"Please, come in—there's still space."
Baron lifted his head calmly and made an inviting gesture. "I'm Baron Shafiq. This is K, who prefers not to reveal his full name. It's a pleasure to travel with you."
"Cho Chang. Nice to meet you both."The Asian girl smiled as she greeted them, then dragged her luggage inside. "What were you just talking about? You didn't sound very happy."
"We were discussing the current state of Slytherin," Baron said seriously. "We agreed that some people in Slytherin have already forgotten its former glory. They're blinded by indulgence and give free rein to their baser instincts… um…"
He hesitated, unable to find a suitable word for those disappointing upperclassmen.
"Bastards," Avada supplied helpfully from the side.
"A bit crude, but essentially correct," Baron said with a slight frown, nodding in agreement. "That's why I told him earlier that those people absolutely do not represent Slytherin's true intentions, and asked him not to form prejudices against the House. If, in the future, any Slytherin offends him, I'm willing to do everything I can to help—and to offer an apology in advance."
"You as well, Cho."
"Thank you for your kindness," Cho replied with a smile, then hesitated before asking, "But forgive me for being blunt—don't you think Slytherin's… less-than-stellar reputation is connected to its admission standards? Ambition, pursuit of power, victory above all else… it doesn't seem easy to recruit good people."
"You're missing the most important criterion: valuing honor," Baron said solemnly. "And more importantly, a person's moral bottom line and conscience are what truly determine whether they're good or not. That has nothing to do with ambition or power."
"I won't deny that people with those traits are more likely to lose themselves and abandon their conscience—that's why there are so many Dark wizards from Slytherin. But that doesn't mean this was Salazar Slytherin's intention, nor does it mean Slytherin lacks upright, kind, and trustworthy people."
"I believe that," Avada said gently, soothing Baron before shifting the topic. "Let's talk about something lighter. Cho, you seem to be Asian? It's rare to see Asian faces in Britain—and even rarer among witches and wizards."
"That's true."Cho smiled. "My mother is a British-born Chinese witch, and she also graduated from Hogwarts. According to her, she was the first Chinese witch Hogwarts admitted in over a thousand years—and I might be the second!"
"Speaking of which," Avada said curiously, "Asia is the most populous continent in the world, yet it has the fewest wizards. The entire continent only has one magical school, Mahoutokoro School of Magic, and even though it recruits across Asia, it's the smallest of the eleven wizarding schools."
"I've read about this in my family's library," Baron replied. "The mainstream theory is that the birth of wizards seems to be related to Earth's magnetic field. The closer one is to the magnetic poles, the more likely it is for wizards to be born. Europe and North America are the largest population centers closer to the poles, so they naturally produced the most wizards."
"Africa and the southern tip of South America are also close to the South Magnetic Pole and have sizable populations, so they likewise have many wizards. But due to climate, natural resources, and other factors, the magical schools were ultimately established in Uganda and Brazil."
Avada was genuinely impressed. This was a theory he had never even considered when reading the original books.
"That actually sounds very reasonable," he praised sincerely.
"However, it's only a summary of observed reality and lacks rigorous validation," Baron sighed. "And it can't explain the distribution of magical creatures. Magical creatures exist on every continent in large numbers, which has long puzzled magizoologists."
"I thought about that myself when I was little," Cho's eyes lit up. "I think magical creatures have far more stable bloodline inheritance than wizards do. Once a new magical creature is born, or once a species migrates to a new environment, it can continue reproducing indefinitely. Over long periods of evolution, sizable populations form—unconstrained by geography. The evidence is that magical creatures have never produced a Squib!"
"That's a fascinating idea!" Baron exclaimed. "You really came up with that yourself?"
"Of course," Cho nodded proudly. "Once I learn more, I plan to refine the theory and publish it in the Daily Prophet. Who knows? It might even be worth an Order of Merlin, Second Class."
"You'll definitely make an excellent Ravenclaw," he praised.
"Thank you—that's what my mother hopes for as well," Cho said with a sweet smile.
Avada, a Muggle-born whose understanding of the magical world came only from the original books and a handful of introductory texts he had just finished, listened beside them with a completely baffled expression.
Wasn't the wizarding world just Avada Kedavra and Expelliarmus?
"Woo—"
Just then, with the sound of a steam whistle, the Hogwarts Express slowly began to move, racing toward the ancient and mysterious Hogwarts. Sunlight poured through the windows, accompanied by forests and grasslands rapidly sliding backward outside.
"By the way, we've been talking about Cho and me this whole time," Baron said. "k, you haven't properly introduced yourself yet."
On the speeding train, Baron bought some Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans to share, asking Avada as they ate.
"Me?"Avada thought for a moment and realized there really wasn't much worth highlighting. "I'm Muggle-born. I don't have parents, and I grew up in an orphanage. To be honest, I nearly jumped out of my skin when a Hogwarts acceptance letter was dropped onto my desk by an owl."
After limited observation and reading, Avada had realized that other witches and wizards didn't seem able to directly perceive magic the way he could, so he stopped mentioning his Magical Perception altogether.
"Oh—sorry," Baron said apologetically, then asked, "But what exactly is going on with your name? For Professor Dumbledore to personally come and deal with it?"
"Professor Dumbledore?!" Cho exclaimed. She hadn't heard their earlier conversation.
"I'm not sure either," Avada said, lying smoothly without missing a beat. "When Professor Dumbledore arrived, he showed me a few spells and explained the wizarding world. Then he brought me to a place called the Ministry of Magic and talked with people there about things I couldn't understand at all. After that, they compensated me over my name—and even took me to Gringotts to open a vault…"
Baron and Cho were stunned.What kind of name could alarm both Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic—and even require financial compensation?
And enough compensation to justify opening a Gringotts vault!
"Your name might be hiding a huge problem," Cho said, frowning slightly. "Professor Dumbledore is one of the most respected wizards in the entire magical world. If even he warned you not to reveal your name, it certainly means something is seriously wrong—possibly something even he can't fully resolve."
Baron added, "You should also avoid mentioning the compensation to others. You might not realize this yet, but owning a vault at Gringotts means your wealth already surpasses that of most witches and wizards. Coupled with being Muggle-born and so young, it could make you a target."
"I understand. Thank you for the warning," Avada said sincerely, touched by their concern.
"But you seem to know a lot about the wizarding world," Baron said curiously. "Voldemort…"Cho flinched slightly."Slytherin, other magical schools—you know about all of it. I didn't even realize you were Muggle-born during our conversation."
"Reading," Avada replied with a small smile. "Aside from textbooks, I bought quite a few books about the wizarding world in Diagon Alley. I've mostly caught up over the past month."
As the scenery outside continued to streak by, the sunlight gradually faded into dusk. After hours of chatting and laughter, the train finally began to slow.
"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes! Please leave your luggage on board; staff will deliver it to your dormitories!"
"The 'staff' here refers to house-elves," Baron explained as he straightened his robes. "They're magical beings who serve witches and wizards. Hogwarts' kitchens are run entirely by them. If anyone is lucky enough to be Sorted into Hufflepuff, you'll probably see them often."
By the time the train came to a stop at the small platform, night had fully fallen, and the chill made Avada shiver. Then a rough, booming male voice rang out:
"First years! First years, over here!"