What kind of person was Dawn?
It was a hard question to answer.
People always tried to box their personalities into clear, defined frames, but even the most authoritative personality tests could only reveal a part of the self.
However.
If one had to say, the foundation of Dawn's character was doing things his own way.
He was an incredibly self-centered person. Simply put, he didn't care about other people's feelings; he did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
So, when he found the compartment he liked, he simply walked in. When he didn't feel like talking, he rejected others without the slightest concern for their dignity.
And when he felt annoyed by Aemon's words, he didn't bother figuring out who was truly to blame—he simply vented his accumulated frustration, fueled by his weariness, without restraint.
Of course!
If it was someone useful to him, like Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall—someone he couldn't deal with for now—he didn't mind pretending to behave for the time being.
Just like he had hidden his dark magic books and put on a good kid act.
As for Aemon Carter…
Heh.
But… did that count as bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
........
The atmosphere in the compartment was freezing, like a block of ice.
Aemon's face was flushed red, his hands trembling with anger. The other two, unsure how to handle the situation, stood awkward and helpless.
"Wait... Wait a second! You guys need to stop arguing! If you keep going... the prefects might come!"
After a long silence, Abel finally gathered his wits and spoke up softly, trying to break the tension.
He wasn't exactly taking Aemon Carter's side either—he felt that Aemon had been wrong to imply things so rudely earlier. Abel hoped they would just apologize to each other and make up.
But the moment he turned to Dawn, the words got stuck in his throat.
He didn't know why, but somehow, the boy with red eyes now seemed frightening. His body instinctively resisted getting involved with him.
Abel suddenly felt a little dejected.
It looked like… he probably wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor after all.
On the other side.
Hermione watched Abel sink into a strange depression and a question mark almost visibly popped above her head.
'Seriously... what was wrong with these three? Why were they all acting so weird?'
Hermione fidgeted in her seat, feeling like ants were crawling all over her. She wanted to find an excuse to leave, but recalling the earlier conversation, she couldn't help but ask:
"Excuse me… Sorry to interrupt, but... when you said something about 'using'… was that about me?"
She even glanced at Aemon. She didn't know the full story, but she could guess it had something to do with him persuading her to stay and rest.
"Did I do something wrong?" Hermione asked anxiously.
Dawn waved his hand lazily. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's just some boring guy's pathetic little trick."
He tilted his head back, thought for a second, then gave a wicked smile as he mimicked Aemon's earlier insinuating tone:
"Hmm… Miss Granger, are you familiar with Uriah Heep? The classic villain from David Copperfield. Someone in this compartment is really starting to resemble him."
Hermione's expression turned strange.
She couldn't shake the feeling that while Dawn was mocking Aemon, he was also looking down on her in passing.
Because… she hadn't read 'David Copperfield' either.
But...
"That's a Muggle book, right? You read that kind of thing too?"
"Yeah, what's so strange about it? I grew up in the Muggle world, after all," Dawn said, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione froze. "What? That's impossible!"
The words slipped out before she could stop herself. She quickly tried to backtrack:
"I mean, if you didn't grow up in the wizarding world, how could you possibly know so much? I... I only found out magic was real a month ago..."
Hermione was fiercely competitive. While Dawn's knowledge earlier had frustrated her, it was mostly a refusal to admit defeat—she believed she could catch up eventually!
But now… to learn that Dawn was also born in the Muggle world?!
"Well, it's a long story," Dawn said, lying across the seat, holding a finger to his lips in a sleepy gesture. "But I'm too tired right now. Just treat it as a little secret between us."
This casual, indifferent attitude finally drove Aemon over the edge.
"Stop trying to change the subject! Answer me properly!"
Aemon roared and lunged at Dawn!
But just as his outstretched hand was about to touch Dawn's hair, he suddenly felt a tight squeeze around his neck, a choking force cutting off his breath.
"Tsk! Really now, child. Have you forgotten that you're a wizard?"
Dawn said mockingly, pity flashing across his face. He cast a levitation spell on Aemon's robes, making him float helplessly, then slammed him against the wall with a sharp *WHOOSH*.
"Bastard...! Cough, cough... Let me down, you bastard!"
Aemon choked and cursed, struggling to pull at his robes.
But Dawn remained completely unbothered. "Such poor vocabulary. Really shows how childish you are… But honestly, you're much cuter when you're quiet."
He casually flicked his wand.
Instantly!
Aemon froze stiff, his mouth sealed shut, unable to utter another word.
Abel saw a shadow flash across his vision and snapped out of his daze. Looking up, he stared at the suspended Aemon in disbelief.
"Merlin's socks! What have you done?!"
Dawn waved a hand nonchalantly. "Relax. Petrificus Totalus. Just a simple Body-Bind Curse. It's temporary, won't leave any lasting harm."
"But still…"
Abel struggled to process what he was seeing. After a moment's hesitation, he stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I'm sorry. I apologize on his behalf. Could you please—"
"I don't want to hear it!"
Dawn interrupted impatiently, rubbing his throbbing forehead. He gave a casual wave of his wand—and Abel, too, froze stiffly and floated up onto the wall.
Everything had happened so quickly, like a lightning strike!
By the time Hermione processed what was happening, Dawn had already put his wand down.
"Oh my god! What have you done?!"
Hermione shrieked, her face pale as she stared at the two immobilized figures hanging on the wall. "Using magic on fellow students is a serious violation of school rules! Let them down immediately!"
"Oh, relax. We haven't been officially admitted yet, remember? Strictly speaking, we're not students yet."
Dawn yawned lazily. "Besides, could you go back to finding that toad? It's getting late. I need some sleep before the opening feast."
"No way!"
Hermione said sternly, "What you're doing is wrong! I read 'Hogwarts: A History'.You're going to lose a hundred points!"
"Then go tell the professors—if you can find them on the train, that is."
°Depulso°
Dawn waved his wand with total indifference.
*Bang!*
Hermione felt a heavy force slam into her chest, sending her flying out of the compartment uncontrollably.
"Hey!"
She stumbled to her feet, rubbing her chest, furious—but when she turned back, she found the door tightly shut and refusing to open, no matter how hard she pushed.
"What a horrible guy!"
She muttered under her breath, pacing outside the door for a while before giving up and walking away in frustration.
......
Inside the compartment.
Dawn lounged with complete ease.
He wasn't worried that Dumbledore would change his opinion of him over something like this—student scuffles were far too common. At Hogwarts, they happened almost every day.
As long as he didn't cross Dumbledore's real bottom lines, nothing serious would come of it.
As for pretending to be a good, obedient boy? Oh, please. Dawn had absolutely no interest in that.
"Ah... finally some peace and quiet."
Dawn stretched out comfortably across the seat, letting the velvet cushions envelop him completely, not even sparing a glance at the two wide-eyed figures still stuck on the wall.
As the world around him blurred, he suddenly recalled a spell that could block out surrounding noise...
But whatever. He had already handled everything.
Clearing his mind of all stray thoughts, Dawn rested his head on his arm and drifted off into a blissful, comfortable sleep.
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