Chapter 1: The Train

"Finally on this train," William Whistler thought with mixed emotions, watching the young wizards bustling outside.

 "Compared to that lethal school, Hogwarts is much more comfortable." Even though he knew troubles arose every year at Hogwarts, it seemed better than enduring the Cruciatus Curse and Imperius Curse monthly at the other school.

William reflected on the past eleven years. 

His grandfather had told him he was extracted from his mother's womb after she was struck by Avada Kedavra, causing a great shock in the wizarding community. 

William survived, even though normally, if one in a pair is hit by Avada Kedavra, the other dies too. 

But William understood that the real William was already dead. 

Besides inheriting the body, he also inherited many troubles.

William Whistler, he shouldn't have used the Whistler surname. 

Being an illegitimate child of the current Earl of Whistler and another witch, he knew little about his mother. 

All he knew was that she was a witch; no one he met remembered her. 

He could use the Whistler name because of his grandfather, who valued family lineage.

Frankly, William didn't think of avenging his biological mother, though he felt gratitude. 

After all, without her, there would be no William as he is today.

 Not seeking revenge doesn't mean he isn't curious about the whole story. 

A pregnant woman about to give birth, killed, with the illegitimate child of an Earl in her womb.

William thought even the chair he was sitting on could figure out who the prime suspect was.

William had two brothers and a sister, all children of Lady Whistler, the Earl's wife. 

His eldest brother, Ethan, was a burly man full of violent energy.

 His second brother, Matthew, was always gloomy and quiet. As for the youngest sister, Elara, it was almost certain she was a Squib. 

In pure-blood families, children who haven't shown signs of "magical outbursts" by the age of nine were usually Squibs.

The emphasis pure-blood wizards place on lineage purity is not without reason.

 William had been part of the wizarding world for eleven years and knew the impact the timing of a magical outburst could have on a wizard's future. 

Take Neville from the original story, for example; at eight years old, he still hadn't shown signs of magical outbursts, leading his uncle to believe he was a Squib and, in desperation, threw Neville off a building. 

His youngest sister, smart, kind, adorable, and empathetic, had the best relationship with William among Lady Whistler's children. 

Look at his older brothers – one a violent brute quick to fight, the other perpetually silent and withdrawn.

However, William knew it wasn't their fault.

 Before he came to Hogwarts, all three of them had been at the same school.

 In such pure-blood families, gifted children would be sent to the so-called Mistfall school within a week after their magical outburst. 

There, students over seven years old endured the Cruciatus Curse and Imperius Curse monthly. 

Although cast by great wizards unknown to the outside world, and at the minimum intensity a young wizard could endure, imagine the experience of these young wizards over seven years old, undergoing such torment twice a month. 

How could someone with such experiences remain normal? 

Moreover, as they grew older, the intensity of the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses increased,

 and those who failed to break free from the Imperius Curse in time or recover from the Cruciatus Curse within a set period faced additional punishments.

Students at Mistfall knew why they endured such torment and understood that controlled suffering in school was beneficial for their future careers. 

William was aware of this but did not want or wish to pursue such work, especially since his so-called "qualification" was bestowed by his grandfather. 

He wasn't considered a direct descendant of the Whistler family, even though he also bore the Whistler name. 

That's why William had the chance to leave that school, even though he knew he would lose access to many secret magical knowledge by leaving. 

But compared to Mistfall's dark and oppressive atmosphere, 

the sunny and vibrant environment of Hogwarts was much more appealing.

 Besides, William thought as he glanced at the boxes on the shelf, 

if no one teaches me, can't I learn on my own?

"William, I, I..." A chubby boy appeared at the compartment door,

 one hand dragging a heavy-looking suitcase, and the other tightly clutching a... toad.

"Alright, Neville, now that you're here, take a seat quickly and put your suitcase away," 

William said, pointing at the shelf with a finger. 

"And relax, I'm not going to eat you. Loosen up a bit or you'll squeeze your toad to death." 

William looked helpless.

It was no surprise William knew Neville; 

they were relatives. William's grandmother and the wife of Neville's grandfather's brother were sisters. 

When William learned that the chubby boy in front of him was his cousin, he thought there might be many relatives he didn't know about at Hogwarts.

As Neville squeezed into the compartment with his suitcase, 

William noticed the girl following him – messy brown hair and a face slightly speckled with freckles.

"Hurry, Neville, there's someone behind you," 

William said, watching Neville's awkward movements. 

One hand on his suitcase and the other clutching the toad, 

he stood there, not knowing what to do.

"William, can you..." 

Neville, his face turning red, struggled to speak, but was cut off before finishing.

"No, I only touch such disgusting things when I'm dealing with potion ingredients," 

William said, looking disdainfully at the toad in Neville's hand. 

"But I can help you with your suitcase."

"My goodness, how did you do that?"

 The girl at the door stared, eyes wide with disbelief, at William's wandless right hand and then at the suitcase already on the shelf. 

"Levitation Charm, I've read about it in books, but I didn't think a young wizard could do it without a Magic Wand," 

the freckled girl said, clearly amazed.

"Do you need help putting yours up, 'Miss Amazed'? 

And Neville, your suitcase is up, why are you still standing there like a log? Sit down, don't block others." 

William looked at Neville, who seemed as if he'd just been hit on the head with a club by a Troll, then turned around and again used the Levitation Charm to help the girl with her suitcase.

"Alright, sit down, everyone. 'Miss Amazed,' aren't you going to introduce yourself?" 

William waved his hand to close the compartment door. 

"Let me introduce myself first, I am William Whistler, and sitting next to you is Neville Longbottom."

 William tilted his chin, indicating it was her turn.

"I'm not 'Miss Amazed', my name is Hermione Granger," 

the young girl frowned, clearly displeased with William calling her Miss Overreact.

