The Rebirth of Harry Potter

The sun rose higher, bathing the train station in golden light.

From his window, Harry listened to Mrs. Weasley nagging Ron and George about behaving themselves.

It was honestly hilarious.

When George joked about bringing her a Hogwarts toilet seat as a souvenir,

Harry could only sigh:

"Absolute legends..."

As the temperature climbed,

More and more students boarded the train.

Harry checked his watch—

It was almost eleven.

The train would be leaving soon.

For the past few minutes,

Harry had been scanning the crowd outside,

Trying to spot Hermione.

But there were too many people—

And without knowing exactly what she looked like,

It was impossible to tell if she was already on board.

"WHOOO—"

A long whistle echoed across the platform,

Pulling Harry from his thoughts.

A cloud of white steam billowed from the train's engine,

Drifting through the platform.

That long whistle signaled only one thing—

The train was about to depart.

The last few students still on the platform

Hurriedly hugged their parents goodbye.

Parents gave their final reminders—

Words they'd already repeated dozens of times.

After all,

Their children were leaving home for the first time,

Gone for four to five months.

For some, this was the longest they'd ever been apart.

Others stood next to the train,

Shouting last-minute advice

To their kids who were already on board.

Inside the Train

Harry found an empty compartment

And closed the sliding door behind him.

Sunlight streamed through the windows,

So he pulled the curtains shut.

Then, he stretched out on the soft cushioned seat,

Sighing in relaxation.

"Good thing these aren't wooden benches,"

He thought to himself.

The compartment had a small wooden table in the center,

With two long seats on either side.

The opposite seat was empty.

Outside,

The train let out another whistle—

"WHOOO—"

Then, with a jolt,

The train shuddered—

And Harry felt himself lean back slightly.

The rhythmic "clunk-clunk, clunk-clunk"

Of the wheels against the tracks began.

Through the gap in the curtains,

Harry could see the scenery rushing past.

First, a few buildings zipped by—

Then, nothing but green.

The train tracks seemed to cut through a forest,

Tall trees rose and fell on either side,

The lush green stretching for miles.

In the distance,

The faint outlines of rolling mountains

Dotted the horizon.

Looking up,

Harry spotted Optimus Pr—cough—Hedwig

Soaring high above,

Keeping pace with the train.

"Why am I still alone?"

Harry groaned.

"This is so boring!"

He sighed,

Then reached into his bag for a plastic bag.

The instant he touched it,

Little Cutie's ears twitched,

And her big round eyes locked onto his hand.

Harry messed up her fur playfully.

"You only care about food, huh?"

"You won't even keep me company."

"Maybe I should starve you for a few days."

"Meow, meow~"

Little Cutie immediately jumped onto his lap,

Rubbing her head against his chest,

Purring adorably.

Harry narrowed his eyes at her.

"Tch. Seeing you like this—"

His face broke into a wide grin.

"—just makes me so damn happy."

( Narrator: And that was the day Harry lost all dignity. )

"Here, lunchtime."

Harry pulled out a fresh fish,

And fed it to her.

"You love fish so much—"

"I wonder if Hogwarts even serves it?"

"If not, guess you'll have to eat... slugs instead."

Little Cutie's ears flattened,

She shook her head vigorously,

Silently protesting.

A New Arrival

"Whoosh—"

The compartment door slid open.

Harry looked up.

A tall, gangly boy stood at the entrance,

Looking awkward and unsure.

The boy was thin and lanky,

With bright red hair,

A long nose,

Big hands,

And freckles covering his entire face.

The moment Harry saw him,

He immediately knew—

This was Ron Weasley.

"The Golden Trio, huh?"

Harry thought to himself.

No one knew what he was thinking,

But based on his next actions,

You might be able to guess.

"Hey, need something?"

Harry asked, tilting his head.

His expression was friendly but curious.

Ron shifted nervously,

His voice a little stiff.

"Uh… um…"

"The front compartments are all full."

"Can I… sit here?"

Harry glanced at the empty seat across from him.

For a moment,

He hesitated.

Then, with a slightly apologetic smile, he said:

"Ah… sorry."

"This seat's already taken."

"My friend just went to the restroom."

"Really sorry about that!"

"But there should still be empty seats further back!"

( Narrator: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is called "Method Acting." )

"Oh, okay."

Ron nodded understandingly.

"Thanks, I'll check the back."

Just as he turned to leave,

Harry grinned and added:

"Unless you don't mind sharing this seat with me?"

"Ah—no, no! I'm good, thanks!"

Ron waved his hands,

His face flushing bright red.

( Narrator: And once again—Method Acting at its finest. )

"Uh, what's your name?" Ron asked, a bit awkwardly.

Harry smiled slightly.

"Harry Potter."

He extended his hand toward Ron.

"Oh, Merlin! I can't believe it—My brothers and I—It's really you—"

Ron stammered excitedly, tripping over his words.

