Just as the train left the London suburbs behind and the open countryside began to roll past the windows, the compartment door flew open once more.
A boy stood panting in the doorway, his brown hair neatly combed, dressed in brand-new Muggle-style clothes, and dragging what looked like an expensive leather suitcase.
"Thank goodness, I finally found a seat! The previous compartments and even the aisle were packed!" the boy exclaimed casually. His gaze swept across the compartment, nodding first to Hannah and Susan before it landed squarely on Henry's face.
His eyes lingered there a moment. Then they widened suddenly, his mouth fell open slightly, and his face shifted from extreme shock to disbelief before lighting up with an excited realization.
"You… you… my God!" The boy's voice shot up eight octaves with excitement. He pointed at Henry, his finger trembling. "You're Prince Henry! Prince Henry of Wales! I've seen you on TV! In the newspapers! My dad's company even participated in a business forum sponsored by the royal family last year!"
The air inside the compartment froze instantly. Hannah and Susan stared at the flushed, excited boy, then turned puzzled glances toward the composed Henry.
Although the two girls had never watched television, they were not entirely ignorant of the Muggle world. They clearly understood the concepts of princes and royalty—the highest level of secular nobility in the Muggle world, symbols of the pinnacle of another vast social structure.
Still, the sudden and concrete arrival of that concept left the two young witches somewhat bewildered.
Hannah's eyes widened slightly, while Susan pursed her lips in thought.
Henry sighed softly to himself. He had anticipated being recognized, yet he had not expected it to happen quite so soon.
He offered the dumbfounded boy a helpless smile and raised his hand in a quieting gesture.
"I think on the Hogwarts Express, I might prefer to be called 'Henry Welsh,'" he said, his voice steady and carrying an authority that involuntarily hushed the others. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And you are?"
The boy snapped back to reality, realizing he might have overstepped. He stepped quickly into the compartment, closed the door behind him, and lowered his voice, though his excitement still hummed through every word.
"Justin Finch-Finchley! Oh, my apologies, Your Highness… I mean, Mr. Welsh! This is incredible! I mean, I thought it was crazy enough when I received the letter, but I never expected… never expected…"
He stammered, yet his gaze stayed fixed on Henry as though he were staring at a living legend.
The hyphenated surname "Finch-Finchley" signaled the Justin family's upper-class status.
In British tradition, dual surnames were inheritable, primarily to preserve a family name that would otherwise die out without male heirs. This practice linked directly to the inheritance of the family estate.
For example, the original surname of the British royal family was Windsor, but the Queen obviously would not take her husband's surname; after her marriage, she had added Prince Philip's surname before her own, becoming Mountbatten-Windsor.
Hannah and Susan exchanged a surprised glance.
Hannah leaned closer to Susan and whispered, "The prince? The grandson of that Muggle queen?"
Susan nodded slightly; her gaze toward Henry now brimmed with even greater curiosity. Being in the same room as a Muggle royal far exceeded anything they had imagined before boarding the train.
Henry nodded to Justin, keeping his voice gentle.
"Please sit down, Mr. Finch-Finchley. I think we still have many things to discuss and look forward to about the wizarding world before we arrive at Hogwarts, such as which house we'll be sorted into, don't we?"
He skillfully steered the conversation back toward the wizarding world while giving Justin a calming look that seemed to say, Don't be nervous—you'll be fine.
Justin realized he might have caused Henry some trouble. He tried to compose himself, nodding repeatedly as he unpacked his luggage.
"Of course, of course! Houses! I heard Professor McGonagall say there are four houses at Hogwarts… that's amazing!"
Even after he sat down, however, his gaze kept drifting back toward Henry; clearly his excitement had not yet subsided.
Hannah seemed to set aside her shock over Henry's identity for the moment. Her curiosity shifted to Justin. "You're Muggle-born? Oh, sorry, I mean, your parents aren't wizards?"
"Yes! Absolutely! Until last month, I thought my parents were playing a really elaborate joke on me!" Justin was instantly drawn into the new topic and began recounting his shock upon receiving the letter.
Justin was describing how Professor McGonagall had used a simple Transfiguration Charm to turn his living-room sofa into a pig, thereby completely convincing his parents that magic was real, when the sliding door to the compartment opened once again.
A smiling witch appeared in the doorway, pushing a cart piled high with all sorts of strange and wonderful snacks.
"Honey, want to buy something to eat from the cart? Chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, Super Bubble Gum, pumpkin tarts, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans!"
The four children's attention snapped to the cart at once. The colorful packaging of the magical snacks gave off an enticing sweet aroma.
Hannah and Susan clearly knew what they were doing. Hannah's eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled a few silver coins from her pocket, buying a bag of Chocolate Frogs and several pumpkin pies. Susan, meanwhile, ordered a bag of Bubble Gum.
"You two should try some too," Hannah said enthusiastically to Henry and Justin, pointing at the Chocolate Frogs. "Watch out—it might jump away! Collecting the pictures is fun too."
Justin leaned forward curiously to examine the Chocolate Frog packaging. "It moves? A real frog?" He hesitated a moment, then took out his money and bought a bag of Chocolate Frogs and a cauldron cake, eager to try them.
Henry also smiled and ordered a bag of Chocolate Frogs, a cauldron cake, a bag of Bubble Gum, and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He noticed that Justin's movements were a little clumsy when he handled his money, but the boy's genuine excitement for these new things shone through.
With the snacks in hand, the atmosphere in the compartment grew even more relaxed.
"Be careful when you open this Chocolate Frog," Hannah demonstrated to Henry and Justin as she picked one up. "Look, like this—you have to quickly block its escape route, otherwise it'll get away."
Justin imitated her, frantically pinning down his own frog while marveling at the moving image of Dumbledore on the card.
Henry swiftly grabbed the frog's leg and pinned its head before it could break free.
"Mine is Dumbledore," Justin announced, picking up the picture. "The headmaster of Hogwarts—wait, why is he winking at me?"
"You can't expect him to never blink, can you?" Hannah replied casually. "That would be exhausting."