"Hey! Are you guys talking about me?"
A bright, enthusiastic voice rang in Harry's ear.
Harry turned around. It was the blonde boy, pushing his trolley towards them.
His owl was a snowy owl too, just like Hedwig.
This small similarity made Harry relax without realizing it.
He noticed the station had mostly emptied out; almost everyone had already boarded the train.
Basil, however, was beaming. His eyes were crinkled into happy slits.
He felt as refreshed as if he'd put on a brand-new pair of underwear on New Year's morning!
Not because the two boys in front of him were likely Harry and Ron.
But because his pockets were bulging with Galleons, and his Gem count had just broken the 10,000 mark.
He was two-thirds of the way to activating the "World Travel" function and recovering a key component.
Plus, he had made a lot of 'friends.'
As long as they didn't object, they were his 'friends'!
This led him to discover a new feature: [View Friend Stats].
Most importantly, he hadn't spotted a single "Original Character" from the game in the crowd.
This further confirmed that this world leaned towards the "Fundamentalist" Book Universe.
After all, with a crowd this big, Robyn (a key NPC from the game) should have appeared.
This meant Voldemort would still just be "playing with welding torches" (simple spell clashes).
He wouldn't be buffed to the "Epic Raid Boss" level of the game, spamming screen-clearing, chain-lightning Avada Kedavras that killed on touch.
On the other side, facing Basil's smiling question, the red-headed boy—Ron—stammered.
"I... I wasn't..."
Harry also lowered his head shyly.
Basil raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Harry and Ron to be this introverted and shy.
"Hello! I'm Basil Granger!"
He extended his hand directly.
"I'm Ron Weasley." Ron's ears turned red as he briefly touched Basil's hand.
"I'm Harry Potter." Harry followed suit, his handshake equally fleeting.
They both acted like blushing maidens on their wedding night—shy, hesitant, and awkward.
Slap! Ron suddenly slapped his thigh, his eyes widening in shock.
Upon processing Harry's name, he instantly transformed from a shy Mimosa plant into a sunny Sunflower.
"What?!"
"Harry Potter?!"
"You're the Harry Potter?"
Harry nodded.
"I... I mean, can I..." Ron stammered, pointing vaguely at Harry's forehead.
"Ron Weasley!"
"How dare you!"
A high-pitched female voice rang out, causing Harry's hand, which had started to lift his bangs, to snap back down.
"Mum!" Ron seemed to shrink three inches instantly.
Basil watched the scene with amusement, a smile playing on his lips.
Mrs. Weasley: "It's bad enough you were running around everywhere!"
Ron (aggrieved): "I was standing right here!"
Mrs. Weasley: "Don't you dare talk back!"
Beside her, a cute little girl bounced up and down. "Mum! Harry Potter!"
Mrs. Weasley's voice suddenly shifted from a shriek to a gentle coo, like a rollercoaster coming down a hill.
She was incredibly soft with Harry and Ginny.
"Oh, Ginny. Harry isn't a zoo animal to be stared at!"
"And Harry, it's wonderful to finally meet you! You might not know this, but I was a friend of your parents."
Ten minutes later, Basil, Harry, and Ron were on the train.
Because departure was imminent, Mrs. Weasley didn't have much time for small talk.
But in those ten minutes, she poured all her warmth onto Harry and Ginny.
Even Basil got a share of it.
Ahem. How should he put this?
Mrs. Weasley might have had a "motherly figure," but she was genuinely beautiful.
Especially her... generosity.
There really was a gap between the movies and reality!
Just like Ginny—right now, she had delicate features and a budding charm. In the movies... well, let's just say she had a bit of a square jaw and looked rather plain.
Oops, getting sidetracked.
On the other hand, Ron absorbed all of Mrs. Weasley's negative energy.
She scolded him for not setting a good example for his sister. For being clumsy. For not measuring up to his older brothers (only slightly better than Fred and George).
So, even now, Ron looked like a frost-bitten eggplant.
He kept muttering things like, "Unlucky," and "Why aren't Fred and George here?"
Harry tried to say something to cheer him up but got no response.
So, he turned to talk to Basil.
"Is that 'Years 1-7 Recommended Reading List' actually reliable?"
"Hmm, how should I put this?" Basil mused.
"It's a compilation based on my recent preview of the first-year textbooks, a quick skim of the other years' books, and relevant supplementary reading I found in my family library."
"Of course, it's definitely helpful for Muggle-born wizards."
Basil's words instantly killed Harry's mood.
"Preview? I'm doomed!"
"I just flipped through the books once!"
"I'm definitely going to be the worst student in the class!"
Harry's worried expression seemed to revive Ron.
"No way!"
"I haven't even opened a single book!"
Ron puffed out his chest proudly.
"Freaks like Basil are the minority!"
"Think about it! Who else can make a pocketful of Galleons in ten minutes?"
"I bet even the most hardworking Ravenclaw wouldn't be able to compile a reading list while previewing the textbooks!"
"Besides, you're Harry Potter!"
Ron's tone was so certain that color returned to Harry's pale face.
Seeing Harry recover, Ron grinned.
He asked with a gloating tone, "That 'Ministry Power Dynamics Map' was made up too, right? I just want to laugh thinking about Percy getting scammed."
He cleared his throat and mimicked Percy's pompous voice, "I am Percy, Hogwarts Prefect, future Minister of Magic!"
Basil coughed. "Sorry to disappoint. That one is real."
"My ancestors were all Hufflepuffs. Knowing who not to offend is our survival strategy."
"Of course, that map belonged to them, not me. In the wizarding world, high-level magic is more important than political power."
"Just look at Dumbledore. He isn't the Minister, but he might as well be."
Harry nodded eagerly. "I know that! Hagrid said the Minister writes to Dumbledore all the time just to ask for his advice."
Ron looked disappointed and slumped back into his seat.
He had grown up hearing about Dumbledore's greatness; he knew that part well.
He was more invested in the hope that Percy had been scammed.
Thinking that Percy wasn't scammed made him feel worse than death.
Noticing this, Basil added, "Although the map is real, it might be outdated. My father wrote it, but my parents died before I turned one. Rumor has it they were killed by a passing Death Eater."
"That's great!" Ron blurted out. Then he quickly rearranged his face into a mournful expression. "I mean... my condolences. But... really? Just passing by? Not a targeted hit?"
"My parents too! We're the same!" Harry's tone carried a strange mixture of excitement.
What a filial pair, Basil thought sarcastically.
"Enough! You two!" Basil rolled his eyes.
"My grandmother said..."
Harry: "You still have a grandmother?"
Basil: "Hey!"
Ron: "Harry! Let Basil finish."
Basil: "My grandmother said the Death Eater really was just passing by. Apparently, he was crossing Holbeam Forest to get to London."
"He happened to see my parents playing a game of mid-air collision on their brooms."
"His trigger finger got itchy, so he tested out a new Killing Curse on them."
Harry & Ron: "Condolences!"
Basil: "It's fine. I have no memory of them. Honestly, I only felt sad when my grandmother died."
Harry: "You're an orphan too? Then we are the same!"
Basil & Ron: "Hey!"
Harry looked away, whistling innocently.
At that moment, a loud clattering noise came from the corridor. A smiling woman with dimples slid back their compartment door and asked:
"Anything off the trolley, dears?"
Harry looked at her like she was the Messiah and waved his hand grandly.
"We'll take three of everything!"
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