Silas opened his eyes and saw a round-faced boy sitting across from him, looking somewhat familiar.
“Hello, my name is Silas Prewett.
How should I address you?” Hearing Silas take the initiative to speak to him, Neville let out a breath of relief.
Because Silas had been sleeping earlier, Neville hadn’t dared to speak for fear of waking him, holding his breath for quite a while.
Now he finally had a chance to breathe.
“Hello, I’m Neville Longbottom.
I live with my grandmother.
I hope I didn’t disturb you.” As Neville spoke, he wiped his palms on his clothes and extended a hand toward Silas, seemingly wanting to shake hands.
Silas sat up straight, reached out, and shook his hand, feeling a bit surprised inside.
He hadn’t expected that upon waking up, the Sword Saint of Gryffindor would be sitting right in front of him.
“And this is?” “Hermione.
Hermione Granger.” After the three exchanged greetings, silence fell over the compartment once more.
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment.
Fortunately, a dimpled woman with a cheerful smile pushed open the compartment door and asked, “Anything off the trolley, dears?” “Some Chocolate Frogs, please.” Neville felt as though he had been granted an amnesty.
He quickly pulled out some money and bought treats to break the awkwardness.
“Please, help yourselves,” Neville said, holding out a handful of Chocolate Frogs to Caelan and Hermione.
“Thank you, Neville.” After thanking him, the two each took some and bought a few items of their own.
Hermione bought some Licorice Wands, while Caelan bought three Pumpkin Pasties.
He bought the Pumpkin Pasties purely because they looked thick and hearty, perfect for keeping hunger at bay.
After all, an old-fashioned train like this wouldn’t reach Hogwarts until nightfall.
The steam train rattled along through fields dotted with cattle and sheep, swiftly cutting across vast pastures and plunging into a forest of fir trees.
Sunlight flickered through the gaps in the leaves, splashing across the window pane in alternating patches of brightness and shadow, giving the compartment an uneven glow.
The three placed their food together to share.
As they ate and chatted, the atmosphere quickly turned warm and friendly.
Caelan glanced at the toad tucked inside Neville’s pocket and offered a prompt reminder.
“Mr.
Longbottom, you’d better keep an eye on your toad.” In his memory, Neville’s toad Trevor was a freedom-loving creature, always looking for a chance to escape its master and explore the world.
Caelan even wondered whether Trevor represented Neville’s courage on some level—hinting from the very beginning that Neville’s bravery was extraordinary.
After all, for a toad, it was remarkably brave.
“You mean Trevor?
Oh, my Great-Uncle Algie gave him to me.” “When I got my Hogwarts letter, he was so happy he bought him for me.
You see, my family always thought I wasn’t magical enough to get into Hogwarts.” “In fact, before my accidental magic burst, they thought I was a Muggle.” “Though it’s not much different now, since I haven’t learned a single spell yet…” Neville shut the compartment door tight before pulling Trevor from his pocket to let him catch some air.
“What about you two?
Are you from wizarding families too?” “No,” Hermione shook her head.
“Neither of my parents are magical.
When I got my Hogwarts letter, they were terrified.” Speaking of this, Hermione looked back at Caelan, remembering it was that very day she had invited him over for dinner.
Caelan looked at the Albus Dumbledore card he had just pulled, inspecting it in his hand.
“My mother is a Muggle, and my father was a wizard.” While the three were talking, a sudden commotion broke out outside.
A few arrogant students shoved aside those blocking their way.
“Get out of the way, half-breed!” “How could you…” “You clear off too, you filthy Mudblood!” The soundproofing of the Hogwarts Express compartments wasn’t great, so their loud voices carried inside clearly.
Hermione frowned at the words outside.
“What’s a Mudblood?” “It means both your parents are…” Just as Neville was about to explain, Caelan interrupted him: “It’s a derogatory slur for a wizard’s bloodline, a crude prejudice.
No polite person speaks like that.
But don’t worry—I don’t think Hogwarts judges a student’s excellence based on bloodline.” “Wizards like them will probably be sorted into Slytherin.” Neville tactfully refrained from pursuing the previous topic.
“My Gran says almost all bad wizards were Slytherin students.
I’ll probably go to Hufflepuff.
Even though both my parents were Gryffindors, my Gran always says I don’t measure up to them—that I’m too cowardly.
Hufflepuff students are quite cheerful and friendly, so maybe they’ll accept me.” Once the three got acquainted, Neville became much more talkative.
By the end, he added somewhat dejectedly, “Though some people say Hufflepuffs are all duffers…” “Actually, there’s nothing wrong with Hufflepuff.
Students in that house are extremely hardworking, friendly, loyal, and just.
As for being duffers, that’s definitely a rumor.
They’re just jealous that the Hufflepuff common room is so close to the kitchens.” Caelan cracked a joke to lighten the atmosphere.
“Thank you, Caelan.
Hearing you say that makes me feel much better,” Neville said earnestly.
Hermione turned to look at Caelan in surprise, thinking to herself that he knew so much.
She resolved to study even harder so she wouldn’t be left behind by him.
Caelan reined in his expression, putting on a warm, professional smile.
“If you’re anxious about this, I can perform a divination for you.
The fee is just three Silver Sickles.” “Huh?” Neville was stunned by his sudden shift into business mode.
After a moment of hesitation, he agreed.
“Hmm…
let me see…” Caelan sat beside Neville, staring intently into his eyes, putting on a grand show of fortune-telling.
“From the divination result, you should be entering Gryffindor.
Neville, your courage is no less than your parents’.” “How is that possible!” Neville cried out in total disbelief.
“That’s impossible!
Caelan, you don’t understand—I’m so clumsy and cowardly.” “My Gran often says I’m not worthy of being my parents’ child.
I didn’t even show any magical talent until I was eight.” “Before that, they thought I wasn’t magical enough and worried I wouldn’t get into Hogwarts.” Caelan merely smiled in silence.
“No need to worry.
My divinations come with a money-back guarantee—if it’s inaccurate, it’s free.
You can pay the divination fee after the Sorting Ceremony.
We’ll know by then.” “Then you’re bound to be disappointed, Caelan,” Neville said, leaning back dejectedly against the seat.
Hermione scooted over slightly, gesturing for Caelan to sit back down.
“Which house will I be sorted into then?” Caelan didn’t stand on ceremony and sat back down next to Hermione.
Employing the same trick, after another theatrical performance, he said with absolute certainty, “You’re Gryffindor as well.” “Oh?
I thought I’d be in Ravenclaw,” Hermione said in surprise.
“I’ve already memorized all the textbooks in advance.
I heard Ravenclaw is full of students like me.” Beside them, Neville heard Hermione say she had already memorized all the textbooks, and a look of sheer shock washed over his face.
He muttered under his breath, “I wish I had a memory like yours.
Gran is always scolding me for forgetting things.” Caelan had known their sorting outcomes all along.
Now he was simply drawing the bullseye around the arrow, so of course he was accurate.
“Your intelligence is indeed dazzlingly bright.
But even so, it cannot eclipse the brilliance of your courage,” Caelan explained.
Hermione believed him.
A small notification screen popped up before Caelan’s eyes: [Silver Tongue: Proficiency +1] [Silver Tongue: Proficiency +1] [Silver Tongue: Level 1 (36/100)] Strictly speaking, his words weren’t entirely false, just not entirely genuine.
The outcome was correct, but the divination procedure was complete nonsense.
However, Silver Tongue worked by making others believe one’s fabrications; since they believed the result came from Caelan’s divination, it counted as a success.
Neville asked from the side, “Have you calculated which house you’ll go to?”