Stephen and Harry, a little stunned but very excited, pushed their way through the dense crowd on Platform 9¾. The enormous scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express, seemed like a living creature, spewing clouds of steam that swirled around, making the scene almost unreal. Hundreds of children, clearly first-years just like them, bustled about, saying goodbye to parents, laughing, jostling, and making joyful noise. It was organized chaos, which, though it annoyed Stephen with its disorder, still had a definite purpose—boarding the train.
"We need to find an empty compartment," Stephen said, his voice calmer than usual. Passing through the barrier and Mrs. Weasley's loud reaction to Harry's scar had puzzled him. It was unclear and required an explanation. He was already starting to figure out why it happened.
Harry nodded. He looked a bit lost in the commotion, his eyes darting around.
"I... I've never been on such a big train," he mumbled.
Stephen, already accustomed to ignoring feelings, focused on the best way to find a compartment.
"We should go where there are fewer people. That way, we'll have a better chance of finding an empty spot and less contact."
They navigated the narrow aisle between the carriages, peeking into each compartment. Most were already occupied by noisy groups of students. Finally, at the very end of the carriage, they found a relatively empty compartment. Only one boy, stout with light hair, was sitting inside, clearly looking for something under the seat. It was Ron Weasley.
"Hi, Ron!" Harry said happily, stepping inside. "Are you here too?"
Ron looked up, his face lighting up with a smile.
"Harry! Great! I thought all the compartments were taken. Hi," he nodded to Stephen, whom they'd briefly met on the platform.
Stephen entered last, carefully placing Athena's cage on the luggage rack. The owl calmly hooted, as if approving the chosen spot.
"We were looking for an empty compartment. Yours fit," Stephen stated, sitting opposite Harry. He took out his notebook and pencil, ready to write down observations. "So, Harry, Ron, how do you explain us walking through a wall? I think the wall temporarily changes its properties, but I don't understand how."
Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered glances. Ron giggled.
"You mean the wall? That's just magic, Stephen. You don't have to explain it."
Stephen was silent for a moment. He looked carefully at Ron, then at Harry. He thought about their reactions to his previous, more complex questions, about their knowledge of the magical world, about their words. And he quickly realized: his current way of communicating was bad. If he wanted to get information from these people, he had to speak in a way they understood. Continuing to use complex words would be useless and would only lead to misunderstanding.
"Just magic," Stephen repeated, but without his previous annoyance, more with interest. "So, you think we can't understand how it works? That's an assumption that needs to be checked. But if so, it creates problems for controlling and repeating results. However, I understand your point of view. Let me ask differently: what exactly needs to be done for magic to work? What actions always lead to the same result?"
Ron shrugged.
"Well, you can do magic, can't you?"
Stephen deliberately pulled out his yew wand.
"I can use a tool. But that doesn't mean I understand how it works or why. My goal is to figure it out and understand the basics."
Just then, the compartment door opened again, and a girl with bushy brown hair and slightly too large front teeth appeared in the doorway. It was Hermione Granger, the one looking for a toad.
"Have you seen a toad by any chance?" she began. "A boy named Neville lost his. He's so scatterbrained!"
Harry and Ron replied that they hadn't seen one.
"I already told you that," Stephen said, using simpler words. "Asking again won't change the answer."
Hermione snorted.
"Yes, I know! It (the toad) has gone missing, and he's so upset! I've looked everywhere, but it's nowhere to be found!"
Stephen pondered for a moment. He remembered reading about summoning spells in one of his new textbooks, even though it was in a section for older students. It was a perfect practical test for his knowledge and ability to learn quickly. He saw it not just as helping Neville, but as an experiment.
He took out his wand. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at him in surprise.
"If an object is nearby and not protected, it can be summoned," Stephen said, as if explaining a scientific principle. He clearly, almost robotically, spoke the words he'd memorized from the book, trying to perfectly reproduce the wand movement described in the picture. "Accio, toad!"
A bright blue beam shot from the tip of his yew wand, sped down the train corridor, and disappeared around a bend. A moment later, to everyone's astonishment, the beam returned, dragging behind it... a plump, green toad that seemed very displeased with its sudden relocation. The toad landed with a soft thud directly on Hermione's lap.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron stared at the toad, then at Stephen, their mouths agape.
