I should remind you of something."

"You've got a bit of dirt on your nose. You might want to clean that off," Cro added, pointing.

Ron froze, awkwardly rubbing his nose. He couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment toward Cro, and by association, towards Hermione and Cassandra as well.

[Detected intense embarrassment!]

[Reward: Silver Chest!]

"Anyway... I came here to ask you about that thing you mentioned before," Harry said cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Cro and leaned in to explain some of his "brilliant exploits" to the curious Cassandra.

"What do you want to know? Have you figured out who the person is? Oh, and if you think it's Professor Quirrell, you're wrong," Cro said seriously, shaking his head.

"I can't tell you exactly who it is. After all, I'm just a first-year student. I can't afford to cross that person," Cro added slyly.

No way was he going to spoil such a fun mystery. Harry discovering the truth himself was far more entertaining. Only when Harry felt real fear could the great plan truly unfold.

"How can you do this? Harry's your friend, and you know he's in danger, but you still—" Ron began, his voice filled with anger.

"Enough, Ron. This isn't Cro's fault. He's already helped me more than enough. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably make the same choice," Harry interrupted, frowning.

Before Ron could say anything else, Harry turned back to Cro, his eyes pleading. "Since it's not Professor Quirrell, my guess must be wrong. I understand you can't tell me directly who it is. But can you at least give me a hint? Is it a man or a woman? Tall or short? Fat or thin?"

A smirk played on Cro's lips. The fish had taken the bait.

Just as Cro was about to answer, a clear voice echoed through the compartment.

"Harry Potter? Is this really the famous Harry Potter? The legendary Boy Who Lived? He doesn't seem all that impressive," Cassandra remarked, eyeing Harry with skepticism.

Proud as ever, Cassandra had been a bit surprised when she first learned of Harry's identity, but seeing how ordinary he looked, her surprise quickly faded.

"Hmph! Without Harry, we'd still be living in fear of You-Know-Who, constantly on edge," Ron snapped, glaring at Cassandra.

"Harry defeated You-Know-Who. He's the savior of the wizarding world! Just because you don't know how to be grateful doesn't mean you should act so high and mighty," Ron retorted angrily. "People like you belong in Slytherin with all the other dark wizards! Evil... Slytherin!" he spat out the last words with disdain.

Growing up hearing stories about Harry Potter, Ron had developed a deep admiration for him. Hearing Cassandra's dismissive words naturally filled him with fury.

"You...!" Cassandra started, glaring at Ron, but before she could retort, Cro raised a hand to stop her.

Normally, Cassandra wouldn't hesitate to shove Cro aside and give him a tongue-lashing along with Ron. But strangely enough, this time, she didn't continue. Instead, she stood silently, fuming next to Hermione.

Cro remained calm, his eyes fixed on Ron. "Evil Slytherin, huh? So what do you consider to be righteous? Gryffindor? Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff?"

"Of course, it's Gryffindor! No dark wizards ever came from the Lion House! The greatest white wizard of all time, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, came from Gryffindor!" Ron declared, puffing out his chest with pride.

"Hmm, that's an interesting point. But did Dumbledore tell you that himself? Or did he define the other three Houses as evil?" Cro chuckled softly.

"I doubt it, right? After all, Dumbledore is the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He wouldn't say something like that, would he?" Cro continued, turning toward Cassandra. "Hey, do you have the phone number for the Daily Prophet?"

Cassandra and Hermione both looked at him, puzzled.

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts, the greatest white wizard of all time, Dumbledore, declaring the other Houses as evil. That would make for quite the scandal, wouldn't it? I'm sure we'd get a nice reward for that story," Cro said, patting Ron on the shoulder.

"When we get the reward, we'll make sure you get a share, since you're the one who gave us the scoop. You should get part of the credit, after all!"

"Don't worry, I won't steal the spotlight from you. Your name will be credited separately!" Cro finished with a smirk.

[Detected intense anger!]

[Reward: Gold Chest!]

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T/N:

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