Charlie pushed his luggage cart, walking through the bustling crowd at King's Cross Station.
Storm stood majestically on the suitcase, surveying its surroundings, attracting many surprised glances from passersby.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters..." Charlie looked down at the ticket in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed.
He walked back and forth between Platform Nine and Platform Ten several times but found no sign related to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Ask a staff member? Forget it, this was clearly a secret of the Wizarding World; asking would only make him seem crazy.
Just as Charlie hesitated, a familiar figure entered his sight.
The black-haired boy he had seen at the wand shop—Harry Potter—was pushing a luggage-filled trolley, looking just as bewildered as he was.
Even more striking was that Harry was talking to a family with fiery red hair.
The plump, kindly-faced red-haired woman was with five equally red-haired children.
Charlie pushed his luggage closer, watching one of the red-haired boys push his luggage cart and charge straight towards the dividing wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten.
Just as Charlie felt surprised, the boy miraculously disappeared into the wall.
"Wall-penetrating magic?" Charlie couldn't help but exclaim.
Could his childhood dream of learning wall-penetrating magic to sneak into the girls' changing room finally come true?
The red-haired woman heard the sound and turned to look at Charlie.
She immediately noticed Charlie's luggage and the Owl standing on the box, and she smiled knowingly.
"You're also a new student going to Hogwarts, dear?" she asked gently.
Charlie nodded: "Yes, madam. I can't find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters."
"Oh, don't worry," the red-haired woman said kindly.
"You just need to walk directly towards the dividing wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten; don't stop, don't be afraid," she explained.
"If you're nervous, you can jog through."
Charlie nodded gratefully: "Thank you, madam."
Harry had already gone ahead, pushing his cart towards the dividing wall and disappearing into it.
Charlie took a deep breath and followed closely.
He closed his eyes and rushed forward with the cart.
The expected collision did not happen; when he opened his eyes, the sight before him left him astonished.
A red steam train was stopped by the platform, with "Hogwarts Express" written on its front.
The platform was crowded with students and parents; the calls of Owls, the clatter of suitcases, and the laughter of people intertwined.
"Wow..." Charlie couldn't help but exclaim.
This feeling of steam engines combined with magic was truly wonderful.
Harry stood not far away, looking as shocked as Charlie.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled spontaneously.
"Hey, want to find a compartment together?" Charlie asked proactively.
Harry nodded: "Sure."
The two of them carried their luggage onto the train together and found an empty compartment. After putting their luggage away, they sat down, facing each other.
"I'm Charlie White." Charlie extended his hand.
"Harry Potter." Harry shook his hand, observing Charlie's reaction a little nervously.
Charlie just nodded, not showing any particular surprise.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a touch of familiarity.
"Did you also live in Muggle society before?" Harry asked.
Charlie nodded: "Yeah, I only found out I was a Wizard a month ago."
"Me too!" Harry said excitedly.
"I grew up in a Muggle family, and I didn't know I was a Wizard until Hagrid came to tell me."
"Hagrid is the gamekeeper at Hogwarts."
The two exchanged smiles, finding common ground in the unfamiliar environment.
Outside the train window, Mrs. Molly was admonishing The Twins.
"—You two behave yourselves this year, understand? If I get another letter saying you blew up a toilet—"
"Blew up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet." One of The Twins said.
"But that's a great idea, thanks, Mum!" the other chimed in.
"That's not funny!" Mrs. Molly said loudly.
Charlie looked at the backs of The Twins and couldn't help but sigh:
"These are the real geniuses; even a foolish monarch would have to admit they're more foolish."
Blowing up a school toilet, he couldn't imagine how many tyrant points that would earn.
Harry looked at him puzzled: "What foolish monarch?"
"Uh, nothing, just a joke." Charlie quickly changed the subject.
Not long after, the compartment door was pushed open, and The Twins and the red-haired boy they had seen earlier walked in.
"Hey, is there room here?" the red-haired boy asked, "All the other compartments are full."
"Of course," Harry and Charlie said simultaneously.
After the three sat down, The Twins introduced themselves:
"I'm Fred Weasley."
"I'm George Weasley."
"This is our brother, his name is Ron."
"Charlie White."
"Harry Potter."
"Wait, are you Harry Potter?"
Harry nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed.
"Really?" Fred asked in surprise, "Do you really have that... scar?"
Harry lifted his fringe, revealing the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. The Twins and Ron all widened their eyes.
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed involuntarily.
Harry was clearly a bit uncomfortable; he still wasn't used to feeling like a rare animal.
Charlie saw his face flush red and spoke up at the right moment.
"Fred, George," Charlie suddenly began.
"When you go to blow up the toilet, can you call me?"
The Twins froze for a moment, blinking their eyes, clearly not expecting this handsome new student who looked like a noble to be a kindred spirit!
Fred sized Charlie up and down, asking suspiciously: "Why do you want to join us?"
"Because I get stronger and learn new magic when I play pranks."
"Hahaha, that's a great excuse, George. Next time Mum asks us why we're pranking, we'll answer like that."
Charlie shrugged; in this day and age, no one believed the truth.
He could only change his words.
"Alright, because it's fun. Blowing up a toilet sounds exciting, much more interesting than reading those boring textbooks."
George grinned: "Haha, I like that reason!"
Fred and George exchanged glances, then said in unison: "Welcome to the Weasley Prank Squad!"
"But we can't tell you our secret plan yet," Fred said mysteriously.
"We'll tell you when we get to Hogwarts," George added.
The two stood up to leave, and Fred looked back before going: "Remember, we're professionals."
"Rookies can't keep up with our pace," George winked.
Charlie made an OK gesture: "Don't worry, I definitely won't hold you back."
The Twins left satisfied, returning to their compartment.
The compartment became quiet again, with only Ron, Harry, and Charlie remaining.
Ron looked at Charlie, his eyes full of admiration: "You really dare to mess around with Fred and George? They're the most troublesome at school."
"Mum gets complaint letters about them every year."
Harry also nodded: "Sounds fun. I've never had friends like that."
Charlie leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs: "Life is short, enjoy it while you can."
Ron and Harry both found Charlie very interesting; his casual attitude was novel to them.
As they chatted, the train let out a whistle and slowly began to move.
Charlie looked at the gradually moving scenery outside the window, feeling a bit depressed.
The main task now was riding the train, which meant his tyrant points weren't increasing.
If he were to relieve himself publicly on the train, he could gain tyrant points, but that would be too foolish.
[Your servant agrees with Your Majesty doing that, but if others ask why, Your Majesty must not mention me.]
Charlie:...