"No, no, thank you," the round-faced boy said quickly. "I… I need to find my toad. You really haven't seen him?"
His voice wobbled, and though he refused politely, his stomach betrayed him with a loud growl. The sound was clear in the compartment, and his face turned bright red almost at once.
"Your body doesn't seem to agree with you," Tyler said with a smile. "Even if you want to keep searching for your toad, you should eat something first. Otherwise, where will you find the strength to look?"
"Mate, this really is delicious," Ron said, swallowing a mouthful of food with obvious reluctance. "I don't think I've ever eaten anything this good."
"Seriously," Harry added, looking at the boy in the doorway. "If you miss this, you'll regret it."
Harry and Ron had nearly bitten their tongues trying to eat faster. The food was warm, rich, and far better than anything they had expected on a school train, so neither of them felt embarrassed about praising it.
"Tyler's magic is amazing," Harry said after glancing at the boy's anxious face. "Maybe he can help you find your toad."
"Really?" The round-faced boy looked at Tyler with sudden hope. He wiped at the tears on his face with his sleeve and sniffed a few times. "I lost him again. Trevor always tries to run away from me."
"Oh, well, I can try using the Summoning Charm," Tyler said.
He picked up his wand and pointed it toward the compartment door. It was not difficult magic for him, though using it in a moving train filled with students was bound to produce some unexpected results.
"Accio toads."
The result was immediate.
"Croak! Croak! Croak!"
Dozens of toads came flying from different directions at once. They shot out of compartments, bounced down the corridor, and tumbled through the air in a chaotic wave before landing on the round-faced boy. In the blink of an eye, he was nearly buried beneath them.
One toad stuck itself against his face. Another landed squarely on top of his head, while several more bounced off his shoulders and slid down his robes. The whole scene was so absurd that even Tyler stared for a moment before reacting.
The noise was unbearable. Dozens of toads croaked at once, filling the corridor with a damp, throaty chorus that made several students shout in surprise.
"Oh, Merlin's beard! What happened?"
"Why are there so many toads?"
"Look! That boy's been buried by them!"
The sudden movement caused a commotion through the train. Compartment doors slid open one after another, and many young witches and wizards poked their heads out to see what had happened.
Inside Tyler's compartment, Ron covered his mouth and leaned heavily against Harry. His face had gone rather pale.
"Oh, Harry, I think I'm going to be sick," Ron groaned. "That's too many toads. Way too many."
Harry did not look much better. Seeing so many warty little creatures piled together made his scalp prickle, and the sight of them crawling over the poor boy was enough to make his stomach twist.
"Did you find your toad?" Tyler asked.
He was not especially fond of the scene either. Toads in the wizarding world were at least somewhat magical and intelligent, but he still could not understand why any young wizard would willingly choose one as a pet.
"Oh! Trevor!" the round-faced boy cried in delight. "I found him!"
"Depulso."
Tyler flicked his wand, and a soft burst of magic spread through the corridor. The clustered toads were gently pushed back, hopping and sliding away from the boy in every direction. Several students who were afraid of toads screamed and slammed their compartment doors shut as the creatures bounced past.
"Thank you," the boy said breathlessly, clutching one toad tightly in both hands. "Thank you for helping me find Trevor."
"You can come in and sit down now," Tyler said. "Maybe eat something before Trevor decides to escape again."
"Thank you," the boy said after a hesitant pause.
He stepped carefully into the compartment and sat down beside Ron, still holding Trevor as if afraid the toad might vanish the moment he loosened his grip.
"What's your name?" Harry asked. Since the boy looked about their age, he guessed they were probably in the same year.
"Neville," the round-faced boy said softly. "Neville Longbottom."
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry said. "This is Ron Weasley, this is Tyler Blake, and this is Jamie Campbell."
"H-Hello," Neville said timidly.
He greeted everyone in a small voice, looking nervous and rather shy. His shoulders were hunched, and he sat as though he expected someone to scold him for taking up too much space.
"You must be hungry," Tyler said, pushing a lunch box in front of him. "Eat something first. Don't be afraid. We're all Hogwarts first-years too."
Perhaps it was Tyler's smile that reassured him. Neville gradually relaxed, and the moment he did, his hunger became impossible to ignore. He looked at the food in front of him, smelled the warm savoury aroma rising from it, and finally picked up the fork.
Once Neville started eating, his eyes widened. He was quieter than Ron and Harry, but the speed at which he ate showed clearly how hungry he had been. Even Trevor seemed calmer now, sitting in Neville's lap as if the sudden toad disaster had nothing to do with him.
"Knock, knock."
The compartment door was knocked on again. A moment later, it slid open, and a little girl stepped inside.
She had thick brown curly hair that puffed out around her head, making her look as though she had walked through a gust of wind and never quite recovered. Her face was cute, though her rather large front teeth drew attention whenever she spoke.
"I just saw you use magic," the girl said at once. "What spell was that? I tried a few simple spells at home for practice, and they all worked."
Her tone carried a faint arrogance, as if she had already decided she knew more than everyone else in the compartment. Ron immediately frowned, clearly not liking the way she spoke.
"No one in my family knows magic," the girl continued without waiting for anyone to answer. "So when I received my letter, I was shocked, of course, but also very pleased. I mean, from what I've read, Hogwarts is the best school of magic."
She took a breath and kept going. "I've already memorised all the textbooks, naturally. I only wanted to be prepared, and I do hope it helps. My name is Hermione Granger. What are your names, and who used the magic just now?"
She spoke so quickly that her words came out like a string of sparks from a wand. Then, without waiting for an invitation, she sat down beside Tyler with complete confidence.
"That spell just now was Tyler's," Harry said, taking on the role of introducing everyone again. "I'm Harry Potter, this is Ron Weasley, this is Neville Longbottom, this is Tyler Blake, and this is Jamie Campbell."
"You cast that spell?" Hermione asked immediately, turning toward Tyler. "It was very powerful, but I don't remember seeing it in any of the books. I mean, are you an older student?"
As Hermione spoke, she turned her head fully toward the boy beside her and found herself looking straight into Tyler's pale-blue eyes.
.....
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