Hermione Granger, that's not too hard to guess, right?

"Alright, I apologize," William said insincerely.

"How did you do it? The book says casting spells without a Magic Wand is a very advanced skill," 

Hermione spoke in a very "Hermione" way.

"Magic, time," 

William opened a thick book he had placed on the table earlier. 

He wanted to read for a while before the train had traveled some distance and then have a good chat with Neville.

"What?" Hermione clearly didn't understand what William was saying.

"Enough magic power and varying practice time, depending on the person," 

William continued flipping through the book, 

"By the way, Neville, I'll have something to talk to you about later."

"Ah? What?" Neville, clearly distracted, was startled when he heard William call his name.

Neville is a good boy, there's no doubt about that. 

He just appears somewhat timid due to the experiences of his parents and the immense pressure from his grandmother. 

But once he overcomes these shackles, the courage buried deep within him will surely emerge. 

William decided to help him; he genuinely liked this somewhat dazed chubby boy.

"Um..." Hermione hesitated, 

"Is there something you don't want me to hear?" 

Hermione thought there might be something William didn't want her to overhear when he mentioned he would talk to Neville later. 

"Then I can go for a walk."

"It's not that, Miss Granger," 

William, who had been reading, looked up at Hermione. 

"When I said I'd talk to Neville later, it wasn't to imply that you should leave. It's just that I don't like to be interrupted when I'm speaking." 

William paused, closed the book he had been reading, and looked through the glass at the corridor.

 "Because soon a spoiled rich brat will come to this compartment, and I need to get rid of him first."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the compartment door was pulled open.

 Despite there being only three people outside, it felt as if the corridor was blocked.

"Ah, William, let's see who you have here..." 

A boy with light golden hair and a somewhat pale face appeared at the door.

"Draco." 

William glared at the few boys at the door, his eyes filled with a warning.

Hermione, seeing the three people nearly blocking the corridor, immediately understood that this was the "spoiled rich brat" William had mentioned.

"Alright, alright," 

Draco clearly understood the warning in William's eyes, 

"I'm going to find Potter. Are you coming?"

"I'm not going, and you don't need to either," 

William looked at Draco again, then reopened the book he had just closed and continued reading.

 "Potter and the redhead are in a compartment further down. 

If you keep walking, you'll see them. With your personality, if you go there, you're bound to start an argument, so it's better if..."

"What?! Weasley? Are you saying that the redhead from the Potter and Weasley families is together?"

Draco instantly became excited. 

"Ha, I'll make sure Harry Potter knows it's a mistake to be friends with that kind of riff-raff! Let's go."

With three people gone, the light in the corridor brightened again.

"Uh, so that was..." Hermione stood up, preparing to close the door.

"Yes, Draco Malfoy, a spoiled rich kid. As for the other two... well, you don't need to bother with them," 

William stopped Hermione from closing the door. 

"Don't shut it yet, we'll have to open it again soon anyway," he shrugged.

"By the way, he didn't bully you, did he? Neville." 

William propped his chin with one hand while continuing to read.

"No, not now," Neville held his toad in one hand and his clothes in the other, looking like someone who could be easily bullied.

"Not to be rude, but you're thinking of Gryffindor? Hufflepuff might be more suited for you."

"Gryffindor? I know it, that's the best house," 

Hermione said, her interest piqued upon hearing about Gryffindor. She had wanted to talk about Harry Potter after hearing Draco mention him.

"The best? There's no such thing as the best, only the most suitable house." 

William decided to give Neville some advice. 

Neville, in his current state, was the perfect target for bullies.

"But Dumbledore was from Gryffindor, and he's the greatest wizard," 

retorted Miss Overreact, immediately not agreeing.

"Alright, 'Miss Believes-Anything-She-Hears'," 

William used another nickname for Hermione, 

"Let's set aside Headmaster Dumbledore for now. 

How much do you know about the courses at Hogwarts? 

The professors teaching potions, herbology, transfiguration, spells, defense against the dark arts – they are the same across all four houses. 

How much you learn and to what extent depends on the individual, not the house."

After all, educational resources are the same, and what one learns entirely depends on personal talent and effort. 

This is unlike the schools in William's original world, where there were enhanced classes and regular classes. 

Enhanced classes had special teachers, while regular classes had regular teachers. 

In such a scenario of skewed educational resources, it's understandable to say one is better than the other. 

Hogwarts doesn't have this situation, so claiming one house is the best is complete nonsense.

Hermione bit her lip, wanting to argue but not knowing how to. 

Finally, she managed to say, 

"I've told you my name is Hermione Granger; please stop giving me random nicknames."

At that moment, the sound of the young master's ranting came from not far down the corridor.

"Damn it, damn Potter, damn Weasley, I'm going to tell my father."

William rolled his eyes, looking at Draco standing at the door. 

It seemed keeping the door open was the right decision, as an irate Draco might have broken it otherwise, and fixing it would be such a hassle.

"Damn it, William, you don't know what just happened. That Potter, he actually..."

"Alright, alright, I told you earlier there was no need to go," 

William quickly interrupted the young master's endless chatter, as he still had things to do.

 "You should go back to your compartment and calm down. 

If you want to teach Weasley a lesson, there will be plenty of opportunities at school."

"Huff... huff, right, you're right, it's not worth getting angry over a Weasley. Huff... you two, come with me." 

Taking his two lackeys, who had barely made their presence felt, Draco left to return to his own compartment.

"Finally, some peace and quiet," William said as he waved his hand to close the door.

 He took out his Magic Wand with his left hand, drew the curtain over the door, and cast a locking spell, ensuring the compartment was securely closed. Then, he turned to Neville.

"Next, Neville, let's have a proper talk."