Sean saw the so-called chocolate frog cards for the first time, and of course, the Young Wizards in compartment number two were also seeing them for the first time.
Naturally, the conversation once again revolved around the cards.
"Wow! Devlin Whitehorn!"
"Do you know him?"
"I don't, but I deeply admire what he did."
Hermione's eyebrows rose as she took the card from Justin's hand.
"Devlin Whitehorn,
Survived eating an entire Venomous Tentacula on a dare, though he remained purple."
As Hermione finished reading, she turned her head and glared at Justin,
"Idiot."
"Alright, you're right."
Justin didn't argue at all, and their gazes fell upon Hermione's card.
"Godric Gryffindor,"
Hermione lifted her chin, a wide smile gracing her lips,
"One of the founders of Hogwarts; one of the houses is named after him."
"That's really cool. I read about him in 'Hogwarts: A History.' The book said he also left a sword in Hogwarts."
Justin admired him from the bottom of his heart, and Hermione narrowed her eyes, clearly pleased.
As they talked, the train had already left London, and they were speeding along pastures filled with cattle and sheep.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, instead watching the vast grasslands and rolling hills flash by, occasionally catching sight of a few people riding horses, dressed in white rider's outfits, looking like white flowers in an oil painting.
"I must say, he's really quiet."
Hermione didn't mention a name, but Justin knew exactly who she was talking about.
"Not necessarily."
Justin smiled, dimples appearing on his face, looking exceptionally comforting,
"Sean, please take care of this pumpkin pasty, help me out."
Then, a slightly slender hand flashed past.
"Thanks."
A few seconds later, the voice came from behind the thick, reddish-brown book.
The dimples on Justin's face deepened.
"My mother told me that truly capable people are often very quiet.
Even if a mountain fell in front of them, it wouldn't scare them. However, they are often not very lucky..."
Justin's gaze fell on Sean's pilling jacket and his focused face, implying something,
"Mother said I always need friends like that.
Her teachings led me to find my friends at Samfield School.
It turned out she was right. I think we'll be good friends for life.
We promised each other that even if we were at different schools, we wouldn't lose touch.
Oh, if you're interested, I'd be happy to share our letters with you."
As Justin spoke, he opened his suitcase.
Besides the items on the school list, the most striking things were the neatly folded letters.
Scattered next to the letters were several photos, which appeared to be Justin with his friends.
Just as Hermione was looking on in some surprise, a tearful voice suddenly rang out:
"Trevor! Where are you!"
A round-faced boy squeezed into the compartment, asking timidly,
"Excuse me, have you seen my toad?"
By this time, the train had traveled two-thirds of the way.
Sean's concentration was broken by the warm, dim light of the train.
He rubbed his eyes. He was the only one left in the compartment.
Observing the darkening sky, he was about to change into his Wizard robes,
but as he closed "one thousand magical herbs and fungi," he found a note.
It read:
"Sean, we've gone to help a Young Wizard named Neville find his toad. If you want to join, you can find us in the corridor."
Sean thought for a moment and wrote a few words on the back of the note:
"The train is about to arrive. Remember to change your clothes."
After writing, Sean, holding his school robes, opened the compartment door.
The corridor was extremely noisy, much louder than before. Perhaps the Young Wizards in the compartments had all become familiar with each other, so their voices in discussion were much louder.
As Sean passed a compartment, he happened to overhear an argument inside.
"Daisies, sweet butter, and sunshine, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
It was a childish boy's voice.
"Are you sure that's really a spell?"
A little girl was asking,
"Doesn't look like it, does it?
I tried a few simple spells at home, just for practice, and they all worked.
So, what I mean is,
look at this,
Reparo."
Sean roughly understood what was happening. He was about to walk past when he saw a platinum-haired boy stride out of the compartment, followed by two Young Wizards who looked like bodyguards.
Sean knew what was about to happen without even thinking.
Sure enough, a moment later, a mocking voice rang out:
"If I were you, Potter, I'd be extra careful.
You should be more polite, or you'll end up just like your parents.
They didn't know what was good for them either. If you hang around with riff-raff like the Weasley family or Hagrid, you'll be affected."
What a venomous tongue.
Sean silently made his assessment and went to the cloakroom without looking back.
In that tense compartment, a loud shout soon followed.
Sean could guess immediately that Scabbers must have bitten Goyle, helping Harry out of a tough spot.
If he remembered correctly, was this Peter Pettigrew's only time helping Harry?
When compartment number two was once again filled with Young Wizards, the train's rumbling had reached its peak, and the scarlet steam engine slowly decelerated.
Outside the window,
Under the dark purple sky, only a continuous stretch of mountains and forests could be seen.
Hermione and Justin's eyes were filled with uncontrollable excitement.
The three of them successively disembarked from the Hogwarts Express and arrived at a dark, small platform.
From afar, they saw a Giant holding a lantern, who at first glance looked like one of those man-eating monsters from a fairy tale.
The night air was cold,
But Sean didn't shiver this time. The clothes on his body were no longer the donated, torn, and pilling ones,
but the plain Hogwarts robes and inner garments.
They were very warm.
Following Hagrid through the forest and seeing Hogwarts Castle, all the Young Wizards let out a loud:
"Wow!"
Justin's shout was the loudest, causing Hermione to glare at him frequently.
"Forgive me, Hermione, Eton College isn't that easy to give up.
My decision wasn't wrong. Look at this Castle, and those floating lights, and the moving statues... If my mother saw this scene—I mean to say, she would be proud of me."
After crossing the Black Lake in small boats, entering the boathouse, and passing through the cliff stairs,
the Young Wizards stopped at the entrance to the Great Hall, then listened to Professor McGonagall's explanation of the Sorting Ceremony.