NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Reunion With Hermione
[King's Cross Station, London. Harry wore elegant, form-fitting black clothes that highlighted his well-defined body. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and an emerald pendant, where he stored all of his belongings. The only thing he carried in his hands was Hedwig's cage, while his wand, engraved with a snake, rested at his waist.]
[He displayed a helpless expression while reassuring his aunt that everything would be fine and that he would certainly visit her during the holidays.]
["Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, don't worry. I promise I'll write every two weeks to tell you how things are going."]
["And you, Dudley, don't neglect your studies. Work hard to get into Eton College when I come back."]
[After much persuasion and unequal agreements, Aunt Petunia reluctantly let go of Harry, while Vernon pulled her back to the car. Harry walked calmly through the station. Unlike the original Harry, Harry Black had read all the useful books he could find at the Diagon Alley bookstore, so he already knew about the secret passage at the station.]
[As he walked by platform four, he spotted a striking family with red hair. From their robes and school supplies similar to his own, it wasn't hard to deduce that they were a wizarding family.]
["Red hair... This must be the Weasley family. According to the books, they don't seem too extreme about pure-bloods..."]
[Harry reflected for a moment before approaching with a smile. He knew it was time to start establishing relationships with the main families of the wizarding world.]
["Hello, Sister! My name is Harry Potter. May I accompany you to the Hogwarts Express?"]
[Harry resorted to his old tactics. There was no need to change what already worked. However, the effects went beyond his expectations. Not only Molly, but even her children looked at him with dazed eyes.]
[At first, they were surprised by his elegant and noble appearance. When they heard his name, Harry Potter, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the twins exclaimed without hesitation:]
["Oh my God! Is this boy really Harry Potter? What a dazzling appearance!"]
["If you hadn't said so, I would've sworn this is the crown prince of England, truly worthy of the rumors!"]
[As if she could no longer bear the twins' nonsense, veins bulged on Molly's forehead as she scolded them with a slap to the head. Then, she leaned forward with a smile to talk to Harry, looking quite pleased with the way he called her.]
["Little Harry, of course! Ron is going to Hogwarts this year too. I'm sure you two will become friends quickly."]
[Harry gained a good impression of the Weasley family and, along with them, passed through the station's secret passage. Along the way, he noticed a little girl behind Molly who was secretly watching him whenever he averted his gaze. Her behavior reminded him of a certain girl with large teeth and fluffy brown hair, so he couldn't resist asking Ron:]
["Ron, do you know why your sister seems so focused on me?"]
["Ah, you don't know? She's just another one of your many fans. Actually, all the kids in the wizarding world are, even me."]
[Hearing Ron's excited tone, Harry merely smiled helplessly. Poor kids, they really believed adults' lies from an early age. However, Harry didn't reveal anything. He wasn't in a position to tell the truth yet.]
[Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express with Ron, while the twins headed to the upperclassmen areas. During the trip, he talked about various things with Ron regarding the wizarding world, and indeed, learned quite a bit.]
[Seeing Ron's embarrassment when the sweets vendor arrived, Harry once again demonstrated his generosity, buying all the sweets to share with his friend. As if wanting to impress Harry, Ron prepared to cast a spell that would change Scabbers' color to yellow, but before he could demonstrate his magic, a sweet voice echoed as the compartment door opened.]
["Has anyone seen a toad around here, a boy named...!!! Harry Potter!!"]
[The moment their eyes met, Harry and Hermione both fell into a state of confusion, but Harry was the first to regain his composure. With a slightly teasing smile, he approached and reached out to press down on Hermione's fluffy brown hair.]
["Well, well, what do we have here? Isn't it the little girl with the big teeth? I didn't expect to see you again so soon. How have you been since the last school championship?"]
["Damn you...! I already told you not to press my head! And don't say I have big teeth, I've had treatment, and that problem is long gone!!"]
[It was as if something had been triggered inside Hermione. Her face turned red, and she immediately pushed Harry's strong hands away from her head. Of course, Harry did that on his own because, even if she tried, not even an adult could move Harry from his place.]
[Since it was their first time meeting, Harry introduced Hermione and Ron to each other. As if she had thought of something, Hermione, with a mischievous smile, mocked Harry:]
["Harry, I didn't know you were actually the savior of the wizarding world. Who would have thought you could defeat a great dark lord, hehe..."]
[How could Harry accept this provocation passively? He calmly sat back down in his seat and invited Hermione to sit as well, while he sighed heavily, as if unloading a great tragedy, and his eyes looked like they were about to shed a tear at any moment.]
["It's really hard pretending to be an ordinary person, but since I have no choice, I admit: I am truly invincible and defeated the dark lord when I was just one year old!!!"]
["Hateful!!"]
[Harry chatted a bit with Hermione about various things and learned that she had actually received her letter shortly after him and that her instructor had been Professor McGonagall. While the three were talking about some topics from the wizarding world, well, mostly with Ron speaking and the other two listening, a round-faced boy approached and spoke in a tearful voice:]
["Hermione, I've looked everywhere. Did you manage to find Trevor?"]
[Hermione finally realized she had completely forgotten her current objective and was about to leave to continue searching for Neville's toad. However, Harry stopped her and asked about the details of the matter. After listening, a strange expression appeared on his face.]
["Why don't you guys just use a Summoning Charm? Tell me a little about this toad's characteristics."]
[The three kids had question marks on their heads. Neville quickly described Trevor's characteristics to Harry, who took only a few seconds to visualize an image in his mind. He waved his wand lightly.]
["Accio!"]
[With a muffled croak, the brown toad with warty bumps landed in Neville's hands, who was already stunned by what he was seeing. Hermione's eyes shone like stars, and she promptly asked what year this spell was registered. However, Harry mercilessly shattered her expectations.]
["This spell isn't in Hogwarts' curriculum, but if you really want to learn it, you can take a look at this book. You can keep it; I've already memorized all the content."]
[Harry pulled an unusual spellbook from his jade pendant and handed it to Hermione before she had a chance to respond. In this way, the four kids began to get to know each other better, with Ron and Neville describing their childhoods in the magical world, and Harry and Hermione describing their childhoods in the Muggle world. However, this situation didn't last long when, once again, the compartment door opened, but this time, with an unwanted visitor.]