Shion sat to the side, jotting down notes: Actually, that's not quite right.
"The wrist needs a flick and a swish.Pronouncing the incantation clearly is just as important whatever you do, don't turn the 'f' into an 's.'It's Wingardium Leviosa. Make sure to stretch the 'ga' and say it nice and crisp."
He looked down at his notes with satisfaction and set the quill back in its inkwell.If you capped it quickly enough, the ink wouldn't dry out, and you could write longer that way.
"I practiced fifteen times in a row, Hermione. I'm not the slowest wizard in the class, am I?"
Justin's voice carried a trace of worry. Venturing into something so unfamiliar, even his usual optimism faltered.
Shion put his quill aside: Actually, that's not true.
Hermione frowned. "I don't know. I only have myself to compare with, so I can't really judge…"
Then her eyes lit up."Shion! You know the Levitation Charm too, don't you?"
Called on suddenly, Shion gave a small nod. He flicked his wrist and swished his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
A neat notification appeared before his eyes:
You cast the Levitation Charm at a beginner's level. Proficiency +3.
At once, the feather floated gracefully into the air.
"Cool!"
Justin let out a genuine sigh of admiration. Compared to his own feather, which barely lifted for a second, Shion's control looked far steadier.
"You must've learned it fast, right? I mean, you probably grew up in a wizarding family?"
Shion tilted his head slightly, confused.
Justin blinked in surprise."Wait, you're not from a wizard family? You're a Muggle-born?
That means you only started studying magic this summer… and in two months you've already picked up Transfiguration? That's one of the hardest subjects!"
Shion nodded calmly.
"What's that phrase again? Mer… Mer—?"
Justin's words tripped over themselves.
"Merlin," Hermione prompted in a whisper.
"Merlin's beard…" Justin muttered, then his expression softened."I'm Muggle-born too. So is Hermione. Both our parents are non-magical."
Which meant… all three people in this compartment were Muggle-born. Strange, when most wizards he'd heard of were pure-blood.
Before they could muse further, a clattering and chatter grew louder outside. Unlike the usual fleeting noise in the corridor, this sound kept getting closer until—
The compartment door slid open, revealing a plump witch in an apron. She was pushing a cart stacked high with sweets.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked warmly, dimples showing as she smiled.
Shion glanced briefly at the mountain of food before quickly looking away. His stomach had been empty for hours.
He knew the train ride would last all day from morning until night and he hadn't been allowed to bring food along. The caretaker, Anna, wouldn't have let him leave the orphanage with even a slice of toast.
I'll just wait until we reach Hogwarts, he told himself.
"I'll take one—no, two of everything," Justin blurted.
The witch's smile widened instantly.
"Of course, dear. Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands… all for one Galleon and five Sickles."
Hermione nearly choked at the price, ready to stop him but Justin's gleaming Galleon was already in the witch's hand.
He paid quickly, cheeks pink. "This money was supposed to be for my tuition at Eton College. But then the very next day, I got my Hogwarts letter.
My mum still thinks Eton would've been better, but come on. Magic? That beats law school or business any day."
He tucked the remaining coins into his trunk, and Shion finally realized who he was:
Justin Finch-Fletchley.A genuine, kind-hearted Hufflepuff.
He'd joined the Dueling Club, fought in Dumbledore's Army, and most memorably offered Harry Potter a handshake when others shunned him over the Chamber of Secrets rumor. He was braver and more honest than most.
And, more unusually, he had turned down Eton College to attend Hogwarts. In Britain, getting into Eton wasn't about grades, it was the playground of aristocrats.
Shion remembered the caretaker Anna's sneers:"My aunt's son's classmate's uncle's nephew got into Eton! Jealous, you lot? Brats like you couldn't even dream of it."
In other words… Justin was Hogwarts' hidden rich kid.
The witch left with her cart, humming about "two generous young wizards," and disappeared down the corridor.
Back in the compartment, Justin piled the sweets onto the table until they formed a little mountain.
"Help me out here? I'll never finish all this," he said from behind the sugary barricade.
"You're too obvious," Hermione muttered, but still snagged a bottle of pumpkin juice.
"Shh." Justin pressed a finger to his lips, then nodded toward Shion.
His clothes were worn thin, the fabric pilled and fraying at the seams. If not for his sharp, pale face, he'd look like just another unwanted orphan.
"Try this chocolate frog," Justin said softly, offering it with a grin. "I hear they're a favorite with wizard kids."
Tempted beyond resistance, Shion accepted it."…Thanks." His voice was barely above a whisper.
No obstacle can beat me. But temptation? That's my weakness.
He surrendered to sugar-coated capitalism.
"My chocolate frog!"
As Justin happily unwrapped one for himself, the frog suddenly leapt and was about to jump right out the window
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Shion's calm voice cut in. He flicked his wand, and the frog dropped neatly back into Justin's hand.
"They always jump once," he explained matter-of-factly, before biting into his own frog and returning to One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi.
Outside, the sky slowly darkened.