Chapter 37: Proud Miss Granger!

[Note: Read up to Chapter - 87 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]

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"Um, all the other compartments are packed—mind if I sit here?"

Just as Aris was still figuring out how to tell Harry he'd only been joking, another voice came from the doorway.

Ronald Weasley stood there, looking a bit awkward, his eyes flicking between the two inside.

"Course!" Harry scooted over, then paused and glanced at Aris for confirmation. "Right, Aris?"

"Yeah, go on—take a seat," Aris nodded.

Ron plopped down, and for a moment, the compartment was filled with a brief but uncomfortable silence.

What Harry and Aris had been discussing just moments ago had been quite personal, and perhaps Harry felt a bit awkward now that there was someone else listening in. He didn't press the subject any further.

"So… you really do have it, then?" Ron blurted after a moment.

Just like in the films, Harry nodded and readily showed him the famous lightning-bolt scar.

With that, the ice was broken, and the atmosphere lightened up considerably.

The three boys began introducing themselves properly.

Funny how quickly kids could become mates, Aris thought.

That said, his attention was already on the rat curled up in Ron's arms.

If memory served him right, that wasn't just any ordinary pet.

It was an Animagus—the very one who betrayed Harry's parents and brought about their deaths at the hands of Voldemort.

"This is Scabbers," Ron said, noticing Aris's gaze. "Looks a bit sorry for himself, doesn't he?"

"Not really," Aris replied dryly, "Looks to me like he's having the time of his life."

The trolley witch had just rolled past, and Harry had bought a ton of sweets. At the moment, Scabbers was lounging in Ron's hands, nibbling on treats like royalty.

"Oh, right!" Ron suddenly perked up. "Fred showed me a spell—turns him yellow. Wanna see?"

"Alright then!" Harry said eagerly—he hadn't learned any spells yet, so he was clearly intrigued.

Aris, on the other hand, didn't look particularly interested. It wasn't that he had anything against Ron, but the so-called spell Fred had taught him was not even a real spell.

More like a bit of nonsense to make a fool out of his younger brother.

In fact, the incantation sounded oddly familiar—Aris was pretty sure it featured in some old mobile game from his previous life, one set in a magical world.

Just as Ron raised his wand and was about to have a go, another voice rang out from the compartment doorway.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one…"

The girl had barely finished speaking when she spotted Aris.

"Oh! Aris—you're here!"

It was Hermione Granger, and she looked genuinely pleased to see him.

"I've been up and down this whole train trying to find you! I didn't think to check in here!"

"Hello, Miss Granger," Aris greeted her with a polite nod.

"You two know each other?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's a bit of a story," Hermione said brightly, clearly delighted to explain. "We met at Flourish and Blotts. It was rather eventful, actually."

Then, without missing a beat, she suddenly changed topics.

"Wait—were you about to cast a spell?"

Her abrupt shift caught them all slightly off guard.

"Er—yeah," Ron admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Brilliant," said Hermione, folding her arms with an expectant expression. "Go on then—let's see what you've got."

Perhaps it was something about being a top student that made Hermione refuse to be outdone by anyone—even in a magical world she'd only just discovered.

"Ahem." Ronald cleared his throat, lifted his wand again, and declared confidently:

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!"

As he waved his wand, a faint yellow spark flew out, striking the snack box next to Scabbers' mouth and knocking it aside.

But the mouse himself? Not even a single hair changed colour.

Ron gave an awkward shrug and glanced at Harry.

Harry, equally clueless, just offered a sheepish smile in return.

"Are you sure that's a proper spell?" Hermione asked with a grin. "It didn't look like much."

Her inner know-it-all clearly activated, she decided to demonstrate what casting a spell really looked like.

"Funny you mention it—I know a few spells myself. Like this one…"

Without hesitation, she pulled out her wand, slid into the seat beside Aris, and turned to Harry.

"Reparo!"

She pointed her wand at Harry's glasses. A brief pulse of magic shimmered, and the tape holding the nose pad together vanished—replaced by a pristine, fully restored bridge.

"Blimey, that's brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, leaning forward to get a better look.

Harry blinked, clearly impressed. He removed the glasses, inspected them closely, then looked at Hermione with admiration.

"Oh, that's nothing," Hermione said, brushing it off. "Aris is far more talented than I am—he could've done it better, I'm sure!"

Harry, having just put his glasses back on, couldn't help but ask, "Earlier, you said something about how you and Aris met—bit of a story, was it?"

Ron leaned in too, eyes flicking between Hermione and Aris, practically buzzing with curiosity.

"Well, you lot might not believe it," Hermione said with a mysterious shrug, "but what Aris did was absolutely bonkers—way beyond what you'd imagine!"

Her slightly dramatic tone made Aris sigh quietly, three imaginary black lines sliding down his forehead.

He hadn't expected Miss Know-It-All to be so... chatty. And apparently fond of suspense.

"Oh, come on—don't keep us hanging!" said Harry, while Ron practically bounced in his seat.

Seeing their eager faces, Hermione finally continued, clearly pleased with the attention. "Right, get this—ten minutes. That's all he needed. Aris took on the ultimate challenge at Flourish and Blotts, picked a random book, and recited the whole thing after reading it once. It was well over ten thousand words!"

Both boys gasped.

"Blimey… give me a full day and I'd still be stuck halfway through a fairy tale," Ron muttered, genuinely impressed.

"That's mental!" Harry added, his eyes wide. Having come from a Muggle school, he knew exactly how difficult something like that was.

"Mad, right?" Hermione nodded, glancing at Aris with a mixture of awe and mild frustration. "With memory like that, your magic's got to be something special too."

Then came the real reason behind her storytelling.

"So—how about showing us a spell or two, eh?" she said, trying to sound casual, but the glint in her eyes gave her away.

Her pride as a straight-A student clearly wouldn't let her walk away feeling outdone. She needed to see if Aris' spellcasting lived up to his reputation.

Aris, of course, saw right through it.

So, he simply smiled.

Then, without a word, he pulled out his silver-grey wand from within his robe and pointed it at the rat cradled in Ron's arms.

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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!

[Note: Read up to Chapter - 87 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]