After Kael got on the train, the first few compartments were almost full.
No choice, since he got on at the last minute, finding an empty seat wasn't easy.
Kael used a Levitating Spell to carry his luggage and walked to the end, finally finding a relatively spacious compartment at the back of the train.
There was only one boy in the compartment, about the same age as him. In terms of looks... though not as handsome as himself, he definitely was better looking than the two Weasley twins.
"Knock knock..."
Kael knocked on the compartment door, politely asking, "Hi, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."
"Of course, make yourself comfortable," the boy quickly responded.
"Thank you."
Once inside the compartment, Kael first placed his luggage on the rack, then extended a hand to the other.
"Hello, I'm a new student this year, Kael Chopper."
The boy seemed to be lost in thought and didn't respond immediately. After realizing, he quickly extended his hand and said, "Oh... sorry, Cedric Digory, second-year at Hogwarts."
Cedric?
Kael was a bit surprised, not expecting to meet a "familiar face" as soon as he boarded the train. A future Hogwarts Champion, no wonder he's so handsome.
Kael remembered that they both lived near Ottery St Catchpole, but due to various reasons, they had never met before.
Not even once.
Kael had tried to visit him a few times initially, but the Digory residence always had its doors closed. Over time, Kael gave up.
Unexpectedly, their first meeting was on the train...
But Kael noticed that the other seemed preoccupied, so he didn't say much else. After a brief greeting, he took out the book "Ordinary Spells and Countermeasures" he bought from Flourish and Blotts and started reading.
The other continued daydreaming.
Sometime later, light rain began falling outside the window. It was always like this here, rain came and went without warning.
Kael glanced out the window but wasn't bothered; he was long used to it and even enjoyed reading in such weather.
Influenced by Kael, Cedric stopped daydreaming and also took out a book to read. From the cover, it seemed to be "Dark Power: Self-defense Guide."
Studying Defense Against the Dark Arts on the train ride to school was entirely normal for Hogwarts students.
After all, no one knew how long this year's professor would last — it wouldn't hurt to study ahead, just in case they were gone after a couple of classes.
For a while, the only sounds in the compartment were the rustling of parchment, starkly contrasting the noise from the corridor outside.
But this quiet didn't last long.
Cedric hadn't even read two pages when the compartment door opened again.
"Finally found you, Kael."
"We saved you a seat, but you stood us up, leaving us waiting like idiots all this time."
"I think you owe us an apology."
Fred and George leaned against the doorway, questioning Kael sentence by sentence.
Both wore expressions of anger, as if Kael had committed a heinous act.
"I can apologize."
Kael calmly closed his book and said, "But only if you swear on a Dungbomb to prove what you said is true."
Instantly, the anger on Fred's face turned to hesitation: "Uh, can I swear on the headmaster's name?"
George was the same: "Or with Professor McGonagall's?"
"No!" Kael shook his head. "Only on a Dungbomb."
...
"Oh, George, I think Kael might be riding the Hogwarts Express for the first time and is unfamiliar with it, which is why he couldn't find us."
"Yes, Fred, we can't blame him. We should pay more attention outside."
The twins exchanged a look, tacitly choosing to ignore their previous statements, squeezing into the compartment as if nothing had happened.
Unavoidably, they spotted Cedric too.
Fred gave a mischievous grin and said, "Look who it is, now why can't I remember?"
George raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course, it's our Hogwarts' good boy, the pride of Hufflepuff, Cedric Digory."
As soon as they finished speaking, Cedric's face flushed red, nearly causing him to imprint a dent in the train from embarrassment thanks to those cringe-worthy titles.
But he couldn't argue back.
Because those titles, "good boy" and "the pride of Hufflepuff", originated from his father, and in just one summer, everyone at the Ministry of Magic knew about it.
Including their families.
So this summer, almost half the letters Cedric received were signed with "the pride of Hufflepuff."
The remaining ones came from classmates in Muggle families, who were unaware of the matter.
It was precisely because of this that he deliberately chose this most secluded compartment, yet he was still discovered, and by the most troublesome pair no less.
"Please, spare me!" Cedric pleaded with his hands together, "I can lend you my homework."
As he spoke, a stack of parchment was placed on the table.
The twins wanted to tease a bit more, but the offered price was too good to refuse.
After all, these were the top-of-the-year assignments!
George's expression turned serious, quickly clutching the parchments to his chest, saying sternly, "What are you talking about, Cedric? Of course, we know that's not what you meant. We were just joking."
"Exactly," Fred nodded alongside him, "Rest assured, we won't tease you over this."
...
Fred and George left with beaming smiles, looking as if they'd just found a fortune in Galleons.
Once they left, Cedric also breathed a sigh of relief, sheepishly glancing at Kael, "Sorry, I..."
"I should be the one apologizing," Kael interrupted, "After all, they were looking for me, otherwise you wouldn't have been discovered."
Cedric shook his head with a wry smile, "It was bound to happen sooner or later."
On the train, he could hide, but once at Hogwarts, he wouldn't be able to. He had to face it eventually, whether sooner or later.
Besides, the Weasley twins' sudden appearance wasn't all bad, as they showed Cedric a way to handle the situation.
Namely, with homework.
Being top of the class, his holiday assignments were in high demand, as evidenced by the Weasley twins earlier. Using his homework to silence the mouths in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor should work.
As long as he could control them, he would have solved 80% of the problem.
Regarding Ravenclaw and Slytherin... based on their character traits, they probably wouldn't get involved in such matters, at least the majority wouldn't, and even if a few did, it wouldn't matter much.
As long as his own house didn't make a fuss, and without Gryffindor's energetic lions joining in, this matter would blow over in three days at most.
Only three days, not long at all.
On second thought, Cedric realized maybe things weren't so bad after all.
...