"Er... that's me."
The smile on Harry's face froze for a second.
A month ago, he had been quite happy to hear that title, filled with pride.
But now, a month later, after spending some time with Hermione, Harry had begun to doubt his own intelligence and magical talent.
So much so that when he heard the title again, he felt a faint sense of shame.
After all, according to the legend, he was the one who had defeated Voldemort, but now he couldn't even keep up with Hermione.
It was impossible for Harry not to feel the disparity.
However, Ron was immersed in the joy of meeting his idol. "So, on your forehead, do you really have... that?" he asked.
"You mean this scar?"
Harry pushed his fringe aside to show it, then let it fall back. "It's really no big deal. I was just a baby at the time, I don't have any memory of it."
"Maybe I was just lucky?"
Ron didn't think so. "Harry—I'm just going to call you Harry."
"Luck is undoubtedly a form of magic, and the highest form at that. If you defeated You-Know-Who with luck, that just means you're incredibly talented at being lucky."
Harry's eyes brightened slightly. It can be explained that way?
But Hermione's voice immediately cut in. "If luck is a form of magic, can it get you a perfect score on an exam?"
"Er, probably not?" Ron answered.
Hermione sniffed dismissively.
At first, she had been interested in Ron, wanting to ask him some questions about Hogwarts.
But seeing him so obsessed with Harry, she lost interest.
After all, in Hermione's eyes, Harry didn't have much depth or skill, so wouldn't Ron be even more so?
Ron looked at Hermione. Although she hadn't said much, the extremely proud Ron still felt a sting of humiliation.
He couldn't help but lean over to Harry and whisper, "Is she always like this?"
Harry suddenly realized that what Hermione had said earlier was right.
He had indeed found someone he could talk to.
"Yes, she's always like this," Harry whispered back in Ron's ear.
The two boys had instantly found common ground, and their rapport grew almost visibly.
When Hermione saw this, she found them even more incomprehensible.
She simply grabbed Dolly's arm and hugged it, deciding to read a book with her instead.
Dolly was fine with this. Even if it was A History of Magic, it was much better than repeatedly memorizing incantations.
Time passed, and soon, everyone's stomachs were rumbling.
The Hogwarts Express departed at 11 a.m. and wouldn't arrive until after dark.
Although Dolly wanted to complain about why it took seven hours to cross a place as small as Britain, she decided to keep her mouth shut about matters of the magical world, considering that the Hogwarts Express was one of the most advanced forms of transport and the Ministry had faced countless protests to build it.
Anyway, she was here for the experience, not to change everything.
Besides, everyone in the compartment was sitting on a sofa, and there were only four of them.
Dolly simply half-lay on the sofa, nestled against Hermione's shoulder, and could easily smell the scent of lavender.
With an experience this pleasant, who needed a bicycle?
But her hunger made Dolly sit up. The problem of food had to be solved.
Ron, clearly realizing the same thing, took out a box from his backpack containing four corned beef sandwiches.
"I've got corned beef sandwiches here. My mum made them. She always forgets I don't like corned beef, so you guys..."
Before he could finish, the tinkling of a bell was heard.
The trolley witch opened the door, a charming smile lighting up the compartment. "Good afternoon, dear little wizards. Would you like anything from the trolley?"
Ron's face instantly turned crimson, all the way to the tips of his ears.
Harry saw this and realized Ron was upset.
So he said, "Corned beef? I'd love to try some. But sandwiches for the four of us doesn't seem like enough. How about I buy some sweets too?"
"Why not just take the lot," Dolly said, her eyes lighting up at the dazzling array of snacks.
This body of hers had a big appetite to begin with, and now with her golden finger handling everything behind the scenes, she could eat to her heart's content.
Sometimes, even Hermione looked at her with fear. If it weren't for the fact that Dolly didn't gain any weight no matter how much she ate, she would have definitely stopped her.
"Oh, my dear, that will cost quite a bit."
"It's fine, our Harry has money."
Dolly glanced at Harry. Harry shrugged, took out a few Galleons, and asked, "Is this enough?"
The trolley witch's face broke into a wide smile as she stuffed all the items into the compartment.
This was just one trolley; she had plenty more in stock. After taking three Galleons, two Sickles, and four Knuts from Harry, the witch left happily.
Looking at the group almost buried in snacks, Ron couldn't help but swallow, but he subconsciously tried to hide his corned beef sandwiches.
In his eyes, they were just too embarrassing to present.
"So, where are your corned beef sandwiches?"
Dolly handed a pumpkin pasty to Ron. Ron took it, flattered, and said, "It's just something my mum made. It probably doesn't taste good, so..."
"Ron, you must just be used to it," Dolly directly refuted him.
"You just said you have many older brothers. As a mother to so many, how could her cooking be bad?"
"What's more, this is my first time trying food from ordinary people in the magical world. Unless you're not willing to share..."
"Oh, no! I'll get them for you."
Inspired by Dolly's words, Ron quickly took out the sandwiches and gave one to everyone.
The scene of disdain he had imagined did not happen. Even the frowning Hermione's brow relaxed after taking a bite.
Because the corned beef was actually quite good.
It was beef that had been stewed and then cured with salt, sugar, and some spices, giving it a rich, savory flavor similar to soy-sauced beef.
The only drawback was probably that the quality of the beef was a bit poor, making it a bit too chewy, but that wasn't a problem for young people.
Also, it was a bit too salty.
But in any case, in Britain, where the overall culinary level leaned towards the disastrous, this sandwich was definitely a very normal and edible home-cooked meal.
"Ron, you're too modest. This is really good," Harry said, patting Ron's shoulder, his mouth full.
Only then did Ron, as if waking from a dream, take a bite himself.
It seemed this familiar taste, besides being shabby, was indeed a little delicious.
Of course, even better than the sandwich were the three new classmates in front of him... if only time could stop here, and everyone would just shut up.
"So salty! Did we buy any drinks?"
Hermione rummaged around for something to quench her thirst. Dolly handed her leftover sandwich to Harry and then shared a Coca-Cola with Hermione.
"Um, my sister's appetite isn't very good, so don't mind her."
Harry told a lie that was both insincere and about to be exposed. He couldn't finish the sandwich in his hand either and reached for a Chocolate Frog instead.
Ron's mouth twitched. He threw down his sandwich as well and reached for a pumpkin pasty, taking a bite.
Mmm, delicious!
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