"You... you did it!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. "But... that's Accio! That's a spell for older students! How do you... how do you know it?"
Stephen, showing not the slightest surprise or pride, simply put away his wand calmly.
"I studied the textbooks. If the information is available, it can be learned and applied. It's simply a matter of good learning and understanding the rules. The spell works on the principle of attracting an object to the source of the spell. This confirms my guess that magic can be controlled. Now that we've found the toad, we can return it to its owner."
Harry and Ron still looked at him in awe.
"You... you just read that in a book?" Ron mumbled. "I can't even make Scabbers turn yellow!"
Hermione, recovering from the shock, picked up the toad and, though impressed, quickly returned to her usual manner.
"Well, that... that was very impressive, Stephen. But you should be more careful with such complex spells without a teacher. Anyway, I'll take it to Neville."
She hurried out of the compartment, still holding the toad, clearly eager to tell Neville about his pet's miraculous return and, perhaps, about the incredible first-year who could use advanced spells.
Stephen turned to Harry and Ron.
"So," he said, opening his notebook again. "Let's continue our analysis of magic. Your attempt to turn the rat, Ron, failed. Why do you think it didn't work?"
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. It seemed they understood that Stephen was an unusual first-year, and that their idea of "just magic" would be constantly challenged by his analysis.
Sweet Discoveries and Illogical Sweets
The train continued its journey, speeding past green fields and small villages. Outside, it was completely dark now. A woman with a trolley full of all sorts of sweets looked into their compartment.
"Sweets trolley, dears?" she asked.
Ron immediately brightened, his eyes sparkling.
"Wow! Mum always packs us sandwiches," he told Harry, as if apologizing. "I only have a couple of pasties."
Harry, quickly realizing Ron couldn't afford sweets, smiled.
"Don't worry, Ron. I'll buy some! We'll get a little bit of everything!"
Stephen, who had never bought food from vendors before, carefully examined the assortment while Harry paid.
"What's in them? How much energy do they have? And how pure is this?"
The vendor simply smiled.
"They're all magical sweets, dear. The very best!"
Harry, without much thought, bought several items, including a "Chocolate Frog" and "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." Stephen decided to stick to a small packet of "Licorice Wands," which looked the most normal and predictable.
While Ron eagerly devoured the sweets Harry shared, Harry opened his "Chocolate Frog." Inside was a large chocolate frog that immediately leaped out of the box and tried to jump out the window. Stephen, with incredible reaction speed, caught it in mid-air.
"A living replica?" he mumbled, trying to speak simply. "How does it move on its own? And what is the chocolate made of that allows it to be alive?"
The box also contained a card with a portrait of a smiling old man with a long beard.
"That's Albus Dumbledore," Harry said, reading the caption. "Headmaster of Hogwarts."
"I've already gathered information on all the leaders," Stephen said, snatching the card from Harry's hand to examine it more closely. "His history is very incomplete. Lots of rumors and no clear data on his achievements. This isn't very good for evaluating a school leader."
Ron pulled a card from his box.
"Oh, I got Dumbledore again. I have like six of these already."
Harry showed them his "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."
"They say there are flavors like vomit and earwax!" he said with delight.
Stephen winced.
"That's unhygienic and foolish. Making products with bad tastes is unprofitable and could be unhealthy."
Hermione, who had returned to the compartment and was still studying her textbooks, looked up.
"I heard that the Sorting happens right upon arrival. I wonder which house we'll be in? I hope it's Gryffindor. I heard the bravest students go there."
Stephen thought.
"Sorting? That's probably some kind of testing or personality analysis system. What rules do they use? This will help properly assign students for good learning, but I hope the rules aren't based on someone's preferences."
The train continued its journey, speeding past green fields and small villages. Outside, it was completely dark now. Soon the conductor announced that they were arriving. It was time to change into their robes.
"Finally," Stephen mumbled, carefully closing his notebook. "The first part of arrival is over. Now begins the part of getting used to and studying the system."
He was ready. Ready for new information, for solving mysteries, for understanding this illogical, yet so interesting world.