A round-faced, chubby boy knocked on the compartment door.
"Excuse me," he said, his face tear-streaked, "I was wondering if you've seen my toad?"
All four shook their heads, and he immediately burst into tears. "I've lost him again! He's always trying to get away from me!"
"It's okay, we'll help you find him," Hermione volunteered, standing up.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back and asked, "You'll all help too, right?"
Just as expected, that's Hermione through and through, Felix thought, reluctantly getting to his feet. "Alright, I'll help look too."
Cho Chang and Marietta exchanged glances. Initially inclined to mind their own business, they both sighed. Not wanting to disappoint their two new acquaintances, they grudgingly joined the search.
Seeing this, the round-faced boy was moved to tears. "Thank you! Thank you all! My name is Neville Longbottom, and thank you for being willing to help me find Trevor."
Felix patted his head comfortingly. "It's no problem, Neville. We're all fellow students, and students should help each other. Besides—" he paused, then said with a touch of pride, "when it comes to finding things, you should leave it to the professionals."
As the others watched in confusion, he called out, "Himari!"
With a soft "Meow~," a cute little white cat emerged from his backpack and leaped lightly into Felix's arms.
"What an adorable little cat!" Cho and Marietta, who hadn't noticed Himari before, were instantly captivated by her cuteness.
Felix affectionately stroked the kitten's head.
"Himari, we need to find a toad. He's the toad's owner, remember?" he said, pointing at Neville.
Himari leaned in and sniffed Neville, then meowed once, indicating she understood.
Felix nodded in satisfaction and placed Himari on the floor.
"Alright then, let's go," he commanded.
At his order, Himari began to walk gracefully down the train corridor, sniffing the air as she went.
Felix, Neville, and the three girls followed behind her.
"Can she really understand what you're saying?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, Himari has intelligence comparable to a human's, so of course she can understand," Felix replied.
"Then she must be a magical creature," Marietta deduced. "Is she a Kneazle? Or a cat with Kneazle blood?"
"No, Himari is a cat yokai," Felix corrected.
"I know about cat yokai! It's a type of Eastern magical creature, a 'yokai'!" Hermione interjected eagerly.
"Yes, cat yokai are indeed yokai," Cho Chang, also being of Chinese heritage, nodded. "My father told me that in the East, any plant or animal, given the chance, might become a yokai."
"That's terrifying! Why would you keep a yokai? I'd never keep one!" Neville exclaimed, frightened. He involuntarily took a couple of steps back, ending up at the rear of the group.
"What's so terrifying? Himari is so cute."
"Exactly, Himari isn't scary at all."
"Coward."
The girls all expressed their disdain for Neville's fear. Usually, girls might be more afraid of such strange creatures than boys, but Himari's cuteness had completely won them over. They all seemed to agree: "Even if it's a yokai, if it's cute, it's perfectly fine, right?"
As expected, in this world, cuteness is justice, Felix mused, touching his own face. Looks like my future is definitely bright.
After walking along the corridor for a while, Himari suddenly stopped and then turned into a compartment. The five of them immediately followed. Inside, two boys were sitting opposite each other. One had black hair and glasses; the other, a red-haired boy, wore somewhat shabby clothes. Paired with a face that bore some resemblance to the film character, Felix instantly guessed their identities – the protagonist of the original story, the saviour Harry Potter, and his sidekick, Ron Weasley, the one who, in Felix's private opinion, was an utterly perplexing match for Hermione.
The compartment table was piled high with snacks and wrappers; it looked like the two of them had been enjoying a feast. But now, the black-haired boy was looking at Himari with curiosity, while the red-haired boy was cowering in terror, clutching a squeaking rat in one hand and brandishing an old, battered wand haphazardly at Himari with the other. The tip of the wand seemed to be on the verge of emitting a green light.
Felix was startled by his actions; in the original stories, Ron's reckless spellcasting always led to accidents.
"Expelliarmus!"
With a flick of Felix's wrist, his purple wand instantly appeared in his hand. A jet of red light shot from its tip, striking the red-haired boy in an instant.
He let out a cry of pain, and the wand in his hand flew into the air.
Felix casually reached out with his other hand and stylishly caught the flying wand.
"Cool!" the boy with glasses exclaimed in admiration.
"You actually know magic! What's that spell called?" Hermione asked excitedly.
Cho Chang and Marietta were also impressed by the swift, dazzling display, both applauding him, their eyes filled with admiration.
"Thanks," Felix nodded at them, then bent down and handed the battered wand back to Ron. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to, but please don't point your wand at my Himari next time."