Then, realizing Harry had been holding his hand out the whole time,

He quickly grabbed it, shaking it enthusiastically.

"I'm Ron Weasley! It's an honor to meet you!"

His face turned bright red.

"Same here."

Harry replied warmly,

His smile as sincere as ever.

A Cruel Reality

When Ron finally left the compartment,

He was still buzzing with excitement.

"I just met the legendary Harry Potter!

He even said hello to me!

We shook hands!"

Ron Weasley would never know—

That the kind, friendly figure he just met...

Actually held deep malice toward him.

"Ah, youth..."

Harry smirked as he closed the door,

His expression quickly turning serious.

Stroking Little Cutie's fur,

He muttered to himself:

"Was this the right thing to do?"

"Meow, meow~"

Little Cutie nuzzled his hand,

As if comforting him.

Harry gazed out the window,

Watching the landscape rush by.

Then, he smiled.

"Who cares?"

"I've already made my choice."

"As long as I don't regret it—"

"That's all that matters."

Meanwhile...

A bushy-haired girl sat in another train compartment,

Imagining what Hogwarts would be like.

Hermione had always dreamed of this moment.

Now, it was finally happening.

And best of all—

She had already made her first wizard friend!

His name was Neville Longbottom.

As a studious girl,

Hermione had dived into her textbooks the moment she bought them.

But deep down,

She worried—

That true-born wizards would look down on her for being Muggle-born.

"Would they hate me?"

"Would I never fit in?"

Yet, to her surprise,

Neville seemed genuinely curious about the Muggle world.

He even asked her tons of questions!

"Maybe... not all wizards are prejudiced."

Hermione thought, feeling relieved.

But this brief moment of happiness

Would soon come crashing down.

A Lost Toad

Just then,

A chubby boy entered their compartment, looking defeated.

Hermione's large brown eyes blinked.

"Still no luck finding your toad?"

She asked.

Neville shook his head sadly.

"No..."

Hermione frowned.

"You didn't even check the other compartments, did you?"

Neville's cheeks flushed red.

He looked down, embarrassed.

Even though they had just met,

Hermione already understood what kind of person Neville was:

Kind,

Shy,

Lacking confidence,

Terrible at socializing.

"I should have guessed."

Hermione sighed.

"Come on, I'll help you look."

For her,

There was never a question—

Of course, she would help a friend in need.

A Heartless Encounter

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Hello, have you seen a toad—?"

"No? Okay, thanks!"

Next compartment.

"Hello, we're looking for a lost—"

"No? Thank you anyway."

Next compartment.

"Excuse me, have you—"

"Oh... Never mind."

As Hermione stepped out of another compartment,

She saw three boys walking down the corridor.

The one in front had platinum-blond hair,

While the two behind him looked like his bodyguards.

Hermione stepped forward.

"Excuse me, have you seen a toad?"

The blond boy barely glanced at her,

His expression arrogant.

"Who are you?"

He sneered.

"My name is Hermione Granger. We're looking for—"

She began.

But the boy cut her off.

His face twisted in disgust.

"Oh, so you're a filthy Muggle-born."

"Get out of my way."

Hermione's eyes widened.

Tears immediately welled up,

Blurring her vision.

Her mind went blank.

She had no idea what to say.

The word "Muggle"

Was the worst insult a non-magical-born could hear.

It carried the same weight

As being called a "filthy beggar" or an "unworthy rat".

Hermione felt cold all over.

She wanted to argue back—

To stand up for herself.

But she didn't know what to say.

Besides—

Wouldn't crying just make her look pathetic?

Her breathing became shallow.

Her head spun.

Her legs trembled,

As if they were about to step aside.

"Why?"

"Why should I move?"

"Why should I let this arrogant jerk win?"

Her heart screamed in frustration.

She wanted to shout.

She wanted to fight back.

She wanted to cry out in anger.

"This is so humiliating!"

But just then,

A voice rang out—

A voice that felt like warm sunlight on her frozen heart.

"Oh wow, what do we have here?"

"I see our little Prince Draco acting all high and mighty—"

"—while picking on a girl."

The voice was light and teasing,

But to Hermione,

It felt like a lifeline.

She didn't even care what "Prince Draco" meant.

All she knew was—

This voice made her feel safe.

A Warm Smile

A tall figure stepped forward,

Standing between her and Malfoy.

Hermione glanced up at him,

And in that moment—

She was captivated.

His smile was warm and reassuring,

Like a ray of sunshine.

But why was he staring at her so intently?

He didn't even spare Malfoy a glance.

His bright green eyes were focused only on her.

"Hello, beautiful lady."

The boy greeted her, his voice gentle.

"May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

He asked, never breaking eye contact.

"I... I'm Hermione Granger..."

She stammered.

"Well then—"

The boy smiled even brighter.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Granger."

(Narrator: And that was the moment Hermione's heart skipped a beat.)