Woo-woo~~
As the Hogwarts Express let out a whistle, a slightly awkward tension filled the carriage.
Well... at least for the young witch who had just stepped in. Faced with the boy's cool gray eyes—eyes that would soon belong to one of her future classmates—and the aura that set him apart from others their age, the once-chatty witch found her gaze starting to drift...
She wasn't embarrassed or angry about being stared at. No, it was more that, under Draco's silent "reminder," she realized her earlier behavior had been a bit rude.
Still, for some reason, she couldn't quite bring herself to apologize.
It was worth noting that her brown eyes didn't back down. She stared right back at Draco, chin tilted slightly in defiance, wearing a stubborn expression that practically screamed, "I'm not backing off."
Maybe even she didn't understand why she felt the need to act that way.
...
After a moment of silence, Draco finally lifted his eyes from his book. He glanced first at the figure hiding nervously behind the girl, then returned his gaze to her.
Unlike his earlier indifference, he was finally acknowledging the two who had barged into his compartment. Maybe that was why the girl still hadn't apologized—Draco's cold shoulder had stirred something rebellious in her.
Unbothered by whatever thoughts were going through their heads, Draco calmly picked up the cup beside him and took a sip of some mysterious liquid—definitely not something an ordinary person would have access to.
As he moved, his luxurious robes, clearly made from rare and expensive fabric, let out a soft rustling sound.
Elegant.
Noble.
The scene felt perfectly natural on him, but to the girl watching, it sparked an irrational urge to hit him with a charm—if only she knew any offensive spells to begin with.
Still, she couldn't deny it. There was something about him—something she couldn't quite put into words.
What is with this guy?
Caught up in her internal grumbling, she didn't even notice that the uneasiness she'd felt about entering the wizarding world and leaving her parents behind was slowly fading—subtly calmed by Draco's presence.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a nervous voice came from behind her.
"Hermione, let's get out of here."
"Huh? But Neville, your pet—"
"Let's just go."
It was clear that if Hermione hadn't been standing there, Neville would've bolted already.
In fact, if he'd known Draco was in this compartment, he never would've stepped inside—let alone dared to ask if he'd seen his toad...
Neville's odd reaction made Hermione frown slightly.
They'd only just met and weren't even acquaintances yet, but she was smart enough to tell—Neville was clearly afraid of this other boy, even though he was also just a first-year.
Concerned, Hermione turned back to look at him, confused.
"You two know each other?"
"I... know of him, but he probably doesn't know me..."
Though Neville tried to lower his voice, his stammering words were impossible to miss in the small compartment.
Draco gently set his cup down and looked at him with calm, unreadable eyes.
"Our families don't have much contact, but I know who you are. You're from the Longbottom family, right?"
"Eh?!"
Neville.
Full name: Neville Longbottom.
As Neville stood there, stunned, Draco casually refilled his cup and continued speaking without a care.
"So? What was so important that you had to burst in without even knocking?"
That line made the little witch's cheeks puff up in frustration.
This guy is so not a gentleman!
"Because... my toad's missing, so I wanted to ask if you'd seen it."
Maybe something clicked for Neville, or maybe Draco didn't seem as intimidating as he'd imagined—either way, the fear and tension had eased from his face.
He still stammered a bit, but managed to get the words out.
Draco met his expectant gaze and slowly shook his head.
It was unclear whether he meant he hadn't seen any disgusting toad-like creatures, or if he was just deeply disappointed in Neville's choice of pet.
Either way, his answer was clear.
"Oh... I see. Sorry for bothering you—we'll be going now..."
"Need a hand? I happen to know a spell that might help... assuming your toad—your pet—is still somewhere on this train."
"R-really?!"
In that moment, not only did Neville's face light up, but even the sulking little witch beside him looked at Draco with eager curiosity.
Neville was just hopeful. Hermione, though—she was intrigued to see what kind of spell Draco would use...
...
Woo-woo~~
As the sky outside darkened completely, it signaled that the little wizards on the train were nearing Hogwarts. The towering castle in the distance was growing clearer by the minute.
For a first-year like Hermione, this was a moment she shouldn't have missed.
But right now, her head was full of other thoughts...
"Hermione, thanks for helping me find Trevor."
"Ah... yeah..."
Her eyes drifted away from the toad named Trevor in Neville's hands and fixed on the tightly shut carriage door, staring as if she could somehow see a certain elegant figure through it...
Overjoyed at being reunited with his pet, Neville didn't notice anything strange about his companion. He was still caught up in gratitude toward Draco for his help.
"Just like Gran always says—seeing it for yourself is the only way to know the truth."
It had surprised him that Draco even knew who he was. But what truly caught him off guard was how different Draco seemed from what he'd imagined.
To be exact, that boy from the Malfoy family didn't match the way other wizards had described him at all...
While Neville mumbled to himself, the young witch beside him suddenly asked a question in a slightly odd tone.
"Neville... that was wandless spellcasting, wasn't it?"
It wasn't so much a question as it was her trying to confirm whether she'd seen things right.
Unlike Neville, who was still somewhat clueless, Hermione had read a lot before starting school—enough to understand exactly what had just happened.
That kind of spell, and the way it was cast, definitely wasn't something first-years were supposed to know.
At the very least, it didn't appear in any of the textbooks for their year.
Especially that wandless casting—it made her eyes go wide with shock.
The idea of performing magic without a wand hadn't even crossed her mind before. That realization made the proud young witch clutch her robes tightly.
Was he really just a first-year like her?
You've got to be kidding...