"Hey, Leo, is that a letter from your family?"
Harry looked up, curious. Most students had gotten letters from home, but he never had. The only times he got mail were when Hagrid sent an owl inviting him over.
Leonardo shook his head. "No, this is from Newt Scamander."
Their part of the table went quiet. The only sounds were the wings of bats above and the crackle of candles.
"Um, Leo, you're quite the joker." Ron was the first to break the silence. He set down the mechanical frog, laughing. "Newt Scamander is that world-renowned magical creature expert. You must mean someone with the same name."
Hermione, as usual, launched into an explanation. "Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class in 1979..."
Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione's know-it-all attitude still got on his nerves. But honestly, everyone already knew about Newt. His book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was required reading and introduced young wizards to magical creatures. Newt was as famous as a nature show host and had tons of fans at school.
Seeing them laugh it off, Leonardo didn't mind. Sometimes you tell the truth, and no one believes you.
Eager to escape Hermione's monologue, Ron changed the subject. "Leo, if you can write to Newt, could you help me get an autographed copy of Fantastic Beasts? Um, if I score ninety on the next monthly exam..."
Before Ron could finish, Harry elbowed him sharply. They hadn't told anyone else about the tutoring sessions. Hermione still didn't know, for instance.
As they were chatting, Malfoy passed by with his lackeys Crabbe and Goyle in tow. Seeing Harry, Malfoy merely snorted. But when his eyes fell on Leonardo's back, they turned ice-cold.
Ever since Leonardo turned him down, Malfoy had been holding a grudge. 'A Muggle-born, refusing my friendship?' he thought. He was just waiting for the right moment to get back at Leo.
Malfoy stormed toward the adjacent table.
Noticing Malfoy pass, Harry frowned and muttered quietly, "What kind of look was that? Really irritating. Malfoy's even more annoying than Dudley!"
Hearing Harry's grumble, Ron asked, puzzled, "The snooty Malfoy is definitely annoying, but who's Dudley? Do we have someone by that name at school?"
Harry shook his head. "No, Dudley is my cousin. He's a bully whose conscience is smaller than his stomach..."
Before Harry could finish, two nearly identical boys materialized behind Ron.
"Ronniekins, what are you playing with?"
"Why are you playing with a little toad? Planning to replace Scabbers?"
Startled by this sudden "affectionate" greeting, Ron choked on his soup, his face turning crimson as he gasped for air.
After finally catching his breath, Ron whipped around to face these uninvited guests. "Fred! George! Don't call me that!"
Then Ron quickly glanced at Leo and the others. Harry had already buried his face in his arms, and Hermione had turned away. Though he couldn't see their expressions, Ron could see their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter!
Leonardo kept a straight face, but his mouth twitched with amusement. Ronniekins. The twins sure had a funny way of showing love for their little brother.
His friends' reactions made Ron's face burn even brighter. He turned back to his twin brothers, eyes full of indignation. "What exactly do you want?"
The Weasley twins exchanged knowing glances, then said in perfect unison, "Percy asked us to check on you, see how your studies are going."
"After all, he's a Prefect. Very busy~"
One of them, Fred or maybe George, picked up the mechanical frog and grinned. "Not bad, it actually looks pretty good. The little toad is kind of cute."
The other twin winked at Leonardo. "Leo, did Ron really make this? And how did you teach him? Can you show us too?"
Hearing this, Hermione couldn't help looking at Leo. Did that mean Leonardo taught Ron? Could Ron make this frog because of Leo's instruction? Then could Ron's Transfiguration also be...?
Hermione glanced at Harry. She suddenly realized Harry always appeared behind Leonardo together with Ron. Could Harry's improved Potions also be...?
Leonardo was considering how to respond when Ron snatched the mechanism from his brother's hand, saying defensively, "This isn't a toad, it's a frog!"
Ron apparently wanted to prove himself. Pulling out his wand, he tapped the little frog. "Watch closely!"
After a few seconds, the frog showed no response. Ron's face flushed with embarrassment as he looked to Leo for help.
Leonardo didn't hesitate. "Just pat it."
Ron immediately slapped his palm onto the frog's back.
"Ribbit!"
The frog croaked, surprising the twins. They'd just stopped by because Percy mentioned it, but Ron had really made a working mechanical animal—even if it only croaked once.
The twins looked at Ron with new respect, surprised that their usually ordinary brother had learned alchemical mechanics. They both turned to Leonardo, now very interested in the first-year who could actually teach Ron something useful.
"Ribbit~"
The frog croaked again, but it sounded quieter. It wasn't really softer; the frog had just jumped far away, so the sound seemed distant.
Leonardo looked toward the noise. The mechanical frog had already leaped onto the adjacent table.
Splash!
A water-landing sound. The little yellow frog was now bathing in a bowl of cream of mushroom soup.
"Ribbit."
The frog made another mighty leap, landing squarely on a neatly combed, pale blond head and squatting down. Mushrooms and creamy soup dripped down its body onto that pristine hair.
Ron had already jumped up, rushing to that person's side. He held back laughter while his tone carried genuine apology. "Ha—um, no, sorry about that, Malfoy."
Ron reached out to retrieve the mechanical frog. But Malfoy had come to his senses as well, standing up abruptly and grabbing the thing perched on his head.
"Weasley!"