"Excuse me, is anyone here? I mean, all the other compartments are full."
While Kyle was reflecting on the past five years of his life, the door to the train compartment slid open. Standing there was a young boy with freckles, followed by a boy with a distinctive lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. It was the famous "Boy Who Lived" and his companion, Ronald Weasley.
"Come in," Kyle replied nonchalantly. He didn't have strong feelings about the savior of the wizarding world—neither fondness nor dislike. To him, Harry Potter was just another passerby, and he certainly had no intention of playing caretaker.
But he did wonder, what kind of emotional surge could be triggered if he managed to raise the savior's blood pressure?
"Thanks a lot! I'm Ronald Weasley, and this is Harry Potter," Ron said enthusiastically as they stepped inside. "You must have heard of him, right?" He added proudly, clearly excited to introduce his famous friend. "By the way, I don't think I caught your name?"
"Kyle," he replied, simply.
"Nice to meet you, Kyle! Are these two cats yours? They look... regal," Ron remarked, eyeing the two creatures perched on Kyle's shoulders.
The animals weren't ordinary cats, but Sun and Moon Elves, magical beings from the Pokémon world. They were Kyle's most prized possessions, having come from two diamond-level treasure chests he'd acquired. Not only were they beautiful, but they were also impressively powerful. Unfortunately for Ron, the elves glanced at him disdainfully before turning away, as if to say, "Not good-looking enough to be our friend."
Ron stood there awkwardly.
Ding! Depression detected!
Ding! Extracting a treasure chest for the host!
Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained a silver treasure chest!
At that moment, Kyle's system chimed in.
Would you like to open the treasure chest?
"Open," Kyle thought.
Ding! Congratulations, the host has obtained the Levitation Charm!
The spell has already been learned by the host. Converting to experience points.
Congratulations, the Levitation Charm has been upgraded.
Current Level: LV7
In the system, spell levels ranged from 1 to 10. Level 3 allowed for proficient use, Level 5 enabled silent casting, and by Level 7, one could perform the spell without a wand. At Level 10, the caster would fully grasp the magic's principles and even create variations. It seemed that just a slight emotional shift from one of the "Golden Trio" could yield significant rewards. After all, in Knockturn Alley, even after a dark wizard's death, a white-level treasure chest was a rare occurrence.
"Don't mind them," Kyle said, offering some consolation. "These elves have quite picky personalities; they only like good-looking people."
Ding! Depression detected!
Ding! Extracting a treasure chest for the host!
Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained another silver treasure chest!
Ron looked slightly resentful. Was that supposed to be comforting?
"Are you from a wizarding family too, Kyle?" Harry asked, trying to defuse the awkwardness.
"Of course," Kyle replied with a shrug. "Though I've never known my parents."
"You're an orphan too?" Harry's eyes lit up. "Really? I am as well. When Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley, everyone seemed to recognize me. It was like they respected me for some reason, but I didn't really understand why. Maybe it had something to do with my parents. Do you know anything about them?"
Kyle gave a small shrug. "If no one has told you, then I guess someone wants you to figure it out on your own. You'll probably find out more after you get to Hogwarts and meet the person who values you. Then, everything should start to make sense." He didn't feel like spoiling the details.
"Oh, I see. Can you do magic, then?" Harry asked, his curiosity piqued.
Before Kyle could respond, Ron, eager to show off, jumped in, "I can! George taught me a spell, though I've never managed to get it to work properly. Want to see?"
He pulled out a shabby, secondhand wand, so worn that the unicorn hair core was starting to show. Ron waved it around and began his incantation. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"
But after a moment, nothing happened. Scabbers, his pet rat, barely lifted his head before curling back up, as if unimpressed by the display.
The expression on the girl's face when she entered the compartment said it all: "What on earth are you doing?"
It was a young girl with bushy hair and sharp features, the last member of the soon-to-be famous trio: Hermione Granger.
"Are you performing magic? Mind if I take a look?" Hermione asked eagerly, eyeing Ron's wand.
"Sure," Ron replied, though he seemed a bit deflated after his failed spell.
Hermione's lips curled into a half-smile. "I've tried a few spells at home, and they all worked." She pointed her wand at Harry's glasses, which were slightly cracked. "For example, Reparo!" In an instant, the glasses were fixed.
"See? Not bad, right? I've used this charm to repair lots of things for adults at home," she said, tilting her chin up slightly with pride.