12 Chapter 12: Neville, Harry, Ron, and Conflict

A round-faced chubby boy knocked on the compartment door.

"Sorry," he said tearfully, "I wanted to ask, have you seen my toad?"

All four shook their heads, and he immediately burst into tears. "I've lost it again! It always tries to run away from me!"

"It's okay; we'll help you find it together," Hermione volunteered.

Then, she suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "You all will help too, right?"

"Of course, this fits Hermione's character." Thinking this, Alaric reluctantly stood up and replied, "Fine, I'll help look too."

Cho Chang and Marietta looked at each other, initially ready to mind their own business, but seeing the new friends they'd just made, they sighed and reluctantly joined the search.

Seeing this scene, the round-faced boy was moved to tears. "Thank you! Thank you all! I'm Neville Longbottom. Thank you for helping me find Trevor."

Alaric comfortingly patted his head. "It's okay, we're all classmates, and classmates should help each other. Besides," he paused, a bit proud, "finding things should be left to the professionals."

Under the puzzled looks of the others, he shouted, "Himari!"

With a "meow," a cute little white cat emerged from Alaric's backpack and gracefully leaped into the boy's arms.

"What a cute kitten!" Cho Chang and Marietta, who hadn't noticed Himari before, were instantly captivated.

Alaric affectionately patted the cat's head.

"Himari, we're looking for a toad. Its owner is him, remember?" While saying this, he pointed to Neville.

Himari approached, sniffed Neville's scent, and then "meowed" to show understanding.

Satisfied, Alaric nodded and put Himari on the ground.

"Let's go then," he ordered.

With his command, Himari elegantly strolled down the train corridor, sniffing the air as she walked.

Alaric led Neville and the three girls behind.

"Can she really understand what you're saying?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Himari has intelligence similar to humans, so, of course, she can understand," Alaric replied.

"Then she must be a magical creature," Marietta concluded. "Is she a Kneazle, or a cat with Kneazle ancestry?"

"No, Himari is a cat demon," the boy denied.

(A.N: Himari is actually a cat demon from anime Omamori Himari)

"But I thought, it was a magical creature."

"Yeah, I also don't think this cat is a demon; it maybe a magical creature," Hermione eagerly answered. 

"Hmm, but this cat could indeed be a demon." Cho Chang nodded. "My dad told me that any creature, any animal, has the potential to become a demon if given the chance."

"Terrifying! Why would you raise a demon? If it were me I would have never kept one." After hearing this, Neville was startled and involuntarily slowed down, walking to the back of the group.

"What's so scary about it? Himari is so cute."

"Exactly, Himari is not scary at all."

"Coward."

The girls expressed disdain towards Neville.

Generally, girls would be more afraid of strange things like this, but Himari's cuteness had captivated them. 

They all expressed, "Even if she is a demon, as long as she is cute, there's no problem."

"Indeed, in this world, beauty is justice." Alaric, somewhat emotional, patted his own face. "It seems that my future is absolutely bright."

After walking along the corridor for a while, Himari suddenly stopped, then entered a compartment. 

The five immediately followed. In the compartment, two boys were facing each other. One had black hair and glasses, and the other was a red-haired boy. 

Their clothes were a bit worn, and their appearances resembled the characters from the movies.

Alaric guessed their identities at a glance—Harry Potter, the Chosen One, and his sidekick, Ron Weasley, the one who would later marry Hermione.

On the table in the compartment were snacks and wrappers. 

It seemed they were originally enjoying some food, but now, the black-haired boy curiously looked at Himari, while the red-haired boy huddled in fear, holding a squeaking mouse in one hand and a shabby wand in the other, randomly pointing it at Himari.

There seemed to be a green light coming out of the tip of the wand.

Alaric was startled by his actions, recalling that in the original book, Ron often had accidents when casting spells.

"Expelliarmus!"

Alaric flicked his wrist, and a purple wand appeared in his hand. A red light shot out from the wand tip and instantly hit the red-haired boy.

He let out a miserable cry, and the wand in his hand flew out.

With his other hand, Alaric casually reached out and effortlessly caught the flying wand.

"Cool!" The boy with glasses exclaimed in admiration.

"You actually know magic! What's the name of that spell?" Hermione asked excitedly.

Cho Chang and Marietta were also impressed by this electrifying scene, applauding him with admiration.

"Thank you." Alaric nodded at them, then bent down and returned the shabby wand to Ron.

"Sorry about that; I didn't mean to do this, but next time, please don't point your wand at my Himari."

Ron hesitated for a moment, then nodded in understanding, clutching his wand tightly.

Himari, after completing her mission, jumped back into Alaric's backpack with a satisfied look on her face.

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