Harry didn’t enjoy being the center of attention, especially when everyone who learned his name immediately wanted to see the scar on his forehead.
It made him feel like an animal in a zoo.
But he didn’t have the courage to refuse.
Or rather, he figured it might help him get familiar with other people more quickly.
So when he noticed Ron staring at his forehead with sparkling curiosity, he pushed his hair aside and let him have a look.
“Merlin’s socks…” Ron couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
His eyes remained fixed on Harry’s forehead so intensely that Harry’s face began turning red.
Vaughn tapped Ron on the head with his wand.
Ron yelped and clutched his head.
“What was that for?” “Because you’re being rude.” “I…
I was just curious…” Embarrassed, Ron quickly turned away and looked out the window.
Harry sat awkwardly beside him.
His eyes wandered aimlessly around the compartment before finally settling on the wand in Vaughn’s hand.
Having been helped by the Weasley family twice already, Harry felt they were genuinely kind people.
The timidity in his heart faded a little more.
After watching for a while, he finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
“Uh, Vaughn…
can I call you Vaughn?” Vaughn, who was brushing Guoguocha’s fur, nodded.
“Of course you can, Harry.” “Vaughn, that thing you used earlier…
was it…” “The Levitation Charm.
A very basic spell that makes objects float.
It’s in our first-year textbooks.” “That’s amazing…” Harry blinked his green eyes before his expression dimmed slightly.
“I’ve been trying for a month and haven’t learned anything.” Vaughn didn’t think much of it.
“I’ve been practicing spells at home since I was eight.
As for you, you’ve been raised in the Muggle world your entire life.
There’s no need to compare yourself to me, Harry.
Most Muggle-born young wizards are about the same.” What he didn’t mention was that he’d mastered the Levitation Charm after hearing it only twice.
There wasn’t much point showing off in front of children.
Harry immediately felt better.
With a completely new environment waiting for him, he had been afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his classmates.
As he thought about it, Harry realized he had neglected Ron.
Quickly changing the subject, he turned toward his new friend, hoping to let him show off a little as well and bring them closer together.
“Ron, you must know loads of spells too, right?” Ron: “…” Harry watched as Ron’s face visibly turned red.
He stammered helplessly without managing a single coherent sentence.
Across from them, Vaughn burst out laughing.
Harry instantly realized he had probably done something stupid.
This was so awkward!
Fortunately, the compartment door opened again.
A cheerful woman with dimples smiled and asked, “Anything from the trolley, dears?” She pushed a cart piled high with snacks.
Harry immediately jumped to his feet.
He had never had friends before and had no idea how to interact with people his age.
But putting himself in their shoes, he felt buying snacks for everyone seemed like a good approach.
And conveniently enough— He had money.
When Harry returned, his arms were loaded with enough sweets to attract Ron’s full attention.
Ron stared as Harry dumped the mountain of snacks onto the seat before enthusiastically inviting them to help themselves.
“Come on, come on.
I bought loads.
There’s no way I can eat it all by myself.” Ron still tried to be polite.
“My mum packed sandwiches…” But Vaughn was already grinning as he picked up a pumpkin pasty and tore open the wrapper.
He wasn’t a child.
There was no reason to be shy about this sort of thing.
Worst case, he could return the favor later.
Seeing Vaughn accept the offer, Ron finally took a pie himself.
After a moment of hesitation, he abandoned all restraint and began eating heartily.
Harry was delighted.
In the past eleven years, he had never shared anything with anyone.
There had never been anything—or anyone—to share with.
This feeling was incredible.
Harry and Ron chatted while eating, quickly becoming engrossed in conversation.
They discussed Chocolate Frog cards and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans with growing excitement.
Occasionally, Vaughn would add a comment.
Most of the time, however, he simply watched them with a smile while his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Back in his previous life, he had often wondered: Given the environment Harry grew up in, what would have happened if there had been no Ron and no Hermione?
The answer was almost predictable.
Either Harry would have become intoxicated by the attention and praise surrounding the Boy Who Lived, eventually degenerating into a useless celebrity.
Or he would have walked down the same road Voldemort once did.
But that was only a hypothetical.
Reality was different.
On this train bound for Hogwarts, at the turning point of his life, Harry had met two friends who would accompany him for the rest of his life.
They filled his dry and barren heart with love once again.
Dumbledore always said that love was the greatest power.
But in Vaughn’s eyes— Destiny was the power most worthy of awe.
How wonderful it would be…
To seize it with his own hands.
His fingers gently brushed across his wand.
Turning toward the window, Vaughn gazed outside.
The train had just passed the last stretch of orderly farmland.
The fields stretching toward the horizon gradually gave way to wilderness.
Dark mountain silhouettes emerged in the distance, accompanied by scattered forests and winding rivers snaking across the earth.
Who knew how much time had passed before the compartment door opened for the third time.
A round-faced boy stood outside, on the verge of tears.
“Excuse me…
have you seen a toad?
His name’s Trevor.
I’ve lost him.” Harry and Ron both shook their heads blankly.
“I’ll help you look.” Vaughn stood up.
“Come on, Guoguocha.
Get a good sniff of his scent.” Guoguocha jumped down from the table and followed behind him.
The round-faced boy looked so grateful that bubbles nearly formed from his runny nose.
“Thank you, thank you!
My name’s Neville.
Neville Longbottom.” “No problem.
Just call me Vaughn.” Of course, Vaughn wasn’t actually that enthusiastic about helping.
He simply wanted an excuse to wander around the train.
And incidentally, give his little brother and Harry some time to strengthen their friendship.
Watching Vaughn leave with Neville, Harry sighed.
“Your brother is such a nice person, Ron.” Ron’s face immediately scrunched up like a wilted flower.
“He absolutely isn’t!
Ever since I was little, I’ve lost count of how many times he’s scared me.
And Fred and George are just as terrible!” Harry disagreed.
“You’re brothers.
Of course he teases you.
But look at how he treats me and that boy.
Before today, I always thought all older brothers were like Dudley.” They had talked about Dudley earlier.
Harry had practically described him as a demon.
Compared to that, Ron suddenly felt Vaughn was practically an angel.
Without realizing it, he began boasting proudly.
“…He’s not that bad.
Honestly, aside from scaring me, Vaughn is good at everything.
He’s been brewing potions since he was eight years old.
Everyone’s heard of him.
He’s a famous genius.” “He’s also the biggest money-maker in our family.
Look—my new wand was bought by him.” Harry looked at the wand Ron held like a treasured possession and couldn’t help feeling envious.
No one had ever given him a gift like that.
Meanwhile, completely unaware that his little brother was singing his praises to Harry, Vaughn quickly found Trevor with Guoguocha’s help.
After sending away the tearfully grateful Neville, he was preparing to leave when he heard someone call out to him.
“Vaughn…
Weasley?” He turned around.
Not far away stood Hermione Granger.
Her bushy hair framed a face lit with curiosity, and her eyes sparkled as she stared directly at him.