Dobby blinked frantically. Signaled he understood!
Harry carefully let go. Confirmed Dobby wouldn't shout. Whispered instructions. "Remember—take the bottles from the very back of the fridge. Don't let Gemini find out. Hurry! I'm waiting!"
Dobby nodded solemnly. Covered his mouth. Disappeared from the compartment without a word.
Harry began pacing the small compartment. Until Dobby's return sound startled him awake. Saw the glass bottles in Dobby's hands. Harry immediately beamed.
After sending away the overjoyed Dobby, Harry expertly hooked the bottle cap on the table edge. Light tap. Cap fell off.
Just as Harry was about to take a big gulp, the compartment door was knocked.
Harry scrambled to hide the Coke. Only the opened bottle in his hand couldn't be hidden. Could only grip it in hand. Opened the door with an unfriendly expression.
Four people stood outside. Clear divide.
One side was Draco with his two large-bodied followers. The other side was red-haired Ron. Both glaring at each other with mutual defiance.
Until Harry opened the door. "How did you two run into each other?"
Molly would occasionally bring the kids to visit Privet Drive. So Harry and Ron weren't strangers. And the last month of correspondence with Draco had made them familiar too.
"Harry!"
"Harry!"
Both shouted in unison. Hearing each other call Harry's name simultaneously, they immediately glared at each other again.
Harry sighed internally. His remaining two bottles of Coke probably couldn't be saved!
He yanked both into the compartment. Pulled out a pile of snacks for Crabbe and Goyle. Sent them back to their own compartment to eat.
After those two cheerful giants left, Harry locked the compartment door again. Mysteriously handed Draco and Ron each a bottle of Coke.
"Let me open them for you!" Watching Harry's practiced movements and eager expression, Draco keenly realized—this was definitely good stuff!
Ron was still exclaiming loudly. "What is this? A new potion? Why are there bubbles? How is it cold?"
Harry grinned slyly. "This is good stuff. Gemini calls it happy water. Just drink it and you'll feel happy! My cousin and I's favorite drink. But Gemini won't let us drink it every day. Says we'll get fat as pigs with human faces!"
"Whoa!" Ron looked at the glass bottle in his hand with awe. The more adults forbid trying something, the more kids want to try it.
Draco looked cautiously at the bottle opening. "How do you drink this?"
Harry demonstrated for Draco. "Like this, slowly... Wait! Ron!"
Ron completely didn't notice what Harry said. When he heard Draco ask how to drink it, he glanced at him contemptuously. A drink still needs asking how to drink? Don't you just need a mouth?
Ron directly lifted the bottle. Head back. Shoved the bottle opening into his mouth.
Next moment, with Harry's shriek, foam spraying from Ron's mouth and nose splattered the entire compartment.
Harry and Draco yelped and protected their bottles. Terrified Ron might accidentally spray into them.
After Ron coughed and wiped away the tears from choking, he laughed loudly and raised his bottle high. "No wonder it's called happy water! Awesome!"
Then, ignoring Harry's attempts to stop him, he did it again like before. Chugged the remaining half bottle of Coke.
Harry looked at Ron completely dumbfounded. Honestly, he'd really never seen anyone drink Coke like this. Simply, simply, simply how to put it? Bizarre!
Ron finished his Coke in two gulps. Burped. Eyes locked onto what Harry and Draco held. Both immediately looked at him warily. Protected their drinks.
While Ron sighed looking at his empty bottle, Harry barely cleared out a clean spot. Two squeezed together sitting. Coke stains all over the compartment. Definitely going to be sticky soon.
Harry demonstrated proper Coke-drinking for Draco again. Ron watched enviously. If he'd known drinking slowly like this could last a long time, why chug it in two gulps like before? Now who knows when he'd get to drink it again!
No matter how slowly you drink, one bottle of Coke isn't much. Soon finished. Draco held back forever. Tears nearly came out. Finally couldn't hold it. Burped. Watched the two laugh. Draco couldn't help laughing too. Though this didn't conform to etiquette or whatever, in this compartment, who could control him?
Knock knock knock!
Harry whooshed around to look at the compartment door. What's going on today? So many people?!
Three people scrambled to hide Coke bottles. Harry opened a door crack. Two people stood outside. "Hermione? What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"Let us come in to talk. This is Neville Longbottom. He wants to personally thank you. You wouldn't want us to just stand in the corridor talking, would you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry.
Harry sheepishly opened the door. "Of course not. Come in quickly!"
As soon as she entered, Hermione's nose wrinkled. "You drank Coke? How did you get it all over the compartment? It'll be hard to clean later. I'll help you. Scourgify!"
With Hermione's wand wave, everyone in the compartment felt like they'd been scrubbed by a stiff brush.
"Hey! Don't do that!" Harry couldn't help shouting. "That feels too uncomfortable!"
Draco looked at Hermione with displeasure. His hair that had been slicked with gel was also cleaned! Now standing messily on his head.
Hermione froze. Quickly apologized. "Sorry! I didn't know this would work on people. How about this—I like Sprite. Though the sugar content is a bit high, Mum doesn't allow me to drink much. But I'm boarding, so Mum still prepared quite a bit. Wait, I'll go get it!"
With that, Hermione rushed out of the compartment. Only left a group of boys staring at each other.
"Sprite? What's that? A sprite?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Harry answered. "It's a drink very similar to Coke. But transparent. Lemon flavor. Also delicious. But Gemini always says that's heresy. We don't have it at home."
Not long after, Hermione returned holding five or six green plastic bottles of Sprite. Distributed one to each person. "I think we should wait a bit before drinking. After all, I just ran over. Probably shook them."
Before Hermione finished speaking, the bottle in Neville's hand already started spraying out in his startled cry.
