"Hermione, over here!" Luke called out as he pulled out an empty compartment for their luggage. He effortlessly placed both of their suitcases into the luggage rack above, showcasing his physical strength.
"Thank you so much!" Hermione expressed her gratitude, her bright brown eyes filled with curiosity as she looked at Luke.
She hadn't expected someone who didn't appear particularly strong to possess such incredible strength. Her suitcase was laden with numerous items, and she knew its weight. Even boarding the train had required Luke's assistance. The fact that he could lift it with one hand was astonishing to her.
After they had finished arranging their luggage, the two took their seats across from each other. Hermione took out several books and placed them on the table, showing her intent to study during the journey.
Luke glanced at the book titles with curiosity: "The School History of Hogwarts," "The Greatest White Wizard of All Time," "On the Essential Skills of a Melee Wizard," "Swimming with Ghouls," "Kissing a Warewolf,"... It was a diverse selection, covering both educational and travel literature about the magical world. "The world of magic is truly vast," Luke thought to himself.
His light blue eyes then shifted to the window. The train hadn't yet departed, but he could already see the growing crowd outside as the departure time approached. The Granger family had left after ensuring Luke and Hermione were on board, but he did spot some interesting characters.
Among them were two red-haired twins carrying luggage, a little boy holding a mouse, and two twins from the Weasley family. Luke remembered the tragic fate that had befallen the two Weasley twins; one of them had met a rather unfortunate end, leaving only one behind.
"Would you like a snack?" Hermione offered, extending a packaged chocolate bar to Luke, who graciously accepted it.
Before boarding the train, Luke had also packed some snacks, anticipating the possibility of a long journey. With that in mind, he retrieved a mesh bag from his school bag, containing round rice balls made of glutinous rice.
These rice balls were a special gift from the Frog and were known as "Momotaro Rice Balls" from the world of "Doraemon." They could be considered a kind of magical delicacy in a sense.
Luke had several of these rice balls because the Frog often visited different worlds multiple times and brought them back each time.
"Give these a try," Luke suggested, placing a rice ball in front of Hermione. While they didn't have any extraordinary effects for people, Luke enjoyed them as a convenient snack.
"They're rice balls, a simple snack, but they taste really good."
Curious, Hermione picked up a rice ball and took a bite. Her eyes widened in surprise at the delightful flavor.
Just then, the train's whistle sounded, signaling its departure. The wizards on the platform hurriedly boarded the train with their luggage. Luke and Hermione had settled in the rear of the carriage, and no other young wizards came in search of seats. The train began to move, slowly pulling away from the platform.
The Hogwarts Express shook along the rails as it set off on its journey towards Hogwarts. Outside the window, the urban landscape of London transformed into countryside, with fields stretching out under the vast blue sky.
During this ride, Luke noticed that the Frog, which had been asleep in his arms, had disappeared. It seemed that the adventurous spirit of the Frog had led it to explore the train.
With the beautiful scenery passing by outside, Hermione found herself too captivated by the view to focus on reading books. The two of them simply enjoyed the landscape and indulged in snacks.
After some time, a train attendant pushing a snack cart knocked on their compartment door.
"Would you like to buy some snacks, young wizards?"
Hermione was about to decline, but Luke, sitting beside her, intervened.
"Yes, please."
In an instant, several silver coins landed on the table.
"Very well!"
A variety of snacks piled up on the table, some almost forming a small hill.
Hermione, unable to see Luke's blond hair behind the snacks, couldn't help but pout.
"Can you really eat all of that?"
"Hopefully," Luke replied as he unwrapped a snack containing a chocolate frog. What was even more intriguing was that the chocolate frog seemed to be animated and could move on its own.
"Even the two of us can't finish all this."
Hermione watched the chocolate frogs hopping among the snacks, her surprise evident.
"It's amusing."
Luke grabbed the chocolate frog and placed it in his mouth. The rich chocolate flavor filled his senses, but the frog's leg remained wiggling at the corner of his mouth.
Hermione, glancing sideways, couldn't help but smirk.
It was indeed entertaining, especially as it was her first time encountering such a snack.
She picked up a bag of Every Flavor Beans, tore it open, and popped one into her mouth.
"Grape-flavored bean."
"Give me one too."
Luke raised an eyebrow, reached for a bean, and popped it into his mouth. His expression promptly contorted.
"It tastes like bitter gourd."
Eating this particular snack was nothing short of torture for the unfortunate victim.
Knock! Knock!
There was another knock on the compartment door, and Luke placed another Every Flavor Bean into his mouth before getting up to open the door.
This time, it was a round-faced boy who appeared distressed.
"Excuse me, have you seen my toad?"
Both Luke and Hermione shook their heads, and the boy's spirits seemed to sink even lower.
"I've searched the entire train."
"We'll help you look for it!" Hermione kindly offered, looking at the boy whose eyes were becoming red and puffy.
"Thank you. I'm Neville Longbottom."
"Of course, you're welcome. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is my companion, Luke Geralt."
In front of the newcomer, Hermione introduced them with an air of pride, like a graceful swan. It was the first time Luke had seen Hermione behave this way, and it made him feel good.
"I always feel like you're up to something mischievous," Hermione said, turning around and narrowing her eyes at Luke, who had been staring at her in a daze.
"I was just wondering where that toad might have gone," Luke replied with a shrug.
"Mr. Longbottom, can you recall where you last saw your toad?" Hermione asked, while Luke, munching on the Every Flavor Bean, had a rough idea of where the toad might be.
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