"Did you hear? The Weasley twins supposedly invented some kind of magical trick, a spell that creates an invisible wall to block people."
"I heard about it too, but they claim they didn't invent it and that they're victims themselves. They even said they'd offer a two-Galleon reward to anyone who can give them information on the culprit."
"Two Galleons? Isn't that a bit too cheap?"
"Be grateful. Given the state of the Weasley family finances, pulling out two Galleons is already bleeding them dry."
"I suppose... that's true."
...
In the span of just half an hour, word spread across the entire train that the Weasley twins had set up a spell at the station entrance. At that very moment, our scapegoat Weasley twins were hiding away in some compartment, shivering in fear to dodge those aggrieved victims.
Yet the train compartments were only so big—where could they possibly run? After hiding for barely half an hour, the two of them were dragged out. In the end, after paying out a 'fortune' of two Galleons to buy up a mountain of snacks, their fellow students finally let them off the hook.
Meanwhile, a boy with the exact same flaming red hair hovered by the door of Ye Feng's compartment, looking at Ye Feng as he asked, "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."
Seeing that flaming red hair, Ye Feng smiled faintly. The boy had a smudge of black soot across his face, and his clothes looked somewhat disheveled, with faint signs of having been pulled and tugged.
"Of course, please sit."
Ye Feng hadn't expected Ron to track down Harry just like in the original story, but Ron looked far more miserable than he did in the books. His already worn-out clothes were in an even worse state, and Ye Feng bore no small share of the blame for that.
Because Ye Feng had slightly modified the magic effect of the entrance spell earlier, Ron had been caught in the crossfire right after boarding with his older brothers. That was precisely why he still hadn't found a seat by this point, looking far more pathetic than he did in the original timeline.
"Thanks." Receiving permission, Ron muttered his thanks before sitting down next to Ye Feng. The moment he sat down, he immediately introduced himself: "Oh, right, I'm Ron. Ron Weasley."
Ron's arrival gave Harry someone to chat with. As for Ye Feng, he didn't have much to say to Harry; after all, Harry knew even less about the magical world than he did. As for other topics, you could hardly expect an eleven-year-old kid from a completely different country to share much common ground with him.
Of course, even though Ye Feng didn't join in their conversation, he didn't make things awkward either. He played the part of an attentive listener, occasionally nodding in agreement with what they were discussing.
Amidst this cheerful atmosphere, a good portion of the snacks Ye Feng had brought out were consumed. It was right then that another figure appeared at their compartment door.
"Hello, have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one."
Hearing the voice, Ye Feng and the others turned toward the doorway, where they spotted a cute girl with chestnut-brown curls and matching chestnut eyes.
Though the girl wasn't dazzlingly beautiful like Cho Chang—or perhaps she even looked a bit ordinary at first glance—a closer inspection revealed that her bone structure was actually quite fine. Once she grew into her features and learned to take a little care of her skin to keep it fair and tender, she would undoubtedly turn into a campus belle, a match for Cho Chang.
Of course, what really drew Ye Feng's attention wasn't the potential hidden beneath that ordinary exterior, but rather the fact that, if he wasn't mistaken, this girl had to be Hermione, the other main protagonist of Harry Potter.
There was a saying in Harry Potter used to describe the three main characters: Hermione and her two flaws.
While that phrasing wasn't entirely fair, it showed just how crucial Hermione's position was within the trio. The moment Ye Feng saw the girl with the chestnut curls, his eyes lit up brightly.
*If this really is Hermione, then the main cast is all here. If only I had a camera.*
While Ye Feng was lost in thought, Ron, still snacking away, looked straight at Hermione and answered, "No."
Hearing that reply, Hermione looked slightly disappointed. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Ye Feng suddenly spoke up.
"Perhaps I can give it a try. Like... this." With that, Ye Feng drew his wand, gave it a gentle flick, and murmured softly, "Neville's toad, Accio."
The moment the incantation left his lips, a flash of light burst from the tip of his wand. The light vanished, and a giant toad plummeted down with a heavy *thud* onto the floor of the compartment, letting out a pained, croaking "Ribbit."
Looking at the enormous toad lying sprawled on the ground, practically rolling its eyes back from the fall, Ye Feng offered an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, it's my first time using the Summoning Charm, so I'm a bit out of practice. You can go grab that boy named Neville and have him check if this is his toad."
"That's incredible! How did you do that? That's not one of the simple little spells."
"Actually, I've thought about using that spell myself, but I've read through the entire first-year spellbook and couldn't find it anywhere. Are your parents wizards too? Can you teach me that spell?"
"Hold on, hold on, beautiful young lady. Please try not to get too excited. The most pressing matter right now is getting this toad back to its owner. As for the Summoning Charm, if you're still interested once we get to school, come find me. I certainly won't keep any secrets."
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Hermione finally calmed down. About three minutes later, she led Neville back to their compartment. The moment Neville reached the doorway, he recognized his toad. With a cry of disbelief, he rushed forward, dropped to his knees, and scooped up the giant amphibian, prompting Ye Feng to instinctively sit up straight and lean back.
While he didn't mind other people keeping such a massive toad as a pet, compared to a bumpy giant toad, he much preferred furry creatures—like... foxes that could transform, or cat-girls, and the like (ˉ﹃ˉ).
Since there was still room in Ye Feng's compartment and they were nearing their destination anyway, Hermione and Neville simply stayed put. Naturally, she didn't forget to remind everyone to change into their robes.
As the snacks Ye Feng provided were completely finished, and night fell, plunging the sky into total darkness, the Hogwarts Express finally arrived at its destination: the terminal station, Hogwarts.
When the train came to a smooth halt, a crowd of young wizards eagerly streamed out of the compartments and headed down. Ye Feng followed at an unhurried pace right behind Hermione and the others.
As soon as they stepped off the train, a booming voice echoed from the front, calling for all first-years to follow him. Ye Feng caught sight of the 'giant' who stood nearly twice as tall as them, and his eyes lit up.
It wasn't that Ye Feng recognized who the man was; rather, he could 'sense' a vast amount of diverse animal auras emanating from him, and these animal auras were remarkably strong. In other words, if his guess was right, those auras belonged to magical creatures.
*To carry the aura of so many magical creatures around with him like this, this has got to be Hagrid. This guy is a stealth billionaire! As long as I can get on his good side from now on, all the various materials I'll ever need are practically guaranteed.*
While Ye Feng stared intently at Hagrid, the big man seemed to sense something and looked toward their direction. However, his gaze didn't linger on Ye Feng; instead, it was completely drawn to Harry standing right beside him.
*Looks like even if I didn't want to follow the plot, I'll still need to cozy up to Harry. With Harry around, I won't have to worry about missing out on harvesting materials from Hagrid's magical creatures, will I?*