The prepared Harry trio dodged sharply. Patted their chests with lingering fear. Good thing they dodged fast. Otherwise they'd have to experience being scrubbed by a stiff brush again.
After cleaning up, Hermione and Neville sat down. Everyone formally introduced themselves.
Actually it was just Harry introducing Hermione to everyone. Since Gemini opened that children's playground, almost all same-age kids in the wizarding world had been there. The magical population was just that many. Everyone saw each other all the time. More or less knew each other. Only Hermione came from the Muggle world. So needed self-introduction.
"Wonder which House we'll be Sorted into." Neville said somewhat sadly. "Gran hopes I can go to Gryffindor. But I think I'll very likely be Hufflepuff!"
Harry patted his shoulder. "That's the wrong way to think! My idol Mr. Newt Scamander was also Hufflepuff. But he's a magizoologist! Very impressive! Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was written by him!"
Neville's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"
Harry said confidently. "Of course! Would I lie to you? And the most perfect point—Gemini told me Hufflepuff is right by the kitchens! Closest to the Great Hall. Not far from various classrooms either. Unlike Gryffindor—climbing eight floors every day!"
"Whoa!" The compartment immediately erupted in exclamations. Ron even started considering his possibility of going to Hufflepuff.
"What about Slytherin?" Draco asked. "My parents never had time to tell me these things. They only told me how to survive in Slytherin."
Harry recalled. "Gemini was also Slytherin. She said the Slytherin dormitory is at the lake bottom. Others' windows might be sky, clouds, forests or whatever. Their windows are year-round the dark lake bottom. Constantly watched by merpeople in the Black Lake."
Draco's expression instantly became very ugly. Dark lake bottom. Ugly merpeople. Just thinking about it was scary. He wasn't a Muggle-world kid. Hearing merpeople didn't mean sirens. Freshwater merpeople in lakes and those ocean relatives weren't even like the same species!
"What else, what else?" Hermione asked eagerly. "What about Ravenclaw? Honestly, I've read introductions to several Houses in books. I've been hesitating between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw!"
Harry looked at Hermione thoughtfully. "For Hermione, I think you'd suit Ravenclaw. I heard they live in a tower. The common room is bright and spacious. They have their own library. The eagle statue at the entrance doesn't need a password. Just answer the question correctly to enter."
Hermione asked somewhat unwillingly. "But I heard this century's greatest wizard is Dumbledore. He's also the Headmaster. He was Gryffindor. Doesn't this prove Gryffindor is strongest?"
Draco snorted. "Stop joking. Dumbledore being great I admit. But Gryffindor being best is wrong!"
Ron immediately jumped up like a lion whose tail got stepped on. "Malfoy! What did you say?!"
Ignoring the two arguing, Harry continued explaining to Hermione his views on House differences. After all, every House would have top students and those dragging behind. Harry just felt someone studious like Hermione entering Gryffindor might very likely be isolated. While Ravenclaw had a strong academic atmosphere. Could let book-loving girls like Hermione fit in well.
Hermione looked at the arguing Ron and Draco. Harry said Ron was the typical Gryffindor type. The House was mostly people like him.
Hermione shuddered. Already secretly decided where to go.
Sunlight gradually sank into distant mountains. Sky gradually darkened. Hermione casually looked up. Immediately jumped up. "Oh my God! We're almost there! You haven't changed into robes yet?! Neville and I are leaving first! You hurry and change!"
With that, Hermione pulled Neville and ran out of the compartment. Harry and Ron looked at each other. Both still wearing shirts and jeans. Draco had changed before coming over.
Harry immediately shooed both out. Said he needed to change. Ron tearfully clung to the door crack. "Harry! Lend me a set! I'll return it at school! My luggage is all in another compartment! No time!"
Harry heard. No argument. Directly tossed a new uniform to Ron. Both scrambled to change clothes. Fortunately Ron and Harry's builds were similar. Barely fit.
Off the train. Following Hagrid through forest paths. Boarded boats. Through caves. Finally saw Hogwarts.
After the Sorting Hat ceremony, Neville went determinedly to Hufflepuff. Hermione wavered a long time. Finally still chose Ravenclaw. Draco with his messy hair he didn't have time to fix went darkly to Slytherin. Harry and Ron had no suspense entering Gryffindor.
That night Gemini received Harry's letter. Twitched her mouth looking at everyone's Sorting results. What was this? Changing the course of history?
But Gemini didn't sense anything wrong. Proved the world recognized such changes. So didn't say anything more.
Then she picked up a letter stamped with the Hogwarts crest. Showed a sly smile.
After two weeks of studying, everyone at school finally reduced their enthusiasm for the Savior Harry Potter. Because our Savior looked too miserable.
Though first-year curriculum wasn't difficult. Homework wasn't much either. Only the Savior had another set of coursework. Led to every time you saw him, either studying or on the way to studying.
Professor Snape, who never had a good face for Gryffindor, didn't make things difficult for Harry in Potions class either. Just that while others paired up to brew potions, he could only be alone at one table. After brewing the potion Snape assigned, he'd also start a batch in the alchemy furnace in the classroom corner. Striving to not fall behind in either area.
Tense, busy study life completely squeezed out Harry's desire to explore Hogwarts. Dumbledore tugged his beard somewhat worriedly. He'd already noticed Quirrell's problems. But how to make Harry shift attention from studying?
Harry following Gemini in China all these years had learned the skill of minding his own business quite well. In his current view, the school had so many professors. All subtly reminded students Professor Quirrell had some small problems. Then why should he as a first-year student meddle? Just leave it to the professors to solve. Worst case wasn't there still Dumbledore? What did it have to do with him?
Unable to draw out Harry, Dumbledore could only pinch his nose and write to Gemini.
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