Ten minutes earlier, Harry Potter, still a little uneasy, had been peering down the train corridor.
Most compartments were already crowded, which left him slightly frustrated, but soon he spotted one that was nearly empty—inside sat only a red-haired boy he'd seen once before.
Harry remembered this boy had arrived with his family and seemed easy to get along with. But why was he sitting there alone?
Curious, Harry knocked on the compartment door. "Hello, is there a free seat here?"
"Of course, it's just me," Ron Weasley said happily, looking up.
Harry stepped inside, but before he could settle into his seat, Ron, staring at him from across the compartment, exclaimed, "Blimey, you're Harry Potter!"
Harry was already used to being recognized on sight. He instinctively touched the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and gave a small nod.
"I'm Ron Weasley." Ron extended his hand, and Harry, a little awkwardly, shook it.
Introductions made, Ron immediately began showing off his pet.
"This is Scabbers," Ron said, holding up a large rat.
The instant Harry saw it, he thought of the big rats he'd been feeding Hedwig lately—rat number 467, to be exact. Without thinking, he blurted out, "For feeding owls? But why are you carrying owl food around?"
"F-food?" Ron's mouth fell open in shock. The rat squealed and darted straight into his shirt.
Ron panicked, fumbling frantically to catch the creature wriggling against him.
"Damn it! Come out, Scabbers! Stop moving! Don't go any lower!" Ron shouted, flustered.
Harry wanted to help, but the sight of the twitching rat tail sticking out from Ron's clothes made his skin crawl.
Creepy… a rat crawling under your shirt like that...
Harry shivered and instinctively edged closer to the compartment door.
Ron finally caught Scabbers, yanking him out by the tail. "Bad Scabbers!" he scolded loudly.
Then, glaring at Harry's pale face, Ron snapped, "You scared him! You have to apologize!"
Apologize to a rat?
Harry suddenly felt this supposedly friendly boy was a bit ridiculous.
Why on earth should he apologize to owl food? Especially to a disgusting rat that burrowed into people's clothes!
"No. I definitely won't apologize," Harry said firmly.
"Hmph!" Ron turned away at once, determined to ignore him.
Even if he was the famous Harry Potter.
Seeing this, Harry felt a flicker of regret. Maybe he shouldn't have spoken so bluntly to someone he'd just met. But his pride and stubbornness kept him from backing down.
So instead, he pulled out his copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One and focused on reading. Out of sight, out of mind.
"You're actually studying? On the train?" Ron muttered sarcastically.
Harry froze for a moment, then looked up at the red-haired boy across from him. In his mind, he crossed Ron off his list completely.
Compared to someone like Leonard, diligent and gifted, this boy seemed utterly unreasonable.
At that moment, a girl poked her head into the compartment—it was Hermione Granger.
The tension in the air made her falter for a moment, but she quickly asked, "Have either of you seen a toad?"
"No! Who'd want to see something that disgusting?" Ron snapped, still in a foul mood.
Neville, standing just behind Hermione, went pale, while Leonard, at the very back, looked utterly confused.
He glanced around the compartment. It was tidy, no heaps of snack wrappers, but the atmosphere was heavy and strained.
Strange. According to the story, Harry should be happily chatting with Ron Weasley right now, sharing magical sweets.
What was with this gloomy mood? Did they already fight?
But I haven't even done anything yet.
The unexpected sight left Leonard stunned.
Harry soon noticed Leonard standing behind them, and his face lit up with relief as he greeted him.
"Leonard, long time no see." Harry jumped to his feet. "Where were you? I asked the innkeeper, and he said you'd already checked out."
"Uh… personal business." Leonard pushed the door open and stepped inside. "And this is?"
He glanced at Ron Weasley.
"Ron Weasley." Harry still remembered his self-introduction. He meant to say it in a normal tone, but the sight of the rat in Ron's arms made his face twitch. "And his pet, Scabbers."
Harry turned toward Leonard, certain that someone who fed mice to owls would understand how he felt.
In truth, Leonard didn't. Though he found it strange that wizards would keep ordinary rats as pets, to him rats were nothing more than test subjects—hardly disgusting.
But Scabbers was a different story.
Leonard cast a look at the rodent curled up against Ron. Just picturing that greasy, middle-aged fat man—unwashed for over a decade—living and eating with Ron Weasley for another three years made his stomach turn.
No… revolting. I'd love to toss him to a Chomping Cabbage and let it finish the job.
Leonard's gaze darkened dangerously as he stared at the rat.
"He's my pet! He deserves respect!" Ron Weasley shouted.
"He's right. The acceptance letter did say you could bring an owl, a rat, or a toad as a pet," Hermione said. "But..."
Her voice turned cold. "If you don't respect other people's pets, don't expect them to respect yours."
She was standing up for Neville, still remembering Ron's careless remark earlier.
Neville, behind her, looked grateful. Harry, on the other hand, froze a little guiltily—he knew he hadn't exactly shown Ron's pet much respect.
But it wasn't his fault! That thing had crawled into Ron's clothes. It was terrifying.
"Hmph, you're all in this together." Ron Weasley huffed, clutching Scabbers to his chest as he stormed out of the compartment without looking back.
Hermione pursed her lips at his retreating back. When she turned, she noticed Leonard staring after Ron with a thoughtful expression.
"Leonard, do you think I was too harsh?" Hermione asked.
Leonard shook his head.
"Then why were you staring at him?" she pressed curiously.
"I just thought that rat looked rather fat," Leonard said after a pause. "Perfect owl feed."
"Eh?"
...
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