Perhaps the previous quiet time alone had run out.
"Hello... Hello, all the other places are full. Is there anyone here? I... I..."
At this moment, a stuttering voice suddenly sounded, interrupting the slightly awkward atmosphere in the compartment.
In the aisle outside the door, there was a chubby little wizard with a round face, holding a golden-backed toad in his left hand and pulling an old suitcase with his right. He glanced at the empty seat next to Ian and Hermione from time to time.
Hermione, who had been a little reserved just a moment ago, spoke up upon hearing the voice: "No one's here, you can sit here."
She stood up, turned around, and sat next to Ian, giving the bench opposite to the new little wizard.
Ian watched with amusement as the little witch suddenly changed positions and sat next to him, her face becoming increasingly red. It was easy to guess what she was thinking.
On one hand, it was because of her previous helpfulness and good looks that she had gained a considerable amount of favorability. On the other, it was because of her self-protection mentality when going out alone, causing her to subconsciously keep a distance from strangers.
Following the principle of letting go of one sheep, not a flock of sheep, Ian nodded to indicate his agreement to the boy's request to enter the compartment.
"My name is Neville Longbottom. I'm a freshman this year. You can call me Neville."
After the boy sat down, he introduced himself, still a little nervously.
Looking at the Gryffindor swordsman in front of him, the true savior, Ian wasn't unfamiliar with him at all.
This child's talent and character were actually far superior to Harry's. With the same birthday in July, even when he was just born, he was able to use magic to wrap himself in a blanket.
It was just that he was accidentally destroyed by his grandmother's forgetfulness spell. The sequelae of the spell caused mental damage, and he was unable to use and control the magic within him.
Otherwise, his talent might not only surpass Harry's but could even rival Voldemort's.
It's fate, but even so, his later performance remains remarkable.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger!"
"Ian Titus!"
The kind little witch seemed to notice the boy's harmlessness and nervousness, so she and Ian introduced themselves with a smile, which was also a manifestation of recognition and acceptance.
Perhaps sensing the kindness in Ian and Hermione's tone, Neville began to relax.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Hermione started actively finding topics to talk about. Due to Ian's presence, she didn't discuss study or books.
In her short eleven years of life, she had an inherent understanding that older meant more knowledge. Even though Ian had missed a few years of school, he should know much more magic than her, so they chose to talk about their births and families.
Once the topic turned to family, Neville, who had been nervous, seemed much calmer and took the initiative to join the conversation.
"I was raised by my grandmother, but for so many years, my family has always treated me like a squib. My uncle Algie always tries to take advantage of me and force me to show my magic..."
Neville then went on to talk about his various tragic experiences, such as being thrown into the lake by his uncle Algie and almost drowning, or being pushed down from upstairs and nearly falling to his death.
Hearing this, the young Hermione exclaimed repeatedly. Although Ian already knew this, he was still filled with emotion hearing Neville's story firsthand. The elders of pure-blood wizard families really know how to play...
I don't know if it's an illusion, but Ian always feels that Neville talks a little bit too much. It's like the narration of elderly women at the entrance of the village in his previous life. Maybe this is the special talent of a child who's "raised by his grandmother"...
After Neville finished speaking, Hermione began to talk about her interesting childhood before receiving her admission letter, as well as her parents' occupations.
Ian looked at the two after they finished speaking. They both turned their eyes to him. After being stunned for a moment, he quickly realized it was his turn.
"I used to live with my mother. Although we lived a relatively tight life, we didn't have it too hard. We lived simply and peacefully until my mother passed away. Since I didn't have any savings or property, I had to wander, the only one left...
Until I met Old Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, a very kind gentleman, who allowed me to stay there on credit. And I was lucky enough to find a job in Diagon Alley to make a living... and then I came to school."
His tone was steady, and his voice calm.
Although Hermione was born into a Muggle family, she could still hear the hardship in Ian's narration.
Driven by maternal instinct, she couldn't help but want to hug Ian to comfort him. Fortunately, she remained rational and didn't act on it.
Neville, on the other hand, also showed sympathy. Compared to Ian, at least his parents were still alive, even if they were in the hospital, and his grandmother and uncle were always with him, so he had never experienced the same hardships.
Ian couldn't stand the sympathetic looks from the two kids, so he said slowly, "Hey, what are you two looking at? I'm fine, and I'm grateful for the gift of fate. At least I'm still alive and well."
When Hermione looked at Ian in front of her, she didn't feel sadness or sorrow from his life experience. Instead, she felt that Ian was open-minded and sunny. Simply looking at Ian made her feel warm.
Just then, there was a sudden noisy clicking sound in the aisle, followed by a smiling middle-aged lady with dimples on her face, who pushed open the compartment door.
"Would you like some candy, dear?"
It turned out that while the three of them were chatting, time had unknowingly approached noon, and the rain outside the window slowly stopped.
Looking at the cart filled with various snacks, the three of them suddenly felt hungry.
"I want a chocolate frog!"
Neville was the first to stand up and walk toward the cart.
Ian and Hermione also stood up at the same time and followed closely behind him to start picking out snacks of interest.
After choosing, Neville finally returned to his seat with a bunch of chocolate frogs, while Hermione only took a cauldron-shaped cake.
Ian ordered two pumpkin pies and a box of Beebe's Every Flavor Beans. The former was obviously not as weird and could barely fill his stomach, while the latter was chosen for its high appearance rate in the original book.
This famous product from the World Jelly Bean Company is said to have more than 700 different flavors, ranging from common ones like chocolate, strawberry, mint, orange marmalade, to special ones like spinach, pork liver, and beef tripe, as well as odd flavors like vomit, earwax, and snot.
Apart from these top-tier luxury items, the daily consumption in the wizarding world isn't high. Two pieces of pumpkin pie and a box of Beebe's Every Flavor Beans cost Ian only 1 Sickle and 3 Knuts.
"...Crack."
Neville reached out and held down the chocolate frog that jumped out of the box onto the table, then opened his mouth wide and bit into it. He bit off the frog's head and most of its body in one go. The only two remaining hind legs were still twitching near his mouth.
"You know, when I was a kid, my uncle threatened me that if I couldn't cast magic, he'd turn Trevor into a chocolate frog for me to eat. Trevor was a pet he gave me, a golden-backed toad. Trevor? Oh? Oh, where's my Trevor?..."
Looking at Neville, who was obviously flustered, Ian couldn't help but sigh. The Forgetfulness Curse was really harmful to people...