The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 16 On the Train

Time passed by, second by second.

At 10:30 a.m., the old steam train gave its final roar before starting.

The white mist, more than two meters high, was like a silent reminder, urging the young wizards on the platform to get on the train as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the platform.

Mrs. Weasley was giving her usual lecture, and today's protagonist was Ron Weasley, the Weasley family's youngest son who was about to start school.

"Ron, you'd better study properly at Hogwarts and don't be like George and Fred, causing trouble all the time, you hear me?"

Perhaps having heard too many similar lectures, Ron nodded perfunctorily, while still making sure to give the proper response.

"Okay, Mom, I'll stay away from George and Fred, and if I need anything, I'll go to Percy. I'll take Percy as my role model..."

"That would be perfect!"

Mrs. Weasley nodded with satisfaction. She knew Ron was being perfunctory, but as a mother of seven, she had long since learned to see through things without saying a word.

Moreover, compared to George and Fred, at least Ron's attitude is relatively proper for now.

……

January 1, 1991, 11:9 AM.

The Hogwarts Express departed as scheduled from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Inside the compartment, Ino leaned against the window, looking at the scenery outside on both sides, while feeling the old steam train warming up before its speed increase.

"Express? Ha! I really don't know where they get their confidence from..."

He now has serious doubts about whether this old relic from the last century can actually reach a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

"Snap!"

The cubicle door was pushed open from the outside.

"There's only one person here. If we chase him away, this place will be our territory."

Upon hearing this, Ino raised her head in surprise.

Actually, he never intended to have the entire compartment to himself from the beginning. After all, on trains without assigned seats, the principle is basically to squeeze in wherever there's space and sit wherever there's an empty seat.

However, this was the first time he had ever seen someone so arrogant as to push open the door and kick people out.

As the cubicle door was pushed open completely... well, he was tall and strong, which gave him the confidence to be arrogant.

Although the other party had a size advantage, Ino didn't intend to indulge him. After all, if he was labeled as "easy to bully" from the start when he first arrived in a strange place, there would inevitably be a lot of trouble later on.

Rather than that, it's better to go all out and confront them head-on. You might get hurt, but at least no one will dare to provoke you easily in the future.

"Chase people out? Your territory? You're welcome to try."

Ino casually slammed his wand on the table, the loud noise startling the big, clumsy guy opposite him.

Just as he thought he was about to make a move, another voice came from outside the door.

"Gol, get out of the way! I've told you before, never forget the manners and upbringing of a pureblood."

Perhaps genuinely frightened, Gore swiftly dodged to the side with a speed disproportionate to his size.

Upon hearing the sound, Ino looked over and immediately recognized who was being so arrogant. Pale skin, platinum hair, and a slicked-back hairstyle incongruous with his age—undoubtedly a cocky young master.

"Malfoy! Draco Malfoy! And who are you?"

Perhaps it was the other party's well-tailored plain robe, or perhaps it was the courage he had shown in his earlier confrontation, but in any case, Malfoy did not immediately launch into a mindless attack.

"Ino Swinburne!" Ino replied calmly.

"Swinburne? I don't recall having that surname in England. Are you from another country?"

"Perhaps! I have been wandering ever since I was born, but I have never set foot in my hometown."

He was only half telling the truth, because he knew very well what Malfoy wanted to ask: he simply wanted to confirm the difference between Muggle and Pureblood.

But only a fool would do something like this: immediately defining oneself and drawing lines between camps.

The best approach is to remain ambiguous and let the other party find the answer themselves.

"I'm sorry! But I think you must be from a pure-blooded German family, and... your eyes are very special."

Malfoy spoke his mind, believing that amber eyes and black hair were probably of Germanic origin.

As for whether they are purebloods, Malfoy's opinion is surprisingly consistent with that of the Gringotts goblins.

Moreover, in Malfoy's view, Muggles could not possibly give birth to such a handsome boy.

"No need to apologize, I'm enjoying this carefree life right now."

Malfoy's attitude slightly changed Ino's usual views.

"However, I don't care where I come from, and my surname and birth cannot give me any nobility over others. True nobility always comes from being better than my past self."

Having worked as a bard for two years, Ino was adept at using such witty and polite phrases.

"I am now quite certain that you and I are of the same kind," Malfoy said, extending his right hand.

Ino neither denied nor agreed with this speculation.

But when faced with a handshake symbolizing "Malfoy friendship," he did not refuse without hesitation like the savior, after all, one cannot hit a smiling face.

"If we can't find a suitable cubicle, I don't mind you sitting here, but if you're still thinking of kicking people out..."

Before Ino could finish speaking, Malfoy interrupted, "Gow has never been very bright since he was a child, so don't take it to heart."

As Malfoy spoke, he pulled Goyle over and patted him hard on the shoulder.

Gore played along, standing there with a simple, silly grin on his face, looking rather dim-witted at first glance.

Faced with such a hilarious scene, Ino couldn't help but laugh out loud. Besides, he didn't really intend to take it seriously, so he extended the invitation again.

"Don't stand by the door. If you had gotten on the bus earlier, you might have been able to find a spare compartment. Right now, it's good enough to have a place to sit."

Malfoy accepted the invitation without hesitation, plopped down next to Ino, and then began directing his two henchmen to carry the luggage.

……

Half an hour later.

This antique steam car finally seemed to have finished its warm-up, and its speed suddenly increased. The scenery outside the window also changed from being slow and choppy to being played smoothly like a VIP stream.

After half an hour of conversation, Ino had gained some intuitive understanding of Malfoy.

Judging from the current situation, the 11-year-old Zhai Ge is not inherently bad, and in terms of temperament, he is not even as ruthless as Crabbe next to him.

Similarly, the brief exchange allowed Malfoy to gradually lower his guard and become familiar with each other, and the atmosphere in the cubicle became more and more harmonious.

"...Ino, I heard the boy who survived is also on this train. Would you like to come with me to see him?" Malfoy asked.

"I prefer reading a book in peace to getting to know celebrities."

Faced with an invitation that he knew would cause trouble, Ino decisively refused.

"Okay! You look more like a Ravenclaw nerd than a Slytherin!"

Malfoy responded with a smile, and then left the cubicle with Goyle and Crabbe beside him, making sure to close the wooden door behind them before leaving.

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(End of this chapter)