Carnie didn't sleep too deeply, as the noise outside gradually grew louder. When he heard the sound of the compartment door sliding open, he lifted his head to take a look. A round-faced boy stood at the entrance, struggling to hold his luggage in one hand while clutching a rather ugly-looking toad in the other.
"Hi, I'm Carnie Stran," Carnie greeted him before the boy could speak. "Need some help?"
"Thanks, I'm Neville Longbottom, but you can just call me Neville." Together, they managed to lift Neville's trunk onto the luggage rack before he plopped down on the seat across from Carnie.
"No problem. You can call me Carnie. So, are you from a wizarding family?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"That's so cool! I don't know much about the wizarding world yet. Can you tell me about it?"
"Of course! But honestly, I don't know that much either. My gran doesn't tell me much…" Neville admitted.
Their conversation eventually turned to Hogwarts.
"Which house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Carnie asked.
"I think I'll be in Gryffindor," Neville said. "Both my parents and my grandmother were Gryffindors, and so was Professor Dumbledore."
"I hope I get sorted into Gryffindor too," Carnie said. He knew that the Sorting Hat took personal preference into account. Slytherin wasn't an option unless one was a pureblood, and Ravenclaw wasn't a good fit for him—he lacked the academic talent. Hufflepuff was a decent option, but it didn't offer the same advantages as Gryffindor, where Dumbledore clearly favored students from his own house.
Besides, the relics of the other three houses had all been tainted by Voldemort. Gryffindor's sword, however, remained uncorrupted and could only be found and wielded by a true Gryffindor. That alone made it worth aiming for.
Not to mention, building a good relationship with Dumbledore was crucial. Sure, the man had some peculiar tendencies, but as someone raised in the 21st century, Carnie believed in respecting people's choices.
With a loud clunk, the compartment door slid open again. A bushy-haired girl stepped in.
"Are you talking about the Sorting Ceremony? I hope I get into Gryffindor too," she said enthusiastically. She had thick brown hair and rather prominent front teeth. "I've memorized all the textbooks, just in case. I read that Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor, though Ravenclaw also sounds like a great house."
"You memorized all of them?! That's amazing!" Neville gaped.
Carnie, meanwhile, started self-reflecting. Here was an eleven-year-old girl who had already memorized all their textbooks, and yet he, a reincarnated adult, hadn't even felt like studying.
"Thanks, but it's nothing. I just read them a few times," she said, chin lifted slightly. "I'm Hermione Granger."
"I'm Neville Longbottom," Neville said.
"Carnie Stran," Carnie added.
"Are you both from wizarding families? My parents are Muggles, so when I got my Hogwarts letter, I was completely shocked," Hermione said, speaking rapidly as if her mouth was a machine gun.
"Neville is, but my parents are Muggles too," Carnie said lazily, leaning back in his seat. As expected, Hermione was quite talkative, firing off question after question at Neville—much like Carnie had earlier. Neville didn't seem to mind, though, happily repeating everything he had told Carnie before.
The train rumbled to life, and as it set off, Carnie watched the scenery outside while occasionally chiming in on their conversation.
Around noon, the compartment door slid open again with a loud clatter. A trolley witch, smiling warmly, peeked inside.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
After chatting all morning, they were all feeling a bit hungry. They each bought some pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes.
Midway through eating, Neville suddenly realized something. "Trevor's gone!" he exclaimed, referring to his pet toad. He had completely forgotten about it while eating, but when he went to feed it, he found it missing.
They searched the compartment, then checked the corridor, but there was no sign of the toad. Hermione suggested checking other compartments one by one. Carnie, however, had a different idea. The door hadn't been opened since Hermione arrived, and she hadn't seen the toad at the door when she entered. That meant it had likely gone missing when they were distracted by the trolley. It must have jumped onto the trolley while she was serving us, he thought.
"You guys wait here. I'll go take a look," Carnie said as he left the compartment, heading in the direction the trolley had gone.
Eventually, he found it near the end of the train. Sure enough, Trevor was still on the trolley, thankfully not hopping around anywhere else.
"Found him," Carnie muttered, carefully reaching under the cart to grab the large, palm-sized toad.
"Oh, dear. Was this little guy yours?" the trolley witch asked.
"Yeah, sorry if he caused any trouble."
"No trouble at all. I hadn't even noticed he was there! He's quite the little adventurer. Be sure to keep a close eye on him."
Carnie gave her a nod, then glanced at the nearby compartment. Inside, he spotted two boys—one with messy black hair and glasses, and the other with a face full of freckles and bright red hair.
Harry and Ron, he thought.
"Hey there, I'm Carnie Stran," he said, greeting them.
"Hi, I'm Harry Potter," Harry replied.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron said, his face slightly red—probably from embarrassment.
"Oh, are you guys buying snacks? I won't bother you, then. Neville's waiting for his toad," Carnie said before heading back.
"Thank you, Carnie! Trevor gets lost all the time. It always takes ages to find him," Neville said gratefully, holding Trevor carefully in both hands.
"No problem. Just a small favor."
"Where did you find him?" Hermione asked curiously.
"On the trolley," Carnie replied before explaining his reasoning.
"That was great thinking! I can't believe I didn't think of that," Hermione said, looking frustrated. She had suggested searching every compartment, which would have taken ages.
Time passed quickly, and soon, the sun began to set. "I think we're almost there. We should change into our robes," Carnie suggested.
"How do you know we're close?" Hermione asked.
"The train is slowing down," Carnie said matter-of-factly as he rummaged through his luggage for his robes.
"I don't feel it slowing down," Hermione argued, trying to concentrate.
"My gran told me we'd arrive before dinner," Neville chimed in.
"I thought you actually felt the speed change," Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes. "You two get changed already. Out!"
"Why? It's not like there's anything to see," Carnie teased, looking straight at her.
"Out."
"Alright, alright… and don't forget Trevor," Carnie reminded her as he stepped out with Neville.
A few minutes later, she finally let them back in.
Women are so troublesome, Carnie thought.
As the sky darkened, the train's pace slowed even more. A voice echoed through the train, announcing their arrival.
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be brought to the school separately."
"Neville, you should probably secure Trevor in a box and leave him in the compartment," Carnie advised. "If he gets lost outside, it'll be even harder to find him."