Loren swallowed the candy in his mouth—it was a chocolate lemon sweet, surprisingly delicious.
Hermione, having recovered from the shock, wiped the corners of her eyes and muttered silently, Magic snacks... magic snacks...
Neville pushed open the compartment door, ready to scold Loren. At the last moment, he hesitated, froze, and then stopped short. The two occupants inside saw the stout boy hesitate in the doorway.
"Excuse me, is there something I can help you with?" Loren asked politely.
Neville hesitated several times before saying, "I—I thought you were bullying the first-years, but it seems not."
Hermione blushed slightly but explained, "I was just scared by the weird candy."
Neville stared for a moment at the box of snacks on the table.
Loren grinned and offered, "Cockroach pile? Want some?" He had a good impression of this shy but brave little fellow.
Neville quickly waved his hand. "No, no, thanks. Even among wizards, only a few like cockroach piles."
Loren extended his hand. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Loren Morgan, a first-year."
Neville shook his hand. "Neville Longbottom, also a first-year."
Hermione added, "I'm Hermione Granger."
After the introductions, the three sat down and chatted while sharing snacks.
Hermione was full of curiosity about Neville's wizarding family background, but Neville was shy and not very talkative. Loren kept the mood light and cheerful.
After a while, Loren noticed something was off and recalled the story. He looked at Neville, who had completely forgotten about his pet and was happily munching on strange beans.
Loren waited a moment, then asked, "What were you looking for just now?"
Neville slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "I forgot! My pet is lost. I was looking for my toad."
Hermione was still processing this when Loren said, "Let's look for it together."
The three began searching the carriage for the missing toad. With no other options, they decided to ask in every compartment.
Neville had already checked several compartments, growing more and more dejected. His earlier cheerful snacking now seemed to weigh on him with guilt and self-blame.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville lost his toad," Hermione asked firmly, pushing a compartment door open. She was growing anxious; Neville's mood was affecting her own.
Inside sat Harry and Ron. Black hair, green eyes, and round glasses—Harry matched Loren's distant memory. Beside him, a red-haired boy with freckles—Ron—held up his wand, preparing to cast a spell.
"We told him we didn't see it," Ron said impatiently.
Hermione noticed and said, "Oh, you're casting magic? Then let us watch."
Ron looked confused but complied, waving his wand awkwardly.
"Daisies, sweet cream and sunshine, turn this silly fat mouse yellow."
Nothing happened. The fat gray mouse slept soundly.
Loren's eyes also fell on the gray mouse.
No one else noticed that Loren's blue pupils lightened and shadows flickered within. A dark, blood-red aura floated over the mouse's eyes. Loren suddenly thought, Rat...
The strange vision faded quickly; surely no one else saw it.
Though Loren felt his eyes were strange, he didn't understand what was happening and decided to wait until Hogwarts to investigate.
In the compartment, Hermione had calmed down and adjusted Harry's glasses. She introduced herself and Loren, reminding everyone to change into robes as they neared their destination.
She was about to say goodbye to Harry and Ron and help look for Neville's toad when Loren interrupted.
He couldn't recall where Neville found his toad in the movies, but he had other plans. Taking Hermione and Neville, he went to seek help from the upperclassmen.
The three walked a short distance and saw a pale boy with platinum blond hair leading two slightly taller boys toward Harry's compartment.
Hermione chatted inside about which house she hoped to be sorted into. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be good—but definitely not Slytherin.
Neville mentioned that his grandmother hoped he'd be sorted into Gryffindor to be brave, but he thought Hufflepuff was more likely.
The three reached the front carriage and finally found their target: a boy with red hair and a silver "P" on his chest.
Loren approached and said, "Hello, we're this year's freshmen. Are you the prefect?"
The red-haired boy raised an eyebrow proudly, as if being recognized by freshmen was a big deal, but quickly regained composure.
"Yes, I'm Percy Weasley. How can I help you?"
Hermione spoke crisply, "Neville's pet toad is missing. Could you help us find it?"
Neville blushed.
Percy smiled reassuringly. "Of course, it's an easy task for a prefect."
He waved his wand repeatedly.
"Accio!"
With a whoosh, an ugly toad flew out of Neville's pocket, landing on the floor where Percy pointed.
"Oh! I put it in my pocket and forgot!" Neville exclaimed, cheeks red.
Hermione gasped, "Is that the Summoning Spell?"
Percy beamed at the praise. "You'll learn it soon."
The three said their thanks and returned to their compartments.
Loren changed into his robes and shared the leftover candies with Hermione.
"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. We will take you to school," the announcement echoed.
"What kind of magic makes the announcement so loud?" Hermione asked, brimming with curiosity.
As everyone rushed to the doors, the carriage became crowded and chaotic. Neville got separated, so Loren grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her along.
After disembarking, they stumbled after Hagrid's booming call, followed a winding path out of the woods, and came to a shimmering lake.
Across the water, on a high hill, stood a towering castle with spires reaching for the stars and windows sparkling like lights in the night.
Four people stood waiting in a boat.
Loren and Hermione rushed aboard first, Neville came next, followed by a boy with light brown hair.
At first, Loren didn't pay him much attention, but when the boy introduced himself as Seamus Finnigan, Loren's eyes widened.
It's you! The blasting genius!
The boats sailed across the calm lake, weaving through vines, the reflections rippling in the water like dancing stars.
Loren felt a surge of wonder at the scene.
Hermione was still discussing the sorting ceremony on the boat, and Loren said, "I heard there's an admission test, and anyone who fails gets expelled."
Hermione paled, whispering, "What will I do? I haven't finished memorizing the textbooks. Professor McGonagall will surely kick me out…"
Neville and Seamus began to panic too.
Loren grinned mischievously, "Hehehe, I made that up to scare you. Hogwarts hasn't expelled anyone in years."
Hermione smacked Loren's thigh hard.
Loren clutched his leg and groaned theatrically. Hermione felt a pang of guilt but then Loren yawned and added, "I was only pretending."
Hermione ignored him in mock anger, while Neville and Seamus returned to swapping spooky Sorting House rumors, piling pressure on each other.
The boat landed on the shore. They passed through a tunnel, crossed a meadow, and finally reached the castle gates, where Professor McGonagall was already waiting.