Chapter 14: The stark gap between rich and poor wizarding families
Harry and Ron seemed to hit it off immediately, chatting idly in the compartment.
Aaron, holding Abey, leisurely watched the scenery outside, savoring the rare sense of freedom.
Just then, a 'clack clack' sound came from outside the compartment. A slightly plump female vendor, pushing a trolley full of various snacks, looked at the three and asked, "Want to buy anything, children?"
"No, thank you, I brought my own," Ron said, a bit awkwardly, pulling out a sandwich wrapped in a transparent oilcloth.
"I'm not hungry," Aaron said, then suddenly remembered something and glanced at the pet in his arms. "But I'll take some anyway!"
The plump woman smiled happily, "Alright, sir, what do you need?
We have Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, pies, cakes..."
"Don't say so much," Aaron said, a little impatient, and casually pulled out a Galleon. "Just those four you mentioned! Enough for three people."
"Oh, just a moment."
The plump woman started rummaging through her trolley, then placed a pile of snacks on the compartment table, and also gave Aaron a few silver sickles as change.
"Wow!" Ron's eyes widened. "Aaron, what does your family do? You seem really rich."
"Actually, it's nothing much, just running a small business casually."
"Casually? You just gave a Galleon!" Ron asked, astonished. "My annual pocket money might not even be that much."
Aaron's mouth twitched. He always felt this guy looked like he'd never seen money. "Uh... I think maybe it's because you have four siblings at home, so the expenses are higher!"
Ron nodded silently at this. "Actually, your understanding isn't complete. I have five older brothers and one younger sister."
Aaron:...No wonder this kid's pocket money isn't even a Galleon.
A family that is already poor having to raise seven children—that's adding insult to injury! They might not even survive without being very frugal.
"I originally just thought your mother was great for raising seven children.
But I didn't expect your father to be even greater, able to support your whole family on one person's salary."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, I'm just simply expressing my admiration for your father.
Yes, that's right, admiration," Aaron said, then pointed to the snacks on the table. "Don't just stand there, both of you. If you want to eat, don't be shy, but remember to save a few pies for my Abey, and if they're meat pies, even better."
Ron couldn't help but look at the white cat. "Your pet is so cute! I only have a rat, and it's one Percy threw away."
As he spoke, he pulled out a fat grey rat from his pocket. "Its name is Scabbers, and it's hopeless. All it does is eat and sleep all day."
Aaron immediately moved his body back, trying to distance himself as much as possible from the rat.
However, Abey, in his arms, seemed to sniff something disgusting, showing an alert and disgusted expression, pointing a white paw at the sleeping rat, constantly baring his teeth.
Ron immediately took his pet back. He almost forgot that Aaron's pet was a cat; what's the difference between taking out a rat in front of a cat and feeding it?
"Don't worry, my Abey doesn't eat rats," Aaron said with a wry smile, calming Abey down, and looking at the rat with a scrutinizing gaze.
After all, Abey is a Holy Dragon, not a cat. For it to react like this, it shouldn't be an ordinary rat, or... it might not even be a rat at all.
But that had nothing to do with him. Even if Ron also kept a magical creature he'd never seen before, so what!
Ron then confidently placed Scabbers on the table and began to enjoy the delicacies with a clear conscience.
As for the sandwich he brought, it had long been tossed aside. What was it compared to these snacks?
Harry picked up a package, scanned it, and then put the beans inside into his mouth. He then felt an indescribable taste, and the expression on his face became strange.
"Those are Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They have all sorts of flavors," Ron said. "There's chocolate mint, and also spinach, tripe, and liver.
George said he even tasted booger flavor."
"Ugh!" Aaron suddenly felt a bit nauseous and immediately blacklisted that snack.
Harry silently spat out the Every Flavor Bean in his mouth and threw it into the trash can. He figured what he ate was probably booger flavor.
A moment later, Harry picked up a five-pointed star-shaped package that read Chocolate Frog and asked curiously, "There aren't really frogs in here, are there!"
"You could say that," Aaron said with a smile.
"This is magic. People usually buy these snacks for the cards inside. Every pack has cards of great Wizards. I've collected over five hundred of them," Ron said.
Harry unwrapped the package, and a croaking sound echoed in the compartment. The pure chocolate-colored frog's eyes moved slightly, then it leaped towards the window.
However, as it leaped into mid-air, Abey suddenly sprang up, caught it in his paw, and very proudly put the chocolate into his mouth.
"Ahem!"
Aaron lightly coughed, and Abey awkwardly stopped.
"Eat it, but be a little careful. I don't want your mouth to be all covered in chocolate," Aaron said with a smile.
Abey paused, then raised his paw, crushed the Chocolate Frog, and then put it into his mouth piece by piece.
This scene left Harry and Ron stunned.
They had seen cats, but they had never seen a cat so smart and human-like.
"Aaron, how much did you pay for this cat? It must be expensive, right?" Ron asked, dumbfounded. He silently compared Abey and Scabbers and immediately felt that the rat was no longer appealing, though it wasn't appealing to begin with.
"It was left by an elder in my family... I think!" Aaron said with a strange expression. He didn't know how to explain it, but the dragon-walking license conveyed that meaning.
"I don't know how much it's worth, but I know I wouldn't sell it for any price."
"Oh, I see!" Ron said, feeling a bit deflated. "By the way, what's your last name?"
"Gaius, I'm from the Gaius Family."
Ron paused. He really hadn't heard that surname much.
Harry picked up a card from the box. It showed a white-bearded old man wearing glasses, looking particularly kind, though his nose was a bit crooked. What was magical was that the image on the card was moving, which was impossible in the Muggle World.
And the name on the card was: Albus Dumbledore.
"It's Dumbledore. I already have six of them," Ron said with a smile.
Harry smiled, and when he looked down at the card again, the image on it was gone. For a child just introduced to the Magical World, this was quite new.
"He's gone?"
"He can't stay there all day, can he!" Ron said. "He'll come back."
"There's no need to be so serious. Our Principal is Dumbledore.
Seeing him in person is definitely much more real than looking at a card."
Although he said that, Harry still inexplicably put the card away.
The train passed through forests and fields, arriving at a plain. Outside the window was a lake, its shimmering surface calming one's mood.
If it weren't for a rat gnawing on food on the table, Aaron's mood might have been even better.
"Ron, if you could, would you please ask your rat to be a little quieter."
"Uh, sorry, did I disturb you?" Ron awkwardly picked the rat up from the table. "Oh, Fred taught me a spell that can turn it yellow. I'll show you two."
"Alright! Besides Hagrid, I haven't seen any other Wizardcast spells!" Harry showed great interest.
Aaron also nodded, as a magic show could add a little fun to this not-so-long journey.