[cite_start]Once on the train, Richie and Hermione chose the same compartment[cite: 441, 442]. After all, they were the closest thing either had to a familiar face here. It beat squeezing in with total strangers.
Their luggage had been stowed elsewhere by the conductor, who promised that house-elves would deliver it straight to their dorms once they reached Hogwarts.
[cite_start]To kill time, Richie had pulled a book from his trunk beforehand[cite: 307]. Hermione had exactly the same idea, keeping a book handy.
Soon, the train lurched into motion. For whatever reason, no other young wizards bothered them. Fine by them. It meant they could both read in peace.
Hermione, however, clearly couldn't sit still for long.
"Harland, what are you reading?"
Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, she looked over at Richie, who was quietly flipping pages. Not wanting to seem nosy, she didn't even wait for him to answer before proudly showing off her own cover.
"I'm reading Hogwarts: A History."
"Since we'll be studying there for seven years, I think it's absolutely essential to understand the castle beforehand."
Richie pulled himself out of his thoughts and replied casually, "I'm on Basic Magic: Beginner Level."
"Is that our first-year textbook?"
Hermione's eyes lit up. [cite_start]She lifted her chin confidently—though Richie secretly suspected the sheer weight of her bushy hair was just pulling her head back [cite: 438]—and declared, "The second I got my acceptance letter, I had my parents buy all the course books. Not only that, but I've spent a ton of time memorizing them by heart."
"Memorized them? All of them?"
Richie raised an eyebrow. Memorizing textbooks? Leaving aside everything else, was anyone actually psychotic enough to memorize A History of Magic? That thing was four fingers thick.
"Test me if you don't believe me."
She looked at him expectantly, as if she'd been dying to say that all day. Her eyes practically screamed, Quiz me, quiz me!
"Uh... alright then, let's test you?"
Richie didn't have the heart to rain on a little girl's parade when she just wanted to show off her hard work. He glanced down at his book.
[cite_start]"When a wizard casts Reparo..." [cite: 117]
Hermione jumped on it instantly:
"What flows from the wand isn't just magic itself, but more importantly, the intense conviction within the wizard's mind."
"The levitation of a feather doesn't just apply a counter-force to gravity, but rather..."
"...it twists the physical laws governing the object. The magic outlines a simple, inverted reality."
"The brilliance of different wizards' Lumos spells actually varies because..."
"A confident wizard produces a light like the sun, while a timid wizard's light is merely a spark."
"..."
Hermione's crisp, clear recitations filled the compartment. He had to admit, her memory was insane. Every single prompt Richie threw at her, she recited word-for-word without missing a beat.
"Excuse me!"
Just as Hermione was really getting into her groove, someone slid the compartment door open.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but have either of you seen my toad, Trevor? I can't find him anywhere!"
Richie and Hermione both blinked at the panicked boy standing in the doorway.
"A toad?"
"Haven't seen one," Hermione shook her head.
"Oh, what am I going to do? I've checked half the train and Trevor's nowhere! I kept him right here in my breast pocket. How could he just disappear? My great-uncle gave him to me as a pet..."
Seeing the boy sweating with sheer distress, Hermione's conscience kicked in. She stood up.
"If that's the case, do you need help? I'll help you look for Trevor."
"Really?"
Tears welled up in the chubby boy's eyes. "I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom. Thank you so much!"
Touched by the kid's gratitude, Hermione's sense of duty maxed out. She turned to Richie.
"Are you coming?"
Richie eyed Neville for a second and rubbed his chin. "What does your toad look like?"
Neville immediately started describing it. Once he finished, Hermione stepped toward the door.
"Alright, let's go find Trevor."
"Hold on."
Richie called out, stopping them in their tracks. [cite_start]While they watched in confusion, he pulled his wand from his robes[cite: 139].
"I've only managed to pull this off once, but... can't hurt to try."
Maintain a strong desire. I want the toad. I want the toad...
Richie mentally visualized the exact image of the toad Neville had just described. Feeling his intent peak, he gave his wand a sharp flick.
"Accio Neville Longbottom's toad!"
The wand sparked with a flash of silver.
Inside the compartment, Hermione and Neville stood dumbfounded, watching Richie hold his pose with his wand raised.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds...
Nothing happened.
"Richie, are you... trying to do magic?" Hermione finally couldn't help but ask.
Richie didn't answer her. He just frowned at his wand.
"Weird. I definitely felt something..."
Before he could finish his sentence—SPLAT.
A toad slammed spread-eagle against the outside of their compartment window, looking like it was one gust of wind away from being blown away.
All three of them whipped their heads toward the glass.
"TREVOR!!!"
Neville's legs gave out, almost dropping him to his knees. Trembling, he pointed a finger at the window and choked out a breathless plea.
"Open... the window..."
Richie and Hermione both dove for the latch.
"Oh, thank you both so, so much!"
Neville cradled his precious toad to his chest, looking at Richie and Hermione like they were literal saviors.
"Could you tell me your names?"
Hearing that, it finally dawned on Richie and Hermione that they hadn't actually introduced themselves yet. Realizing how rude that was, they quickly took turns giving their names.
"Richie... Hermione..."
"Tell you what, let me buy you guys some snacks," Neville offered earnestly. "I don't have a lot of money on me though, so I can't afford anything too expensive..."
"Oh, you really don't have to..." Hermione started, frowning slightly.
"No, I insist! Otherwise, I won't know how to properly thank you! Wait right here!"
With that, Neville bolted out of the compartment.
"Well..."
"If Neville wants to buy us something, we should just accept it. He'll feel awful if we don't," Richie pointed out, shrugging at Hermione's hesitation. "After all, we did just save his beloved pet's life."
At the sound of Richie's voice, Hermione immediately snapped her attention back to him.
"Harland, what kind of spell was that you just used?"
[cite_start]"Just call me Richie. Hearing 'Harland' makes me expect my mother's screaming"[cite: 50, 101].
Richie leaned back against the seat, picking his book up again.
"As for the magic, it was a Summoning Charm. It calls an object to you. It's just incredibly difficult to pull off, and comes with a lot of restrictions."